Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 154 on 30-December-2025

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

Opening Invocation

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PAHADAPADMETAYOH SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHU

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

Sri Ramakrishna's Teaching on Sin

Sri Ramakrishna is continuing his conversation, especially with some of the Brahmo devotees. Once, someone gave me a book of the Christians. I asked him to read it to me. It talked about nothing but sin.

And Keshab Chandra Sen is present—addressing Keshab Chandra Sen—Sri Ramakrishna is saying: "Sin is the only thing one hears of at your Brahmo Samaj too."

This is a very strange remark by Sri Ramakrishna, because according to the Christians, we are all born sinners and Jesus is born to save us from sins. And Keshab Chandra Sen, in his Navabidhan, had incorporated many of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and without understanding them properly, there also they talk about sin, redemption, etc.

The Hindu Perspective on Sin

In Hinduism, sin is also accepted, but only as a temporary karmaphala—result of karma. Since whatever is acquired by karma is the result, so through karma again, one can also overcome it. By turning away from evil things, one can become much better. That's what Sri Ramakrishna is going to talk about very soon.

So Sri Ramakrishna is hinting to Keshab in an oblique way, in an indirect way: don't always emphasize the negative side of life. Already we are suffering. We don't need to emphasize these things.

The Psychology of Self-Definition

So he says, addressing especially Keshab and through him all his followers: "The wretch who constantly says, 'I am bound, I am bound,' only succeeds in being bound. He who says day and night, 'I am a sinner, I am a sinner,' verily becomes a sinner."

There is a great psychological truth here. Suppose a person goes on thinking evil things, especially the mental attitude, and aware of what the person is doing, and then feels guilty, and instead of trying to overcome, he goes on thinking, "I am a sinner, I am a sinner."

But one who has tremendous faith in God thinks: "Maybe I have done lot of sinful things, but now I have decided to turn my face towards God and to run to God, who is more than my mother." And this is a wonderful attitude.

The Power of Thought Patterns

When a person says "I am a sinner," there must be some thoughts behind that idea. "I am doing sinful things. I have done, I am still continuing to do." So he will be remembering all the negative things he has been doing. And what happens at the end? We will see it very soon.

Whereas on the contrary, the person who says, "I am not a sinner"—why are you not a sinner? Because I have faith in God. And God's name is extraordinarily powerful. And it will not only purify me, but it will unite me with God. That is the idea here.

The Power of God's Name

So Sri Ramakrishna continues: "One should have such burning faith in God that one can say: What? I have repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me? How can I be a sinner anymore? How can I be in bondage anymore?"

This would be the inevitable feeling that will come to one who turns to God, has faith in God, and takes God's name—and not only for sin.

Two Types of Religious Attitudes

We also have to understand that there are two types of feelings. One feeling is someone is really wicked, evil, goes on doing it. Usually it will take a very long time for such persons to turn towards God. But eventually, everyone will turn to God only.

But there are people who call themselves devotees of God, religious people, men of faith. But even those people—oh, what a thing we have done!—remembering what they have done in the past, not remembering what they are trying to do at the moment. They don't live in the present. They always live in the past.

Living in the Present

We have to live in the present and say: "Yes, I have done, no doubt about it. But now I am praying earnestly to God. I would like now to reduce all those things. In fact, give up everything and try to do whatever is good." And he will have a burning faith.

And this is also an indication. Only one who thinks "I was a sinner, but due to that illusion of Mahāmāyā—but now I turn towards God and I have no such fear at all."

One should have such burning faith in God that one can say: "What? I repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me? How can I be a sinner anymore? How can I be in bondage anymore?"

The Transformative Power of Divine Names

If a man repeats the name of God, his body, mind, and everything becomes pure. Sri Ramakrishna assures us the power of the name of God, and he gives many instances in this Gospel: how Hanumān could fly over that vast ocean just by taking the name of Rāma, and he makes a little bit fun of Rāma also—that while Hanumān had such burning faith and he could fly, Rāma needed a physical bridge so that he can go to Rāvaṇa's abode and finish him.

