Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 045 on 12-October-2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADMETAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHU The Navaratri is going on now. I wish all of you the greatest blessings of Mother Durga. Durga means she who saves us from all troubles. And the greatest saving is to give us Moksha. May she help us so that we can really desire the Moksha and move forward. Now in our last class we have been dealing with the power of Nama. Before I go into that there was a question. Last time I forgot that question. Very interesting question. How much time should we devote to the world? How much time to the spiritual practice? Well, the shortest answer is devote as much time as possible to spiritual practices in the form of puja, japa, parayana, attending classes, etc. But rest of the time what should we do? We should be able to keep the presence of God in our mind. That is very important because so many other things have to be done. Cooking has to be done. Family has to be looked after. Children have to be got ready. So many things are there. But a very important point is Hindu scriptures teach us that every householder especially householder because a sannyasi is supposed to be completely dedicated to God 24 hours a day. But a grihastha is a married person or even without marriage if a person is unmarried, single, in the family, doing some job, etc. usually then this question comes. How to divert our mind towards God? So very important point is that we must divide our time into three categories. That's very very important for us. What are the three categories? Individual, family and social. And there must be a harmonious balance between these three. Any deviation from it, spending more time in one field than the other is deleterious to not only one's welfare but it can also bring in some grief, some suffering to the other people. So the first thing is we are social beings, part of the society and we may be doing job, our relationships with our company, with our boss, with our colleagues, with our subordinates. We have to behave in such a way that it will not create lot of disturbance in the mind. Though it cannot be really avoided especially nowadays. Then sufficient time must be devoted to a family. Parents, husband, wife, spending time with children has to be done. But a very important thing that we forget, we are born alone, we come alone, we also go alone. Nobody has come with us and even a twin brother or sister does not come with us, separately only. Either few minutes earlier or few minutes later, nobody is going to go with us. We live all throughout life alone, cocooned as it were in our own mind, body and mind. So we have to take care of this particular thing and then say I am an individual, I have come from God, I am living in God by the grace of God and ultimately my destiny is to reach God. So there must be sufficient what they call in the west space, my space, my time, my privacy so that I can devote myself in that way. So these are the broad guidelines but underlying all these three is that unforgettable fact. Each soul is potentially divine, the goal of life is to manifest the divinity within and while manifesting we have to face these three phases of life, social, family as well as individual. But the underlying reality is we have come from God, we have to go to God. This is the brief answer I can give you, now we will proceed with our talk. In my last talk we have been discussing about the power of the name of God but name of God doesn't mean that we can do whatever we like. There are certain hedges, certain rules and regulations especially I have selected four shlokas from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Shiksashtaka. Eight verses of spiritual instruction, how one can progress in spiritual life by taking God's name. So one of the verses is most important, we have to be humbler than a blade of grass, forbearing than even a tree and not seeking honour to ourselves but giving honour to everybody. Should we give honour to even wicked people? Man is never wicked, man is a substance, man is a child of God, by man I mean human beings but each soul is potentially divine. We should never forget that fact, there is nobody outside God, nobody who is not a child of God who is not divine. So we have to salute them, that's why Namo Narayanaya, Namaste, that is how we greet. But at the same time from the practical point of view we have to keep away, as Ramakrishna says, every water is Narayana but some waters only can be drunk, some waters we have to use for bathing, washing. Some waters we should never be able to touch. So we must have that humility because humility means recognition that everything is manifesting God in the form of existence, knowledge and bliss. Second, one must forbear. Why? Why should we forbear? Because so many things are not in our control. It may be hot, it may be cold, there may be Covid, there may be mosquitoes, we don't know, we are absolute fools. Nobody has ever thought that this Covid will come and we are thinking somehow we have gotten over it but we will be greatest fools to think that such a thing or even more powerful thing