Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 123 on 22-October-2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Visit to Vidyasagar, August 5, 1882. Now Sri Ramakrishna's assurance that God is real and can be talked to. This is what Sri Ramakrishna says, God can be seen, one can talk to him as I am talking to you. Hearing this, M is observing. In silent wonder, they all sat listening to the master's words. It seemed to them that the Goddess of Wisdom herself, that is Mother Saraswati herself, seated on Sri Ramakrishna's tongue, was addressing these words not merely to Vidyasagar, but to all humanity for its good. And what was Sri Ramakrishna saying? God can be seen and not only that, one can talk to him as I am talking to you. Now naturally the question that comes is, can God be seen? Can one talk to God? We have discussed this subject and we will discuss and it is very, very relevant for us. The question that comes is, has anyone seen God? Of course, myriads of saints, every saint is a person, whether he be a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim, a Sufi, a Buddhist, they all have seen God. Now the second question is, is he seen within one's heart or can he be seen like we see a tree, a mountain, a river, a house, a car? Yes, undoubtedly one can see both ways. Of course, the ultimate thing is to see God within one's own mind. But what do you think we are seeing? According to our scriptures, whatever a person is seeing is nothing but God. And it is such a simple thing and at the same time it is such an intricate something, unbelievable something. Why? Because as the Taittiriya Upanishad puts it, while describing about the glory of Omkara, Omkara is what is You are like a scabbard in which sword is kept. So you are like that scabbard, Omkara, within you, you are protecting Brahman. What is Omkara? The essence of all knowledge, just as a doorway we can say. So when there is a door and it is open, anybody can come from inside to outside, from outside to inside. So as simple as that. Similarly, Brahman can be experienced. And here only we have discussed this point. We have to understand there are two aspects of Brahman. I would say two experiences of Brahman. One experience is I am Brahman. So there is no question of saying I am Brahman. Even to say this is only in the realm of the mind. Just like our Sushupti. If we ask many number of people that are you aware? Are you in the Sushupti state? Actually this is very interesting topic by itself. When a person is in the waking state, he is both experiencing and he is also able to express what he is experiencing. So I am seeing you. I am not only seeing you but I am also able to express I am seeing you. But when it comes to dream state, I am experiencing dream. I recollect I was in the dream and then in the dream itself. Same topic comes, yes I am seeing you. So somewhat we can understand in the dream state also, I am rather we would say I was experiencing a dream. But actually speaking I am experiencing dream only. The recollection comes later on. But when it comes to Sushupti state, then most of us fall. I have seen many many people, even learned people saying that we are not aware that I am in the Sushupti deep sleep state. So surprising to me. How come upon waking up if we ask what were you doing? Everybody unhesitatingly, unthinkingly, instantaneously they say I slept well. Mark these words very well. I slept well. I slept well. Nobody says in between you came and slept for me. So from the moment I entered into that state of Sushupti until I wake up, we are aware completely only I was in that state. The question now is am I in that state while I was in that state? Yes, I am. Then how come we don't remember just like in the waking state I am speaking to you right now and I am aware that I am speaking to you. Is that awareness there in the Sushupti state? Definitely it is there. Then why can't I tell? Because there is no subject-object division there. To whom am I going to tell? All that we do is experience I am in Sushupti state. That experience is common, universal. But upon waking up we are asking that question from the viewpoint of duality which is waking state. And then we say I am completely aware. I am the subject. You are the object. I am totally separate from everything in this universe and therefore I am aware. Not only I am in the waking state, I am also aware, self-aware. I am in the waking state. Exactly similarly I am completely self-aware. But I am not aware. I am self-aware, I am not aware. What is it? There is no object. And therefore I am Sushupti. Not that I am only experiencing Sushupti. I am Sushupti. What happens in the waking state? I am experiencing waking state. At the same time I am aware. I am somebody who is experiencing the waking state. I hope this is not too difficult for us to understand. But the truth is I am only experiencing. I am in Sushupti. In fact, there is nobody to whom we can express I am experiencing Sushupti. But what happens? I enter into another state called waking. Then I recollect. Just like we recollect dream states. I was dreaming. We can only say I was in the Sushupti state. But all the time I alone, nobody else is there. Now what this has got to do with our topic? Has anybody seen God? Yes, there are two states, experiences of Brahman. I am Brahman is what I was talking about right until now. But if the same God assumes four arms or Divine Mother ten arms. And then also one can have that kind of vision. And Sairam Krishna's life like any other saint's