Daily Messages - 2022

Messages from Swami Dayatmananda

1 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

SRI RAMAKRISHNA KALPATARU

((Sri Ramakrishna had revealed himself as Kalpataru, ‘the wish-fulfilling tree’, on 1 January 1886 at Cossipur where he was undergoing treatment. Since then January 1st is celebrated by the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna all over the world. On this auspicious day may Sri Ramakrishna bless us also with spiritual awakening. Part of the celebration is to recreate that day’s event, at least in brief.)

The first day of January, besides being the New Year day, is of special significance to a Ramakrishna-devotee. This is the day of the self-revelation of the Great Master when he became, what is now popularly called, the Kalpataru ‘the wish-fulfilling tree.’

It happened in 1886 at Cossipur where the Master had been undergoing treatment for his throat cancer. On January 1st, he felt particularly better and came down from his room for a stroll on the spacious lawns of the garden-house. About thirty devotees were present and were scattered here and there in the garden. As soon as they saw the Master, they all came near him and bowed down. To Girish, the Master said, ‘Girish, what have you seen that makes you glorify me publicly before one and all?’

Girish at once fell at the Master’s feet and said with folded hands and choked voice, ‘What more can I say of Him, even a fraction of whose glory Vyasa and Valmiki miserably failed to express in their immortal epics and Puranas?’

Hearing these words of Girish, the Master was deeply charmed and his mind soared to a high plane. Seeing the divinely illumined countenance of the Master, Girish was thrilled and he cried out in great joy, ‘Glory unto Ramakrishna! Glory unto Ramakrishna!’ and began taking the dust of his feet again and again. The Master looked at all present and said smilingly, ‘What more shall I say to you? May you all be spiritually awakened!’ No sooner had he said these few words than he went into Samadhi. What followed is best described in the words of Swami Saradananda, who had seen the whole episode from a distance:

“When the devotees heard those words of blessings and protection from fear, they raised repeated cries of joy, exclaiming, ‘Glory to Ramakrishna.’ Some of them saluted him, some showered flowers, some again came and touched his feet.”

The Master touched the devotees in that state of Samadhi and blessed them all. The effect was instantaneous. “…there arose by that marvellous touch a wonderful mood in the mind of each. Some of them began to laugh, some to weep, some to meditate, and some again to call aloud all others in order that they might also be blessed by receiving the grace of the Master, and be sharers in the bliss that was overflowing.”

2 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

When an initiated boy-disciple of his came in and saluted him, he affectionately told him to sit in front of him. After enquiring about his health, he asked: “Do you practise japa regularly? You must do so with all earnestness. Never forget to make your japa, do you understand? The Master is the Incarnation for this age. When you go on repeating his name, your mind will be filled with untold joy. Pray to him with all your heart; ‘Master, I am a boy; I know nothing. Be kind to me; fill my heart with faith and devotion, and reveal to me your own reality.’ That will bring you full success. Call on him unceasingly and with sincere imploring. When you meditate, you should think that your guru is looking at you with affection and you are looking at him with love. Success doesn’t come in a day. Go on practising like this with a simple heart, and everything will come all right.”

A certain devotee saluted him and told him of his difficulty thus: “Sir, I have been practising japa and meditation; but I fail to derive any joy from these. I am also not able to concentrate my mind. Kindly bless me, and instruct me so that I may derive joy.”

“Is it so easy, my son, to derive such joy from japa and meditation?” intervened Mahapurushji. “It comes from long practice. You have to practise hard. The mind must be pure. The more intimate the relation you can have with God, and the more you can love Him, the more joy you will get from His name. God’s name and God Himself are non-different. He is full of love, full of bliss; the more you can think of Him, the more blissful you will be. But nothing can be had with a restless mind. Go on practising japa, meditation, and prayer intensively; and you will find that you have acquired a fresh energy in body and mind. Gradually you will have a greater liking for His name. The mind generally remains scattered over many objects. That scattered mind has to be gathered together and concentrated on the object of meditation. Pray earnestly; prayer is very helpful. When you feel that you cannot engage yourself in japa and meditation, you should then pray earnestly and sincerely.”

3 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

A monk, who had come from a branch centre a few days previously, unburdened his mind, saying: “Maharaj, though I have been practising meditation to the best of my ability, I find hardly any joy in it. Most often I find I go through my practice as through a routine. That does not satisfy my heart nor does it give me any peace.”

Swami Shivananda said very quietly: “Look here, my boy, peace is not such an easy thing to attain. The way to peace is very difficult—full of thorns. ‘Sharp as the blade of a razor and hard to cross is the way to Self-knowledge—so the sages have described it.’ These are the actual words of the illumined seers. The path is indeed extremely difficult, however easy it may seem to those who have not entered it. Great effort is required to make progress in the realm of the Spirit. But if one sincerely wants to realize God, it is certainly true that he will receive His grace. You must have read in the life of Sri Ramakrishna that even he had to go through tremendous spiritual discipline before gaining the vision of the Mother. Spiritual efforts without sincere love for God are fruitless. Sincere love is what counts.” 4 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

(Place: Monastery at Belur—Headquarters. Time: Thursday, October 28, 1920.)

‘Of course, without the grace of God one cannot have such love overnight, and that is why regular practice is necessary. One should cry to God, laying bare the heart. “O Lord, be merciful to me. I am an ordinary man. How can I hope to realize Thee unless Thou vouchsafest to appear before me? Have mercy on me, O Lord; have mercy on this weak being!” Pray this way to Him every day. The more you cry to Him the more your mind will be cleansed. The Lord will reveal Himself to the pure transparent mind. Pavhari Baba said to Swami Vivekananda: “Remain lying at the door of your guru like a dog.” Swamiji repeated this remark to us many times. As a dog never leaves his master’s home to go elsewhere, whether he is fed or not, whether his master beats him or is kind, in the same way one must be completely resigned to the Lord. He who can take refuge at His feet and stay resigned under all conditions and circumstances till the last, will indeed obtain divine grace. You have no reason to worry, because you have taken refuge in him and found shelter in his Order. As the Master used to say: “The child whose hand is held by the father has no fear of falling.” Know for certain that the Master will save you as long as you remain in his Order.’

4 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

(Place: Monastery at Belur—Headquarters. Time: Thursday, October 28, 1920.)

“Of course, without the grace of God one cannot have such love overnight, and that is why regular practice is necessary. One should cry to God, laying bare the heart. ‘O Lord, be merciful to me. I am an ordinary man. How can I hope to realize Thee unless Thou vouchsafest to appear before me? Have mercy on me, O Lord; have mercy on this weak being!’

Pray this way to Him every day. The more you cry to Him the more your mind will be cleansed. The Lord will reveal Himself to the pure transparent mind.” 04/01/2022

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Jai Ramakrishna

(Place: Monastery at Belur—Headquarters. Time: Thursday, October 28, 1920.)

Though you did not see Sri Ramakrishna in the flesh, you see us—his devoted servants, and through us you hear his words. It is indeed unusual good fortune, because the next generation of monks will not see even us. It was with this in mind that Swamiji founded the Order. In the body of the Order the spirit of the Master is manifestly present and will be so for many centuries for the good of the world. From now on he will do his work through the instrumentality of the Order. Constantly bear in mind that loyalty to the Order is loyalty to the Master. Swamiji founded this monastery in direct obedience to the wish of Sri Ramakrishna. Our words, also, are for the good of the world and for your good. We say what is true. We have not come to the world to mislead people. Those who are here in the Order are certainly making spiritual progress, and so are you. Be convinced that our Master is gracious to those who take refuge in him. He protects those in every way who are wholly resigned to him with their body, mind and soul. You have given up worldly attachments in order to realize God and find peace. Look up to the Master for everything. He will certainly bless you and bring you peace.

Jai Ramakrishna

Place: Monastery at Belur—Headquarters. Time: Thursday, October 28, 1920.

You are expected to live his commandments and pursue the path he chalked out. Being a monk, you should, above everything and by every means, avoid the lust of the flesh and the greed for wealth. Purity and guilelessness should be your watchword. The Master forgives all failings except hypocrisy and self-deception. Those who play false and take to hypocritical ways, do not belong here. The Master does not allow them to remain in the Order; he removes them. Only those who are genuine can stay.

Monk: ’Please bless me that I may always remain in his fold. Sometimes I feel very unhappy because of the many undesirable thoughts which cross my mind. Please instruct me how to be rid of them.’

Mahapurushji (Swami Shivananda) said with great tenderness: ‘My boy, I bless you with all my heart. May you remain in his shelter and attain the consummation of your life! Just ignore the bad thoughts. Don't you know Sri Ramakrishna is the very embodiment of radiant purity? If you meditate on his blessed form and repeat his holy name, impure thoughts will hang their heads in shame and disappear in no time. The moment an impure suggestion comes to your mind, cry to Him fervently and pray: “Lord, I am weak. Protect me. Unless thou savest me, who else will do so? Am I not thy servant and have I not taken refuge in thee?” Talk to him in this way about your weaknesses. He will certainly listen to your prayers.’ Are you in the habit of getting up from your bed quite early? Do so. After 3 or 4 in the morning, a monk should sleep no more.

5 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Place: Monastery at Belur—Headquarters. Time: Thursday, October 28, 1920.)

‘Though you did not see Sri Ramakrishna in the flesh, you see us—his devoted servants, and through us you hear his words. It is indeed unusual good fortune, because the next generation of monks will not see even us.

It was with this in mind that Swamiji founded the Order. In the body of the Order the spirit of the Master is manifestly present and will be so for many centuries for the good of the world. From now on he will do his work through the instrumentality of the Order.

Constantly bear in mind that loyalty to the Order is loyalty to the Master. Swamiji founded this monastery in direct obedience to the wish of Sri Ramakrishna.

Our words, also, are for the good of the world and for your good. We say what is true. We have not come to the world to mislead people.

’Those who are here in the Order are certainly making spiritual progress, and so are you. Be convinced that our Master is gracious to those who take refuge in him. He protects those in every way who are wholly resigned to him with their body, mind and soul. You have given up worldly attachments in order to realize God and find peace. Look up to the Master for everything. He will certainly bless you and bring you peace.

6 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

Place: Monastery at Belur—Headquarters.

Time: Thursday, October 28, 1920.

“You are expected to live his commandments and pursue the path he chalked out. Being a monk, you should, above everything and by every means, avoid the lust of the flesh and the greed for wealth. Purity and guilelessness should be your watchword. The Master forgives all failings except hypocrisy and self-deception. Those who play false and take to hypocritical ways, do not belong here. The Master does not allow them to remain in the Order; he removes them. Only those who are genuine can stay.”

