Message from the Gospel – 36. God Will Take Care of Your Family if…

In the previous message we saw that God will not take over our responsibilities unless we get rid of our ego. As long as we think, “I am the doer. I can do this” God will stand at a distance and let us do what we want to do.  When will God take care of our family? The Gospel addresses this question through the following interesting conversation which also answers the interesting question, “How long should a householder support his wife and children?”

SUB-JUDGE: "Sir, we are householders. How long should we perform our worldly duties?"

MASTER (Sri Ramakrishna): "Surely you have duties to perform. You must bring up your children, support your wife, and provide for her in case of your death. If you don't, then I shall call you unkind. Sages like Sukadeva had compassion. He who has no compassion is no man."

SUB-JUDGE: "How long should one support one's children?"

MASTER: "As long as they have not reached their majority. When the chick becomes a full-grown bird and can look after itself, then the mother bird pecks it and doesn't allow it to come near her." (All laugh.)

SUB-JUDGE: "What is a householder's duty to his wife?"

MASTER: "You should give her spiritual advice and support her during your lifetime and provide for her livelihood after your death, if she is a chaste wife.

"But if you are intoxicated with the Knowledge of God, then you have no more duties to perform. Then God Himself will think about your morrow if you yourself cannot do so. God Himself will think about your family if you are intoxicated with Him. If a landlord dies leaving behind a minor son, then a guardian appointed by the court takes charge of the son. These are all points of law; you know them."

SUB-JUDGE: "Yes, sir."

VIJAY: "Ah! Priceless words! God Himself carries on His shoulders all the responsibilities of a person who thinks of Him with single-minded devotion and is mad with divine love. A minor gets his guardian without seeking him. Alas, when shall I have that state of mind? How lucky they are who feel that way!"

TRAILOKYA: "Is it ever possible, sir, to have true knowledge of God while living in the world? Can one realize God here?"

MASTER (with a smile): "Why do you worry? You are enjoying both treacle and refined sugar. (All laugh.) You are living in the world with your mind in God. Isn't that true? Why shouldn't a man realize God in the world'? Certainly he can."

What a powerful assurance! Even householders can realize God through intense love for God and devotion. May all our efforts be diverted to acquire these qualities.

Message from the Gospel – 35. God Does Not Take Over Our Responsibilities Unless…

Will God take over the responsibility of His devotee? If so, when will He do that? The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna answers these questions.

Sri Ramakrishna says, “The ego seems to vanish this moment, but it reappears the next. Unless one renounces the ego, one does not receive the grace of God.”

"Suppose there is a feast in a house and the master of the house puts a man in charge of the stores. As long as the man remains in the store-room, the master doesn't go there; but when of his own will he renounces the store-room and goes away, then the master locks it and takes charge of it himself.

"A guardian is appointed only for a minor. A boy cannot safeguard his property; therefore the king assumes responsibility for him. God does not take over our responsibilities unless we renounce our ego.

"Once Lakshmi and Narayana were seated in Vaikuntha, when Narayana suddenly stood up. Lakshmi had been stroking His feet. She said, 'Lord, where are You going?' Narayana answered: 'One of My devotees is in great danger. I must save him.' With these words He went out. But He came back immediately. Lakshmi said, 'Lord, why have You returned so soon?'  Narayana smiled and said: The devotee was going along the road overwhelmed with love for Me. Some washermen were drying clothes on the grass, and the devotee walked over the clothes. At this the washermen chased him and were going to beat him with their sticks. So I ran out to protect him.' 'But why have You come back?' asked Lakshmi. Narayana laughed and said: 'I saw the devotee himself picking up a brick to throw at them. (All laugh.) So I came back.'”

"I said to Keshab, 'You must renounce your ego.' Keshab replied, 'If I do, how can I keep my organization together?'”

"I said to him: 'how slow you are to understand! I am not asking you to renounce the "ripe ego", the ego that makes a man feel he is a servant of God or His devotee. Give up the "unripe ego", the ego that creates attachment to "woman and gold". The ego that makes a man feel he is God's servant, His child is the "ripe ego". It doesn't harm one.'"

TRAILOKYA: "It is very difficult to get rid of the ego. People only think they are free from it."

MASTER: "Gauri would not refer to himself as 'I' lest he should feel egotistic. He would say 'this' instead. I followed his example and would refer to myself as 'this' instead of 'I'. Instead of saying, 'I have eaten,' I would say, 'This has eaten.' Mathur noticed it and said one day: 'What is this, revered father? Why should you talk that way? Let them talk that way. They have their egotism. You are free from it; you don't have to talk like them.'”

"I said to Keshab, 'Since the ego cannot be given up, let it remain as the servant, the servant of God.' Prahlada had two moods. Sometimes he would feel that he was God. In that mood he would say, 'Thou art verily I, and I am verily Thou.' But when he was conscious of his ego, he felt that God was the Master and he was His servant. After a man is firmly established in the ideal of 'I am He', he can live as God's servant. He may then think of himself as the servant of God.”