cannot come in the future. Anytime, anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any manner. That is called the process of discrimination. So we will have to keep that in mind and practice it all the time. These are the three important lessons. We have to be humble because even if we are talented, whatever talents we have got, specialties we have got, it is a manifestation of God, nothing belongs to us. We also don't belong to ourselves. Our very existence is derived from the existence of God. Now what does Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda and other sages and saints have got to say about the power of God's name? So about Japa or repetition of the divine name. Japa, the word Japa is usually translated as repetition. You repeat either on fingers or on the mala or mentally. But that is not the proper translation. Remembering God, that is the proper translation. That is what Patanjali Rishi says. Japa is to remember God. That means once we remember God, just as when we remember our mother, we know that I am the child of this woman and she had looked after me, she taught me how to love by loving me and whatever I may be, she will never remove her love from me and she will do her best even by giving up her life to protect me. Same idea, now we have to transpose with God. I belong to God and as soon as I remember God, He is my mother, He is my father, He is in fact everything. He is everything to me. So I must remember there is nobody who can come with me, who can go with me. But this eternal companion will always be with me. Is God with me now? When people are cutting my throat, is He with me? Yes, He is with me. When I am about to die, is He with me? Yes. After my death, is He with me? Yes, He will be with me. Because there is no way He can separate Himself from me because He is the infinite existence and I am part of the existence. Really, I am not a part. But at this moment, I think I am the part because of my own ignorance. So God cannot exist without me. I cannot exist without God. This is called Avinabhava Sambandha, that inseparable relationship between God and me. So that remembrance is called Arthabhavana or Japa. Now, Sri Ramakrishna is telling this one. The more we move toward the East, the more the West is left behind. But for Japa to be effective, we need to repeat the divine name consciously. Consciously is very important. Of course, at the beginning, we are not so conscious. That means we are not unconscious. But we are conscious of something else. Here is a tree, here is a table, here is my father, mother, everything. But if we can associate, everybody, my father exists. So he is connected to God. My mother exists. She is connected. Everything that I experience is connected with God. This is called practicing the presence of God. So there are two ways to think about it. This is one of the greatest spiritual exercises, practicing the presence of God. That's what real Japa means, not to forget God. There was a great Christian saint whose teachings have come out in the form of a small booklet, Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence. So we have to practice the presence of God. What does it mean? So one way is that we imagine God will be like Rama, like Krishna, like Kali, or now like Durga. And she is in front of me. I am able to see. This is a little bit crude type of practice of the presence of God. But the real presence of God is that what is God? Satchitananda. What is Sat? Existence. What is Chit? Knowledge. What is Ananda? When a person cognizes Sat and Chit, the result will be inevitable. The result will be Ananda. So this is what I see a tree. A tree exists and it is a tree. So the cognition of that object as a tree is called existence. The understanding that it is a tree, it is a mango tree. It yields beautiful sweetest fruits and it gives me great joy, etc. This is called Chit. So Sat and Chit are inevitably like Parvati, Parameshwara, are inseparable. That is why, Vagarthav Ivasampruptav, Vagartha Pratipatthai, Jagatha Pitaravodde, Parvati Parameshwarav. Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati, they can never be separated. But forget about Parvati and Parameshwara. You have to say Shiva and Shakti. Shakti and Shiva, they can never be separated. To remember, we need power. And without consciousness, we can never remember. So they cannot be separated. Brahman and Shakti are one and the same things. This remembrance is the practice of the presence of God. That is what Sriram Krishna is telling that one must repeat the divine name consciously with an alert mind. Now supposing some negative experience is there. Somebody is cherishing an ill feeling. Somebody is feeling that I am a bad person. I am an enemy of his or hers. Okay. But that is also we can convert into spirituality. So now God wants to play with me in the form of this pretending to be an enemy. Friendship is also an enemy. So most people will be surprised to hear this. Friendship can be enmity. How can it be? Because the idea is whatever binds us makes us forget God and that is evil. Whatever makes us remember God, that is good. Supposing a tiger comes and about to eat you up or me up and I remember