Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 169 on 28-July-2026

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

Opening Invocation

ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् |

पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः ||

Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadgurum |

pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ ||

Dakṣiṇeśwar – December 1882

In the afternoon, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was seated on the west porch of his room in the temple garden at Dakṣiṇeśwar. Among others, Bāburām, Rāmadāyāl, and M were present. These three were going to spend the night with the Master. M intended to stay the following day also, for he was having his Christmas holidays. Bāburām had only recently begun to visit the Master.

The Teaching: God Alone Is the Doer

A man becomes liberated even in this life when he knows that God is the doer of all things. Once Keśavacandra Sen came here with Śambhumallī. I said to him: "Not even a leaf moves except by the will of God. Where is man's free will? All are under the will of God."

This is one subject – and beautiful – I will say the most beautiful expression of Thākur's. What was he telling? He is telling the devotees: a person can become a jīvanmukta. When does he become a jīvanmukta? When he goes on practising neti neti neti. From the Advaitic viewpoint, neti neti neti implies: "I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am not the sense organs. I have nothing to do with possessions." But the same idea has been presented to us in this beautiful manner: when a person knows that God alone is the doer of everything. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is reinforcing this idea.

"Inshallah" – The Will of God

So it seems once he said to Keśavacandra Sen and Śambhumallī: "Not even a leaf moves except by the will of God." In practically every Indian language, this expression is there – by the Muslims, whenever somebody tells something, he would reply "Inshallah" – the will of God. So it is said in the Bible that when Christ was to face the crucifixion, he prayed: "Let this cup pass from me if it is Thy will." But he understood – no, the body has to go through that horrible torture. Then he said: "Not my will, but Thy will – let Thy will be done." There is no saint who would not repeat the same thing.

Applying It to the Present

So we also have to practise. What is the meaning of practice? Going on like a broken gramophone record: "Everything is God's will. I do not do anything. Nobody does anything." That is okay – that is not bad. But look at the present situation. Apply it to the present situation: Why is there so much corruption, so much evil, so much killing and being killed? Wars had become endemic, as they say. And nowadays, because the whole fabric – that is, the whole world – is connected, so everybody gets affected. If one corner of a spider's web is touched, then the entire web will be touched – it shakes, it moves.

The Creeper Over the Pond

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, in his own inimitable language, presents it to us: "Have you seen? In many places, ponds are covered with a kind of creeper with huge dark green leaves." I do not know whether somebody had made research and found out what is the use. Sometimes even rivers are clogged with these things. But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's keen eyesight points out and says: "You pull that creeper over the pond from any side – the whole creeper moves." So what is the idea? The idea is everything is done by the will of God. So why was this war between USA and Iran? It is God's will. Why are people dying? God's will. Why did one person become the President of America? God's will. So what are all his thoughts? God's will – it may be astonishing.

Do We Have to Keep Quiet?

Then do we have to keep quiet? No, the idea is that you do your best. What is outside our control? By thinking painful thoughts, evil thoughts, thoughts of how many people are suffering – the whole world is suffering – am I able to do anything? We are completely helpless, as if we are bound hand and foot with terrible iron chains – sometimes golden chains also. But it appears to be – "Oh, is it a relief for a person whose hands and feet are bound? Oh, I am so lucky, I am so happy – I am bound by golden chains." Golden chain or iron chain – the effect is exactly the same. Someone comes and then talks sweetly to me – that is also God's will. And somebody else speaks harshly – that is also God's will.

Forbearance of Dualities

That is what Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa raises this topic again and again – this dvandva-sahiṣṇutā – forbearing: śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu, mānāpamānayoḥ, sukha-duḥkhe same kṛtvā, lābhālābhau jayājayau. In every situation, we should not think "this is profitable"; we should not think "this is a loss". What we should think is: "It is all God's will, and God's will will always be good." That is an unshakable faith we have to develop – that śraddhā. No mother will ever do any harm to her baby. If she is administering bitter medicine to the baby, is it for the good of the baby? The baby may not understand. We are also like babies – only Swami Vivekananda used to call us "moustached babies". That is all – our understanding has not grown at all.

