Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 035 on 25-May-2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananem Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Dayo Shritva Pranamami Moho Moho In our last class we were talking about knowledge and ignorance. Ramakrishna was asking M, tell me now, what kind of a person is your wife? Has she spiritual attributes or is she under the power of avidya? M, she is alright but I am afraid she is ignorant. Look at this, Ramakrishna was asking crystal clearly, has she spiritual attributes or is she under the power of avidya? In spite of that, M could not catch it. She is alright but I am afraid she is ignorant. Master with evident displeasure and you are a man of knowledge. Sarcastically, you are a Brahma Bandhu. This is a sarcastic term. Brahma Bandhu means a friend of a great man of knowledge or a Brahmana. But here it means just the opposite in Sanskrit language. Rajbandhu means a worthless fellow. Brahma Bandhu means an ignorant person, we call in our language, evident. Brihaspati is a Brihaspati, means he is an idiotic fellow, like that. Master with evident displeasure and you are a man of knowledge. M had yet to learn the distinction between knowledge and ignorance. Up to this time, his conception had been that one got knowledge from books and schools. Later on, he gave up this false conception. He was taught that to know God is knowledge and not to know him is ignorance. When Sri Ramakrishna exclaimed, and you are a man of knowledge, M's ego was again badly dented, shocked. Now, when was the first time, again means earlier it was done. When was it done? Are you married? Yes sir. Oh me! He is married. Have you children? This time M was describing graphically. The greatness of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is M doesn't hide anything, even if it is a discredit to describe about himself. For example, Sri Ramakrishna asks M, are you not ashamed to sleep with your wife and he has kept. How many people have the courage to express it about oneself, these derogatory remarks. But he was a sincere devotee and he was badly shocked. Then we know what is true knowledge and ignorance. So to sum up, true knowledge and ignorance, that knowledge which purifies the mind and heart is true knowledge. All else is only a negation of knowledge, means ajnana, avidya, maya. And then we have talked about barrenness of mere book learning in our last class. What did Sri Ramakrishna say? There are pundits, they are very wise people. Let us remember, Sri Ramakrishna doesn't talk anything that is not in the Vedas. Now in the, we get both Mundaka as well as Katavapurushad, avidyayamantare vartamanaha svayam dhirah panditam manyamanaha jandradandramyamanaha People are there, they consider themselves highly learned, but they go on repeatedly coming back into this world. As opposite to that, that which takes us to God, which makes us free from samsara, which is called moksha, that is the Purushartha, ultimate Purushartha. That is the true knowledge. This is what is being so beautifully described by Sri Ramakrishna. Paravidya, higher knowledge is that by which we know God. All else, scriptures, philosophy, logic, grammar, etc. only burden and puzzle the mind. As Sri Ramakrishna used to say about Granthas, he was a fun master. The Granthas, books are sometimes Granthis, knots. They are good only when they lead to the higher knowledge. We discussed this point also. Then in our last class, we have come to that teaching of Sri Ramakrishna, where he says that one should never consider one's guru as a... Of course, he has a body and mind. Of course, he will have some special desires. If anybody thinks, here I want to clear a point. Sadguru or a realized soul doesn't mean always we get sthita prajna lakshanas or gunatita lakshanas in the 14th chapter, and a jivanmukta, a person who is free even while living, he is a person who will not have absolutely any desires. He will be most likely to be a piece of stone. Whatever you do, it will be there, not mere piece of stone. But supposing you carve a beautiful image with a beautiful smile and even if you take a hammer and break the head of that image, there would be no dent in that smile. This is our ignorant concept of our guru. Guru is a human being. Human being means there would be body and mind and when there is body and mind, there would be always some likes and dislikes, suitability and non-suitability. So many things will be there. We have to remember. That's why I joke sometimes. When Sri Ramakrishna is alive, suppose I go to him and out of intense reverence, feed him Andhra achar, then he will just wriggle like a worm and give up his body. His kundalini will pierce the Brahmarandra and go out. Why? Because that particular body is not accustomed to certain things. So he could not have eaten beef, he could not have eaten