Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 135 on 08-April-2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pahadapatmetayo Shritva Pranamami Mohor Moho So we are continuing Sri Ramakrishna's advice to householders, Thursday, August 24, 1882. The topic we were discussing was obstacles to spiritual progress. What are these obstacles? Ramakrishna was talking about six passions – lust, anger, avarice, delusion, pride and envy. So these are the six passions. Usually we know them by kama, krodha, lobha, moha, madha, matsarya. Now Sri Ramakrishna used to say, lust is blind but love is pure and resplendent. It is lust if you have the idea of man. I am quoting from Swami Turiyananda. Swami Turiyananda's teachings, I am quoting in the context of our today's class. Last class also, I am actually continuing. Swami Turiyananda ji is telling, Thakur used to say that lust is blind but love is pure and resplendent. Sri Ramakrishna also used to say, now and then I will be inserting my memory of Sri Ramakrishna's teachings, but we are discussing Swami Turiyananda Maharaj's teachings. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, Shuddha Buddhi, Shuddha Atma, pure mind and pure, that is Atma, both are pure, therefore both are one and the same. So Sri Ramakrishna is telling, resplendent means what? It is what we call Chaitanya Swaroopa. And then Swami Turiyananda ji is continuing, it is lust if you have the idea of man and love if you have the idea of God in your beloved. Sri Ramakrishna is telling, the same idea is reflected by Swami Turiyananda. What is the difference between lust and love? Nowadays, we all know how frequently people declare to each other, men and women, I love you, I love you. Simply ask them one simple question, do you love man or do you love God? Are you seeing God in this person and loving or are you loving mostly it is only the body and mind? Body, shape of the body, young may look quite acceptable, beautiful, but really speaking, if love has to endure, it has to pertain to the mind, I mean Gunas. If a person is loving, then that person is lovable. Love alone is lovable and we all know whether our mothers look beautiful, old, ugly, suffering, ill, anybody, not only mother, our family members, sisters, brothers, there is a love. We are not looking at the physical body, but we are looking at the inner quality because they also consider us as in the same light. We are all children belonging to the same family, members of the same family, etc. And if this be the condition, just imagine, what do you think God will do? I recollect a beautiful saying, once somebody came and started criticizing a disciple of Holy Mother. Actually this person had done something unmentionable and then the person who was complaining, he was advising Holy Mother, Ma, don't allow this devotee to come anywhere near you, he is behaving very badly. See, there are so many shades of our understanding. Suppose somebody had done something very wrong, but later on the person comes to know, I am behaving very badly and repents and then changes his character. So many such characters have to come to Hiranyakrishna, Holy Mother and direct disciples. When we come across such a person who was misbehaving but is struggling to correct himself or herself so much now, then our mind, our heart goes in sympathy because we know how much we are also struggling. So this person was still continuing, so the complainer was advising Holy Mother, Mother, don't allow him to come near you and Mother became enraged, said, how can you give me such an advice? I am the mother of even this boy. In my eyes, I can see no defect at all. I will not obey. In other words, Holy Mother was very mild. She used to reply also, not offensively at all. You may say whatever you want to say, but I will not be able to withdraw. It is the same quality which we have recollected earlier. Once when Sairam Krishna was alive, Holy Mother used to cook food and take. But in between, a woman who led a very immoral life at the beginning of her life, now she has become an older woman, so she called Holy Mother, Ma, today I would like to take food and serve Sairam Krishna. We all know that. Then Mother simply handed over the food she was about to carry to Sairam Krishna and Sairam Krishna, as soon as he saw that woman and even the food touched, he could not touch it because his body would not last. Not because he is behaving like an orthodox Brahmin. No, because Sairam Krishna's body was made up of very pure material, Sattva Guna, and the slightest impurity can impact. Even sometimes, he can feel terrible pain. And if you still recollect, and this is our class, we have to recollect as many of these Leelas as possible. Once, another woman who led an immoral life, Sairam Krishna was talking very nicely to her. Suddenly, she felt emboldened and quickly, before Sairam Krishna could do anything, came and touched Sairam Krishna's feet, and he jumped up like a person who