The Goal of Sādhanā

Anyway, what is the point we are talking here? Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: the only doer is only God, and whatever God does, it is for the good of everybody. And what is sādhanā? To reach this unshakable faith which transforms, which alone can transform our entire character – that everything is the will of God. It is by the will of God everything happens. And I do not know where from Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had heard – thousands and thousands of wandering monks, etc. – whatever good things he hears, he keeps it in his mind better than even an AI. And there are no hallucinations in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.

The Story of the Weaver

All of us definitely would remember the story of "Everything is the will of Rāma" – the weaver. So many times I expanded on that topic. We have to meditate upon that example. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives: suppose the weaver was told by the magistrate – "I do not know whether your Rāma exists or not, whether it is His will or not" – because only a person who knows God exists can accept the will of God. We do not know what God's will is. So what is? Suppose the magistrate says: "I am going to put you in jail for six years." Why six years? Could be ten years, twenty years, thirty years, or "we are going to shoot you down." People have been shot down for far less. But the magistrate said: "I am going to release you – you are a good man." Did this statement of the magistrate make this person proud? "Oh, even the magistrate recognises..."

A Story About Modesty

Recently I read a beautiful small wisdom story. There was a saint, and he was well known for his great qualities – generous, forgiving, extraordinarily forbearing, and he never proclaims his own glory. He is the most humble person. So he heard it, but his face was glum. Then his wife asked: "Are you not happy? People had recognised your saintliness – they are very, very, what is called, all praise for you." This is a funny story. The saint was glum. He replied to his wife: "But what about my modesty? Nobody had ever mentioned my modesty." He is getting offended! "Why my modesty? What is my modesty? I never exhibit myself – but if others voluntarily come and say, 'Oh, what a great true person, what tremendous modesty!' – then inside he would be very happy." Is that a characteristic of a saint, a man of God?

The Remedy – The Kitten Attitude

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as a remedy – a light to understand these difficult passages – they look very innocent, simple, but very difficult. So there are devotees who should adopt only one bhāva – not the attitude of a young one of a monkey, but the young one of a cat – a kitten. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives beautiful description: a mother cat may put her baby on a rubbish heap, and some other time she would put the kitten on the bed of the masters. So wherever the kitten is put, it does not even think: "My mother is there, she is looking after me" – and that is it. The very remembrance: "My mother is there, and she is looking after me. If I have any problem, all that I need to do is mew, and immediately wherever she is, she comes running."

Becoming a Jīvanmukta

So a person becomes a jīvanmukta – liberated in life – if that person develops slowly that attitude. What attitude? Nāhaṃ, nāhaṃ – tu hu tu hu – "Everything happens by Your will." If someone is cutting my throat, that is also good. I may not understand it, but it is very good because it is my mother who is allowing somebody to do this horrible job. That was what Christ understood. That was what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa understood. That was what Buddha had understood.

The Death of Śrī Kṛṣṇa

When we examine the lives of the greatest avatāras – how they died, under what circumstances they died – if we study the life of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, it is even more marvellous. He knew his end was coming, and he advised – he gave marvellous teachings to Uddhava – and then he went himself. He called Balarāma and said: "You give up your body – let us mono chalo nijāniketane – let us return to our own dhāma, that is our abode." And then he himself – he knew: "I also have to give up this body, but I had already willed that a hunter will discharge an arrow; it will strike the sole of my foot, and that is how the prāṇa has to depart." And exactly, he covered himself, and then a hunter came and he mistook – so a deer's foot. Śrī Kṛṣṇa can do any magic – so he must have been very glad, but fortunately he was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He knew Kṛṣṇa. So he discharged the arrow and came there to collect his prize and then found Kṛṣṇa – Bhagavān, his own iṣṭa devatā. And then he started weeping: "O Lord, what have I done?" Kṛṣṇa assured him: "It is not you who did it – it is My will by which you are made to do it. And because you are helping Me, then you will get the highest position." That is to say, you will be liberated.

The Point of Giving

That is what we have to understand – because if a medium rich man loves somebody, if he gives something, he has limitations – that much only he can give. So if a music master had to teach somebody, he would only teach – yes, he had knowledge of music, and he would teach anybody only what he knew. So the point is: whatever we have, that alone we can give. Any moral person trying to teach morality to other people – it is not going to succeed. On the other hand, it will create disgust. Other people never look at what we are saying. We think there are people who are listening to us. Nobody listens to us – only they listen to themselves. They look at this person: "Is he moral or immoral himself?" – and that is the judgment everybody will have. That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's favourite saying: svayam ācārya – first a person has to practise himself; then, if God wills, he can teach it to others. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa throughout his life – that is what he practised.

