Kathamrita, 98th Visit of M. 3-Aug-1884 Vol 4 Chap 3
* V e n u *
Jai Sri Guru-sri-charana-aravindya
Jai Sri Ram
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Nabai Chaitanya, Narendra, Baburam, Latu, Mani, Rakhal, Niranjan, and Adhar
Thakur comes into his room and sits down. Balaram has brought some mangoes, and Thakur says to Ram Chatterji, “Please take some mangoes for your son.” Nabai Chaitanya is also in the room, dressed in a red dhoti.
Thakur is speaking with Hazra on the long northern verandah. The topic of their conversation is the harital ash that a brahmachari has given to Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna: “The medicine the brah-machari gave me suits me very much. The man is correct.”
Hazra: “But the poor fellow has gotten caught up in worldly life. What can he do? Nabai Chaitanya has come from Konnagar. But even though he’s a householder, he’s dressed himself in a red dhoti.'
Sri Ramakrishna: “What can I say? I see that God Himself has taken the forms of everyone. So, I’m not able to say anything critical to anyone.”
Thakur comes back into his room and then talks with Hazra about Narendra.
Hazra: “Narendra has gotten entangled in a lawsuit again.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He doesn’t believe in Shakti. When a person has taken a human body, he must accept Shakti.”
Hazra: “He says, ‘If I accept it, everyone will accept it. So how can I?’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It’s not good to go that far. He has now come under the jurisdiction of Shakti. Even a judge has to stand in the witness box if he gives evidence.
(To M.) “Have you seen Narendra?”
M.: “Not recently, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Do meet him and bring him here in a carriage.”
(To Hazra) “Well, what is his relation with this place [meaning himself]?”
Hazra: “He will receive help from you.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “And Bhavanath? Would he come here so often if he didn’t have good tendencies?
“And Harish and Latu – they’re always meditating. What do you think about that?”
Hazra: “What is the sense in only meditating? It would be better if they rendered you personal service.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That will come about. Perhaps some others will come to take their place.”
Different instructions to Mani – Sri Ramakrishna’s simple and natural state
Hazra goes back to his room. There is still time before evening worship, and Thakur sits in his room, talking privately with Mani.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Tell me, are people attracted by what I say in ecstasy?”
Mani: “Yes sir, a lot.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What do they think of it? Do they feel anything when they see the state of ecstasy?”
Mani: “We feel that there is knowledge, intense love for God, and dispassion all in the same person. And on top of that, simplicity and guilelessness. So many ships have sailed through the depths of your consciousness, but you are natural and so simple! Not many people can understand it, but a few are attracted by that state alone.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “According to the Ghoshpara sect, God is called ‘sahaja,’ or ‘simple.’ They say you can’t recognize the Simple without being simple yourself.”
Sri Ramakrishna and pride and egoism – “I am an instrument and You are the operator”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Well, do I have any ego?”
Mani: “Yes, you have a little. To preserve your body and to enjoy love for God – and for the devotees, to impart spiritual knowledge to them. You have kept it by praying for it.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I haven’t kept it. It is God who has kept it in me. Tell me, what happens when I’m in the state of ecstasy?”
Mani: “You said earlier that when the mind rises to the sixth plane, you see forms of god. Later, when you speak, your mind comes down to the fifth plane.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is God who does all this. I know nothing.”
Mani: “That is why you attract people so much.”
Why so many scriptures? – all religions are true – Sri Ramakrishna and the reconciliation of contradictory scriptures
Mani: “Sir, there are different opinions in the scriptures. According to one Purana, Krishna is considered pure consciousness and Radha the power of consciousness. According to another Purana, Krishna is said to be Kali, the Primordial Energy.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The Devi Purana says this. According to it, Kali Herself has become Krishna.
“That might be true! God is infinite, and so are the paths to reach Him.”
Mani sits silently for a while after hearing this.
Mani: “Now I understand. It’s like what you say about climbing to the roof. The aim is to reach the roof by any way we can – by rope, bamboo, or any other means.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is God’s grace that you have understood this much. It’s not possible to become free from doubt without His grace.
“The important thing is somehow to develop love for God. What is the use of knowing different paths? If you can gain love for Him by treading one particular path, you have achieved everything. It is only by developing love for Him that you can attain Him. Later, if there is a need, God will make you understand everything. He will show the other paths. It’s enough just to develop love for God. What is the need to reason and discuss various ideas? You have come to eat mangoes. Eat them. What need is there to count how many branches and leaves there are? Hanuman’s attitude is, ‘I don’t know the date, the day of the week, or the position of the stars. I only contemplate Rama.’”