Faith in the Name

So Sri Ramakrishna says that this is called faith. What is it? That a man feels, "I have faith in God and I am repeating the name of God," and sometimes the devotee has more faith in the name of God than even in God himself.

There is a beautiful song in Kannada by Purandara Dāsa:

Nīnyāko, ninna haṅgyāko, ninna nāma uṇḍu idare sāko

"I don't need you, O God. Your name is more than sufficient for me. How many sinners had become purified, have attained liberation just by uttering your name!"

That is called nāma māhātmya.

Assessing Spiritual Progress

So this is one way of trying to assess our own spiritual progress. When we feel "my body is pure, my mind is pure," and whatever this person looks at, he looks at with a pure mind—his very looking will be pure look.

One should not talk only about sin and hell and such things. Do not talk. Take the name of God.

The Bhagavad Gītā's Promise

Api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananyabhāk

Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ

This is a beautiful promise by God: that however a person is the most wicked of all wicked people, once he resolves "I will give up my past life, I will start a new life"—a new year is coming, so we have to take New Year's resolution—"I will not dwell on the past. I will try to reform myself, try my best, but I will cultivate positive thoughts."

The Power of Positive Thought

There is a beautiful book by Vincent Peale: The Power of Positive Thought. And that is what also the cognitive psychology tells us very much. This is called cognitive therapy. What is it? Whatever may be the outside happenings which are not in our control, but after I receive them into my mind, I have got full freedom to interpret them and to form a very positive, happy, helpful attitude. This is called cognitive therapy.

And this is the crux of the psychology, whether we call it a spiritual book or whatever it is. And that's what Sri Ramakrishna is telling: "Lord, I have done undoubtedly wicked things, but I won't repeat them," and have faith in His name.

Application to Daily Life

And this is not only helpful in spiritual life, but this is also helpful for worldly people. There is a beautiful book, I think, by an author—if I remember correctly, David Mischie—Buddhism for Busy People.

One of the books which impressed me quite a lot, because that book talks about very common things that are happening in our day-to-day life and how Buddhism, as interpreted by some of their enlightened followers, shown a practical way how to do this.

The Lesson on Restlessness

I distinctly remember: when this man was advised to approach a Buddhist teacher in America, he went there and the teacher said, "I will teach you meditation. It won't take years." How to know will not take long time. Teaching takes very short time. But practice may take long time—maybe whole life, maybe many lives.

But then he gives an example: "Right now, I will teach you." So there were some people and they also asked them to sit very comfortably. And then he looks at them and said, "Now, close your eyes and focus on your breathing." And everybody is doing. He noticed one man—he was restlessly moving his legs.

Then he said, "Thank you very much for being the leader of the class as a classic example of restlessness of the mind." Then he says, "Did I not ask you to make yourself very comfortable?" And the man confesses, "Yes." Then, "Why are you moving your legs?" "Oh, I cannot keep quiet," something like that, he said.

So the teacher said, "That is a classic lesson one has to learn. You are sitting very comfortably. I didn't ask you to practice padmāsana or any other āsana on a hard seat. You are sitting on a sofa and then you are supposed to focus. But you are doing everything excepting that."

It is a beautiful day. Past regrets, future planning, non-acceptance of oneself—these great psychological truths are explained beautifully and simply with the teachings, along with the teachings of Bhagavān Buddha, what he had to say. A beautiful book. I recommend that you can obtain that book and read it.

Sri Ramakrishna's Prayer Formula

This is what Sri Ramakrishna is also saying: "O Lord, I have undoubtedly done wicked things, but I won't repeat them," and have faith in the name of God. The power of the name of God is incalculable.

The Song of Durgā

Then Sri Ramakrishna became intoxicated with the divine love and sang. When Sri Ramakrishna sings or meditates, whatever he does, his whole mind becomes absorbed in it. When he sings, especially, and through songs, he teaches marvelous things. We will see how it can help us also.

So he became intoxicated with the divine love and sang:

"If only I can pass away repeating Durgā's name, how canst thou then, O Blessed One, withhold from me deliverance, wretched though I may be?"