Where Is Man's Free Will?

Then Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is continuing: "Where is man's free will? All are under the will of God." Because why is it? Because there are no "all" – there is nobody. "Me, you, an insect, a tree, or a man or an animal – nothing exists. Everything is the manifestation of God. He is playing with Himself."

There is a very beautiful song in Bengali, and you can hear it – I do not recollect it exactly: Khelicho... "A Brahman lay something anamone" – like a small baby sitting on the banks of a river, taking the sand and then making castles, breaking them – like that. There is no purpose. It is such a beautiful song. Why did God create? Where was the need for God to create? That is answered by this great poet: Anamone – it is His joy. That is all. He is not thinking: "This serves some purpose, so I have to build it." A child just plays as easily – it kicks the sand castles. And whatever we are doing, that is exactly what we are doing. Because when knowledge dawns in our minds, we understand: "Really we are infinite. There is nothing lacking in me. I am Pūrṇa. This entire universe is also infinite. Every object is only a reflection of Sat-Cit-Ānanda." So creation – that is what is called līlā. Līlā means anamone. So Virāṭ Śiśu is like a huge baby, and he is alone, and he is taking some raw material and he is playing. Some wonderful singers – one of the singers was Anup Jalotā: Khelicho ā viśāla ye anamone, goriyo bhāṅgo – "You are making, you are also unmaking." That is how the song goes.

Creation as Joy

The idea is: there is no purpose, there is no plan, no project – just an expression of joy. Sṛṣṭi is an expression of joy. Sthiti is an expression of joy. Laya is also an expression of joy. It is only from one state of joy to another state of joy – that is all. There, all borderlines become completely obliterated.

The Story of Totāpurī (Naṅtā)

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is continuing: "There is no man. Therefore, the question of a man having free will does not arise at all. All are under the will of God."

Naṅtā was a man of great knowledge – that even he was about to drown himself in the Ganges. This is a well‑known, very famous incident. I am very fond of quoting this one. Why am I so fond of quoting this incident? Definitely – Tātpurī Mahārāja – so Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call him Naṅtā, meaning "naked". There are sādhus, and especially whenever the festival of Kumbha Melā, you will see thousands and thousands of them completely naked, but they are not free like babies – it is only a pretence. There might be one or two people who do not possess body consciousness; most of the other people are highly conscious of their body. So Naṅtā means naked. Naṅtā was a man of great knowledge – Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa noticed: you have to understand – he keenly observed, and then he had some pain in his stomach and he could not meditate.

The Strange Behavior

This is exceedingly strange behaviour. A person who has once experienced nirvikalpa samādhi – for him it is to detach oneself from the body and from the mind. Why go to such an extent? Huge operations are performed under the effect of anaesthesia – even if a very rough‑edged saw is taken. I have myself seen with my own eyes – one young man, when I was in Haridwar, in our centre in Kankhal – one young man was preparing, doing painting something – so he had to climb a ladder. He fell down and then he broke one of his legs, probably right leg. He was brought in great pain. His doctor had no option – at least that was what he thought, I do not know. So I was witnessing as an assistant – anybody who joins, they immediately become assistants even in these operations. After the operation, I was seeing a surgical saw – it was washed with Dettol etc. – and it just cut off within five minutes. Bone, everything was cut off, and stitches were done, and then he lost – I do not know what happened afterwards. But what is the point I am telling? Even an ordinary medicine can make a person completely oblivious of the body. And when we are in the deep sleep state, we are also oblivious not only of the physical body but of the mind also.

How Could a Man of Supreme Knowledge Fail?

How come that a man of supreme knowledge cannot detach himself – a person who is incapable of detaching his mind from anything that he knows? That is the whole process meaning of Neti neti – not merely saying it, but complete detachment.

