Different kinds of samādhi

It was 10pm. The Master got into a carriage to return to Dakshineswar. One or two attending devotees got in with him. The carriage stood under a tree, in deep darkness. Beni Pāl wanted to send some sweets and other food with Sri Ramakrishna for Ramlal, the Master’s nephew.

BENI PĀL: “Sir, Ramlal was not here this evening. With your permission I should like to send some sweets for him by your attendants.”

MASTER (with great anxiety): “Oh, Beni Pāl! Oh, sir! Please don’t send these things with me. That will do me harm. It is never possible for me to lay up anything. I hope you won’t mind.”

BENI PĀL: “As you please, sir. Please give me your blessing.”

MASTER: “Oh, we have been very happy today! You see, he alone is a true man who has made money his servant. But those who do not know the use of money are not men even though they have human forms. They may have human bodies, but they behave like animals. You are blessed indeed. You have made so many devotees happy today.”

Monday, October 20, 1884

Two days after the worship of Kāli, the Mārwāris of the Burrabazar section of Calcutta were celebrating the Annakuta festival. Sri Ramakrishna had been invited by the Mārwāri devotees to the ceremony at 12 Mallick Street. It was the second day of the bright fortnight of the moon. The festival connected with the worship of Kāli, known as the “Festival of Light”, was still going on at Burra bazar.

About 3pm, M. and the younger Gopal came to Burrabazar. M. had in his hand a bundle of cloths he had purchased for Sri Ramakrishna. Mallick Street was jammed with people, bullock-carts, and carriages. As M. and Gopal approached Mallick Street they noticed Sri Ramakrishna in a carriage, which could hardly move because of the jam. Baburam and Ram Chakravarty were with the Master. He smiled at M. and Gopal.

Sri Ramakrishna alighted from the carriage. With Baburam he proceeded on foot to the house of his host, M. leading the way. They saw the courtyard of the house filled with big bales of clothes which were being loaded into bullock-carts for shipment. The Mārwāri host greeted the Master and led him to the third floor of the house. A painting of Kāli hung on the wall. Sri Ramakrishna bowed before it. He sat down and became engaged in conversation with the devotees. One of the Mārwāris began to stroke his feet. The Master asked him to stop. After reflecting a minute he said, “All right, you can stroke them a little.” His words were full of compassion.

MASTER (to M.): “What about your school?”

M: “Today is a holiday, sir.”

MASTER (smiling): “Tomorrow there will be a musical recital of the Chandi at Adhar’s house.”

Master and the Mārwāri pundit

The host sent a pundit to Sri Ramakrishna. He saluted the Master and took a seat. Soon they were engaged in conversation. They talked about spiritual things.

MASTER: “God incarnates Himself for the bhakta and not for the Jnāni.”

PUNDIT: “‘I incarnate Myself in every age for the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of dharma.’ God becomes man, first, for the joy of the bhakta, and secondly, for the destruction of the wicked. The Jnāni has no desire.”

MASTER (smiling): “But I have not got rid of all desires. I have the desire for love of God.” The pundit’s son entered the room. He saluted the Master and took a seat.

MASTER (to the pundit): “Well, what is bhava and what is bhakti?”

PUNDIT: “Meditation on God mellows the mind. This mellowness is called like the thawing of ice when the sun rises.”

MASTER: “Well, what is prema?”

The pundit and Sri Ramakrishna were talking in Hindusthani. The former gave some sort of explanation of prema.

MASTER (to the pundit): “No! No! That is not the meaning. Prema means such love for God that it makes a man forget the world and also his body, which is so dear to him. Chaitanyadeva had prema.”

PUNDIT: “Yes, sir. One behaves like a drunkard.”

MASTER: “Some people develop bhakti and others do not; how do you explain that, sir?” PUNDIT: “There is no partiality in God. He is the Wish-fulfilling Tree. Whatever a man asks of God he gets. But he must go near the Tree to ask the boon.” The pundit said all this in Hindusthani. The Master explained it to M.in Bengali.

Different kinds of samādhi

MASTER: “Sir, please describe samādhi to us.”

PUNDIT: “There are two kinds of samādhi: savikalpa nirvikalpa samādhi the functioning of the mind stops altogether.”

