Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 114 on 18-June-2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

August 5th, 1882, visit to Pandit Eshwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Sri Ramakrishna is explaining regarding the incapacity of the mind to know Brahman. This is one of the most important matters for us to understand. We can become one with Brahman, but we cannot define Him. It is impossible. Why is it impossible? Simple reason. Any instrument which is limited cannot give us information about the unlimited. So the problem is we are trying to understand something which is beyond the capacity of the mind. This is one of the most important subjects of every scripture. God ever remains unknown when we look at God or Brahman from the viewpoint of duality. But God becomes absolutely known when we become one with Him. The only way for us to know about the unlimited, the infinite is to become unlimited and infinite. In our normal day-to-day lives, we are always focusing upon knowledge. Every millisecond, we are victims of this knowledge. What is this? What is that? Is it good for me? Can I get it? Can I avoid it? Is it dangerous? Every activity, as a great sage had expressed it, any activity, every activity, since the beginning of creation until the end of creation is only one. What is it? How to be happy are expressed in two ways. Sukha prapti, dukkha nivrutti. How can I stop suffering and how can I become more happy? Even if I am happy, I want to be more happy. And this beautiful concept has been very nicely explained in the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad called Brahmananda Valli, where higher and higher and higher types of attainments or Lokas, each one surpassing unimaginably greater in bliss compared to the lower one. So on Wednesdays, we are talking about that. Why is it that we are seeking this higher happiness? Because that's our nature and this is one of the most fundamental points we have to understand that we cannot stop being what we are. In fact, one of our senior Swamis put it in a very beautiful way. We have somehow managed to forget who we are and every attempt is to know who we are. Only put it in understandable language, it is a quest for complete happiness, eternal infinite happiness. But because we are that existence, knowledge and bliss, we are seeking that knowledge. What is that knowledge? It is not trying to know something, but trying to be that I am that. And at this moment, I know that I am not that, I am something else. So every activity, can this take me to what I am? This is the quest. The essence of every scripture is I want to be myself. And the only way to be myself is not to become myself, but to know myself. I am already what I know. And this was the subject that is going on and Sairam Krishna is beautifully expressing. And if an ordinary man is presented this topic from the gospel of Sairam Krishna, then he may not be able to connect it with the Upanishads, especially the Upanishads. The whole essence of the Vedas is so beautifully compressed and expressed, sometimes of course in an ununderstandable language, which Bhagavad Gita explains so beautifully. And Sairam Krishna explains even more simply that we are Brahman. Somehow we came to think that we are not Brahman and we are searching our own selves. Several examples are given. A musk deer going on getting that highly intoxicating fragrance, goes on thinking. It is coming from outside. I am not the source of that fragrance. So we are also like that musk deer in search of ourselves only. So Sairam Krishna is explaining. And one of the intriguing words that we use so many times, and this has stumped the understanding of some of the very contemporary senior monks, not in our order, but outside the Ramakrishna order. And they go on to the extent of ridiculing it that Samadhi is one of the worst, stupidest states of the mind. What is it? You are stunning the mind. It is like becoming unconscious by taking a medicine. I do not know how to describe them. I don't want. But what is Samadhi? We must have a clear understanding of this terminology. We are using it all the time. What is Samadhi? It is not an unconscious state, but it is the knowledge that I am Brahman. I am God. This is called Samadhi. Samadhi is that knowledge about myself. I am Aham Brahmasmi. Sairam Krishna, in Samadhi, one attains the knowledge of Brahman. One realizes Brahman. In that state, reasoning stops altogether and man becomes mute. He has no power to describe the nature of Brahman. These few words scattered throughout the Gospels are highly notable words. Each time we see this expression, one realizes Brahman. What does it mean? So I become a musician after many years of training. So I realize I have become a great musician. No. Realization means I realize. Realize. Even the word realize is a wonderful word. That which alone becomes real is called realization. And one knows I am Brahman. So this word one realizes should not be misunderstood. Somebody is standing in front of somebody else and then he is having a very crystal