It is a long song, but I will just repeat the Bengali original song:

Āmi Durgā Durgā bole, Mā jadi mori,

Ākere edine nātaro khāmane jānā jābe Gauśaṅkarī

Māśī go Brahman hatyākārī Brahmaṇa surāpānādi vināśī nārī

Eśa pātak nā bhavitileka āmi Brahma pādu lāute pāri

Āmi Durgā Durgā bole, Mā jyoti mori

Understanding the Song's Context

Before we go into the meaning of this song—and that is one of the ways we have to enjoy every song Sri Ramakrishna sang—you must have sung so beautifully, and you might have heard some of the Swamis or devotees, beautiful singers, singing the songs that are available in the Kaṭhāmṛta.

Our Order itself has brought out—there are so many Swamis with marvelous voices singing these songs. In every religion, these psalms are there.

The Gītā's Teaching on Final Thoughts

But this reminds us of beautiful thoughts in the Gītā. What is that? Bhagavān says Himself:

Antakāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram

"One who gives up his body and just before death remembers Me and nothing else"—if he prayāti, gives up the body in this condition, sa madbhāvam yāti, attains Me. Nāsti atra saṁśayaḥ—absolutely do not entertain any doubt about this.

The Importance of Habitual Remembrance

And then the next śloka, this comes in the eighth chapter, says: Whatever would be the last thought, and then with that thought, one gives up the body—that thought becomes the future life of such a person, good or evil. Taṁ tam eva eti Kaunteya.

Why? Now Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa is telling us a beautiful sacred thought, psychological thought. What would be the last thought?

If any person is foolish enough to think, "Whole life I will do worldly things, and all, after all, I have to remember God's name only in the very end," he will never succeed.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say: if somebody has eaten garlic, when he belches, only the garlic smell comes out.

So unless one consciously, assiduously, continuously cultivates taking the name of God, one doesn't really remember God's name.

The Story of Ajāmila

And in this connection, if you just analyze the story of Ajāmila, which occurs in the Bhāgavatam—so it is said he has done lot of evil things in his life. He married a low-caste woman, being an orthodox Brahmin, and he had several children. The youngest of his child was Nārāyaṇa, and just before death, he was thinking about his son. And because he uttered the word "Nārāyaṇa," the angels of Lord Nārāyaṇa, the servants of Nārāyaṇa, they came and took the soul away in spite of the protest.

The True Meaning of Divine Names

So many people misunderstand and say, "Oh, this Ajāmila, he just remembered God's name. So God's name has such tremendous power. So I will try to remember Him only at that last moment. Other times, I would not."

First of all, there is no guarantee that we are going to die consciously. One has to die consciously in order to take God's name.

Secondly, even though we are taking God's name, if we mean by God's name—suppose you named your dog, pet dog, as Nārāyaṇa. So you are thinking of dog. A name only brings out the thoughts associated with that particular object. So it is not going to give liberation. One is more likely to become a dog or a donkey, whatever thoughts dominate at that time. That's very important for us to understand.

The Power of Feeling and Devotion

It is the feeling that counts. It is the real feeling that comes by thinking of a beloved object.

So how do we justify Ajāmila's liberation? We have to understand that he was a high-class Brahmin. He was leading a spotlessly pure life, and temporarily a small obstacle had come in the form of desire. And once he had fulfilled the desire—inside, and who can see the inside of such a person—he must be regretting: "Why did I commit such a sin? Why did I bring such a bad name to my parents, to my family, to my lineage?" He must have been tremendously repenting what he had done.

And then, like that public woman in front of the heart of his sādhu, he must have been continuously cultivating the thought of Nārāyaṇa. So people thought he was addressing—because the youngest child was his beloved child. But no, not like Jaḍa Bharata.

So he must have been earnestly calling on Bhagavān: "I committed mistake, please forgive me, take me into your lap." And which mother would refuse, even if a child is dirty?

So that is what exactly happened here. That by thinking of Lord only, he attained Lord. If he had been thinking about only this, his son, an ordinary human being, he would have taken rebirth like Jaḍa Bharata.

The Principle of Mental Focus

These are all marvelous things we have to understand: that only a person who thinks of God will attain to God. And a person who thinks of worldly things is more likely to attain worldly things only. It is not what comes out of the mouth, but what is there behind that word, what feeling is there, what thoughts are there. That is very important.