Narayana, Narayana, Narayana. Now is that event good or evil? It is very good because normally I would not remember Narayana. But now this event is making me remember Narayana because I know there is not even a tree nearby. Incidentally Sriram Krishna was a great fun maker. So he is telling there are three types of devotees. Once three people were walking. All of them were devotees, what is called intelligent human beings. Suddenly they saw a hungry tigress saw them, spied them, running after them. And there is one person immediately sat down and said I am done. There is nothing and he started to weep. Other fellow said no, no, let us take the name of God, he will come and save me, save us. Third fellow said no, no, don't trouble God. There is a tree here itself, let us climb it. Now Sriram Krishna having narrated this small example, he explains the person who says I am gone, I am going to die is a person who doesn't have faith in God. He is an asthika. The person who says let us take the name of God and pray to him is an inferior type of devotee because he lacks intelligence. The third type of devotee is the highest type of devotee. He says yes, if there were to be no tree, then we should have been praying to God and depend upon his will. But God has provided this tree. Let us and we can climb, not that we are incapable of climbing. We are climbing so many things, even 10 floors also we are climbing. Why not take a little bit of trouble and climb and save God the trouble, save the trouble of God and this is the highest type of devotion to God. In this respect again, I remembered just now another story and we have to remember these stories. Once Arjuna thought that he knows everything about Krishna because they move together and they eat together and they even sleep together. So like that Arjuna thought practically 24 hours I am observing Krishna. I know what he is going to do and I know how his methodology of thinking. So he was thinking, he became proud. God wanted to break that pride because Arjuna was a great devotee. In the 16th chapter Bhagavan Krishna himself gives him a certificate. You are born with the spiritual qualities. So one day Krishna just out of love for Arjuna said let us go. Then they went out for a walk and until noon, from morning until noon, they went on walking in very hot sun. Then by noon they were quite hungry. So they were just thinking what shall we do. Suddenly they saw an ascetic, a great ascetic. There was no clothing at all upon him. Continuously the name of God was issuing from him. Tears were floating from his eyes because he was enjoying. His hair was standing on end. He was enjoying the sweetness of the name of God. Continuous repetition of God's name was going on. But a big sharpest sword he was carrying in his hand. Arjuna was shocked. Krishna what is this? This person is a great ascetic. We could see how great a devotee he is really. And yet he is carrying this greatest sword. Then Krishna said why don't you ask him. And Arjuna went and said, Sir, you seem to be a great ascetic. We can understand it. Why are you carrying this great sharp sword? And the man with great difficulty opened his mouth and said, If I meet three persons, I am waiting when I am going to meet three persons. Then I am going to cut off their head. Arjuna was even more surprised. Sir, you are an ascetic. Why do you want to cut off the heads of these people? Anyway, who are those people? The ascetic replied, the first one was the Narada. Narada? Narada was supposed to be the greatest devotee of God. Yes, yes, that fellow 24 hours non-stop, he is only taking God's name loudly, disturbing my Lord, has no sleep at all. The moment he hears somebody is chanting his name, he has to come running there. Because sometimes these devotees may be in trouble, in the inimical people, wicked people. That's why he has to be alert. Why? A stupid fellow, could he not keep quiet a little bit? Okay, that is fine. Who is the second person? It is Draupadi. Draupadi? What crime did she commit? That wretched woman in Hastinapura, somebody was about to take off her clothes. What is there if somebody takes off their clothes? No, she has to cry, Krishna, Krishna, come and save me. And my Lord who is there in Dwaraka, all the way he has to run to rescue her. That wretched woman has disturbed my Lord greatly, troubled him greatly. If I meet her, I am going to cut off her head. All right, sir. Who is the third person? The third person is Arjuna. I am looking for Arjuna. Oh, what great crime Arjuna had committed. Look at the timidity of this fellow. He made my Lord his charioteer and all the way throughout that dangerous Kurukshetra war, my Lord has to drive his horses from morning till evening and he has to protect also this fellow. What is there? If you die, you die. It is not a great matter. A fellow like you dies. A fellow like Arjuna dies like that. Then Arjuna understood. These are the greatest devotees of God. They don't want to give any trouble to God. Oh, Lord, we want your happiness. Like the Gopis, in the Gopika Gita, I also broached this subject quite a number of times. They were the greatest devotees of Lord, Bhagavan Krishna, God. Not Krishna, but of God. And such great was their devotion. In the Gopika Gita, they are lamenting, Oh, Lord, whole day you are going on roaming with your bare feet all over this forest where there are sharpest stones, the sharpest thorns. The whole forest is strewn with these things. How much your sole of the foot must be hurting. We know how much it hurts. Why? Because when you put your sole of your foot on our breasts, even our breasts seem to be the hardest stone, we are afraid whether it will hurt the sole of your foot. And with these bare feet, you are roaming all over just for the protection of the Gopas and Gopis. This is the greatest devotion. Not only that, I am remembering another story. This again, Lord Krishna tells in His own marvelous manner. There was a great devotee of Krishna. He was called Uddhava. And Krishna Bhagawan wanted to teach Uddhava what is called true love. Then He called Uddhava and gave him some instructions. That instruction is, you have to follow this whatever I told you to follow. Now go to Vrindavan. And Uddhava wondering why the Lord is asking him to do something which is not true. So he reached Vrindavan. As soon as he stepped inside Vrindavan, the news spread like wildfire that the insufferable companion of Bhagawan Krishna, Uddhava himself has come here. Immediately the Gopis, they stopped whatever they were doing and without listening to their husbands, to their brothers, to the family members and even kicking out their children, they ran to Uddhava, surrounded him. And everybody has only one question. How is my Krishna? My Krishna? How is my Krishna? And Uddhava as instructed by Bhagawan Krishna put up a very sad face and said Krishna is not at all well. He is on the verge of giving up the body. Hearing this, all the Gopis felt as though thousand thunderbolts were striking them all the time. Then they asked Uddhava, what is the disease? Are there no physicians who could help him recover my Krishna? He said, yes, yes, there were sufficient number of physicians and they know the disease. They know the cure. The cure is available but he cannot get it. What? The cure is available and he cannot get it? What is that cure? He said, I can tell you but even you may not give the cure. What is the cure? It is the dust of the feet of you, all of you. Even one devotee gives the dust of her feet and that dust, when it is put on the body of Bhagawan Krishna, then everything will be absolutely fine. Then Gopis were shocked. What is this? Why is it? Are there not sufficient devotees in Dwaraka to give my Lord? He said, yes, but you know, who dares to give? Because to give this dust, the moment the devotee's dust is put on Krishna's body, holy body, these devotees will go to the direst Naraka. That's why nobody was prepared, bold enough to give this dust. Then Gopikas started fighting with each other. Uddhava, why are you waiting here? The chariot is ready. Take the dust of my feet. Take the dust of my feet. Me first, me first. Then Uddhava asked, are you not frightened? Then the Gopis with one voice answered, it doesn't matter. Even for eternity, if we have to go to hell, but if it can restore the health of our Krishna, my Krishna, we don't care what happens to us. Uddhava's eyes were opened. This is called purest love, what is called Raga Bhakti. Bhakti for its own sake, Sri Ramakrishna refers to it several number of times. Even if God comes and sends news, you can for eternity go on taking my name, but I am not going to show myself to you. That hope you kill right now. And a true devotee will say, I don't care whether you come or not. I don't want Mukti. I don't want Bhukti. I don't want Swargaloka. Again Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, Na Kamahe Sundarim Punitam. I do not desire the most beautiful woman. Na Bhoga Pachayan. Neither do I care for all the wealth of the world. I just want you to be happy. Let me allow to be your devotee. Janma Janma Antarepi. Even if I have to take birth for eternity without any hope of Moksha, but I would like to take your name. It is my privilege. You cannot prevent me. Whether you want to come and appear before me, that is your business, your headache. Whatever you want to do, you do it. That is called the highest devotee. Devotees believe that the name of God and God are not two separate beings. This is the most wonderful thing we have to understand. So Sriram Krishna is telling, the more a devotee develops devotion, the more the worldliness will be falling behind. And for that Japa is the means. Japa means continuous remembrance of God without forgetfulness. So we have to repeat the divine name consciously. Very beautiful word. Consciously means what? You don't forget. For that we need an alert mind. What does Holy Mother say about it? Repeating the name of God once, when the mind is controlled, is equivalent to a million repetitions. When the mind is away from God, instead of sitting hours and hours together, it is better to remember God once. But it doesn't mean that we don't need to get up and go and dance. This is the easiest way. Holy Mother said, only once you take God's name and rest of the time I can do whatever I like. No. Only when we take God's name millions of times, first it will be once in 10 years we remember Him consciously. After that, once in a year. After that, once in a month. After that, once in a day. After that, once in an hour. After that, once in 15 minutes. After that, once in 5 minutes. Once in 2 minutes. Once in a minute. A time will come when we cannot forget Him. So all this background is necessary. Nobody has become a saint just one day. This is the most wonderful thing we have to remember all the time in our life. The repetition, Holy Mother says, must be accompanied by concentration. Only then does one obtain God's grace. Patience and perseverance will improve the quality of our spiritual practice and help us grow in purity of mind. For Japa to be effective, we should cultivate strong faith in the purifying power of the Divine Name and repeat it with yearning and a prayerful attitude. Sri Ramakrishna says with regard to this subject, 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? How can I be a sinner anymore? How can I be in bondage anymore? 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. There is no doubt about the sanctity of God's name. But can any mere name achieve anything without the yearning love of the devotee behind it? One should feel great restlessness of soul for the vision of God. Chant the name of God and with it pray to Him that you may have love for Him. Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name and creature comforts may become less and less every day. Japa or repetition of the divine name, God and His name are not different at all. The more we repeat the divine name, the less we will be able to think worldly thoughts. In Sri Ramakrishna's words, the more we move towards the East, the more the West is left behind. But to repeat the name with devotion consciously and whenever an alien thought comes, we should chant the divine name. It takes a long time to control the mind. It is very important. So Sri Ramakrishna says that I should have a burning faith in God. I should be able to say I have repeated the name of God and can sin still cling to me? How can I be a sinner anymore? How can I be in bondage anymore? In this context, I remember a beautiful incident in the life of Tulasi Dasa. You know it is written in many of our Puranas. One repetition of the name of Rama will Take the name of Rama over my mind. Crores and crores, millions of sins that I have committed in all my past lives will be burnt in one stroke. So that is the key word we have to keep in mind to enjoy this story. Now in South India, there was a man who committed a murder. But it was not an intentional murder. But temporarily he became insane and he committed the murder. Now in those days, one of the punishments if anybody committed murder was to take a notice board and hang it around his neck dangling on the chest. I am a murderer and then go about. The moment anybody sees that, immediately understands this fellow is a killer and they will bang their doors shut. They will not give him food. That is the greatest punishment. Don't go on asking whether he will go to the next village and on the way he will throw it out and pretend to be absolutely pure person. Maybe there are people who believe in the dictates of the Dharmashastra. Now such a person you can understand, he wanted to come to Kashi and be absolved of his sins. So everywhere he was getting this wrong treatment or cruel treatment. But then there is something very important. Everywhere there are good people. They can understand. Man can commit something wrong. By mistake anybody can do it. Ignorantly, mistakenly, temporary insanity, etc. Getting overcome by anger, that is also temporary insanity only. So it is possible that somebody can commit. But here is a person, he is not hiding. So I am sure he could not have survived unless some kind-hearted mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters have helped him, at least secretly giving him food, etc. So he reached Kashi and to his great good fortune he was able to meet Tulasidas. Tulasidas saw that board. Immediately he went there and said, Hey, repeat the name of Rama once. Of course, I am sure he was repeating. But in the presence of Tulasidas, this man repeated the name Rama. And then he said, All your Kottika Janma, Papa, everything is burnt to ash now. Take off that board and throw it away. You are as pure as gold itself. Of course, this man had faith in Tulasidas and he threw it away. But the local pundits observed it and then they challenged Tulasidas. Tulasi, how is it that this fellow had committed one of the greatest sins and murdering a human being? Now, I can digress a lot dwelling upon this particular story because just imagine, I am giving you food for thought. Suppose this person came across another person who was a murderer and who took up a gun, who took up a knife and he was mercilessly, if he comes across anybody, somebody, then whether it is a child or an animal or an old person or a young person, he is ready to kill. He had become completely a Rakshasa. But this person had managed to kill that person. Now, can this person be called a murderer? So, there are so many soldiers who are giving up their lives in protecting one's own country against the aggression. Such people will surely attain a higher birth in their next birth, a higher loka and enjoy. This is the greatest punya karma to subdue evil, to help the society become free from evil, oppression, etc. How many people had given up their life? How many people Bhagat Singh had killed in order to free India from the slavery of the British people? That's why he was one of the greatest patriots. A temple should be erected for him to worship him. So many people, Mahatma Gandhi, how many thousands of people went to jail and suffered? So, I am just giving you an example. Maybe this person had committed some crime, I don't know. But this killing is not a cause only for punishing a person. It could be one of the greatest charitable act. Anybody can commit philanthropic act, saving many others from such things. Anyway, so the local priest challenged him. And then Tulsidas said, it is you people who go on telling to ordinary people Ram Nama is such a powerful thing that you chant it once and immediately all the sins will be destroyed. Whatever number of sins you have done in any number of lives, etc. The priest said, that is what we preach. It is what is written in the books. But we don't believe in it. Tulsidas said, no, it is written by great sages. I believe in it. And the priest naturally, it is their sinful life. Most of the priests are like that. What is the proof that this person has become free from all sins? Tulsidas said that you find out what is the proof. He will come and meet that challenge. Okay, tomorrow morning let him bring some green grass. Come to the Vishwanatha temple. And there is a bull facing him. And let him feed the stone bull with the green grass. If the bull opens its mouth and then starts eating this green grass, that is a sure sign that this person has become completely free from all sins. Tulsidas said, yes, he will come tomorrow morning. I will also come with him and I will prove. So he has gone there. And meanwhile, many people have come to know about it. The priest must have preached it and propagated it so that people can make fun of this fellow. So next day, this person through the influence of Tulsidas had become completely convinced that I have uttered Ram Nama, I have become completely pure. Not only I am pure, I can touch other people and make them pure also. So this person went there with green grass and everybody watching. So this person approached the Nandi, we call it, and we worship. He went there and said, Lord, if I am free from sins, I know I am free. Then please accept this green grass and prove to all these non-believers that what is written in the scriptures is absolute truth. And that is what immediately the stone Nandi, stone for other people but living for Tulsidas and the devotee opened its mouth and started eating grass. Of course, the priest had nothing to say and everybody ridiculed the priest, looked contemptuously at the priest and they went away. There is a lot to say about the priest but I am not going to go into it. Now there is another important story is there with regard to this. How many times should one take God's name in order to be rid of sins? Thousand times? Hundred times? Five times? Three times? Two times? One time? There is a story was there. In a forest, there was a great Rishi and one day a king of that country came there and he was very thirsty and then he wanted to have some water. So he did not understand that this Rishi was merged in Samadhi. So he came there and then he requested but of course there was no response because the Rishi did not hear anything and the king got angry and desecrated the body of the Rishi and he went away. This Rishi was a householder. He had a grown-up son and then he came. He saw the condition of the father's body and then he said that this fellow, he should suffer for what he did to my father. After some time, the father came to his senses and then the son explained everything. He said, my son, what have you done? This gentleman, the king, is a good person because of one moment's indiscretion, he had done this to me. What does it matter? Yes, I am still alive. No, no, you go and ask him to repeat the name of Rama and he will be free from this curse. Immediately the son of the Rishi ran to the king and by that time the king was suffering and then he said, oh king, I committed a sin. Please repeat the Rama Nama thrice and you will be free. Of course, the king immediately repeated and he became free and the boy was very happy. He ran back and said, Papa, I had freed this man. The Rishi asked, what did you do? And the son replied, I asked him to repeat the name of Rama thrice and the Rishi got very angry. How impudent of you! How faithless of you! Where is the need to repeat the name of Rama thrice? One repetition is enough. One spark of fire is enough to reduce a mountain high cotton in no time into pure ashes. So this is a story told. Is it true? Absolutely true. But then one must have that faith. I have taken the name of God and what sin can cling to me? That is what Ramakrishna was trying to tell. So in this connection, there is a beautiful, what I call, incident comes to my mind. So it is said in the scriptures that even if somebody has done evil karma, if he prays to God, by the grace of the God, the karma phala will get destroyed. Holy Mother used to say, if because of karma phala, a plough share had to go through the body of a person and just a pin prick will be experienced by that person, which is nothing, just a living knife going through the whole body of this person and a small, what is called, modern injection pin prick like that. It is absolutely nothing. It will go. So then the question comes, is it true? Yes, it is true. But does it happen in every case? No, it doesn't happen in every case. Very rarely it happens. Only very rarely it happens. But you just now said, take the name of God once, everything is there. The answer is given by Sri Ramakrishna. He said, when a person, through repeated suffering, only through suffering, when you are eating a first class jalebi, laddu, Mysore pak, rasagulla, you don't say, Oh God, give me your darshana. I am dying because of lack of your darshana. Very few people will say like that because they are carried away by the temporary pleasure of sweet eating. The name of God will not come to them at all at that time. Only when we are suffering, then we want to escape, then only the suffering will come, the real relief will come. So when a person, after repeated births of suffering, he comes to his right senses through the teachings of the scriptures as interpreted by the Sadguru, he understands, I am suffering not because of anybody's fault, but because of my own karma phala. I don't want to suffer in future. Then he, from the bottom of his heart, Oh Lord, I committed many sins out of ignorance, but I will never again commit in my life. This is my promise to you. Only then God will understand. My child has truly reformed. God can see inside the heart. Nobody can tell, yes, yes, I will not commit, but I will commit as soon as I come out of the jail. Again, I will do the same thing. No, God can understand the innermost feeling. So he will say, my child is never going to repeat. He learned his lesson. Now I will free him from this thing. Like the prodigal son in the Bible returning to his father and who loved him even more, sacrificed a whole lamb and feasted him. God will be coming running and then taking us into such children into his lap. What about other children? He will take the other children also. In fact, we are in the lap of God only. But the point that we have to understand is the purpose of suffering is to drive us to God, to prevent us from doing, performing evil deeds, unbecoming deeds, and that is the whole purpose. Once we understand and we consciously never again do these things, then to that extent we will be nearer to God. It's very important. I will close today's talk with a beautiful incident. Whether it is true or not, I don't know, but I heard this story. It is said that in Mysore state, Tipu Sultan was the king. One year, at one time, there was a terrible drought and two, three years there was no rain. Thousands of people, cattle, everybody was dying. Then Tipu Sultan, it is said, had faith in the Hindu gods and goddesses. He gave endowments to many temples also and he heard about a particular type of Yagna. This is Parjanya Yagna, that to bring about rain. So he called the Brahmana Pandits and said, do you know how to perform this? They said, yes. So go and perform it. Because people are suffering, I will bear all the expenses. And they did it. Nothing happened. Then Tipu Sultan was very intelligent. He understood it. That will not do. So he said, I will be there on the bank of Kaveri. It was burning. And the sand was burning. He said, you sit on the sand and perform this Yagna. Now the priests previously had a big shamiana sitting on comfortable seats and performing this Yagna where they never felt. Now sitting on the burning sand, their whole body started to burn. Then they were praying from the bottom of their hearts. The cry went out, O Lord, if you do not bestow rain, then I am going to die. The cry, piteous cry, had come down from the bottom of their heart. And this time, as soon as the Yagna is even before completed, torrential rains came and flooded the whole state. So, by the way, there are certain Yagnas are there and they are all completely truth and they are all Parama Satyam. That is what Mundaka Upanishad says, Etat Satyam. But one has to have faith. One has to do according to the prescriptions. Then whether it is Putra Kameshti or Varsha Kameshti, everything will be fulfilled. When a person really feels, I have committed evil deeds and so I have to suffer, nobody is to blame, I will never again do it, wholehearted repentance, God will take such a wash, all the sins, take that person into His lap and thereafter very quickly, he will attain Moksha. So the power of God's name is incalculable. And then Ramakrishna used to say, Kalikala, a chanting of God's name is the best thing. We will, the most marvellous things are there, talk about it in our future classes. May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all. May this Navami bring us greater Bhakti, greater Jnanam, greater Viveka, Vairagya, Samadhi, Satguna Sampathi, and Mumukshottam. May Mother Durga bless us all with Bhakti and Jnanam. Jai Ramakrishna.