Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

“ In that case, sir, do you not think it would be better to throw open the door of your mind, at least out of pity for your friends? You well see that your friends do not under- stand you. Doctor: Shall I say it? Well, my feelings are worked up even more than yours. (To Vivekananda) I shed tears in solitude. Doctor (to Sri Ramakrishna) : Sir, may I say that it is not good that you allow people to touch your feet with their body while you are in Samddhi? Sri Ramakrishna: You do not mean that I am conscious of this ? Doctor: You feel that it is not a right thing to do, do you not? ”

“ A man of the world is like unto such a thirsty patient; worldly attractions are like the jar of water; sense objects are like the savory pickles; desire to enjoy those things is the patient's thirst. The mouth waters at the mere thought of the pickles. We should not therefore remain near them all the time. Hence solitude is the best remedy for worldliness. First acquire right discrimination and true dispassion and then live in the world. In the sea of the world there are crocodiles of passions and desires. ”

“ Do Thou reduce our Karma to a minimum, and the little work that we daily perform, may we do it with non-attachment by Thy grace. O Lord! Do not let our desire for work increase in number and bind us to worldliness." Devotee : People of the West (in England and America) always say, "Work, work, work. " Is Is work the aim of life? not work (Karma) then the end and aim of life ? Ramakrishna: The end and aim of life is the attainment of God. Work (Karma) is nothing but the first chapter of life; how can it be its end and aim? But work, without seeking the result, is a means, not the end. ”

“ They are like the snake with a musk-rat in its mouth. As the snake cannot swallow the rat because of its strong odor, neither can it throw it out because of its own bent teeth, so these bound souls, Baddhas, although they may occasionally feel that the world is unreal, can neither give it up nor can they fix their minds on the Reality of the universe. I once saw a relative of Keshab Chunder Sen, who was quite old, still playing cards as if the time for meditating on God had not come for him. There is another sign of a Baddha, or worldly soul. ”

“ The Bhagavan said: "The Lord of the universe teaches mankind. He who has made the sun and moon, men and brutes; He who has created things for them to live upon, parents to tend and rear them; He who has done so many things will surely do something to bring them to the light. The Lord dwells in the temple of the human body. ”

“ God alone is the Reality, all else is unreal. Once placed face to face with the Vision Divine, we see them as no better than dreams and then we pray for more light, more wisdom, more Divine Love, the love which lifts a man to God, the love which makes us realize that we are really sons of the Supreme Being, of whom all that can be said is that He exists, that He is Knowledge itself in the highest sense, and that He is the Eternal Fountain of Love and Bliss. ”

“ The more one attains to true devotion the less becomes one's worldly work. The pleasures of the world do not satisfy such a soul. They lose their charm. How can one who has tasted the Sherbet made with pure crystallized sugar be pleased with the taste of a drink made with molasses or treacle ? On one occasion a Karma Yogi (Sambhu) said to me: "May Thy blessing be that my wealth be spent in building hospitals and dispensaries, in making roads, in sinking wells for travelers, in establishing schools, colleges, and in other good works." ”

“ He who thinks of the Lord with unwavering mind and a heart overflowing with devotion and love for God, is undoubtedly taken care of by the Lord. The Lord carries every- thing for him like the guardian of the Zemindar's son. Oh, when shall I reach such a state! How blessed are those who have attained it! A Brahmo devotee: Revered Sir, can true wisdom be acquired in the world ? Can God be realized in the world? ”

“ Where there is no activity of any kind, that is the state of Ab-solute Brahman, but where there is evolution and destruction, there is the manifestation of the Divine Mother. When the water of the ocean is calm, without a wave or ripple, that is like the state of the Absolute. When the water is in motion and with waves, it is the state of the Creative Energy or Divine Mother. Divine Mother is both with form and without form. You have faith in formless Divinity, therefore you can think of my Mother as formless. When your faith is firm, the Divine Mother will show you how She is. ”

“ Whether you live in the world or renounce it, everything depends upon the will of Rama. Throwing your whole responsibility upon God, do your work in the world. If you cannot do this, what else can you do? If a clerk be imprisoned, when the term of his sentence is over and he comes out, tell me, will he pass his time in dancing for joy over his release or resume his work as clerk? So when the householder is liberated from the prison of the world, will he spend his life in rejoicing over his liberation? He may continue to perform his duties as householder, if he so desires. ”

“ The father then exclaimed: “My dear child, thou hast approached the realization of the Brahman. Thy silence is a better answer than the recitation of a hundred texts of the Vedas, for Brahman is indescribable by words. It is indeed the Absolute Silence.” The knowledge of the Absolute Brahman is attained in the state of Samâdhi. In that superconscious state Brahman is realized. Then all thoughts cease to rise and perfect silence prevails in the soul. Even the power of speech remains unmanifested. How can one describe Brahman by words of mouth? Man thinks that he has known the Absolute Brahman. ”