clear view. And I see Brahman. I don't see Brahman. Brahman also doesn't see you. I am Brahman. So in that state, Sriram Krishna knows reasoning stops altogether. Why does reasoning stop? Because it is the nature of the very mind to go on reasoning. Every millisecond, every piece of knowledge starts a reasoning. I see something and immediately reasonings. The first reasoning is what is this? Suppose I know this is a tree. This is a car. So is this tree good? Is the fruit desirable? Is this car moving? If it is moving, am I in danger of being crushed? So reasoning stops. But blissfully as we say that when all this reasoning stops completely, we all experience it every single day when we are in deep sleep. Why? Because the mind has not vanished but the mind becomes temporarily quelled, stunned. It is there in a potential form but it is still there. How do we know? Because as soon as we get up, again the same rigmarole starts. So reasoning stops altogether and man becomes mute. Why does man become mute? Because this is what we were talking also in the Saturday-Sunday classes also. What is called the Pramanas, the instruments of knowledge. Five are all what is called Pratyaksha, direct experience. And it creates dualistic knowledge. I know this man. That means I am aware of myself. I am aware of the person and I am aware at this moment I have the knowledge of this person. In fact, the very cognition that this is a man falls into the category of duality. But the most horrible fact about this type of knowledge is I am separate from this object. Whatever we know, that is not me. This is the most fundamental principle of Advaita Vedanta. Not only Advaita Vedanta, in our day-to-day mundane transactional world also, I see anything. So I am not that. I see a tree. Nobody will say I am the tree. I see a house. I am not the house. I see you. I am not you. However much closely related we are. And by the same proxy or logic, I see my body and therefore I should conclude I am not the body. And I also experience my mind in the form of thoughts. There is an angry thought. There is a happy thought, etc. So extend the same analogy. Since I am experiencing something, then I am not the mind also. Very, very difficult. And that is the first step in spiritual practice to be able to witness. And this is what Ravi Adityanath Maharaj used to say. Practice continuous awareness as a witness. Then only there is some hope we can progress in spiritual life. So man becomes completely mute. Why does he become mute? Because the indescribable cannot be described. Upanishads declare again and again that the mind which is very little capable is not at all capable. And Sri Ramakrishna illustrates it. And we have also discussed it especially in this topic. Visit to the Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar. An ant has visited a mountain of sugar and it just was capable of carrying one grain of sugar. And it is returning to its place, ant hill, to store it. And then it is thinking, next time I will carry the whole hill. Very interesting topic because is the ant hill capable of holding the whole sugar mountain? There is a shop in England, UK, Harrods. So there was one rich Arab who bought it. It is so huge and costliest things, very valuable things are available. So where is he going to carry it and place it? So he kept it there only and is conducting the business all the time there. So man becomes mute because that is Sri Ramakrishna's words. If we can connect with the scriptural statements, then it would be wonderful. Because that gives so much of joy and our memory power also will increase. So Sri Ramakrishna has given so many statements like this. Shukadeva, even the great Shiva, so to say, he only drank one handful, mouthful and he became unconscious. He dances in the greatest joy, Nataraja Tandava. And then Sri Ramakrishna is a past master in giving similes. There was one great poet in Indian history who was very famous for his similes. The Sanskrit word for this word simile is Upama. Upama Kalidasasya. So Kalidasa is famous for his similes and probably Sri Ramakrishna surpasses him. This is an illustration. Once a salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean and everybody burst into a laughter. Why? Immediately the analogy. A salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean. What is the ocean consisting of? Only melted salt, liquid salt in a liquid form. So it wanted to tell others how deep the water was. But this it could never do. For no sooner did it get into the water than it became melted. Now it knows what is the depth of the ocean because it became one with the ocean. And this is one of the fundamental concepts of knowledge. What is that? To the extent we are able to identify ourselves with any object, to that extent we get the knowledge of that object. If I want to know you, I must become you. And interestingly, this is what Sri Ramakrishna used to do. And following his footsteps, even Holy Mother, Swami Vivekananda, everybody. They also automatically became that. So how did they help their disciples? They become