Monk: “Please bless me that I may always remain in his fold. Sometimes I feel very unhappy because of the many undesirable thoughts which cross my mind. Please instruct me how to be rid of them.”

Mahapurushji (Swami Shivananda) said with great tenderness: “My boy, I bless you with all my heart. May you remain in his shelter and attain the consummation of your life! Just ignore the bad thoughts. Don’t you know Sri Ramakrishna is the very embodiment of radiant purity? If you meditate on his blessed form and repeat his holy name, impure thoughts will hang their heads in shame and disappear in no time. The moment an impure suggestion comes to your mind, cry to Him fervently and pray: ‘Lord, I am weak. Protect me. Unless thou savest me, who else will do so? Am I not thy servant and have I not taken refuge in thee?’ Talk to him in this way about your weaknesses. He will certainly listen to your prayers.

Are you in the habit of getting up from your bed quite early? Do so. After 3 or 4 in the morning, a monk should sleep no more. Eat very lightly at night, and you will awaken at 3 or 3.30 without difficulty, feeling much refreshed. The Master used to say: ‘Night meals should be only light refreshments.’ Ever since we first visited the Master we have made this a habit.”

At that time the monk in charge of the monastery manage came in, saluted Mahapurushji and said that a certain devotee had given money to be devoted to the worship of Sri Ramakrishna in memory of the man's recently deceased wife. Swami Shivananda said: “Since the Master couldn’t accept offerings in connection with anyone’s funeral service, how can we knowingly use this money in his worship? Tell the devotee about it. Our Master is not a figment of the imagination but a veritable living presence. If ever anything improper is done in connection with his service, he is sure to let us know of the transgression immediately.”

7 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

Place: Belur Monastery.

Time: Saturday, December 25, 1920.

Swami Shivananda: Without this awakening of Kundalini no spiritual advance is possible. That is why our Master would cry to the Divine Mother, praying, "Wake up, Mother, wake up, Mother Kula-kundalini!"

After repeating the first line, the Swami sang the whole song:

Wake up, Mother Kula-kundalini!

Thou whose nature is bliss eternal, the bliss of Brahman!

Thou, dwelling like a serpent asleep at the lotus of muladhara!

Sore afflicted and distressed am I, in body and mind. Do Thou bless me and leave Thy place at the basic lotus. Consort of Shiva, the self-caused Lord of the universe, Do Thou take Thy upward course through the central channel. Leaving behind svadhishthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha and ajna, be Thou united with Shiva, Thy Lord, at sahasrara—the thousand-petalled lotus in the brain. Sport there freely, O Mother, giver of bliss supreme! Mother, who art Existence, Knowledge, Bliss Absolute!

After singing this song three times in his soul-stirring voice, the Swami remained quiet and his face became radiant with a serene spiritual glow. The atmosphere of the room was surcharged, as it were, with the spirit of the song. There was a long silence, which the Swami broke by repeatedly calling upon the Mother in a voice of great tenderness. Controlling his emotions somewhat, the Swami said: "Ah, how many times we have heard Sri Ramakrishna sing this song! On some days he would take a chamara and sing while fanning the Mother with it. I cannot describe the intensity of his rapturous devotion as he sang this song. We were entranced, and he would lose all outward consciousness. The chamara would move in slow rhythm in his hand as he sang the song intoxicatedly. What a sweet voice he had! All who were present would be moved to tears. The Mother, who is the Mother of the Universe, cannot but respond to such an earnest appeal."

Swami Vivekananda once said: "In this age the Brahmakundalini—the Mother who is responsible for the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe—has been awakened by the fervent prayers of Sri Ramakrishna." No wonder the individual kundalini will be awakened now! That is why we see symptoms of a great spiritual upsurge everywhere. The Mother, the Primal Energy, is sporting for the good of the world, using the body of Sri Ramakrishna. We need have no worry this time.

8 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Saradanandaji Maharaj. On this sacred day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti)

A Letter from Swami Saradananda about Meditation

(1) The general rule is to -perform two pranayama each time you sit for japa and meditation, as in the morning, evening, etc. For example after taking your seat for Japa and meditation, perform one pranayama and at the end of your Japa, perform another pranayama and offer your japa [to the Lord] (as I have instructed already). In the evening too, do likewise. For those who begin to gasp - or experience pain in the chest after a few days' practice - If they keep the counting of 8-32-16 for them, at first, the rule is to keep the 4-16-8 number.

Pranayama is to be practised on an empty stomach; that is before taking any food. You may do Japa with a full stomach, but do not then practise pranayama.

(2) If you do pranayama at least 4 hours after taking food, it will not be wrong. Follow this rule during the day as well as the night. During pranayama you must think that the mantra mingling with the breath, is rousing the kundalini from the muladhara centre (located at the base of the spinal column), and is uniting with the luminous Paramatman in the sahasrara centre in the head.

Whatever I have previously told you [at the time of initiation], go through all those steps first in the proper sequence, and then perform pranayama and japa. If you practise in this manner for a few days, you yourself will be able to experience everything.

(3) Meditate on the holy form of the Guru in the white lotus of twelve petals, situated above the eyebrows. At that time you should chant the meditation stanza on the guru... The Lord, taking a resplendent form resembling the person from whom one receives initiation, resides in the lotus as the Guru. When you engage yourself in Japa, meditation, worship, etc., then first uttering his mediation-stanza, thinking of him and reciting 'Akhanda- mandalakaram, etc...*' You should offer your salutations. In this matter, do in their proper order, whatever steps I have been telling you for so long.

(4) Face to face: that is to say, if you are sitting facing east, think in this way: the Ishta or Guru is sitting facing west.

(5) The thousand-petalled lotus has many tints; it is not all of one colour...Know that all these 'lotuses' are located within the spinal column [and head].

All the spiritual disciplines are verily based on yoga. In this respect, don't create doubts in the mind by looking into books. You will understand by yourself what is to be done next.

(6) It is best to do Japa mentally, that is, without moving the tongue, lips or anything.

(7) During Japa, the repetition should be accompanied by thinking on the divine form...

Accept my blessings.

Ever your well-wisher,

Sri Saradananda

Guru-Stotram from the Viswasara Tantra:

Akhanda Mandala Karam

Vyaptam Yena Char-acharam.

Tatpadam Dharshitam Yena.

Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah.

'Salutation to the Guru who has made it possible to realize Him,

by whom this entire universe of movable and immovable objects is pervaded.'

9 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Saradananda)

Disciple: “X — instructs his disciples not to practise Japa without taking bath etc. Are such observances compulsory?”

Swami: “The Master came to make religion easy. People were being crushed under the weight of rules and regulations. To repeat the Lord’s name and to worship Him no special time and place are necessary. In whatever condition one may be, one can take His name. The Master never used to give too much importance to these external observances. As to means, adopt whichever suits you best. If you like God with form, that will also lead you to the goal. If you like God without form, well and good; stick to it and you will progress. If you doubt His very existence, then better put the question to Him thus: ‘I do not know whether Thou existeth or not, whether Thou art formless or with form. Do Thou make known to me Thy real nature.’

As to changing of clothes, taking bath, and other external observances, if you can observe them, well and good; if not, go on calling on Him without paying much attention to all these. The Master once sang a song to me and told me, ‘Assimilate any one of these ideas and you will reach the goal.’

The song runs as follows:

‘O Lord, Thou art my everything, the sole support of my life, the quintessence of reality. There is none else besides Thee in this world whom I can call as my own.

‘Thou art happiness, peace, help, wealth, knowledge, intellect, and strength; Thou art the dwelling house and the pleasure garden; Thou art the friend and relative.

‘Thou art this present life, the sole refuge; Thou art the life hereafter and the heaven; Thou art the injunction of the scriptures, the Guru full of blessings, and the store of infinite bliss.

‘Thou art the way and the goal; Thou art the creator and preserver and the worshipped; Thou art the father that punishest Thy child, the loving mother and the storehouse of infinite bliss art Thou.’”

10 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Saradananda)

Disciple: “The Master used to say that Sraddha food is harmful to Bhakti. Why is it so?”

Swami: “The object of food is to build a strong body and a line intellect. Unless the body and the mind are pure it is not possible to go through spiritual practices. It is the food offered to God that builds a pure body and mind.

The Sraddha food is offered to the manes and not to God and as a result instead of building a pure mind and body it affects people otherwise. Food builds the body and the mind and the nature of the food also affects them.

In Chaitanya’s life we have a case where an ordinary man who happened to touch him in a state of ecstasy was also overpowered by religious emotions. He was prescribed to take Sraddha food to get over these emotions and as a matter of fact this food did put an end to that person’s ecstatic moods.”

Disciple: “Why is the time of an eclipse considered auspicious for the practice of Japa?”

Swami: “Man becomes thoughtful when such a natural phenomenon takes place. Eclipse brings about a great change in the sphere of nature. At such a juncture when nature passes from one condition to another, the mind becomes calm and so the time is favourable for the practice of Japa and meditation.”

Disciple : “Have any realized God through mere work?”

Swami: “Through selfless work the mind gets purified. And when the mind becomes pure, there arise Knowledge and devotion in it. Knowledge is the very nature of the Self but being covered with ignorance it is not manifest. The object of selfless work is to remove this covering. As a matter of fact Knowledge dawns as soon as the mind becomes pure.

In the Mahabharata you have the story of the chaste lady who attained Knowledge through service to her husband and through other household duties. In the Gita also you find, ‘By work alone Janaka and others attained perfection. Not one but many attained perfection through work, for the text adds ‘and others.

Disciple: “Does work here mean Japa, meditation, etc.?”

Swami: “No. That meaning is given by the commentators. If it were so then Sri Krishna would have asked Arjuna to ring bells and wave lights before an image of God. Instead, he made him fight.”

11 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Saradananda)

Disciple: “Does work here mean Japa, meditation, etc.?”

Swami: “No. That meaning is given by the commentators. If it were so then Sri Krishna would have asked Arjuna to ring bells and wave lights before an image of God. Instead, he made him fight.”

Disciple: “Did Arjuna fight without any sense of ego, as an instrument in the hands of the Lord?”

Swami: “Certainly. If the ego persists even after the vision of the Universal Form, then of what use is the vision? Arjuna says, ‘My delusion is destroyed and I have regained memory through Thy grace.’”

Disciple: “What is the meaning of the word ‘memory’ in that verse?”

