Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 141 on 01-July-2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PAHADAPADMETAYOH SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHU

ओम् जननीम् शर्दाम् देवेम् रामक्रिष्णम् जगत् गुरुम् पादपत्मे तयोस्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुरु मुहु

We are continuing the chapter 'Advice to Householder' by Sri Ramakrishna, October 22 1882, it was  Sunday. The topic was mediatization on form and formless aspect of God. Sri Ramakrishna's beautiful emphatic teaching. Sri Ramkrishna says in his own words, what mark this, form  and form lessness belong to one and the same reality. There are certain religions, who pride themselves that they do not think of God with form. In fact they are dead against worship of any type of idols, images symbols etc. They think they are mediating on the formless aspect of God. No! they are not thinking of the physical form, but they are thinking of all auspicious qualities of God. But even a Janani as we saw in our past classes even a Jnani can never mediate on the formless, true formless aspect of God. Why because, anything that is thought by the mind is a limitation. so that is the truth about it. So we have concluded that there are two types of minds. One would like to think of God both with qualities in fact every bhaktha who mediates upon or worshiped any image, the image is only a symbol, an arrow, when a devotee looks at a stone image, he is not thinking of God as a stone. he is thinking that God quality, because it is easier to conceive of God in particular form. many people require, in fact we all require. But there are some people. But some people progress to the 3rd stage. what do I mean by the third stage. First of all its is Nama dhyana, and Rupa dhyana, then Guna dhyana. So we have to start only prayers or repetition of Japam Gods name. And then we progress slowly. we can imagine for example.

If a devotee is thinking of Sri Ramakrishna, especially on the real events that had happened in his life. so how Sri Ramakrishna, for example was walking even as young boy in the open fields. Suddenly he saw a beautiful sight. The whole sky was dark with thick black clouds, against that backdrop, there were flock of swans a flock of swans flying in beautiful formations and nowadays scientists explain that formations helps reduce the air resistance and helps them move a little bit easier. Of course how that happens, I do not know, you also may not know, but it does help So this contrasting beautiful scenario against the black background immediately brought out the tremendous aesthetical experience of Sri Ramakrishna because he was a master. He can sing, he can play, he can act, he can do anything he wants. He excels in them. So immediately he entered into beautiful samadhi.

Now what is the point we are discussing? Sri Ramakrishna saw a beautiful scenario and that scenario only acted as an agent for his mind to think about that unimaginable beauty not to speak of God but even of nature. Similarly when Swami Vivekananda was returning from USA to India on the way somewhere, it was a beautiful full moonlit night and fortunately there was no wind, there were no clouds and you can imagine that moon being reflected in the surrounding ocean. It was so enchanting that everybody was totally absorbed, they were drinking as it were, that is what we say, drinking the beauty, reveling in that beauty and after 15 or 20 minutes had passed and we have to imagine their minds were absolutely focused only upon the beauty

and when we think of beauty, when we think of joy, when we think of existence, when we think of knowledge directly or indirectly, we are only thinking about God. We may not know that we are thinking about God, we may not be conscious of it but because this beauty, knowledge, joy, these are the manifestations of God. Because God is existing, everything else exists. Because God is knowledge, even the small knowledge of an ant towards a small grain of sugar that also belongs to God only. Not to speak, any small pleasure that we experience, it belongs to God, it is Brahmananda only actually. Only it lasts for a very short time, its impact is very less so that is called pleasure and if it lasts for a longer time it gets the name happiness and if it is spontaneous, without any thinking, suppose suddenly we come across a beautiful sunset or sunrise, particularly experienceable on one particular occasion and we will be enthralled, will be unconscious of everything else.

