Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 081 on 28-February-2023

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PADAPADME TAYOH SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHUHU In our last class, we had recollected two beautiful stories. One, an actual incident where Swami Triyanandaji happened to be to his companion. How seeing animals one can also be bound by Mahamaya. And there is also a parallel story in the Vishnu Purana. So we have also recollected that. What is the lesson we have to learn? We have to be careful what we see, what we hear. And that is why there is a wonderful prayer to Gods. BADRAM KANNE VIHI SHUNAYAMA DEVAH O Gods, may we hear always what is conducive to our welfare. BADRAM PASHYEMA AKSHA VIHI May we see what can alone lead us towards our goal which is God Realization. Now, having said that, we have also to understand, is it possible to know God by our efforts? Because sadhana, spiritual practice, is a most marvelous thing we have to practice. Without sadhana, as I mentioned, sadhana is not to obtain God's grace. God and God's grace are ever-existent. They can never be separated. But we will not be able to receive it, retain it, remember it and use it. And with the right attitude, we have discussed five powers of prajna. So, it is for the sake of receiving and retaining God's grace, we do sadhana. Because it is impossible to know God, Brahman, etc. through the sense organs. The law that we discussed was, an effect can never know the cause. So, the impossibility of knowing God by mind, sense organs, etc. And just now we had completed Kena Upanishad. And the very first question comes, who impels the mind to alight on its subject? In other words, what makes the mind really function? Is it by itself or is there somebody behind it? Similarly, all the sense organs. So, enjoined by whom does the prana proceed to function? At whose behest do men utter speech? What intelligence indeed directs the eyes and the ears? It is the divine. Another name for this intelligence is the divine, divinity. And the teacher answers, crystal clear clarity. Shrotrasya Shrotram Manaso Mano Yad Vachohavacham Savupranasya Pranaha Chakshusha Chakshuhu Na Tatra Chakshur Gachchati Na Vag Gachchati No Manaha Yad Vacha Anubhyuditam E Na Vag Abhyudyate Tadeva Brahmatvam Vidhi Nedam Yad Idam Upasate I'll come to the meaning, but everyday the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, they sing, beginning with Khandana Bhava Bandhana, practically all over the world. And at the end of this, Namo Namo Prabhu Vaakya Mana Atheeta Mana Vachana Ek Adhar It is impossible, O Bhagawan, to know you because you are beyond speech, beyond sense organs, and beyond the mind even. And yet, if you are not behind this, then this mind will not work, sense organs will not work, body also will not work, prana also will not work. I want to know. How can I know? Only through prayer. That is what he said, Jyotira Jyoti Ujjvala Hridhi Khandara You grant me that intelligence to know you, who is otherwise impossible to know. And what is the meaning of knowledge? These are very, very profound ideas compressed in that one hymn called Avatarastotram. It is only by the grace. What does it mean by grace? When you throw a piece of paper or a small dry piece of wood into blazing fire, that paper or that piece of wood also becomes fire, also becomes capable of doing exactly what the fire is capable of doing. And so what is knowledge, complete knowledge? Only by becoming one with God, we know what God is. So that is what we have to understand. Only He can draw us to Himself. We can never approach. That is what Ramakrishna wants to indicate. Because every word of every teaching of Ramakrishna is an explanation in the easiest language of what seems to be so tough as outlined in the Upanishads. There is a song. Very often we hear it being sung and that comes in the Gospel. Who is there that can understand what Mother Kali is? Who knows how Kali is? Kali is like a swan. She travels in the form of a swan. She sits on her back. Her will is like the will of Mother. On Mother's side, the universe is like the universe. How does she know? Like Mahakaal, how does she know? In the language of Prasad, in the world, in the form of a swan, in the form of a swan. This is the essence of what we have quoted from the Kena Upanishad. Then, Ram Prasad. This is a song composed by the greatest devotee of the Divine Mother, Ram Prasad. My intellect understands. It is impossible to know God. But my heart never understands. It thinks it can understand. And it is as ridiculous, as laughable, as there is a dwarf and he wants to catch hold of the moon. On full moon day, it looks as though the moon is so near to us. We feel like catching it. And if you are a little bit thoughtful person, you will really enjoy it. So why only a dwarf, even a seven feet tall fellow, he can catch the moon? Nobody can catch the moon. It is impossible. Is it impossible? No, it is not impossible. You open your heart and you catch the moon. That means you understand the moon. You enjoy the moon. And then that is what they call moaning. Go on moaning and moaning. First moaning, then moaning. This is translated in the Gospel by revered Swami Nikhilananda, who is there that can understand what Mother Kali is. Even the six darshanas are powerless to reveal her. It is she, the scriptures say, that is the inner self of the yogi, who in self discovers all his joy. She, that of her own sweet will, inhabits every living thing. The macrocosm and microcosm rest in the mother's womb. Now you see how vast this universe is. In the Muladhara, the yogi meditates on her. And in the Sahasrara, who but Shiva has beheld her as she really is. Within the lotus wilderness, she sports besides her mate, this swan. When man aspires to understand her, Ram Prasad must smile to think of knowing her. He says she is quite as laughable as to imagine one can swim across the boundless sea. Then comes the punchline. But while my mind, means intellect, has understood. What did it understand? It is impossible to know God. Alas, my heart has not understood how though but a dwarf, still would strive to make captive of the moon. This is the essence of the song. Most marvellous song. This is what the whole essence of the first and second chapter of the Kena Upanishad in this one song. Who can know God? Only God can know God. Who is Shiva in the Sahasrara? It is God. And who is that Divine Mother? She is the purified mind. And she sports. And what does she do? She creates. She sustains. And she aches back like a spider. And how can anybody know her? Because the whole universe is within her womb. And this idea in the Puranas we get Brahma, the creator. Brahma, the creator. He comes out of the womb or navel of Narayana. That's why he is called Padmabhu. He is always depicted as sitting on a seat of lotus flower. As we have been saying, lotus is the most symbolic of all flowers. It is symbolic of a purified mind. It is symbolic of what we call the cave of the heart where alone God can be understood. So this Sri Ramakrishna whenever he sings, we have to understand he doesn't sing like any bhajan singer. He just goes into that mode. He becomes one with it. And he means what the song means. This is called Bhave Bhav Hava. That is, he becomes merged in the very feeling of the song. And unlike us, our feelings are always restless. But Sri Ramakrishna's feeling is that three moods are there. I am one with God and I enjoy God and I want to sing about God, talk about God. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to be in the waking state, he used to speak about Krishna and he used to sing about Krishna and he wants to eat the prasad of Krishna. He will enjoy everything. But when he is in a semi-conscious mode, he cannot open his mouth but his whole body will be moving in a beautiful ethereal dance because he doesn't dance. There is some ghost that his spiritual feeling possesses him and makes him dance. But there comes a stage when that Atma, which is a purified mind, becomes completely one with the Divine. And that is when he seems to be unconscious. We have to use very peculiar language seems to be unconscious by us but absolutely conscious, one with pure consciousness in that state of Samadhi. So this is the meaning of it. So continuing the conversation, the Master said, did you notice the macrocosm and the microcosm rest in the mother's womb? Now do you see how vast it is? Can we imagine that there is a sun which can swallow a thousand of our what the sun that we see and it is so vast and it emits so much of power that it is impossible for human mind to understand anything. If we cannot understand what we are experiencing day and night here, what to speak of that divinity? And according to our Puranas, how many creations are there? Creations are infinite. Ananta, Koti, Brahmanda and every Brahmanda is created, sustained and then taken back by one being called Brahma. And these Brahmas are as many as there are creations are there. And how many Brahmas are there? As many as creations. How many creations are there? Ananta, Koti. That is countless. Impossible to understand. We cannot understand even this simple galaxy that we are living in, what to speak. Even if we have to be very practical, can you understand yourself? Impossible. Can you understand the people with whom you are staying? Can the mother understand everything about her children? Can the father? Can the brother? Can the sister? Can the wife? Can the husband? Can not to speak of friends? We only understand a teeny weeny bit of what we experience through our five sense organs. Sometimes a little bit of feeling also. But we cannot understand even the sukshma sharira, not to speak of the adhyatmika sharira. The modern psychology has discovered that there is what is called deep unconscious state of the mind. And how much is that? Our conscious mind is like the tip of an iceberg. Rest is submerged in the ocean of this waking state, dream state and dreamless state. So this macrocosm and microcosm rest in the mother's womb. So what is the way? One must have faith and love. She cannot be realized by means of mere scholarship. One must have faith and love. So naisa tarkena matirapaneya. There is a beautiful statement in the Upanishads. Especially in the Kata Upanishad it comes. This