The Teaching of the Kaṭha Upaniṣad

And then, why do people become so deluded? How does the Māyā work? We see also in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, Yamadharma Mahārāja is declaring, is teaching: "O Naciketa, you have done very well indeed. So when I offered you such tempting worldly enjoyments to you, without a second thought, you had totally rejected them."

Tāvaivaṁ vā hāḥ tāvan nṛtyā gīte

"So let all these musical instruments, dancing," that indicating all these worldly objects—"I don't want. If you want, you can keep them. But I want only..." So Naciketa will not want anything else excepting what he asked you. "I want to know what is the real nature of every human being. Please teach me about it."

The Two Paths: Preyas and Śreyas

And these beautiful verses, we have to keep a small collection of them. And then now and then, and even if you do not know Sanskrit, keep a simple English translation and then you can recite them as often as you wish. In fact, we should do it every day:

Anyat śreyo anyat utāiva preyaḥ te ubhe nānārthe puruṣaṁ sinītaḥ

Tayoḥ śreya ādadānasya sādhubhavati hīyate arthāt yo gu preyo vṛṇīte

Śreyasya prayasya manuṣyam etau tau samparītya evinaty dhīraḥ

Śreyo hi dhīro abhipreyaso vṛṇīte preyo mando yogaśa mat vṛṇīte

There are two types of people. Worldly people, they lack in discrimination. So both these goals—one is a worldly life, another is a spiritual life—but both of them come with a glowing vision. Because in worldly life, if one sees the defects, one will not feel like tempting, being tempted by them.

Buddha's Teaching on Suffering

That is what Bhagavān Buddha had taught: that life is full of misery and it is a misery. If it is a misery, if any man understands it is a misery, he will not want them. But it comes with a marvelous address, like as they say sometimes, the spirits come in the form of beautiful men and women to tempt, to drag and make them also demons, spirits.

The Choice of the Wise

So both—the mind of man is open to both of them. But what happens? Blinded by ignorance and not having sufficient amount of discrimination, a worldly man chooses worldly goods called preyas. But dhīraḥ, a person—he means buddhi. Buddhi means intellect, a purified intellect with tremendous amount of power of discrimination and dispassion. He chooses only the śreyas which will give him eternal bliss.

Whereas the worldly man—he is not wanting suffering, but he is asking temporary happiness. The very word "temporary happiness" must make us thoughtful. What is temporary happiness? A happiness which would be very temporary.

The Nature of Temporary Happiness

And then you have to think further: So when the happiness or pleasure comes to an end, then what would be the next thing for us to experience? If it is cold and it is temporary, that means heat will come. If it is good, evil will come. If it is life, death will come. If it is male, female will come. If it is happiness, unhappiness comes.

So very difficult to acquire this kind of discrimination.

The Delusion of Worldly People

The point is, worldly people think they will have unending worldly happiness, unbroken worldly happiness. Not that they are that much of fools. "I know life is full of suffering and I voluntarily choose suffering"—nobody will do such a thing. The person knows it is true. Others are telling it is full of unhappiness, misery, suffering. "But I am so clever that, like other people, I will not suffer."

So this is—there also, not only this worldly happiness, higher worldly happiness also, the person does actually praise. Doesn't mean a person who is leading an evil life. No, he is leading a virtuous life and he has complete faith in the Vedas. So he says: Svargakāmo agnihotraṁ juhyā. So one who is desirous of heaven must perform agnihotra sacrifice.

He knows it, that "I want higher happiness." But what he doesn't understand is even higher happiness also will be only temporary happiness. That is the problem here. So one has to be very, very discriminative.

Sri Ramakrishna's Prayer to the Divine Mother

That's why Sri Ramakrishna now continues. He teaches his devotees a most marvelous prayer. Then he said, Sri Ramakrishna said:

"To my Divine Mother, I prayed only for pure love. I offered flowers at Her lotus feet and prayed to Her: 'Mother, here is Thy virtue, here is Thy vice. Take them both and grant me only pure love for Thee. Here is Thy knowledge, here is Thy ignorance. Take them both and grant me only pure love for Thee. Here is Thy purity, here is Thy impurity. Take them both, Mother, and grant me only pure love for Thee. Here is Thy dharma, here is Thy adharma. Take them both, Mother, and grant me only pure love for Thee.'"