That is called joy and if someone is interested in either art or intellect or morality then that joy is many many fold greater about which we will study in the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad called Ananda Valli. So everything that happens in this world we are alive because Brahman is pranam, we are conscious because of his consciousness but even though we are alive we do not connect it with Brahman, even though we are conscious we do not connect it with consciousness, even though we are happy we do not connect it with Ananda, even though we are existing we do not connect it with the existence of God but nevertheless there is nothing else excepting these qualities manifesting in everybody's life, in this creation and this is called the relationship between the cause and the effect. Every pore of the effect is permeated only by the cause, every part is permeated only by the clay, there is not one single part, one single atom which is not permeated by clay so that is the understanding. So coming back to Swamiji maybe he created that situation we do not know, whenever we think on these incidents we have to understand in the presence of a Brahmagnani these spontaneous manifestations become so natural for all of us. That is why how do we know who is a Satpurusha? When we come into contact with a holy person the talk will be holy, the joy will be holy and our minds will be uplifted either consciously or unconsciously so many matters become clarified, ideas become clarified, our understanding becomes deeper. Every time we meet somebody our understanding becomes greater and that greater understanding is called progress.

So nobody can meditate on real Brahman, if we have to meditate we have to choicelessly meditate upon either the form and those even who meditate on the form they only meditate on the qualities but they take this medium as a help that's all. A small children take the help of small toys, an apple, a banana etc to understand what they are. So Sriram Krishna is graphically describing form and formlessness both belong to God and God is beyond form, formlessness and also beyond both form and formlessness. That is why Taittiri tells beautifully, Yato Vacho nivartanthe. This is the understanding we have to get from Sriram Krishna's words. Now M with whom this conversation is being held suddenly the thought might have come to him whether he was thinking from earlier time onwards we do not know but he asked Sriram Krishna may one meditate on the form of one's own mother that is the mother who has given birth to this physical body Garbhadarini Ma, can one meditate it? Of course we have been studying the Taittiriya Upanishad so especially in the eleventh section what is written. What is written? Mathru devo bhava, Pithru Devo Bhava, etc.. So whenever we think of our mother we are not thinking of our body. The body like a clay image is only what we call a support alambanam, any child whether it is 90 years old child or 9 days old baby whenever mother thought comes and that knowledge comes Even a baby as soon as mother takes the baby up and the baby senses I am in the hands of my mother who is my protector and the baby is quiet, calms down even if it is weeping. If he is hungry of course he is letting the mother know I want nourishment. So even when looking at our mother what is the idea? We see that this mother is manifesting motherliness, father is manifesting fatherliness. If you as a patient go to a hospital as soon as you see the doctor, the doctor is only a representative of the cure. You go there to be cured, a doctor represents a medium through which medical knowledge becomes manifest that's all. Even an instrument like x-ray or EGI or whatever it is all just instruments of knowledge only. So why not whenever we think of father protectiveness that fatherly love when you meet a friend it's friendship, it is the protection, it is the unsolicited unconditional love.

Remember when you meet your boss then looking at the boss, the boss represents either is a very good boss or is a heartless boss and he wants to squeeze you as much as possible. So whenever we meet anything you look at a sweet what are you looking? You are not looking oh this rasagulla is beautiful I would like to install it on my shrine room and I would like to worship it. No this is a beautiful sweet that means it is very tasty that means it gives me happiness so let there be no separation between me and the sweet. And this works all the time so that is what we need to understand it.So start with what better association is there accepting mother so that is why the M's question probably did not understand that this is not only he need not think whether I should worship God or not. Anybody who doesn't worship mother as God he is not a true Hindu, he is not following Sanatana Dharma, he is not following the Vedic teachings. We have to expand ourselves.

Ya Devi sarva bhuteshu matru rupena samsthita.

We can extend it pitru rupena samsthita. Acharya rupena. Instead of saying Acharya rupena the Chandi tells us vidya rupena samsthita. Vritti rupena samsthita. Vritti means a thought so when a person is studying whatever be the subject that particular knowledge comes to the pupil in the form of vritti. Acharya's knowledge is coming now in the form of speech and that speech is heard by the students and the students after hearing that year has finished its function then that becomes what is called vritti thought processes. So that knowledge comes and that processes they manifest themselves in real action whenever it is necessary. So anything any object that we approach is only like a mirror to get that pure idea. Every object is only what we call in an analogy shakha chandra nyaya. If somebody doesn't know where is the moon, what is the moon, supposing there is such a person then a teacher will tell him do you see that tree? Do you see that tree? Yes. Do you see that there is a big branch? Yes. You see that that big branch has forked itself into two smaller branches? Yes. You look through those smaller branches and then you see a very shining lighted up object. Yes. That is the moon. So the branches are not the moon but they are only conveyor of the knowledge of the moon. Similarly every object is only conveys. That's what Sriram Krishna explained. That's what Swami Vekaranda explained to the Raja. I think in Alwar or somewhere you don't remember that when somebody looks at the photograph of your grandfather they are not looking at your grandfather but the idea of your grandfather comes up. This is the secret of idol worship. It only brings. That is why Hindus are very fond and if you study a little bit more astounding knowledge will come. So when an image is made and we are asked to but before worshipping the image must become alive and how does this image become alive? Because once born aliveness, prana should be taken out of oneself and there is a mantra, there is a process. This is called Jeevanyasa in the puja process. So I am bringing Ramakrishna to life and every day every pujari has to do that. Every single day or any number of times he worships.