one with the mind of the disciple. Just like an expert psychiatrist assumes, becomes one like the patient, but with full awareness and then only understands how. So this is the problem. So the salt doll became completely one with the ocean. And as it becomes the ocean, does the ocean know how deep it is? We have to extend these thoughts. The ocean knows because just like we know, we are aware. Even the smallest part of our foot, we are completely aware. So also we are aware of the top of our head. That means top to bottom or bottom to top, we are completely aware of our own self. That is how we say I am so and so. Whenever we say I am so and so, it includes from top to bottom. Nobody says I am a hand, I am a head, etc., etc. So now who was there to report the ocean's depth? And then not only that, we have to add a little bit and say to whom is the ocean going to report its depth? Because only an ocean can understand another ocean. So there is no need actually. One Naira Brahman knows the other Naira Brahman. So every Naira Brahman knows Brahman. So where is the need to be told? This was the beautiful experience of Ramakrishna. And this analogy, we have to sit and meditate. So how do I know what Brahman is? Then what is the extent? Actually, this word Brahman comes from the root Brm. That means big. It is not an adjective. It is a noun. What is the difference between these two? If you say here is a big mountain, that bigness is an adjective to the mountain which is a noun. But when we say Brahman is a noun, bigness is a noun, that means it can qualify. Brahman is everything. Brahman is this tree. This is a very intellectually enlightening topic. There was an American devotee whose mother gave, recognized Swami Vekananda for the first time and adopted him as her grandson. So he used to call her granny. And then this lady had some daughters and also daughters of her sister. So there was one lady called Mary. And Mary became a bit close to Swamiji. Not very close. Later on, she behaved a little bit strangely also. But she appreciated. She was intellectual. And then she thought, she understood Swami Vekananda's teaching. So Swami, I am only paraphrasing it. I am not putting in Swamiji's words. So Swami, it comes to this. This chair is God and this door is God. Immediately Swamiji corrected her. No. God is the chair. God is the door. God is the mat, the rat, the cat, everything. But cat cannot be said to be God in the way we understand. What is the big deal of difference if God is cat and cat is not God? What is the difference? There we need intellectual capacity to understand that. So if Swami Vekananda explained it, I will try to follow, imitate him. He said, supposing you take clay and make a mouse and then make an elephant. Don't say the clay mouse, the clay elephant are exactly one and the same. Never say that. The raw material, the clay as clay, they are one. But as manifested objects, there is heaven and hell difference between the mouse and the mountain or in this case elephant. So if the clay wants to strike the elephant, it will break into pieces. Or the other way around also, if the elephant puts its foot, then it crumbles into dust. So as manifestation, God is manifested. But compared to other manifestations, there is a huge difference. And this is what a big topic here itself with Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar. We get that topic. So there was a question posed by Vidya Sagar. Is power or Shakti different in different people? Sri Ramakrishna was not only a simile master, he was very sharp-tongued also. Immediately, of course, it was not Sri Ramakrishna who was speaking. We have to understand the Divine Lord, Divine Mother, He used to call what we call Brahman or God. And this calling Brahman as God has its own shortcomings. What is the shortcoming? The moment we use the word God, the first picture that comes is that God is, first of all, male. Secondly, He will be like a man. And we know only man. And we know only God as male or female. So our very concept of God and this concept is not an innocent concept. It is leading to wars. So everybody who thinks of God as Father wants to convert everybody else into their own religion. These are the very painful consequences of thinking of God as only Father. So not understanding Fatherly qualities and Father, there is a heaven and hell difference. So we are coming to this as a manifested object. Every object is different from every other object. But if we are thinking about what is called cause, the original material of which all these are manifestations, then all are equal. So equality comes. This was what Swamiji was striving to convey to Mary Hill that you should not misunderstand. God is a chair because God is the material. But a chair is not God because a chair is a small object. It has got certain shape, certain size, certain weight, certain utility, certain colour, etc. This is how we have to meditate upon the scriptural statements, teachings of the scriptures. So this is what Sri Ramakrishna is trying to make. That one who enters into Samadhi, what is