Om Hrim Ritam Lecture 04 on 15 September 2019
Full Transcript (Corrected)
ॐ
जननीम् सारदाम् देविम् रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।
पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहरमुहुहु ।।
Oṃ jananīm sāradām devīm rāmakṛṣṇam jagadgurum |
Pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuhu ||
We are studying the second hymn composed by Swami Vivekananda, Oṃ Hṛim Ṛtam. It is based upon Swami Vivekananda's vision of the twelve-letter Mantra of Sri Ramakrishna: "Oṃ Namō Bhagavatē Rāmakṛṣṇāya." In the very first verse, which we discussed last time, it is stated that Sri Ramakrishna is Parabrahma. He is Brahman, both Nirguṇa Brahman and Saguṇa Brahman. He is also what is called Ṛtam. Ṛtam means there is a cosmic order. Everything follows this cosmic order, and any deviation from it is harmful both to itself and to others. Sri Ramakrishna has been said to be Tvam Acalaḥ - immutable. Immutable means there would be no change. Change always takes place due to three factors: time, space, and causation.
He is the conqueror of all Guṇas. There are two meanings of Guṇa. First are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas; everything in this universe is composed of these three Guṇas. To say he is the conqueror of Guṇas means that this world cannot bind him. At the same time, he is “guṇedyāḥ” - full of what Ramanuja calls Ananta Kalyāṇa Guṇa Sāgara. A very interesting point here is that every Guṇa has a purpose. Tamo Guṇa is good for sleeping, Rajo Guṇa is essential for activity, and Sattva Guṇa is vital for studying, meditating, concentrating, and deep thinking. So, there is nothing inherently evil in this universe, which is the essence of Ṛtam. For instance, a tiger eating the lower animals is beneficial in maintaining balance. Without this balance, there would be an upset in the ecosystem. The world has recognized this for a long time, and modern scientists have also formulated a principle for it called a "holistic attitude" - viewing everything as part of one integrated whole where each element has its own place. Removing anything as redundant ultimately brings harm in some way.
Naktam-divam, sakaruṇam, tava pāda padmam
Moham-kaṣam, bahu-kṛtam, na bhaje yatō'ham
Therefore, O Lord, Naktam-divam - day and night, sakaruṇam - with great humility and sincerity, moham-kaṣam - that which destroys Moha (illusion) and Ajñāna. What is it? tava pāda padmam, your lotus feet. I do not have sakaruṇam to worship your lotus feet - tava pāda padmam. na bhaje yatō'ham - since I have not been able to worship you. Why was I not able to worship? Because of Moha. And what is that Moha? It is the illusion that your lotus feet are unnecessary, the notion that I can proceed on my own without them. This illusion means thinking I can manage without God and do everything by myself. But a time will come when a person will realize they cannot even move without the grace of God, and only then will this hymn be truly meaningful. Then - bahu-kṛtam - I will understand that I have committed many impure acts. Therefore, tasmāt tvam-eva śaraṇam, mama dīna-bandho. This is the essence of Sri Ramakrishna's teachings: without self-surrender to God, nothing will truly work. The ultimate teaching of Sri Ramakrishna is to surrender to God. This aligns with the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā, which says, “Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja.” This is what we discussed in our last class.
Secondly, we started on the second verse also and we gave a short introduction.
Bhaktirbhagaśca bhajanaṃ bhavabhedakāri
Gacchantyalaṃ suvipulaṃ gamanāya tattvam।
Vaktroddhṛtopi hṛdi me na ca bhāti kiñcit
Tasmāt tvameva śaraṇaṃ mama dīna-bandho॥ 2॥
There are four verses in all. The fourth line of each verse is exactly the same: Tasmāt tvameva śaraṇaṃ mama dīna-bandho. Bhakti means devotion; bhaga means jñāna, or knowledge; and bhajana means sevā. Whether you follow the path of devotion, the path of knowledge, or the path of karma, each of these yogas is capable of being bhava-bhedakāri capable of destroying bhava. Bhava means saṃsāra bandhana khaṇḍana, as indicated in the first hymn: khaṇḍana bhava bandhana jaga vandana vandi tomāy.