pork, he can't eat Andhra chillies or South Indian sambar and rasam. He wants only what he was accustomed to. What is the point? Point is body-mind is the growth of a certain type of habits, whether it is food, language, etc. That has nothing to do with the realization. The man is completely free. His mind will never be affected. His mind is never affected by whatever happens in the world. That much is absolute truth. But his body can be affected by even small things. The very saint, they can have cold, they can have fever, they can have cancer, they can be killed by the enemies, crucified by the enemies. We see all those things subject to anything in this world. There is a beautiful Bengali song which says, Pancha bhutair paande pude brahma kaande, Brahma, Brahman, Kaande, weeps when he is caught in the mesh of the pancha bhutas. That means body. So, as an example, Sri Ramakrishna used to say, even Sri Rama wept bitterly when he was separated, when Sita was kidnapped. But what was his mind? Why was he weeping? Because of ignorance? No, he wants to behave like a human being. So, any body, not anybody, any body is subject to the vagaries of nature. But once they transcend the body, means after death, you can offer anything. Can beef be offered? Why not? Those who are accustomed to eat beef, they should offer it. I would like to offer first class sweet mango. Why? Because I like it. And if a person is accustomed to eat dry fish and considers it as the best dish, he can offer it. Will Sri Ramakrishna accept it? Yes. Why? Because it is mental. It is not the dish, it is the bhava. It is the feeling. It is the love behind. That's why it is said, even devas are drishti kriptaha. They are satisfied just by looking at it. They don't need to touch. That is why their enjoyment is far superior. Aesthetic enjoyment comes in that way. There is a beautiful saying about Yudhishthira. Once Yudhishthira, he was in the forest, he was in deep trouble and it was sunset and he was on the bank of a river and that particular evening, that sunset completely mesmerised him. He went on glaring at it, looking at it. Somebody asked him, Sir, what are you appreciating? The sunset. What do you get by the sunset? He was shocked and surprised. He said, what do you mean by getting? I am not looking at it to get something. I just enjoy the sunset, the sunrise, beautiful sceneries and that is why I go on looking at it. And Sri Ramakrishna very often used to say, a person who buys, he will not enjoy. A person who sells, he will not enjoy. But a person who just goes there to enjoy, to look at things, he will get the greatest benefit because he is not affected by profit and loss, etc. So what are we talking about? Aesthetic enjoyment is a mental phenomenon where a person enjoys thoroughly and you should not ask what profit he gets. He gets the greatest enjoyment, that is the profit and this is the type of attitude every Jeevan Mukta has got. But so long as there is a body, we must respect that body, give to that body, suitable only for that body. Suitable means whatever that body has been accustomed, that's all. Suppose Sri Ramakrishna is taken to Antarkita with his normal type of dress, then he will simply freeze to death. That means his body will freeze to death. Similarly, if he is taken to a death valley, there also the heat will affect him. So what am I talking all this time? The greatness of the Guru should not be compared to the body but yet that body is the instrument. Therefore, we have to revere just as a jeep, a car, an aeroplane, it's the greatest instrument to take us to places. It serves our purpose. So we have to take the greatest care whether it is a car, whether it is a pen, whether it is a cooking vessel, whether it is an aeroplane, all the more an aeroplane. We have to take the greatest care but at the same time mind is different. Who is the Guru? So long as he is alive, he has got a human body. One should never think he is a man. That's what Sri Ramakrishna was telling. If he is a man, if that means there is a body, there will be some likes and dislikes. Sri Ramakrishna used to like sweet mangoes, used to like jalebi and he used to like the preparation his mother used to make with five spices, panchphoran, tarkari means curry and he retained that love. Is it not bad for a Jivanmukta to have some special raga? No sir, because one can have any amount of attachment, raga, any amount of detachment that is dvesha provided it does not bind a person and it is never bound. This is what Sri Ramakrishna is telling. Enlightenment comes quickly to one who has faith in the Guru. The Guru must never be regarded as a man. So what does Guru mean? There is a beautiful Sanskrit saying, Uchyate rukara tejahahi andhakaro gukaro samshayah na gurudeva brahma grasakam ajnaaha Who is a real Guru? This gukara is indicating andhakara and rukara indicates light and he