It is God alone who has become everything. But that doesn’t mean
that one should embrace a lion or befriend a fox. Although God dwells in everything,
the magnitude of His manifestation is different in different beings. Sri
Ramakrishna explains this with a beautiful story.
May
God bless us holy company and wise guidance.
"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.'
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. 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?'
"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."
Sri Ramakrishna says further, "One
must be careful about these few things. First, an influential man who has much
money and many men under his control. He can injure you if he wants; you must
be careful while talking to him; perhaps you may have to approve what he says.
Second, a dog. When it chases you or barks at you, you must stand still, talk
to it gently, and pacify it. Third, a bull. If it runs after you with lowered
horns, you must calm it with a gentle voice. Fourth, a drunkard. If you arouse
his anger, he will abuse you, naming fourteen generations of your family. You
should say to him: 'Hello uncle! How are you?' Then he will be mightily pleased
and sit by you and smoke.
"In the presence of a wicked person I become
alert. If such a man asks me whether I have a pipe for smoking, I say, 'Yes, I
have.' Some people have the nature of a snake: they will bite you without
warning. You have to discriminate a great deal in order to avoid the bite;
otherwise your passion will be stirred up to such an extent that you will feel
like doing injury in return. The companionship of a holy man is greatly needed
now and then. It enables one to discriminate between the Real and the
unreal."
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