life. What do you think? Andal was experiencing even at home. What do you think? Mirabai was experiencing at all times. What do you think? Namdev, Tukaram, Gyandev, Ramana Maharshi. Very interesting topic because the gospel is like a deep ocean. The deeper we dive into it and the more we understand. And you know Sairam Krishna used to give a beautiful example of a salt doll. Once a salt doll wanted to measure the depth of the ocean. And then we know the familiar Sairam Krishna's example. So it dived and within a short time it became melted. And who is there to come and inform others what is the depth of the ocean. This much we know. But another saint has interpreted it a little bit further. He said what happened to that salt doll? Of course it became merged in the ocean. And what comes to our mind after reading this? There is really a salt doll and we know what is the ocean. And this salt doll went into the ocean. And the saltness of the doll had become one with the saltness of the ocean. This is grossest imagination we are capable of. But really speaking what happens to that doll? It has the highest experience. I am the ocean. It is not melted but it has lost its individual nature. Individuality is lost. Universality is gained. Previously if you ask I am a salt doll. Now if you can ask I am the ocean. That is called ultimate Aham Brahmasmi. And this expression Aham Brahmasmi as I mentioned just now is only when I am in the state of duality. Speaking with somebody or even if I am writing or if I am speaking. But in that state just like Sushupti I do not describe the Sushupti. I cannot describe. Because if I describe it will not be Sushupti. And if I am unable to describe that is called Sushupti. So can anybody see Brahman? Yes one way of speaking is that complete oneness with Brahman. That is one experience. The other that we usually. What do we mean by that? So I am standing here. I am seeing you. Like that can I see God? Yes that also can be seen. And who is that that can be seen? That is called Saguna Brahma. Sri Ramakrishna's life is full of that. He had visions of Rama, Krishna, Radha, Sita. Every imaginable God and Goddess including Jesus Christ etc. And then what is the understanding? When a God person, God man sees God it is not like our seeing a tree. Because I am seeing a tree that is very much prominent here. I can never become one with the tree. But it is just like I am seeing God. And if a person can see God then he sees that same God in everything. So God can be seen. Not only that God can be talked with. All the time Sri Ramakrishna whenever any problem came. And why problems come to people like Sri Ramakrishna? Because he used to describe. So there are two personalities within me. One personality is I am a child and I am looked after, cared for by my Divine Mother. And the second is I am the Divine Mother. So Sri Ramakrishna used to tell when I am speaking with somebody, I am touching somebody, I am guiding somebody, it is the mother who is doing that. The child personality has disappeared. The mother personality has emerged. But when Sri Ramakrishna was in the normal mode, he will be like a child. He will be confused. He can't understand 2 plus 2 is 4. And he feels I want to eat. Many funny things are there. So once Hriday was with him. Sri Ramakrishna was perhaps speaking with somebody. And then he revealed everything. He spoke. Now Hriday had a concept that if you give your teachings away in one go, the next time they will not come. Devotees will not come. He said, Mama, you should let out slowly, slowly. Today you give a little bit. So they know. They have not got. So tomorrow they will come. What do they do? The next time they come, they will bring some nice sweets and fruits or money. So third time they come, same thing they do. But if you give away everything, that would be the last time if at all they bring, you receive. Sri Ramakrishna got very annoyed and he shouted, What is it to me, to you? It is my words. I will speak everything. I will dance along with a thousand naked women. He expressed that way. Whenever he gets angry, that is what he sees. He says, that means what? We foolishly think if a great sage or saint like Sri Ramakrishna reveals the highest truth, anybody, every Tom, Dick and Harry can understand it instantaneously. No. Even if the highest truth is told, everybody understands only according to their capacity of understanding. So even if somebody says, Tattvamasi, the what that. They cannot. What is that? The what that. I am the body. And that story becomes a beautiful story in the eighth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad called the dialogue between Prajapati and Indra and Virochana. You are what you look like in your reflection. Either it is a mirror or it is a pool of water. You look at yourself and you see your reflection and that is the Atma. That is your real self. And it is the same teaching. Tattvamasi. What did Virochana understand? I am the Atman. What does he mean by Atman? I am the body. So it is quite possible. Not only possible for Sri Ramakrishna, possible even for us. I can assure you a thousand times. You just close your eyes, calm your mind and start speaking all your problems with the Mother or with whatever aspect of Shiva or Vishnu or Devi or Christ. Have a conversation. Imaginary conversation. This is called Leela Dhyana. And as you go on talking with God and you are aware God is not talking with me. I am only speaking with God. So this is my imagination. But you go on doing it. You know what miracle