Samadhi? That complete knowledge, I am Brahman, that is called Samadhi. Not what happens to the body. So sometimes the body becomes silent. But Ramana Maharshi had expressed this concept very beautifully. He used to call it Sahaja Samadhi. Once a person realises I am Brahman and that becomes his natural state. We may see the body in the waking or in the dream state. How do we know that another person is dreaming? Because when you look at that person and he is sometimes smiling, sometimes weeping and that is we know he is experiencing something. We don't see what he is experiencing. But we see the effect of the experience and we can infer from it that this person is dreaming. Now scientists also use a word, a rapid eye movement, REM, they call it. But we don't know. Anyway, what is the point here? The point is we are judging the person from the bodily and inferring also what could be the state of the mind. But nobody will understand because we know our own bodily state, mind state. So through our knowledge of our own body and mind, we are inferring the other person's experiences also. But if I realise Brahman, you realise Brahman, I and you are not there. So there is nothing to separate I and you. Therefore, that is called Samadhi. And as Ramana Maharshi used to say, Sahaja Samadhi, because once a person recovers this memory that I am Brahman. And here also, linguistically, we have to be aware. So in our normal day-to-day, we use past tense, present tense and future tense. And there is no tense in Brahman. One doesn't say, I was Brahman, I am not Brahman, I will become Brahman. I was Brahman, I am Brahman and I will be Brahman. There is no break in my continuity of being Brahman. Because once we get that knowledge, we will never forget it. But even worldly knowledge, we forget it. So even an Einstein, when he is completely awake, alert and working in his laboratory, he is an Einstein. But if somebody gives a blow to his brain and he is sleeping, he is not an Einstein. He is what is called a rotting piece of flesh, that's all. So this is the beautiful explanation. Dhrita Sahaja Samadhi, whenever we meditate upon Sri Ramakrishna, three meditational shlokas are there. Pradaya Kamala Madhya, it starts like that. So Niranjanam Nityam, then the third one, that Sadhrita Sahaja Samadhim Chinmayam Komalangam Vimala Paramahamsam Ramakrishnam Bhaja Maha. So this Sahaja Samadhi, what does this mean? That means even most of us, Sri Ramakrishna is talking, he is laughing, he is eating. What is the conclusion? He is not in Samadhi. And suddenly peculiar bodily postures will be there. And where is he now? Oh! Sri Ramakrishna went into Samadhi. And wherever you went, he will also come back. That is not the Samadhi. That is a bodily posture. But it is a state of being aware, being not aware. But real, what is it? Sahaja Samadhi. Interestingly, I am going into these raptures, today's topic. So even when a person is, say a realized soul, is being beaten by somebody else, is there this Dhrita Sahaja Samadhi? Yes. Even then this person is completely, absolutely aware. What is aware? That nobody is beating anybody. It is Brahman only. And nothing. Sahaja Samadhi. So that knowledge, I am Brahman, will never be going away also. So this is how we have to understand. So many things are there. And it is a joy to contemplate on the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, his Gospel especially. Anyway, now a devotee, having heard the above descriptions of what is Samadhi, and Sri Ramakrishna says, mind cannot measure Brahman because it is a limited instrument. And therefore, a devotee, I don't know how much he understood, he is posing a question. Suppose a man has obtained the knowledge of Brahman in Samadhi, doesn't he speak anymore? So the question, we have to even contemplate on this question. So does he not speak doesn't mean, only not the aspect of speaking. Does he not smile? Does he not eat? Does he not hear? Does he not see? Does he not touch? So any one of these activities, does he act? Does he not act? And we have, did Sri Ramakrishna speak after realization? When we are discussing this Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, we presume, not only the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, what we call the orthodox devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, not only consider him as a realized soul, he is an Avatar, he is an incarnation of God. So he is far superior, but you have to understand an incarnation of God and a realized soul, they are same so far as knowledge is concerned. But the difference between Avatar and a realized soul is not about knowledge, but about the power expressed through their body and mind. So here is something very important for you to understand. Is Sri Ramakrishna speaking? Many people, they know Sri Ramakrishna had visions of God and God realized soul. And what is the meaning of this question? Does he speak? So did Sri Ramakrishna speak after Nirvikalpa Samadhi or not? Throughout the Gospel, in fact, Sri Ramakrishna, if we have to find some fault with him, he will not allow