The Durga Puja Festival

Friday, September 26, 1884

SRI RAMAKRISHNA had come to Calcutta. It was the first day of the Durga Puja, the great religious festival, and the Hindus of the metropolis were celebrating it. The Master intended to visit the image of the Divine Mother at Adhar’s house. He also wanted to see Shivanath, the Brahmo devotee.

It was about midday. Umbrella in hand, M. was pacing the foot-path in front of the Brahmo Samaj temple. Two hours had passed but the Master had not yet appeared. Now and then M. sat down on the steps of Dr. Mahalnavish’s dispensary and watched the joy and mirth of the people, young and old, who were celebrating the Puja.

A little after three the Master’s carriage drove up. As soon as Sri Ramakrishna stepped out he saluted the temple of the Brahmo Samaj with folded hands. Hazra and a few other devotees were with him. M. bowed before the Master and took the dust of his feet.

The Master told him that he was going to Shivanath’s house. A few minutes later several members of the Brahmo Samaj came and took him to Shivanath’s. But Shivanath was not at home. Shortly afterwards Vijay Goswami, Mahalnavish, and several other Brahmo leaders greeted the Master and took him inside the Brahmo temple. Sri Ramakrishna was in a happy mood. He was given a seat below the altar.

There the Brahmo devotees sang their devotional music. Vijay and the Brahmo devotees sat in front of the Master. MASTER (to Vijay, with a smile): “I was told that you had put up a ‘signboard’ here that people belonging to other faiths are not allowed to come in. Narendra, too, said to me: ‘You shouldn’t go to the Brahmo Samiij. You had better visit Shivanath’s house.’

Master’s catholicity

But I say that we are all calling on the same God. Jealousy and malice need not be. Some say that God is formless,and some that God has form. I say, let one man meditate on God with form if he believes in form, and let another meditate on the formless Deity if he does not believe in form. What I mean is that dogmatism is not good. It is not good to feel that my religion alone is true and other religions are false. The correct attitude is this: My religion is right, but I do not know whether other religions are right or wrong, true or false. I say this because one cannot know the true nature of God unless one realizes Him. Kabir used to say: ‘God with form is my Mother, the Formless is my Father. Which shall I blame? Which shall I praise? The two pans of the scales are equally heavy.’

Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Saktas, Saivas, Vaishnavas, the Brahmajnanis of the time of the rishis, and you, the Brahmajnanis of modern times, all seek the same object. THE DURGA PUJA FESTIVALA mother prepares dishes to suit the stomachs of her children. Suppose a mother has 608five children and a fish is bought for the family. She doesn’t cook pilau or kalia for all of them. All have not the same power of digestion; so she prepares a simple stew for some. But she loves all her children equally. “Do you know my attitude? I love all the preparations of fish. I have a womanly nature (all laugh). I feel myself at home with every dish-fried fish, fish cooked with turmeric powder, pickled fish. And further, I equally relish rich preparations like fish-head, kalia, and pilau. (all laugh) “Do you know what the truth is? God has made different religions to suit different aspirants, times, and countries. All doctrines are only so many paths; but a path is by no means God Himself. Indeed, one can reach God if one follows any of the paths with whole-hearted devotion. Suppose there are errors in the religion that one has accepted; if one is sincere and earnest, then God Himself will correct those errors. Suppose a man has set out with a sincere desire to visit Jagannath at Puri and by mistake has gone north instead of south; then certainly someone meeting him on the way will tell him: ‘My good fellow, don’t go that way. Go to the south.’ And the man will reach Jagannath sooner or later. “If there are errors in other religions, that is none of our business. God, to whom the world belongs, takes care of that. Our duty is somehow to visit Jagannath. (To the Brahmos) The view you hold is good indeed. You describe God as formless. That is fine. One may eat a cake with icing, either straight or sidewise. It will taste sweet either way. Dogmatism condemned “But dogmatism is not good. You have no doubt heard the story of the chameleon. A man entered a wood and saw a chameleon on a tree. He reported to his friends, ‘I have seen a red lizard.’ He was firmly convinced that it was nothing but red. Another person, after visiting the tree, said, ‘I have seen a green lizard.’ He was firmly convinced that it was nothing but green. But the man who lived under the tree said: ‘What both of you have said is true. But the fact is that the creature is sometimes red, sometimes green, sometimes yellow, and sometimes has no colour at all.’ “God has been described in the Vedas as both with attributes and without. You describe Him as without form only. That is one-sided. But never mind. If you know one of His aspects truly, you will be able to know His other aspects too. God Himself will tell you all about them. (Pointing to two or three Brahmo devotees) Those who come to your Samaj know both this gentleman and that.” Encouragement to Vijay Vijay still belonged to the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. He was a salaried preacher of that organization but could not obey all its rules and regulations. He mixed with those who believed in God with form. This was creating a misunderstanding between him and the Brahmo authorities. Many Brahmos disapproved of his conduct. The Master suddenly looked at Vijay and began to talk to him. MASTER (to Vijay, smiling): “I understand that they have been finding fault with you for mixing with those who believe in God with form. Is that true? He who is a devotee of 609God must have an understanding that cannot be shaken under any conditions. He must be like the anvil in a blacksmith’s shop. It is constantly being struck by the hammer; still it is unshaken. Bad people may abuse you very much and speak ill of you; but you must bear with them all if you sincerely seek God. Isn’t it possible to think of God in the midst of the wicked? Just think of the rishis of ancient times. They used to meditate on God in the forest, surrounded on all sides by tigers, bears, and other ferocious beasts. Wicked men have the nature of tigers and bears. They will pursue you to do you an injury.