Swami: “Arjuna had forgotten the teachings of the scriptures and of the Guru. All those principles, adhering to which Arjuna was progressing he had forgotten, overcome by delusion. Fear, love of relatives, and respect for his elders had created this delusion. The Advaitists interpret ‘memory’ as ‘the regaining of the consciousness of his real nature’. They too have given a very fine interpretation. When the Vaishnavas progress in their spiritual practice and reach the Advaita consciousness, they avoid it and try to keep permanently a relationship with the Lord. They consider that to become one with Him is an obstacle in their way and so the moment they get a scent of this consciousness they become alert to ward it off. In fact to Santa-bhava, or the peaceful devotion, which is the culmination of Advaita Sadhana, they give the lowest place. They develop the emotional side and direct it towards the Lord—this they think to be the highest goal. From the highest pitch of emotion we have the Madhura-bhava or the sweet conjugal relationship with the Lord.”

12 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Vivekananda according to the English calendar. On this sacred day may Swamiji bless us all with Bhakti.)

External Coverings

We believe that every being is divine, is God. Every soul is a sun covered over with clouds of ignorance; the difference between soul and soul is owing to the difference in density of these layers of clouds. We know neither the subconscious, nor the superconscious. We know the conscious only. If a man stands up and says, "I am a sinner," he makes an untrue statement because he does not know himself. He is the most ignorant of men; of himself he knows only one part, because his knowledge covers only a part of the ground he is on. The mistake is that we cling to the body when it is the spirit that is really immortal. He who says he is the body is a born idolater. We are spirit, spirit that has no form or shape, spirit that is infinite, and not matter. Some people are so afraid of losing their individuality. Wouldn't it be better for the pig to lose his pig-individuality if he can become God? Yes. But the poor pig does not think so at the time. Which state is my individuality? When I was a baby sprawling on the floor trying to swallow my thumb? Was that the individuality I should be sorry to lose? Fifty years hence I shall look upon this present state and laugh, just as I [now] look upon the baby state. Which of these individualities shall I keep?

Mother, father, child, wife, body, wealth—everything I can lose except my Self. Bliss in the Self. All desire is contained in the Self. This is individuality which never changes, and this is perfect. This Very Soul is the Self in All. In this external world, which is full of finite things, it is impossible to see and find the Infinite. The Infinite must be sought in that alone which is infinite, and the only thing infinite about us is that which is within us, our own soul. Neither the body, nor the mind, not even our thoughts, nor the world we see around us, are infinite.

13 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Which of these individualities shall I keep? Mother, father, child, wife, body, wealth—everything I can lose except my Self. Bliss in the Self. All desire is contained in the Self. This is individuality which never changes, and this is perfect. This Very Soul is the Self in All. In this external world, which is full of finite things, it is impossible to see and find the Infinite. The Infinite must be sought in that alone which is infinite, and the only thing infinite about us is that which is within us, our own soul. Neither the body, nor the mind, not even our thoughts, nor the world we see around us, are infinite.

Stand upon the Self, then only can we truly love the world. Take a very, very high stand; knowing our universal nature, we must look with perfect calmness upon all the panorama of the world. But as a man sees his own face in a mirror, perfect, distinct, and clear, so is the Truth shining in the soul of man. The highest heaven, therefore, is in our own souls; the greatest temple of worship is the human soul. The whole universe is one. There is only one Self in the universe, only One Existence, and that One Existence, when it passes through the forms of time, space, and causation, is called by different names, buddhi, fine matter, gross matter, all mental and physical forms. Everything in the universe is that One, appearing in various forms. When a little part of it comes, as it were, into this network of time, space, and causation it takes forms; take off the network, and it is all one. Therefore in the Advaita philosophy, the whole universe is all one in the Self which is called Brahman. That Self when it appears behind the universe is called God. The same Self when it appears behind this little universe, the body, is the soul. This very soul, therefore, is the Self in man. And in the midst of the depths of misery and degradation, the Soul sends a ray of light, and man wakes up and finds that what is really his, he can never lose. No, we can never lose what is really ours. Who can lose his being? Who can lose his very existence?

If I am good, it is the existence first, and then that becomes colored with the quality of goodness. If I am evil, it is the existence first, and that becomes colored with the quality of badness. That existence is first, last, and always; it is never lost, but ever present. Therefore, there is hope for all. None can die; none can be degraded forever. Life is but a playground, however gross the play may be. However we may receive blows, and however knocked about we may be, the Soul is there and is never injured. We are that Infinite.

14 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

If I am God, I am beyond the tendencies of the senses and will not do evil. Morality, of course, is not the goal of man but the means through which this freedom is attained. You, as body, mind, or soul, are a dream, but what you really are, is Existence, Knowledge, Bliss. You are the God of this universe. You are creating the whole universe and drawing it in. All that is real in me is He; all that is real in Him is I. The gulf between God and man is thus bridged. Thus we find how, by knowing God, we find the kingdom of heaven within us.

There is one thing to be remembered: that the assertion—I am God—cannot be made with regard to the sense-world. God is neither knowable nor unknowable, but something infinitely higher than either. He is one with us; and that which is one with us is neither knowable nor unknowable, as our own self. You cannot know your own self; you cannot move it out and make it an object to look at, because you are that and cannot separate yourself from it. Neither is it unknowable, for what is better known than yourself? It is really the center of our knowledge. In exactly the same sense, God is neither unknowable nor known, but infinitely higher than both; for He is our real Self.

I have divided myself into God and me; I become the worshiped and I worship myself. Why not? God is I. Why not worship my Self? The universal God—He is also my Self. It is all fun. There is no other purpose. *You Are Infinite God* is true. The universe is a dream. Blessed am I that I know this moment that I shall be free all eternity, that I know that I am worshiping only myself; that no nature, no delusion, had any hold on me. Vanish nature from me, vanish [these] gods; vanish worship, vanish superstitions, for I know myself. I am the Infinite. All these—Mrs. So-and-so, Mr. So-and-so, responsibility, happiness, misery—have vanished. I am the Infinite. How can there be death for me, or birth? Whom shall I fear? I am the One. Shall I be afraid of myself? Who is to be afraid of whom? I am the one Existence. Nothing else exists. I am everything.

15 January 2022

He is one with us; and that which is one with us is neither knowable nor unknowable, as our own self. You cannot know your own self; you cannot move it out and make it an object to look at, because you are that and cannot separate yourself from it. Neither is it unknowable, for what is better known than yourself? It is really the center of our knowledge. In exactly the same sense, God is neither unknowable nor known, but infinitely higher than both; for He is our real Self. I have divided myself into God and me; I become the worshiped and I worship myself. Why not? God is I. Why not worship my Self? The universal God—He is also my Self. It is all fun. There is no other purpose. "You Are Infinite God" is true. The universe is a dream. Blessed am I that I know this moment that I shall be free all eternity, that I know that I am worshiping only myself; that no nature, no delusion, had any hold on me. Vanish nature from me, vanish [these] gods; vanish worship, vanish superstitions, for I know myself. I am the Infinite. All these—Mrs. So-and-so, Mr. So-and-so, responsibility, happiness, misery—have vanished. I am the Infinite. How can there be death for me, or birth? Whom shall I fear? I am the One. Shall I be afraid of myself? Who is to be afraid of whom? I am the one Existence. Nothing else exists. I am everything.

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

You are infinite. Where can you go? The sun, the moon, and the whole universe are but drops in your transcendent nature. How can you be born or die? I never was born, never will be born. I never had father or mother, friends or foes, for I am Existence, Knowledge, Bliss Absolute. Perfection is always infinite. We are this infinite already, and we are trying to manifest that infinity. You and I, and all beings, are trying to manifest it. The bottom of a lake, we cannot see, because its surface is covered with ripples. It is only possible for us to catch a glimpse of the bottom, when the ripples have subsided, and the water is calm. If the water is muddy or is agitated all the time, the bottom will not be seen. If it is clear, and there are no waves, we shall see the bottom. The bottom of the lake is our own true Self. You are the omniscient, omnipresent being of the universe. But of such beings can there be many? Can there be a hundred thousand million omnipresent beings? Certainly not. Then what becomes of us all? You are only one; there is only one such Self, and that One Self is you. While we recognize a God, it is really only the Self that we have separated from ourselves and worship as outside of us; but all the time it is our own true Self, the one and only God. The Self—the Atman—is by Its own nature pure. It is the same, the one Existence of the universe that is reflecting Itself from the lowest worm to the highest and most perfect being. The whole of this universe is one Unity, one Existence, physically, mentally, morally and spiritually. We are looking upon this one Existence in different forms and creating all these images upon It.

16 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Turiyanandaji Maharaj. On this sacred day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti)

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

7th June, 1915.

Swami S. : “One may have any amount of Samadhi and Dhyana (spiritual concentration and meditation), but one must never forget to love Him. What is the use of this life if one does not love Him?”.

Swami: “Yes, one is bound to admit that ‘when one feels oneself as body, one must consider oneself as the servant of the Lord; when one thinks oneself as the Jiva, the individualized soul, one must consider oneself as a part of Him; and when one feels oneself as the Atman (Self), one is the same as the Lord Himself.

“How can a man who runs for a remedy at the slightest suffering, refuse to submit to the Lord?”

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna was being read.

The Swami observed :

Dakshineswar was in those days as divine and blissful as Kailasa. From morning till one in the afternoon, all were busy preparing for the worship of the Deities and then worshipping them; while Sri Ramakrishna himself was always talking about God, and people sat spell-bound listening to him.

The atmosphere vibrated with thoughts of God. Even his jokes and funs related to God and culminated in Samadhi. He would rest after the midday meal, but only for a short while. The rest of his day was given to discoursing about God. In the evening he would visit the Kali temple and there fan the Mother, then return to his room reeling under divine intoxication. He would often ask those who practised Sadhana if they felt a kind of intoxication in the morning and evening.

At night there was scarcely any sleep for him. No sooner had he lain down than he would get up and rouse all who slept in his room, saying, ‘Do not sleep so much. Get up and meditate. He would then lie down again and get up by early dawn and recite the names of God in his inimitable sweet voice. Others also would get up and sit down to Japa and meditation. Now and then he would go up to them and correct their postures.”

17 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

“If you want to preach, you must also give something. Preaching is not merely lecturing to a class or explaining a book. You have to give them something. Therefore you must accumulate spirituality beforehand. And never pride yourself on your having gained control over the passions. If you do, they will at once raise their heads. Ever pray to him, ‘O Lord, save me from them.’

There are several obstructions to concentration: Laya, Vikshepa, Kashaya, Rasasvada. Laya is the mind being overcome by Tamas (inertia)—the mind falls asleep and loses consciousness. Most aspirants are held down by Laya. Vikshepa is the scattering of the mind on multifarious objects. Kashaya is finding meditation distasteful—one feels disinclined to meditate. But one must still persist. Rasasvada is the mind being fascinated by the vision of divine forms and refusing to ascend higher. Passions will last so long as the body lasts. But through His grace they cannot raise their heads.