First of all, in the first hymn itself, it is mentioned that we are all bound by bhava, and khaṇḍana - Sri Ramakrishna is the breaker of that bondage, the bhava-bhedakāri. Bheda means destruction, and bhava refers to the bondage of saṃsāra. Taking refuge in Sri Ramakrishna not only breaks this bondage, but he also says, Gacchantyalaṃ suvipulaṃ gamanāya tattvam. Tattvam gamanāya - to reach the truth, the ultimate goal. What is the goal? It is to realize that each soul is potentially divine, or Paramātma, and to reach Paramātma. Suvipulam means a vast path, more than enough; gacchanti-alam - alam means more than sufficient. In other words, any one of these three paths is more than sufficient to realize the truth. What are these three paths? The path of devotion, the path of knowledge, and the path of karma - all these are more than sufficient. Vaktroddhṛtopi -I keep on saying this, which means I understand it intellectually. I go on speaking, understanding intellectually that these paths are more than sufficient to reach the goal, but - hṛdi me na ca bhāti kiñcit there is no response in my heart. This is one of the tragic conditions of human beings: we know what is good, yet we lack the desire to follow it.
When Duryodhana lay with his thighs broken, someone asked him, “You are a wise person, you knew this was going to be the end. Why did you start the war? After all, if you had given the Pāṇḍavas five villages, this war could have been prevented.” That was Yudhishthira's last offer when he said, “If you don’t want to give us half or even one-fourth of the kingdom, at least give us five villages, one for each of us and we will be content.” But Duryodhana had replied, “I will not even give land enough to cover the head of a needle.” When asked why he did it, Duryodhana gave his famous reply: jānāmi dharmaṃ - I know what Dharma is, na ca me pravṛtti - but I have no inclination to follow it. Jānāmyadharmaṃ -I know what Adharma is - na ca me nivṛttiḥ - yet I cannot refrain from it. Why does this happen? Because a power sits upon us like a ghost. One popular definition of Māyā is Ajñāna - not knowing things rightly. Another definition is even more important - knowing fully well that something is right but not being able to follow that. I can't follow knowing fully well something is not good, I am driven to accept that path, is what is being said in this context.
Anyway, Vaktroddhṛtopi - even though I keep saying, “Oh Lord, any of these paths is sufficient,” it is not translating into action. What is the reason? Such is the power of Māyā. I gave the second definition of Māyā: knowing fully well what is right and what is wrong, yet we end up doing what is wrong and refrain from doing what is right. This is called the power of Māyā or saṃskāra. So we say, “I know, O Lord, all these things.” Therefore, tasmāt tvameva śaraṇaṃ mama dīna-bandho - I take refuge in you; there is no other way. This is the core teaching of Sri Ramakrishna: jato mat, tato path - “As many faiths, so many paths.” Here too, it is beautifully written.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had composed one of the best stotras of instruction. It is called Śikṣhāṣhṭaka, eight verses on how to proceed in Sādhana. Here it is one verse:
Namnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ
Tatrārpita niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaha
Etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
Durdāivam īdṛśam iha ajani nānurāgaha ||2||
- Sikshashtaka
O Lord, you have filled your many names with all your power and which can be remembered any time. O God, you are so kind to do it but I am so unfortunate that I don't love any one of your beautiful names.
The verse namnām akāri bahudhā beautifully conveys the Lord’s infinite grace in creating countless names that devotees can choose from, such as in the Viṣhṇu Sahasranāma, Shiva Sahasranāma, Kālī Sahasranāma, and Lalita Sahasranāma. Every name carries the full power of God and can lead one to the highest truth. This inclusiveness is echoed across religions, as in Islam's ninety-nine or hundred names for Allah, highlighting a universal reverence for the divine name. The verse continues: niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaha - God has not imposed restrictions on when we can remember or chant His name; it is free of any time -bound limitations. This immense grace (etādṛśī tava kṛpā) is bestowed freely, allowing us to access the divine name whenever we wish. Yet, he bhagavan mamāpi durdāivam īdṛśam iha ānurāgaha na ajani - “O Lord, how unfortunate I am! Even knowing these things, no devotion or love has arisen in my heart for any one of your names. What could be more unfortunate than this?” This is what Sri Ramakrishna also said: cultivate devotion to any name. Bhakti means devotion. If you think the path of knowledge is more suitable for you, follow that. But if you are very restless, then you perform Karma Yoga. So He says, any one of these, but don't think these are only three. Any path is, if you believe in it, that by giving Bali (animal sacrifice) to God, I reach God then that is also possible. If by killing somebody I can reach God, that is also a path for God Realization. Now this may create problems as you may ask how can cruelty be a path towards God?