was bitten by a scorpion, and with great difficulty, he ran to the vessel where Ganga water was kept, and then he sprinkled plenty of Ganga water. Even then, he was telling, You should touch me, you should salute me from a distance, not come and touch, out of his infinite compassion. This was Sairam Krishna, not because he had any idea. As Jeevan Mukta, in his mind, everything is Brahma. But then, there is a physical body. Physical body, if a knife, not to speak of a knife, Sairam Krishna's hand was injured because he was handling some hardened luchi. So, the body can be affected. If it is cold season, he will feel cold. If it is hot season, he will feel heat. And sometimes, he also suffered. And the greatest of such sufferings was the throat cancer. But foolishly, we think that Brahman can accept anything. Yes, as Brahman, one can accept everything. But so long as that Brahman is functioning through a body, that body must be kept as healthy, as pure as possible. And that's why, later on, one of the disciples, especially Swami Niranjananandaji, used to protect Sairam Krishna like anything. So, Sairam Krishna was advising Holy Mother, You should not give it to any and every person. Then Holy Mother made a beautiful statement, If anybody calls me Mother, I cannot withhold, but I have to do that. Just to think how pure they are, that passes any one of our understanding. So, Swami Turiyanandaji is telling, there is a feeling called liking. And if it is too much liking, that is what we call usually love. I love. And this love is not of one form. It is of myriad forms. The love that exists between mother and children, between brothers and brothers, and between sisters and sisters, even between a person and his or her pet. It could be a cat, it could be a dog, it could be anything. These are all varied expressions. But there is one expression where the man is highly conscious of his body. That is what Swami Turiyanandaji is telling, that if anybody has the idea of man, that is, I am a male person, and so he will be aware of all the females. Or if a person has the idea, I am the female, that person will have all the ideas of every man. That is why nowadays I am not supposed to speak so forthrightly. So there is a particular way of dress, something called decent dress, something called indecent dress. And I prefer to call this indecent dress, I call people holy people, because the whole body or dress is full of holes only. So why do they want? They are married, most of them are married people, and they are devotees especially, and they should be very careful. So what are they indirectly, unconsciously showing? I am the body, I am young, I am beautiful, men should look at me, I am drawing their attention towards me. Not only they should look at me, they should feel that they are men. Or it could be nowadays men and women both, the attraction is such. This is what Swami Turiyanandaji is telling, it is lust. If one has the idea of man or woman, but the same thing is called love, if you have the idea of God in your beloved. That is why there is a beautiful Sufi story, any number of times it can be told, and I do so. Then there is this Sufi story, one day a Sufi lover wanted to meet his beloved, so he went to the house where the beloved was living, and he found the door was locked to her cottage, so he knocked. From within came the question, Who are you? And then he replied, This is me, my beloved. And the door did not open. Second time he knocked, same question, same answer. Third time he knocked, same question, but this time he understood, he said, It is Thee, my beloved. And then he found there was no door at all. This is the most sublime story. What does it mean? I do not exist apart from you. This complete, unique oneness, that is called true love. And oneness can never be attained through the body, through the mind, through the qualities. Oneness is possible between two or any number of objects, only in one way. And that is called Atman or Chaitanyam. So that is what we need to see. There is a beautiful saying in Chaitanya Charita Amruta, Adi Parva, 4th Chapter, 165 Shloka, Atmendriya Preeti Vansha, Tare Booli Kaam, Krishnendriya Preeti Ichcha, Dhure Prem Naam. Earlier I slightly changed the words I have used, but this is the real quotation. Atmendriya Preeti Vansha, The desire for pleasing one's own body and mind complex. Tare Booli Kaam. It goes by the name Lust, Kama. But the same thing, when it is directed towards Krishna, let my Krishna be happy. Preeti means that which is pleasing. Earlier, that which pleases me. Now, let Krishna be pleased. Krishnendriya Preeti Ichcha, Dhure Prem Naam. And Shri Ram Krishna's Gospel refers to so many of these marvellous incidents. You know, there are various types of Kirtanas, Bhajans, what is called devotional songs. And if it is with regard to Mother Kali, it is called Shyama Sangeet. If it is with regard to Krishna, they are called Shyam Sangeet or Vaishnava