Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 061 on 24-May-2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD KURUM PADAPADME TAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHUR In our last class, we had been speaking about Sri Ramakrishna's wonderful story. What is the story of a sheep-tiger? I hope you remember, before coming to the class, everyone should remember what we had spoken. This is called Sankathi in Vedanta. What is the relationship between the last chapter, this chapter, last class, this class, last paragraph, this paragraph, etc., etc. This is called Sankathi. It is very, very important. Otherwise, we lose unity, the thread. So, the story of a sheep-tiger. Who is this sheep-tiger? All of us. But all the sheep have a shepherd. And who is the shepherd? Only the sheep who voluntarily, willingly surrender themselves and say, I am a sheep, I need to be a shepherd, I require a shepherd, I take refuge in you. In other words, in God, but in the form of the Sadguru. And if we do not have a Sadguru, how many great souls who could have been greater, have been, have courted ruin, all because they did not choose to have a Sadguru. Their teachings had become weird in spite of their gigantic intellects. We have to be extremely careful. That's why in every religion, every spiritual master insists upon having a good guidance. But there are also people who do not seem to require a Guru. I will come to that point a little later. Shri Ram Krishna is at the conclusion of this story of the sheep-tiger. He makes this remark. So, there can be no fear. If the Guru's grace descends on one, He will let you know who you are and what your real nature is. But is it easy? First question that comes to us is, How can I get a Guru? Nobody stops to ask whether, how can I become a good disciple? Because there is a law. Shri Ram Krishna's life proves it. He wanted guidance and the Divine Mother provided. First time, directly Herself became the Guru. And there afterwards, various masters who followed various religions, various disciplines, various yogas, various paths. They all came unasked, but not unasked. The heart of Shri Ram Krishna was asking for that. And they all came and guided Him. And got more than they bargained for, what they gave and what they got. That is, you give finiteness, you in turn receive infiniteness. Who is greater? Who is the greater giver? Of course, there is no comparison. Because Shri Ram Krishna is an avatar. An avatar is a Jagadguru, world teacher for everybody. Anyway, one must have asked the question, Do I really want? Who can be a disciple? Simply we say, a disciple is one who wants a Guru. No. First thing that we have to stop and ask, Do I want God? Or this question can be with regard to any subject. Do I want to become a great musician? Do I want to become a great scientist? I want to become great in whatever field. Do I really want? Am I longing for it? And then the teacher will come in any field. This is the assurance given by Bhagavan Krishna that He who resolves that He wants to come to me. But I am not interpreting it. Only those who want to come to God. Do you want to come to me in the form of music, science, technology, statesmanship, anything? Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat. Simply pray, Mother, grant me that will. That is why there is a prayer called Medha Suktam. And there is a prayer called Shraddha Suktam. Shraddha means faith. It is not the English translation of the word Shraddha. It is very, very weak. The word Shraddha brings so many other connotations. So let us go on praying for Shraddha. There is a Shraddha Suktam. There is a Medha Suktam. For everything a human being wants, there is a Suktam. So we are talking here about faith. Faith means what? Two things. If I do not want anything, the question of having faith does not arise at all. Only when I want something, and naturally we want something which we do not have. But the person should have faith in two matters. What I want, there is such a thing, and I can obtain it. But more important, I have to find out from someone who knows where I can get what I want. In other words, reach my destination. And that is called faith. And Sri Ramakrishna is telling, the Guru's grace descends on one. How does Guru's grace descend? First of all, Guru is Sachidananda. Then we have to understand that Sachidananda. Where is that Sachidananda? He is Antaryami. He is within everything. Not only within everybody, but within everything. Everybody. So that Sachidananda understands, like a mother understands, the unvocalized hunger of a baby. And even if the baby is asleep, my baby requires food. But the food will come only when there is a hunger, even when the baby