I can tell you a lot of stories, but Sri Krishna Bhagavān is the greatest example. In the Kurukshetra war (yuddha), how many people died? Eighteen lakhs of people. Who killed them? Did Arjuna kill them? Did Duryodhana kill them? Did Karna kill them? Did any one of them kill them? The Lord clearly says, Mayāivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva, nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sāchin (Bhagavad Gītā 11:33): Long before you were born, Arjuna, long before all these people, including Bhishma and Drona, were born, all of them had been killed. By whom? By the Divine Lord. In the form of what? Kāla - Kālo'smi loka-kṣhaya-kṛit pravṛiddho. Bhagavad Gītā (11:32) translates as: "I am Time (Kāla), the great destroyer of the world." Here, Lord Krishna speaks to Arjuna, revealing himself as the force of Time, which consumes and dissolves all things in the universe. So we have to understand; that's why I often repeat this - not because I forget, but because it needs to enter our minds. What is it? If someone is killed, the person who kills is not responsible. It was that person's fate -Karma Phala - that he had to be killed. Who kills? Kāla. Kāla kills him. Then what is this person's role? He is just an instrument. Then, will he not be punished? It depends. This is what Bhagavān is teaching Arjuna:
Sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau
Tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi
- Bhagavad Gita (2:38)
You consider everything as your duty: it is my duty to fight. I don't want to kill, and I don't want to refrain from killing. If this is my duty, I want to do it. If it is not my duty, I will never even look at that side. I have been put in that position where, at this moment, this is my duty. Therefore, Bhagavān tells Arjuna, sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā, considering happiness and unhappiness, lābhālābhau jayājayau, profit and loss, jaya and apajaya: victory and defeat, yudhaya yujyasva, do this war. With this mental preparation, you will be prepared to discharge your duties; then, na evaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi, you will not be beset with any sin. That means your progress towards God will grow. It applies to everybody. If a terrorist wants to kill, I will give you two points: a terrorist may think, "I am going to kill." The bomb may not go off, or somebody might discover the bomb beforehand and diffuse it, or they may be arrested; anything can happen. But supposing he is successful, he thinks, "I killed them." But there is fate involved.
One second before, fifty people were passing that way. They just crossed the path of danger. And one fellow, an old, innocent man, was also going, and suddenly the bomb exploded there. So, it is true, although it is hard to believe. That's why I have to repeat this hundreds of times. It was hard for Arjuna to believe that he is not killing these people. You see, what happens is, if they are already dead corpses - (there are no living corpses, do you think so? Many are living corpses; they had better be dead because they are worse than dead). So, all these people, if I don't kill them, you know they are already dead. I just discharge the arrows. Before they were dead and standing, and now they fall down and die. And people think, "Oh, Arjuna killed so many people!" That kind of pride should never enter. I am not the doer; I am not the enjoyer. That's why the second chapter of the Gītā again says:
Ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ yaśh chainaṁ manyate hatam
Ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate
- Bhagavad Gita (2:19)
"One who thinks that the soul kills, and one who thinks of it as killed, are both ignorant. The soul neither kills not, nor can it be killed."
He who knows the Atman, he who thinks he is killed, and he who thinks he is the killer—both of them do not know the truth: nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate. This is one explanation. But why is this explanation necessary? Because we think this world is real. Then this explanation applies. Suppose you are watching a cinema, Mahabharata. Arjuna was killing. Who was killing? One actor, N. T. Rama Rao, took the form of Arjuna, and he was discharging these arrows, ultimately killing Karna and so many others. Now, N. T. Rama Rao, in the name of Arjuna, receives all the name and fame. If he acted well, then many people pay money to watch. Why do you pay money? Can you employ somebody and say, "You kill that fellow, and I will watch"? Will you do it? You won't do it. In drama, you do it. Why? Because it's not real. Vedanta tells us that what you think of as this world, just like your dream, is the whole thing unreal. But don't apply it right now; you have to grow into that wisdom.
So, this is what he is saying in this hymn: Oh Lord, I know your name is great, and I know that any of your names, rather every name has tremendous power. I am saying this many times, and I am also convinced intellectually. I am not a hypocrite; I am stating this with conviction. But, unfortunately, the heart and the head seem to be at loggerheads. This is our greatest problem. We have to pray and acquire the ability to make the mind, speech, and actions one. Sri Ramakrishna defined this unity as truth.