takes place? Something magical happens then. So as if your imagination is giving the answer back but that would be the right solution for your problem at that time. Maybe permanently also but at least at that time. And really it will come. If you are, the only condition is you must be absolutely sincere at that time. So the question is has anyone seen God? Yes, every saint not only seen God if you use this past tense seen means what? Already the event is over. Seeing God should be the correct word. Once a person starts seeing God he sees only like seeing, you know an actor or an actress. Person is one. But he is putting on so many dresses and whichever cinema you see a different dress and a little bit different make-up different names slightly different plots but the end is the same. You end up with paying the money and the director ends pocketing your money and you have lost two hours or one and a half hours and no wiser than before you went to see the cinema accepting you wasted your time. So this is what happens but what is my point? When you see ten cinemas same actor in ten dresses but you recognize this is so and so and exactly like that once a person knows the real God then whatever Vesham's dresses he puts on and it is all nothing but the same God. So once a person sees God means realizes God he cannot see anything but God. You have to remember. So it is not like going to dream and coming back. It is a state of Samadhi. And once a person knows Brahman even after coming out he sees Brahman. But what type of Brahman? Brahman with various forms various names various qualities. And so whomsoever that realized soul is talking to is nothing but Brahman. So talking is only what is called etc. So you are seeing you are talking you are hearing you are smelling you are tasting so what does it mean? When you are eating food whom are you eating? It is only God you are eating. Is it so? I never heard. Am I eating? Am I the eater of God? Yes, yes. Annapurna is the name So just like when you drink Ganga water whom are you drinking? Ganga Devi herself. When you are eating food Mother Annapurna comes in the form of Anna. And wherever there is heat you experience in your own body and that is the Agni Devata. And whenever you are breathing it is called Pranavayu that is called Vayu Devata. That is why Shanno Mitraha Tvameva Pratyaksham Brahmaasi Tvameva Brahma Vadishyami Pritam Vadishyami Satyam Vadishyami Tanmam Avato Tadvattaram Avato Avatomam Avatavattaram Once a person knows God he sees he cannot see non-God. Once a person knows this is a rope it is not a snake. After that billion times if he sees even if that rope imagine you have to exercise your imagination nourish your imagination expand your imagination to unbelievable expansion. So don't think of that old rope. Nowadays a rope can look like real snake and this rope is made up of plastic and it is electronics are embedded there AI So it can be in the form of a fly it can be in the form of a mosquito and it can be any form so it can be any form of snake etc. So you see that snake and it is hissing it is running towards you and it wants to bite you also they have programmed it to bite you also but you know if you know or if the owner if it is coming he knows all the controls are in his hands but you feel a snake is chasing me but if you are in the knowledge then you can say it is nothing but a machine which looks an object looks exactly like the rope that is what I meant expansion of imagination and everything is imaginary so man man's body is imaginary woman's body is imaginary now they are making robots looking exactly like men and women now it is not perfect but within let us say 10-20 years it will be as real and then you can marry them and you don't need to ask because they are encyclopedias embedded there so they will serve you they will message you they will cook for you sometimes they may cook you also be careful so anybody once sees God or realizes God he cannot see anything else Brahma Drishti once you acquire Brahma Drishti you cannot see any other Drishti so any saint's life is what is called a Pramana an authority that one can speak about in the life of Mirabai there is something called her husband her brother-in-law sent poison and then Meera will never eat drink see anything excepting Krishna so she offered it Vishapyala Ranane Bheja Peevat Meera Hansi Re so don't question has anybody seen God ok sir you are talking about saints sages what about me well well well  it is very often that we forget the gold excepting gold a ring doesn't exist but gold which was in a lump form earlier now has taken the form of a ring so it is only Rupa special Nama small ring and big ring small ring for the baby a little bigger for the grown up and even bigger for a fat fellow so like that it is nothing but gold we forget the gold but if you ask even a child what do you see I see a ring I see a necklace and we are all like that what do you see I see a man I see a tree I see a mosquito but it is nothing but pure God only that is what we have to understand not only say Ram Krishna not only a saint even we are also seeing then it is very relevant the next question is how do we know a person has really seen God naturally the question comes you are talking so much about seeing God how do we know a person has seen God because if anybody has any experience if once a person sees fire he knows what is fire if once a person had eaten a sweet he knows I have experiences he knows what happens every experience brings its own specific result so if