Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 113 on 04-June-2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Visit to Vidyasagar, August 5th, 1882. Vidyasagar was such a learned person. He knew the script. And yet Sri Ramakrishna was only speaking about the essence of the scriptures, especially about Brahman. Now there is a parallel here. Vidyasagar, even though many times many people asked him, was not prepared to talk about God. He made fun of it also. That if I tell something wrong, I may be beaten very well. But what nobody is going to beat him. But what he meant is that it is not possible to tell. But he was a scholar. He was not a man of realization. He was an extraordinarily great person. So much of compassion, etc. But he also had a great defect. He promised that he will definitely come to Dakshineswar. But he never even attempted to do that. So Sri Ramakrishna was not very happy about it. Once a person promises, at least he must try to fulfill. Sometimes we may attempt, but we may fail. But at least we should not be blamed that we did not attempt. So in our spiritual practice also, we make so many sankalpa, means strong desires under the pressure of some emotion. I will do so much japa, etc. But we should try. And that is how we also progress. And along with the progress, we also develop our willpower. Will is like a muscle. As we go on exercising, it will grow stronger and stronger. Anyway, Sri Ramakrishna was telling that to describe, to define, to explain about God accurately is impossible. And Sri Ramakrishna had found out some unique expressions. Everything is polluted in this world. Whatever comes out of the mouth of a man becomes polluted. If we talk about God, that also will be polluted. Polluted means what? That we will not be able to express it. And there is a profound psychology behind it. Not only we cannot describe about God, we cannot even describe about any object also. Suppose you are a person and you experience an object. Let us say as an example, a beautiful, particularly pleasing fragrance of a flower somewhere. And you want to convey it to others. You know there is a psychological process conveying a truth, an unknown truth, only through a known truth. So how do you describe? Have you smelt a sweet-smelling rose? Have you smelt a jasmine, etc., etc.? And since many of us have some kind of, at least, incense stick, rose-flavored incense stick, jasmine-flavored incense stick, so nobody can tell me that they cannot. They have not come to India or tropical countries and did not see the jasmine plant, etc. So the fact is a completely unknown fact cannot be conveyed through unknown descriptions. Only if I have some experience, then you have some experience, and there must be a similarity between these two, and then only we can try to convey. But exactly 100% we can never convey. There are certain, what we call, abstract ideas. Infinity, all-pervasiveness, and all-encompassing compassion, great forgiveness, these are impossible to describe, even to think about it, much less description. But a small bit of it, since we have experienced it, we can convey. Another example is, try to describe your experience of deep sleep to somebody who has never experienced deep sleep. Fortunately, everybody experiences. So therefore, the conveying of knowledge, transmission of knowledge always takes place through the known to the unknown. What is unique must be conveyed, can be conveyed only through some known means. But Brahman, even though he has never experienced it, and never describable because the instrument through which we would like to describe. Why am I mentioning this? Because even a God-realized soul, Brahman-realized soul, he knows what Brahman is, but he cannot express it because, first of all, it became limited in thought, and that thought becomes limited through the language. That language becomes limited through the words that we use. So many limitations are there. So therefore, it is impossible to convey. At the best, even we cannot even convey what is called personal God, Saguna Brahma, not to speak of Nirguna Brahma. And Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar appreciated, today I have learned something which I did not know. Did he not know? He was a great scholar of Vedanta, not only of grammar, but he knew it. Probably he did not give deep thought towards it, but coming from the mouth of a realized soul, it immediately strikes a chord in the minds of people who are attuned to that thing. And that is why Ramakrishna says, men often think they have understood Brahman fully. And in order to illustrate this, we were discussing the story of Shweta Getu, a very famous story, and it comes in the 6th chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, which we have just now undertaken to study. Some sections of it. So there was a great sage called Uddalaka. Sage means he was a realized soul. And he had a son. That means he was a householder. That means householders also can realize God. In fact, many of the Rishis were householders. But what type of householders? They were like boats, which will always be on the water, but never allow any water to percolate into the boat. They lived that kind of, what Sri Ramakrishna used to call, live like a maidservant in a rich man's house. So this Uddalaka was a realized soul. He had a son. And the son was 12 years old. He was not showing any inclination for higher studies. But definitely the father must have taught him something. But he called and said, in our family, there was nobody who was not known for learning, scholarship, etc. Everybody was known. And I do not wish you to be an ignoramus. So he sent him to the Gurukula. 