Similarly I am invoking prana inside the Durga murti and after worshipping wholeheartedly again that what we have brought out from our heart has to be again taken back into the heart. This is the secret. So what are we talking about? Once born mother really represents that unconditional love and impartial giving, complete forgiveness and mothers are ready to give up their love. So many times we have seen that if a child is there and it is in danger, mother will fall upon the child and then be eaten up by a tiger etc. just to protect the baby. Baby may not understand. So why not worship one's own mother? But what about one's own Guru? Every day probably or at least occasionally we go on singing Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwaraha, Guru Revasa Akshat, Param Brahma, Tasmai Sree, Guruve Namaha. So every form of God or Goddess either with form or with qualities they are nothing but trying to Brahmanise, trying to see God bring out in our minds that divine vision. Incidentally if we can look upon our own mother not as a woman who has given birth to our bodies but this is Brahma roop which Sriram Krishna is going to talk about then that is called spiritual progress. So Sriram Krishna is answering M. Yes the mother should be adored. He is not telling could be adored. English words, some of the words are very meaningful. Could be means you have a choice. Should be means it is an Adesha, it is a commandment. She is indeed an embodiment of Brahman. If everything is an embodiment of Brahman, if a dog can be an embodiment of Brahman, why not one's own mother, father, one's own teacher. I am not talking about the Guru. Even a teacher who taught you the alphabet, even he is instrumental that is God only comes in the form of that teacher to give you a little more. Previously you did not have that knowledge. Now you know how to add to plus two and that is also an improvement. Yes the mother should be adored. She is indeed Brahma Swaroopini. I remember reading in Holy Mother's life that one day some disciple was asking Holy Mother, Maa that you are not my real mother. Actually the person who asked, he lost his mother when he was probably 9 or 10 years old and he missed his mother very much. Then mother said, yes Baba, I am your mother, but you are not my mother. He thought, you may be taking the place of my mother, but you are not my actual mother. She said, yes my son, I am your actual mother, look at me. And then when this person looked at Holy Mother, after she asked him to look at her, she saw his long lost mother exactly as he remembered it or remembering all the time. He was astonished. And this is the experience of so many disciples who thought that Holy Mother resembles very close resemblance with their own mother who gave birth to that body.

And then M's doubts are there. He sat in silence. Probably he was doing manana. After a few minutes he asked the master, what does one feel while thinking of God without form? Isn't it possible to describe it? Of course it is impossible to describe. Even what we think about a form is indeed not possible to describe. Many times I have told you, if somebody had seen an exotic flower and then is very enthusiastic, excited about it. Oh, you please describe that flower to me. He cannot describe. He can only tell in terms of what you already know. You know you have seen a wonderful rose. Yes, it is much bigger than that. You have seen a pink rose. Yes, it is pinker than that. You have seen beautiful fragrance coming out of it. And this is ten times more fragrant than that. And like that he can go on describing. And there is no other way one can describe to convey the knowledge what one doesn't know only through in terms of what one already knows but what is called exemplifying it and expanding it. That's all. There is no other way. So M is asking, what does one feel while thinking of God without form? What does one feel while thinking of God with form? Can anybody explain what it feels? Isn't it possible to describe it? After some reflection the master said, do you know what it is like? He remained silent a moment and then said a few words to M about one's experiences at the time of the vision of God with and without form. There is no further elaboration because that was meant only for the ears of the questioner M. Certain things cannot be told because people may even misunderstand. Then Sriram Krishna comes back and said, I told you but if you want to understand it you see one must practice spiritual discipline to understand this correctly. What I told you to understand that correctly one must practice spiritual discipline. And then Sriram Krishna, a past master like Kalidasa, not only he gives similes, he gives analogies and then he continues, suppose there are treasures in a room, if you want to see them and lay hold of them you must take the trouble to get the key and unlock the door. After that you must take the treasures out. But suppose the room is locked and standing outside the door you say to yourself, here I have opened the door, now I have broken the lock of the chest, now I have taken out the treasure, such brooding near the door will not enable you to achieve anything. Therefore Sriram Krishna says you must practice discipline. Now what is this practicing discipline? Simply put what it means is you have to note down there is a room and there are treasures, you are not creating the treasures, they are already present there. You have to go into the room and if necessary you have to open the door, not only that if the treasures are in a box you will have to unlock the box also, so you have to do so many things.