“ I prayed to my Divine Mother, saying: "O Mother, I do not desire material wealth or earthly prosperity, but only that Thou dwell within my heart." When the mind renounces attachment to lust and wealth, it turns towards God and ultimately becomes attached to Him. Then that which was bound becomes free. To be turned away from God is bondage. The mind is like the needle of a scale and God is the central point of balance. When the weight of worldly attachment is in the heart, the scale drops to one side and the needle of the mind is deflected from the central point or God. ”

“ He is absolutely free and His inner nature is illumined by the self-effulgent light of Divine wisdom and His heart is overflowing with Divine Love. His soul becomes the playground of the Almighty, His body and mind become the instrument of the Divine will. ”

“ And Bhagavân Srî Râmakrishna was such a real Mahâtman.
Even in this age when the vast majority of educated people do not believe in the existence of God and of the human soul, when scientific knowledge has turned the minds of students away from the path of spirituality, when sense-pleasures and the luxuries of life have become the ideals of earthly existence and human beings have degenerated into money-making machines, we have witnessed with our eyes a Great Soul who is recognized as a Real Mahâtman by hundreds and thousands of thoughtful men and women of India, Europe and America. ”

“ Bhagavân: No, my dear sir, why salt water? You are not the ocean of Avidyâ (ignorance) , which leads away from God, but you are the ocean of milk, the ocean of Vidyâ, or true knowledge leading Godward.
Vidyâsâgara: Revered Sir, Thou mayest say that.
Bhagavân: Your Karma proceeds from the Sattwa element of nature. From it rises compassion. Whatever work is done for the Good works and compassion for all. good of others is absolutely free from fault. It may be called Râjasika, but it is the activity of Sattwa. There is no harm in such works. Sukadeva and others like him had compassion for all. ”

“ But when God is attained, all worldly attachment vanishes. After realizing the absolute bliss of God-consciousness one cannot enjoy sense-pleasures or run after fame, honor or any worldly object. Moths after once seeing the light do not return to the darkness. As much as one thinks of God and meditates on Him, by so much will one lose one's taste for worldly pleasures. As much as one's love and devotion for God increases, by so much will diminish worldly desires and care for the body. Then one will look upon every woman as mother, upon his own wife as a spiritual helpmate ”

“ At one time I had this madness. I used to walk like a madman, seeing the same Spirit everywhere and recognizing neither high nor low in caste or creed. I could eat even with a Pariah. I had the constant realization that Brahman is Truth and the world is unreal like a dream. ”

“ Yes, faith is at the root of all spiritual progress. Thou canst do without all other things, only thou must have faith. Have but faith in the Lord and thou shalt become at once free from the vilest, the blackest, of all sins. The one thing needed is faith and Bhakti—love, devotion, prayerfulness, self-surrender. It is exceedingly difficult, especially in this age, for a man with his limited faculties to come to my Mother through Vichara (discriminatoin of the Real Brahman from the unreal phenomenal universe) , unaided by the Divine Person. ”

“ True devotion leads to intense love for God; and when that intense love comes, the Divine Being is not very far. In that intense love the sense of worldliness is wiped out entirely and the whole heart and soul rest upon nothing but the Lord of the universe. Some are born with this intense love for God ”

“ Have faith and you will get everything. If you have faith in the formless Divinity, you must make that faith as firm as a rock. But do not be dogmatic; you must never dogmatize about God. You must not say that He is like this and not like anything else. You may say: "I believe in a formless Divinity, but what else He is, is known to Him. I do not know, I cannot understand." The small intellect of man cannot grasp the whole nature of God. ”

“ In the evening fireflies think that they are lighting the world; but when the stars begin to shine, their pride is subdued. The stars in turn think that they are lighting the world, but when the moon shines, the stars are put to shame. The moon, too, believes that her light illumines everything ; but lo ! the dawn appears and the rising sun effaces the light of the moon. If wealthy people thought of these things, they would no longer be proud of their wealth. ”

“ One's present and most important duty is to love God, to cultivate Bhakti or devotion. Disciple: Bhagavan, I greatly desire that my work in the world should become a little less than now. The pressure of work stands in the way of one's giving one's whole mind to God, does it not ? Bhagavan: Oh yes, no doubt that is so; but a wise man may work unattached and then work will not do any harm to him. Disciple: But that depends upon the posses- sion of an extraordinary power of will derived from the realization of God. First realization of God, then work without attachment. ”

“ When shall I see the world pervaded by God alone, and prostrate myself in the path of Love Divine! When shall my religious works and daily duties be a thing of the past' When shall my sense of caste and family be gone! ”