is sleeping. That hunger. I require something, and I will not be fulfilled unless I get it. That deep desire is called hunger. Krishna. Buddha calls it Krishna. Tanha. So that is, faith is needed. Faith that such a thing is available, such a thing is worthy, I can obtain it, but I require the help, and all the four things will be fulfilled. If a person has sincere faith, and that is what Sri Ramakrishna is telling, faith brings God in the form of the Guru, and in the form of this sheep-tiger. Sheep-tiger's Guru. There can be no fear. If the Guru's grace descends on one, He will let you know who you are, and what your real nature is. The Guru will let you know. What does He let us know? Who you are, and who am I? Tattvamasi, He says. Aham brahmasmi, we reply. And what is our nature? That I, Guru, world, God, everything is God. Sarvam re re brahma maya. As Sadashiva, Brahmendra sings ecstatically. So that is what Sri Ramakrishna is telling. Now Guru will come, I said. Guru is God, that also we have discussed. But something very important is necessary. Guru is there. Guru is ever ready, but He will not come. That means He is waiting for our call, and the call is not what simply issues from our mouth. Call is something which should issue from the very bottom of our heart. And that is called faith. And that is what Sri Ramakrishna is trying to explain to us. Let us explore. This is a marvellous subject. Every scripture and every Upanishad, every Sadguru, every great teacher, it is only a person who has faith, and a person who believes in faith, that can teach faith. I will narrate one or two stories also, during the course of our topic. So faith is called Shraddha in Sanskrit, in the Upanishads. What is Shraddha? In the Vivekshodamani, Shankaracharya gives us a beautiful definition. Shastra Guru Vakyeshu, Satya Buddhi Avadharana. In the teachings of the scriptures, Shastra Vakyeshu. And what does a Guru say? A Guru is one who followed the directions of the scriptures, and proved to himself and to others, that what the scriptures say is absolutely true. They are Satya Buddhi, absolutely true. Even if we don't see it, a man comes and then tells to a frightened person, this is no snake, this is a rope. But if the person has faith, in the words of such a well-wisher, the first thing that happens is, my experience is falsified. In faith of course, in intellect, through intellect, through cognition. And then only, the Guru also will bring, the teacher also will bring light, and shines it. And then what happens? The snake suddenly transforms itself, into the rope. In fact, snake is the Dhyaropa, superimposition, Dhyasa. And the Guru, what does he do? What you are mistaking yourself to be. Here the snake stands for each one of us. And what is the truth? The truth is, we are the rope. Rope in this sense, that we are the only truth. The truth is the rope, and the false it is the snake, and we are thinking we are Jivas, we are born, we have bodies, we have minds, we have limitations. All these things, in one glance, the Sadguru removes. When he removes, what do we find? When Adhyasa, or Dhyaropa, superimposition, is removed, truth alone stands. So three things happen. First of all, Mithyatva will be destroyed. Falsity will be destroyed. And at the same time, all the results of the falsity, fear, scare, heart beating, everything will disappear. Tremendous peace, will descend upon such a person. This is the second result. Avidya and its results, completely destroyed. Avidya destroys the darkness, brings the light, the truth will be revealed. This is the third thing. Avidya will be destroyed. Results of Avidya, repeated birth, repeated suffering, will be gone. Second result. Third result is, truth dawns. Fourth result is, we will be swimming, in the ocean of bliss. All because of one thing, that is called Shuddha. Guru and scriptures are exactly the same things. Scripture and God is exactly the same thing. God is Gnanam, Satyam, Gnanam, Anantam, Brahma. Satyam, it is the truth. And truth can only be one. Falsity can be many. So, Satyam is also Gnanam. God is Gnanam. Knowledge is God. God is knowledge. I would not say that. Better word is, knowledge is God. But right knowledge is God. And wrong knowledge is the reverse of God. Then, what is the result? Ananda will be there. So, Sat stands for Satyam. Gnana stands for Guru. So, scripture and Ananda will be the result of knowing the truth. And there afterwards, there would be no returning to this transmigratory world. So, let me first, Shastra Guru Vakyeshu Satya Buddhi Avadharana. Avadharana means, is not a cherished opinion, complete possession. And we get the story of Nachiketa. Countless number of times I repeated, it is a story worth