12 years he studied. He was an extraordinarily child prodigy, intelligent person. Came back full of arrogance, pride. And then the father instantaneously perceived. Now look at the fun. If nowadays any young man comes back with first class first in any examination, Oh, the parents will be so full of pride. They will praise him to the skies. Our son is a great person. Why? Because he is our son. But egoism comes. So they compare the fathers of other children. Say, we are so much great. But this father, he was a fulfilled man. He knew what is life. That is important for us. So he asked, Did you ask your teacher for that which, having known which, you will be a God-realized soul? You could have been a God-realized soul. But then instead of saying, No, it is a new thing for me. He never taught me. The reply was arrogant reply. I think he did not know. Now very interesting linguistic analysis. How did this fellow come to know? His teacher did not know. The subject was never broached. And even if it is broached, we can only estimate another person to the extent of our own knowledge, limitation of our own knowledge. So that is a given factor. Nobody can judge the other person more than what he knows. But when a person says, This person knows much more than me. How much he knows, he cannot tell. But at least he will be humbled. But here was the reply. That this boy is extraordinarily arrogant. Then the story, very short story, but one of the greatest stories. And then the father child-send. But in between, in my last class, I have discussed about it. That the boy must have been disciplined. And he must have acquired the qualities for learning everything. That is sadhana, chatustaya, sampanaha. Discrimination, dispassion, control over body and mind, and an intense desire. Then only he must have approached. Because the father was not an ordinary father. He was a God-realized soul. Such people, Oh, this is my son. Even if he is not qualified, I will teach him. No, that is not going to happen. Even we do not do it. Because if you don't teach abstract maths to a baby, even an ordinary householder also will not do it. Unless a person has the capacity to understand, we would not like to talk about that. Even we ourselves practice it in our day-to-day life. So he must have become fit. And he must have become humble. He must have approached. Having acquired these fourfold qualities, intense desire, and perfect instruments, body, mind, everything. And then the father gives instruction. So that part of it is missing in the story in the Chandogya Upanishad, sixth chapter. And then he says, Do you, sir? Therefore, give me that knowledge. What was the question? By knowing the cause, we can know everything about the effects. Here is a peculiar thing. Cause can be only one, but effects can be many. For example, clay is one only. There is no Indian clay, American clay, etc. But effects can be any number of pots, etc. Pots, pans, any number. According to our necessary need, we can fashion out of that. But in this world, there are a few things. There are metals. And there is wood. There is clay. And we can count these things. Maybe 94 elements. I don't know. So we can calculate how many. All the effects are nothing but manifestations with name, with form, and with a particular quality. And that quality is for the purpose of utility. Prayojana. So, here is a person. That was the question the father must have asked his own guru. And through that answer, the guru must have given the answer. That is called shramana. Receiving the answer from the teacher who knew what was asked and who was asking. And receiving correct answer, accurate answer. That is called shramana. So, he must have then thought about it. Because what the teacher talks about and what is our practical experience are poles apart. They are opposite. So, I have faith in the guru. But the guru cannot tell anything but the truth. But it is in direct opposition to what I am experiencing. Therefore, what I am experiencing must be false. So, until I understand it intellectually, I have to go on thinking about it. Any number of doubts may arise. This is called the process of manana or deep churning. Remember the Bhagavata story, how the milk ocean is churned. It is nothing but living a life of discrimination, fulfilling it with dispassion and only at last, what is within me, that will come out. Nothing that comes from outside can ever help me even a little bit. So, when a person's mind is completely free of doubts, then he will have to realize it. He will have to experience it. And this teacher, Uddalaka must have done that. In the same process, even a father cannot give however affectionate he is. Knowledge cannot be passed. At best, some words can pass. Ideas can pass. But it is up to the receiver to receive it. So, that must have been done. But the Upanishad, Shandogya, in this instance, is giving us a beautiful story. In fact, all