who destroys by the light that ignorance by knowledge, he is a Guru. That is why we always say, ajnanati mirandasya jnananjana shalakaya cekshurunmeelitam yena tasmai sri gurave namaha Not only that, a Guru also can completely destroy the karma phala without any doubt. A Jivanmukta, a Brahmavid is none other than Brahman. Brahmavid, Brahmaiva bhavati. So if he wishes, he can make us completely enlightened. If he wishes, he can destroy all the karma phala that we have, but then they do not do it. Why? It is what Holy Mother was once asked that why should we eat? Why should we not eat mangoes in all seasons? You know, nowadays we can get, we can get, they are frozen and they are sold at higher price at any season. If you have money, you can buy. But Holy Mother used to say, my son, the mango which ripens in season has no equivalent in taste and flavor. Yes, other times also you can grow, but it would not be so tasty. This is what exactly Shri Ramakrishna is telling, one has to respect the Guru's body because that is the instrument like a pipe through which water comes. If the pipe is dirty, then water also will be undrinkable, even maybe untouchable. The Guru's body is most sacred, especially a Guru means one who is enlightened. Tano, mana, dhana, everything becomes pavitra and not only that, I mentioned earlier in my talks that one who serves the Guru's body and pleases him, his punya, which he doesn't require anymore, will come to him and one who disrespects the Guru, criticizes him, finds fault with him, such a person, he will get his papa which he had committed in the past lives. So, we have to be careful, not only should we not do it to a Guru, we should not do it even to anybody. Holy Mother used to say do not find fault even with an insect because that also is a manifestation of God only. Ramakrishna further says on Panditya, intelligence is but another name for ignorance because its area is limited. Therefore, if a man wants to attain all knowledge and understand the mysteries of God, let him devote himself to the knowledge of God. This is what Sri Ramakrishna's pronouncement, knowledge, the knower and the object known. These three lose themselves in the absolute. That is all the scriptures can tell us. What takes place after this? No one is able to describe. It is directly experienced only by one who practices meditation. Only God can know himself. Be a God that you may know infinite God. In that knowledge there is neither want nor fear. A very thought of such knowledge is uplift. To summarize what we discussed in our last class and until now in today's class, what is true knowledge? That knowledge which makes me free forever is true knowledge. Then how do I proceed towards that? We have to ask certain questions, especially four types of questions. Who am I? What is this world? What is the relationship between me, God and this world? Who am I? What is God? What is this world? And what is the interrelationship between me, God and the world? This is the subject matter of every scripture. For example, what is the relationship? God is the creator. The world is the creator. I am part of the world. So I am also created by God and that invariable law, the effect must partake the qualities, characteristics of the cause. If God is Brahman, the creator, the cause is Brahman, I am also as an effect nothing but Brahman. Like a pot is nothing but clay. It is not part of clay. It's not a property of clay. It is not any small bit of clay. But it is from top to bottom everywhere. It is pervaded by clay and it is nothing but clay. In Mundaka Upanishad, we have seen that when Shravanaka approaches his Guru Angirisha and he talks to him, by knowing which one can know everything. What is the secret? By knowing the cause, everything can be known about the effects. If we know about gold, we know everything about any ornament which was made, which is being made and which can be made anytime in future. So, To him, this Angirisha replied. What did he reply? To him, Angirisha the Guru replied. There are two kinds of knowledge to be known. Thus say the Vedic scholars. They are the higher and the lower knowledge. So, he goes on describing this. This is one quotation to understand what is true knowledge. And what does the Isavasya Upanishad say in the very first mantra? You know there are many Upanishads, more than 1000 Upanishads. Now we get only about 200 Upanishads. Of the 200 Upanishads, only very few are left out because of the foolishness and the selfishness of many of our Brahmins who out of selfishness didn't want to share them with anybody excepting their own children, meanwhile they died and that particular Upanishad or Paravidya is completely lost. Fortunately, we have now more than 108 Upanishads of these. Shankaracharya had written, chosen 10 Upanishads to write his most marvellous commentary. That's why they are called Dasha Upanishad. 