Kathamrita, 98th Visit of M. 3-Aug-1884 Vol 4 Chap 2
* V e n u *
Jai Sri Guru-sri-charana-aravindya
Jai Sri Ram
=============================================================================================================
Thakur in samadhi and his conversation with the Mother of the Universe – essence of ecstatic love
While singing this song, Thakur goes into samadhi. The devotees gaze at him in silence. After a while, coming down to a semi-conscious state, Sri Ramakrishna talks to the Divine Mother.
“Mother, please come down here from above (from the sahasrara). You torment me! Please sit quietly!
“Mother, as are one’s tendencies acquired in past births, so is one fated in this one. What can I say to them? Nothing is achieved without discrimination and dispassion.
“There are different kinds of dispassion. What is called ‘monkey renunciation’ is one of them. It is the dispassion a person feels after being tormented by the fire of the world. It doesn’t last long. Real dispassion is when a person possesses everything, lacks nothing, but it all appears to be unreal.
“This non-attachment doesn’t happen all of a sudden. It comes in its own time. It’s good to hear spiritual talk, because when the right time comes, then one will remember and think, ‘Oh, I heard about that.’
“And there is something else. When a person hears about spiritual matters, desire for worldly enjoyment slowly decreases. To get rid of intoxication, rice-water has to be taken little by little. One gradually overcomes the state of intoxication. There are very few people who are fit for spiritual knowledge. The Gita says, ‘Scarcely one out of thousands strives for perfection; of those who strive, even among the perfected, scarcely anyone truly knows Me.’
A Tantrik devotee: “Manuñyäëäà sahasreñu kaçcid yatati siddhaye."
Sri Ramakrishna: “The more the attachment to the world disappears, the more knowledge one will gain. Attachment means attachment to ‘lust and greed.’”
Company of holy men, faith, single-minded devotion, love for God, bhava, mahabhava, and prema
“Not everyone experiences ecstatic love. Gauranga did. An ordinary human being can experience ecstasy – this far and no farther. Only ishvarakotis – for example, incarnations of God – attain ecstatic love. When one attains this intense love for God, not only does he feel that the world is an illusion, but he forgets the body, which is so dear to everyone.
“A Persian book (by Hafiz) says: Under the skin there is flesh; under the flesh there is bone; within the bone there is marrow; and within that there are many other things – but underlying all these is ecstatic love.
“A person becomes soft and tender-hearted through ecstatic love. In this intense love for God, Krishna’s body is bent three times.
“Such intense love acts as a cord to bind Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. Then when-ever you want to see Him, you only have to pull the cord. Whenever He is called, He appears.
“When love for God matures, one experiences ecstasy. In the state of ecstasy, one becomes speechless contemplating Sat-chit-ananda. An ordinary human being can only go that far. But when ecstasy matures, one experiences maha-bhava, prema. It is like the difference between an unripe mango and a ripe one.
“Pure love of God alone is the essential thing. Everything else is illusion.
“When Narada recited a hymn of praise, Rama told him to ask for a boon. Narada asked for pure love for God. And he added, ‘Rama, may I never be enchanted by your world-bewitching maya.’ Rama said, ‘That’s all right. Ask for another boon.’ Narada replied, ‘I want nothing else, only love and devotion.’
“How can you develop such love for God? Initially, you have to associate with the holy. By keeping their company, faith in God comes. With faith, single-minded devotion develops. Then you don’t want to hear anything but talk about God. And you’ll wish to work for Him alone.
“Single-minded devotion is followed by love for God. Then ecstasy, mahabhava, and prema – and then one attains the goal.
“Only incarnations of God and the like attain mahabhava and prema. The knowledge of worldly people and devotees is not like the knowledge of an incarnation of God. The knowledge of the worldly can be likened to the light of a lamp; it only lights the inside of the room. This knowledge only helps a person in eating and drinking and running household affairs – looking after the body, bringing up children, and so forth.
“The knowledge of a devotee is like the light of the moon. He can see both the inside and the outside of a room with its light – but not a very small object lying at a distance. On the other hand, the knowledge of incarnations is like the light of the sun. They can see inside, outside, the small, and the large, everything.
“The mind of worldly people is like turbid water; it can only be cleaned by pouring a cleansing agent in it. Discrimination and non-attachment are cleansing agents.”
Now Thakur talks to the devotees of Shivapur.