meditating upon a billion times. The old man, the unripe ego, the avidya, it wants higher loka, higher world. But it is not willing to fulfil the conditions. Then naturally, the result will be misery. You cannot cheat God. Can I cheat the world? No, you can't cheat the world. You can't cheat anybody. Can I cheat myself? No, you can't cheat yourself also. There is no cheating in this world. And we know what is it called? This is called Karma Siddhanta. As I put it funnily, God has created man, implanted a CCTV and authorised it. You look after this fellow and record everything and reward accordingly. God need not bother about it. This is called Karma Phala, Chitra Gupta, whatever name you give. So, let me narrate before I go into Sri Ramakrishna's words. This story, I have read many years back. I don't remember, I remember where I read, but I don't remember in which year or whatever. In Reader's Register, this small story has been narrated. There was a ship, there was a wise navigator and a new boy had joined the crew. And the boy was being trained. He was small, but extremely sincere. And the navigator, the pilot, he liked this boy. And the first thing, one of the first things he taught was, My son, if you ever happen to slip from the ship and fall into the sea, do not panic. Go on trying to float. I don't know whether the boy knew already or the pilot has taught him with the least amount of effort, how to keep afloat, not swim, because swimming requires exertion. Exertion means depletion of energy and that means after some time, he won't be able, he will go down. But with this technique, a person can remain afloat for a long time. And then if such a thing happens, we will take notice. The second we take notice, then we will come back for you, try to rescue you. That's all we can do. And this lesson had gone deep. And the man had complete faith in the pilot. So one day, actually, it was slippery, there was a cyclone and the boy fell down. And the ship, nobody noticed it. And the ship went after several hours, maybe 8 hours, I do not remember. Suddenly, it came to the notice this boy was missing and then the pilot enquired what time, almost 8 hours back. The pilot immediately ordered the ship, let us trace back how we came to find out in that cyclonic conditions, a bobbing head escaping, almost like picking up a needle in a haystack. Anyway, he went, travelled nearly and they found out and then to the great good luck, they found out this bobbing head and then they rescued him and they were astonished that the boy was still alive and not too much tired also but exhaustion did overcome him but he had faith. Then the pilot asked him how did you manage to survive so many hours? Then the boy said, Sir, it is you who taught me and this is what you told me and I have faith in you in God because faith, true faith is really faith in God. I will come to the point in a minute. So this pilot was very happy, rewarded the boy. Now, this is called faith, faith in the words of the Guru, in the words of the God. Whether we have faith in Mother, parents, faith in friends, faith in the scriptures, faith in the Guru, faith in God, it is exactly the same. Belief is another matter. We have to be very careful. Belief is, it is temporary and then it is like a flash of lightning and the slightest adverse circumstance instantaneously wipes out this belief and man becomes negative. Faith means it comes from God, it is God, it is the grace of God and if anybody has got faith in the scriptures, he definitely has faith in God because it is the scriptures only who tell that Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo, Maheshwara. Nobody can deny this fact and it is the scriptures who tell Guru is also God, God also is the Guru. Everything written in the scriptures is true and we have to pray for that faith. Once we have faith, 29% of our spiritual journey is completely over. What does that involve? Faith involves, first of all faith, secondly it involves that no negative negativity, everything is positive, everything happens because the scriptures tell nothing can happen in anyone's life unless the person deserves it. Goodness, happiness, positive circumstances, promotion, demotion, unhappiness, everything is the result of God's will and God's will is not ephemeral, God's will is not haphazard, God's will is dependent upon our power of receptivity of both good and evil, Jati, Aayu and Bhoga. So this is called faith and Swami Vivekananda has tremendously praised the greatness of faith. Now let us go back to what Sri Ramakrishna had to say and then we will discuss about it. Sri Ramakrishna to Keda, you must have heard about the tremendous power of faith. It is said in the Purana that Rama, who