There are so many other things, supposing a fellow doesn't know what is a diamond, somebody told him there is a diamond preserved in a box and then you can go and it is very valuable and this small intellect goes into that room and then he sees a big stone and then he puts it aside, whether there is something outside the stone, below the stone and he goes on searching. I heard so much about this invaluable diamond, where is that diamond? All that I see is in what is called a raw piece of stone. Holy Mother, she gave this example. In Chandogya Upanishad we have seen this example and I don't know how Holy Mother has given that example. Suppose there is a village, there is a tank and there is a ghat and there is a huge stone and for hundreds of years so many people are walking oblivious of what that stone is. One day a diamond merchant happened to come there, the moment he beheld immediately understood this is one of the biggest invaluable diamond because it requires only that type of knowledge. So even if something is very valuable is there, if we do not have the knowledge what that object is and how we can use it. You see, if you give an invaluable ornament to a baby and many times that baby misuses it or throws it away, it is a nuisance for it. Only a person who knows how to use it or that person it is very useful. Every child doesn't like ornament at all because they are unnecessary things and they might what is called obstruct his play etc. There is a very beautiful incident just I remembered so I am sharing it and I will do like this only in my classes. The parents of Chetanima Prabhu when he was called Nimai and he was a young child 2 or 3 years old and his parents are relatives I don't know. They made a very beautiful necklace and he was shining like gold, his body texture is like Gauri, Divine Mother Gauri. Gauri means golden colour. So one day he was playing outside and a thief saw and he became tempted so he lifted, come on I will give you a lift and then he lifted him, put him on his, his purpose was he will take him outside, take out that instrument, that ornament, valuable ornament and then he will set the boy free. So as soon as happily Nimai climbed that fellow's shoulders and this fellow started going round and round and round this village not knowing where he is going, completely befuddled and after some time when the parents were searching the thief came directly to their own house and stood in front of the door. Everybody understood what this mischievous fellow was about. So even in Krishna's life one asura came probably Denukasura I don't remember and then it was a play so if somebody gets defeated he should carry the other fellow. So two rakshasas came in the guise of cowherd boys and then this Krishna and Balarama deliberately lost the game because they have a bigger game to hunt afterwards. So the condition was that these boys have to carry them, sorry those rakshasas won the game and these fellows lost deliberately and as a result they had to be carried and then these fellows were carried and then after some time they resumed their own rakshasa forms and they thought they will do. But before they could do anything they started, they took the fists, started breaking their heads over there itself they have fell down. So like that so many beautiful incidents are there. These are incidents for us to meditate upon.