The need for hearing about God – ‘the proper time’ – normal state of Thakur
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ask if you have any questions.”
A devotee: “Sir, we have listened to everything.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It’s good to hear – but nothing happens before the proper time.
“How can quinine help a patient who is running a high fever? It should be administered after the fever mixture has been given and the bowels have moved – when the fever has subsided. But, of course, some people are cured naturally; they get well even without taking quinine.
“When going to bed, a child said, ‘Mother, please wake me up when I need to go to the bathroom.’ His mother said, ‘Child, I won’t have to wake you. The urge itself will wake you up.’
“I see some people coming here with devotees in a boat. They don’t like to hear about God. They poke their friend, asking, ‘When are you leaving? When are you going?’ When the friend doesn’t rise, however much pressed, they say, ‘All right, I’ll go and wait for you in the boat.’
“Those who are born as human beings for the first time need to enjoy the things of the world. Spiritual awakening does not come until a lot of work has been done.”
Thakur is going to the jhautala. He speaks to M. on the semicircular verandah.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Well, what do you think of my state of mind?”
M. (smiling): “Sir, outwardly you are very simple, but within you are deep. It is very difficult to understand you.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Yes. Just as people see only the surface of a floor. They don’t know what lies below its surface.”
At the bathing landing of the chandni, Balaram and other devotees are getting on a boat bound for Calcutta. It is four o’clock. It is ebb tide, and a southern breeze decorates the surface of the Ganges with a necklace of ripples.
Balaram’s boat sails toward Baghbazar. M. watches it for a long time, until it disappears from view. Then he returns to Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna comes down from the western verandah, on his way to the jhautala. There are beautiful clouds in the northwest. Thakur says, “Is it going to rain? Please bring the umbrella.” M. brings it. Latu accompanies him.
Thakur has reached the panchavati. He says to Latu, “Why are you looking so unwell?”
Latu: “I can hardly eat anything.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Is that the only reason? The weather isn’t good. And maybe you meditate too much.”
Thakur now talks to M.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “You must do this. Please ask Baburam to come and stay here for a day or two when Rakhal goes away. Otherwise, I shall feel unhappy.”
M.: “As you wish. I’ll tell him.”
One can realize God when one is simple and guileless at heart. Thakur asks if Baburam is simple at heart.
Sri Ramakrishna beholds a beautiful sight in the jhautala and panchavati
Thakur is returning from the jhautala, passing along its southern side. M. and Latu stand under the panchavati to the north and watch him.
Behind Thakur, newly arisen clouds beautify the sky, their reflection darkening the water of the Ganges.
Thakur approaches, as if the Lord Himself had assumed a human form and come to the mortal world for the welfare of the devotees. He strolls on the bank of the Ganges, the destroyer of all sins, having emerged from Lord Hari’s lotus feet. It is as if the Lord Himself is present. Is that why the trees, creepers, bushes, garden paths, shrines, images of the gods, attendants, door-keepers, and every particle of dust feel so sweet?==================================================================================
* V e n u *
Jai Sri Guru-sri-charana-aravindya
Jai Sri Ram
=============================================================================================================
Thakur in samadhi and his conversation with the Mother of the Universe – essence of ecstatic love
While singing this song, Thakur goes into samadhi. The devotees gaze at him in silence. After a while, coming down to a semi-conscious state, Sri Ramakrishna talks to the Divine Mother.
“Mother, please come down here from above (from the sahasrara). You torment me! Please sit quietly!
“Mother, as are one’s tendencies acquired in past births, so is one fated in this one. What can I say to them? Nothing is achieved without discrimination and dispassion.
“There are different kinds of dispassion. What is called ‘monkey renunciation’ is one of them. It is the dispassion a person feels after being tormented by the fire of the world. It doesn’t last long. Real dispassion is when a person possesses everything, lacks nothing, but it all appears to be unreal.
“This non-attachment doesn’t happen all of a sudden. It comes in its own time. It’s good to hear spiritual talk, because when the right time comes, then one will remember and think, ‘Oh, I heard about that.’
“And there is something else. When a person hears about spiritual matters, desire for worldly enjoyment slowly decreases. To get rid of intoxication, rice-water has to be taken little by little. One gradually overcomes the state of intoxication. There are very few people who are fit for spiritual knowledge. The Gita says, ‘Scarcely one out of thousands strives for perfection; of those who strive, even among the perfected, scarcely anyone truly knows Me.’