So, the second word in the second verse is bhaga. The word bhaga has many meanings. One of these meanings is God; bhaga means Bhagavān. One who has bhaga is a Bhagavān. One who has Dhana is a Dhanavān. One who has Guṇas is called a Guṇavān. What is this bhaga? It consists of six excellent qualities according to the Viṣṇu Purāṇa. What are they? Balam, Yaśhaḥ, Aiśhvarya, Jñānam, Śhrī, and Vairāgya. One who possesses all these qualities only he will attain to God. God is one who is an infinite repository of all these six wonderful qualities. What is the first one? Balam, tremendous strength. All our strength comes from His strength. Yaśhaḥ everybody knows something. In this world, everybody is known by somebody. I may not be known by the whole world, but at least a few of you, I hope, know me. So, even if a small insect is recognized by another insect, what am I driving at? This whole world consists of an infinite number of objects with an infinite number of knowers. Who knows all of them together? Only God. That is why He is Yaśhaḥ - His name and fame; He is known to everybody. So, He knows everybody, everything, and He is known by everybody. How do we understand that?
Everybody has these three things: existence, knowledge (consciousness), and bliss or at least one of these three things. The table has Sat - existence. Sat, Cit, and Ānanda are hidden. But every living creature, even a mosquito, has that much. It has existence; otherwise, it can't see us, and I can't see it. Existence is there. Existence is part of God. That means, even if one creature exists, that is the Yaśhaḥ, that is the known. What does Yaśhaḥ mean? It means somebody knowing somebody, many people knowing somebody, the whole world knowing one being who is God. This is called Yaśhaḥ. Then, Aiśhvarya. Aiśhvarya means, usually, we associate it with money. However, Aiśhvarya is not money; Aiśhvarya is possession. Some can run, some can sing, some can talk, some can write, some can sleep, and some can eat. Different people have different expressions. All of them fall into this one quality called Aiśhvarya. A beautiful lion, with its mane—how many people can have such a mane? So, you understand now, Aiśhvarya means some special possession that distinguishes a person, and that comes from God. The collective Aiśhvarya of me, you, and everybody is God's Aiśhvarya.
Jñānam. Jñānam means Cit. We are all aware; even a mosquito knows, "I am a mosquito." Śhrī. Śhrī means happiness - Sat, Cit, Ānanda. That is why Śhrī is always associated with Viṣhṇu. People often think, “Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma,” meaning they equate it with money. But what will you do with money if you have a stomach ache, headache, toothache, backache, or joint ache? What are you going to do with billions of dollars? The other fellows will enjoy it. This theme is prevalent in P.G. Wodehouse's books. If you have heard about P.G. Wodehouse, he makes fun of the upper classes. They have everything, but they can't eat, they can't digest, and they can't even think—brainless chaps. He has published a series of books; he is a very funny English writer. If you know, good; otherwise, ignore it. Next is Vairāgya. The ultimate quality is Vairāgya. What is Vairāgya? If anybody possesses that tremendous dispassion, do you know what Vairāgya is? Discrimination is Viveka. Viveka is followed by Vairāgya. If this is bad, I must give it up. So, Vairāgya means intense attachment to the opposite. Now we are attached to the world, but when you withdraw that attachment from the world and direct it towards God, that is called Vairāgya. If that doesn't happen, Vairāgya will not happen. You must have Rāga; you can't have it in any other place. Either it will be on good (Dharma), or it will be on bad (Adharma). These are the beautiful six qualities: Balam, Yaśhaḥ, Aiśhvarya, Jñānam, Śhrī, and Vairāgya. He who possesses them in infinite quantity is called Bhagavān. So, bhaga means Jñāna. We are taking it. Whether it is devotion, whether it is Jñānam, or whether it is Sevā Bhaja-Sevāyām - one definition from the Amara Kośa. If you have devotion to somebody, will you serve that person or not? Or will you just sit there and keep saying, “I love you so much, I love you so much,” and then go to sleep? Really, devotion can be proved only by the service people do. Otherwise, it is just “Mukha Stuti” - lip talk, which everybody does. That is no good at all.