was God himself, the embodiment of absolute Brahman had to build a bridge to cross the sea to Ceylon. But Hanuman, trusting in Rama's name, cleared the sea in one jump and reached the other side. He had no need of a bridge. All the devotees laughed. A most marvellous story, especially as interpreted by Ramakrishna. Look at Ramayana, any story. Hanuman crossed the sea. How many times? First of all, he also did not have faith. This is said in the Ramayana itself. They came to know Sita was imprisoned in Sri Lanka and one has to go to convey the message of Sri Rama. He will come and rescue you. But no monkey had the self-confidence including Hanuman. And then somebody told to Hanuman, Hanuman, you are the only person. But how can I jump? I am a small monkey. No, do you? Have you forgotten? When you were young, you flew almost up to the sun to swallow thinking that it is a ripe mango fruit. I insert mango fruit because even monkeys have also discrimination. If suppose it is an apple, half-hearted attempt will be there. If it is pomegranate, one-fourth hearted attempt will be there. If it is a bitter fruit, there will be no attempt at all. But a golden Alphonso mango, that is worth sacrificing their life for. Sri Ramakrishna used to compare this to jalebi. Jalebi is like Viceroy. Even if the street is overcrowded, still when the Viceroy's car approaches, everybody will make way for the Viceroy. Like that Sri Ramakrishna used to make fun. A man has eaten so much that there is not place for one grain of boiled rice to enter into his throat. But let somebody announce, just now hot jalebi has come and everybody will make place. And Sri Ramakrishna in his own inimitable manner he said, the jalebi is like Viceroy. Even if you cannot eat one grain of rice, but you will eat at least a few pieces of jalebi because it is the king of all sweets. Anyway, he had his own likings. I have my own liking. You have your own liking. It doesn't matter what it is. But that is we are talking about faith. And then Sri Ramakrishna narrated several stories, but this is one of the stories. Coming back to this Vibheshana, this story of Hanuman, by just understanding, oh Jambavan or somebody told him, Jambavan acted like a guru. You are not an ordinary person. You are the child of immortality. Immediately right that he was smriti, nasto moha smriti labda that I am a helpless creature that delusion has gone. Yes, I remember once upon a time as a baby I flew almost to the sun and so the sun said that forget about this for now. When you grow up, when your mission dawns upon you then you will regain back this tremendous self confidence. Swami Vivekananda had this. Very few people had this among the family of Sri Ramakrishna. But there was one householder disciple of Sri Ramakrishna who had that tremendous faith. You know who was? Remember Girish Chandrakosh. He was that person. Anyway, so Hanuman regained with one jump. He crossed the ocean and on the way he had to overcome several obstacles. Faith also creates obstacles. He reached his destination fulfilled the commandment of Sri Rama. That's why Hanuman is considered as mukhya prana or the guru in the South Indian version of Ramayana. He came back. Then Rama got prepared to kill the Ramanasura. But a bridge has to be built. There also Rama could not suggest how to build across the ocean. Somebody suggested Rama, you don't need to Rama. Rama will do. And that is what Rama Hanuman did. He brought huge boulders, just wrote two letters Rama, threw them across and it became the bridge. Rama setu. Setu means bridge. This is what Ramakrishna was explaining the power of faith. And then he narrates the story Vibhishana and the story of a ship wrecked man. There was a man he was travelling by a ship and once the ship was wrecked and the nearest island was Sri Lanka and he somehow reached the island and all the Rakshasas they were about to kill him eat him gleefully but they knew that the news had to be conveyed to Vibhishana first to share should go to the king. So they took him and Vibhishana immediately prostrated before this man and said you look exactly like my Ishta Devata Sri Rama. After Sri Rama departed Sri Lanka you are the first human being who looked like him whom I am seeing. Anyway just take the legend. That's all. So he prostrated protected him. Next morning he said you better go back as soon as possible because whole night all the Rakshasas were dreaming of what a delicious what is that rare medium they are going to have. Very soon they had faith in their king that he will hand over and each one of them will have a small slice of him and he wrote something and said how can I go? The man asked. He said you don't need any boat. You just run across