10 Upanishads and his commentary is most marvellous. Some Upanishads get their name because of the beginning verse. For example, Kena Upanishad gets the name because Keneshitam preshitam patati manaha and Isavasya Upanishad Isavasya medhaum sarvam itkincha jagat yam jagat But do not think that every Upanishad derives its name because of the first verse. For example, Katha Upanishad doesn't start with Katha. Taittiriya doesn't start with Taittiriya. This particular Isavasya, Isha means the divine lord, Brahman, Avasya means he who pervades everything, he who rules everything, without whom nothing can be found out. So it starts with this mantra, first mantra and incidentally Isavasya Upanishad has 18 mantras, it is one of the smaller Upanishads but the smallest is Mandukya Tarika. So which has got only 12 mantras. This Isavasya, Isavasya medhaum sarvam itkincha jagat yam jagat tena titena bhunjithah ma grithah kasyasvid dhanam. What does it mean? The whole universe must be realised as a manifestation of God because the cause pervades the entire universe. Ishwara, this creation has come from Ishwara. Ishwara is the creator, means he is the cause. Ishwara is not a creator like a potter and pot. It is a creation like clay and the pot. So Ishwara is manifesting and nothing but clay is there in a pot. There is no object substance called pot. It is only clay with a particular name and form and utility. Here this whole universe is nothing but a manifestation of Sat, Chit, Ananda. One has to look upon, realise it and how to realise it? Urvanneveha karmāṇi jijīviśayate śata-guṁ samāḥ evaṁ vai nānyateto vasti na karma-lepe denare. Ultimately self-surrender to God is the only way. Hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasya apiṭa-mukhaṁ tattvam pūṣaṁ apāvruṇa satya-dharmāya nishtaye. That also supports what we are talking about true knowledge in the light of Sri Ramakrishna's gospel. Sri Ramakrishna himself says the most marvellous words, to know many is ignorance, to know one is knowledge. But what was Sri Ramakrishna trying to say? What does it mean by many? Many means world, many means there's so many numerous things that the world consists of. That means everything is limited is many. But that ananta, infinite, that is one. To know the infinite, to know the one cause is knowledge and to know about the effects is ignorance. Why? Because if we come, even if we have the greatest knowledge about effects, every effect affects us. Keep this point, every effect affects us. This is a quotable quote. You can write it down. Every effect affects us. The first spelling is E-F-F. The second is A-F-F. Everything. You see a pot, it affects. You see a friend, it affects. You see an enemy, it affects. You get a job, it affects. Lose a job, it affects. You are sick, it affects. You are healthy, it affects. Everything in this world has that power upon us to affect us. That's why Sri Ramakrishna says we go on swinging between raga and dresha, sukha and dukkha and life after life, transmigration. That's what Sri Ramakrishna means. To know many is ignorance. This is called aparavidya in the Mundaka Upanishad. To know that cause and cause can be only one. To know that one which is God, which is Ishwara, which is Brahman, which is the Divine Mother, that is called knowledge. Why? Because Brahma with Brahmaiva bhavati. If we know one, to know one, we must become one with that knowledge. Earlier I mentioned in some class in the gospel, how do we get knowledge? There is a special branch of philosophy. It's called epistemology. It's all about what is knowledge? What is right knowledge? What is wrong knowledge? How does knowledge arise? How do we know that the knowledge that we get is right or wrong? And what is the effect of that knowledge? All these things are beautifully discussed there. Now Ramakrishna is telling, anything that affects us, makes us deviate from the one that is ignorance, that is samsara. In this context, how does one get knowledge? That is the topic discussed. How does, how do I know? What is the table? Indian philosophy looks at it in a particular way, whereas western philosophy is completely different from it. Now according to Indian philosophy, I, that means with my mind, through the sense organs go out and become one with the object of knowledge. I become one with the object and then the knowledge of that object, I take the form of the knowledge of that particular object and I return back into myself and that knowledge is called artha and that knowledge is what we have. This is how knowledge arises. What does it imply? It means the more we are able to identify, the more knowledge we get. That means the more we meditate upon God, the more we become identified with him and when we 100% become identified with God, we become one with God and then we know all about God. What do we know? I am God, aham brahmasmi