Vaktroddhṛtopi hṛdi me na ca bhāti kiñcit. Any of these three are Suvipulam, huge royal paths. Gacchanti alam - more than sufficient. Sufficient for what? To take us to God and to manifest our potential divinity. Gamanāya tattvam - to reach the goal. What is the truth? What is the goal? Tattvam means truth. To reach God, these are more than sufficient. I keep on saying this, but there is no response. Why? That is the power of Māyā. Therefore, O Lord, this Māyā belongs to you. That means only you can control the Māyā. I cannot control it. Who is saying this? Swami Dayatmananda is not saying this; rather, Lord Krishna himself is saying it in the Bhagavad Gītā:
Daivī hyeṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā |
Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etām taranti te ||
- Bhagavad Gita (7:14)
The Lord tells Arjuna, "This Māyā, consisting of Guṇamayi (three Guṇas), belongs to Me." Then how can I overcome it, or how can it withdraw from us? Only when I give command. "This is My boy, My child. You don't. You give Him. Endow Him with Vidya Māyā." But to whom will God tell this? He will tell only māyām etām taranti te—he who takes refuge in Me, worships Me, adores Me. Mām eva ye prapadyante - Prapadya or Prapatti. You know Ramanuja’s Prapatti means Śharaṇāgati - only by taking refuge, i.e., Tasmāt tvameva śharaṇaṃ mama dīna-bandho. So this is a beautiful verse which says a person may give thousands of lectures, but unless his heart responds to that, it is in vain. The modern disease is called love. People go on saying, “I love you, I love you.” How many times will he keep on saying this? Is there any response? There is no response. True love doesn't talk; it only manifests through action. So the moment Sri Ramakrishna got this understanding, immediately his time, energy, and mind were given only to the Divine Mother. He could not tolerate even one second's wastage of time. He used to run to the forest. Even Hriday, his nephew, could not find him. It took him a lot of courage to approach Sri Ramakrishna. You know the story. Just to remind us—one day he went at night and saw Sri Ramakrishna sitting completely naked, even without the sacred thread. So Hriday's query was, “Uncle, what are you doing?” and Sri Ramakrishna replied, “I am meditating upon Mother.” “Why did you take off the clothes and sacred thread?” He said, “Hriday, we should never feel that clothes... Do you know what cloth means? Cloth means body consciousness. A child doesn't have body consciousness. That is why he doesn't care whether I am male or I am female; that consciousness the child doesn't have. That is why we also don't mind. We just take the child as it is. So the cloth should not remind us that I am male or I am female. That is the most important thing. All problems come, so-called attractions come only because of the identification that I am male, you are female. I am female, you are male. So we are attracted to each other. That is why I have removed them.” Then what happens? When you remove clothes from everybody, what is the difference between male and female? Or even better, when you skin the body, who is male and who is female? When you skin five goats of different colours in the butcher shop, hanging, which is the black goat and which is the brown goat? Can you make a distinction? Absolutely not. And if you cut into pieces the meat, what is the difference between pig's meat and dog's meat? One Greek philosopher was seen by the Greek king roaming in the crematorium. The king asked, “Sir, what are you searching for here?” He said, “I am trying to find out what is the difference between the bones of a king and the bones of a dog. What is the difference?” There is no difference.
Anyway, I will tell you a small anecdote. In the middle ages, people believed very much in the mementos and relics of saints. Once, the king of England sent a ship to bring some relics from Spain. Spain is supposed to be full of these relics and full of saints. So that fellow went, collected, and was coming back. There was a shipwreck on the way. If he returned without bones, then his king would chop off his head. So he went out for a stroll, collected some bones of dogs, sealed them in a golden casket, and brought them back, saying, “These are the sacred relics of such a saint.” On a ceremonious day, with a huge celebration, it was installed. How many miracles have taken place in the name of that saint? Faith! Faith works like that. So that is the idea. Then:
Tejas taranti tarasa tvayi tṛpta-tṛṣṇāḥ
Rāge kṛte ṛtapathe tvayi Rāmakṛṣṇe |
Martyāmṛtaṁ tava padaṁ maraṇormi-nāśaṁ
Tasmāt tvameva śaraṇaṁ mama dīnabandho ||3||
To understand this third śloka (verse), we have to take advantage of the third line of the second verse, which we already discussed, translating to: “Even though I am saying all this, there is really no response (change) in my heart.” That line we have to take at the end of this one. This is the beauty of Sanskrit. So what is it? tvayi Rāmakṛṣṇe—O Ramakrishna, Tejaha taranti tarasa—tarasa means very quickly. Taranti—they cross over. Over what? Tejaḥ means Rajo Guṇa. There are three Guṇas: Tamo Guṇa, Rajo Guṇa, Sattva Guṇa. One cannot reach Rajo Guṇa unless one subdues Tamo Guṇa. So here is a person full of racing thoughts in the mind. But this fellow wants to become a devotee of God. So he is wondering, “How can I progress in my spiritual life?” This is our problem. When you sit for meditation, what happens? We know. I don't need to answer that. I can describe it in more than three lectures. So why is it? Because of Tejaḥ. Tejaḥ means Rajo Guṇa.
Rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi tṛiṣhṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam
Tan nibadhnāti kaunteya karma-saṅgena dehinam
- Bhagavad Gita (14:7)
Rajo Guṇa creates a lot of desires, and desires make the mind terribly restless. There are people who quickly cross over this Rajo Guṇa. Who are those people? tvayi Rāmakṛṣṇe tṛpta-tṛṣṇāḥ - all those desires have been completely quenched in Sri Ramakrishna. What does that mean? That means he has only one desire: the desire for Sri Ramakrishna. He doesn't want anything else. Do you want sweets? No. Do you want money? No. Do you want name and fame? No. Do you want to live a long time? No. Do you want friends and everything? No. I want only Sri Ramakrishna. So, tvayi tṛpta-tṛṣṇāḥ. Here, tṛṣṇāḥ means desires. tvayi means - in you. tṛpta means completely satisfied. If I get Ramakrishna, it means God here in this context. This does not refer only to Sri Ramakrishna’s incarnation but also to any God or any form of God. He who has directed all his desires only towards you, O Ramakrishna. And then he says - what is the proof that I only want Ramakrishna? What is the proof of love?
I'll give you a small story. It's a very, very important teaching. That's why I'm taking time. It’s nothing less than the Upanishads. Holy Mother was at Udbodhan, Calcutta, and there was a family that used to come to visit her. They had a small child, a girl about two and a half to three years old. The moment the family visited Holy Mother, the moment this child beheld her, she would just run and sit on Holy Mother’s lap. And Holy Mother, of course, immediately gave her some sweets and other things to eat. That is the attraction, you know. One day, a lady came and said to me, “My son wants to see you.” I asked, “Is he missing chocolates very much? Do you think he really loves me? He wants to see Maharaj. Why? He gets chocolates.” As simple as that! He is very straight forward. We also experienced this in the Training Center. The South Indian Brahmacharis wanted to drink coffee, but there was no arrangement. So, one senior Swami, Hitanandaji, I don't know if you've heard of him, was a great soul. He used to make Nescafe coffee at 9:30 AM. So, as though by accident, we would pass by and say, “Maharaj, how are you?” “Oh, Ramdas, come, come, come. I was just going to have a cup of coffee.” (I knew the timing also.) “Come, come, have a cup.” “Maharaj, are you sure?” “Yes, no problem. Come.” So, he would sit me down, give me Sandesh (because he was also diabetic, so that was an added advantage), and first eat Sandesh and some fruits also, which they gave early in the morning in a leaf cup. Then, I would drink the coffee, make Pranams to him, and come out. He also knew. It’s not that he didn't know. He understood we were passing that way because we wanted some coffee. But he loved us, and we also loved him, so we went to him. Otherwise, we would never have gone to him. If any Swami got angry, we wouldn’t go. So, what is the test of love? The test of love is that it transforms our actions.
That's why I'm going to tell this story. This little girl would run straight to Holy Mother every time she visited. Once, it was time for Holy Mother to go to Jayrambati, her native place, for a few months. The family had come to bid her farewell, and as soon as the girl arrived, she ran to sit on Holy Mother's lap. The family then shared a concern: she had two brothers, and, as the only girl, she constantly pestered them for sweets. Holy Mother listened and reassured them, "Don’t worry, I know how to change her." She turned to the little girl and said, Darling, do you love me?” “Yes,” the girl replied. “How much do you love me?” The girl widened her eyes and stretched her arms as far as she could, saying, “This much!” Then, Holy Mother asked a very important question: “How do I know that you love me?” This is how great souls guide even young hearts. Of course, you and I may find it hard to understand, but the girl replied, “How can I show that I really love you?” Holy Mother said, “If you really love me, you’ll never pester your brothers for sweets. Will you do that?” The girl nodded. “Promise?” Holy Mother asked, and the girl replied with a firm “Promise.” Holy Mother blessed her, and then left for Jayrambati. After a few months, Holy Mother returned, and the family visited her again. As soon as the girl saw Holy Mother, she ran to her lap once more. Holy Mother asked the parents, “How has this girl been?” They smiled and shared, “Mother, since the day she promised you, she has never once asked her brothers for sweets. Now, the brothers are fighting over who will give her the most sweets!” This is the power of love. What is my point? Love means it should transform itself into action. So if anybody has tremendous love or desire for Sri Ramakrishna, then he must do something; he must please Sri Ramakrishna. How is Sri Ramakrishna going to be pleased? You follow what he asked you to do, then he will be pleased with you. Sri Ramakrishna says that a servant comes and starts praising you, saying, “Oh master, your face is beautiful, your nose is beautiful, your eyes are beautiful,” etc. Another servant quietly goes about doing his work and tends the garden, etc. Whom does the owner love really? Not the fellow who only talks, but he who really does the work, isn’t it?