Atman, tarkena, by the cogitations of the mind, by the intellect, it can never be obtained. But what is the way? He whom the Atman chooses and upon that person, the Atman destroys the distance between itself and that mind because remember what creates the distance, separation, is the mind not the body. It is the mind. And only when there is mind there is body, there is external world, etc. When that mind it is called ahamkara, egotism. When that ego is removed, what remains is the only reality called supreme reality. Then what is the way? One must have faith and love and this is the only way. Are you treading the path of knowledge? Doesn't matter. You must have faith in the Guru and you must love the ideal called Parabrahman. And Parabrahman, how to love the supreme reality? Through the Guru and through the Ishtadevata also. Even the Gnanis have no hesitation in worshipping a Divine Mother Saraswati, Sharadamba or they meditate upon Lord Shiva. They may not meditate on Narayana, but most people do. Some people call Shiva a Dakshinamurti and they worship that Dakshinamurti. So faith is the only one and we get repeated stories about how strong faith is, what faith is, only through faith we can come. Sri Ramakrishna tells several stories and like anybody else he repeats. His repetition is not a fault at all. How long should a mother go on telling to the child, you get up, brush your teeth, so long as it has not become a habit for the child. Then the mother will not tell. Until that time we have to be told. But we are what Swami Vivekananda calls moustached children. We are grown up, but we don't know what is the goal of life, what is my nature and much less how to attain it. So Sri Ramakrishna graphically describing that faith is the only way, faith is the bridge and through faith Sri Ramakrishna is not only a fun master, he was also a pun master. Sri Ramakrishna tells so many times. Now this is the story, crossing Lanka. A man was about to cross the sea from Ceylon to India and Yubeshana said to him, tie this thing in a corner of your wearing cloth and you will cross the sea safely. You will be able to walk on the water, but be sure not to examine it or you will sink. The man was walking easily on the water of the sea. Such is the strength of faith. When having gone part of the way, he thought what is this wonderful thing Yubeshana has given me that I can walk even on the water. You know sometimes I feel like poking a little bit of fun. So this was the story that Sri Ramakrishna had continued. But I don't know what this fellow will do when suddenly a shark comes across. He is walking okay, but what is he going to do when a shark lifts its head or sharks, they surround him. Anyway, just a little bit of fun. So he can walk. He untied the knot and found only a leaf only with the name of Rama written on it. Oh, just this only he thought and instantly he sank. There was a devotee called Mahimacharan. Sri Ramakrishna continues his conversation with this Mahimacharan. Now, what is the symbolism of that story? Faith can achieve miracles. In another place, Ramakrishna gives a little different edition. He says, you know, Hanuman had so much faith in the name of Sri Rama. Just he wrote the name Rama on huge boulders and whole chunks of mountain. He started throwing, everybody started throwing and in no time, the bridge between India and Sri Lanka was built. But Sri Rama, whose name had achieved these miracles, had to himself be carried on the bridge. Hanuman could jump the whole way from India, from the tip of Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka. Taking the name of Rama, he leaped and then landed in Sri Lanka. But the name Sri Rama had to walk. Sri Ramakrishna, he wants to entertain people. Why? Not that God cannot do it. It is for us a story. If we have faith, miracles can happen. And Sri Ramakrishna is going to tell us a most marvelous story, which seems to be impossible to achieve. We will come to that. So Mahimacharan asks, then we cannot realize God through this mind. Then we have to go on working. By what kind of work can one realize God? Sri Ramakrishna. It is not that God can be realized by this work and not by that. The vision of God depends on His grace. Still a man must work a little with longing for God in his heart. If he has longing, he will receive the grace of God. And then Ramakrishna continues the marvelous story. We do not know what is the source of this story. Because remember, Ramakrishna was Shrutidhara. He listens to anything once and then he remembers. We have to understand here, what does this statement mean? Does it mean to say even irrelevant things that he hears, he listens, is also remembered by him? Even ordinary people like us, we do not remember our mind. You know, yesterday what happened? Millions of things we have experienced. Day before yesterday, another million of things. And a day before that, another billion of things. If we have to remember, we will go mad. So what happens? We have a very special faculty of mind called unconscious mind. When we are in deep sleep, this mind starts functioning. It wakes up. Our master had experienced all these things. Now he doesn't need all