and that is what Sri Ramakrishna says is knowledge. What do I gain by it? This is an interesting aspect of discussion about knowledge. Why do we want knowledge? Because we want to be happy and how can we be happy by getting knowledge? If we have right knowledge, this gives me happiness, this gives me unhappiness, so I can avoid what gives me suffering and I can accept what gives me happiness and that is the utility of knowledge but then I can never become identified completely with any object. That's why the happiness or unhappiness that I can derive from this, any object in this world always remains separate. That separation means what? It can come, it can also go. Aaya ram gaya ram. When it comes, I am happy. When it goes, I am unhappy and we are swinging between happiness and unhappiness. The whole life is swinging between I want happiness, I don't want unhappiness but unhappiness comes and then happiness comes and then again unhappiness comes. This cycle is going on. Then what is the way out? When I become identified completely with everything, with the one, then what is the nature of that one? Satchitananda. That infinite, ineffable, unbreakable, infinite, eternal bliss. Bliss means, the word bliss means that which is always happiness, unbroken happiness, not broken by unhappiness. Sukha-dukha duality. Ananda is one. Sukha-dukha are two. Dvaita. When I become one with God and God is of the nature of Satchitananda, I become one and to know God means to become one with God, to claim that I am God and that is what Shri Ramakrishna means. As the Taittiriya Upanishad says, Brahma with Brahma, Eva Bhavati. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. And then what does he do? Brahmana along with Brahman, he enjoys everything at the same time. We will refer to it when the time comes in future, I do not want to deviate too much but this much keep in mind, Brahman is of the nature of pure bliss, pure knowledge and pure being. And when I know that I am Brahman, I don't become Brahman but my notion that I was not Brahman is forever destroyed and then I realise I was Brahman, I am Brahman and I will be Brahman. Nothing has ever changed me just as a rope is a rope, even when snake appears, it was the rope, it is the rope, it will be the rope even after the snake disappears, so that is called knowledge. But to know many is ignorance. What is ignorance? Ignorance is not absence of knowledge, ignorance is misunderstanding, wrong understanding, partial understanding and partial understanding is what makes us very go through this samsara and makes us unhappy. Now we are talking about Guru. Who is a Guru? He is one who is one with knowledge. He is one with Brahman, Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Deva, Maheshwara, you can call him by any name, Kali, Durga, Jesus, Buddha, the ground of being, that formless God, any name you call, it is only in our mind. Remember any name, any form, any quality is usable only when we are identified with the body-mind complex, not otherwise. So Guru is such a person, we have to consider him as God. There are many benefits of Guru. One benefit is that how to see God in one person, one human being, even though he may have his likes and dislikes, even he may have some defects, weaknesses, this is another point I want to bring. Don't think I am deviating from the gospel of Shri Ramakrishna. These are very practical things we have to understand. Our Guru may like rasagullas, he may hate bitter goods or he may have some other liking. He may like meat, he may like fish, he may like anything he wants, he may like to dress, but that doesn't mean that we have to judge him as we judge any other human being. I have decided, I have chosen one person and I decided and I will make you a target of my spiritual progress. Like Ekalavya, even though Dronacharya had rejected him, refused to teach him, he said you refused, but I have chosen you as my Guru and you are going to be my Guru, you are going to teach me. And with that Shraddha, he went into a solitary place for his fashion and image and really felt my Guru is teaching me. This is a marvellous subject. Just to give you a hint, when Shri Ramakrishna sat down for worship at the beginning stages, he used to pray, oh mother, I do not know anything how to worship you. Oh mother, please teach me. To the ignorant child and he said, I clearly used to hear mother's voice. First to do that, second you do that, third next you do this. No, no, no, don't do that, do this. This is the way to do it. Everything mother used to tell him clearly. Why? Because he had childlike faith. Ekalavya had childlike faith. So, oh Guruji, you are my God, you teach me because Dronacharya was a human being, an individual who could refuse to teach or accept to teach. But God, who is everywhere, will never accept or reject anybody. Even because he is beyond both rejection