Padavali. Shyam. Shyam means Krishna. Shyama Dirkha means Kali, Divine Mother. And Ram Prasadi. There is a whole school has come who would render in a particular unique way, like Ravindra Sangeet. It is called Ram Prasadi. That style itself, that Gharana itself is quite different. So like that, so many Gharanas are there. So people start singing these things. And really speaking, they want to express. So in the Gospel, and Shri Ram Krishna, he could sing, especially some of the Bhajans, Kirtans, that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to sing. And actually Shri Ram Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu preached the same thing. In this Kali Yuga, Bhakti is the only easiest path for people. Why is it easier? Because people are highly conscious of their body. That is what in the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Krishna says, Kulesho Adhikataras Teshaam, Avyaktasakta Chetasaam, Avyaktahi Gatir Dukham, Deha Vaddhi Abhapyate. Deha Vaddhi means those who are completely identified. Think, I am the body. Our main identity is this body only. 24 hours we are thinking of the body only. For such people, it is extremely difficult to follow the idea of Gnanam. That is, I am Atman, I am Atman. No, it is not possible. That is why the Gnanis, they follow the path of Soham. And the devotees follow the path of Dasa. Dasabhava. I am your servant. There is a funny story told. There was a house with two stories. Generally, the devotee, Krishna Bhakta, used to stay on the ground floor. And the Gnani used to stay on the first floor. Just imagine. It doesn't matter. So, the Gnani wanted to prove my path is superior to your path. When the devotee was absent on the wall outside, he wrote, That is the only way for liberation. That is what he wanted to teach to the devotee. Soham. And then the devotee came. He flew into a rage and he took up the piece of chalk that was left there and he just added one letter. He was very happy. He went inside. The Gnani returned back. He was enraged. So, he added one more letter at the beginning. He added, Always I am He. And he was very happy. He went upstairs. Then the devotee was watching. He came down. He was enraged. So, he added another word. Da. Not only I am Dasoham. Dasadasoham. I am the servant of the servant of the devotees of God. So, these two people, they want to fight each other. What does Ramakrishna say? He says, When I say every effort, we have to understand its deeper meaning. Even if you are angry, that is also taking you to God. If you are suffering, that is also taking you only, me and you, to God only. How come? If I am full of Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Mohamada, Matsarya, because all these are really directed only towards God, but we are trying to find God in limited objects. So, very soon we get terribly disappointed, heartbroken. I thought this object will give me so much of happiness. I thought this person would love me all the time, but now suddenly the person has changed his stance. Then, after many births of these disappointments, whenever we have an appointment, there is every chance of being disappointed. So, we get to that idea. After many births, we wake up. We wake up. We sit down. We start looking at things. And then, what have I done? How many births? Supanajupare, like a dream. How many lakhs of births? As they say in Hindi, Churasi Laak Janam. They have gone by, and I have not achieved what I really was searching for. And then, Aurutha Chakshaho, Amrutatma Michchan. I want it. That will not disappear. But the venue of search, that will disappear. There is a beautiful Sufi story I want to share with you. Some of the great writers have created one character, Mulla Nazruddin. That was the name of this Sufi master. Whether really there was any such great saint, we don't know. But for the sake of wisdom, this character is created. I think especially by one great writer, called Idris Shah. Anyway, this Mulla Nazruddin used to live in a village. And one day morning, the villagers, when they were about to go about their business, suddenly found this Mulla is furiously searching in front of his house. And everybody gathered. They understood he lost something. And he is searching for it. Then they asked, Mulla, what are you searching furiously? He said, I have lost my sewing needle. Oh! Where did you lose it? I lost it in my house. Oh! Then why are you searching here, in the street, instead of searching in your house? He said, there is no light inside the house. You foolish fellows. How can I search? If I want to search, I need light. And here there is plenty of light. And that is why I am searching here. And that is where the story ends. What do we understand by this story? He is only indicating to people like us, that what is light, where we see things. What are we really searching? We are searching for our lost, our own Self, which we thought is somewhere else. Then where are we searching? Like Mulla, we