Lessons to learn from the lives of Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples – Part 4

Mysterious is the divine will. A washerman donated two acres of land for setting up a branch of Ramakrishna Math! It happened in Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu, India.

Swami Shivananda, revered as Mahapurush Maharaj, was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. Once when he was at Madras he contracted malaria and the doctors advised him to rest at a cool place. Accordingly, arrangements were made to send him to Springfield near Kunoor in Nilgiri Hills. When he went there he liked the place and wanted to open a centre there for the monks to practice sadhana.

God decided to fulfill His devotee’s wish. A washerman had a dream in which his chosen deity, Sitala, said to him, ‘Very soon some people will come to you for a piece of land to establish a monastry. Be sure to give them what they want.’ On getting this dream for three consecutive nights, he thought, ‘Nobody is coming to me for land.’ One day while searching for the land, the local devotees met the washerman and told him what they were looking for. Immediately he said, ‘For all these days I have been searching for you. Please come along and take two acres of land from my 22 acres.’ Forthwith, he executed a registered deed of transfer for it. Detailed plans were then made so that an ashrama could be established quickly.

True indeed are the words of Swami Vivekananda: “Are you unselfish? Then God is with you.”

Lessons to learn from the lives of Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples – Part 3

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.”

Lessons to learn from the lives of Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples – Part 2

In this blog we narrate an interesting episode from the life of Swami Brahmananda, who was revered as the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna. Swami Brahmananda was a spiritual giant and President of the Ramakrishna Mission for more than 20 years.

After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna in 1886 and until the formation of the Ramakrishna Order in 1897, Sri Ramakrishna's monastic disciples went to various holy places of India as wandering monks to practise sadhana. Sometime in 1893, Swami Brahmananda was on pilgrimage to Brindavan and other holy places of north India. He was accompanied by Swami Turiyananda. One day, when they were in Ayodya, Swami Turiyananda went to beg for food and was given some boiled kachu (an edible root). As soon as they had eaten, their throats began to sting and burn, and gradually their mouths and tongues swelled. Swami Turiyananda ran in search of lemon, an antidote for the allergy. It was out of season, but still he found a lime grove and after careful searching found a lemon in one of the trees and with the permission of the owner of the grove, took the fruit and ran to Swami Brahmananda. It immediately relieved his painful throat.

That night Brahmananda lamented, addressing Sri Ramakrishna, “Master, why did you take me from home if you could not provide a morsel of food? Tomorrow morning if I get hot kichuri [rice and lentils cooked together] and pickles, I shall understand that you are with me.”

The next morning the swamis went to bathe in Sarayu River. A monk arrived and said to Brahmananda: “Swami, I understand that both of you fasted yesterday. Please come to my cottage and have some prasad which I offered to Lord Rama.” The monk served hot kichuri and pickle to the swamis. They greatly enjoyed the meal. The monk then said: “Blessed am I! For the last 24 years I have been practicing sadhana here to have a vision or hear the voice of Lord Rama. Today the Lord has blessed me.” Tears trickled from the eyes of the monk. At Brahmananda’s request, the monk elaborated: “While I was sleeping last night, I saw Lord Rama touched my body with his soft hand and said: ‘Get up. I am hungry. Cook kichuri and offer it to me. Tomorrow morning you will see two devotees bathing at the ghat of Sarayu River. They are fasting. Offer my prasad to them.’ It is by your grace I had the vision of Lord Rama.”

While returning to their cottage, Brahmananda related to Turiyananda the mystery behind the incident.

This anecdote is mentioned in the book God lived with them by Swami Chetanananda (published by Advaitha Ashrama). God, indeed, lives with the devotees and answers their earnest prayers.

The devotee, in turn, should have unshakable faith -- not only in God but also in his/her abilities. As Swami Vivekananda says, “Faith, faith, faith in ourselves, faith in God - this is the secret of greatness. If you have faith in three hundred and thirty million of your mythological gods, and in all the gods which foreigners have introduced into your midst, and still have no faith in yourselves, there is no salvation for you. Have faith in yourselves and stand upon that faith and be strong.”

Lessons to learn from the lives of Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples – Part 1

Ganappa is one-year old today! In celebration of the first anniversary, we wish to present a series of articles providing interesting episodes from the lives of Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples.

Humility is the hallmark of nobility. It is the greatest of all the noble virtues. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa practiced humility in his life and also instilled this noble quality in the lives of his disciples. When Keshab Chandra Sen asked him how he looked upon himself, he told, “I am the dust of the dust of your feet.” Every one of his monastic disciples without exception had imbibed this quality of their master.

Swami Vivekananda, the foremost disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, stated about the uniqueness of his guru: “The man at whose feet I sat all my life – and it was only a few ideas of his I try to teach – could [hardly] write his name at all. All my life I have not seen another man like that, and I have travelled all over the world. When I think of that man, I feel like a fool, because I wanted to read books and he never did… He was his own book.”