and acceptance, he will teach everybody. Just as Ramakrishna thought of that image as divine mother, so this Ekalavya thought of that image of Dronacharya as the Bhagawan himself and then from within himself. Whether you call it one's own imagination or whatever it is, it doesn't matter. What you understand, how you explain is your responsibility. But here is a person who had become the greatest archer. If the effect does not prove the cause, I don't know what else will. So, Ramakrishna became such a great soul, even if you say that he was talking to himself, I don't care what you think about it. Ekalavya saw a clue. Dronacharya, even he himself could not teach his own disciples as this image had taught him to Ekalavya. Of course, it was not the image. Image is only a representation outside of the inner faith, inner heart. What I am trying to tell you, a guru should be considered like Ekalavya, who considered his guru like Ramakrishna considered a divine mother's image. Remember, at that time, Ramakrishna was not seeing the divine mother. He did not have the visions of holy divine mother. He was seeing image, but honestly with complete faith like a child in its mother. He was praying wholeheartedly and as a result, the mother also responded from within himself and that is what is called intuition. So, Ramakrishna taught us a great lesson. If we can remember our guru and consider him Guru Brahma or Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava. If we can consider then that Acharya and he teaches us absolutely as God teaches. In fact, God only is manifesting in the form of that guru. Now, very briefly, we will discuss about Sri Ramakrishna's relations with his own gurus. Now, before that I want to mention in Bhagavatam, there is a story and this very marvelous story. This is the story of Avadhuta. One day, a great king came across a great wandering monk, but the king was himself a great man. He recognized immediately and said, sir, you look like an enlightened sage, who taught you? And then he said, no human being has ever taught me, but the nature itself has taught me. I did not have one single guru. I had 24 gurus. A most marvelous story, but I'll come to the point I want to make a little later on and every of these gurus, a bird, a plant, an ordinary poor girl, everybody taught me animals, birds and nature itself, the earth, the water, the air, the fire, the Akasha, everything has taught and that's what one of the greatest English poets, to see the whole universe in a drop of blue. Every running brook teaches us a lesson, when, when we are ready, when are we ready? When our heart becomes completely enlightened, becomes pure, a pure heart becomes like a most marvelous mirror and it teaches us what we really are. This was what Patanjali had meant, Yogaha Chitta Vruthi Nirodaha. Chitta Vruthi Nirodaha had 24 gurus, how many gurus Ramakrishna had? At least we know four or five gurus, but he used to say that anybody who teaches me what I did not know is my guru. His most famous saying is that, so long as I live, so long do I learn. Everybody, even a child can teach me a lesson what I do not know, that capacity, that humility to receive what one doesn't have is called the art of learning. Now I just mentioned because Ramakrishna also learned from many a guru and they are called Siksha Gurus. By the way, I also happen to mention it many times, one can have only one mantra, Deeksha Guru, Mantra Guru, Deeksha Guru, Sadhu Guru, these are synonymous words. One must never give up one's guru under any circumstances. Many times, many people come across other people who look more charming, more attractive, magnetic and then give up, neglect their old gurus. Ramakrishna, holy mother, never encouraged this. Guru, one guru is for life, that's all. Any fellow who doesn't accept one guru for life is a guru, guru means animal, a buffalo, a cow, guru means really in Bengali language a cow, so he is a buffalo because he will never learn, he will go, move from person to person, he goes on marketing where a better product is available, cheaper product is available, more modern and fashionable product is available and that is why many of us do not have that Shraddha in our guru and that is why we don't go. How do we know that we are not having Shraddha? Because if we have Shraddha, even a matchstick will teach us great lessons. What lesson can a matchstick teach? Well, Ramakrishna used to be a beautiful example. Suppose there is a room, this is in complete darkness for a thousand years, could be a million years, billion years, but you take a matchbox and just take one matchstick and strike, instantaneously that billion years of darkness will disappear, so with just any guru, guru is none but God, if we lose that idea then we are not considering him as a guru but like as we consider any human being, sometimes he is angry, we are angry