Ramana Maharṣi's Example

As an example, we can see Ramana Maharṣi – his hand had to be operated; he had developed a carbuncle – it was a cancerous growth – and he had to be operated; the whole hand had to be removed because the cancer was spreading and growing. But Maharṣi did not allow it, but it was very painful. So at the first stage, the doctors decided to remove that growth – they wanted to because it was extremely painful to the touch. But Ramana Maharṣi smiled and said: "Don't worry, you just carry on. I will withdraw my mind." And that is what he did, and the doctors were astonished – as if he was not being operated upon. Same thing happened to Swami Turiyānandaji – he could withdraw his mind.

The Divine Mother's Will

Now, how come that Totāpurī could not withdraw his mind? Because it was Mother's will. It was Mother's will that he should stay with Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa for eleven months to learn that by whose will he had the desire to become spiritual, by whose will he obtained the Guru, by whose will he was trained by the Guru, by whose will he was progressing – and he was progressing because the Divine Mother, out of Her compassion, was removing every obstacle.

Obstacles – Negative and Positive

What are the obstacles? Kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, mātsarya – are these the only obstacles? No – even daivī sampat – ahiṃsā, samatā, triṣṭi, etc. All these things have to be first – get rid of the negative impressions, qualities; then that can be done only by replacing them with divine qualities – pratipakṣa bhāvanam. But even these divine qualities should not be there, because anything qualified will be only qualified, and qualification is a limitation. Every qualification is a limitation – this is a profound Vedāntic principle. Suppose milk is white, and that whiteness is the very quality of the milk. As Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives this example many times – but our point here is separate. Here the milk is limited by the whiteness. Why can't it be yellow, green, reddish, or any other blessed colour? Why can't it? Because it cannot change. So there are some who are born black – they cannot change their skin colour. So these are points we have to remember.

Every Quality Is a Limitation

Every quality – here is a sweet mango, and that sweetness is a quality – and it cannot get rid of it because that is its nature. Nature cannot be gotten rid of. But that very sweetness is a quality, and that quality – why can't it be bitter? Why can't it be a combination of sweet and sour – khaṭṭā-meṭhā – which Holy Mother preferred to sweeter mangoes? So we have to understand: when Sat-Cit-Ānanda is covered with limitations called qualities, it loses its memory of what it is. Sat-Cit-Ānanda is infinity. Sat-Cit-Ānanda with names, forms, and qualities is called creation, and that is bondage.

The Purpose of Qualities

So every quality limits every object only to that particular quality – or something can have more than one quality. For that, the famous example that is given is nīlam utpalam sugandhi – "there is a blue lotus" (or lily, maybe lily). It is a blue colour; it is huge; and it is also fragrant. So these are the qualities. And what is a quality for? It is to identify a particular object, separating it from everything else in this universe. But what is universality? Removing all these limitations. All the limitations according to Advaita have been clubbed under three: time, space, and object – deśa pariccheda, kāla pariccheda, vastu pariccheda.

The Lesson for Totāpurī

So Divine Mother wanted to teach a lesson. It is God's will that you attain nirvikalpa samādhi. It is God's will – Mother's will – that you have to fall down from that state and then identify with the body. Who feels the pain? Only one who identifies with the body. So Totāpurī could not tolerate. But he could not understand it. That is why I am repeating this story so much. If such great people can fall under the delusion that "I attained everything all by myself", what to speak of – kuccha people, small people like us? So we get offended if somebody speaks very nicely, even though we know we do not deserve it. We fall under the trap – our face starts blooming into a bigger smile. And the opposite happens when the words are harsh. We are not looking for truth; we are looking for pleasing. "How can I please myself? How can I reduce my displeasure?" That is why we have been studying in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: nobody loves anybody – everybody loves only the Ātman – because Ātman is the only source of bliss.

Totāpurī's Suicide Attempt

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's beautiful description – and look, we do not get this in the Līlāprasaṅga (the great master) – only in the Gospel we get. The Naṅtā – Totāpurī – when he decided to commit suicide – so who decided to commit suicide? Is it Naṅtā's will, or is it the Divine Mother's will? Had it been the Divine Mother's will, do you think he would have survived? Do you mean to say if Mother wants to kill him, is it necessary for Naṅtā to walk into the Ganges? Can he not die right under the tree at that very instance by the mere will of Mother? But Mother, out of Her infinite love and grace and joy and mercy and compassion – these are all synonymous words – so She wanted out of Her grace to remove the last obstacle. What is that? Nāhaṃ nāhaṃ – tu hu tu hu.