somebody had seen a ghost you can see the specific result a person will be scared his heart will be beating very fast and if it beats a little faster he himself might become a ghost I don't know so if any person is scared he cannot function normally similarly if a person has eaten food if a hungry person has eaten food he will regain strength if a student has experienced his teacher talking he will gain some knowledge there will be an effect every single experience must be accompanied by its effect and what are the effects I will come to that point because in the twelfth chapter and even in the beginning itself second chapter ends sthita prigna lakshana sixth chapter what happens when a person becomes perfect in meditation and what are the characteristics of a real devotee in the twelfth chapter what are the characteristics of a jnani in the thirteenth chapter how to distinguish gods and demons in the sixteenth chapter we have got hundreds of shlokas to prove what are the effects very soon I will come to that so if once a person has seen god first thing is he cannot see anything excepting god second he will be overcoming all type of fears because once a so the churning of the milk what for to get this at last brings that is of course symbolically symbolically it means immortality ok so these are the effects once a person really sees god even if he imagines also temporary changes will be there for example if a person had seen god in a dream for a few days what happens you know the person is extraordinarily happy happier than what he was even though it is his own imagination but if a person has really seen god permanently there will he will become an ever blissful person called ananda because that is the nature of god seeing god if you see a tree you don't become a tree generally but if you see god you will become god that is the meaning of it so you see the life of a Ram Krishna any saint for that matter even your own guru you see real guru definitely there will be change and then once you know what happened can somebody talk to mother so sometimes Ram Krishna was in the mood of a child as I just now said so once Hajira confused him these are all hallucinations of your brain what did this child Ram Krishna do he went ran to the mother and laid bare his problem Hajira says if they are imaginations how come they are coming true very important incident for all of us because many times Ram Krishna used to go into bhava samadhi and come out and say oh I have seen a sanyasi and then no sanyasi was there and after an hour or so a man enters into the room and slowly introduces you are seeing me in the layman's dress but really I am a sanyasi that is how Mr. Mishra a Christian devotee and there are so many people they are not sanyasins they are highly evolved souls saints once a madcap came to Dakshineshwar Ram Krishna alone recognized him he is a brahma jnani and when that brahma jnani entered into him he started to shake by the power of his him so this is what Ram Krishna was trying to tell then Ram Krishna was talking to Vidyasagar the words I have spoken are really superfluous you know all this you simply are not conscious of it there are countless gems in the coffers lot of things and then you know they are junk and you say you have to throw out that also you know so tomorrow I will throw them out meanwhile how many tomorrows possible God alone knows and then one day you are surprised to see oh you have forgotten yourself what things were lying oh 15 because he was a learned man he was a pundit but he was not a realized soul how do you know certain things have happened later on Vidyasagar was telling you may say whatever you like but everybody was delighted with the master's conversation then what did this Ram Krishna do remember Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar did not only that now he is telling Ram Krishna was addressing Vidyasagar with a smile please visit the temple garden sometime I mean the garden of Rasmani it is a charming place you are not telling that you will get lot of benefit Vidyasagar oh of course I shall go you have so kindly come here to see me and shall I not return your visit but he was addressing this M said to himself this so then what happened Ram Krishna is telling himself is making poking fun you know we are small boats even smallest can also we can travel easily but you are a Sagar you are a big boat so maybe you will not be able to come         shall I pay the carriage here M oh don't bother please it is taken care of Vidyasagar and his friends bowed to Ram Krishna and the carriage started for Dakshineswar but the little group with the venerable Vidyasagar at their head holding the lighted Sagar and what happened Vidyasagar for whatever reason I do not know he never visited Ram Krishna even though he said shall I not visit and Sri Ram Krishna he passes a sharp remark about it what kind of man is he he gave word that he will visit he never kept up advice to householders August 13 1882 the master was conversing with Kedar and some other devotees in his room in the temple garden Kedar was a government official and had spent several years in Dhaka in East Bengal where he had become a friend of Vijaya Krishna Goswami Sri Ram Krishna's government official working at Dhaka remember in those days Dhaka was part of India it had not become Bangladesh and there Vijaya Krishna Goswami with whom Ram Krishna was very familiar already so he was also working there I don't know in what capacity probably but he was a great part of their time together