  

Therefore the challenge is, “Can we get rid of our ego?” If we can, God Himself will take over all our responsibilities. Getting rid of our ego is the most essential requirement for spiritual advancement.

Message from the Gospel – 34. Don’t Shirk Responsibilities

Sri Ramakrishna does not support practice of spirituality without fulfilling one’s responsibilities. If a young unmarried man expressed his desire to renounce the world, he used to rejoice. He would appreciate it. However, he would still enquire if he had made provisions to take care of his parents. On the other hand, if a married man expressed a desire to renounce his family and practice spiritual disciplines to escape from his responsibilities, he would chide the man and ask him to go back to his family and complete his responsibility towards his family, i.e. to take care of his wife and children. We understand this from the following passage in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (Chapter 1):

 

SRI RAMAKRISHNA: "Pratap's brother came here.  He stayed a few days.  He had nothing to do and said he wanted to live here.  I came to know that he had left his wife and children with his father-in-law.  He has a whole brood of them! So I took him to task.  Just fancy! He is the father of so many children! Will people from the neighbourhood feed them and bring them up? He isn't even ashamed that someone else is feeding his wife and children, and that they have been left at his father-in-law's house.  I scolded him very hard and asked him to look for a job.  Then he was willing to leave here. 

 

Won’t God take responsibility of my family?

 

Then what is the way for married people? Should they get immersed in worldliness? Is there no reprieve for them?

The Gospel answers all these questions. We will see them all in the forthcoming blogs! 

Message from the Gospel – 33. Weep to See God

How to see God? Sri Ramakrishna says intense longing enables one to see God.

 

BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "What are the means by which one can see God?"

MASTER: "Can you weep for Him with intense longing of heart? Men shed a jugful of tears for the sake of their children, for their wives, or for money.  But who weeps for God? So long as the child remains engrossed with its toys, the mother looks after her cooking and other household duties.  But when the child no longer relishes the toys, it throws them aside and yells for its mother.  Then the mother takes the rice-pot down from the hearth, runs in haste, and takes the child in her arms."

 

BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "Sir, why are there so many different opinions about the nature of God? Some say that God has form, while others say that He is formless.  Again, those who speak of God with form tell us about His different forms.  Why all this controversy?"

MASTER: "A devotee thinks of God as he sees Him.  In reality there is no confusion about God.  God explains all this to the devotee if the devotee only realizes Him somehow.  You haven't set your foot in that direction.  How can you expect to know all about God?

"Listen to a story.  Once a man entered a wood and saw a small animal on a tree.  He came back and told another man that he had seen a creature of a beautiful red colour on a certain tree.  The second man replied: 'When I went into the wood, I also saw that animal.  But why do you call it red? It is green.' Another man who was present contradicted them both and insisted that it was yellow.  Presently others arrived and contended that it was grey, violet, blue, and so forth and so on.  At last they started quarrelling among themselves.  To settle the dispute they all went to the tree.  They saw a man sitting under it.  On being asked, he replied: 'Yes, I live under this tree and I know the animal very well.  All your descriptions are true.  Sometimes it appears red, sometimes yellow, and at other times blue, violet, grey, and so forth.  It is a chameleon.  And sometimes it has no colour at all.  Now it has a colour, and now it has none.'

"In like manner, one who constantly thinks of God can know His real nature; he alone knows that God reveals Himself to seekers in various forms and aspects.  God has attributes; then again He has none.  Only the man who lives under the tree knows that the chameleon can appear in various colours, and he knows, further, that the animal at times has no colour at all.  It is the others who suffer from the agony of futile argument.

"Kabir used to say, 'The formless Absolute is my Father, and God with form is my Mother.'

"God reveals Himself in the form which His devotee loves most.  His love for the devotee knows no bounds.  It is written in the Purana that God assumed the form of Rama for His heroic devotee, Hanuman.

"The forms and aspects of God disappear when one discriminates in accordance with the Vedanta philosophy.  The ultimate conclusion of such discrimination is that Brahman alone is real and this world of names and forms illusory.  It is possible for a man to see the forms of God, or to think of Him as a Person, only so long as he is conscious that he is a devotee.  From the standpoint of discrimination this 'ego of a devotee' keeps him a little away from God.

"Do you know why images of Krishna or Kāli are three and a half cubits high? Because of distance.  Again, on account of distance the sun appears to be small.  But if you go near it you will find the sun so big that you won't be able to comprehend it.  Why have images of Krishna and Kāli a dark-blue colour? That too is on account of distance, like the water of a lake, which appears green, blue, or black from a distance.  Go near, take the water in the palm of your hand, and you will find that it has no colour.  The sky also appears blue from a distance.  Go near and you will see that it has no colour at all.

"Therefore I say that in the light of Vedantic reasoning Brahman has no attributes.  The real nature of Brahman cannot be described.  But so long as your individuality is real, the world also is real, and equally real are the different forms of God and the feeling that God is a Person.