15th June

Swami: “It is no good merely working. Work is drudgery if there is no spiritual feeling behind it.”

16th June

Swami: “Yes, one is bound to admit that ‘when one feels oneself as body, one must consider oneself as the servant of the Lord; when one thinks oneself as the Jiva, the individualized soul, one must consider oneself as a part of Him; and when one feels oneself as the Atman (Self), one is the same as the Lord Himself.’ How can a man who runs for a remedy at the slightest suffering, refuse to submit to the Lord?”

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna was being read. The Swami observed:

Dakshineswar was in those days as divine and blissful as Kailasa. From morning till one in the afternoon, all were busy preparing for the worship of the Deities and then worshipping them; while Sri Ramakrishna himself was always talking about God, and people sat spell-bound listening to him. The atmosphere vibrated with thoughts of God. Even his jokes and funs related to God and culminated in Samadhi. He would rest after the midday meal, but only for a short while. The rest of his day was given to discoursing about God. In the evening he would visit the Kali temple and there fan the Mother, then return to his room reeling under divine intoxication. He would often ask those who practised Sadhana if they felt a kind of intoxication in the morning and evening. At night there was scarcely any sleep for him. No sooner had he lain down than he would get up and rouse all who slept in his room, saying, ‘Do not sleep so much. Get up and meditate.’ He would then lie down again and get up by early dawn and recite the names of God in his inimitable sweet voice. Others also would get up and sit down to Japa and meditation. Now and then he would go up to them and correct their postures.

18 January 2022

Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by M.) was read. In one passage, Sri Ramakrishna was mentioned as saying: “It is not true that He can be realized through work. But through unselfish work grows the eager longing to realize Him. This eager longing draws down His grace, and then man realizes Him.”

Apropos of this, the Swami said: “A little casual reading of the scriptures and a little meditation are not enough to realize the Lord. You must yearn to see Him. The heart must pant and pine for Him. The Master said to us: ‘It is because I had such intense longing for the Mother that She gave me every convenience—She gave me this Kali Temple and Mathur Babu. If there is sincere longing for God, everything becomes favourable.’

“There is no other way than Bhakti. Quite true. Meditate on His lotus-feet; the senses will withdraw of themselves, and the mind will lose itself in Him. Ramprasad says in a song that devotion is at the root of all spiritual achievements. Ramprasad was, in a sense, the ideal of Sri Ramakrishna. The Master used to say: ‘Mother, Thou hast revealed Thyself to Ramprasad; why shouldst Thou not to me?’

The Master’s teaching is Bhakti tempered with Jnana.”

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

20th June. Swami: “‘When will that day come when the very utterance of the name of God will bring tears to my eyes?’ (To the disciple) Do you cry when you take His name? Ah, what a supernal condition! Just consider!—The very utterance of His name makes you cry!

“When I first used to go to the Master, I would often feel inclined to cry. One night I cried much on the riverside near the bakul tree. Just at that time, the Master in his room was enquiring where I had gone. When I returned to him, he asked me to sit down and said: ‘The Lord is greatly pleased if one cries to Him. The tears of love wash away all mental impurities accumulated through ages. It is very good to cry to God.’

“Another day I was meditating in the Panchavati grove. My concentration became very deep. Just then the Master came towards me from the side of the jhau tree. As soon as he looked at me, I burst into tears. The Master stood still. I felt something creeping up inside my bosom, and I was overcome by an irrepressible fit of shaking. The Master remarked that this crying was not for nothing; it was a sort of ecstasy. I then followed him to his room, where he gave me something to eat. The awakening of the Kundalini was an easy matter for him. He could do this even without touching, by merely standing nearby.”

21st June. Swami: “Man is trying hard to make himself happy. But nothing succeeds unless He wills it. Freedom can be realized in two ways: by identifying oneself with Him and by living in eternal self-surrender to Him. There can be no freedom of will away from Him.

“Reliance on one’s apparent self leads to ruin. To presume to be all-knowing is extremely harmful. Self-reliance or self-confidence means faith in the Higher Self. To persist in remaining what one already is or in holding on to one’s preconceived opinions at any cost—such self-importance is bad.”

19 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

22nd June. Swami: “One must have the capacity to love. Oh, how madly we used to love in our boyhood! I loved my brothers so much that the thought of renouncing them to become a Sannyasin used to make me cry. But afterwards the Master snapped these ties one by one. Sri Ramakrishna asked S: ‘Whom do you love?’ S. said: ‘I do not love anyone.’ ‘Oh, you dry fellow!’ the Master remarked.”

Swami: “You can never be emancipated by adoring a man as man—you must look upon him as God. However great a man may be in spiritual wisdom and dispassionateness, however highly endowed he may be with spiritual powers, the worship of him will not bring you liberation, if you do not perceive him as God Himself. Without such a consciousness, his worship may serve to communicate to you his spiritual qualities and powers, but nothing more. But if you worship a Divine Incarnation, knowing him as such or not, he will surely grant you God-realization. Sisupala attained God-realization even by hating Sri Krishna. The Gopis realized God even though they considered Sri Krishna as only their lover. A Gopi was shut up in her room by her husband. Her intense anguish at being separated from Sri Krishna destroyed her sins; and the joy she felt by meditating on him destroyed her religious merits (Punya); and she was liberated.”

Disciple: “But we are told that when devotion grows intense, one forgets the Divine majesties of God.”

Swami: “That is after the devotee has realized God. He then carefully obliterates all consciousness of Divine powers in order to approach Him closer and closer. The Gopis were not ordinary human beings. Theirs were spiritual bodies. Continence is essential for Divine realization. If one can maintain Brahmacharya for twenty-eight years, one will realize Bhakti, Jnana, everything. Lust is called Manasija, ‘born in the mind’. Only a hero can conquer the senses and go beyond them to the superconscious planes. Stubbornness is a cloak for weakness. The weak put it on in order to hide their weakness. Real strength knows how to bend and yet regain its true position.”

20 January 2022

Swami: “You can never be emancipated by adoring a man as man—you must look upon him as God. However great a man may be in spiritual wisdom and dispassionateness, however highly endowed he may be with spiritual powers, the worship of him will not bring you liberation, if you do not perceive him as God Himself. Without such a consciousness, his worship may serve to communicate to you his spiritual qualities and powers, but nothing more. But if you worship a Divine Incarnation, knowing him as such or not, he will surely grant you God-realization. Sisupala attained God-realization even by hating Sri Krishna. The Gopis realized God even though they considered Sri Krishna as only their lover. A Gopi was shut up in her room by her husband. Her intense anguish at being separated from Sri Krishna destroyed her sins; and the joy she felt by meditating on him destroyed her religious merits (Punya); and she was liberated.”

Disciple: “But we are told that when devotion grows intense, one forgets the Divine majesties of God.”

Swami: “That is after the devotee has realized God. He then carefully obliterates all consciousness of Divine powers in order to approach Him closer and closer. The Gopis were not ordinary human beings. Theirs were spiritual bodies. Continence is essential for Divine realization. If one can maintain Brahmacharya for twenty-eight years, one will realize Bhakti, Jnana, everything. Lust is called Manasija, ‘born in the mind’. Only a hero can conquer the senses and go beyond them to the superconscious planes. ‘Stubbornness is a cloak for weakness. The weak put it on in order to hide their weakness. Real strength knows how to bend and yet regain its true position.’”

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

26th June. Swami: “Swami P. has written: ‘We are not living on the plane of surmise, but of actual perception.’ We must remember from time to time why we renounced the world and test ourselves if we are really progressing towards the goal.”

27th June. Swami: “His (Sri Ramakrishna’s) initiation was no ordinary thing—he would wake up spiritual consciousness at once. He would write some characters on the tongue and the disciple would feel something heaving up, wave after wave, within his chest. He asked me if I would like to have Abhisheka (Tantrik initiation). I said, ‘I do not know.’ ‘Then you need not have it,’ he replied. Once when I was returning from the Kali temple, after saluting the Mother, he said about me, ‘His “home” is that high Power from which proceed name and form.’ I felt an intense longing for liberation. I wanted very much to realize God even in this very life.”

28th June. Swami: “We have seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears. The tremendous enthusiasm of Swami Vivekananda for God-realization used to dumbfound us and make us despair of ourselves, in spite of all encouragement and assurance from the Master. And we would think that this life would go in vain, without realizing God. But at last favourable days came through the grace of the Master. You will be struck dumb with wonder if I tell you the story of Swami Vivekananda’s wandering days—the life of extreme renunciation he then lived. Once in those days he wrote to me that he was passing his days ‘like the crows, feeding himself—devoid of self-respect—at the houses of others in great fear.’”

21 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

29th June.

Swami: “ ‘None else, He alone is my all in all’—when you will feel like this and will not rely on anything, then will you be right. Now you are depending on earthly things, on wealth, man, and learning. Even great scholars get mad by a single screw getting loose in the brain. We do not rely on God. We rely on our money, our relations, our friends. But ‘O king, know that He is the treasure of those who have nothing.’ When nothing will intervene between you and Him, then you will realize Him. Sri Krishna had broken all the ties of the Gopis. But their sense of shame still remained. That tie also he broke at last. When the Lord sees that man is finding it hard to give up anything for Him, then He Himself takes it away. O Lord, take all things away from me, even those that I have kept hidden in my inmost heart.’

‘If, O man, thou wilt cross the ocean of relative existence, thou must give up desires for earthly things.’

“The Master used to say, ‘Do whatever you like after making the knowledge of oneness your own.’ That is to say, know the Lord as the soul of your soul, the life of your life, the eye of your eye, and love Him. Nothing else than this, such as asking things of God, is true devotion. Supreme devotion cannot be had so long as there is the slightest desire in the mind.”

The book *My Master* was read. Apropos of the passage, “Do you think that a man firmly convinced that there is a Reality behind all these appearances… One who is infinite bliss, a bliss compared with which these pleasures of the senses are simply playthings, can rest contented without struggling to attain It?”

The Swami said: “Just see! Our God is only a verbal affair. A little meditation, a little Japa—this is a poor sort of life. The heart must burst hungering for Him. An intense anguish must fill it and life should seem to go out without Him—only then it will be right.”

22 January 2022

Swami: “ ‘None else, He alone is my all in all’—when you will feel like this and will not rely on anything, then will you be right. Now you are depending on earthly things, on wealth, man, and learning. Even great scholars get mad by a single screw getting loose in the brain. We do not rely on God. We rely on our money, our relations, our friends. But ‘O king, know that He is the treasure of those who have nothing.’ When nothing will intervene between you and Him, then you will realize Him. Sri Krishna had broken all the ties of the Gopis. But their sense of shame still remained. That tie also he broke at last. When the Lord sees that man is finding it hard to give up anything for Him, then He Himself takes it away. ‘O Lord, take all things away from me, even those that I have kept hidden in my inmost heart.’ ‘If, O man, thou wilt cross the ocean of relative existence, thou must give up desires for earthly things.’

