Brahman Itself is unattached

“Names and forms are nothing but the manifestations of the power of Prakriti. Sita said to Hanuman: ‘My child, in one form I am Sita, in another form I am Rāma. In one form I am Indra, in another I am IndRani. In one form I am Brahma, in another, Brahmani.

In one form I am Rudra, in another, Rudrani.’ Whatever names and forms you see are nothing but the manifestations of the power of ChitŚakti. Everything is the power of ChitŚakti-even meditation and he who meditates. As long as I feel that I am meditating, I am within the jurisdiction of Prakriti.

(To M.) Try to assimilate what I have said. One should hear what the Vedas and the Puranas say, and carry it out in life. 665(To the pundit) “It is good to live in the company of holy men now and then. The disease of worldliness has become chronic in man. It is mitigated, to a great extent, in holy company.

Knowledge and ignorance

“‘I’ and ‘mine’-that is ignorance. True knowledge makes one feel: ‘O God, You alone do everything. You alone are my own. And to You alone belong houses, buildings, family, relatives, friends, the whole world. All is Yours.’ But ignorance makes one feel: ‘I am doing everything. I am the doer. House, buildings, family, children, friends, and property are all mine.’

Hollowness of worldly love

“Once a teacher was explaining all this to a disciple. He said, ‘God alone, and no one else, is your own.’ The disciple said: ‘But, revered sir, my mother, my wife, and my other relatives take very good care of me. They see nothing but darkness when I am not present. How much they love me!’ The teacher said: ‘There you are mistaken. I shall show you presently that nobody is your own. Take these few pills with you. When you go home, swallow them and lie down in bed. People will think you are dead, but you will remain conscious of the outside world and will see and hear everything. Then I shall visit your home.

“The disciple followed the instructions. He swallowed the pills and lay as if unconscious in his bed. His mother, wife, and other relatives began to cry. Just then the teacher came in, in the guise of a physician, and asked the cause of their grief. When they had told him everything, he said to them: ‘Here is a medicine for him. It will bring him back to life. But I must tell you one thing. This medicine must first be taken by one of his relatives and then given to him. But the relative who takes it first will die. I see his mother, his wife, and others here. Certainly one of you will volunteer to take the medicine.

Then the young man will come back to life.’

“The disciple heard all this. First the physician called his mother, who was weeping and rolling on the ground in grief. He said to her: ‘Mother, you don’t need to weep any more.

Take this medicine and your son will come to life. But you will die.’ The mother took the medicine in her hand and began to think. After much reflection she said to the physician, with tears in her eyes: ‘My child, I have a few more children. I have to think about them too.

I am wondering what will happen to them if I die. Who will feed them and look after them?’

The physician next called the wife and handed the medicine to her. She had been weeping bitterly too. With the medicine in her hand she also began to reflect. She had heard that she would die from the effect of the medicine. At last, with tears in her eyes, she said: ‘He has met his fate. If I die, what will happen to my young children?

Who will keep them alive? How can I take the medicine?’ In the mean time the disciple had got over the effect of the pills. He was now convinced that nobody was really his own. He jumped out of bed and left the place with his teacher. The guru said to him, ‘There is only one whom you may call your own, and that is God.’

666"Therefore a man should act in such a way that he may have bhakti for the Lotus Feet of God and love God as his very own. You see this world around you. It exists for you only for a couple of days. There is nothing to it.” PUNDIT (smiling): “Revered sir, I feel a spirit of total renunciation when I am here. I feel like going away, giving up the world.”

MASTER: “No, no! Why should you give up? Give up mentally. Live unattached in the world.

“Surendra wanted to spend the night here occasionally. He brought a bed and even spent a day or two here. Then his wife said to him, ‘You may go anywhere you like during the day-time, but at night you must not leave home.’ What could poor Surendra do? Now he has no way of spending the night away from home.