"Yours is the path of bhakti.  That is very good; it is an easy path.  Who can fully know the infinite God? And what need is there of knowing the Infinite? Having attained this rare human birth, my supreme need is to develop love for the Lotus Feet of God.

"If a jug of water is enough to remove my thirst, why should I measure the quantity of water in a lake? I become drunk on even half a bottle of wine -- what is the use of my calculating the quantity of liquor in the tavern? What need is there of knowing the Infinite?"

Message from the Gospel – 32. Sign of Perfect Knowledge

"There is a sign of Perfect Knowledge.  Man becomes silent when It is attained.  Then the 'I', which may be likened to the salt doll, melts in the Ocean of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute and becomes one with It.  Not the slightest trace of distinction is left.”

"As long as his self-analysis is not complete, man argues with much ado.  But he becomes silent when he completes it.  When the empty pitcher has been filled with water, when the water inside the pitcher becomes one with the water of the lake outside, no more sound is heard.  Sound comes from the pitcher as long as the pitcher is not filled with water.”

"People used to say in olden days that no boat returns after having once entered the 'black waters' of the ocean.”

"All trouble and botheration come to an end when the 'I' dies.  You may indulge in thousands of reasoning, but still the 'I' doesn't disappear.  For people like you and me, it is good to have the feeling, 'I am a lover of God.'”

Message from the Gospel – 31. Enjoy Fish Soup and Embrace a Young Woman

Do you think Sri Ramakrishna would have ever said that?

Worldly people are totally indifferent to God and spiritual practices. How to attract them to God? How to make them understand that they are wasting their precious human birth? Some trick should be played to divert people from their ignorant life full of hopeless materialistic pursuits.

About such people, Sri Ramakrishna says, "Many people visit the temple garden at Dakshineswar.  If I see some among the visitors indifferent to God, I say to them, 'You had better sit over there.' Or sometimes I say, 'Go and see the beautiful buildings.'" (Laughter.)

"Sometimes I find that the devotees of God are accompanied by worthless people.  Their companions are immersed in gross worldliness and don't enjoy spiritual talk at all.  Since the devotees keep on, for a long time, talking with me about God, the others become restless.  Finding it impossible to sit there any longer, they whisper to their devotee friends: 'When shall we be going? How long will you stay here?' The devotees say: 'Wait a bit.  We shall go after a little while.' Then the worldly people say in a disgusted tone: 'Well, then, you can talk.  We shall wait for you in the boat.'" (All laugh.)

"Worldly people will never listen to you if you ask them to renounce everything and devote themselves whole-heartedly to God.  Therefore Chaitanya and Nitai, after some deliberation, made an arrangement to attract the worldly.  They would say to such persons, 'Come, repeat the name of Hari, and you shall have a delicious soup of magur fish and the embrace of a young woman.' Many people, attracted by the fish and the woman, would chant the name of God.  After tasting a little of the nectar of God's hallowed name, they would soon realize that the 'fish soup' really meant the tears they shed for love of God, while the 'young woman' signified the earth.¹  The embrace of the woman meant rolling on the ground in the rapture of divine love."

"Nitai would employ any means to make people repeat Hari's name.  Chaitanya said: 'The name of God has very great sanctity.  It may not produce an immediate result, but one day it must bear fruit.  It is like a seed that has been left on the cornice of a building.  After many days, the house crumbles, and the seed falls on the earth, germinates, and at last bears fruit."

------------------------
¹ Mother Earth is considered to be a beautiful woman, ‘Booma Devi’, and is  believed to be the consort of Maha Vishnu. Rolling on the ground is therefore a form of embracing the beautiful Bhooma Devi.

Message from the Gospel – 30. How Long Should One Perform Spiritual Disciplines?

When love of God fills the heart, there is no more any need for reading the holy texts and scriptures. No need to perform austerities. No need of performing Sandhya Vandan or reciting of the Gayathri mantra. All these can be stopped when our eyes shed tears spontaneously on hearing the name of God or anything related to God, such as His kindness, love for His devotees, etc. Sri Ramakrishna describes this very beautifully with various examples.

 

"There are four stages of life: brahmacharya, garhasthya, Vanaprastha, and sannyas.  During the first three stages a man has to perform his worldly duties.  The sannyasi carries only his staff, water-pot, and begging-bowl.  He too may perform certain nityakarma, but his mind is not attached to it; he is not conscious of doing such work.  Some sannyasis perform nityakarma to set an example to the world.  If a householder or a man belonging to the other stages of life performs action without attachment, then he is united with God through such action.”

"In the case of a paramahamsa, like Sukadeva, all karmas – all puja, japa, tarpan, sandhya, and so forth – drop away.  In this state, a man communes with God through the mind alone.  Sometimes he may be pleased to perform outward activities for the welfare of mankind.  But his recollection and contemplation of God remain uninterrupted."