“The Master used to say, ‘Do whatever you like after making the knowledge of oneness your own.’ That is to say, know the Lord as the soul of your soul, the life of your life, the eye of your eye, and love Him. Nothing else than this, such as asking things of God, is true devotion. Supreme devotion cannot be had so long as there is the slightest desire in the mind.”

The book *My Master* was read. Apropos of the passage, “Do you think that a man firmly convinced that there is a Reality behind all these appearances—One who is infinite bliss, a bliss compared with which these pleasures of the senses are simply playthings—can rest contented without struggling to attain It?”

The Swami said: “Just see! Our God is only a verbal affair. A little meditation, a little Japa—this is a poor sort of life. The heart must burst hungering for Him. An intense anguish must fill it and life should seem to go out without Him—only then it will be right.”

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)*

“Nothing short of complete self-surrender to Him will do. You call Him the Inner Controller (Antaryamin), omniscient, and omnipresent, and yet you are afraid to surrender yourself to Him! ‘Thinkest thou that thou wilt realize Mother by thy hypocritical devotion? No, no, this is not a sweet in a child’s hand that thou wilt cajole it out of Her.’ You cannot deceive God. He sees all. ‘Thou art the doer, not I; Thou art the mechanic, I am the machine.’ ‘I am a jealous God.’ If you love anything else than God and do not renounce all for Him, you cannot realize Him.”

“Nobody wants Him. Men want to get rid of their misery, to enjoy life. To conceive a ‘motiveless’ love for Him is very difficult. I knew a man who used to cry for solitude. But one day he asked, ‘Shall I marry again?’ ”

“Whenever Swamiji (Vivekananda) said ‘I’, he identified it with the all-comprehensive ‘I’. When we say ‘I’, we identify it with the body, the senses, and the mind. Hence we have to say ‘the servant I’, ‘the devotee I.’ Swamiji would never identify his ‘I’ with any adjunct of the Self—he would identify himself with Brahman and go beyond body, mind, and intellect. This was his central and normal mood, and in that he used to pass the greatest part of his time. But such a mood does not come to us. We are living separate from Him. Hence we have to say ‘Thou’ and ‘Thine’ in reference to God.”

Swami: “The Master used to say, ‘Do whatever you like after making the knowledge of Advaita your own.’ The true devotees always say ‘Thou’ and ‘Thine’, that is to say, ‘O Lord, Thou art everything, and everything is Thine.’ Wherein does this differ from Advaita? But if a devotee says ‘I’ and ‘mine’ and feels himself separate from and independent of Him, it is an extremely harmful dualism. Such a devotee is greatly deluded.”

23 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

The Master would often repeat, “Not I, not I; Thou, Thou; I am Thy servant, I am Thy servant.” A devotee must completely renounce all “I” and “mine.” How often Ramprasad engaged himself in a loving quarrel with the Divine Mother and coaxed and cajoled Her! Such an intense and condensed spiritual mood must be realized—like water condensed into ice. Only then can we have a vision of His Divine forms. Gopaler Ma saw Gopal following her gathering fire-wood for her, and Sri Ramakrishna saw Ramlala going about with him. It is the intensity of spiritual feeling that counts. Whether you believe in His form or formlessness, it does not matter. “O lotus, what kind of love is thine? Thou givest only the smile of thy face to the sun thy husband, but thy honey thou yieldest to the bee!” If one considers God to be all in all, how can one find joy in worldly things?

Swami: “Eating, sleeping, fear, and sexual intercourse—these are common features of both animal and man. The specialty of man is that he has knowledge and can distinguish right from wrong. The lower a man is, the greater is his joy in sense-objects. The higher he is, the greater is his pleasure in knowledge—a subtle joy which low natures cannot appreciate. See how they are spending their days in drinking, hunting, and running after women—just like beasts. What advantage is gained, being born a man, if we do not refine and elevate our faculties? Those who have a refined mind can never stoop to these things.

“What is the use of making the mind out-going? Absorb yourself in meditation and be lost in Him. It would be excellent if you could spend five years in exclusive meditation of the Master. Then the West and here would become one.”

24 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

‘I do not care a rap for history or other things—God is everything.’—What a beautiful saying! The stick of ego is lying on the waters of Satchidananda. This is making the waters appear as divided. Desires create the ego. Desires keep us apart from God. But one day we shall have to eradicate all desires and call on Him. What if the body goes while calling on Him?

“However great a man may be, whatever great deeds he may be doing, some day he will have to be desireless. After that, of course, he may work again through the will of God. But if you work at the command of a Mahapurusha, a man of realization, to whom you have surrendered your all and who seeks your good, work will not tighten your bondage; on the other hand, it will break it. Always pray to Him that you may not forget Him. Pray: ‘Do not give me such work to do, as will make me forget Thee; and wherever Thou keepest me, may I ever remember Thee!’

“But do not say to Him: ‘Give me this’, ‘Do not give me that.’ It will be a selfish prayer. When you want to do one thing and do not want to do another, you allow your ego to come in. Some there are, who are afraid of work and try to avoid it. That makes their bondage and selfishness lasting. Pray to Him for Bhakti. But be ever ready to obey His commands. Pray: May I keep Thee in mind under all conditions! May I never fall into any other company than that of Thy devotees!”

25 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Swami Vivekananda’s Janma Tithi)

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Vivekananda Maharaj. On this sacred day may the Swamiji bless us all with Bhakti and shakti.)

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Picture the Self to be the rider and this body the chariot, the intellect to be the charioteer, mind the reins, and the senses the horses. He whose horses are well broken, and whose reins are strong and kept well in the hands of the charioteer (the intellect) reaches the goal which is the state of Him, the Omnipresent. But the man whose horses (the senses) are not controlled, nor the reins (the mind) well-managed, goes to destruction. This Atman in all beings does not manifest Himself to the eyes or the senses, but those whose minds have become purified and refined realize Him. He who realizes Him, frees himself from the jaws of death. Shaping One's Destiny

If it be true that we are working out our own destiny here within this short space of time, if it be true that everything must have a cause as we see it now, it must also be true that that which we are now is the effect of the whole of our past; therefore, no other person is necessary to shape the destiny of mankind but man himself. Knowledge can only be got in one way, the way of experience; there is no other way to know. If we have not experienced it in this life, we must have experienced it in other lives. Neither you, nor I, nor anyone present, has come out of zero, nor will go back to zero. We have been existing eternally, and will exist, and there is no power under the sun or above the sun which can undo your or my existence or send us back to zero. Now this idea of reincarnation is not only not a frightening idea, but is most essential for the moral well-being of the human race.

26 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

All search is vain, until we begin to perceive that knowledge is within ourselves, that no one can help us, that we must help ourselves. If it is true that you cannot do good without doing evil, and whenever you try to create happiness there will always be misery, people will ask you, "What is the use of doing good?" The answer is, in the first place, that we must work for lessening misery, for that is the only way to make ourselves happy. Every one of us finds it out sooner or later in our lives. The bright ones find it out a little earlier, and the dull ones a little later. The dull ones pay very dearly for the discovery and the bright ones less dearly. In the second place, we must do our part, because that is the only way of getting out. Both the forces of good and evil keep the universe alive for us, until we awake from our dreams and give up this building of mud pies. That lesson we shall have to learn, and it will take a long, long time to learn it. The evils that are in the world are caused by none else but ourselves. We have caused all this evil; and just as we constantly see misery resulting from evil actions, so can we also see that much of the existing misery in the world is the effect of the past wickedness of man. Man alone, therefore, according to this theory, is responsible. God is not to blame.

27 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

The two conjoint facts of perception we can never get rid of are happiness and unhappiness—things which bring us pain also bring pleasure. Our world is made up of these two. We cannot get rid of them; with every pulsation of life they are present. The world is busy trying to reconcile these opposites, sages are busy trying to find the solution of this commingling of the opposites. Opposition to a righteous work initiated with moral courage will only awaken the moral power of the initiators the more. That which meets with no obstruction, no opposition, only takes men to the path of moral death. Struggle is the sign of life. Can any permanent happiness be given to the world? In the ocean we cannot raise a wave without causing a hollow somewhere else. The sum total of the good things in the world has been the same throughout in its relation to man's need and greed. It cannot be increased or decreased. A Nation's Well-Being: All growth, progress, well-being, or degradation is but relative. It refers to a certain standard, and each man to be understood has to be referred to that standard of his perfection. You see this more markedly in nations: what one nation thinks good might not be so regarded by another nation. The mythologists of all ancient races supply us with fables of heroes whose life was concentrated in a certain small portion of their bodies, and until that was touched they remained invulnerable. 28 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

There is a common platform, a common ground of understanding, a common humanity, which must be the basis of our work. We ought to find out that complete and perfect human nature which is working only in parts, here and there. It has not been given to one man to have everything in perfection. You have a part to play; I, in my humble way, another; here is one who plays a little part; there, another. The perfection is the combination of all these parts. Just as with individuals, so with races. Each race has a part to play; each race has one side of human nature to develop. And we have to take all these together; and, possibly in the distant future, some race will arise in which all these marvellous individual race perfections, attained by the different races, will come together and form a new race, the like of which the world has not yet dreamed. In each nation, man or woman represents an ideal consciously or unconsciously being worked out. The individual is the external expression of an ideal to be embodied. The collection of such individuals is the nation, which also represents a great ideal; toward that it is moving. And, therefore, it is rightly assumed that to understand a nation you must first understand its ideal, for each nation refuses to be judged by any other standard than its own. I am thoroughly convinced that no individual or nation can live by holding itself apart from the community of others, and whenever such an attempt has been made under false ideas of greatness, policy, or holiness—the result has always been disastrous to the secluding one. A nation may conquer the waves, control the elements, develop the utilitarian problems of life seemingly to the utmost limits, and yet not realize that in the individual, the highest type of civilization is found in him who has learned to conquer self. Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die. Societies should be moulded upon truth, and truth has not to adjust itself to society.

28 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

There is a common platform, a common ground of understanding, a common humanity, which must be the basis of our work. We ought to find out that complete and perfect human nature which is working only in parts, here and there. It has not been given to one man to have everything in perfection. You have a part to play; I, in my humble way, another; here is one who plays a little part; there, another. The perfection is the combination of all these parts.