How to deal with wicked people

“One must be careful about these few things. First, an influential man who has much money and many men under his control. He can injure you if he wants; you must be careful while talking to him; perhaps you may have to approve what he says. Second, a dog. When it chases you or barks at you, you must stand still, talk to it gently, and pacify it. Third, a bull. If it runs after you with lowered horns, you must calm it with a gentle voice. Fourth, a drunkard. If you arouse his anger, he will abuse you, naming 14 generations of your family. You should say to him: ‘Hello uncle! How are you?’ Then he will be mightily pleased and sit by you and smoke.

“In the presence of a wicked person I become alert. If such a man asks me whether I have a pipe for smoking, I say, ‘Yes, I have.’ Some people have the nature of a snake: they will bite you without warning. You have to discriminate a great deal in order to avoid the bite; otherwise your passion will be stirred up to such an extent that you will feel like doing injury in return. The companionship of a holy man is greatly needed now and then. It enables one to discriminate between the Real and the unreal.”

VIJAY: “I have no time, sir. I am entangled in my duties here.”

MASTER: “You are a religious teacher. Others have holidays, but not so a religious teacher. When the manager of an estate brings order to one part of it, the landlord sends him to another part. So you have no leisure.” (all laugh)

VIJAY (with folded hands): “Sir, please give me your blessing.”

MASTER: “Now you are talking like an ignorant person. It is God alone who blesses.”

VIJAY: “Revered sir, please give us some instruction.”

The Master glanced around the Brahmo temple and said with a smile, “This is nice too-a mixture of crystals and syrup. There are crystals, and there is syrup too. “I have scored too many points and am therefore out of the game (all laugh). Do you know the game called ’nax’? It is a game of cards, and anyone scoring above 17 is out of the game.

Those who score fewer points-say five, seven, or ten-are clever. I have scored too many and am out of the game. “Once Keshab Sen gave a lecture at his house. I was present.

Many people were there.

The ladies were seated behind the screen. Keshab, in the course of his talk, said, ‘O God, please bless us that we may dive and disappear altogether in the river of bhakti.’ I said to Keshab with a smile: ‘If you disappear altogether in the river of bhakti, then what will be the fate of those behind the screen? By all means dive into the river, but you had better come back to dry land now and then: Don’t disappear in the river altogether.’ At these words Keshab and the others burst out laughing. “Never mind. One can realize God in the world, too, if only one is sincere. ‘I’ and ‘mine’- that is ignorance. But, ‘O God! Thou and Thine’-that is knowledge.

Advice to householders

Live in the world like a maidservant in a rich man’s house. She performs all the household duties, brings up her master’s child, and speaks of him as ‘my Hari’. But in her heart she knows quite well that neither the house nor the child belongs to her.

She performs all her duties, but just the same her mind dwells on her native place. Likewise, do your worldly duties but fix your mind on God. And know that house, family, and son do not belong to you; they are God’s. You are only His servant.

I ask people to renounce mentally. I do not ask them to give up the world. If one lives in the world unattached and seeks God with sincerity, then one is able to attain Him.

(To Vijay) “There was a time when I too would meditate on God with my eyes closed.

Then I said to myself: ‘Does God exist only when I think of Him with my eyes closed?

Doesn’t He exist when I look around with my eyes open?’ Now, when I look around with my eyes open, I see that God dwells in all beings. He is the Indwelling Spirit of all-men, animals and other living beings, trees and plants, sun and moon, land and water.

Why do I seek Shivanath? He who meditates on God for many days has substance in him, has divine power in him. Further, he who sings well, plays well on a musical instrument, or has mastered anyone art, has in him real substance and the power of God. This is the view of the Gitā. It is said in the Chandi that he who is endowed with physical beauty has in him substance and the power of God.

(To Vijay) Ah, what a beautiful nature Kedār has! No sooner does he come to me than he bursts into tears. His eyes are always red and swim in tears, like a chanabara in syrup.”

VIJAY: “At Dāccā he is constantly talking about you. He is always eager to see you.”

Sri Ramakrishna was about to depart. The Brahmo devotees bowed low before him and he returned their salute. Then, getting into the carriage, he set out for Adhar’s house to see the image of the Divine Mother.