Kathamrita, 97th Visit of M. 3-Jul-1884 Vol 4, Chap 4
* V e n u *
Chapter IV
Balaram’s house – Shashadhar and other devotees – Thakur in samadhi
Shashadhar enters the room with one or two friends. They salute Thakur and sit down.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Like friends of the bride, after arranging the bridal bed, we are awake and awaiting the bridegroom’s arrival.”
The pundit laughs. The devotees have gathered together. Balaram’s father is there, as well as Dr. Pratap. Thakur talks about various things.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Shashadhar): “There are signs of spiritual knowledge. The first is a serene nature. The second is absence of pride. You have both these signs.
“There are other signs in a man of knowledge, too. In the company of a sadhu, he is a man of renunciation; when at work, he’s like a lion – for example, while lecturing. He’s full of humour in the company of his wife, witty as a pundit. (The pundit and others laugh.)
“The vijnani has a different disposition. For example, Chaitanya Deva acted like a child, or like a madman, or an inert object, or a ghoul.
“There are, again, in the state of a child, adolescent as well as youthful moods. In the state of an adolescent, he is full of fun, but when he teaches others, he has the strength of a young man.”
Pundit: “What kind of love is necessary to realize God?”
Shashadhar and talk on the principles of love and devotion – burning faith is needed – humility of the Vaishnavas
Sri Ramakrishna: “There are three kinds of bhakti, depending on one’s nature: the sattva of bhakti, the rajas of bhakti and the tamas of bhakti.
“In sattvic bhakti, only God knows about it. Such a devotee loves God secretly, perhaps meditating under his mosquito net without anyone knowing about it. When one develops the purest sattva, – sattva of sattva – the vision of God is very near, just as at dawn one knows that there will be no more delay for the sun to rise.
“Those who have rajasic bhakti have a desire for people to see that they are devotees. They perform the worship with sixteen items. They go into the temple wearing pure silk. They wear a rudraksha rosary round their necks. The rosary has pearls and here and there gold rudrakshas.
“The tamas of bhakti is devotion like an attack of dacoits. Dacoits are armed with weapons while committing dacoity and have no fear even of eight police officers. They shout, ‘Kill, rob!’ Like mad people they shout, ‘Hara, Hara, Hara; Vyom, Vyom! Victory to Kali!’ They have immense strength of mind, and burning faith.
“Shaktas have this kind of faith. ‘Why, I have once chanted the name of Kali, the name of Durga. I have once chanted the name of Rama. How can I be touched by sin?’
“Vaishnavas have a very meek and humble disposition. They only tell the rosary (Thakur looks at Balaram’s father) and weep and sob, ‘O Krishna, Be merciful to me! I am pitiable, I am a sinner.’
“One should have such burning faith as to be able to say, ‘I have taken God’s name, how can there be any sin in me?’ Imagine a person repeating the name of God day and night, yet calling himself a sinner!
“While talking, Thakur becomes intoxicated with ecstatic love and sings:
I shall see, O Shankari, how in the end you cannot refuse to rescue me.
Should I have killed a brahmin or a cow, or destroyed a child in the womb, or indulged in drink, or slain a woman,
For all those heinous deeds I care not in the least; still may I aspire to Brahman.
Though drunk with the wine of bliss, She reels but does not fall.
O my tongue, always repeat the name of Durga.
Who else can save you from danger but She?
O Mother, You are the heaven, the earth, and the nether world.
From You have sprung Hari, Brahma, and the twelve Gopalas.
You are the ten great Powers, and the ten Incarnations.
This time You must take me across!
You are creation, preservation, and dissolution;
You are the source of the universe.
You are the Mother of the three worlds and their saviour.
You are the Power of all and You are Your own Power too.
Hearing these few lines of song, Thakur goes into ecstasy. When the song ends, he himself begins to sing:
O Mother Shyama! Yashoda would make You dance when she called You her precious blue jewel!
Where have You hidden that form, O terrible Shyama?
Vaishnavcharan now sings devotional songs about the meeting with Subol.
When the musician adds his own line, ‘I say, one cannot pronounce Dha without Ra,’ Thakur goes into samadhi.Shashadhar sheds tears of love.