MASTER: “Yes. The mind completely takes the form of Reality. The distinction between the meditator and the object of meditation does not exist. There are two other kinds of samādhi: chetana and jada. Nārada and Sukadeva attained chetana samādhi. Isn’t that true, sir?”

PUNDIT: “Yes, sir, that is so.”

MASTER: “Further, there are the unmana samādhi and the sthita samādhi. Isn’t that true, sir?”

The pundit remained silent. He did not venture an opinion.

MASTER: “Well, sir, through the practice of japa and austerity one can get occult powers, such as walking on the water of the Ganges. Isn’t that true?”

PUNDIT: “Yes, one can. But a devotee doesn’t want them.” The conversation continued for some time. The pundit said he would visit the Master at Dakshineswar the next ekadasi day.

MASTER: “Ah! Your boy is very nice.”

PUNDIT: “Well, revered sir, all this is transitory. It is like the waves in a river-one goes down and another comes up.”

MASTER: “You have substance in you.”

After a few minutes the pundit saluted Sri Ramakrishna. He said: “I shall have to perform my daily devotions. Please let me go.”

MASTER: “Oh, sit down! Sit down!”

The pundit sat down again. The conversation turned to hathayoga. The pundit discussed the subject with the Master in Hindusthani. Sri Ramakrishna said: “Yes, that is also a form of austerity. But the hathayogi identifies himself with his body. His mind dwells on his body alone.” The pundit took leave of the Master. Sri Ramakrishna conversed with the pundit’s son.

MASTER: “One can understand the Bhagavata well if one has already studied the Nyaya, the Vedānta , and the other systems of philosophy. Isn’t that so?”

PUNDIT’S SON: “Yes, sir. It is very necessary to study the Samkhya philosophy.”

The conversation went on. Sri Ramakrishna was leaning against a big pillow; the devotees were sitting on the floor. Lying in that position, the Master began to sing: Brother, joyfully cling to God; Thus striving, some day you may attain Him.

Their host entered the room and saluted Sri Ramakrishna. He was a pious man and devoted to the Master. The pundit’s son was still there. The Master asked if the Panini, the Sanskrit grammar, was taught in the schools. He further asked about the Nyaya and the Vedānta philosophies. The host did not show much interest in the discussion and changed the subject.

HOST: “Revered sir, what is the way for us?”

MASTER: “Chanting the name and glories of God, living in the company of holy men, and earnestly praying to God.”

HOST: “Please bless me, sir, that I may pay less and less attention to worldly things.”

MASTER (smiling): “How much attention do you give to the world? Fifty per cent?”

(Laughter.)

HOST: “You know that, sir. We cannot achieve anything without the grace of a holy person like yourself.”

MASTER: “If you please God, everyone will be pleased. It is God alone that exists in the heart of the holy man.”

HOST: “Nothing, of course, remains unrealized when one attains God. If a man attains God, he can give up everything else. If a man gets a rupee, he gives up the joy of a penny.”

MASTER: “A little spiritual discipline is necessary. Through the practice of discipline one gradually obtains divine joy. Suppose a jar with money inside is hidden deep under the earth and someone wants to possess it. In that case he must take the trouble of digging for it.

As he digs, he perspires. After much digging the spade strikes the metal jar. He feels a thrill at the sound. The more sound the spade makes, striking against the jar, the more joy he feels. “Pray to Rāma. Meditate on Him. He will certainly provide you with everything.”

HOST: “Revered sir, you are Rāma Himself.”

MASTER: “How is that? The waves belong to the river; does the river belong to the waves?”

HOST: “Rāma dwells only in the hearts of holy men. He cannot be seen in any other way. There is no Incarnation of God at the present time.”

MASTER (smiling): “How do you know there is no Divine Incarnation?”

The host remained silent.

MASTER: “All cannot recognize an Incarnation. When Nārada visited Rāma, Rāma prostrated Himself before Nārada and said: ‘We are worldly creatures. How can we be sanctified unless holy men like you visit us?’ Further, Rāma went into exile in the forest to redeem His father’s pledges. He saw that, since hearing of His exile, the rishis of the forest had been fasting. Many of them did not know that Rāma was none other than the Supreme Brahman.”

HOST: “You too are that same Rāma.”

MASTER: “For heaven’s sake! Never say that.”