Mahima's 3 paths

MASTER (smiling): “What are the three paths you speak of?”

MAHIMA: “The path of Sat, which is the path of knowledge. Next, the path of Chit, of yoga, of karma yoga, which includes the duties and functions of the four stages of life. Last, the path of Ānanda, the path of devotion and ecstatic love. You are an adept in all three paths; you can speak of them all with authority.”

Sri Ramakrishna laughed.

Dr. Sarkar took his leave. It was evening, the first night after the full moon. Sri Ramakrishna stood up, lost in samādhi. Nityagopal stood beside him in a reverent attitude.

Sri Ramakrishna took his seat. Nityagopal was stroking his feet. Devendra, Kalipada, and many other devotees were seated by his side.MASTER (to the devotees): “My mind tells me that Nityagopal’s present state will undergo a change. His entire mind will be concentrated on me-on Him who dwells in me.

Don’t you see how Narendra’s whole mind is being drawn toward me?” Many of the devotees were taking their leave. Sri Ramakrishna stood up.

On japa

Referring to japa, he said to a devotee: “Japa means silently repeating God’s name in solitude. When you chant His name with single-minded devotion you can see God’s form and realize Him. Suppose there is a piece of timber sunk in the water of the Ganges and fastened with a chain to the bank. You proceed link by link, holding to the chain, and you dive into the water and follow the chain. Finally you are able to reach the timber. In the same way, by repeating God’s name you become absorbed in Him and finally realize Him.”

KALIPADA (smiling, to the devotees): “Ours is a grand teacher! We are not asked to practise meditation, austerity, and other disciplines.”

Suddenly Sri Ramakrishna said, “This is troubling me.” The Master’s throat was hurting him. Devendra said, “Your words cannot fool us any more.” He thought that the Master feigned illness to hoodwink the devotees.

Most of the devotees departed. It was arranged that a few of the younger men should stay to nurse the Master by turns. M. also was going to spend the night there.

Sunday, October 25,1885

It was about half past six in the morning when M. arrived at Syampukur and asked Sri Ramakrishna about his health. He was on his way to Dr. Sarkar to report the Master’s condition. The Master said to M: ‘Tell the doctor that during the early hours of the morning my mouth becomes filled with water and I cough. Also ask him if I may take a bath."

After 7pm M. came to Dr. Sarkar’s house and told him about the Master’s condition. The physician’s old teacher and one or two friends were in the room. Dr. Sarkar said to his teacher, “Sir, I have been thinking of the Paramahamsa since three in the morning.

I couldn’t sleep at all. Even now he is in my mind.” One of the doctor’s friends said to him: “Sir, I hear that some speak of the Paramahamsa as an Incarnation of God. You see him every day. How do you feel about it?”

DOCTOR: “I have the greatest regard for him as a man.”

M. (to the doctor’s friend): “It is very kind of Dr. Sarkar to treat him.”

DOCTOR. “Kindness? What do you mean?”

M: “Not toward him, but toward us.“DOCTOR: “You see, you don’t know my actual loss on account of the Paramahamsa, Every day I fail to see two or three patients. When the next day I go to their houses, of my own accord, I cannot accept any fee since I am seeing them without being called.

How can I charge them for my visit?”

Dr. Sarkar on Mahima

The conversation turned to Mahima Chakravarty. He had been with the Master when Dr. Sarkar had visited him the previous Saturday. Pointing to the doctor, Mahima had said to Sri Ramakrishna, “Sir, you yourself have created this disease in order to pamper the doctor’s pride.”

M. (to the doctor): “Mahima Chakravarty used to come to your place to attend your lectures on medical science.”

DOCTOR: “Is that so? How full of tamas he is! Didn’t you notice it? I saluted him as ‘God’s Lower Third’. There exist in God sattva, rajas, and tamas. Tamas is the third and an inferior quality. Didn’t you hear him say to the Paramahamsa, ‘You yourself have created this disease in order to pamper the doctor’s pride’?”

M: “Mahima Chakravarty believes that the Paramahamsa can cure his disease himself, if he wants to.”

DOCTOR: “What? Cure that disease himself? Is that possible? We are physicians; we know what cancer is. We ourselves cannot cure it. And he to cure himself! Why, he doesn’t know anything about cancer.

(To his friends)

The illness is no doubt incurable, but these gentlemen have been nursing him with sincere devotion.”

M. requested the doctor to visit Sri Ramakrishna and returned home.

In the afternoon, about three o’clock, M. came to the Master and repeated the conversation he had had with Dr. Sarkar. He said to Sri Ramakrishna, “Today the doctor embarrassed me.”

MASTER: “What happened?”

M: “Yesterday he heard here that you yourself had created this illness in order to pamper the doctor’s pride.”

MASTER: “Who made that remark?”

M: “Mahima Chakravarty.”

MASTER: “What did the doctor say to you?’

M: “He described Mahima Chakravarty as ‘God’s Lower Third’. Now he admits that all the qualities-sattva, rajas, and tamas-exist in God. (The Master laughs.) Then he told me that he had waked at three in the morning and had been thinking of you ever since.When I saw him it was eight o’clock. He said to me, ‘Even now the Paramahamsa is in my mind.’ "

MASTER (laughing): “You see, he has studied English. I cannot ask him to meditate on me; but he is doing it all the same, of his own accord.”

M: “He also said about you, ‘I have the greatest regard for him as a man.’

MASTER: “Did you talk of anything else?”

M: “I asked him, ‘What is your suggestion today about the patient?’ He said: ‘Suggestion? Hang it! I shall have to go to him again myself. What else shall I suggest?’ (Sri Ramakrishna laughs.) Further he said: ‘You don’t know how much money I am losing every day. Every day I miss two or three calls.’ "