talking about Sri Ram Krishna and his spiritual experience this is very important for us if you have friends have only devotee friends if you are a worldly person it will not do to have your friend or relative or elder to you it doesn't matter avoid as far as possible sometimes wife is a devotee husband is not sometimes husband is a devotee wife is not but even in that case if we want to progress we have to be very careful Kedar had once been a member of the Brahma Samaj but he followed the path of bhakti spiritual talk always brought tears to his eyes this was the introduction background introduction it was five o'clock in the afternoon Kedar was very happy that day having arranged a religious festival for Ramakrishna used to attend these kind of satsangas they are they have nothing to do with ordinary satsangas as an example I can cite once Ramakrishna had a desire to visit one Hari Sabha Hari Sabha means where devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gather and sing nobody will step up on it because their faith is while the kirtana is going on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever kirtana is done I am not sure about it really poorly people they sing with great order and whether Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is or will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever the the the the the Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be present wherever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu That is why Shri Ramakrishna visited Keshavachandra Sen, Dayananda Saraswati, even though he was not interested in Shri Ramakrishna, many other people, because Ramakrishna knew this person is a great Pandit and that is Mother's Manifestation. Ishwar Chandra Vidya Pandit, Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar. Otherwise he would not have cared to go. This was the teaching he has given to musicians. It means don't become proud, O musician, O Ustad, that you are great. No, you are the instrument through which God is manifesting in this particular form. And then a musician himself respects himself, O, not as I am great. God is great. He is gracious enough to manifest in me. And then he puts a question which should be put by every devotee. I don't know this person. Who is this person? What is his background? But in the presence of Shri Ramakrishna, he becomes aware. Sir, what is the way to realize God, Master? Bhakti is the one essential thing. To be sure, God exists in all beings. Who then is a devotee? He whose mind dwells on God is a devotee. But this is not possible as long as one has egotism and vanity. The water of God's grace cannot collect on the high mound of egotism. It runs down. I am a mere measure. It should be the feeling Shri Ramakrishna was telling to the musician and through the musician to all of us. And this is where, as I mentioned earlier, Bhagavad Gita, that is called Bhakti Yoga, 12th chapter, verses 13 to almost to the end, 19. One who is devoid of hatred, who is friendly and compassionate to all living beings, who is devoid of any sense of possessiveness, free of egotism, and satisfied, free of egotism, objective in all circumstances, forgiving, a self-satisfied practitioner of yoga, self-controlled, of strong determination, and whose mind and intelligence is engaged in thinking of me, that person is my devotee and is thus very dear to me. One who doesn't cause distress to anyone, who is never distressed by anyone, who is free from happiness, anger, fear and anxiety, is very dear to me. One who is indifferent, that means unattached, pure, expert, dispassionate, free from distress, and who pronounces every selfish desire, is very dear to me. One who neither rejoices nor envies, who feels neither sorrow nor desire, who rejects both auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, that person is a devotion and is very dear to me. One who is equal, equal-sighted to both friends and enemies, equally poised in fame and infamy, heat and cold, pleasure and pain, that means who is not affected, whose mind is like the compass in a magnetic instrument, who is detached, equal to insult and praise, and who is of controlled speech, who is satisfied in all circumstances, who has no attachment to any residence, and of a steady mind, that person alone has devotion and is very dear to me. When occasion comes, we will explore these qualities, because if anybody is claiming, I want to be a devotee, and as I said earlier, nobody should say, I am a devotee, though it has become a habit to say, I am a devotee of Ramakrishna, I am a devotee of such and such a Swami, I am a certified, initiated, registered devotee of such and such a great Swami, that will not count any beans, it will not work. Only those qualities just now mentioned, they alone can make a person, he alone can be certified. Who will give the certificate? Not XYZ, but only God can give the certificate. And Shri Ramakrishna also said, Bhakti is the easiest way. God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole. These are marvellous words. But Narada says that Bhakti is the easiest way, which Shri Ramakrishna certifies and says yes, but there are nine different lanes in the highway called Bhakti. Shravanam, Kirtanam, Vishnoho, Smaranam, Pada Sevanam, Archanam, Vandanam, Dasyam, Sakhyam, Atmanivedanam. About these things, we will talk in our next class. Om Jananem Sharadam Devem Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padmetayo Shritva Pranamami Mohur Moho Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.