So what was Sriram Krishna saying? God is already there, the highest treasure is already there but if you want you must become ready for that, you must have the knowledge, you must unlock the door and then only the treasures can be enjoyed by you. So that is called spiritual practice, that is called spiritual discipline, this is what is being told. And then Sriram Krishna is continuing, the Gnanis that is those who tread the path of knowledge think of God without form, they don't accept the divine incarnation. So two characteristics of Gnani, what is the first characteristic? They like to think of God without any form but remember with qualities, what qualities? They want to think of God first with the qualities called Tatasta Lakshana, accidental qualities associated. What are they? God is the creator, God is the sustainer and God is the dissoluter or recycler. I prefer the word recycle. The moment you say recycle you know that nothing is lost. But if you say what is called dissolution then we may have a problem, probably that thing is lost forever. No, it is recycling, that's all. God is the greatest recycler in the whole world. For example, he takes out, he uses the ocean and he takes out the water in the form of stream and through clouds he carries it and then he puts it down on the top of very high mountains in the form of rain. And that pure water flows down, slowly becomes streams and small rivers, big rivers, finally the biggest river until it naturally comes back and then mixes what is called becomes merged with its own family or its mother which is called the sea. That is why we say sea level is the lowest level for us to measure. So, Netherlands is what we call it sea level. So, that which was taken from the ocean and again comes back in the form of the rain and flows again in the form of the rivers etc. and rejoins the sea. Again it is taken up. This is called Brahma Chakra. This is what happens. So, Sri Ramakrishna is described with the condition of the Gnanis. What is the first condition? Remember always what we discussed. Even a Gnani is thinking. Thinking is a process done by the mind and mind means it is limited by time, space and causation or object. And therefore, whatever the mind thinks even of God, that will be only Saguna Brahma, not Nirguda Brahma at all. But they would like to think of God as, as I was mentioning, Tadastha Lakshana. And sometimes they want to think of God as Swaroopalakshana. That is the nature of God as expressed. Even that is not the nature but that is the highest concept we can have of the nature of God.What is it? Existence, Knowledge, Bliss, Sat, Chit and Ananda. That is what is said here. This is the first description of who is a Gnani. They like to think of Brahman.

Because even the word God reminds us only Saguna Brahma, God the creator but not the God what western philosophers choose to call the very what is called being, ground of all being. That means pure existence. So Sat, Chit, Ananda. That is the first characteristic. What is the second one? They don't accept the divine incarnation. Why don't they accept? Because even the world is Mithya. If the world is Mithya, how can incarnation be Satyam? That is why Shankaracharya at the beginning of his Gita Bhashyam, he says as if, as if Narayana, as if he was born, Jata Iva. Iva means as if. So growing up, as if growing up, as if teaching. Because Brahman's knowledge, everybody is Brahman, nobody lost his Brahmanhood but we just think temporarily like a madcap who thinks I am not a man, I am a dog or I am Napoleon etc. etc. So they don't accept the divine incarnation. Now during the training of Narendranath, he also until the very last, he did not believe in the incarnation of God. Sri Ramakrishna asked, many people tell me that I am in incarnation of God, what do you say? And Narendranath was a very truthful person, he was also fearless, he would never say anything which he did not believe. One time also a what is called untruth never escaped from the mouth of Narendra. So he said, let a thousand people tell about you that you are in incarnation of God, until I know it myself and till now I don't know that whether you are in incarnation of God or whatever. I cannot call you incarnation of God. And four and a half years training was there and surprising, Narendranath was given so many visions and on the day he went to the Kali temple, he was shown the real nature of mother. She was ready to give anything and he was overwhelmed and then three times he said that I don't want anything, I want only pure devotion, pure knowledge, pure discrimination, pure dispassion. But Sri Ramakrishna reminded, you are a fool, mother is ready to give, go and ask for money, after all you wanted money. And the fourth time or so he went but he was conscious, but he said it is like going to an emperor and asking for some pumpkins which are available on the roadside everywhere, in the past at least. So he could not ask, but he did not wake up from that. Just a few days before Sri Ramakrishna's passing away, we all know that incident, Sri Ramakrishna was pretending he can't move from side to side, then a doubt came into Narendra's mind. Can this be an incarnation of God? Sri Ramakrishna many times declared in the hearing of Narendranath, he who was Rama, he who was Krishna is again incarnated or born in the form of this particular called Ramakrishna. Swamiji heard it many times. So can this man be really an incarnation of God? Then Sri Ramakrishna gathered all his strength, he was not even in a position to speak because the cancer was of the throat. He turned towards Narendra, even now doubts, he who is Rama, he who is Krishna is reincarnated in the form of Ramakrishna, meaning himself. But that is not the only statement, that is what most of us will remember.