Holy Mother's Prayer

We will talk about this soon. But Holy Mother, Śrī Śāradā Devī also prayed: "O Lord, there is a spot even in the moon, a black spot. But let me not have any spot." Spot means impurity.

Going Beyond All Dualities

So what is Sri Ramakrishna doing? He says: "O Mother, I don't want preyas, worldly happiness. I want only liberation. I want devotion, pure devotion, pure knowledge, Brahman, God-realization." These are synonymous words.

So he says: Puṇya-pāpa, I want to go beyond both. Jñāna and ajñāna, I want to go beyond both. Purity and impurity, I want to go beyond them both. Dharma and adharma, I want to go beyond them both.

Why Transcend Dharma?

Why does Sri Ramakrishna say, "I want to go beyond dharma and adharma"? Because it is crystal clearly indicated in these scriptures: Dharma means virtue also becomes a cause for rebirth. Not only a person has to take birth in hell as a result of leading a very wicked life, evil life. But if a person has done lot of virtue, acquired puṇyam we call it, he will go to higher lokas, he will enjoy.

Now tell me, think over it: which would be more tempting, small pleasure or big pleasure? If a person once comes to know that better type of food is available at a short distance away, then that person will always desire only better things.

The Nature of Desire and Happiness

Because one of the laws of happiness tells us that in every human being there is a tendency to acquire higher and higher happiness. As soon as a person reaches a higher level of happiness, he will be very happy for some time. That is the problem that we worldly people also face.

So a person, poor person says, "If I can earn so much, then I will be a very happy person whole life." And by God's grace, hard work, intelligence, when he attains to that state, for a few days, he will be very happy because he is comparing himself to the state which he was in in the past. Then again it becomes taken for granted.

Oh, whether it is a beautiful wife or very beautiful, attractive husband or anybody, it is only until we start living together. But as soon as we start living together, then we take them for granted and then our mind says, "I want something else." This is the nature of Māyā or illusion.

The Problem with Higher Lokas

So even if a person goes to higher lokas, his saṁskāras tell us, "I want repeatedly to enjoy those things."

As an example, I told you: that however improvement we might make in our life in any form—health-wise, wealth-wise, job-wise, family-wise, children-wise—it is only until we attain our goal that we are happy. In fact, the thought about attaining that gives us more happiness than actual obtainment of that happiness. This is a great psychological fact.

The Highest Happiness

So Sri Ramakrishna is only pointing out that the only highest happiness, incomparable: Satyaṁ jñānam anantam brahma.

Just now you heard beautiful devotional song before the class started by M.S. That is Subbulakshmi—incomparable, beautiful voice: Satyaṁ jñānam anantam brahma.

That is what we also have discussed in the second chapter: Brahmavida āpnoti param—the knower of Brahman attains God Himself, Brahman Himself. He becomes infinite. And then Brahmaṇa vipaścitet. So by becoming one with Brahman, he attains sarvān kāmān Brahmaṇasaḥ. So he attains, He enjoys every desire, but He doesn't experience desires and enjoys them. He becomes one with happiness, and when a person knows "I am happiness," the question of his wanting happiness doesn't arise at all.

So Sri Ramakrishna is indicating: do not wish for preyas, but only think of śreyas.

The Song of Rāmprasād

And then, again, addressing the Brahmo devotees: "Healing, now listen to a song by Rāmprasād." Again, each song in the Kaṭhāmṛta is a marvel, I have to tell you.

And here is a song: "O mind, let us go to the wish-fulfilling tree called Kālī. There, we can gather all the four fruits of life."

The Four Puruṣārthas

You must remember, this is called caturvidha puruṣārtha: dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. So the first three—dharma, artha and kāma—they are called preyas. And only mokṣa is called śreyas.