"It is by no means necessary for a man always to be engaged in his duties.  Actions drop away when one realizes, God, as the flower drops of itself when the fruit appears.” 

  

"He who has realized God no longer performs religious duties such as the sandhya.  In his case the sandhya merges in the Gayatri.  When that happens, it is enough for a person to repeat just the Gayatri mantra.  Then the Gayatri merges in Om.  After that one no longer chants even the Gayatri; it is enough then to chant simply Om.  How long should a man practise such devotions as the sandhya? As long as he does not feel a thrill in his body and shed tears of joy while repeating the name of Rāma or of Hari.  People worship God to win money or a lawsuit.  That is not good."

Sri Ramakrishna said: "When, hearing the name of Hari or Rāma once, you shed tears and your hair stands on end, then you may know for certain that you do not have to perform such devotions as the sandhya anymore.  Then only will you have a right to renounce rituals; or rather, rituals will drop away of themselves.  Then it will be enough if you repeat only the name of Rāma or Hari, or even simply Om." Continuing, he said, "The sandhya merges in the Gayatri, and the Gayatri merges in Om."

"Without having realized God one cannot give up rituals altogether. How long should one practise the sandhya and other forms of ritualistic worship? As long as one does not shed tears of joy at the name of God and feel a thrill in one's body. You will know that your ritualistic worship has come to an end when your eyes become filled with tears as you repeat 'Om Rāma'. Then you do not have to continue your sandhya or other rituals.”

"When the fruit appears, the blossom drops off. Love of God is the fruit, and rituals are the blossom. When the daughter-in-law of the house becomes pregnant, she cannot do much work. Her mother-in-law gradually lessens her duties in the house. When her time arrives she does practically nothing. And after the child is born her only work is to play with it. She doesn't do any household duties at all. The sandhya merges in the Gayatri, the Gayatri in Om, and, Om in samādhi. It is like the sound of a bell: t-a-m. The yogi, by following in the trail of the sound Om, gradually merges himself in the Supreme Brahman. His sandhya and other ritualistic duties disappear in samādhi. Thus the duties of the Jnāni come to an end."

As the Master talked of samādhi, he himself went into that state. His face radiated a heavenly light. Bereft of outer consciousness, he could not utter another word. His gaze was indrawn and transfixed in communion with the Self. After a long time the Master began to recognize the world around him.

A BRAHMO: "Sir, have you read the Panchadasi?"

MASTER: "At first one should hear books like that and indulge in reasoning.  But later on-

Cherish my precious Mother Syama
Tenderly within, O mind;
May you and I alone behold Her,
Letting no one else intrude.

"One should hear the scriptures during the early stages of spiritual discipline.  After attaining God there is no lack of knowledge.  Then the Divine Mother supplies it without fail.

"A child spells out every word as he writes, but later on he writes fluently. 

"The goldsmith is up and doing while melting gold.  As long as the gold hasn't melted, he works the bellows with one hand, moves the fan with the other, and blows through a pipe with his mouth.  But the moment the gold melts and is poured into the mould, he is relieved of all anxiety.

"Mere reading of the scriptures is not enough.  A person cannot understand the true significance of the scriptures if he is attached to the world. Though with intense delight I learnt many poems and dramas, I have forgotten them all, entrapped in Krishna's love.

A devotee described the Convocation of Calcutta University, saying that the meeting looked like a forest of human heads.

MASTER: "The feeling of the Divine is awakened in me when I see a great crowd of people.  Had I seen that meeting, I should have been overwhelmed with spiritual fervour."

Message from the Gospel – 29. Better than Reading…

MASTER (to the pundit): "There are many scriptures like the Vedas. But one cannot realize God without austerity and spiritual discipline. 'God cannot be found in the six systems, the Vedas, or the Tantra.'

"But one should learn the contents of the scriptures and then act according to their injunctions. A man lost a letter. He couldn't remember where he had left it. He began to search for it with a lamp. After two or three people had searched, the letter was at last found. The message in the letter was: 'Please send us five seers of sandesh and a piece of wearing-cloth.' The man read it and then threw the letter away. There was no further need of it; now all he had to do was to buy the five seers of sandesh and the piece of cloth."

"Better than reading is hearing, and better than hearing is seeing. One understands the scriptures better by hearing them from the lips of the guru or of a holy man. Then one doesn't have to think about their non-essential part."

Hanuman said: 'Brother, I don't know much about the phase of the moon or the position of the stars. I just contemplate Rāma.'

"But seeing is far better than hearing. Then all doubts disappear. It is true that many things are recorded in the scriptures; but all these are useless without the direct realization of God, without devotion to His Lotus Feet, without purity of heart. The almanac forecasts the rainfall of the year. But not a drop of water will you get by squeezing the almanac. No, not even one drop.

"How long should one reason about the texts of the scriptures? So long as one does not have direct realization of God. How long does the bee buzz about? As long as it is not sitting on a flower. No sooner does it light on a flower and begin to sip honey than it keeps quiet.