are searching outside the house. That means what? We are searching outside ourselves, not within ourselves, not manachalo nijani ketane. So, this person I see, this house I see, this animal I see, this field I see, maybe that is what my true nature, God. I am searching for God outside. But then after a long time, like these people, some Guru will come and advise, where did you lose it? Then he understands, by that time I have lost it in my house. That is, then the search has to be redirected only in the house, not outside. So, take up a light. And that is what Swamiji says, utthishthata, jagrata. Where from can I get the light? Praapya varan nibodhata. Approach wise people. Varan means those who know, those who have found out, those like you, who have also searched for a long time outside, then they understood, then they turned their search within, and then they found out what they were seeking. And that is what this story beautifully indicates. Not only that, Swamiji also has written some poems. I do not remember exactly the poem, but it goes like this. I searched over the hill and in the dale, and I never found, and I almost gave up my hope, but I still went on calling, Lord, Lord. And suddenly, I heard a gentle voice coming over me, and then that voice has come over My friend, where are you searching for me? I am all the time with you, in you. And this idea, as we all know, has been so beautifully expressed by Kabir Das. And now we apply this one to this beautiful Chaitanya Charita Amrutasai. What are we searching really? Only Krishna. But we are searching outside. That is called Atme Indriya Preeti Ichcha. But then suddenly I understand that what I am really searching for is Krishna. Why? Because Krishna is my true Self. And in Bhagavatam also, there is a beautiful story, the unknown friend. Wonderful story. And this friend will be with us life after life, trying, calling. And also, if anybody recollects, Rabindranath Tagore's beautiful poem is there. However far I went, trying to run away from you, and whenever I look back, I find you following me with longing eyes. My child, I want you to come to me, but you are going away. And at last I realize that I cannot run away because this is the only person I am always searching everywhere. And then I go inside. I turn towards God. And then how the eyes of the mother lit up when the baby tries to come. I am in this, what is called, recollecting mood. Today, I don't know why. So I remember a beautiful example or a vision of one of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Akhandananda. Once, he was suffering from fever, and then he was a great Jnani also, but so much of devotion. Sri Ramakrishna taught, so for the people in Kali Yuga, the only thing is this Divine Light, only Bhakti, because we are completely conscious that we are the body and nothing else. That is what Ramakrishna used to do. Some peculiar words, Anna gata prana. Anna means here body. So anyway, Swami Akhandananda started reciting this Vedantic view. I am not the body. I am not the prana. I am not the mind. And as he was saying this to himself, remember, not to anybody else, his mind started climbing higher and higher, like Bhrigu. He was giving up his identity with the lower kosha and trying to identify the higher kosha. At some point, suddenly, he was absorbed in it. Suddenly, he saw Sri Ramakrishna was standing there with a smile on his face with a red bordered dhoti and a corner of that dhoti was thrown over his left shoulder. And then, without speaking, he pointed out his finger, meaning look that way. And Akhandanandaji had not observed this. He could not observe because there was nothing there to see. But when Sri Ramakrishna pointed out, suddenly he saw. What was he trying to see? That Mother Yashoda in a rare mood of motherly love, as if all the love of every mother is condensed in her looks and with a ball of freshly churned butter in her hand, she wants to feed her what is called a crawling Gopala on two hands and two legs. He has not grown up. And then, he wants to play with Mother. What was Krishna? This Gopala. He is called Gopala. What was he doing? So slowly, he was moving away, crawling faster than his mother could walk away from her. And then Akhandanandaji was seeing the face of the Mother Yashoda, as if all the suffering in this world has become condensed and is manifesting through her eyes, through her face, that my beloved Krishna is going further away from me. And this mischievous fellow, he was crawling forward and then he stopped because he was wanting to play. This is how Bhagavan plays with His devotees. This is called Viraha and Milana in Bengali Vaishnava literature. So he looked back over his shoulders and saw the pain, noticed the pain in his mother's eyes. Immediately he turned back and started crawling towards his mother. And in an instant, Yashoda's mother's face completely transformed. All the Ananda in the world has become condensed in