the water and the man started walking and fine he was walking very fine and when he reached the middle of the ocean remember it is only about 7 or 8 kilometers at the narrowest place. Suddenly he thought what is this marvelous thing that made me walk on the water. It is nothing short of a great miracle. Immediately he remembered. Vibhishana tied something to his waist so he opened it and he found there was a piece of paper and he opened it out of curiosity and what was written? Only the name Rama. As soon as his eyes understood oh only this and immediately he sank. This was the story Ramakrishna had narrated. Suddenly the man had an intense desire to see what was tied in his cloth. He opened it and found only a leaf with the name of Rama written on it. What is this? He thought. Just the name of Rama. As soon as doubt entered his mind he sank under the water. If a man has faith in God then even if he has committed the most heinous sins such as killing a cow, a Brahmin or a woman, he will certainly be saved through his faith. Let him only say to God, Oh Lord I will not repeat such an action and he need not be afraid of anything at all. Now this is something we will have to keep in mind. Simply faith will it save only virtuous people. Virtuous people are already endowed with faith. That's why they are virtuous people. Only a person with faith, he can never do anything wrong. I'll tell you something, a great secret. Supposing whenever we do anything, any karma, any action, suppose we know exactly what result we are going to reap by the performance of this particular action, then most of the, nobody will become an evil person. Everybody will become one of the most virtuous people in the world and that is something very tremendous, very very tremendous. Now what are we talking about here? If a person knows that if I do, if I tell a lie, if I steal something, if I hurt somebody, then a thousandfold somebody will steal from me. Somebody will tell lies to me. Somebody will cheat me and I lose all my property and I will have to suffer agonies thousand times more than what I imposed upon other people and nobody will do. There would be not one single evil person left out. All of us are covered by avidya. What is the meaning of avidya? Avidya has got three qualities sattva, rajas and tamas and sattva guna is what Shri Ramakrishna calls vidya maya or pakva ahankara, ripe ego. Avidya maya, that is what he used to call tamo guna and the nature of tamo guna is to understand everything exactly in the opposite way. God doesn't exist, world is real and I can get away with whatever I do. Nobody can catch me. I am so clever I can't even catch myself. This is called darkness, tamo guna, avidya and such a person he will be reaping the consequences. It will take a long time for him but he is also a child of immortality. He will come back. Now what are we talking? Unfortunately, God had covered our eyes. We think we can go scot-free and that is not going to happen. That is what we have to understand. So, when a person commits sins, that means he has no faith, that means he has got faith or I would not call it faith, I would call it belief, that I am so clever, I can get away from all the evils that I am committing, not knowing that karma phala, there is no way to escape. God in the form of karma phala is residing within everybody's antaratma, heart. So, this is what Sri Ramakrishna is telling. Even the most heinous person, through great suffering, how does he awake? Through suffering. Suffering is the only way, seems to be the only way to make ourselves wake up. And when we wake up and then we resolve, O Lord, I committed sins and then he would be free because only a person who has got faith can say to God, You are the only one who is capable of completely nullifying the effects of all my karma. Will God do it? Certainly He will do it, but there is a condition. That is what Sri Ramakrishna is telling. Many people read only the first part of this, not the second part. Let such a person only say to God, O Lord, I will not repeat such an action. And he need not be afraid of anything. That is what Bhagavad Gita categorically declared. So, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna and the Gospel, the Christian Gospels and the Koran, most of the teachings in the Koran and the Tripitaka, Buddha's teachings, they teach absolutely the same thing. That's why Sri Ramakrishna had a very funny way of saying, every saint who is a saint, one who has become one with God, he has become God. And so, they cannot speak anything separate because truth is one. And therefore, Sri Ramakrishna used to express, every jackal howls in the same way. There is no way. All jackals, they howl in the same way. That