Why are the first three called? Because they are the way, the only way everyone has to go through them. It is not that there will be born a child all of a sudden falls from the sky and says, "I want only God." No. Everybody who desired God in the end learnt a great lesson by being reborn. Caurāsi lakṣa yonim—84,000 lives. Then he learned his lesson. "This is not what I want."

The Analogy of the Servant

Sri Ramakrishna tells, gives a beautiful analogy there. One day, a servant wanted to wake up his master for some urgent work. So he enters into the big sleeping room, bedroom of the master. It is in pitch darkness. So he goes on touching. "This is not the master. This is not the master." And he touches the bed. "This is not the master." Then he touches the body of the master. "Ah, this is the master." This is called "not this, not this"—neti neti.

Enjoying Both Worlds

But if we take refuge in the universal Divine Mother, one can gather—you enjoy this world, you enjoy the other world also. This is a beautiful concept that Sri Ramakrishna advocated again and again: that don't call this saṁsāra what is called a pit of unending suffering. No, it is mujar kuṭi—it is a mansion of mirth, but only those who have awakened, they can enjoy both.

So that is why sometimes looking at monks and nuns or people who renounce the world, even being householders, the other people think, "Oh, he has renounced the world for the sake of God." But a bhakta enjoys from the very beginning and his enjoyment goes on growing and growing. And finally, he becomes one with bliss itself.

The Kalpataru Song

So here is a beautiful song:

Āi man veḍāte jābi Kālī kalpataru tale

Giye cāriphal kuḍāye khābi

Pravṛtti nivṛtti jaya tār nivṛtti re saṅge lobi

Ure ivekana me jeṣṭhaputro tattva kathā tāi śudhābi

Aśuci śuce ke loe divyagare kobesūvi

Jākan dhui śāti ne prīthi hobe tākhon śamāmake pābi

Ahaṅkār avidyātho tita matāi tādāy divi

It goes on and on. We will explore the English meaning.

Translation and Meaning

"Come, O mind, let us go for a walk to Kālī, the wish-fulfilling tree." This is the real Kalpataru. Remember, Kalpataru celebration is going to come in two days' time. Today is 30th. Tomorrow is 31st. 1st January is celebrated all over the world as the day of Kalpataru.

And what is this Kalpataru? Whatever one wishes, that wish will be fulfilled. But who is the real Kalpataru? You can call them: Kāmākṣī, Mīnākṣī, Viśālākṣī.

I explained earlier, if you still recollect: Ākṣi means eye. And our Divine Mother in special manifestations at Kāñcī, at Madurai, at Kāśī and at other places in many other names. Every name of the Divine Mother means the same thing.

The Significance of Divine Names

For example, it is a Bengali song: Tārā tāraṇī nāma. Tārā means Durgā, Kālī, Divine Mother. And what is your name? Tāraṇī—one who takes you across the saṁsāra, ocean of saṁsāra, to the other side, which is nothing but God. From Saguṇa Brahma to Nirguṇa Brahma.

So Kāmākṣī: Ākṣi means eye. Kāma means desire. The mother is a storehouse of all these four puruṣārthas. Any one of her children—and who is her child? Only a person who truly has faith: "This is my mother and I am her child. And whatever desires require to be fulfilled, either asked or unasked, mother will fulfill them immediately by just one glance."

Why eye is given? Because by just—"my child, you want this"—She will not talk. She just looks at. Granted. That very look. Granted.

Mīnākṣī: The Unblinking Eye

So Mīnākṣī—with unblinking eyes, the Divine Mother is watching every one of her children, which child requires what, even if the child doesn't know. This is a marvelous concept. We have to ponder over deeply. What are we talking about, Mīnākṣī? That whatever desire, even if you don't want, mother is—give, just like a small baby. Baby doesn't know, but mother regularly wakes up the baby. And even in sleep also, sometimes the baby is drinking the milk of the mother.

So later on, the baby complains: "Yesterday I was so hungry and you have not fed me, you have forgotten!" He would not have lasted the night if mother had not fed him. But how do we interpret it?