her face. She has no eyes for anything else. Krishna Indriya Preeti Iccha. And this mischievous fellow noticed it. Oh! My mother is so happy. And then immediately he turned and started crawling away from her. And immediately mother Yashoda's face assumed its former appearance of suffering. So this play was going on. Akhandanandaji was observing, completely absorbed in it. And then after a few seconds, we don't know because when a person is having this kind of vision, hours can pass, days can pass, or a few seconds. Time doesn't exist. It is an experience beyond time, space and causation. Oh! He looked. Then Shri Ramakrishna brought him down. Irita Ki Re in Bengali. Meaning, how do you like this? That means, this is the bhakta's attitude. This sport, every bhakta wants to play with Bhagawan. Bhagawan also wants to play with the bhakta. In a way you can say, a grandmother's touch me game. Blind man's bluff. Akhandanandaji jumped from his bed. He was unable to move until that time. Fell at the feet of Shri Ramakrishna and said, Thakur! Janma Janma Antare! If I have more births, I don't want big salutations to Gnanam. I want only to enjoy this Leela. This is such a marvelous experience we can see of Akhandanandaji. Why only Akhandanandaji? Practically in every direct disciple, even some of the greatest householder disciples of Shri Ramakrishna. This is what is condensed in this particular writing on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. By the way, Chaitanya, Charita, Amruta. The nectar of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's divine life. Three Parvas are there. Adi Parva, Madhya, Madhyama Parva and Anthima Parva. Atmendriya Preeti Vansha, Tare Boli Kam, Krishnendriya Preeti Ichcha, Dore Prem Nam. So when I was reading this one, I was transported to all those things. There are so many other things but I will not go in this session. Coming back, resuming where we have left. Probably when Swami Thuriyamji was speaking, a devotee was present of course and then that devotee must have put a question and then what was the question? Kindly make my mind free from sex impulse, Kama. Remember, sex impulse is only one part of Kama. It is not that Kama means desire. It could be desire for seeing beautiful things, for hearing beautiful things, for tasting, touching, smelling beautiful things. Anything can be Kama only. So what happens when the Kama is fulfilled? Man forgets time, space and causation. That is the definition of Ananda. How do we know that a person is happy? Because he will not take notice of how time passes. The best example, when we are in deep sleep, we go temporarily though beyond time, space and causation. And same thing happens, the same Sushupti experience. When we become, we come into touch with something that we like. This is the nature of Ananda. Ananda is what we experience. Sukham is what we remember. Please remember this distinction. Ananda means complete oneness, Advaita state. So when a sweet touches my tongue for a millisecond or a millisecond, I become one with that sweetness and I do not remember time, space and causation. That is called Ananda. Every Sukha is only a particle of the Brahmananda. But if it is very short duration and qualitatively, quantitatively it is only very short, then we call it Sukha and when we forget that, that is called Dukha. So when we remember, that is called Sukha. When we forget, it is called Dukha. When we go beyond time, space and causation, that is called Ananda. This is how we have to understand. So here this person is a devotee. We do not know, it may be a Swami, it may be a Brahmachari, but definitely he must be a young person. Kindly make my mind free from sex impulse. This was the question put to Swami Turiyananda. And then what was Swami Turiyananda telling? Look to the Atman, not to the body. What is he telling? He is explaining. Practice fixing the mind always on the Atman. One gets attached to objects by constantly thinking of them. From attachment comes longing and from longing comes anger. This is the famous quotation from Bhagavad Gita. A beautiful psychological steps, step by step, eightfold steps. How by thinking repeatedly upon an object, our mind completely loses memory. What memory? The memory that I am the Atman. To the extent we forget ourselves in this objective contemplation. But when the same thing, same eightfold process, if we go on thinking about God, I have explained it in my Gita also and I have explained in other classes also. Go on thinking, whether you like it or not. Go on thinking about God. So, go on thinking, Sangat, Sanga will come. Slowly attachment comes. Even a person develops terrible attachment to what they call dry fish. Shukno mach. And then he cannot live without that. However horrible smelling it may be. In fact, we develop all these qualities. We hear so many things. I will not go into the details. But we can develop attachment to anything. Even the worst things, unimaginably worst