others to speak. So you put a question as briefly as possible and I will fill up all your time. So the whole Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, if you separate what Sri Ramakrishna had spoken, what the other fellows have spoken, will form only a small speck in that Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Of course, it is for our good only, but I am just making fun. Did Sri Ramakrishna speak? Did Swami Vivekananda speak? Did Ramana Maharshi speak? Everybody spoke. This was the question in a different way posed by Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. Because this doubt is not our doubt. It is an eternal doubt. What is the state of a person after he realizes God? Remember, Samadhi means realization of God. After that, what happens? And this was the question at the end of the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita from the 54th shloka. Arjuna was put. Arjuna means he is a representative of every earnest sadhaka. Arjuna was not the warrior. Arjuna was not the commander-in-chief. In this case, Arjuna was a great spiritual aspirant who completely surrendered himself to God and became a Sishya in the real sense of the term. And then he is speaking. He is questioning. You have given a beautiful description of what is called a person of God-realization. For what is called a better word, I am using that word God-realization. But Arjuna uses that word Samadhi. This was the question. What is the state of a realized soul? A Jivanmukta. Because what happens is very important for us to understand. So there are two types of people. At the end of spiritual practice, some people completely become. They lose their individuality. Losing this individuality is called realization. So long as there is individuality, that is unreal. But once a person loses this, what is called Ahamkara. By the way, there are two words we have to be very very acutely conscious. Aham and Ahamkara. If we are referring to Brahman, Aham is another word for Brahman. So we can substitute. Instead of saying Brahman, we can use the word Aham. But as soon as we add that Kara. Kara means individual, this body, mind and it is this which creates. I am a Hindu. I am a Christian. I am a believer, non-believer, good and evil, man and woman. All these differentiations belong to this Aham manifesting in individuality. So what is Samadhi? Loss of the individuality. What does it mean? Is the individuality becoming destroyed? No, it actually attains true individuality. Swami Vivekananda has pointed it out in a what is called Punny manner. Pun, not fun. Pun, if you take this word individual, individual means what? That can be divided. Individual means what? That which cannot be divided. So now we are all divided and used to very slowly pronounce it. You are an individual, making fun that you are not, sir, an individual. You have yet to become an individual because an individual will be only Brahman. And you are completely divided, multiple personality syndrome. Each one of us suffers from multiple personality syndrome. If you are a doctor, when you go to your office, you become a doctor. When you go to the club, you are a club member. When you go for a swim, you become a swimmer. Not, may not be swimmer, but swimmer. And when you come home, you are obedient like a mouse. I hope so. So all this divided personality. Then we identify most of our time with the body and with one particular sense organ. We are completely divided. But when we enter into that state called Samadhi, we become true individuals. So that is why perhaps we have to say Mahavakya. The individual becomes the universal, truly realizing I am an individual. I am not a divided being. So now we can rephrase this question. So there are people who recollect I am Brahman. That is called realization. That is called state of Samadhi. And usually, Sri Ramakrishna says after 21 days, the bodies of such people fall down. Why does it fall down? You have to question every word you can contemplate. Then you squeeze the divine juice, Amrita, from every word of Sri Ramakrishna. So why does He not come down to this body? Because if anybody had experienced the highest bliss, He doesn't want to come back. Because whatever may be the... When He comes back to this individuality, His expression of His bliss seems to be, appears to be limited, divided. So even Sri Ramakrishna is here to suffer. That is why a Bengali expression is there, Pancha Bhutair Pandhe Brahma Podhe Khandhe When Brahma identifies that I am the five elements, by the way, saying that I am the body, I am the mind, is called falling into the trap or net of the five Bhutas. Then he has to weep. Weeping means what? Weeping doesn't always mean weeping. Weeping means falling into the trap of individual limitation. That is what we have to understand. So what was the devotee's question? What was Arjuna's question? That what happened? So there is a different, a second type of person. Then he is called Jeevan Mukta. What does it mean? I explained with a small illustration. So many rivers, ultimately, are flowing from different