But what said, that not in your Vedantic sense. That is the crucial word for us to understand this particular statement. Vedanta means Advaita Vedanta, not Ramanuya's Vedanta. Ramanuja's Vedanta, everybody's many incarnations are there. So even the four, the garuda, the vahana, the vehicle of Vishnu, chakra, the Discus that Vishnu wears all the time, the gada, the instrument in his one hand, all these are not lifeless instruments. But they are called Alvars, greatest devotees incarnate, they decide, what is called decided to be the servants and Saru, Lord Vishnu. So they call it Chakra Alvar, Gada Alvar, etc. Alvar means a great devotee and that's why you see sometimes in gospel you get when Rama was fighting with Ravana and he remembered garuda, that what is called kite, and immediately that garuda came and he stood praising Lord Narayana. And then Rama had to assume the form of Narayana with four hands etc. And Hanuman was fidgeting at that time. You should remember all those things. So everything in this world is nothing but Brahman. Even a stone, stone also is nothing but Brahman because it can be awakened. A divine mother can manifest herself in a stone, in a piece of metal, anything. We should never have any doubt after studying the life of Sri Ramakrishna. So Vedantins, Advaita Vedantins, when they don't accept the very existence of the world as real, they call it mithya. And then mithya world doesn't really require any incarnation because if it is a fake snake, then there is no question of a stick because if I know it is a fake snake, I don't need anything. As to that knowledge, it is fake. That's more than sufficient. So this entire world is a fake world but is called appearance. It is not there is no world at all. It is called mithya. And therefore an incarnation they don't accept because an incarnation is also considered as mithya, as part of the world. So not in your Vedantic sense. We have to keep that. And then Sri Ramakrishna gives some beautiful examples. We don't know where from he got them. So to talk about incarnation. How many incarnations? Not one. Wherever, whenever there is a balance required where there is injustice growing, at that time it is absolutely necessary that God should incarnate himself.

And so if you remember that Sri Ramakrishna was being looked after Madhur Babu and Bhairavi Brahmani had come and she came to the belief herself after many experiences that Ramakrishna is an incarnation of God. And Sri Ramakrishna was like a child. He would not hide anything. So he would go to Madhur Babu and said that Mother Brahmani is telling me that I am an incarnation of God. Not only that, she will even be ready to prove if you can get up a meeting and Sri Ramakrishna wanted to be declared, probably he knew that he was an incarnation of God, that he wanted to be glorified. So he went on telling Madhur, Madhur, Madhur. So why don't you get up? And then this poor Madhur thought that this man is a good man. A little bit of crack is there in his head. So I will get up a meeting of the great scholars and in that this lady will definitely fail. And then at least this person will not be deluded thinking that he is an incarnation of God. This good man should remain as an innocent, pure, boy-hearted man and I don't want him to get spoiled with all these outlandish ideas. And he agreed and just at that time this Bhairavi Brahmani came there and then Madhur Babu saluted and then Sri Ramakrishna said, she told me that I am an incarnation of God and Bhairavi Brahmani also, I can prove that he is an incarnation of God. Then Madhur Babu wanted to argue as though he was a great scholar and he told, but scriptures tell there are only ten Dasha avataras, only ten and then Bhairavi Brahmani says why Dasha avataras? The Bhagavatam talks about twenty-four avatars. In fact the same Bhagavatam tells that innumerable avatars are there. How many avatars came in the past? How many avatars will come in the future? There is no counting at all. That is the background we have to understand. Anyway just to conclude that beautiful story, Madhur Babu arranged and at that time there were very great scholars like Pandit Gauri, Vaishnava Charan, these were very important. Many other Pandits were there, they were all gathered, there had to be a discussion after hearing which the Bhairavi Brahmani had to prove that yes really he is an incarnation of God, but peculiar things have happened.