things. So, what is meant here, what is most important for us to understand here is, let us make a habit slowly, slowly. So, that is the way what happens. Sanga. Sanga means we slowly develop a taste. There is a beautiful saying in Telugu that when a person goes on chewing what is called neem leaves, they are very bitter. In course of time, one develops a tremendous longing for that. So, like that, even the most tasteless thing, which at the beginning appears, agre, vishamiva. So, in the beginning, it looks like visha, but pariname amrutopamam. But as we go on thinking about it, it turns into nectar. This is also Bhagavad Gita's teachings either in the 17th, I think most likely, 18th chapter, last chapter. What is, how this itta dagre vishamiva pariname amrutopamam tatsukam sattvikam proktam, atma buddhi prasadajam. So, here visha means what? Shankaracharya, in his Vivek Chudamani, he goes on comparing every vishaya. Vishaya means worldly object as visha. And then he says beautifully that there is a huge difference between the visha of the vishaya and the visha. Visha means poison. Every vishaya because visha and visha. If you add one yakara, it becomes a vastu, an object. Vishaya, if you remove that yakara, it will be visha. What is the difference between visha and vishaya? If anybody drinks visha, poison, instantaneously he will die. But unfortunately if somebody starts drinking this vishaya's visha, then he goes on dying again and again and again and again and again. Endlessly he goes on dying. Whereas visha kills once for all. That is the only big difference between visha and vishaya. So here remembering God, thinking of God, meditating on God, loving God, getting attached to God, that becomes like visha. That is why Shri Ramakrishna gives funny things in his gospel. Some devotees come, sometimes they have friends who are utterly worldly people and when they come they want to Shri Ramakrishna only wants to talk about spiritual subjects in front of his devotees. But these other fellows, they do not relish. So after one or two minutes they become restless. So they go on pulling the hands. Hey, how long are you going to listen to this blabla? How long? But the devotees go on postponing. No, no. It is very nice. So after a few minutes they become bored of these talks and then they say we are going to sit and wait for you in the boat and when you are finished you come. So this is something beautiful. But in that that brought, brings me another beautiful incident in the life of Swami Brahmananda. So one day there was a devotee of Shri Ramakrishna. He was a great devotee of Swami Brahmananda also. So one day this devotee he thought I will be doing a great good to my friend who was not at all a devotee or at least appeared not to be a devotee. So he told him come with me. Today I will take you to a marvellous person. Who is that? No, no. I will not tell you anything. You will have to come. You will have to experience. And you will have to tell me. So that is what had happened. And they went and met Swami Brahmananda. Usually Swami Brahmanandaji whenever devotees come, he will not talk anything excepting highest spiritual things. But that day he started talking about fish, how to catch fish, what are the different techniques of catching fish and the devotee felt very bad inside. Of all the days, only today I had the misfortune to bring my friend. I thought Maharaj will speak about highest spiritual things and my friend will get highly impressed and then he will be eternally grateful to me for giving such an opportunity. I did not know. Oh, but for you I could not have met another person. So the devotee himself was feeling extremely uneasy. So he instead of that other person, this devotee still came and said, come, let us return. But the other person said, no, no, you sit. This gentleman is talking quite nice things. I like it. Then you wait. And then reluctantly he sat down. Again and again he was asking, shall we go back? Who was asking? The devotee was asking. But then the other person went on postponing. No, no, no, no. A little later, a little later, practically one hour or one and a half hour, I don't know, have passed. And then forcibly the devotee pulled him and said, come. And then that friend of this devotee was a little bit annoyed. He said, why are you disturbing me? These are not his words, but I am paraphrasing them. How much enjoyment I was deriving from this Swami's talks. In my whole life I have not seen another person who is an embodiment of bliss. He may be talking about fish, but his whole personality is radiating only pure bliss. And even I can enjoy it. This was the incident. I don't know how much the devotee really understood what his friend was trying to convey to him. But the thing is these Sadguru's great people, they have different ways of attracting these people. So that is how these persons, great people, when their grace falls upon us, then they will be very happy. So this