All Are Children of the Divine Mother

So we are all children of the Divine Mother. And whatever is happening to any one of us, from our viewpoint, as if mother is not listening to us, mother is angry with us, mother is not favorable towards us, and she is giving diseases, death, unhappiness, unending, so-called unending suffering—which is a ridiculous concept. Because if anybody has unending suffering, he will not know what is called suffering. Many times we discussed that point.

So whatever happens in life: śakalī taumāri icchā, icchāmāe tāratumi. What does it mean? Because whatever happens to us is by mother's will, and whatever happens by mother's will is for our good only.

Detailed Analysis of the Kalpataru Song

With this background, let us analyze this beautiful song today.

"Come, let us go for a walk." So we are walking. Every second is a walk. But where are we walking? Where are we going? "Oh, I want money. I want job. I want to get married. I want to have children." That is not a walk. Because you have to pay heavily even for the smallest pleasure. And every smallest pleasure comes with unending unhappiness with that.

The Wish-Fulfilling Tree

But there is a tree there and it is a hybrid tree. It yields dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. Not only that, you don't need to climb. You just go there and hundreds and millions and billions of any fruit you want—all the four fruits are lying scattered. And then you can gather whatever fruits you want. But you have to find out that a tree is very important.

Sri Ramakrishna's Story of the Kalpataru

Remember the unparalleledly imaginative story of Sri Ramakrishna about the Kalpataru. I have not heard that story anywhere. If Sri Ramakrishna had heard and made it his own, that's okay, but I have not heard this story. You know this story.

One day, a traveler was traveling in a desert land, perhaps, became very tired, thirsty, hungry. So he saw a small tree. He just laid himself and he was thinking, "If only I have nice food." Immediately, the best food had come. "Wonderful. If I had only cool drinks." And immediately varieties of cold drinks, his favorite cold drinks appeared. "Then I am satisfied. I must take rest. If there is a beautiful bed," immediately the bed has come.

But the man was not thinking. He was enamored. He was mesmerized, hypnotized. "So if a beautiful young woman..." Why does a man want a young woman? Just to massage his feet? We have to understand, he wants to enjoy her. That is the simple truth. Sometimes we have to use these crude expressions in order to drive the full meaning of that story.

So immediately a beautiful woman had appeared and because of the delicacy, Sri Ramakrishna doesn't say what both of them did. And then he was so carried away. Suddenly, a negative thought appeared. Because whenever we have some positive thoughts, negative thoughts also will come. We have to reduce them slowly, slowly, by substituting our desire as God's desire.

So immediately he thought, "Supposing suddenly a tiger comes and devours me," and that's what happened. So that Kalpataru gives without discrimination.

Swami Saradananda's Commentary

And Swami Saradananda records, comments upon this incident, and devotees started calling it Kalpataru. And unfortunately, despite Swami Saradananda's objection, the word Kalpataru has become most popular.

Swami Saradananda remarks that a Kalpataru has no power of discrimination. It gives whatever a person wants, like our dream. Whatever you desire, if you have sufficient power of imagination, immediately that will be fulfilled.

Sri Ramakrishna as the True Kalpataru

But Sri Ramakrishna is not such an indiscriminating Kalpataru. Just like a loving mother doesn't give to the baby whatever the baby demands. "I want to play with a gun, with a knife." No, mother will not allow. Sri Ramakrishna will give only what brings joy to the devotees, but at the same time, which would gradually purifies them, takes them to God. In this process, if some amount of suffering also has to be imposed, of course one has to do that.

So in this background: Who is the Kalpataru? Mother Kālī. Who is Mother Kālī? Īśvara, God, Saguṇa Brahma. Whenever we talk about God, always remember, most of the time, we are only talking about Saguṇa Brahma. Only when we are discussing philosophy, the concept of Nirguṇa Brahma comes.

The Meaning of Taking Refuge

So: "O mind, let us take refuge." This is called walking to be Kālī Kalpataru. And what happens when we take refuge in Mother Kālī? Lie in her lap and there beneath it, gather the four fruits of life. That is, whatever you want, you will get it.

But then, the Divine Mother is watching. If we manage to go to the Mother, she will not allow us to choose that which is only temporary. She will allow it, but then she will also patiently teach us: "This is very good, but the other one is better."