Reason and love

“What will you achieve by mere reasoning? Be restless for God and learn to love Him. Reason, mere intellectual knowledge, is like a man who can go only as far as the outer court of the house. But bhakti is like a woman who goes into the inner court. Different attitudes toward God

“One must take up a definite attitude toward God. Then alone can one realize Him. Rishis like Sanaka cherished the attitude of Śānta; Hanuman the attitude of a servant; the cowherd boys of Vrindāvan, like Sridāmā and Sudāmā, the attitude of a friend; Yaśoda the attitude of a mother; and Radha the attitude of a sweetheart. " ‘O God, Thou art the Lord and I am Thy servant’ - that is the servant’s attitude, a very good one for aspirants.”

PUNDIT: “Yes, sir.”

The pundit from Sinthi left. It was dusk. Twilight hung over the Panchavati, the temples, and the river. Evening worship began in the different temples, accompanied by the sound of bells, gongs, and conch-shells. Sri Ramakrishna bowed before the pictures of the deities in his room. He was sitting on the small couch in an abstracted mood. A few devotees were on the floor. There was silence in the room.

Master and Ishan

An hour passed. Ishan and Kishori entered and sat down on the floor after saluting Sri Ramakrishna. Ishan was a great ritualist. He was devoted to the performance of the, various rites and ceremonies prescribed by the scriptures. The Master opened the conversation.

Characteristics of Knowledge

MASTER: “Can one attain knowledge of God by merely repeating the word ‘God’? There are two indications of such knowledge. First, longing,that is to say, love for God. You may indulge in reasoning or discussion, but if you feel no longing or love, it is all futile. Second, the awakening of the Kundalini. As long as the Kundalini remains asleep, you have not attained knowledge of God. You may be spending hours poring over books or 667discussing philosophy, but if you have no inner restlessness for God, you have no knowledge of Him.

Path of devotion

“When the Kundalini is awakened, one attains bhava, bhakti, prema, and so on. This is the path of devotion. Path of karma “The path of karma is very difficult. Through it one obtains some powers-I mean occult powers.”

ISHAN: “Let me go and see Hazra.”

Sri Ramakrishna sat in silence. After a while Ishan returned to the room accompanied by Hazra. The Master was still silent. A few moments later Hazra whispered to Ishan: “Let’s leave him alone. Perhaps he will meditate now.” Both left the room.

Sri Ramakrishna was still silent. In a few moments the devotees noticed that he was really meditating. Then he performed japa. He placed his right hand on his head, then on his forehead, then on his throat, then on his heart, and last of all on his navel. Was it meditation on the Primordial Energy in the six centres of the body? Ishan and Hazra had gone to the Kāli temple. Sri Ramakrishna was absorbed in meditation. Meanwhile Adhar had arrived. It was about half past seven.

A little later the Master. went to the Kāli temple. He looked at the image, took some sacred Rowers from the feet of the Mother, and placed them on his head. He prostrated himself before the Mother and went round the image. He waved the chamara. He appeared ecstatic with divine fervour. Coming out, he found Ishan performing the sandhya with the kosakusi.

Rituals are only steps MASTER (to Ishan): “What? You are still here? Are you still performing the sandhya? Listen to a song: Why should I go to Ganga or Gaya, to Kasi, Kanchi, or Prabhas, So long as I can breathe my last with Kāli’s name upon my lips?

What need of rituals has a man, what need of devotions any more, If he repeats the Mother’s name at the three holy hours? Rituals may pursue him close, but never can they overtake him. Charity, vows, and giving of gifts do not appeal to Madan’s mind; The Blissful Mother’s Lotus Feet are his whole prayer and sacrifice. . . .

“How long must a man continue the sandhya? As long as he has not developed love for the Lotus Feet of God, as long as he does not shed tears and his hair does not stand on end when he repeats God’s name.

I bow my head, says Prasad, before desire and liberation; Knowing the secret that Kāli is one with the highest Brahman, I have discarded, once for all, both dharma and adharma. “When the fruit grows, the flower drops off. When one has developed love of God and has beheld Him, then one gives up the sandhya and other rites. When the young daughter-in-law is with child, the mother-in-law reduces her activities. When she has been pregnant for nine months, she is not allowed to perform any household duty. After the birth of the child, she only carries the child on her arm and nurses it. She has no other duty.

After the attainment of God, the sandhya and other rites are given up.