So Vaishnava Charan already met Sri Ramakrishna and that day, on the day the meeting was arranged, he also came, Pandit Gauri also came and Vaishnava Charan probably came a bit earlier, we are not sure, and Sri Ramakrishna casually touched him and immediately Vaishnava Charan fell down at the lotus feet of Sri Ramakrishna and went on, hymning in pure Sanskrit, so on the spur of the moment he composed a long Sanskrit hymn. Unfortunately we don't have any recording instruments at that time, otherwise we could have even probably recorded Sri Ramakrishna's words etc. Even Swami Vivekananda's words we don't have actually, we don't have, only one direct disciple's words are there, that is Swami Abhedananda because he gave a speech in 1936 when the centenary of Sri Ramakrishna's birthday was being celebrated on the All India Radio. Ramana Maharshi, such a great Gnani, so we have his picture, he is walking, but there was no voice, very peculiar thing happened, they had the capacity in black and white and they could record everything and then unfortunately, so Bhagavan sat, he did not utter a single word and it was all silent, that is available now on YouTube you can see, and later on they felt very bad, there was no voice and then they sort of accused Ramana Maharshi, Bhagavan you did not utter a single word, Bhagavan smiled and said, I was talking to you all the time through mauna, through silence, but what can I do if you don't have that buddhi to hear them, to understand them.

So, what is important here is, Sri Ramakrishna's touch brought about a complete transformation in Vaishnava Charan. Similarly, others also must have had, we don't have the record and the meeting was not about whether Sri Ramakrishna was really an incarnation of God or not, no. Simply, Sri Ramakrishna was sitting there munching some, I think, flattened rice, so he was fond of flattened rice it seems, he was also fond of chivda we call it, puffed rice, mudi, so these are favourite Pankuda district, two things. So, Sri Ramakrishna was sitting munching a little bit in between the pandits and he will nudge one fellow with his hand, you know, I had this experience, he would nudge the other fellow and said, I had this experience. Those people never understood what mischief Sri Ramakrishna was doing at that time. By his divine touch, their lotus of their understanding opened up and then wholeheartedly they agreed with Bhairavi Brahmani, he was not only an incarnation of God, he was greatest incarnation of God. And Madhur Babu's idea was at least Baba whom he used to call Sri Ramakrishna as father and he was the only of one or two devotees. Another was this lavatory cleaner, Rashik, he used to call him Baba, probably a few others were calling him, Sri Ramakrishna never allowed anybody to call him Guru or father etc. Now, what is the point here? Point is, is there only one incarnation? No, whenever it is necessary, yada yada hi dharmasya glani hi, that is what Sri Ramakrishna wants to exemplify here. So, Krishna was showing Arjuna a huge banyan tree, praising Sri Krishna, Arjuna said, thou art Brahman Absolute. Sri Krishna replied, follow me and you will know whether I am not, I am or not Brahman Absolute. So, saying, Sri Krishna led Arjuna to a certain place and asked him what he saw there. So, I see huge tree led Arjuna and on it I notice fruits hanging like clusters of blackberries, huge tree, small fruits, blackberries like huge clusters, thousands and thousands and thousands of them. Then Krishna said to Arjuna, come nearer and you will find that these are not clusters of blackberries but clusters of innumerable Krishnas like me hanging from the tree. What was Sri Ramakrishna trying to teach through this?

In other words, divine incarnations without number appear and disappear on the tree of the Absolute Brahman. This is the lesson we have to learn until now. So, it is not Dasha Avatara has become famous. No, it is not Dasha Avatara. It is not 24 Avataras as mentioned in the Bhagavatam and Dattatreya and also 24 Gurus, Avadhoota had 24 Gurus. No, no, no, no. In fact, we are also incarnations of God only. That means God with the small power incarnating as a mosquito with a little more power as a bird or as an insect or as an animal or as a human being or as a scholar or as a sadhaka or as a siddha or as an incarnation. An incarnation and an ordinary person differ only in the amount of power they manifest and each one of us have certain power within ourselves but every one of us is nothing but an incarnation of God. Having said that, we have to understand who is the real incarnation, what we call like Jesus, Buddha, Ramakrishna, that person who manifests so much of power, so much of knowledge, so much of love and whose influence is still working. Jesus' life is transforming many many people, Rama's life, Krishna's life, so also Ramakrishna's life, Chaitanya's life, so many people's lives are being transformed and the person who has got more than average power, more than ordinary person, he is called a greater incarnation but everything in this world is nothing but incarnation of God.

We have to understand that.

Om Jananim Sharadan Devayim, Ramakrishnam Jagad Gurum, Pada Padme Tayosritva, Pranamaami Mohur Mohuhu,

May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekanda bless us all with bhakti.

Jai Ramakrishna.