The Miracle in the Ganges

So we know the story – there was no water. We have to understand that also. If you were also trying to cross the Ganges that day, at that same time as Naṅtā was travelling, do you think that you will not feel the water, or was he only feeling? Only he was feeling as if there was no water. And then he walked to the other side, and then the Mother revealed. Why did She reveal? Could she not have revealed on this side? Why did she reveal on the other side? Because by that time, probably he was purified by the touch of Gaṅgā – all the grace and will of the Divine Mother. Then he was wondering: Kyā daivī māyā hai? – "What Divine Māyā?" Now for the first time he is realising there is something called Divine Māyā, and one cannot overcome it. One can only pray to Daivī Māyā: "Mother, please reveal to me the truth – do not hide the truth from me."

The Final Realisation

And Mother – that must have taken place in Totāpurī's mind before that realisation – and she revealed everything:

• "It is because of My grace you are born."
• "Because of My grace you obtained the Guru."
• "Because of My grace you progressed without any obstacles."
• "It is because of My grace you attained nirvikalpa samādhi."
• "Again, it is because of My grace that you forgot that it is My grace."

"But now, this is the final realisation: bondage is My will. Liberation is My will. Happiness is My will. Suffering is also My will. Everything is My will." This is the goal towards which all of us have to travel.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Comment

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is telling: "Naṅtā was a man of great knowledge – that even he was about to drown himself in the Ganges. He stayed here for eleven months. At one time, he suffered from stomach trouble. The excruciating pain made him lose control over himself, and he wanted to drown himself in the river."

Now remember, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had even more excruciating pain – not for a short time, for almost one year. Did he ever think "Let me drown myself in the Ganges"? No, he always said – even when devotees complained, he said: "It is Mother's will. I have no separate will from Mother." So that is the difference between this Jagadguru.

The End of the Story

So he wanted to drown himself in the river. There was a long shoal near the bathing ghat. However far he went into the river, he could not find water above his knees. Then he understood everything and came back. Of course, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa cut short what happened later on – some of those details we get in the great master.

So that is what was the topic Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had raised: "We do not have our own separate individual will." Śokali tomāri ichchā – ichchāmayī taratu, tumi tomar karma tumi kora – loke bole koriyāmi – that song expresses what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is teaching so beautifully.

Bhajans as Spiritual Expression

Not only does Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa speak – he expresses these great ideas through bhajans. When he used to sing, it is not like hearing a sweet musician trying to sing beautifully – it is a talent. But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was not exhibiting his talent; he was trying to arouse that spiritual feeling within himself. Because very often it is found that when he was singing a particular song – and every particular song has its own special meaning – that meaning used to express itself in the very personality of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.

The Machine and the Operator

And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is continuing: "At one time I was very ill and was about to cut my throat with a knife. Therefore I say: O Mother, I am the machine and Thou art the operator. I am the chariot and Thou art the driver. I move as Thou movest me. I do as Thou makest me do."

Now, something very interesting here: Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had suffered a lot, and then in this connection, somewhere else he says that we are all like goats. You know, in Bengal, whenever Durgā Pūjā, Kālī Pūjā, or Chagadatri Pūjā were done, goats are offered – balī, we call it "sacrificed". And it is a common thing – what is the justification? Justification is man wants to eat meat, but some people say "I will just kill, cook and eat." But Hindus, they say – even Muslims – they have to call it halāl, offered as prasāda to God, then only it becomes sacred. So Hindus offer it to God – Divine Mother especially. So this is what Hindus want to do: let the animal be blessed also. That means the person is aware that this is an animal and I am going to kill it for my own pleasure, but I cannot resist my desire. But at least I can pray for this animal: "I am grateful that you are dying." Africans do the same thing – they kill animals but they pray: "Your spirit is great because of which you have become meal for me, but may you attain higher worlds by this sacrifice of yours."

The Sacredness of Life

People – wherever they are born, literate or illiterate – they have the idea that life is sacred and to take away life is a heinous crime. But when one cannot resist it, one has to simply pray: "Okay, at least let me offer it to God and do this." So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is quoting that song: Śakali tomāri ichchā – "I am the machine and you are the operator; I am the chariot and you are the driver. I move as Thou movest me. I do as Thou makest me do."