The Two Wives: Dispassion and Worldliness

And then, very beautiful similes will come here. Of your two wives—here is a person, and it is imagined, you have two wives—and what is one wife's name? Dispassion, vairāgya, and the other wife, worldliness. And when you come to the Divine Mother, bring along dispassion only on your way to the tree.

And she also had produced some children. There is a son for this dispassion. And ask her son discrimination about the truth. Because discrimination is that faculty which tells us what is satyam and what is mithyā. Therefore, the truth—what is satyam? God alone is real. Everything else is unreal.

Learning to Abide in Blessedness

And then the sādhaka is addressing himself: "When will you learn to lie, O mind, in the abode of blessedness?" So with cleanliness and defilement on either side of you. So you must learn, O mind—mind is addressed. Sādhana is in the mind. Devotion is in the mind. Worldliness in the mind. So discrimination in the mind. Indiscrimination is also in the mind. Bondage is in the mind. Freedom also in the mind. God is in the mind. Worldliness is also in the mind only.

So learn to abide in blessedness, which is the Divine Mother. She is called blessedness. And then what happens? With cleanliness and defilement on either side of you.

Living with Both Purity and Impurity

So, so long as we are in this world, so long there is a body, so long there is a mind, there will be good and evil, purity and impurity. Both will be there. But in spite of both, one can be enjoying, swimming in the ocean of blessedness. How?

Only when you have found the way to keep these wives contentedly under a single roof, will you behold the matchless form of Mother Śyāmā.

In other words, when you become a sthitaprajña, when dharma and adharma, honor and dishonor, profit and loss, cold and heat, life and death—when all these become absolutely irrelevant, your mind remains:

Duḥkheṣu anudvignamanāḥ, sukheṣu vigataspṛha

Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ sthitadhīr munir ucyate

Beholding the Divine Mother

So then what happens when the mind attains such a state? You will behold the matchless form of Mother Śyāmā, which is another name for Brahma-sākṣātkāra.

"Ego and ignorance, your parents, instantly banish from your sight." Get rid of your parents—not those who gave birth to this body, but ego and ignorance. Ajñāna goes with egotism, ahaṅkāra. Banish them.

Clinging to Patience

"And should delusion seek to drag you to its hole, manfully cling to the pillar of patience." That means it will take time. Patiently, try to develop dispassion, discrimination, and that is how you overcome delusion.

Overcoming Vice and Virtue

"And if necessary, tie to the post of unconcern the goats of vice and virtue." Both have to be overcome. Puṇyam and pāpam, dharma and adharma. So they are compared to two goats to be offered to the Divine Mother. So tie them so that you will be able to kill them. "Killing them with the sword of knowledge if they rebel." Jñānāsina. That is what Bhagavad Gītā also says.

Dealing with Worldly Attachments

"With the children of worldliness, your first wife, plead from a goodly distance." That is, if you are suffering from worldliness, tell them, tell you to them, address them. Because where are they? In the mind only. That is, your thoughts, your attraction, your affection, your attachment to the children.

"And if they will not listen, drown them in wisdom's sea." That is to say, every thought that comes—cittanirodha, which is one meaning of cittanirodha—that is to say, forcibly convert every thought into godly thought. It doesn't matter.

Converting Desire into Devotion

When Harihar asked him how to conquer lust, he said, "Why? You don't overcome that. You increase it a thousandfold and turn it towards God." This is called attraction for God. Desiring God deeply, yearningly, with intense yearning.

So turn every thought into a divine thought, into a thought of devotion.

The Final Promise

Says Rāmprasād: "If you do as I say, you can submit a good account, O mind, to the king of death."

If you follow this recipe, what happens? Then when the king of death comes, you can tell, "Sir, unnecessarily you come to me. There is no need for you—one less problem for you—because I am going to become one with God. I am going to become Śiva." That's why he is called Mṛtyuñjaya.

"And I shall be well pleased with you and call you my darling." Rāmprasād addressing and says: "O mind, when you are able to follow this one, then I will be very pleased and say, you are my most darling mind. It is because of you that I have been able to attain God realization."

Closing Prayer