the 6th, 7th, 8th are pegged only upon these stories. These stories act like pegs upon which to hang the entire subject matter. But the stories themselves are highly significant stories, indicating whether a person is fit or not. So, then he must, Shweta Ketu, that was the name of the young man, because at the age of 12, he was sent. 12 years, he was dwelling with the teacher. He must have come back at the full youth, in full bloom. And he must have possessed all these qualities. And curiously, the story doesn't tell whether he will get married or he has been married. Nothing of that sort. So, straight away he says, Sir, if you think I am fit, please give me that knowledge. And the father understood. Now, this boy is ready. This is not a relationship between the father and son, but between the teacher and the student. And then he wanted to impart that this truth is extraordinarily subtle. So, he said, bring me a fruit of that yonder Negrothar tree. It is a tree, huge tree, like banyan tree. And the seeds are very small, like a small berry. And inside the berry, hundreds of seeds will bring me fruit of the Negrothar tree. And he brought it. Here it is, Sir. Break it. And he tries to break it. Somehow he broken it with his nails, maybe. And what do you see there? Some seeds, Sir, exceedingly small. Okay, break one of these. So, the son took one of the seeds and he must have broken it. What do you see there? Nothing at all. As if, there is nothing is there. It is impossible. This answer, we must understand properly. See, when you break, which is something, nothing can come. There must be something, but it is un-understandable, because it is very, very small. And then father says, my son, that subtle essence, here he uses that word, that sokshma, that essence, which you do not perceive in this broken seed, in that very essence stands the being of the huge growth tree. See, the future, if you take one of the seeds and place it in a proper soil, under proper environmental conditions, and in course of time, it will sprout, it becomes a small seedling, and it will take long time, many hundreds of years, and then it becomes a huge tree, sheltering, perhaps thousands and thousands of birds. So in that which is the subtle essence of all that exists has itself the true cause, the true self is extraordinarily subtle. That is being illustrated. And that is the truth. And that is the only reality. Because the cause is the reality, and the effect is impure. It is endowed with so many things. That impurity in Vedantic terminology is called Mithya. Mithya doesn't mean non-existent. Mithya means limitation, changing, independent. That is the truth, and that is your self, and thou Shvetaketu art that. This famous sentence, Tattvamasi Shvetaketu. So this Mahavakya, Tattvamasi is the Mahavakya which occurs in this Chandogya Upanishad. What is a Mahavakya? It is a short statement which indicates the true nature of everything in this world. Every creature, each soul is what Swami Vivekananda calls potentially divine. And then something very interesting happens because this is only once. So nine times beginning with the first Shvetaketu says or prays, Shvetaketu, tell me more because what you taught me perhaps I understand only a little bit. Maybe I have to understand much much more. So tell me more. But every time, and this is repeated nine times Tattvamasi, Tattvamasi, Tattvamasi Shvetaketu is the name. That is the address by which the teacher was addressing the student. Oh Shvetaketu, you are that. That means what you appear to be, your body, your mind, which is visible to everybody and especially to you because we are so stuck with our body-mind and we think we are none other than body-mind and especially the body. And 24 hours a day from birth to death body, body, body. This is the song, only song we sing. So be my child. So I will teach you further. And then he gives even a better illustration. What is that betterness? In the case of the first instance, there was this seed and the seed, the fruit was very small. It has plenty of seeds and the seed was very very small and the seed was broken and except in seeing some indescribable pulp or some white substance or something like that, nothing further could be seen. There is no resemblance at all either to the tree or much less to the seed also. It doesn't even appear to be like a seed. But this time, he gives a much better solution. What did he say? Bring a tumbler of water and a bit of salt. Here, sir. And now, put the salt in the water. Here I have put. Stir it properly. Stir it. So what did Shwetaketu say? He saw water because he himself brought and he saw salt because he himself brought and he was asked by the Guru to mix together. He stirred. Now he says that you taste something from the surface and you taste. How is it? Salty. Take some from the middle. How is it? Salty. Take some from the bottom. How is it? Salty, the father said. Now throw the water away because this is only to illustrate. That's all. Then, come back to me again because it is a very interesting statement, especially for me. Come back to me again. That means what? You go and do Manana on this particular illustration. So, every time he understands a little, goes back and tries to understand deeper significance, that is to say Manana, the