The same idea we find in Upaniṣadic language, especially in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad: ātmānaṃ rathinaṃ viddhi, śarīraṃ rathameva tu, etc. When we did Kaṭhopaniṣad class, we know what we have done.

The Kīrtana

With this, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa stopped his teaching for some time. There were perhaps many devotees in the room. Devotees sang kīrtana in the master's room:

"Dwell, O Lord, O lover of bhakti in the Vṛndāvana of my heart, and my devotion unto Thee will be the Rādhā dearly loved. My body will be Nanda's home; my tenderness will be Yaśodā; my longing for deliverance will be the gentle Gopī mates. Lift the Govardhana of my sin and slay my six unyielding passions – fierce are the demons sent by Kaṃsa."

Sweet – that is the song – what a beautiful transformation of the life of Kṛṣṇa in the form of this one!

The Purpose of the Kaṭhāmṛta

We have to enjoy – the devotees of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had to develop: you should not feel like moving – "Oh, this is okay, I read many times – let me move further." The purpose of this Kaṭhāmṛta – every word is a kathā, and every word should yield that amṛta. I do not want to move forward. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa expresses this in a beautiful way: "Can a devotee first start singing? So a devotee is – Chaitanya Mahāprabhu is my Nimāi – is like a mad elephant – he dances like that. So my hathi nimai – amar haṭhi – then Nimāi will be disappearing as the intensity of emotion grows; then he can only utter haṭhi, haṭhi; and after some time he cannot even utter the complete word – ha ha ha ha; and then even that also stops because the man becomes totally absorbed."

Enjoying Every Word

And if we cannot enjoy every word of this – because so many times, many people read it again and again and again – but whenever we read, we feel: "Oh, I have read it, I remember it" – and then quickly pass over that passage and move on to the next passage. But that shows we are only looking for intellectual titillation, but not really bhakti. The whole purpose is to enjoy. That is why this enjoyment of this one is called pārāyaṇa. So there is a peculiar word called pārāyaṇa – Viṣṇu Sahasranāma, Lalitā Sahasranāma, Śiva Sahasranāma, etc. Once you have read, once you have understood the meanings, that is fine. Even if you do not understand the meaning, it means we are thinking of Śiva. All the thousand names – any number of names – they are nothing but Lord Śiva only. As we are enjoying these names, the devotee goes into an ecstatic state – bhāva – and he enjoys it. So every day he goes on singing the same Sahasranāma. And some people do it several times – many people read Caṇḍī many times every single day. The idea is to enjoy remembrance of the Divine Mother – not "what she did this, what she did that" and all those things.

The Song – Dwell, O Lord

So devotees started singing, as we said:

"Dwell, O lover of bhakti." God is a lover of bhakti. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: when people have cows, etc., then they have to water them. So in the water they mix something – that is the powder below the husk of rice, etc. – and that is a little bit sweet and it is also very nutritious. Unfortunately, we make it maidā – that is why wholesome purī is more healthy than this luchi, etc. Swami Vivekananda used to say Bengal had gone down because of this habit of eating luchis – luchi oil and then this nutrition‑less maidā.

The Devotee's Bhakti

Here, God loves bhakti. So when a devotee mixes everything that he does with bhakti, and like a cow which greatly longs to drink that taudu which is to be mixed with water, so also God loves the bhakti of the devotee. A bhakta is nothing but bhakti personified, and every heart of a bhakta is a Vṛndāvana. And his devotion – his bhakti – is the beloved of Śrī Kṛṣṇa – Rādhā. And what is the body of the devotee? It is Nanda's home – because that is where Kṛṣṇa will be living. And this body and mind have to be looked upon with greatest tenderness – how Mother Yaśodā used to look upon her son Kṛṣṇa – those eyes, with what tenderness!

Vātsalya Bhakti and the Story of Rāmlālā

Once Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had practised this – what is called vātsalya bhakti – that is how parents love their children. There was a Rāmlālā – a small image of child Rāma – and one great Jatādhārī Sādhu – a great realised soul – he left it with Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa after realisation. Very interesting story: the Jatādhārī came to Dakṣiṇeśvara. And he had with him a small – it does not matter whether it is small or big or whatever – and every day he used to try his best to collect the most delicious items, tidbits, bring them and offer them to his beloved Rāmlālā. But it was not an image – just as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to see the Divine Mother, so this Jatādhārī used to see Rāmlālā completely, and Rāmlālā was very pleased.