means every saint tells the same thing. God exists. He is the goal of life. All of us come from God. Our destination is to go to God. This world is a temporary dharma shala. It can help us if we know how to take advantage of it. In fact, the world is meant only for one purpose. How to start? How to progress? How to reach God? Without the world, without the body, without the mind, it is impossible for us to reach God. That is where avidya, what we call avidya, has its own special mission in life to take us, to throw us onto the other side of the court, which is called vidya maya. Then the ball is in the other court, vidya maya, and she will take us to God himself. Vidya maya is God's power itself. So, two conditions. First of all, even if a man is a terrible killer and we may be smirking, saying, oh, I was never like that. How do you know? In your past lives, 100 births back, 200 births back, you were not a killer. Did you not eat chickens? Did you not eat cows? Did you not eat pigs? Did you not eat birds? Did you not eat animals? Are you living only on mud and water and grass, even killing grass? That's what Swami Brahmanji says. Even take a small paddy and sow it. Immediately the plant will come. You take a potato, piece of potato, and sow it. Immediately, potato plant will come. And we are eating it every day. And we think that we are vegetarians and we don't kill anything. Especially South Indians are guilty of this. They think they are pure vegetarians. How many billions of bacteria, in the name of yogurt, curds, these people are consuming and thinking we are vegetarians. God alone knows. Anyway, coming back to the point, it is impossible to continue life without taking life. Life can only sustain on life. Life cannot sustain in order to matter on non-life. Anyway, coming back to our point, we also have committed. We are still committing. There may be a few of us unconsciously, but consciously many of us are committing. Because if our attention is focused upon accumulating money and then there are two types of sins. One is selfishly pursuing the goals of kamakanchana and in the process kicking aside everything. That is only one side. The other side, very few people realize, a greater side, it is that if we do not share what we have with others then we are guilty of suffering. Why? There is a huge bit of philosophy behind it. Swami Vivekananda says somewhere a wave rises and it cannot rise without somewhere some other wave going down. If a person has got more than what others, more than others then he is depriving somewhere somebody from the share. It is very difficult for us even to understand the meanings of such kind of statements. So, having is okay, sharing is even more important and that too by righteous means. That's what Sri Ramakrishna advised to him. Every householder, it is his duty to accumulate money but to use it, to be a trustee and use it. That is one of the most important teachings so far as spiritual seekers who are householders especially, not to speak of the sanyasins. So, two points we have to note down here. One, once we resolve, I will never do anything wrong. anukulasya sankalpaha nathikolasya varjana. But second condition, O Lord, I will not repeat such an action and then God takes such a devotee into his shelter and He will never let him go. And Sri Ramakrishna, he tells so many stories and in course of time, we have come, we will come. Dada Madhusodhana, elder brother Madhusodhana, the boy who was afraid of going to school, passing through a forest. I hope you remember. Then Sri Ramakrishna told a brahmin was there and there was a maid servant from a neighboring village who used to supply him milk. Many times she was not supplying for his early morning coffee and then one day he scolded her. She said, what can I do? Many times the boat is not available. I depend upon the boatsman. The brahmin was a little bit red stupid fellow. He doesn't have faith but he laughed and said, what? The name of God can take one across this ocean of samsara. You can swim fearlessly, very quickly across the ocean of the sea and you are afraid to cross a small river. The maid servant was born with faith. She had faith in this person's words even though he himself did not have faith. So she said, what? Really? Taking God's name, I can cross over? Yes, of course. The scripture tells. I think he pointed out to her bringing Bhagavad Gita scripture. Of course, the poor maid servant doesn't know how to read but she had faith. From that day onwards and next day onwards, she was completely regular in supplying the milk. After a few days, the brahmin found out. He was shocked. How is it possible that I am getting the milk? Inquired the maid servant, milk maid. She told