these things. They are irrelevant, they are unimportant, they are completely not only not important, they are positive obstructions. So this mind, remember one thing, whatever is experienced is always recorded. It is always there on file. Even the most irrelevant thing is also there on file. But just like an efficient secretary of an officer, whatever the officer has to deal with, the secretary will categorize most urgent on the top of the tree. Then, after finishing that one, these are the things which you have to do. And there are things which can be done after few days. And there are things which you don't need to bother right now. When the time comes, I will remind you. So this unconscious mind works like that unpaid secretary and it sorts them out. For example, if I have to meet someone important or some important meeting is there, a book has to be read, it has to be explained, etc. Then the mind will keep that unconscious part of the mind will keep it on the top of the agenda. This is most important. And as soon as the man takes up, it is like an officer reaches his office, sits in his chair and then in front of him, this is the immediate tasks that need to be done. And that is how the mind is going to work. Ramakrishna is answering no kind of work. Now it is a very symbolic statement with a deep meaning behind it. What is not work? Tell me. Is Bhakti Yoga not work? Is Gnana Yoga not work? Is Raja Yoga not work? Not to speak of Karma Yoga. If anybody thinks Karma Yoga is meant for working people and other Yogas are not meant, we will be gravely mistaken. Every Yoga involves a specific type of work. But work is inevitable. And with what type of efficiency, concentration, one-pointedness, love and joy one should do, these are common things for all Yogas. Not only that, what is it that I expect? That is why whatever takes us to God, that is called Yoga. If work takes us to God, that is called Karma Yoga. If devotion, emotion takes us to God, that is called Bhakti Yoga. If willpower takes us to God, that is called Raja Yoga. If our intellect, knowledge takes us to God, that is called Gnana Yoga. But the word Yoga is important. What do I want? Only when I say that I want only God, or you can use the word Brahman or Atman, I want supreme reality, then that's absolutely fine. Only then Yoga becomes worthy of being used. Action takes us to God. Will takes us to God. Emotion takes us to God. And intellect also takes us to God. So this is a crucial word. But whether it is emotion or work or will or intellect, it is a heavy heavy work, Karma. So nobody can avoid Karma. It is the attitude. Two things important. First of all, how do we discharge this work? It requires love. It requires non-expectation of anything excepting God. It requires tremendous focus, concentration and efficiency. That is where logic comes in. How efficiently, to the best of my ability, I can really do this kind of work. These are preconditions. Then attitude. What is it that I expect from this hard work? Do I want worldly benefits or do I want God? At the beginning, every one of us start only with worldly benefits. Only at the end, when we have suffered a lot, then we come to our senses. Then we come to know that it is only God that we are seeking, really not any object in this world, which has been so beautifully taught by Agnimalkya to his disciple Maitreyi. This is what Ramakrishna is telling. It is not that God can be realized by this work and not by that. The vision of God, that means the knowledge of God. What is that knowledge? That I am God. That is called vision of God. That is, in Sanskrit, there is a special word. It is called darshana. Suppose you go and you are seeing somebody or you want to see somebody. It is called seeing. But this is not called seeing. It is called darshana. Darshana means what? Becoming one with God. There is no barrier between I and God. That is called darshana. This is called the vision of God. It totally depends on His grace. What is the logic? Any limited thing cannot give us unlimited. So unlimited can give or can make the limited by absorbing into itself, make it unlimited. But a limited can never do that. So any number of rivers that flow into the ocean cannot make up the ocean. There are only just a few drops in the ocean, vast ocean. But if the ocean is kind and gracious, it can pull us. There is absolutely no doubt about it. That is what Sri Ramakrishna means. This is a uniform teaching in the Vedas, in the Upanishads, in the Bhagavad Gita. That is why Sri Krishna teaches at the very culmination or essence of the entire scriptural lore. Vedas, Upanishads, Bible, Quran, etc. This is what Sri Ramakrishna means. The vision of God depends on His grace. Still, a man must work a little with longing for God in his heart. Sri Ramakrishna is very generous. A man must work a little because no man can work much. Anything limited is very limited. If a man has longing, he will receive the grace of God. The only thing is like a child longing to see its mother. Sri Ramakrishna is a great poet with words. There is a child and he has been fed and he is now very happy, full of energy and mother supplies him some toys and the child