with him, sometimes he is pleased, we are also pleased with him, they are swinging between likes and dislikes, faith and non-faith and etc. That's why we don't make progress. Anybody who has got complete faith in the guru, how do we know? Because he is bound in spite of himself, his weaknesses, his defects to progress in spiritual life. Now, Sri Ramakrishna, as we know, practised sadhana three times, Sri Ramakrishna had practised spiritual sadhana twice and Narendra sadhana once. Let me finish with the third one, Sri Ramakrishna understood Narendra was a great Rishi and he was brought down by Sri Ramakrishna himself to help him as a, what is called, a helper in yuga dharma sthapana, dharma sthapana, one of the Rishis was brought down. But though the Rishis, a part of the Rishi had come down in the form of Narendra, teacher Swami Vekananda, he was not ready to give up his old habits that is completely being merged in dhyana. Sri Ramakrishna used to call Narendra as a dhyana siddha, perfect in meditation from the very birth, not only birth, before birth itself he was perfect in meditation as one of the Saptarshis but he has to be moulded into the modern mould so that the ancient eternal values must be preached to the world, that is called dharma sthapana but not in the old way but suitable to the changed circumstances. Values will be values for eternity but their application must be changed according to the changed circumstances. We will get many details in future classes but that is why every avatara changes certain things so that Vedanta becomes very practical, spiritual life becomes very practical. We have to adopt according to the changed circumstances and we may not know how to do it and that is what a yuga avatara does, an incarnation of God does through his interpretation of these greater truths and so Narendra's mind had to be made to accept that he had been born here to fulfil the mission of the divine mother. Remember, why divine mother? Because it is from mother creation comes. Tantras are absolutely spot on the point that the whole creation comes from the divine mother. Srishti sthiti vinashanam, shetty bhute sanatane, punashre gunamayi narayanam. Therefore, it is her business to do good, sarvamangala mangaliye and it is her business to give shelter to any one of her children who take refuge in her. Saranagata dinartha paritranaparayana. So now Narendra Nath's mind has to be brought down to the level of practical world and that means he must accept the divine mother and then only he will accept the mandate that was given by the divine mother that until you complete my mother's work you will not be released from your bond and once you come to know who you are and you will come to know who you are only when your mission is complete. That's what Sri Ramakrishna wanted to do. For that he has done nearly four years of sadhana. At the very end of it, one day, just a few days before Sri Ramakrishna's passing away, Sri Ramakrishna called Narendra to him and looking at him entered into Samadhi. Soon the effect of Sri Ramakrishna's gaze threw Narendra Nath also into deep Samadhi and after a long time Narendra came out of his Samadhi. He found Sri Ramakrishna weeping and he made a strange statement, Oh Narendra, today I have become a fakir by giving everything to you, by emptying myself into you. What does he mean? Why did I say it is a strange, surprising statement? That means that now Sri Ramakrishna has become identified with Narendra Nath and Narendra Nath will become HMV, his master's voice. That is the symbolism. But to make Narendra receive what Sri Ramakrishna wanted to give, means he wanted to give himself and enter into Narendra and possess his body and mind and preach or establish Dharma to the whole world, not only to India. For that it took nearly four years of sadhana, that is the third sadhana. But what are the other two sadhanas? First sadhana of Sri Ramakrishna, he with complete yearning, intense yearning, without the help of any external Guru, only praying to the Divine Mother, Oh Mother, you be my guide, you be my Guru directly. That's what Sri Aurobindo talks about Sri Ramakrishna, he had taken the fort as it were by a storm, stormed into the fort, fort of the Divine Mother, broke all the gates open and broke everything and looted everything that was inside. Here fort means the Divine Mother. As it were he took it by a storm. Sri Ramakrishna's prayer made the Divine Mother helpless but to give whatever he demanded and she made him go through everything until he attained highest Nirvikalpa Samadhi. But that was wonderful. That was meant for people who say we do not have any Guru here, how can I come to you Oh God, Oh Mother, for them have intense yearning like me and Mother is with you or God is with you, he will also come and listen to your prayer and guide you. You do not need to worry, any human