The Vedantist

Sri Ramakrishna walked across the courtyard and entered the temple of Radhakanta. He bowed down before the images, M. following him. There was some red powder in a tray.

The Master offered a little powder to the images and bowed down again. Next he proceeded to the Kāli temple. Passing up the seven steps, he stood on the open porch and looked at the image. Then he entered the shrine, offered red powder to the Divine Mother, and saluted Her. As he left the temple he asked M., “Why didn’t you Bring Baburam with you?”

Sri Ramakrishna returned to his room accompanied by M. and another devotee carrying the tray of red powder. He offered a little of it to all the pictures of gods and goddesses in his room, but not to those of Jesus Christ and himself. Then he threw the powder on the bodies of Narendra and the other devotees. They all took the dust of his feet.

In the cool shade of the late afternoon the devotees walked about in the temple garden, leaving the Master and M. in the room. The Master whispered to M.: “All say that they meditate well. But why is it different with Paltu? What do you think of Narendra? He is utterly guileless.

Just now he is faced with many difficult family problems and so his spiritual progress is a little checked; but it will not be so for long.”

Narendra was arguing on the verandah with a Vedantist. Now and then the Master went out to look at them. As the devotees gathered in the room he asked Mahima to recite a hymn. Mahima chanted a verse from the Mahanirvana Tantra:

We worship the Brahman-Consciousness in the Lotus of the Heart, The Undifferentiated, who is adored by Hari, Hara, and Brahma. . . .

Mahima recited a few more hymns and at last one to Śiva, by Sankaracharya, that compared the world to a deep well and a wilderness. Mahima was a householder.

The hymn ran thus: O Great God! O Thou Auspicious One, with the moon shining in Thy crest! Slayer of Madana! Wielder of the trident! Unmoving One! Lord of the Himalayas! O Consort of Durga, Lord of all creatures! Thou who scatterest the distress of the fearful! Rescue me, helpless as I am, from the trackless forest of this miserable world.

O Beloved of Parvati’s heart! O Thou moon-crested Deity! Master of every being! Lord of hosts! O Thou, the Lord of Parvati! O Vamadeva, Self-existent One! O Rudra, Wielder of the bow!

Rescue me, helpless as I am, from the trackless forest of this miserable world. O blue-throated God! Śiva, whose ensign is the bull! O Five-faced One!

Lord of the worlds, who wearest snakes upon Thy wrists! O Thou Auspicious One!

O Śiva! O Pasupati! O Thou, the Lord of Parvati! Rescue me, helpless as I am, from the trackless forest Of this miserable world.

O Lord of the Universe! O Śiva Sankara! OGod of Gods! Thou who dost bear the river Ganges in Thy matted locks! Thou, the Master of Pramatha and Nandika! O Hara, Lord of the world! Rescue me, helpless as I am, from the trackless forest of this miserable world. O King of Kasi, Lord of the cremation ground of Manikarnika! O mighty Hero, Thou the Destroyer of Daksha’s sacrifice! O All- pervasive One! O Lord of hosts! Omniscient One, who art the sole Indweller in every heart! O Lord! Rescue me, helpless as I am, from the trackless forest of this miserable world. O Great God! Compassionate One! O Benign Deity! O Byomakesa! Blue-throated One! O Lord of hosts! Thy body is smeared with ashes! Thou art garlanded with human skulls!

Rescue me, helpless as I am, from the trackless forest of this miserable world.

O Thou who dwellest on Mount Kailas! Thou whose carrier is thebull! O Conqueror of death! O Three-eyed One! Lord of the three worlds!

Beloved of Narayana! Conqueror of lust! Thou, Śakti’s Lord! Rescue me, helpless as I am, from the trackless forest of this miserable world.

Lord of the Universe! Refuge of the whole world! O Thou of infinite forms! Soul of the Universe! O Thou in whom repose the infinite virtues of the world! O Thou adored by all! Compassionate One! O Friend of the poor!

Rescue me, helpless as I am, from the trackless forest of this miserable world.

MASTER (to Mahima): “Why do you call the world a deep well or a trackless forest? An aspirant may think so in the beginning; but how can he be frightened by the world if he holds fast to God? Then he finds that-

This very world is a mansion of mirth;

Here I can eat, here drink and make merry.

“Why should you be frightened? Hold fast to God. What if the world is like a forest of thorns? Put on shoes and walk on the thorns. Whom should you fear? You won’t have to play again the part of the ’thief’ in the game of hide-and-seek, once you touch the granny'.

“King Janaka used to fence with two swords-the one of Knowledge and the other of action. Nothing can frighten an expert player. (To M.) “My mind is still drawn to what he just recited.”

Sri Ramakrishna referred to the hymns chanted by Mahima.

Nabai Chaitanya and the other devotees began to sing. They were joined by the Master, who danced, drunk with divine love. Afterwards he said: “This is the one thing needful, the chanting of God’s name. All else is unreal. Love and devotion alone are real, and other things are of no consequence.”

Later Sri Ramakrishna went out in the direction of the Panchavati. He asked M. about Binode, a student in M.’s school, who now and then experienced ecstasy while thinking of God. The Master loved him dearly. As he was returning to his room with M., he asked:

“Well, some speak of me as an Incarnation of God. What do you think about it?” The

Master came back to his room and sat on the small couch. He repeated the question to M.

The other devotees were seated at a distance and could not follow the conversation.

MASTER: “What do you say?”

M: “I think so too. You are like Sri Chaitanya.”

MASTER: “Is it a full manifestation of God, or a part? Tell me how much.'

M: “I don’t know, sir. But it is true that there is in you an Incarnation of the Divine Power. There is no doubt that God alone dwells in you.”

MASTER: “That is true. Chaitanya also wanted to realize Śakti, the Divine Power.” Narendra was engaged in a heated discussion. Ram, who had recently recovered from, an illness, joined him.

MASTER (to M.): “I don’t like such discussions. (To Ram) Will you stop that? You haven’t been well. All right, go on softly; don’t get so excited. (To M.) I don’t like these discussions. I used to weep and pray to the Divine Mother saying: ‘O Mother, any man says it is this, while another says it is that. Do Thou tell me, O Mother, what is the truth.’”