Just as with individuals, so with races. Each race has a part to play; each race has one side of human nature to develop. And we have to take all these together; and, possibly in the distant future, some race will arise in which all these marvellous individual race perfections, attained by the different races, will come together and form a new race, the like of which the world has not yet dreamed.

In each nation, man or woman represents an ideal consciously or unconsciously being worked out. The individual is the external expression of an ideal to be embodied. The collection of such individuals is the nation, which also represents a great ideal; toward that it is moving. And, therefore, it is rightly assumed that to understand a nation you must first understand its ideal, for each nation refuses to be judged by any other standard than its own.

I am thoroughly convinced that no individual or nation can live by holding itself apart from the community of others, and whenever such an attempt has been made under false ideas of greatness, policy, or holiness—the result has always been disastrous to the secluding one.

A nation may conquer the waves, control the elements, develop the utilitarian problems of life seemingly to the utmost limits, and yet not realize that in the individual, the highest type of civilization is found in him who has learned to conquer self.

Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern.

Society has to pay homage to Truth or die. Societies should be moulded upon truth, and truth has not to adjust itself to society.

29 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

You must bear in mind that religion has to do only with the soul and has no business to interfere in social matters; you must also bear in mind that this applies completely to the mischief which has already been done. It is as if a man after forcibly taking possession of another's property cries through the nose when that man tries to regain it—and preaches the doctrine of the sanctity of human right! Religion has no business to formulate social laws and insist on the difference between beings, because its aim and end is to obliterate all such fictions and monstrosities. This is the bane of human nature, the curse upon mankind, the root of all misery—this inequality. This is the source of all bondage, physical, mental, and spiritual. Meddle not with so-called social reform, for there cannot be any reform without spiritual reform first. The difficulty is not, that one body of men are naturally more intelligent than another, but whether this body of men, because they have the advantage of intelligence, should take away even physical enjoyment from those who do not possess that advantage. The fight is to destroy that privilege. A redistribution of pain and pleasure is better than always the same persons having pains and pleasures. The sum total of good and evil in the world remains ever the same. The yoke will be lifted from shoulder to shoulder by new systems, that is all. If in this hell of a world one can bring a little joy and peace even for a day into the heart of a single person, that much alone is true; this I have learnt after suffering all my life; all else is mere moonshine.

30 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

The day will come when men will study history from a different light and find that competition is neither the cause nor the effect, simply a thing on the way, not necessary to evolution at all. The life of the married man is quite as great as that of the celibate who has devoted himself to religious work. The scavenger in the street is quite as great and glorious as the king on his throne. Take him off his throne, make him do the work of the scavenger, and see how he fares. Take up the scavenger and see how he will rule. It is useless to say that the man who lives out of the world is a greater man than he who lives in the world; it is much more difficult to live in the world and worship God than to give it up and live a free and easy life. It is the patient upbuilding of character, the intense struggle to realize the truth, which alone will tell in the future of humanity. Our principle should be love, and not compassion. 31 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

The people of old knew that fire lived in the flint and in dry wood, but friction was necessary to call it out. So this fire of freedom and purity is the nature of every soul, and not a quality, because qualities can be acquired and therefore can be lost. The soul is one with Freedom, and the soul is one with Existence, and the soul is one with Knowledge. The Sat-Chit-Ananda—Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute—is the nature, the birthright of the Soul, and all the manifestations that we see are Its expressions, dimly or brightly manifesting Itself. God is self-evident, impersonal, omniscient, the Knower and Master of nature, the Lord of all. He is behind all worship and it is being done according to Him, whether we know it or not. I go one step further. That at which all marvel, that which we call evil, is His worship too. This too is a part of freedom. So long as you have a body, so long as you are a slave to happiness, so long as time works on you, space works on you, you are a slave. The idea, therefore, is to be free of external and internal nature. Nature must fall at your feet, and you must trample on it and be free and glorious by going beyond. No more is there life; therefore no more is there death. No more enjoyment; therefore no more misery. It is bliss unspeakable, indestructible, beyond everything.

31 January 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

The people of old knew that fire lived in the flint and in dry wood, but friction was necessary to call it out. So this fire of freedom and purity is the nature of every soul, and not a quality, because qualities can be acquired and therefore can be lost. The soul is one with Freedom, and the soul is one with Existence, and the soul is one with Knowledge. The Sat-Chit-Ananda—Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute—is the nature, the birthright of the Soul, and all the manifestations that we see are Its expressions, dimly or brightly manifesting Itself. God is self-evident, impersonal, omniscient, the Knower and Master of nature, the Lord of all. He is behind all worship and it is being done according to Him, whether we know it or not.

I go one step further. That at which all marvel, that which we call evil, is His worship too. This too is a part of freedom. So long as you have a body, so long as you are a slave to happiness, so long as time works on you, space works on you, you are a slave. The idea, therefore, is to be free of external and internal nature. Nature must fall at your feet, and you must trample on it and be free and glorious by going beyond. No more is there life; therefore no more is there death. No more enjoyment; therefore no more misery. It is bliss unspeakable, indestructible, beyond everything. What we call happiness and good here are but particles of that eternal Bliss. And this eternal Bliss is our goal.

In perfect concentration the soul becomes actually free from the bonds of the gross body and knows itself as it is. Desire, ignorance, and inequality—this is the trinity of bondage.

1 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

What we call happiness and good here are but particles of that eternal Bliss. And this eternal Bliss is our goal. In perfect concentration the soul becomes actually free from the bonds of the gross body and knows itself as it is. Desire, ignorance, and inequality—this is the trinity of bondage.

The human soul has sojourned in lower and higher forms, migrating from one to another, according to the samskaras or impressions, but it is only in the highest form as man that it attains to freedom. Every action of man is worship, because the idea is to attain to freedom, and all action, directly or indirectly, tends to that. Only those actions that deter are to be avoided. The whole universe is worshiping, consciously or unconsciously; only it does not know that even while it is cursing, it is in another form worshiping the same God it is cursing, because those who are cursing are also struggling for freedom.

The going from birth to death, this traveling, is what is called samsara in Sanskrit, the round of birth and death literally. All creation, passing through this round, will sooner or later become free. The Universal Cry! We want to know in order to make ourselves free. That is our life: one universal cry for freedom.

When we have become free, we need not go mad and throw up society and rush off to die in the forest or the cave; we shall remain where we are, only we shall understand the whole thing. The same phenomena will remain, but with a new meaning. We do not know the world yet; it is only through freedom that we see what it is, and understand its nature. We shall see then that this so-called law or fate or destiny occupied only an infinitesimal part of our nature. It was only one side, but on the other side there was freedom all the time. We did not know this, and that is why we have been trying to save ourselves from evil by hiding our faces in the ground, like the hunted hare.

Through delusion we have been trying to forget our nature, and yet we could not; it was always calling upon us, and all our search after God or gods, or external freedom, was a search after our real nature. We mistook the voice. All nature is crying through all the atoms for one thing—its perfect freedom.

2 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Brahmanandaji Maharaj. On this sacred day may Maharaj bless us all with Bhakti.)

Teachings of Swami Brahmanandaji Maharaj

Q: Maharaj, how did Sri Ramakrishna look upon mankind? Please tell us something about him.

A: Sri Ramakrishna saw God in all beings. Seeing his great love for his disciples, Swami Vivekananda once said to him: "You love us all so much. Is it not possible that, because of this love, you too may meet the same fate that Jada Bharat met?"

The Master replied: "True, by thinking of matter one becomes like matter. But you must understand that it is the God within you that I love. If my mind should ever become attached to any one of you as man or woman, I would at once dismiss all thought of you from my mind."

Because Sri Ramakrishna taught the ideal of renunciation to his young disciples, he was often criticized by the worldly-minded. To such criticism he would answer: "I have no objection to anyone living in the world. Neither do I teach that every man and woman should renounce lust and greed. I teach renunciation only to those in whom there is already some spiritual awakening. I want these young men to attain first knowledge and discrimination, and then, if they wish, they may enter into worldly life."

Indeed, to many who came to him he would say: "First go out into the world. Gather your experiences, and then, when you have become sick of the world, come to me for the cure." His teachings varied to suit all temperaments. When Swami Turiyananda was quite a young lad, he asked Sri Ramakrishna how he could give up thoughts of lust. The Master said: "Give up lust? Why should you give up lust? Instead of trying to give up, you should increase your lust!"

This advice amazed the young disciple, but he said nothing, and the Master continued: "Direct all your thoughts of lust and all your passions toward God."

3 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Pray all the time, read all the scriptures in the world, and worship all the gods there are, unless you realize the Soul there is no freedom. The universe itself can never be the limit of our satisfaction. That is why the miser gathers more and more money, that is why the robber robs, the sinner sins, that is why you are learning philosophy. All have one purpose. There is no other purpose in life, save to reach this freedom. Consciously or unconsciously, we are all striving for perfection. Every being must attain to it. We say that it is freedom that we are to seek, and that that freedom is God. It is the same happiness as in everything else; but Man must have education. They speak of democracy, of the equality of all men, these days. But how will a man know he is equal with all? He must have a strong brain, a clear mind free of nonsensical ideas; he must pierce through the mass of superstitions encrusting his mind to the pure truth that is in his inmost Self. Then he will know that all perfections, all powers are already within himself, that these have not to be given him by others. When he realizes this, he becomes free that moment, he achieves equality. He also realizes that everyone else is equally as perfect as he, and he does not have to exercise any power, physical, mental, or moral, over his brother men. He abandons the idea that there was ever any man who was lower than himself. Then only he can talk of equality; not until then. If you think that you are bound, you remain bound; you make your own bondage. If you know that you are free, you are free this moment. This is knowledge, knowledge of freedom. Freedom is the goal of all nature. So long as there is desire or want, it is a sure sign that there is imperfection. A perfect, free being cannot have any desire.

4 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Stand thou in the spirit! That is the goal. We know we cannot reach it yet. Never mind. Do not despair, and do not drag the ideal down. The important thing is: how much less you think of the body, of yourself as matter—as dead, dull, insentient matter; how much more you think of yourself as shining immortal being. The more you think of yourself as shining immortal spirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely free of matter, body, and senses. This is the intense desire to be free.

Keeping Your Balance*

No sooner does a prophet feel miserable for the state of man than he sours his face, beats his breast, and calls upon everyone to drink tartaric acid, munch charcoal, sit upon a dungheap covered with ashes, and speak only in groans and tears! We must be bright and cheerful, long faces do not make religion. Religion should be the most joyful thing in the world, because it is the best. The essential thing in religion is making the heart pure. 04/02/2022

Swami Trigunatitanandaji

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Trigunatitanandaji Maharaj. On this sacred day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti.)