directions, different volumes, and then they come and fall into the ocean. They become merged into the ocean. Giving up their names, giving up their forms, giving up their qualities, etc., etc. They become one with the ocean. But this Jeevan, what is called an individual, having realized Brahman, becomes. That is equivalent to merging, getting merged. Kara will go. Aham only will remain. I reminded you earlier. Always remember, when we choose to use Aham, it refers to God, refers to Brahman. But when we say Ahamkara, that Kara is what needs to be eliminated. That Kara must merge into Aham. The dividability must merge in the individual. So for the good of the world, for the welfare of the world, God himself enters. Like an ocean again enters in another form, taking the name or qualities of a river. This is happening 24 hours a day. A river falls into the ocean. Ocean then lifts up, separating the salt portion, leaving it down, only distilled water, and it travels through the help of wind, and it reaches mountain tops and starts falling down in the form of rain, and then it becomes another river, and again comes this arising and again going back, Srishti, Stithi, Laya. Just as a river, we are also going into that same state. So some bodies and minds are retained by God for the welfare of the world, for the edification or teaching of the worldly people, those who are striving to come. It is a very interesting topic. If we read the Lalita Vistara, Mahapurana, that is the Purana about Lord Buddha, the story of Lord Buddha. So he attained what is called enlightenment, nirvana, and then he decided. It is a very beautiful description. In Bodh Gaya, there is a tree. Under that tree, he sat down, and he tried for many years to realize that state of nirvana, which we call That state he attained. But before attaining to that state, he determined that this body is not going to get up from this seat until that highest realization is obtained. And then there is a beautiful Sanskrit verse. This body is not going to get up until I attain to that highest state. And that very night, and it happened to be a full moon day in the month of May, you see, a Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and finally giving up the body and remaining identified with Brahman. All the three had happened on the same day. Usually it comes in April end or May, according to Indian calendar, full moon day. That is why it is called thrice blessed. So this he attained, and then by God's will or God entered in the form of the, through the body and mind of Buddha for 14 days. He went round and round the tree, dancing in indescribable joy. And then a very nice idea comes that Brahma, the creator comes down, bows down, and then he says, Lord, now at the end of the 14th day, Buddha decided to give up his body because that indescribable joy, he doesn't want to go. But Brahma came and requested that, please remain on the earth for some time and teach the people. Then Buddha worried, who is there? Who is eager to listen to my teachings? And Brahma explained, there are three types of people. All human beings can be categorized, classified into three types. Those who never want any spiritual life, who are not interested, worldly people. Your teachings will be completely unwanted, useless for those people. And there are a few people who have already realized Brahman. So for them, your teachings are not necessary at all. But there are a few more people who are very sincere, who are confused, but who are determined to progress in their life. For such people, your teachings will be extremely useful. And a very interesting incident also takes place. Buddha accepts Brahma's words and then he goes. And then on the way, he meets one spiritual person. And Buddha thought, this person is a very capable person. Perhaps I will teach him. Then he taught his highest teaching. And then that man heard it like some of the Brahma devotees. And then they said, Oh Shramana, you are a good man. So you go that way. I will go this way. Tata. Bye bye. And he went away. Then Buddha thought, to whom shall I teach? Then he remembered, just before this enlightenment, he was living with five Shramanas. And then that happened at Sarnath here near Kashi. And then those people, they are very earnest, very sincere, but they require guidance. So he made their way and he came. And these five people, they had highest regard for Buddha before he started eating. But seeing him eating, they discarded him. Oh, this Buddha, Siddhartha had fallen from the highest vow. Now he became a worldly person. And we will not entertain him in our company. We will not respect him. So they saw him coming. And then from a distance, they decided, we will not get up. We will not greet him. We will neglect him, as it were. But as soon as he approached sufficiently near distance, automatically they jumped to their feet and then bowed their heads. Welcome. And then Buddha gives his first sermon at Sarnath. This is called Dharma Chakra Pravartana, the beginning of the spreading of the Dharma. That is the purpose of Avatar himself. Many