is completely absorbed. And the mother wants the child to come and take food once more. Mother is calling but the child is not coming because it is not yet hungry. But then a time will come when the baby feels the hunger, throws away and even if you want to tempt the baby with a hundred beautiful toys, it will simply kick everything and runs to the mother with a cry, Ma, like that. And the mother knows my child is ready and she does what any mother should do. So if a man has longing, he will receive the grace of God. What are the points? Without the grace of God, one cannot really see him. One point, the grace of God is sure to come if a man really wants God. So these two points are very important. But then now Shri Ram Krishna explains what is the root cause of this longing? Faith. What is faith? Indirect knowledge. That is why we say Shraddha. And Shankaracharya gives a beautiful definition of what is Shraddha in his Vivekachudamani. And it is one of the most marvellous works. What does he say? He will say, Guru Shastra Vakyeshu Satya Buddhi Avadharana Yaya Vastu Upalabhyate Sa Kathita Shraddha So that is defined as Shraddha. And this word Shraddha practically cannot be translated as belief or even faith. That is why sometimes we are forced to retain these Sanskrit words. It says what the Guru says and what the scriptures say they are absolute truth. There is no doubt about it. And with this background, we will see what Shri Ram Krishna is telling. As I mentioned, it is a marvellous story. He is saying, to attain God, a man must have certain favourable conditions. The company of holy men, discrimination and the blessings of a real teacher. And Shri Ram Krishna surpasses even Kalidasa in his similes, Upamas. Perhaps his elder brother takes the responsibility for the family. That means somebody or other is very happy to take the responsibility. So what does it mean? It means this person, this devotee is not trying to evade his duty. Somebody has taken and gladly. And then maybe this person is a married person. Remember, most of the teachings of Gospel are meant for householders because that is the main purpose of an Avatar. But what about Sannyasin? Sannyasin is one who has studied the scriptures. Pariksha Lokaan Karma Chithaan Pramana Nirveda Ayat. He already knows the teachings and he had gone through a lot of experiences and he attained an unshakable Viragyam, dispassion. And he is seeking, how can I know my real nature? For such people, such persons alone are called Sannyasins, monks, nuns. But we are not talking about that kind of person. Most of the people are beginners only, not even beginners. Ramakrishna is telling there is a person and he has, by God's grace, he has purified his mind a little. He wants to progress in spiritual life and then perhaps one of his brothers takes the responsibility for the family and then maybe he is married also because married people are not barred from spiritual life. In fact, I happen to think married people only will have more longing for spirituality because they know what is the problems that are associated with marriage. Honeymoon is okay but after that there will be neither honey nor moon, hard work only. So perhaps his wife has spiritual qualities and is very virtuous. Perhaps he is not married at all or entangled in worldly life. He succeeds when conditions like these are fulfilled. And it looks like that as if these conditions are almost impossible to obtain. That is where Ramakrishna's genius comes out immediately. I don't know, he might have heard about it most likely or he might even make up because what did Sri Ramakrishna say that when I run out of ideas, the Divine Mother supplies unending number of ideas including all these parables and other things. So Sri Ramakrishna is telling this very telling story. In a certain family a man lay seriously ill. He was at the point of death but someone said, some physician said, there is a remedy. First it must rain, then the star Swati is in the ascendant, then some of that rain water must collect in a human skull, then a frog must come there and a snake must chase it and as the frog is about to be bitten by the snake, it must jump away and the poison of the snake must drop into the skull. You must prepare a medicine only from that poison and give it to the patient. Then he will live. Just imagine how impossible to fulfill these conditions. What a marvellous comparison. So anybody who is a householder or who has not renounced home, he will have almost impossible uphill tasks to complete. Then what happens? The head of the family consulted the almanac about this star and found out the Swati is at the ascendant and set out at the right moment. With great longing of heart, he began to search for the different ingredients but how? He prayed to God, O Lord, I shall succeed only if you bring together all these impossible ingredients. As he was roaming about, he actually saw a skull lying on the ground. Presently, there came a shower of rain. Then the man exclaimed, O gracious Lord, I have got the rain water under Swati and the skull too. What's more, some of the rain has fallen into the skull. Now, be kind enough to bring together