second step and he will try to make it. Yes, it is true. Every day we are eating so many things and we see only a little bit of it and inside what is there, we don't see at all whether it is coffee or sweet or anything like that and then the son did so. So, then he says throw the water away and come back. The son did and the salt was not lost but the salt existed forever but that salt now has become inseparably united with the water. Then the father said, here likewise in this body of yours my son, you do not perceive the true but there in fact it is in that which is the subtle essence. All that exists has its self. That is the true that is the self and thou Shweta Ketu are to that and every time this truth is repeated thou are to that, the understanding becomes little better. So, I am not going to repeat that story. Only these two illustrations. The seed of a negrothatri and salt being mixed up with water and this process continues for nine times and in Vedanta this is this has become one of the icons of how to know what does a scripture want to teach. What is the essence of a scripture? The essence is called Tatpariya. What does it want to say? And a book may say many things but how do we determine? For that, it says shed lingas. There are six indications. Linga means that which indicates and indicating what? Indicate the summary, the essence of what you want to learn. And what are they? There is a beautiful Sanskrit shloka here for those who are interested. These six indications must be there. What are they? Why am I narrating in between the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna? Because we have to apply the same thing to the gospel also. Here in this case what is the similarity? So there in this Upanishadic story, Uddalaka is the teacher. In the gospel Sri Ramakrishna is the teacher and Svetaketu was the student. And here we who are attending to this class we are the students. So we have to understand. So something begins. The beginning itself the truth. They don't beat about the bush as we say. So in the very beginning itself most scriptures tell us or very soon they tell us this is called Upakrama the beginning. The beginning and then Upasamhara and at the end you know not only our Rishis were great they were also teachers. How to teach? So don't go on confusing persons with a long preamble and then speak. You don't have time because you did not learn. You only learnt how to open your mouth and not shut your mouth. You should learn not only to open but at the correct time we also have to shut. So at the end we will not have time to speak up what we want to really express. So the beginning should be crystal clear what I am going. Every writer for every writer this is a most marvelous pointer. So every good writer that I have seen starts what is called in preface Upakramana. This is what I wanted to express. Emphasizing what is the most, the very essence. I am going to teach you this particular point even if there are 50 points I want to emphasize on this particular point and then in the end he summarizes. In fact there are so many books the beginning of the chapter this is what we are going to study and then at the end of the chapter this is the essence. In between there are so many illustrations are given to make the subject matter very clear. So the beginning and the Upasamhara means the closing of the book. Upakrama means beginning Samhara means at the end of the book both must state the same truth. The beginning and conclusion for a particular section can be looked at to identify the theme. The beginning and the conclusion should deal with the same subject matter in which case we can get an idea about the Tatparya or essence or summary. Second Abhyasa. If he is a good writer or good teacher, Abhyasa is a repetition. Very interesting story is there because we are studying the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Now Sri Ramakrishna's teachings were very simple and then once Sri Ramakrishna explains everything if there is what is called shortness of time on the part of the listener, Sri Ramakrishna will tell everything and once Hriday who was a deluded man, he wanted to control Sri Ramakrishna as what you call nowadays managers manager of an actor manager of an actress manager of a writer etc. So he wanted to control. Why? Because he knew with 200% or 500% conviction conviction that whatever gifts the devotees will bring to Sri Ramakrishna he has nothing to do much but as a manager he can grab everything. That selfishness is there even though he was serving in Oirat Brahman not to speak of an incarnation of God. So once Hriday told Sri Ramakrishna this is the whole matter even if we do not meet then keep this in mind and you will gain everything and Hriday got agitated Mama, Uncle don't give out the secrets give a little bit a little bit so that they know they have not understood they will come again. Whenever they come they will bring some nice gifts and that is called pranami or offering and in India there is a rule that when you visit a child or a temple or a holy person so a king one should not go empty handed but bring something. So then Sri Ramakrishna got very angry he says they are my words so I will give little bit or more or everything. Who the hell are you to speak to me like that? And