Guru, your own mind will become intuitive and your own mind will work, will guide you as unfailing Guru, unfailing, unfalling Guru. But then for most of us we need physical Gurus and that is where first came Bhairavi Brahmani, then he got Totapuri, then he got Govinda, then he also learnt from Jatadhari how to practice Vatsalya Bhava towards God, then he also learnt from Shambhu Mallik how to consider Jesus Christ, the child Christ with Mother Mary, Madonna and then from a Guru he learnt about Govinda, he learnt about Islam, all about Islam. Not only that, he did many other things. Bhairavi Brahmani herself had made him go through all the Bhakti Bhavas, devotional path and this devotional path has five Bhavas, similarly she made him go through all the important Tantric disciplines, 64 Tantric disciplines, she helped him to become perfect through both Vaishnava Sadhana and Tantric Sadhanas. What is the second Sadhana meant? That for ordinary people who lack that sincerity, that intense faith and do not have what is called intuition, they have to be, until they develop intuition, they have to be intuition, that means accept a Guru and try to surrender, consider that Guru as God himself, Divine Mother herself and then obey implicitly without any thinking and then you will reach. Ramakrishna looked upon all his Gurus as God, he knew their defects, every one of them had some defects but that was not his attitude, I came here to learn something from them and I will not leave them until I learn what Mother wants me to learn from them but it did not end there. He also said, I will not leave them until they become perfect. This is the strange situation which Ramakrishna, in ordinary parlance, we are all eternally grateful to our Gurus because we are only takers, receivers, not much givers actually, even not to speak of spiritually giving, even physically also we hate to give. I will give just a small example. Once a devotee came to Varanasi, at that time Swami Advaitanandaji was alive and this devotee from Kolkata, he bought one sari to be offered to Mother Annapurna and he requested Swami Advaitanandaji, let us go to Mother, I want you to accompany me and so joyfully Swami Advaitanandaji was accompanying him. Suddenly he had a doubt about the devotee and he said, let me see the sari you brought and then that devotee opened, it was a very short sari and Swami Advaitanandaji got so annoyed, displeased. He said, will you ask your Mother to put on this kind of sari and you are going to offer it to the Mother of the whole universe, are you not ashamed? If you don't have money, then you buy a few fruits, don't buy a dozen rotten bananas, even if it is one banana, it is most wonderful banana and you offer it. The Divine Mother, God doesn't see the worth of your money but sees the quality, the devotion that you have. Sri Ramakrishna became Guru's Guru, Jagadguru, he did not leave them until they became perfect and all of them had defects, in course of time we will discuss about it but this is the point, in spite of knowing that they have defects, his respect, his reverence for the Gurus never became less. He considered them as God, Divine Mother herself and then in obeisance looked after them even though sometimes he used to behave a little bit funnily also. How he behaved with Bhairavi Brahmani, we do not have too many details but there are a few details, how sometimes Sri Ramakrishna used to be annoyed at the remarks of Totapuri and he used to shout at him, you rascal, Bengali word is not rascal, sala but the equivalent of that English meaning is you rascal but that rascal word is endowed, is imbued, endowed, filled with the highest reverence, love and then that was his way of reverence. Only because of his greatest reverence for the Gurus, he was able to make such a rapid progress in spiritual life and then he attained Siddhi as Swami Sharadamji puts it, within three days he attained Siddhi perfection in every sadhana that he had undertaken. This was what Sri Ramakrishna's meaning that one should never consider one's Guru as a human being but please don't go to the other extreme and say Swami Dayatmananda told us not to look upon our Guru as a human being so he doesn't need food, doesn't need dress, doesn't need air, doesn't need water, he doesn't need any comfort, doesn't need any money and let us leave only, we will do arathri company, that also is counterproductive. A complete consideration with devotion, serve the body and mind of the Guru but spiritually have an outlook, spiritual outlook that he is none other than God. God is manifesting in this instrument and he is teaching me for my own good, he has nothing to do with it. These beautiful points we will discuss in our next class. Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Siddha Purnamami Muhurmukum May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with His grace.