the other ingredients. He was reflecting with a yearning heart when he saw a poisonous snake approaching the skull. His joy knew no bounds. He became so excited that he could feel the thumping of his own heart. O God, he prayed, now the snake has come too. I have procured most of the ingredients. Please be gracious and give me the remaining ones. No sooner did he pray, thus, then a frog hopped up. The snake pursued it. They came near the skull and the snake was about to bite the frog. The frog jumped over the skull and the snake's poison fell into it. The man began to dance, clapping his hands for joy. Of course, we have to understand how grateful he was to God because he alone can understand. These impossible conditions can be fulfilled only by the grace of God. Sri Ramakrishna having narrated in a most marvelous way because he could be extraordinarily great narrator. How come those who study the life of Sri Ramakrishna knew that when Gadadhar was a young boy, when he was at home, then he rarely used to attend the school. But he used to gather. Not only he became spoiled, he also became a leader of spoiling other children. But in this case, the spoiled children only get the benefit. So, he used to enact entire dramas. So, remember just now we said, Sri Ramakrishna with the greatest joy wherever there is drama. In Bengali, such religious drama is called Yatra. Usually Yatra means pilgrimage. And this is nothing but an intellectual pilgrimage which will take us to the thought of God. So, in the olden days, mostly it is the religious dramas. Rarely the social dramas used to take place. So Sri Ramakrishna used to go, enjoy only this kind of dramas. Once he hears, three hours or four hours, every single syllable that he heard is permanently etched in his memory. That is one talent. Then coming home, what does he do? He will be training different people. He will be telling, these are the things. I don't know how far the other fellow students, young children were able to memorize the whole thing. Probably it was God's grace. We don't know. We can only imagine. And they also used to but main part, he used to do it. Not only that. So, he was what we call nowadays a marvelous ventriloquist. That is, he can imitate any type of voice, male, female, young, old and etc. And he was a natural born musician. And his voice used to lift up people's minds. He will never do anything intellectually as great every Karma Yogi claims to do it. Absolutely no interest what he is going to do. So, he heard about there was a great singer and she used to demand lakhs of rupees for her song and while she was singing also, she will be thinking how much money more money should I earn. I heard it from some other speakers also. Anyway, the point is the mind can work even while outwardly a person seems to be thinking. In case you want to test what I said, next time you meet a singer and secretly never ask him question him privately privately only, not publicly Maharaj, you are singing such a thing. So, were you focusing on that thought or were you thinking lot of other things? And don't expect any answer because most of the people are not going to tell what is going to happen in their minds. But, if anybody can sing even one song with complete concentration of mind, I can tell you one thing. He has far progressed in spiritual life. So, Ram Krishna that tremendous power of memory and funny events happened in his own life. So, in Dakshineshwar also, so many other organizations used to get up these yathras and other things. Sometimes, Holy Mother felt like going and seeing because you must remember, living in that smallest room, what is called cooped up in that small, whole 24 hours without coming out would be the greatest boredom in this world. So, she expressed sometimes I would like to go and have a little bit of entertainment. And Shri Ram Krishna did not allow most of the time. But, he was a person who would not merely disappoint. So, he himself would sit there and he will do the whole yatra. Do you wish at that time, Sony tape recorder will be there, your mobile, so that you can go and record Shri Ram Krishna's entire performance. Sometimes whole night used to pass in that way and people, the Holy Mother was telling, we never knew how time has passed. By the time Shri Ram Krishna finished, already it is dawn, the birds start singing and it is time for us to go and take bath and do other activities. What about Shri Ram Krishna? Does he get tired? No. He used to go often into Samadhi. So, he had more than quota of his sleep. But, only the poor audience had to listen. But, he used to make them so much absorbed. He had that ability to get himself absorbed. But, he also had the ability to make others also get absorbed. Joyously, the whole night used to pass. Such was Shri Ram Krishna. So, what are we talking about? Shri Ram Krishna, he is the greatest knowledgeable person. Was it all because of Divine Mother's grace? In a way of speaking. But, he also had a very observant eye. So, he was not a fool. With those half-closed eyes, he can discern anything that is going on. So many examples that he gives supporting his teachings are all observations by Shri Ram