devotee, coming back to the subject, so he is asking, naturally he must be suffering from it like all of us. Then what he thought, maybe this Swami has a special power and which he can use to take away my karma. But the devotee did not understand the real desire behind this desire or lust is not another object. It is not a woman. It is not a man. It is not money. Usually Ramakrishna summarized all the worldly attractions into two categories. Karma and Kanchana. Karma means, he means every type of desire. And Kanchana means the instruments, the means. And those means fall into two categories. So one category is, for example, a person needs money, a person needs a house, a person needs a car, etc., etc. Some possessions he needs. And the greatest mistake the modern people are making is that if I become a very rich person, I will be a very, very happy person. Nothing could be further from truth because real happiness not only lies in these objects but even more important, the instruments through which one really gets fulfilled or gets satisfaction from enjoying these things, from coming into contact. These are all contact only. A sweet touches the tongue, a sound touches the eardrum and a smell touches the nerves in the nostrils and a beautiful atmosphere touches our skin or like that, whatever a beautiful form touches our eyes. This is called all are based upon sparsha, only touch. So all these things a person may possess. Supposing, just imagine a person has gone to an exotic place, beautiful place, beautiful verdant hills and at the same time a beautiful sea, coastal sea where people can go happily swimming, etc. and the climate is absolutely like air condition, suitable. Do you think that can give happiness to everybody? If a person is worried or if he receives bad news or even if slight tooth ache comes, stomach ache comes, headache comes, his whole joy is gone. So instruments means more important than external possessions is what is called a healthy body and a healthy mind. When the body and mind are healthy the sense organs become extraordinarily keen. I am giving you beautiful example. These are things we have to understand clearly. Suppose there is a poor man and he has got what we call in Calcutta I used to see the rickshaw pullers usually from Bihar or Orissa they will be eating at noon Chhatu, in that burning hot midday sun Chhatu is a kind of grain which is they say and I have also eaten it is not very tasty but very hard to digest but highly proteinous. The more proteinous the less our capacity to enjoy. So this person they sit and by the time of one o'clock the person is ravenously hungry because he is pulling the rickshaw. In those days, I don't know even today people they pull it and they run actually not auto rickshaws. So if this person gets even that Chhatu with a little bit of chilli chutney he will be in Swargaloka each morsel of food that goes inside his mouth how many of us can claim that whenever I am eating this kind of sweets I am also able to do the same thing. So this is what Turiyanandaji Maharaj is telling that practice fixing the mind always on the Atman. Atman means your Ishta Devata. It could be Krishna, Rama, Kali or any form Ganesha, even every village has got Divine Mothers. Poleramma, etc. Maramma, etc. But for the devotees don't look down. They are all village Gods and Goddesses not worthy of concentration. Stupidity can go no further because when a person thinks of his or her own chosen deity as the greatest that is none other than Brahman itself. That is what we have to understand. So one gets attached to objects by constantly thinking and from there comes longing and from longing when there is an obstruction it becomes anger. Kama changes into Krodha, Krodha into Lobha, Lobha into Moha Moha into Madha Madha into Matsarya They are not six enemies. They are one enemy only which is called egotism. Egotism means ignorance and it takes different forms not only Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Madha, Matsarya what we call the love that exists between man and woman. The love that exists between friends and that is beautifully classified by the Vaishnava literature as the Panchabhavas Shanta Dasya Sakhya, Vatsalya and Madhura. How many? Five. How many really? Seven. How come seven? Shanta One. Dasya One. Sakhya One. Three. Vatsalya Two types. God is my parent. I am the parent of God too. So that is five. And Madhura the relationship between the lover and the beloved. There are two types. Kanta Bhava and Parakiya Bhava I have explained it earlier also. Not only that, our love for anything, our friends, our country, our race, our religion, our language, all these things can be terrible bonds but if it is all directed towards God only then the very things become our greatest helpers and help us liberate. Om Jananim Shardam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamami Muhur Muhur. May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Ramakrishna