Rāmlālā and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa

Unfortunately, that story – I think we will take up some other day – that Rāmlālā developed. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa observed this and immediately his inner eye understood: "This is not merely seeing an image. This sādhu has progressed to a great extent – Saguṇa Brahma Darśana – and he is feeding child Rāma himself." And then he will go and sit watching. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa also had the same vision of Rāmlālā – the living child – by the grace of the Divine Mother. And then slowly this child started running after Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, not caring as if for his real bhakta – Jatādhārī.

Jatādhārī's Offence

Now what happened? Jatādhārī got offended: "From the beginning, you are running after people, running away from people who love you, and running to people who do not love you so much – that nature has not changed! How much trouble I take for you, and this new person had come and immediately you shifted your allegiance to him!" But then one day, that sādhu was bestowed the grace of Rāma, and then he understood. Happily, joyfully he came to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, presented the vigraha of Rāmlālā to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and said: "Rāma wants to be with you. I am leaving him with you."

What Did the Jatādhārī Get?

But what did the Jatādhārī get? What did he get in return? He said: "By the grace of Rāma, I can see Rāma universally in everybody, in everything – like Gopālā's mother used to see Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa in everybody." So it is not that Rāma left him high and dry – Rāma had given him even more – He liberated him from that Saguṇa Brahma jñāna. Now Nirguṇa Brahma jñāna means what? Everywhere you will see the same Brahman – sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma. Only he used the word "Rāma" – that is all.

The Image of Rāmlālā

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had accepted it gradually. But then, you know, our devotees – someone among them had stolen that Rāmlālā image after some time. But fortunately, Swami Śaradānandaji and others had seen that Rāmlālā, and he was wryly remarking: "Where is that smiling tender child Rāma which Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to see? We see only a basalt figure staring at us with lifeless eyes." But where is that devotion? To be able to see – where is that bhakti?

The Heart of Devotion

So the heart of the devotion will be Rādhā – that is why Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are inseparable, dearly loved. My body will be Nanda's home. My tenderness will be like Mother Yaśodā. My longing for deliverance from these worldly bonds will be like the Gopī's longing to be ever united with Kṛṣṇa. "So O Lord, lift the Govardhana hill of my sin and slay my six unyielding passions, fierce as the demons sent by Kaṃsa." And that is – I do not know who was the author – but so beautifully he had brought many, many of the songs. Some of these poetic comparisons are incalculable – how much God's grace was there. Even God's grace is necessary even to do this.

Another Song

Then another song had come:

"Sweetly play the flute of Thy grace, Charming the milch cow of my mind. Abide in the pasture of my soul, Dwell by the Yamunā of my yearning, Under the banyan of my hope forever gracious to Thy servant. And if not – but the cowherd's love can hold Thee in Vṛndāvana's veil – Then, Lord, let Daśarathi (he is the author) become Thy cowherd and Thy slave."

Song After Song

And again, song after song:

"Sing, O bird that nestles deep within my heart. Sing, O bird that sits on the Kalpataru of Brahman. Sing God's everlasting glory. Taste, O bird, of the four fruits of the Kalpataru – Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa. Sing, O bird – alone is the comfort of my soul. Sing, O bird – alone is my life's enduring joy. O the wondrous bird of my life, sing aloud in my heart. Unceasingly sing, O bird – sing forever more, Even as the thirsty Cātaka sings for the raindrop from the cloud."

Such beautiful songs are there. How much the devotees must have been transformed by this great, wonderful presence of Rāmakṛṣṇa emanating the bhakti! We have to remember, we have to imagine that after either he was singing or he was joining the devotees or he was semi‑conscious, whatever were the sentiments expressed in the bhajans were being reflected in the very body and mind of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and the devotees could feel every vibration of that bhakti – how much they have been uplifted. This is called true cultivation of satsaṅga.

Conclusion

Many beautiful things are there, and we will talk about them in our next class.

Closing Prayer

Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum

Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh

May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti.

Jai Ramakrishna!