Krishna. And remember, Shri Ram Krishna was one of the greatest mimics in the world. And when Shri Ram Krishna mimics, even the dullest person understands at whom he is mimicking. In such a way, he used to use peals of laughter to come. And many times, the people used to enjoy more Shri Ram Krishna's mimicry than some Pandit coming and reading some Ramayan or Mahabharata, etc. So, here is a marvelous illustration of what is called deep faith. Its possible conditions that it must rain and it must fall in a skull of a human being. Then, a frog must jump over it and a poisonous snake must be chasing it. And exactly when the frog was jumping over, because the poison should not fall here and there. It must fall only in that skull. And that poison, he has to bring. Already, there is the rain water there in the Swathi Nakshatra. And then, he must bring and then the physician will prepare medicine and the man will recover. And now, you can extend the story and say, so the man must have joyfully collected this required material ingredients and handed it over and the physician must have prepared and the man must have been administered with that and the sick man had become well. Absolutely, we have to understand. Why? Because that is part of the understanding of faith. What is the faith? It is the man not only gathering the ingredients but administering it with those ingredients to the sick man. Do you think that this person who believed in that all these impossible conditions will be fulfilled, will remain satisfied whether the sick person will get well or not? No, because there is a psychology. A person of faith will not distrust anybody. A person of faith in God will never distrust anybody and you must be wondering so how come? Why is it so? Is there any reason for that? Yes, there is a reason for that. What is that reason? We forget often. We forget God and we say this person is not a reliable person but if a person believes in God, you know what happens? He will say whatever God ordains, that alone will happen and this man told me that this is the cure and God must have been speaking to me through this person and whatever God speaks must always come true. There is no second thought about it and so his heart must have been jumped as soon as all the ingredients were over. What do you think his mind would say? Thank God I got all the ingredients. The man is saved. So he rushes over, hands over the materials, gets the medicine prepared and administers it all the while knowing that there is nothing impossible for God. What is that impossibility in this case? We are discussing by the grace of God alone all the impossible conditions are met and once that is met and that is by the grace of God, the same grace of God is possible only because God intends that patient must recover completely from that illness. So many things are involved. If I believe in God and say Oh Lord and that is called real faith in God, I know you know my past, you know my future and you know what is good for me and if you know you are like my mother, like even my grandmother and I know I have that faith. Whatever you ordain, it's for my good. I'll tell you a small incident. This is, such a person is called, there was a person, he was a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, he was called Nagamahasaya. He was one of the greatest householder monks. A monk in the guise of a householder. This Nagamahasaya, he once requested permission I would like to become a monk. Sri Ramakrishna firmly told him No, I want you to remain in the household and Nagamahasaya had such a faith. It's a very interesting incident that he never again questioned. Now the same desire had come into the mind of M. Mahendranath Gupta and he started pestering Sri Ramakrishna. Two, three times he asked. Sri Ramakrishna said No. The Divine Mother wants the Bhagavata Pandit not to become a sanyasi but to remain and recite the Bhagavatam, explain the Bhagavatam. Bhagavatam means scripture. So that it will benefit the world. And maybe M. did not have that faith or did not understand Sri Ramakrishna's words. Still he started even then pestering. And one day Sri Ramakrishna got annoyed. He said that if anybody refuses to obey the Divine Mother's command then the Mother will find out somebody else. And that brought M. to his senses. So if a man has faith in God then he need not be afraid though he may have committed any number of sins even the vilest sin. So I say that one gets everything through yearning. Yearning is succeeded only when it is preceded by deep faith called Shraddha. There is a popular saying that Hanuman jumped over the sea through his faith in Rama's name. But Rama himself had to build a bridge. If a man has faith in God then he need not be afraid though he may have committed any number of sins, nay the vilest sin. Then Sri Ramakrishna sang a song glorifying the power of faith. If only I can pass away repeating Durga's name how canst thou then O blessed one withhold from my deliverance wretched though I may be. It's only half a song but this is also very meaningful incident. We will talk about it in our next class. May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.