then he also got so annoyed at that moment he said if I wish I would dance naked among a thousand naked young women. What is it to you? Of course Hriday could not say anything for that. So a good teacher, a good writer, a good anybody so a conveyor good conveyor must show the essence at the end and in between he must repeat. This repetition is called abhyasa abhyasa means repetition or doing it again and again. And if you study what is the beginning of the gospel it is all comprised in five commandments. What is that? First commandment. The goal of life is to realize God and rest are how to realize God. Same thing Swami Vivekananda at the beginning of the Raja Yoga he says in four sentences but first three sentences are very important for us each soul is potentially divine that means you have a teleological urge for evolution you can't help it so you have to go back you have to recognize who you really are. Every karya effect must go back to its cause and how to do it? So if you are a potentially divine being then your goal of life because that is goal of life whether we understand or not that is what Hinduism crystal clearly it categorizes so first acquire the instruments and with the help of those instruments you attain the only goal of life. Dharma, Artha, Kama they are called instruments instrumental values as if you go to the philosophy then they are called value instrumental value but Moksha, liberation is not an instrumental value is called intrinsic value that is the only thing that is what you are. You can't but be yourself. Your whole life is only to be yourself. What does it mean? It means we are not what we should be, what we ought to be we think we are somebody else. I am the body, I am the mind, I am the male or female good or evil etc. etc. that is not our true nature. I am the Atman, I am the self that is the true nature. So that is the second sentence the goal of life what is the third sentence do this means manifest your divinity followed by the second sentence there are ways, there are pathways how? Through activity, action or through emotion or through will power or through intellect but they must be directed only towards the highest goal which is your own true self called Brahman. So when activities are directed towards Brahman it acquires the name Karma Yoga. If emotions are directed towards Brahman then they are called Bhakti Yoga. If will is directed towards God to the exclusion of everything else that is called Praja Yoga. If intellect is directed towards God or Brahman that is called Jnana Yoga. So the only four yogas are there why? Because only four faculties are there. So we have to try and in the gospel the second one, second, third, fourth fifth commandments. What is the second commandment? Always cultivate holy company study of the scriptures, holy company and all those things that indicates the path of devotion, Bhakti Yoga Third, go into solitude that means you distance yourself from every other thought excepting the thought of Brahman. Develop Brahma Karavrutti or Purusha Karavrutti and that is indicative of Praja Yoga and then always discriminate between the permanent, eternal and temporary. This is called Jnana Yoga, Viveka and Shankaracharya's Vivek Chudamani tells us that in graphic detail and then M asks how should we live in this world and he says that live like a maid servant in a rich man's house. This is indicative of Karma Yoga so Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga any path it doesn't matter in fact it is not that one can practice one yoga to the exclusion of all other yogas no, but one will be dominant because of the faculty which is dominant within each one of us. So many times throughout the gospel, Ramakrishna Oh mind, think of God, think of Brahman but Ramakrishna doesn't use the word Brahman many times. What you call Brahman, I call Shakti Ramakrishna says and then like mother, she is the universal mother, divine mother and no mother can hold her annoyance for long. She knows we are all children and we are playing and we get become absorbed in that play and so at the proper time if necessary she will kick all the play things and drag us and clean us and feed us and put us to bed this is her duty and that is what Ramakrishna is telling take refuge. How many number of times, umpteen number of times Ramakrishna's message is that God realization is the only goal of life because everything is temporary and anything temporary indicates something permanent and you withdraw your mind from the temporary and direct to the exclusion of everything else to the eternal, to the permanent call it God, Yahuwah Allah, doesn't matter by what name. This is called Abhyasa Abhyasa means repetition sometimes a particular thought is repeated many times in a section that gives a clear idea about the essence of the book its purpose is not to teach that. It would not repeat the same idea many times if that purpose is not true. For example Tattvamasi is repeated nine times in the sixth chapter of Chandogya so it is not only the essence of the sixth chapter not only it is the essence of entire Chandogya not only it is the essence of all the Upanishads all the script that were, that are and that will be coming in future. What do I mean? Any great person who comes who realizes God that the