Renunciation of the world and God-realization – should the devotee save, or be ‘satisfied with whatever comes of its own accord’?
Mani: “I now desire for my work and duties to be reduced to a large extent so I can give a lot of my mind to God.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ah! What else can be needed! But a man of knowledge can live unattached in the household.”
Mani: “But sir, a special power is needed to live unattached.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, that’s true. But perhaps you wanted a worldly life. Krishna dwelt in Radha’s heart, but when she wanted, his divine sport was enacted in human form.
“Now pray that all this work and duties may be reduced.
“Besides, renunciation from the heart is enough.”
Mani: “Mental renunciation is for those who can’t renounce outwardly. For people of a high class, there is complete renunciation – renunciation in the heart as well as external renunciation.”
Thakur is silent. Then he continues the discussion.
Sri Ramakrishna: “How did you like what I said about renunciation?'
Mani: “Yes, I did like it, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What does dispassion mean? Let me hear it from you.”
Mani: “It not only means renunciation of worldly life. It means love for God together with dispassion for the world.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, you are right.
“You do need money in worldly life, but you mustn’t be anxious and worry too much about it. You must be content with whatever comes of its own accord – is very good. Don’t worry too much about saving for the future. Those who surrender their mind and soul to God, those who are His devotees and have taken refuge in Him, don’t worry too much about saving. As they earn, so they spend – from one side it comes, and out the other it’s spent. This is what is called accepting what comes of its own accord. It is mentioned in the Gita.”
Conversation about Haripada, Rakhal, Baburam, Adhar, and others
Thakur is talking about Haripada, who had visited him the other day.
Mani (smiling): “Haripada knows how to relate stories of the gods. He chants the life of Prahlada and the story of Sri Krishna’s birth very melodiously.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Really! The other day, I looked into his eyes. They were unsettled. I asked him if he practiced a lot of meditation, but he sat with his head down. I said to him, ‘You mustn’t practice to extremes.’”
It is evening. Thakur chants the name of the Divine Mother and meditates upon Her.
After some time, evening worship with the waving of lights starts in the shrines. It is the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of Shravana and the second day of the Cradle Festival. The moon is shining, bathing the temple, the surrounding courtyard, and the garden in its light. It is eight in the evening. Thakur is seated in his room with Rakhal and M.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Baburam says, ‘Worldly life – it’s dreadful!’”
M.: “What is he saying? What does Baburam know of household life?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, undoubtedly that’s true. Have you seen Niranjan? He is completely guileless.”
M.: “Yes, sir. He is very attractive. And how expressive his eyes are!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Not only his eyes – every-thing. He told me that they were going to get him married. To that, he said, ‘Why do you want to drown me?’ (Laughing) But people say what pleasure they have, sitting in the company of their wives after a hard day’s work.”
M.: “Certainly they do, those who are so inclined. (Smiling, to Rakhal) We are being examined with a leading question.”
Sri Ramakrishna (laughing): “A mother says, ‘I will feel great relief if I can find a shade tree for my son. He will rest in its shade after being burnt by the fire of this world.’”
M.: “Sir, there are different kinds of parents. A spiritually illumined father doesn’t give his sons in marriage. If he does, he must be well liberated indeed!” (Thakur laughs.)
Adhar and M. visit the Kali temple – Adhar talks about the sacred Chandranath and visit to Sitakunda
Adhar Sen arrives from Calcutta and salutes Thakur by prostrating. After sitting for a short time, he goes to the Kali Temple for Kali’s darshan. M. visits Kali with him. Then he comes to the portico of the temple and then goes and sits on the bank of the Ganges. The river sparkles in the moonlight as the flood tide has just begun to rise.
Seated alone, M. meditates on the wonderful life of Thakur, his amazing state of samadhi and repeated ecstasies, and his intense love for God; his unceasing talk about God, his genuine love for the devotees, his childlike nature – he thinks of all these things. He says to himself, Who is he? Has God Himself come down in a human body for the sake of His devotees?
Adhar and M. return to Thakur’s room. Adhar had been in Chattigram on a business trip. He is talking now about his visit to sacred Chandranath and the Sitakunda.
Adhar: “I saw tongues of fire burning in the water of Sitakunda.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “How does that happen?”
Adhar: “There is phosphorous in the water.”
Ram Chatterji comes into the room. Thakur praises him to Adhar, saying, “As Ram is here, we don’t have to worry. He finds Harish, Latu, and others at mealtime. Sometimes they are sitting alone in different places meditating. It is Ram who finds them and takes them to eat.”