Message from the Gospel – 10. Be like a kitten

Sri Ramakrishna says, “There are two kinds of aspirants.  The nature of the one kind is like that of the young monkey, and the nature of the other kind is like that of the kitten.  The young monkey, with great exertion, somehow clings to its mother.  Likewise, there are some aspirants who think that in order to realize God they must repeat His name a certain number of times, meditate on Him for a certain period, and practise a certain amount of austerity.  An aspirant of this kind makes his own efforts to catch hold of God.  But the kitten, of itself, cannot cling to its mother.  It lies on the ground and cries, 'Mew, mew!' It leaves everything to its mother.  The mother cat sometimes puts it on a bed, sometimes on the roof behind a pile of wood.  She carries the kitten in her mouth hither and thither.  The kitten doesn't know how to cling to the mother.  Likewise, there are some aspirants who cannot practise spiritual discipline by calculating about japa or the period of meditation.  All that they do is cry to God with yearning hearts.  God hears their cry and cannot keep Himself away.  He reveals Himself to them."

“Be like a kitten and cry to Him with a fervent heart.  The mother cat puts the kitten wherever she wants to.  The kitten doesn't know anything.  It is left sometimes on the bed and sometimes near the hearth. Devotees of this class give God the power of attorney and thus become free of all worry.”

“Give God the power of attorney. If a man entrusts his affairs to a good person, will the latter do him any harm? With all the sincerity of your heart resign yourself to God and drive all your worries out of your mind. Do whatever duties He has assigned to you. The kitten does not have a calculating mind. It only cries, 'Mew, mew!' It lies in the kitchen contentedly if the mother cat leaves it there, and only calls the mother, crying, 'Mew, mew!' It has the same feeling of contentment when the mother cat puts it on the soft bed of the master of the house. It only cries for its mother."

Maintaining equanimity of mind in pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, success and failure is not easy. The best example that comes to our mind is Lord Sri Ram. When told about His coronation He remained calm. Again when the fortunes changed and He was asked to leave the kingdom and proceed to forest He maintained His composure.

Let us be like a kitten and not like a baby monkey. Let the trials of life put us in any kind of situation. May God give us unflinching faith in His kindness and compassion that He will carry us through all hurdles and will never let us down.