"But you must remember another thing. One may talk even after the realization of God. But then one talks only of God and of Divine Bliss. It is like a drunkard's crying, 'Victory to the Divine Mother!' He can hardly say anything else on account of his drunkenness. You can notice, too, that a bee makes an indistinct humming sound after having sipped the honey from a flower.

Message from the Gospel – 28. Don’t be Dogmatic

Dogmatic means arrogant or forceful assertion of unproved principles as if authoritative and unchallengeable. Sri Ramakrishna criticizes people who have dogmatice views regarding God and religion. He says, "With sincerity and earnestness one can realize God through all religions.  The Vaishnavas will realize God, and so will the Saktas, the Vedantists, and the Brahmos.  The Mussalmans and Christians will realize Him too.  All will certainly realize God if they are earnest and sincere.”

"Some people indulge in quarrels, saying, 'One cannot attain anything unless one worships our Krishna', or, 'Nothing can be gained without the worship of Kāli, our Divine Mother', or, 'One cannot be saved without accepting the Christian religion.' This is pure dogmatism.  The dogmatist says, 'My religion alone is true, and the religions of others are false.' This is a bad attitude.  God can be reached by different paths.”

"Further, some say that God has form and is not formless.  Thus they start quarrelling.  A Vaishnava quarrels with a Vedantist.”

"One can rightly speak of God only after one has seen Him.  He who has seen God knows really and truly that God has form and that He is formless as well.  He has many other aspects that cannot be described.”

"Once, some blind men chanced to come near an animal that someone told them was an elephant.  They were asked what the elephant was like.  The blind men began to feel its body.  One of them said the elephant was like a pillar; he had touched only its leg.  Another said it was like a winnowing-fan; he had touched only its ear.  In this way the others, having touched its tail or belly, gave their different versions of the elephant.  Just so, a man who has seen only one aspect of God limits God to that alone.  It is his conviction that God cannot be anything else.”

 

 (To the goswami) "How can you say that the only truth about God is that He has form? It is undoubtedly true that God comes down to earth in a human form, as in the case of Krishna.  And it is true as well that God reveals Himself to His devotees in various forms.  But it is also true that God is formless; He is the Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.  He has been described in the Vedas both as formless and as endowed with form.  He is also described there both as attributeless and as endowed with attributes.”

"Do you know what I mean? Satchidananda is like an infinite ocean.  Intense cold freezes the water into ice, which floats on the ocean in blocks of various forms.  Likewise, through the cooling influence of bhakti, one sees forms of God in the Ocean of the Absolute.  These forms are meant for the bhaktas, the lovers of God.  But when the Sun of Knowledge rises, the ice melts; it becomes the same water it was before.  Water above and water below, everywhere nothing but water.  Therefore a prayer in the Bhagavata says: 'O Lord, Thou hast form, and Thou art also formless.  Thou walkest before us, O Lord, in the shape of a man; again, Thou hast been described in the Vedas as beyond words and thought.'”

"But you may say that for certain devotees God assumes eternal forms.  There are places in the ocean where the ice doesn't melt at all.  It assumes the form of quartz."

KEDĀR: "It is said in the Bhagavata that Vyāsa asked God's forgiveness for his three transgressions.  He said: 'O Lord, Thou art formless, but I have thought of Thee in my meditation as endowed with form; Thou art beyond speech, but I have sung Thee hymns; Thou art the All-pervading Spirit, but I have made pilgrimages to sacred places.  Be gracious, O Lord, and forgive these three transgressions of mine.'"

MASTER: "Yes, God has form and He is formless too.  Further, He is beyond both form and formlessness.  No one can limit Him."

Message from the Gospel – 27. Ever-Free Homa Bird

Sri Ramakrishna says that his disciples Narendra (later Swami Vivekananda) and Rakhal (later Swami Brahmananda) belong to the class of the ever-free.  He says, “They are never entangled in the world.  When they grow a little older they feel the awakening of inner consciousness and go directly toward God.  They come to the world only to teach others.  They never care for anything of the world.  They are never attached to 'woman and gold'.”

"The Vedas speak of the homa bird.  It lives high up in the sky and there it lays its egg.  As soon as the egg is laid it begins to fall; but it is so high up that it continues to fall for many days.  As it falls it hatches, and the chick falls.  As the chick falls, its eyes open; it grows wings.  As soon as its eyes open, it realizes that it is falling and will be dashed to pieces on touching the earth.  The moment it sees the ground, it turns and shoots up toward its mother in the sky.  Then its one goal is to reach its mother."

"Ah, what a nice character Rakhal has developed! Look at his face and every now and then you will notice his lips moving.  Inwardly he repeats the name of God, and so his lips move.”

 

"Youngsters like him belong to the class of the ever-perfect.  They are born with God-Consciousness.  No sooner do they grow a little older than they realize the danger of coming in contact with the world.” 

"Youngsters like Narendra and Rakhal are like that bird.  From their very childhood they are afraid of the world, and their one thought is how to reach the Mother, how to realize God.”

"You may ask, 'How is it possible for these boys, born of worldly parents and living among the worldly-minded, to develop such knowledge and devotion?' It can be explained.  If a pea falls into a heap of dung, it germinates into a pea-plant none the less.  The peas that grow on that plant serve many useful purposes.  Because it was sown in dung, will it produce another kind of plant?”

"Those who are born as the companions of an Incarnation of God are eternally perfect. For some of them that birth is the last.”

It may not be possible for everyone to be ever-free. But, by being aware of it and reminding oneself about it, and also aspiring for it, it may be possible to move a little closer to the goal. 

Message from the Gospel – 26. Four Classes of Men

MASTER (to Narendra): "How do you feel about it? Worldly people say all kinds of things about the spiritually minded.  But look here! When an elephant moves along the street, any number of curs and other small animals may bark and cry after it; but the elephant doesn't even look back at them.  If people speak ill of you, what will you think of them?"

NARENDRA: "I shall think that dogs are barking at me."

MASTER (Smiling): "Oh, no! You mustn't go that far, my child! (Laughter). God dwells in all beings.  But you may be intimate only with good people; you must keep away from the evil-minded.”

"Men may be divided into four classes: those bound by the fetters of the world, the seekers after liberation, the liberated, and the ever-free.” 

"Among the ever-free we may count sages like Narada.  They live in the world for the good of others, to teach men spiritual truth.” 

"Those in bondage are sunk in worldliness and forgetful of God.  Not even by mistake do they think of God.” 

"The seekers after liberation want to free themselves from attachment to the world.  Some of them succeed and others do not.”

"The liberated souls, such as the sadhus and mahatmas, are not entangled in the world, in 'woman and gold'.  Their minds are free from worldliness.  Besides, they always meditate on the Lotus Feet of God.” 

"Suppose a net has been cast into a lake to catch fish.  Some fish are so clever that they are never caught in the net.  They are like the ever-free.  But most of the fish are entangled in the net.  Some of them try to free themselves from it, and they are like those who seek liberation.  But not all the fish that struggle succeed.  A very few do jump out of the net, making a big splash in the water.  Then the fishermen shout, 'Look! There goes a big one!' But most of the fish caught in the net cannot escape, nor do they make any effort to get out.  On the contrary, they burrow into the mud with the net in their mouths and lie there quietly, thinking, 'We need not fear anymore; we are quite safe here.' But the poor things do not know that the fishermen will drag them out with the net.  These are like the men bound to the world.” 

"The bound souls are tied to the world by the fetters of 'woman and gold'.  They are bound hand and foot.  Thinking that 'woman and gold' will make them happy and give them security, they do not realize that it will lead them to annihilation.  When a man thus bound to the world is about to die, his wife asks, 'You are about to go; but what have you done for me?' Again, such is his attachment to the things of the world that, when he sees the lamp burning brightly, he says: 'Dim the light.  Too much oil is being used.' And he is on his death-bed!”

"The bound souls never think of God.  If they get any leisure they indulge in idle gossip and foolish talk, or they engage in fruitless work.  If you ask one of them the reason, he answers, 'Oh, I cannot keep still; so I am making a hedge.' When time hangs heavy on their hands they perhaps start playing cards."

A DEVOTEE: "Sir, is there no help, then, for such a worldly person?"

MASTER: "Certainly there is.  From time to time he should live in the company of holy men, and from time to time go into solitude to meditate on God.  Furthermore, he should practise discrimination and pray to God, 'Give me faith and devotion.' Once a person has faith he has achieved everything.  There is nothing greater than faith.”

Message from the Gospel – 25. Scare the Wicked

A DEVOTEE: "Sir, if a wicked man is about to do harm, or actually does so, should we keep quiet?"

MASTER: "A man living in society should make a show of tamas to protect himself from evil-minded people.  But he should not harm anybody in anticipation of harm likely to be done him.” 

"Listen to a story.  Some cowherd boys used to tend their cows in a meadow where a terrible poisonous snake lived.  Everyone was on the alert for fear of it.  One day a brahmachari was going along the meadow.  The boys ran to him and said: 'Revered sir, please don't go that way.  A venomous snake lives over there.' 'What of it, my good children?' said the brahmachari.  'I am not afraid of the snake.  I know some mantras.' So saying, he continued on his way along the meadow.  But the cowherd boys, being afraid, did not accompany him.  In the meantime, the snake moved swiftly toward him with upraised hood.  As soon as it came near, he recited a mantra, and the snake lay at his feet like an earthworm.  The brahmachari said: 'Look here.  Why do you go about doing harm? Come, I will give you a holy word.  By repeating it you will learn to love God.  Ultimately you will realize Him and so get rid of your violent nature.' Saying this, he taught the snake a holy word and initiated him into spiritual life.  The snake bowed before the teacher and said, 'Revered sir, how shall I practise spiritual discipline?' 'Repeat that sacred word', said the teacher, 'and do no harm to anybody'.  As he was about to depart, the brahmachari said, 'I shall see you again.'”

"Some days passed and the cowherd boys noticed that the snake would not bite.  They threw stones at it.  Still it showed no anger; it behaved as if it were an earthworm.  One day one of the boys came close to it, caught it by the tail, and, whirling it round and round, dashed it again and again on the ground and threw it away.  The snake vomited blood and became unconscious.  It was stunned.  It could not move.  So, thinking it dead, the boys went their way.”

"Late at night the snake regained consciousness.  Slowly and with great difficulty it dragged itself into its hole; its bones were broken and it could scarcely move.  Many days passed.  The snake became a mere skeleton covered with a skin.  Now and then, at night, it would come out in search of food.  For fear of the boys it would not leave its hole during the day-time.  Since receiving the sacred word from the teacher, it had given up doing harm to others.  It maintained its life on dirt, leaves, or the fruit that dropped from the trees.”

"About a year later the brahmachari came that way again and asked after the snake.  The cowherd boys told him that it was dead.  But he couldn't believe them.  He knew that the snake would not die before attaining the fruit of the holy word with which it had been initiated.  He found his way to the place and, searching here and there, called it by the name he had given it.  Hearing the teacher's voice, it came out of its hole and bowed before him with great reverence.  'How are you?' asked the brahmachari.  'I am well, sir', replied the snake.  'But', the teacher asked, 'why are you so thin?' The snake replied: 'Revered sir, you ordered me not to harm anybody.  So I have been living only on leaves and fruit.  Perhaps that has made me thinner.'”

"The snake had developed the quality of sattva; it could not be angry with anyone.  It had totally forgotten that the cowherd boys had almost killed it.”

"The brahmachari said: 'It can't be mere want of food that has reduced you to this state.  There must be some other reason.  Think a little.' Then the snake remembered that the boys had dashed it against the ground.  It said: 'Yes, revered sir, now I remember.  The boys one day dashed me violently against the ground.  They are ignorant, after all.  They didn't realize what a great change had come over my mind.  How could they know I wouldn't bite or harm anyone?' The brahmachari exclaimed: 'What a shame! You are such a fool! You don't know how to protect yourself.  I asked you not to bite, but I didn't forbid you to hiss.  Why didn't you scare them by hissing?'”

"So you must hiss at wicked people.  You must frighten them lest they should do you harm.  But never inject your venom into them.  One must not injure others.”

"In this creation of God there is a variety of things: men, animals, trees, plants.  Among the animals some are good, some bad.  There are ferocious animals like the tiger.  Some trees bear fruit sweet as nectar, and others bear fruit that is poisonous.  Likewise, among human beings, there are the good and the wicked, the holy and the unholy.  There are some who are devoted to God, and others who are attached to the world.”

We must protect ourselves by scaring the wicked. But we must not injure anyone in anticipation of harm.

Message from the Gospel – 24. Keep Away From the Wicked

Sri Ramakrishna says, “God dwells in all beings.  But you may be intimate only with good people; you must keep away from the evil-minded.  God is even in the tiger; but you cannot embrace the tiger on that account.  (Laughter).  You may say, 'Why run away from a tiger, which is also a manifestation of God?' The answer to that is: 'Those who tell you to run away are also manifestations of God - and why shouldn't you listen to them?'”

"Let me tell you a story.  In a forest there lived a holy man who had many disciples.  One day he taught them to see God in all beings and, knowing this, to bow low before them all.  A disciple went to the forest to gather wood for the sacrificial fire.  Suddenly he heard an outcry: 'Get out of the way! A mad elephant is coming!' All but the disciple of the holy man took to their heels.  He reasoned that the elephant was also God in another form.  Then why should he run away from it? He stood still, bowed before the animal, and began to sing its praises.  The mahut of the elephant was shouting: 'Run away! Run away!' But the disciple didn't move.  The animal seized him with its trunk, cast him to one side, and went on its way.  Hurt and bruised, the disciple lay unconscious on the ground.  Hearing what had happened, his teacher and his brother disciples came to him and carried him to the hermitage.  With the help of some medicine he soon regained consciousness.  Someone asked him, 'You knew the elephant was coming - why didn't you leave the place?' 'But', he said, 'our teacher has told us that God Himself has taken all these forms, of animals as well as men.  Therefore, thinking it was only the elephant God that was coming, I didn't run away.' At this the teacher said: 'Yes, my child, it is true that the elephant God was coming; but the mahut God forbade you to stay there.  Since all are manifestations of God, why didn't you trust the mahut's words? You should have heeded the words of the mahut God.'” (Laughter)

"It is said in the scriptures that water is a form of God.  But some water is fit to be used for worship, some water for washing the face, and some only for washing plates or dirty linen.  This last sort cannot be used for drinking or for a holy purpose.  In like manner, God undoubtedly dwells in the hearts of all - holy and unholy, righteous and unrighteous; but a man should not have dealings with the unholy, the wicked, the impure.  He must not be intimate with them.  With some of them he may exchange words, but with others he shouldn't go even that far.  He should keep aloof from such people."

More on 'Solitude'

We received a comment for the blog, ‘Message from the Gospel – 19. Solitude Is Necessary’ from Club106 on August 15, 2012. It said, “Very interesting thoughts.

I would be interested to hear what you and your readers think of a similarly themed article I just had published at Elephant Journal. ‘The Lost Art of Being Alone with God’  bit.ly/Qy1cm4.”

The readers may get the article by clicking on the link:

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/08/the-lost-art-of-being-alone-with-god/

The above-mentioned article has many beautiful quotes on solitude and brings out the main goal of solitude in these words: “How can we speak what we need to speak, what we want to speak,… if we can’t hear our own inner voice, and if we can’t hear the voice of God within us?

The purpose of meditation is just that – to hear our own inner voice, the voice of God within us. If we learn to listen to that voice, we will never take even a single wrong step.

It is worthy to ponder over the following words of Swami Vivekananda:

The ideal man is he who, in the midst of the greatest silence and solitude, finds the intensest activity, and in the midst of intensest activity finds the silence and solitude of the desert. He has learned the secret of restraint, he has controlled himself. He goes through the streets of a big city with all its traffic, and his mind is as calm as if he were in a cave, where not a sound could reach him; and he is intensely working all the time. That is the ideal of Karma-Yoga, and if you have attained to that you have really learned the secret of work.

Not only to commune with God, but also to achieve mental peace and balance, solitude is necessary. I have seen two types of people – one type gets irritated in a crowd and the other type becomes restless when left alone. But, according to Swami Vivekananda, the ideal man is the one who has self-control, one whose mind is calm.

Solitude gives us the best opportunity to calm our mind; and to realize and practice the presence of God within us. Therefore, the next time we are alone, let us not feel lonely or bored. Rather, let us rejoice that we have some time to be with ourselves. And make an effort to listen to the voice of God within.

Sri Krishna - 16,000 wives yet a Brahmachari: Part 2. Nitya Brahmachari and Nitya Upavasi

We received three comments in the last seven days: two comments for the blog, ‘Sri Krishna – 16,000 wives, yet a brahmachari’ and one comment for the blog, ‘Message from the Gospel – 19. Solitude Is Necessary’. All these comments are highly valuable as they provide new insights regarding those topics and also help us learn important lessons.

The comments received for the blog, ‘Sri Krishna – 16,000 wives, yet a brahmachari’ provided a link:

http://www.celextel.org/storiesandanecdotes/krishnanityabrahmachari.html.”

This made us aware of a site celextel.org. We visited this site and read the story mentioned in the link above. The wealth of knowledge available at celextel is simply remarkable.

Whereas our blog provided only the information about Sri Krishna’s brahmacharya, the story at celextel explains what makes Sri Krishna a nitya brahmachari. Here is the story in short:

One day, Krishna informs his wife Rukmani that Sage Durvasa is camping on the other side of the river Yamuna and tells her, “Prepare a sumptuous meal and take it to the sage and feed him. He will be pleased and will bless you.” Rukmani prepares the food but when she goes to the river, she was not able to find any boatman to take her across the river. So, she seeks the help of Krishna. He tells her, “Say to the river that the Nitya brahmachari has asked her to part and let you cross.” Rukmani was surprised but still she says what she was asked to say and the river indeed parts and lets her cross it. Rukmani goes to the sage, feeds him, and the sage was indeed pleased and he blesses her. When she has to leave, she tells him, “Please help me cross the river.” Sage Durvasa says, “Tell the river that the Nitya Upavasi [one who has never eaten food] has asked her to part and let you cross.” Again Rukmani is surprised and thinks, “Just now he had a sumptuous meal, yet he calls himself Nitya Upavasi?”  Still, she doesn’t ask him anything and follows his instruction. The river indeed parts when she tells that the Nitya Upavasi had asked her to part. Rukmani reaches the other side and unable to control her curiosity, asks Krishna, “You called yourself Nitya Brahmachari and the sage called himself Nitya Upavasi after eating the food I offered him. And the river agreed to both and parted. I am not able to understand.” Krishna laughs and tells her, “We are both realized souls. When we perform an action we understand that it is the body which is performing the action. The soul is unattached. That soul does not marry and does not take food.”

That is how Sri Krishna (his soul) is a brahmachari and Sage Durvasa (his soul) is a upavasi. Once we understand this great truth, we can lead a contended and happy life.

Is it possible to remain unattached? When we accomplish something and people praise us, do we have the humility to believe that we are not the doer? When problems confront us and we receive blows left and right, is it possible for us not to blame the Almighty for the misfortune? When we develop the equanimity of mind – to remain unperturbed in success and failure – we may think that we are getting closer to the ideal.