“ When the service was ended and the boy came out, the members of the household said to him, "If the service is over, bring out the offering." The boy replied: "Yes, but the Lord has eaten everything." In amazement they asked: "What did you say?" With absolute innocence the boy repeated: "Why, the Lord has eaten all that I offered." Then they entered the chapel and were dumbfounded at the sight of the empty dishes. Such is the power of true faith and true yearning! Yes, faith will enable a man to cross the mighty ocean itself without the least difficulty. ”

“ Let the milk of your mind be turned into the butter of Divine Love by means of religious practices in solitude. The mind then will never get mixed with the water of worldliness, but will rise above and remain unattached to the world. Having attained true knowledge and devotion the mind will stand apart from the world. ”

“ Sri Ramakrishna (to the doctor, with folded hands) : No, oh no; why should my feelings be worked upon? I am very well. But as soon as these words were uttered, the Bhagavan, who was already losing sense-con-sciousness, went into deep Samddhi. His body became motionless. The eyes moved not. He sat speechless like a veritable figure of wood or stone. All sense-consciousness had ceased to be. The mind, the principle of personal iden-tity, the heart, had all stepped out of their wonted course towards that One Object, the Mother of the Universe. ”

“ What harm is done by worshipping the Absolute through images and symbols? We see little girls with their dolls. How long do they play with them ? So long as they are not married. After marriage they put away those dolls. Similarly, one needs images and symbols so long as God is not realized in His true form. It is God Himself who has provided these various forms of worship. The Master of the universe has done all this to suit different men in different stages, of spiritual growth and knowledge. The mother so arranges the food for her children that each one gets what is best for him. ”

“ God is beyond the power of reasoning; He is something more. I see that whatever is, is God. What then is the necessity of reason-ing about Him? I do actually see that what-ever is, is God. It is He who has become all these things. This is a stage at which the mind and the intellect (Buddhi) are lost in the Ab-solute and Indivisible Being. At the sight of Narendra my mind becomes merged in the In-divisible Absolute. What, pray, do you say to this? Girish (smiling) : Surely, Revered Sir, we do not pretend that we understand everything except this. ”

“ Bhagavân Srî Râmakrishna is not only the greatest saint of modern India but He is the "Real Mahâtman." A real Mahâtman as described in the Bhagavad Gitâ (Chapter VII, verse 19) is one who, having realized the Absolute, perceives the Divine Being in all animate and inanimate objects of the universe. His heart and soul never turn away from God. He lives in God-consciousness, and Divine qualities constantly flow through his soul. He cares neither for fame nor power nor worldly prosperity. A true Mahâtman has no attachment to His body or to sense-pleasures; He is a living God ”

“ Then will come ecstasy. In ecstasy a man remains dumb with wonder. Outward breathing stops entirely, but inward breathing continues; as when aiming a gun, a man remains speechless and without breathing. In Divine Love one entirely forgets the external world with all its charms and attractions; even one's own body, which is so dear to one, is easily forgotten. ”

“ You may read thousands of volumes, you may repeat verses and hymns by hundreds, but if you cannot dive into the ocean of Divinity with extreme longing of the soul, you cannot reach God. A scholar may delude the people by his knowledge of the Scriptures and by his book-learning, but through these he will not attain to God. ”

“ He is not affected by the pleasure and pain of the body; he does not seek the comforts of the body; he moves from place to place like an emancipated soul. "A true devotee of my Divine Mother attains absolute freedom in this life and is eternally blissful." When you notice that tears flow and the thrill comes at the repetition of the Name of the Lord, then you may know that attachment to sense-objects has become less and the devotee is on the path of realization. ”

“ In the form of Infinite Wisdom the Lord will enter my soul. The restless mind filled with wonder will take refuge at His Blessed Feet. Immortal Bliss, like embodied nectar, will rise in the firmament of the soul. ”

“ He who has right discrimination knows that God alone is the Reality ; all other things are unreal. When right discrimination comes, then rises intense desire to know God. As long as one loves untruth, such as the pleasures and comforts of the body, fame, honor and wealth, so long one does not desire to know God, the Truth. Right discrimination between Truth and untruth leads one to search after God. Another householder devotee: Bhagavan, we have heard that Thou hast attained to ecstasy and God-consciousness ”

“ So in order to get rid of the thorn of ignorance you must bring the thorn of knowledge. Then you must throw away both ignorance and knowledge to attain to the complete realization of God, the Absolute, for the Absolute is above and beyond knowledge as well as ignorance. ”

“ His life has given to the world a grand demonstration that even in this age Divinity can be reached and Divine perfection can be acquired by one who is pure, chaste, simple and whose devotion is whole-hearted and whole-souled. We have neither seen nor heard of a character purer, simpler, more chaste, more truthful and more godly than that of this ideal Mahâtman. ”