So, that is what Swami Vivekananda is saying - Rāge kṛte ṛtapathe - those who develop tremendous attachment to you, Rāga. Rāga means attachment, and from Rāga comes Anurāga. Like in that bhajan - Anurāga Sri Hari - Janake eski kripa jagavathe sujana… Anurāga Sri Hari. If you don't have attachment, you will not develop love. What is love? Intense attachment towards God. That is why the first condition is to love something. It could be a house, wife, husband, money, etc. For people who loved anything in this world too much, there will come a time when the object cannot hold that intensity of love any longer, and there is only one way to go - out, and that is God. That's like conversion. Sudden conversion. Tulasidas, Bilvamangala, St. Augustin, etc. There are innumerable such people.
There is one side of Swamiji that very few people understand. If you quote the story of Laila and Majnu, people will laugh and say, “Oh, what is this Laila-Majnu? They were worldly people after all a man loving a woman, a woman loving a man.” But if you ask Swamiji, he says that if there is anyone who is going to go to God very quickly, it will be Laila and Majnu, because they have already developed the greatest quality of loving each other. You know that story? They were caught and given the punishment of being beheaded while looking at each other. So they were tied to two pillars facing each other, and the butchers came to chop off their heads. There was not the slightest pain, unhappiness, or suffering, because the moment they beheld each other’s faces, their love for each other had completely made them forget about their bodies. This is called true love. That is why Swamiji was appreciative of anyone with such intense love. Suppose Swamiji came across Hitler. Do you know what his opinion would have been? Listen carefully. He would have said, “If anybody goes to God, Hitler will go to God very quickly. Rāvaṇāsura will go to God very quickly. He went to God very quickly. We are still here. Kaṁsa has gone too, Śiśupāla has gone to God, Dantavakra has gone to God.” All this is because of intensity, tremendous intensity. That is what we are lacking, and that is what we are supposed to gain.
Rāge kṛte - Those who develop intense attachment towards you. But “you” means what? A person, a body? No! Ṛtapathe means way, path. Ṛtam means truth. That is what Sri Ramakrishna's beautiful definition is: He who can combine thought, word, and action. Thought, speech, and action - that is called Satya. You are the embodiment of Satya. Sri Ramakrishna's father was an embodiment of Satya. Sri Ramakrishna was an embodiment of Satya. How many illustrations are there to prove this! Once he promised Shambhu Malik, “I will take something from you; I will come to your house,” and he forgot about it. He suddenly remembered his promise at midnight, took Rakhal, walked half a mile, and of course, the house was closed. He put his foot on the door sill and said, “I have come, I have come, I have come,” three times. That’s why he used to say, “Mother will never allow anybody who took refuge in her to deviate even one step from truthfulness.” This is what he is saying - ṛtapathe tvayi Rāmakṛṣṇe - that you, who are the embodiment of truth, if anybody takes refuge in you and develops tremendous attachment to you, they will not deviate from the path of truth. They will not deviate from you even by a millimetre. Such a wonderful truth Swami Vivekananda has given. Then he continues: if anybody really loves you, is satisfied only in you, and is following your footsteps, then what happens?
Martyāmṛtaṁ tava padaṁ maraṇormi-nāśaṁ. Martyāmṛtaṁ - What are your lotus feet? Amṛtam for martyas. Martya means Maraṇa Svabhāvaḥ Martya - he who is liable to die is a martya. We are all liable to death. But if we develop attachment to God, Sri Ramakrishna, amṛtam - that attachment to Sri Ramakrishna makes us immortal. Then he is also saying: tava padaṁ - your lotus feet, Maraṇa Ūrmi Nāśam. Nāśam means capable of destroying. What? Ūrmis. Ūrmi means waves. Maraṇa Ūrmi - the waves of death. What does “waves of death” mean? According to Vedanta philosophy, every life goes through six changes, and they are called Ṣhaḍūrmī - six waves. What are those? They are the Bhāva-vikāras which refers to the six modifications or natural stages of existence that every entity undergoes in the material world. These six changes, often called Ṣaḍ-bhāva-vikāras, illustrate the life cycle of physical forms and are expressed as: Asti (existence), Jāyate (birth), Vardhate (growth), Vipariṇamate (change), Apakṣīyate (decay), Vinaśyati (death). First is birth, followed by existence or confirmation. What is confirmation? It is the survival of the foetus, called confirmation. So, the whole life is nothing but moving from one wave to the other, the six waves. And these are the six waves. If anybody follows Ramakrishna, then they will be able to cross over them. But even though I am saying all this, I am not able to do it. I am not able to develop attachment to you, O Lord. Tasmāt tvameva śaraṇaṁ mama dīnabandho: Therefore, O Lord, you have to take charge of me. You have to give me that love for you. If a mother doesn't love the child, the child can never learn how to love. That is why parents are given that quality so that they automatically love their children.