Swami Vivekananda once paid a touching tribute to Sri Ramakrishna as follows: “my teacher, my master, my hero, my ideal, my God in life.” “If there has been anything achieved by me,” he said with deep feeling, “by thoughts, or words or deeds, if from my lips has ever fallen one word that has ever helped anyone in this world, I lay no claim to it; it was his. But if there have been curses falling from my lips, if there has been hatred coming out of me, it is all mine, and not his. All that has been weak has been mine; all that has been life-giving, strengthening, pure and holy has been his inspiration, his words, and he himself. Yes, my friends, the world has yet to know that man.”

There may be many students who think highly of their teachers. But for a world-renowned saint as Swami Vivekananda (about whom John Wright, a professor of Harvard University, wrote  “Here is a man more learned than all our learned professors put together.”) to think and say such words, it shows his extraordinary humility.

Condemn not...

People brought a woman who had committed adultery to Jesus Christ. They told him, “This woman has led an impure life. According to Moses, such people should be killed by hitting them with stones. What do you say?” Without looking at them, Jesus was writing on the floor with his feet. They again insisted, “What do you say?” Jesus said, “Ok, the punishment may be carried out. But the first stone should be thrown by the one among you who has not committed any sin.” He again continued to write on the floor with his feet. There was silence and when he raised his head after a few minutes all had left except for that woman, who was looking with amazement at the whole thing. She wept and fell at his feet asking for forgiveness. He told her that she will be forgiven and asked her not to sin anymore.

Although everybody was eager to throw stones, there was no one to throw the first stone. Why? There was no one in the crowd who had not sinned.

Here is an episode that happened in the life of Swami Vivekananda. Once the Swamiji was invited by Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri to visit him and bless his new born son. Swamiji consented and went to Khetri to attend the birthday function. One evening, the maharaja invited him to attend a dance performance in his palace. However, Swami Vivekananda sent word that, as a monk, he was not permitted to enjoy secular pleasures. The girl who was supposed to give the dance performance was hurt when she heard the message and sang the following song, which reached the Swamiji’s ears:

Look not, O Lord, upon my sins!
Is not same-sightedness Thy name?
One piece of iron is in the image in the temple,
And another, the knife in the hand of the butcher;
Yet both of these are turned to gold
When touched by the philosophers’ stone.
So, Lord, look not upon my evil qualities…

Swamiji was greatly moved. This dancer, whom society condemned as impure, had taught him a great lesson: Brahman, the ever-pure, ever-free, ever-illumined, is the essence of all beings. He immediately realized his mistake and joined the party. He later said, “That incident removed the scales from my eyes. Seeing that all are indeed the manifestation of the One, I could no longer condemn anybody.”

Let us never forget the eternal message of Vedanta:

As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they may appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.

Vishwaroopa of Lord Sri Ramachandra

During the Mahabharata war, Lord Krishna showed his vishwaroopa (superhuman appearance) in the battlefield of Kurukshetra and preached the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna to convince him to fight the battle. This, I think, is known to majority of the Indians or, at least, to most of the Hindus.

Have you heard of the vishwaroopa of Lord Sri Ram? Purandara dasa, a great devotee of Vishnu and composer of Carnatic music (from Karnataka state, India), talks about the vishwaroopa of Lord Sri Ram in one of his songs. According to the song, Lord Rama showed his vishwaroopa on the battlefield, during the Ram–Ravan war at Lanka.

In the epic Ramayana, when Lord Sri Ram’s wife Sri Sita was abducted by Ravana in the forest, he took monkey-king Sugreeva’s help to rescue Sri Sita. Sugreeva being a monkey-king, his army comprised of monkeys and bears and Ravana’s army was comprised of raakshasas.

Poet-saint Purandara Dasa mentions in a song that when Ravana entered the battlefield and started fighting, the monkeys and bears saw his amazing power and started running away from the battlefield. Understanding their panic, Lord Sri Ram decided that he should not remain a human anymore. He displayed his divinity (superhuman nature) by becoming every being in the battlefield. As a result, every raakshasa on Ravana’s side saw the raakshasa in front of him as Lord Sri Ram and he being their enemy the raakshasas started killing each other.

What happened on the other side of the battlefield? Sugreeva’s army comprising monkeys and bears also saw Lord Sri Ram. Each monkey and bear saw the monkey or bear in front of him as Lord Sri Ram. For them it was a sight to behold, the man of their dreams standing in front of them. Overwhelmed with joy, the monkeys and bears hugged each other and started dancing. So, at the end, everyone in the battlefield saw in front of him Lord Sri Ram only.

Although it was the same Lord Sri Ram who appeared in every being on the battlefield, the raakshasas wanted to kill him as they considered him as their enemy, whereas the monkeys and bears wanted to embrace him as he was their friend. What a beautiful thought Purandara dasa, the composer of the song, had? The song goes like this:

“When you see there, it is Rama
 When you see here, it is Rama
 Wherever you see, only Rama is present (in the battlefield)…”

Even if God appears in front of a person, he will appear like a demon if that person has devilish tendencies. On the other hand, to those who are good, everyone will appear as divine and they would look upon every being as their own.

How nice it will be if we can visualize what Purandara dasa was able to see…


R. Padma