teaching, the life and teaching of such a great realized soul become guiding lights. As I often mention, for example Sairam Krishna's life and teaching. So the light, the life of Sairam Krishna becomes a source of inspiration and the teachings of Sairam Krishna tell us how to perspire so that means how to put it into action then there is something very important, the third characteristic Apurvatha means unprecedented such a thing should not have been taught by or understood or known by any other means because according to Hinduism, what is Vedanta or what is Bible the truth which cannot be obtained by ordinary sense organs and by the six Pramanas or five Pramanas called direct experience then inference, then comparison, then presumption, then the absence of a thing etc which are all based upon direct perception they cannot give us what we don't see, what we can't see what the body mind cannot reveal because it is subtler. A gross or something can only reveal the gross something. A subtler instrument can only reveal the subtler object. So Apurvatha means what happens is there God, is there other world and is there afterlife but even these questions can be simplified. Is there a God? Then what is the relationship between me and God and then the scripture tells that the relationship is that you are God. There is no relationship. Relationship is always a connection between two separate objects. Relationship is a meaningless word with regard to God. Only God exists nothing else is there. Existence is God, knowledge is God and bliss is God. So the truth that can be understood only from a scripture and that which reveals that the only truth, there are not thousands of truths, not even two truths, only one truth that is called Apurvatha. If the scriptures convey what is known by other means then the scriptures becomes redundant. So if there is a thought that is present in the section that is original and unique to the Vedas even though it is cushioned amidst various other known facts that could be identified as the Tattvarya. So even you hear a person talk for one hour two hours, what will be the Tattvarya? Especially we are talking about Vedanta lectures. Tattvamasi, the word that naturally that comes. I am Brahman. So I have forgotten I am Brahman. I would like to know what good will it do to me if I come to know I am Brahman. So there must be a phalam. Phalam means fruit or result. A train of thought should lead to a result or should point to a benefit. If there is no benefit or result like a statement the cows, the crows in heaven are white then it is not considered a shastra at all. It is accepted by all the scriptures that they indicate a definite result. What is the benefit I get? By knowing the phalam we can get an idea as to what the Tattvarya is. What does the scripture tell? That when you know that you are Brahman, the word that Tattvamasi then you will be the happiest person in the world. You will go beyond mortality and everything is known to you because Sarvam Kalvidam Brahman. What is it we are all seeking? I want to live a long time. It is a very curious thing that is going on now. All the rich people, first of all they are spending millions and constructing underground bunkers so that if Russia and America go to nuclear war and they can be escaped. Mortality can go no further because you don't need a nuclear bomb. So you can have a heart attack or you will die somewhere. That is one. Secondly, suppose you are alive. Are you a happy person? If you are not a happy person and you live 50 years that is a great blessing. If you live another 50 years, 100 years then you are an unhappy person. Instead of 50 years, 100 years. And if you live for 500 years you will be an unhappy person for 500 years. Without solving that problem what is the use of keeping this stupid body alive? But if a person knows that he is divine, he knows I am the infinite, I am the eternal and I am Sat, Chit, Ananda. I am of the very nature of existence, very nature of knowledge, very nature of bliss. I am bliss. Not I am blissful. There is a difference between these two expressions. I am blissful that means because of something. I am bliss that means it is indescribable. This is the fourth. Then fifth is Arthavada. Arthavada means eulogy or arguments, narratives, supporting, encouraging a particular idea. So one particular idea is always being enumerated many many times through so many other ideas given. Arthavada and praising this person who realizes God, he becomes blessed and he attains to everything and the person, other person who is not a realized soul he will have to go through the three afflictions life after life. Like that it goes on praising spiritual practice and God and censoring or criticizing the opposite type of life that we are all leading. So what is it? What is being praised must be accepted as the truth and what is being criticized must be rejected. This is called Arthavada. Eulogy of arguments, narratives, supporting, encouraging is the central idea of the scripture. That is the fifth one. Then we come to the last. It is called Upapatti. So what is Upapatti? It is to look at what is being demonstrated by examples or analogies. The other is to follow the train of thought logically and find out what is implied by it. By that again we can come to a