Swami Trigunatitananda — or more simply known as Swami Trigunatita — lectured and taught in the United States for more than a decade. Next to Swami Abhedananda, he spent a greater number of years in this country than any other disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, arriving in San Francisco at the beginning of 1903 to succeed Swami Turiyananda, who had returned to India. He brought with him the qualities of austerity, leonine strength, and a perceptive intellect, all of which would be immensely useful in not only sustaining him in a foreign land, but inspiring the hearts of his followers.

Swami Trigunatita was born into an aristocratic family of Calcutta in 1865. His pre-monastic name was Sarada Prasanna Mitra. His parents believed that Sarada was born to them through the grace of the Divine Mother, so they named their child after Her. He was brilliant at school, and the family looked forward to raising a scholarly and successful son. A simple gold watch, however, was to indirectly change his life. Sarada lost the watch, which he greatly treasured, during the second day of his entrance examinations at Calcutta University. The loss so upset him that he performed poorly and passed in the second division only. He grieved for weeks over his low marks.

Like a number of other disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada was a student at the Metropolitan Institution, whose headmaster was Mahendranath Gupta (“M”), the author of *The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna*. “M” felt a deep affection for Sarada. Although he knew that the boy had been spoiled by his parents and was acting childishly, his keen intuitive sense alerted him to Sarada’s deeper and greater potential. So instead of scolding him, he took the boy to Sri Ramakrishna. Sarada immediately felt drawn to the Master. Thereafter, he visited Dakshineswar regularly. In time he became one of the intimate monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

The chaste brain has tremendous energy and gigantic willpower. Without chastity there can be no spiritual strength. We should cultivate the optimistic temperament, and endeavour to see the good that dwells in everything. If we sit down and lament over the imperfection of our bodies and minds, we profit nothing; it is the heroic endeavour to subdue adverse circumstances that carries our spirit upward. This mind, so deluded, so weak, so easily led, even this mind can be strong and may catch a glimpse of that knowledge, that Oneness, which saves us from dying again and again.

As rain falling upon a mountain flows in various streams down the sides of the mountain, so all the energies which you see here are from that one Unit. It has become manifold falling upon maya. Do not run after the manifold; go toward the One.

In judging others we always judge them by our own ideals. That is not as it should be. Everyone must be judged according to his own ideal, and not by that of anyone else. Intellectual gymnastics are necessary at first. We must not go blindly into anything.

5 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

The chaste brain has tremendous energy and gigantic willpower. Without chastity there can be no spiritual strength. We should cultivate the optimistic temperament, and endeavour to see the good that dwells in everything. If we sit down and lament over the imperfection of our bodies and minds, we profit nothing; it is the heroic endeavour to subdue adverse circumstances that carries our spirit upward. This mind, so deluded, so weak, so easily led, even this mind can be strong and may catch a glimpse of that knowledge, that Oneness, which saves us from dying again and again. As rain falling upon a mountain flows in various streams down the sides of the mountain, so all the energies which you see here are from that one Unit. It has become manifold falling upon maya. Do not run after the manifold; go toward the One. In judging others we always judge them by our own ideals. That is not as it should be. Everyone must be judged according to his own ideal, and not by that of anyone else. Intellectual gymnastics are necessary at first. We must not go blindly into anything. The yogi has passed the argumentative state, and has come to a conclusion, which is, like the rocks, immovable. Books are infinite in number, and time is short; therefore the secret of knowledge is to take what is essential. Take that and try to live up to it. Excessive merriment will always be followed by sorrow. Tears and laughter are near kin. People so often run from one extreme to the other. Let the mind be cheerful, but calm. Never let it run into excesses, because every excess will be followed by a reaction.

6 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

In criticizing another, we always foolishly take one especially brilliant point as the whole of our life and compare that with the dark ones in the life of another. Thus we make mistakes in judging individuals. 7 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Come to God any way you can; only come. But in coming do not push anyone down. The world has its code of judgment which, alas, is very different from that of truth's. Though they all believe in immortality, they do not know that immortality is not gained by dying and going to heaven, but by giving up this piggish individuality, by not tying ourselves down to one little body. Immortality is knowing ourselves as one with all, living in all bodies, perceiving through all minds. We are bound to feel in other bodies than this one. We are bound to feel in other bodies. What is sympathy? Is there any limit to this sympathy, this feeling in our bodies? It is quite possible that the time will come when I shall feel through the whole universe.

Securing One's Own Good

I can secure my own good only by doing you good. There is no other way, none whatsoever. You are God, I am God, and man is God. It is this God manifested through humanity who is doing everything in this world. Is there a different God sitting high up somewhere? To work, therefore!

Doing good to others is the one great, universal religion. It is only by doing good to others that one attains to one's own good. Our duty to others means helping others; doing good to the world. Why should we do good to the world? Apparently to help the world, but really to help ourselves. Devotion to the mother is the root of all welfare. Do not stand on a high pedestal and take five cents in your hand and say, "Here, my poor man," but be grateful that the poor man is there, so that by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself. It is not the receiver that is blessed, but it is the giver. Manifest the divinity within you, and everything will be harmoniously arranged around it.

7 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Come to God any way you can; only come. But in coming do not push anyone down.

The world has its code of judgment which, alas, is very different from that of truth's.

Though they all believe in immortality, they do not know that immortality is not gained by dying and going to heaven, but by giving up this piggish individuality, by not tying ourselves down to one little body. Immortality, is knowing ourselves as one with all, living in all bodies, perceiving through all minds. We are bound to feel in other bodies than this one. We are bound to feel in other bodies. What is sympathy? Is there any limit to this sympathy, this feeling in our bodies? It is quite possible that the time will come when I shall feel through the whole universe.

Securing One's Own Good

I can secure my own good only by doing you good. There is no other way, none whatsoever.... You are God, I am God, and man is God. It is this God manifested through humanity who is doing everything in this world. Is there a different God sitting high up somewhere? To work, therefore!

Doing good to others is the one great, universal religion.

It is only by doing good to others that one attains to one's own good.

Our duty to others means helping others; doing good to the world. Why should we do good to the world? Apparently to help the world, but really to help ourselves.

Devotion to the mother is the root of all welfare.

Do not stand on a high pedestal and take five cents in your hand and say, "Here, my poor man," but be grateful that the poor man is there, so that by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself. It is not the receiver that is blessed, but it is the giver.

Manifest the divinity within you, and everything will be harmoniously arranged around it.

8 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “We must know once for all that everything happens at His will. Many clever persons were born in this world. But what has been their end? Everything comes about and is destroyed at His will. This organization of ours—will this last forever? No, this also will one day be degraded and then the Lord will have to incarnate again.

“A Brahmana is a spiritual beggar. He must not provide even for two days. He must be completely absorbed in God.

“Those who have not good reasoning powers, become easily biased towards one side. Swamiji had equally the power to explain and to feel. He knew the defects of people and yet forgave them.”

Disciple: “Cannot the mind remain alert and awake of itself?”

Swami: “But can that state come automatically? You must practise first. Try consciously to correct yourself first, then you will find that your mind has become its own monitor. People want to reach that state at once. The pure portion in you is God Himself. The impure portion is yourself. When you say ‘I’ you really mean that impure portion. The more you will think of Him, the more He will grow in you, and at last the impure portion will vanish completely.

“There are some who are extremely reserved. They raise high walls around them and do not allow anyone to see their inside. This is very bad. One cannot realize God without being frank and sincere.”

9 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks By Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “The more you will free yourself of egotism and become His instrument, the more you will realize peace. The more you will feel that God is the only doer, not you, the more will your heart be filled with peace.”

Swami: “At first we also thought Nirvana to be the highest state of realization. How often the Master rebuked us for this! He used to say that it was a mean conception. I would be amazed to hear him call Nirvana a mean conception.”

Swami Vivekananda’s lecture on Vedantism was read. The Swami said: “His words have melted away into the air. With all your renunciation and your learning, what have you been doing? Days are passing, but you are simply vegetating. Whoever feels or says as the Master did at the end of each day, ‘O Mother, the day is gone, yet I have not seen Thee’?

“You are damp, spiritless, and inactive. Do you not feel your blood wax hot when you read the words of Swamiji? ‘Who is living-dead? He who is idle.’ Swamiji said that he had achieved everything by his twenty-ninth year.

“But you are not to blame. You do as you see. We are also not working hard enough. We say we are old and diseased, but that is all nonsense and lame excuse. We saw Swamiji working hard till the end. During his last illness, he would press a pillow to his chest in order to relieve breathing difficulties, but he would still roar:

‘Arise! Awake! What are you doing? If the body is to go, let it go working. Rousing the Divinity in yourself and in others—that is the ideal.’”

10 February 2022

We saw Swamiji working hard till the end. During his last illness, he would press a pillow to his chest in order to relieve breathing difficulties, but he would still roar: “Arise! Awake! What are you doing? If the body is to go, let it go working. Rousing the Divinity in yourself and in others—that is the ideal.”

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)*

Swami: “You must analyse your mind very carefully. The Master asked me to increase my lust infinitely. I was amazed to hear it. He then explained: ‘What is lust? It is the desire to get. Then desire to get Him and strengthen this desire greatly.’

“Everyone wants to exhibit his good side and conceal his defects. Whoever can speak out his own faults frankly, will get rid of them. It is not easy to confess one’s weaknesses. If anyone can, know that he has worth in him.

“You must make everyone your own. The more you will approach God, the more you will become frank, sincere, and generous. Our Master was the very personification of guilelessness and sincerity.

“He who has realized the Personal God can also realize the Impersonal, if he so wills. But he often retains his ‘I’ in order to taste the love and bliss of God. He also has the knots of his heart sundered and has realized his real nature. He does not seek Nirvana. He is no longer afraid of the world. He who wants Nirvana laboriously works his way to the goal, ever anxiously protecting himself against the world. But is it not better to be afraid of nothing?

“The Lord of the devotee can be both angry and pleased. The Master used to say that he could not bear the sight of egotistic persons. Those who go to God without seeking Nirvana are Isvarakotis.”

In course of a letter which the Swami wrote that day to a devotee, he observed: “If you are miserable for not having realized God, the more this mood grows, the more you will earn His grace. Intensify it still more. But if your misery is due to other reasons, then carefully shake it off.”

Swami: “Why will you not realize Him? Surely you will. Or why have you come here? Cry to Him—make Him restless. Strike your head on the ground till it breaks (in the agony of your soul). Tell Him: ‘Thou art the Inner Controller. Look within me, see if there is anything.’ Even to pray to Him thus is something.”

