The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna quotes Sri Ramakrishna’s words regarding sin: “He who says day and night, ‘I am a sinner, I am a sinner’ verily becomes a sinner.” “One should have such burning faith in God that one can say, ‘What? I have repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me?” “If a man repeats the name of God, his body, mind, and everything becomes pure.”
Swami Brahmananda upheld his master’s views regarding sin and sinners. Once he said to a monk, “If you can’t make a bad man good, why did you become a monk?” He was a friend and savior of the dejected, fallen, and lowly. Tara, an actress, described in her memoirs how Brahmananda’s love and blessings changed her life. Once she was depressed and restless, and life seemed unbearable to her. In such an unhappy state of mind, she went to Belur Math with Binodini, another actress of Bengal. It was past noon when they reached the Math. Swami Brahmananda had finished his lunch and was about to go to his room to rest. At that moment, the two ladies went and prostrated before him. Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda was referred that way) said, “Hello, Binode! Hello, Tara! So you have come! You are too late. We have finished our lunch. You should have let us know that you were coming.”
They could see how worried he was about them. He immediately ordered fruit prasad, and arrangements were made to fry luchis for them. They first went to the shrine and then had prasad, and afterwards were shown around the Math by a swami. Maharaj did not have his rest that day.
Tara wrote that although she had reverence for holy men, faith and respect, the thought that she was impure – a fallen woman, put fear in her heart. Hence when she touched Swami Brahmananda’s feet, she did it with much hesitation. Maharaj asked her, “Why don’t you come here often?” She replied, “I was afraid to come to the Math.” Maharaj said with great earnestness, “Fear? You are coming to Sri Ramakrishna. What fear can there be? All of us are his children. Don’t be afraid. Whenever you wish, come here. Daughter, the Lord does not care about the externals. He sees our inmost heart. There should be no fear in approaching Him.” She could not hold back her tears. Her lifelong sorrow melted as the tears fell from her eyes, and she realized: “Here is my refuge. Here is someone to whom I am not a sinner, I am not an outcast.”
Once Swami Brahmananda told a young man who had committed an immoral act [probably adultery] and was ashamed to show his face, “Look, if a mosquito sits on the horn of a buffalo does it feel it or register any pain? Know us to be like that.”
Another time he said, “Remove all fear and weakness from your mind. Never debase yourself by thinking about sin. Sin, however great it may seem in the eyes of man, is nothing in the eyes of God. One glance of His can uproot the sins of millions of births in a moment. In order to divert human beings from the path of sin, scriptures mention heavy punishments for the sinner. Of course every action bears a result, and evil actions disturb one’s peace of mind.”
Let us always remember these precious words of Sri Ramakrishna, “God is our Father and Mother. Tell Him, ‘O Lord, I have committed sins, but I won’t repeat them.’ Chant His name, and purify your body and mind. Purify your tongue by singing God’s holy name.”
And pray earnestly as Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi had said, “If a child dirties up the floor or the clothes of its mother, will the mother discard the child as bad? She will only clean the child and lifts it up. The same holds true of God as well. God will forgive you for all your mistakes if only you pray earnestly.”
Swami Brahmananda upheld his master’s views regarding sin and sinners. Once he said to a monk, “If you can’t make a bad man good, why did you become a monk?” He was a friend and savior of the dejected, fallen, and lowly. Tara, an actress, described in her memoirs how Brahmananda’s love and blessings changed her life. Once she was depressed and restless, and life seemed unbearable to her. In such an unhappy state of mind, she went to Belur Math with Binodini, another actress of Bengal. It was past noon when they reached the Math. Swami Brahmananda had finished his lunch and was about to go to his room to rest. At that moment, the two ladies went and prostrated before him. Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda was referred that way) said, “Hello, Binode! Hello, Tara! So you have come! You are too late. We have finished our lunch. You should have let us know that you were coming.”
They could see how worried he was about them. He immediately ordered fruit prasad, and arrangements were made to fry luchis for them. They first went to the shrine and then had prasad, and afterwards were shown around the Math by a swami. Maharaj did not have his rest that day.
Tara wrote that although she had reverence for holy men, faith and respect, the thought that she was impure – a fallen woman, put fear in her heart. Hence when she touched Swami Brahmananda’s feet, she did it with much hesitation. Maharaj asked her, “Why don’t you come here often?” She replied, “I was afraid to come to the Math.” Maharaj said with great earnestness, “Fear? You are coming to Sri Ramakrishna. What fear can there be? All of us are his children. Don’t be afraid. Whenever you wish, come here. Daughter, the Lord does not care about the externals. He sees our inmost heart. There should be no fear in approaching Him.” She could not hold back her tears. Her lifelong sorrow melted as the tears fell from her eyes, and she realized: “Here is my refuge. Here is someone to whom I am not a sinner, I am not an outcast.”
Once Swami Brahmananda told a young man who had committed an immoral act [probably adultery] and was ashamed to show his face, “Look, if a mosquito sits on the horn of a buffalo does it feel it or register any pain? Know us to be like that.”
Another time he said, “Remove all fear and weakness from your mind. Never debase yourself by thinking about sin. Sin, however great it may seem in the eyes of man, is nothing in the eyes of God. One glance of His can uproot the sins of millions of births in a moment. In order to divert human beings from the path of sin, scriptures mention heavy punishments for the sinner. Of course every action bears a result, and evil actions disturb one’s peace of mind.”
Let us always remember these precious words of Sri Ramakrishna, “God is our Father and Mother. Tell Him, ‘O Lord, I have committed sins, but I won’t repeat them.’ Chant His name, and purify your body and mind. Purify your tongue by singing God’s holy name.”
And pray earnestly as Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi had said, “If a child dirties up the floor or the clothes of its mother, will the mother discard the child as bad? She will only clean the child and lifts it up. The same holds true of God as well. God will forgive you for all your mistakes if only you pray earnestly.”
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