him, Sir, you only showed me the way. What? What way did I show you? He forgot. By taking God's name, I can cross. Do you know how much good you have done to me that now I need not pay any boat fare. I can just walk across. The brahmin was shocked. Is it ever possible? Show me. And she said, come with me. I will show you. The fellow himself, though he told, he himself did not have the faith in his own words. That means in the words of the scriptures. He was an atheist. We will come to this later on. So the man went to the river and this lady took the name of Govinda and she joyfully, within a few minutes, she crossed the river. And she looked back and said, Come Sir, take the name of God. And he, somehow he could not disbelieve what he was seeing. So he was uttering the name of God at the same time, lifting his dhoti so that it will not get wet, just in case. And then the maid servant, she had been enlightened because faith always enlightens. She said, Sir, that will not do. Taking God's name and lifting your cloth at the same time, it is sheer hypocrisy. That is not going to help. And then, of course, that is where the story ends. Showing the power of faith. And then, we have got Krishna Kishore, another actual, there was a devotee of Shri Ramakrishna. Once he was at Vrindavan and was known. He became very thirsty. He went to a well nearby and some people were drawing water. He asked for some drinking water. They said, Sir, we are low caste people and how can I give? We give water. Then Krishna Kishore said, What? Simply utter the name of Shiva and you will be purified. Your 14 generations will be purified. And the man uttered the name of Shiva or Krishna, it doesn't matter, and poured water and without any hesitation, Krishna Kishore had drunk that water even though he was an orthodox brahmin. Ramakrishna, many times, he quoted this one. And then, when Ramakrishna had said this, then the master sang a beautiful song. But before that, I want to talk about India is full of singer saints. Talk about Tulsi Dasa. He has composed beautiful bhajans. Merabai, Kabirdas, Sourdas, Raidas, Ramprasad, Kamalakantha, Premik, how many? Then Tukaram, Namdev, Tukaram, Abhangas, they call them. South India, Dayagaraja, Purandar Dasa, Muthuswamy Dixitar, how many thousands of singers have been born in India, outside also, but nowhere else. Like in India, I can confidently say that what did they do? They were going on singing kirtans. They had faith in bhajans and kirtans. In Sri Ramakrishna's life, if we have to say one thing, maybe a bit of exaggeration, but if we have to say something, Sri Ramakrishna attained perfection in so many things in spiritual life through singing. He was a marvelous singer, unrivaled singer. The sweetness of his throat was unrivaled. Yama himself says that even animals, even totapuri, even people who do not know, like they say when a snake charmer plays upon his nadaswara, a snake starts moving its hood, swaying to the rhythm of the music. Like that, everybody fell under the magic spell of the Masters singing. M says, accepting Narendra's voice, which is very, very sweet, M says, I did not hear anybody singing like the Master. There is no equal. Swami Vivekananda himself has said, there is no equal. But it was not mere singing. Sri Ramakrishna used to be completely absorbed in that singing, bringing the bhava. That means it is not musical singing, it is spiritual singing, dwelling one with the meaning and his spiritual emotions used to swell out. That is what we have to understand. So you take any bhajans, sing bhajans, it is easier to meditate upon God by singing, by hearing the bhajans and music. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is full of singing. Belurmat, all the branches and direct disciples, they were all swayed. And this singing bhajans, singing kirtans, etc., produces a marvellous spiritual atmosphere, provided we are spiritual seekers. Otherwise it can produce musical ecstasies, which is a completely aesthetic enjoyment, is separate from bhajanananda. Kalananda is totally separate from bhajanananda. Sri Ramakrishna singing, we come across and here is they singing. The least uneasiness, for through the power of the sweet name, my wretched soul may still aspire even to Brahmanhood. And then Ramakrishna stops it and then he says, let us discuss a little bit about faith. Faith is called Shraddha and this Shraddha has been given the highest place in this Aadhana Chatursthaya Sampatthi. Without faith there is no dispassion. There is no discrimination Viveka. There is no dispassion called Vairagya. There is no body-mind control called Shamadhi Shatka Sampatthi. There is no longing for God realization because even if we read in the