I will end this talk with a beautiful story. It is mentioned in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Once, Sri Ramakrishna was talking with M and asked him, “Do you get dreams sometimes?” M said, “Yes, I had a dream a few days ago.” Sri Ramakrishna asked, “Tell me, what type of dream did you have?” Why was Sri Ramakrishna asking? Because, through dreams, we can sometimes understand people’s tendencies. Suppose somebody tells you, “I went to a bank, to this ATM, and I wanted to withdraw twenty rupees. Suddenly, twenty thousand rupees just appeared.” Recently, something like this happened somewhere. Someone went to withdraw some money, maybe just two thousand or three thousand but out came ninety-five thousand! Machines can also make mistakes, or maybe someone tampered with the machine. I don't know the exact reason. If a man says, “I saw a beautiful woman in a dream,” what does that mean? He is harbouring a desire. So, M replied, “I was at the shore of an ocean, and many of us were there. There were boats. Many of us wanted to get into the boats to go to the other side of the sea. Then, suddenly, a big storm arose, and no boat was willing to undertake the journey. I was very anxious and thought, ‘How can I cross? I really need to go to the other side.’ Then, suddenly, I saw an old Brahmin walking over the water. His feet were slightly submerged. I asked, ‘Sir, where are you going?’ to which he replied, ‘I am going to Bhavanipur.’” In Calcutta, there is a place called Bhavanipur, but here, in this context, Bhavanipur means the city of the Divine Mother, Bhavani's place - that is, going beyond māyā. “Oh, I also wanted to go. No boat is available. How are you able to walk? Can I follow you?” He said, “No, you can't follow me. I am in a hurry. I have to go very quickly. But take note of the direction I am walking. Beneath the water, there is a huge bridge. So, take note of where I started and the path I am following. If you follow my footsteps, you too will very soon reach Bhavanipur.” With that, the dream broke. Ramakrishna said, “My hair is standing on end listening to your dream. Oh, please get initiated by a Guru quickly.”
Now, this is what you have to do. Martyāmṛtaṁ tava padaṁ maraṇormi-nāśaṁ. This whole world is Saṁsāra Sāgara. The feet of the Guru are the bridge. So, develop devotion to the lotus feet of the Guru. And slowly, you walk. Observe how I am going and follow me. That means, observe the Guru's life, what he taught you, and how he lived. You follow that path, and in the course of time, you will also reach. No boat is ever going to take you, because the Samudra is always full of huge waves. It is not going to calm down. Therefore, Oh Ramakrishna, those who are completely satisfied in you, those who derive their greatest joy in you, those who are tremendously attached to you, O Ramakrishna, and those who love to walk the path you walked. Sri Ramakrishna did not teach one thing and behave in another way. Whatever he himself practiced first, he later taught. So, with this, you follow Martyāmṛtaṁ tava padaṁ your lotus feet - by following and imitating your footsteps.
Then, Martya i.e. a human being, will become Amṛta. Your lotus feet are capable of bestowing immortality on all of us. I am saying all of this; I understand it also intellectually, but I have not developed that Tṛṣṇā (desire or yearning) for you. I don't have Tṛṣṇā for you means I don't have Tṛṣṇā for Truth. I don't have Tṛṣṇā for Truth means I don't have any desire to follow the path of Truth. I rather follow the path of this world. But what I understand is, my mind feels that it is right; I should come to you. But my feet are being dragged in the opposite direction by Māyā. Therefore, oh Lord, I take refuge in you; out of your grace, grant me that power and that devotion. Tasmāt tvameva śaraṇaṁ mama dīnabandho.
Oṃ jananīm sāradām devīm rāmakṛṣṇam jagadgurum |
Pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuhu ||