Various forms of divine love

The Master went into an ecstatic mood while watching the evening worship of Kāli in the company of the devotees.

He was in no condition even to salute the image. Very carefully he returned to his room with the devotees and sat down; he was still in an ecstatic mood. He spoke to them while in that state.

In the room was Hari, a young man about twenty years of age, who was a relative of the Mukherjis and very much devoted to the Master. He was married. At that time he was living with the Mukherjis and looking for a job.

MASTER (to Hari, in an ecstatic mood): “Take your initiation after getting your mother’s permission. (To Priya, referring to Hari) I couldn’t give him the mantra though I said I would initiate him. I don’t initiate people. Continue with your own meditation and japa as you have been doing.”

PRIYA: “Yes, sir.”

MASTER: “And I am saying this to you in this state of my mind. Believe my words. You see, there is no show or deceit here. I just said to the Divine Mother in my ecstatic mood, ‘O Mother, may those who come here [referring to himself] through sincere attraction obtain perfection!’ "

Mahendra Kaviraj of Sinthi was seated on the verandah conversing with Ramlal, Hazra, and others. The Master called to him from his room. M. went out quickly and brought Mahendra in.

MASTER (to Mahendra): “Sit down and listen to my words.”

Mahendra was a little embarrassed. He sat down.

Various forms of divine love

MASTER (to the devotees): “God can be served in different ways. An ecstatic lover of God enjoys Him in different ways. Sometimes he says, ‘O God, You are the lotus and I am the bee’, and sometimes, ‘You are the Ocean of Satchidananda and I am the fish.’ Sometimes, again, the lover of God says, ‘I am Your dancing-girl.’ He dances and sings before Him. He thinks of himself sometimes as the friend of God and sometimes as His handmaid. He looks on God sometimes as a child, as did Yaśoda, and sometimes as husband or sweetheart, as did the gopis.

“Sometimes Balarama looked on Krishna as a friend; sometimes he would think he was Krishna’s umbrella or carpet. He served Krishna in all possible ways.” Was Sri Ramakrishna hinting at his own state of mind while thus describing the different attitudes of a lover of God?

Chaitanya’s spiritual moods

Next he described Chaitanya’s three spiritual moods.

MASTER: “Chaitanyadeva used to experience three moods. In the inmost mood he would be absorbed in samādhi, unconscious of the outer world. In the semi-conscious mood he would dance in ecstasy but could not talk. In the conscious mood he would sing the glories of God.

(To the devotees) “You are listening to my words. Try to assimilate them. When worldly people sit before a sādhu, for the time being they completely hide all worldly thoughts and ideas. But once away from the holy man they let them out again. You have seen a pigeon eating dried peas. You think he has digested them, but he keeps them in his crop. You can feel them there. “At dusk put aside all duties and pray to God. One is reminded of Him by darkness. At the approach of darkness one thinks: ‘I could see everything a moment ago. Who has brought about this change?’ The Muslims put aside all activities and say their prayers at the appointed times.”

Practice of japa

MUKHERJI: “Revered sir, is it good to practise japa?”

MASTER: “Yes. One attains God through japa. By repeating the name of God secretly and in solitude one receives divine grace. Then comes His vision. Suppose there is a big piece of timber lying under water and fastened to the land with a chain; by proceeding along the chain, link by link, you will at last touch the timber. “Higher than worship is japa, higher than japa is meditation, higher than meditation is bhava, and higher than bhava are mahabhava and prema. Chaitanyadeva had prema,

When one attains prema one has the rope to tie God.”

Hazra entered the room.

MASTER (to Hazra): “Love of God, when it is intense and spontaneous, is called raga- bhakti. Vaidhi-bhakti, formal devotion, depends on scriptural injunctions. It comes and it goes. But raga-bhakti is like a stone emblem of Śiva that has sprung up out of the bowels of the earth. One cannot find its root; they say the root goes as far as Benares. Only an Incarnation of God and His companions attain raga-bhakti.”

HAZRA: “Ah me!”

MASTER: “One day I was returning from the Pine-grove, when I saw you telling your beads. I said to the Divine Mother: ‘Mother, what a small minded fellow he is! He lives here and still he pratises japa with a rosary! Whoever comes he [referring to himself] will have his spiritual consciousness awakened all a once; he won’t have to bother much, about japa. Go to Calcutta and you will find thousands telling their beads-even the prostitutes.’

(To M.) “Please bring Naran here in a carriage. I am making the same request to Mukherji. I shall give Naran something to eat when he comes. There is great significance in feeding boys like him.”

Saturday, October 4, 1884

It was the day of the first full moon after the Durga Puja. Sri Ramakrishna arrived at the Calcutta house of Nabin Sen, the elder brother of Keshab Chandra Sen. On the previous Thursday Keshab’s mother had begged the Master to pay her a visit in Calcutta. The Master seated himself in a room on the upper floor of the house. With him were Baburam, Kishori, and a few other devotees. Nandalal and Keshab’s other nephews, Keshab’s mother, and other relatives of his, waited on the Master. It had been arranged to have devotional music performed in the room. M. was sitting in a room downstairs, listening to the kirtan.

Master with Brahmo devotees

Sri Ramakrishna said to the Brahmo devotees: “The world is impermanent. One should constantly remember death.” Then he sang:

Remember this, O mind! Nobody is your own:

Vain is your wandering in this world.

Trapped in the subtle snare of māyā as you are,

Do not forget the Mother’s name. . . .

The Master said to the devotees: “Dive deep. What will you gain by merely floating on the surface? Renounce everything for a few days, retire into solitude, and call on God with all your soul”

The Master sang:

Dive deep, O mind, dive deep in. the Ocean of God’s Beauty; If you descend to the uttermost depths,

There you will find the gem of Love. . . . At Sri Ramakrishna’s request the Brahmo devotees sang:

Thou art my All in All, O Lord!- the Life of my life, the Essence of essence; In the three worlds I have none else but Thee to call my own. Thou art my peace, my joy, my hope; Thou my support, my wealth, my glory; Thou my wisdom and my strength. . . . The Master sang again: O Mother, for Yaśoda Thou wouldst dance, when she called Thee her precious “Blue Jewel”: Where hast Thou hidden that lovely form, O terrible Syama? . .

The Brahmo devotees also sang to theaccompaniment of cymbals and drums: O Mother, how deep is Thy love for men! Mindful of it, I weep for joy. Almost from the day of my birth I have transgressed Thine every law, And still Thou lookest on me with love, Comforting me with sweetest words. Mindful of it, I weep for joy. O Mother, the burden of Thy love Is far too great for me to bear; My soul gives a heart-piercing cry At Thy love’s touch. To Thee I come, Seeking a refuge at Thy feet.

They again sang of the Divine Mother:

O Mother, Thou my Inner Guide, ever awake within my heart! Day and night Thou holdest me in Thy lap. Why dost Thou show such tenderness to this unworthy child of Thine’?

Ah! It seems Thou art mad with love: now caressing, now with strong grasp

Holding me firm, Thou givest me to drink Thy nectar, pouring in my ears Thy words of loving tenderness. Unceasing is Thy love for me, a love that cannot see my faults ; Whenever I am in danger, Thou dost save me. Saviour of sinners! I know the truth: I am my Mother’s and She is mine. Now I shall listen to Her alone, and follow the path of righteousness; Drinking the milk that flows from my Mother’s breasts, I shall be strong and sing with joy: “Hail, O Mother! Brahman Eternal!” The Master and the Brahmo devotees sang several songs about Hari and Gaurānga.