things are there. I want to talk, but I'm deviating too much from it. So did Buddha speak? Was he a realized soul? Yes. Did Krishna speak? Was he a realized soul? Yes. But it was Krishna. It was not Buddha. It was not Ramakrishna. It was not Jesus. It is the Brahman himself. These bodies and minds of these people who are realized are the perfect instruments for the teachings. That is why it is very necessary every time God incarnates, whenever it is necessary. And the first thing that he does is reinterpret scriptures that are understandable and practicable at the present age, according to the changed circumstances. Anyway, so Arjuna's question, just like this devotee's question, does a Jeevan Mukta, will he not speak? Will he always be in deep Nirvikalpa Samadhi? And then this is a very funny thing also happened. I will share it with you. Sri Ramakrishna, after Totapuri had left, dwelt for six months only in the highest Nirvikalpa Samadhi. And at that time, just at that time, some unknown holy man, Sadhu, came from somewhere. Nobody knew where from, why he came. He came and he saw Sri Ramakrishna. Divine Mother had given him the knowledge that this person is in the highest Samadhi. This body, if it can be preserved, then it will do a lot of good. And all this by the grace of the Divine Mother. So he used to keep a little bit of food and then go on shouting. Or he used to carry a small stick and then beat Sri Ramakrishna's body until a little bit of external consciousness came. And then he would, what is called, push the food into the mouth of Sri Ramakrishna. And then a little bit used to go inside. Mostly it fell outside. But that what went in the body of Sri Ramakrishna sustained him. And then six months have passed. And then one day he heard a Divine Mother's commandment. Bhava Mukhe Thako. Live in a state of Bhava. Bhava Mukha. Not Bhava, Bhava Mukha. And then Sri Ramakrishna, not only that, he was not willing to come out. Because once anybody gets that sleep, nobody wants to come from that highest state of bliss or the bliss of Realization, God Realization, Ananda. But Divine Mother at that time created terrible stomach pain. That is a different story altogether, but I am just summarizing. And then this pain had brought his mind down. And Totapuri also suffered from the same fate for an entirely different reason. Here, in the case of Sri Ramakrishna, the pain in the stomach came to bring his mind down from Nirvikalpa Samadhi or Sahaja Samadhi state. Whereas in the case of Totapuri Maharaj, that stomach pain came to pull him up from the state of duality to the state of non-duality. The cause is the same, but the end result is totally different. And after that, only Totapuri is left. So, does the Jeevan Mukta speak? Means, we have to understand, does God speak? After that, what happens to the body and mind? Because Karma phala, Prarabdha, Sanchita, Agami, all these are useless concepts. When a person realizes God, when a person doesn't even think I am the body, there is no question of his thinking whether I should live or not live or any such thing. Prarabdha Karma does not operate in the case of a Jeevan Mukta. But we might mistake. Prarabdha is there, so the body and mind will run as long as the momentum of the Prarabdha Karma goes. That is our misunderstanding, absolutely. But it is God who comes. And there is a beautiful topic. We see in the Gospel of Sri Ram. One day, Ramakrishna asked him pointedly, Do you think I have egotism? And M replied, No, sir. You have absolutely no egotism. And then what he adds, But you have kept a little bit of your egotism so that you can enjoy divine communion. And what came the answer? Like a slap, Sri Ramakrishna said, No, I have not kept. My divine mother has. That is very important for us to understand because that I, which you can say I can keep, I want to keep, is not available at all. That I is forever absent, vanished. Then the I that comes after the Samadhi state, Jivanmukta state, is only Brahman speaking through the instruments of that body and mind. And that is what exactly Ramakrishna says. And then what is the state of a realized soul? In Jivanmukta, he sees only Brahman at all times, at all places. Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma. This is the state of every Jivanmukta, whether it is what is called Ramakrishna, Krishna, Rama, Buddha, Jesus, any ever realized soul. And this is what Krishna describes, especially at the very end lines. Apuryamanam Achalapratishtham Samudramapah Pravishanti Advat Advat Kamayam Pravishanti Sarve Shanti Maapnoti Na Kamakami And then he concludes, the second chapter concludes, Esha Brahmi Stithi This is called the state of realization. He Partha, O Arjuna, Enam Prapya Nave Mohi Once a person attains this, he will never be separated from the knowledge of the knowledge. What is knowledge? Aham Brahmasmi Stithvasyam Antakalepi Even if a person just attains it, one moment just before the fall of the body, Brahmanirvanam Rujati He becomes completely one for eternity with Brahman. Beautiful subject. We will talk about it in our next class.