scriptures, in books, God exists. Without faith, people will not feel. Who are the examples? We are all the examples. How many times, how many scriptures, how many lectures we heard about the scriptures, how many of our Gurus Upadesha. Do we have real faith? I will have to shock you by saying no, we do not have faith because if we have faith that means we cannot have faith in the world. That means we cannot have faith in the values that are advocated in the world, worldly way. What are the values that the world inculcates, encourages, brainwashes us? Kama and Kanchana. Lust and gold. Body, the satisfaction of the body, satisfaction of the mind. Desire such as eating, drinking, etc. Dressing very well and trying to appear very beautiful like Indra and Virochana. Like Virochana. Body is our Ishta Devata and we are worshipping this Murti called body all the time. This is called worldliness. This is called worldly value and this worldly value if it is there and we cannot have spiritual value and worldly value at that time. Of course I am not saying we do not have some faith. Yes, when we sit, when we hear to some good talk, when we read some inspiring story, temporarily like a flash of lightning, Vidyut, the faith will come and then if somebody comes and says a newspaper may be lying there and idly you glance at it and then you see today's interest rates have gone down because of some event that happened in Ukraine and immediately, oh I have so much of bank balance the interest have gone down and so I will be losing so much money. Oh my God! Unconsciously, unknowingly how much we are slipping into this world if we are worried that we are going to lose something. If you truly believe in the scriptures, you believe the Samsara is Mithya. So you don't, after seeing a bag full of gold on the cinema screen you will not scream that oh I have to go away and somebody else will take away after I go away from here because we know it is all appearance there is no reality in it. So faith is reality and once we come to know that God exists, such a person can never again turn his mind away. Sri Ramakrishna told about this faith illustrated it, the beautiful story to Narendra Nath and others. Suppose there is a thief in a room imagine and next room is full of invaluable gold and diamonds and the partition is just very small and then this thief comes to know that it is full of gold and there is nobody and if he makes an attempt he can take away as much as he can carry. Sri Ramakrishna having said this incited the imagination of that is the great teaching Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda will do when they are narrating you are actually in the presence of that story like cinema. Then Sri Ramakrishna asks what do you think will be the condition of the thief and immediately the answer is crystal clear such a thief can never sleep, do you think he can go tomorrow morning I will do something, immediately he will be so anxious it is just a small partition, if I can tear it away with my bare hand with one finger and whatever I want I can have it and if we can have faith that God is the greatest treasure and it is for eternity, it will not rust, thieves cannot take it away, it will not fade and it will never become less and it will be so much everybody can have it in infinite quantity and still it will be there if anybody has got that kind of faith, do you think one single second he can be just keep quiet sleep, postpone Sri Ramakrishna's divine life clearly demonstrates the moment he came to know that God, Divine Mother existed because he had a glimpse of her and he became anxious he could not sleep he said for 12 years my eyelids would not close incessant tears flowed from my ears and then he decided to put an end his life is in vain if I cannot have the vision of my mother and that very second the Divine Mother had revealed herself to him, she will do the same thing with anyone of us without the least bit of doubt Swami Vivekananda, if at all he preached anything, he preached only about this faith and then faith in what faith means we have to understand this Moola Sutra very what is called compressed sutra like, faith means faith in God faith in the Guru faith in the scriptures faith in any man and above all faith in oneself this is beautifully illustrated by Sri Ramakrishna Swami Vivekananda and which he inherited by his own nature and also reinforced by the blazing inspiring life of Sri Ramakrishna which Swami Vivekananda had witnessed for four and half years nearly and then he said I preached nothing but this Upanishad the truth that is called faith and what he preached we will discuss in our next class May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti Ramakrishna