conclusion about the Tatpariya. So what is it? What are all these examples for, analogies for? What are the explanations for? And they all must consistently point out to something and that would be the central theme of this particular scripture. So you see through all these characteristics we can know what is the real purport, essence, Tatpariya of any book actually whether it is worldly book or spiritual. And if we apply this actually before reading any book. Why am I reading this book? And what is this book about? And if you that is why there is an art of reading a book. And there are books. How to read a book? So in that this comes particular topic. First of all you see the title. Most often the title, most often not always indicates the subject matter. Secondly, you read the preface of the author or even some other people's introduction. And that will be very brief and that will tell you what is the subject matter. And then look at the index and that will support the Tatpariya. And then at the end look at the either chapter summary or the entire book is summarized at the very end of this book. And that is what exactly we are talking here through these six characteristics. They are called Linga. Indicators we can know the purport of any scripture. And this is what Vedantic teachers want to apply to every Vedantic scripture. But here in this particular instance we are talking about the gospel of and you ask what is the essence of it? Tatpariya of gospel. You are none other than God. But Ramakrishna says God is the creator. You are the creator. There cannot be any difference between the cause and the effect. Because effect is only a disguise for the real cause. Nama, special name. Rupa, special form. Prayojana, what is the utility? If there is no utility I will not make an ornament. I will not make a utensil. So Ramakrishna gives so many illustrations. Sings so many songs. Gives so many parables. Similarly, Jesus Christ in the Bible also gives. So Buddha, parables of Buddha are extraordinary. So this is how things go on and incidentally in this particular story of the 6th chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad we see the story of Shweta Ketu. Nine times it is repeated with possible explanations and then Shweta Ketu was... and then what happens? We don't need to even ask that question because Shweta Ketu by that time he must have heard, he must have understood, he must have contemplated and he must have realized and each one of us have to become a Shweta Ketu that is we must become apt students of the gospel of Ramakrishna. So that is what Ramakrishna immediately says. Ramakrishna explains regarding the incapacity of the mind to know Brahma and he gives beautiful example. So once an ant went to a hill of sugar. One grain filled its stomach. Taking another grain in its mouth, it started homework. Ramakrishna by the way is a superb storyteller. Look at it. Not only one grain of sugar filled the stomach of the ant but it wants to store. How much can it take? Another grain. It started homework but on its way it thought, next time I shall carry home the whole hill. So why can't it carry this time? Why should it come next time? Because when it took one grain of sugar and that weight and that is all it can. But it is not thinking that it is not possible for me to carry the whole hill. I can only take bit by bit because I am a bit. So that is the way Ramakrishna says. Shallow minds think. They don't know what Brahman is. That Brahman is beyond one's words and thought. However great a man may be, how much can he know of Brahman? Shukadeva and sages like him may have been big ants but even they could carry at the utmost eight or ten grains of sugar. I don't know how Ramakrishna had calculated this but anyway it is only for illustration. As for what has been said in the Vedas and Puranas, do you know what it is like? Suppose a man has seen the ocean and someone asks him, well, what is the ocean like? The first man opens his mouth as wide as he can and says, what a sight! What tremendous waves and sounds! That's it. The description of Brahman in the sacred books is like that. It is said in the Vedas that Brahman is of the nature of bliss. It is Satchitananda. And there is Ramakrishna's. What is called a unique type of explanations. Shoka and other sages means God-realized souls stood on the shore of this ocean of Brahman and saw and touched the water. According to one school of thought, they never plunged into it because those who do cannot come back to the world again. I will stop here but I will bring a parable of Sri Ramakrishna. Once a salt doll was asked, could you plunge into the ocean and measure the depth of the ocean? How far down it goes and come back? It said, yes, yes, I will do it. And it jumped into the ocean. Now, as soon as it jumped, it got melted and then it never came back. So we are all like that. So our mind, once it reaches Brahman, it becomes one because it is none other than Brahman. The body is Brahman. The mind is Brahman. Everything that we entire universe is nothing but Brahman. Like every part that is made out of clay is nothing but clay. Every ornament that we see is nothing but the material out of which it was made. In this instance, gold, etc. We will continue these beautiful thoughts in our next class.