11 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “The Master one day spoke thus about his throat-disease. He was asked if he felt the affections in his throat. The Master replied: ‘What foolish things you say! Does the body ever attain Sadhuhood? It is the mind that becomes such. Unless the mind remains unaffected, a mere Spartan-like fortitude does not count much—you feel the pain, only you suppress its outward expression. If you feel that all pains and suffering are of your body, not your own, and that you are separate from the body, only then are you right.

“You must finish all your spiritual practices long before old age and decrepitude overtake you. ‘What is the use of digging a well, when the house is already on fire?’

“Mere suppression of passions helps little. There must be a high ideal along with self-restraint. Without a high ideal, the passions will find another outlet. You must give them a new direction, then you will be automatically rid of them. ‘Take refuge in Me and control the senses.’

As for example, lust. Think that you are His child. Why should you be so low as to be lustful? Or think that you are ever pure.

“To stand on one’s own legs means to rely on that ‘I’ which comprehends the cosmic ‘I’. The ‘I’ which thinks that it is so-and-so and has passed so many examinations etc.—to stand on this is of no use.”

12 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“To stand on one’s own legs means to rely on that ‘I’ which comprehends the cosmic ‘I’. The ‘I’ which thinks that it is so-and-so and has passed so many examinations etc.—to stand on this is of no use.

“Work should be looked upon as a Yajna, a sacrifice. The whole work should be done perfectly, even as one would perform a sacrifice. Every work should be considered a Sadhana, a means to God-realization. Only thus would character be formed.”

Swami S.: “It is very good to meditate before sleeping and pass into sleep while thus meditating. V— used to have very deep meditation. But the moment the Master would touch him, he would wake up looking at him. Nityagopal used to pass very often into deep ecstatic states. His eyes would roll up and his chest would turn quite red. And when he would meditate, all blood would rush to his face and it would look red. The Master used to say to him: ‘Not so much, not so much. You must also keep to the common human ways.’”

Swami: “I tell you from my inmost heart, I can this moment go away even as I am now, without caring to look about to see how things are left behind. Even now I can live on alms. Without this conviction I shall be undone.

“Man always seeks advantage. He has been doing it not only in this life but also in many previous lives. Mukti (emancipation) is nothing but giving up seeking advantage. Man wants to avoid suffering; he is always sparing himself. Swamiji used to say that man wants only to gossip.

“This (Sannyasin) life is no fun. One must live very cautiously. One must be very alert and circumspect. One must never retaliate, one must always endure. If you retaliate, it must rebound on you. It is no child’s play. The Sannyasin’s life is an attempt at going beyond all life. He alone will be saved, who will dwell constantly on good thoughts.”

13 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “Meditation begins with the unification of the meditator, the object of meditation, and the act of meditation, when the idea of separation between them is obliterated. When Japa has become automatic, when a portion of the mind ever repeats the Name of God, one may be said to have advanced a little in Japa. In all cases the ‘I’ must be forgotten.

“At one time I felt that even every footstep of mine was through His power and that I was nothing. I clearly felt this. This feeling lasted for some days.

“Never expect anything from anyone. But always give. Otherwise a sense of dryness will overtake you. I have seen many Sadhus who are dry and who think that because they have become Sadhus they have nothing to do with others. You must never give your mind to anyone. That you must give only to God. Pray crying to Him, ‘O Lord, may I love Thee with all my heart’. The Master would instruct us to work with the hands but to keep the mind ever on Him.

“God is not partial. His grace is on all, the good and the evil, just as rains fall equally on all places. Whoever tills the land reaps the harvest. If anyone says that he is specially beloved of the Lord, that is his own idea and attitude. He says so from the experience of his own life. But it is not true. There is another attitude, according to which God keeps some in bondage and releases others. But who can assume this attitude? Only he who has realized everything as one and who feels His mercy even amidst great sorrow.” 14/02/2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “The Jnanis meditate in the head, the Bhaktas in the heart. We generally find so. But when as a result of meditation in the heart, spiritual consciousness expands, there is no more any fixed location of meditation.

“The Master had two moods: Sometimes he said that he did not like Divine forms, not even Kali, and his mind would be immersed in the Absolute. At other times, he said that he could not do without Divine forms, and he would say to the Divine Mother that he did not want to see Her formless aspect or have Brahma-jnana. He who rejects everything and gets lost in the formless Brahman is one-sided. The Jnani is afraid of rebirth lest he be caught in the meshes of Ignorance. But the expert player is not afraid of anything. Similarly, he who has realized only the forms of God, but not His formless absolute aspect, is also one-sided.

“It is said in the Puranas that the Divine forms survive even the dissolution of the entire universe. As the Master used to say, there are places where the ice does not melt.

“Do not accept any gifts from anyone. For the gifts will harm you, they will take away your independence. He alone can accept, who feels no obligation, whose mind is not affected, who feels them as gifts from God Himself. You may accept gifts only from good men who would not interfere with your independence and seek to control you.

“It is very difficult to truly understand the intricacies of the mind without being an advanced Sadhaka. How many are the ways in which the mind is deluding us! If anyone points out the delusions, we find excuses for them! We do not understand how many kinds of self-love are in us. It is no joke to submit to anyone—not outwardly, but in spirit.”

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Swami Vivekananda was once reading the Bible. He was in those days a vegetarian. When he read of Jesus’s flesh-eating, he did not like it. But at once he thought: ‘Oh, how proud I have become because I am living on vegetables!’

We read a lot, but can feel, retain, and assimilate little. Once the Master said to Girish Ghosh: ‘What are you talking of Brahma-jnana! Sukadeva saw and touched the Ocean of Brahman. And Siva drank only three handfuls of Its water and became a Sava (corpse).’

Girish Ghosh clasped his head and exclaimed: ‘Stop, sir, say no more. My head is reeling.’

“Formerly my nerves were very fine, and I had great powers of explaining things.”

14 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “The Jnanis meditate in the head, the Bhaktas in the heart. We generally find so. But when as a result of meditation in the heart, spiritual consciousness expands, there is no more any fixed location of meditation.

“The Master had two moods: Sometimes he said that he did not like Divine forms, not even Kali, and his mind would be immersed in the Absolute. At other times, he said that he could not do without Divine forms, and he would say to the Divine Mother that he did not want to see Her formless aspect or have Brahma-jnana. He who rejects everything and gets lost in the formless Brahman is one-sided. The Jnani is afraid of rebirth lest he be caught in the meshes of Ignorance. But the expert player is not afraid of anything. Similarly, he who has realized only the forms of God, but not His formless absolute aspect, is also one-sided.

“It is said in the Puranas that the Divine forms survive even the dissolution of the entire universe. As the Master used to say, there are places where the ice does not melt.

“Do not accept any gifts from anyone. For the gifts will harm you, they will take away your independence. He alone can accept, who feels no obligation, whose mind is not affected, who feels them as gifts from God Himself. You may accept gifts only from good men who would not interfere with your independence and seek to control you.

“It is very difficult to truly understand the intricacies of the mind without being an advanced Sadhaka. How many are the ways in which the mind is deluding us! If anyone points out the delusions, we find excuses for them! We do not understand how many kinds of self-love are in us. It is no joke to submit to anyone—not outwardly, but in spirit.”

15 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Swami Vivekananda was once reading the Bible. He was in those days a vegetarian. When he read of Jesus’s flesh-eating, he did not like it. But at once he thought: ‘Oh, how proud I have become because I am living on vegetables!’

We read a lot, but can feel, retain, and assimilate little.

Once the Master said to Girish Ghosh: ‘What are you talking of Brahma-jnana! Sukadeva saw and touched the Ocean of Brahman. And Siva drank only three handfuls of Its water and became a Sava (corpse).’

Girish Ghosh clasped his head and exclaimed: ‘Stop, sir, say no more. My head is reeling.’

“Formerly my nerves were very fine, and I had great powers of explaining things. Whenever anyone put me a question, I could see everything from its very origin to its outer expression—I could see from what motive he spoke and why. And there was a flood of light in a single word of mine.

“I used to observe absolute silence during the Navaratri. I would feel a sort of intoxication and the mind would be one-pointed.

I have done what one being born a man should do. My aim was to make my life pure. I used to read a great deal, eight or nine hours daily. I read many Puranas and then Vedanta and my mind finally settled on Vedanta.

The Master said jokingly to me: ‘Does not Vedanta say that Brahman is true and world false? Or does it say anything else? Then give up the false and take the true.’ This was a turning-point in my life.”

15/02/2022, 06:59 - +91 94812 47783 left

16 February 2022

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Adbhutanandaji Maharaj. On this sacred day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti.)

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

ON DISCRIMINATION

A devotee: “Maharaj, our minds are filled with worldly attachments. We see no possibility of fighting against them. The attachments are so strong that they won’t allow us to develop ways and means to defend ourselves against them. You have asked us to chant the name of the Lord and to discriminate, but we are overpowered by attachments. Now please tell us the secret: How did you overcome them?”

Latu Maharaj: “Look, if one makes a habit of repeating the holy name, the name itself will take hold of the mind. The mind craves the intoxication of worldly enjoyments. Attachments are troublemakers; they fasten the mind with a noose, as it were, and drag it in all directions.

“Lord Krishna told Arjuna that the restless mind can be stilled by the renunciation of sense enjoyments and by repeated practice. Whenever your mind runs after sense enjoyments, use your discrimination. The sense objects are impermanent. They come and go. Be satisfied with whatever you need for your daily living and don’t desire more. Too many worldly belongings displace the thought of the Reality from the mind. The Reality is one, and that is Brahman. Brahman alone is real and everything else is unreal. Impress these thoughts again and again upon the mind, and gradually true discrimination will arise.”

17 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“When I first read the verse in which it is said that life is meant for the realization of Jivanmukti, I leapt up in joy. For that indeed was the purpose of my life.

‘The first door of Yoga is the control of speech, non-acceptance of gifts, non-expectation, desirelessness and love of solitude.’

This verse had a great influence on me. Formerly I used to talk much. When I read it I thought, ‘What! I have not entered even the first door of Yoga!’ and I resolved that I would control my speech.” 18 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Oh, those days are coming to my mind. While I lived at Srinagar Ghat, I used to rise very early and bathe. Then I would sit in meditation and afterwards read. At eleven, I would rise and procure some food in an hour. Then I would again begin meditation and Japa. And thus every day. It was there that I committed eight Upanishads to memory. I would meditate on every verse I read and what an indescribable joy it was! I used to read the commentary of Sankara and the gloss of Jnanananda. And much further light used to come through meditation.

C.; “Maharaj, we are engrossed in the world. Pray tell us how we can realize Him.”

Swami: “There is no fixed means of attaining God. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, a man can be sincere only by virtue of merits acquired in many past lives! Swamiji has nicely said, ‘God is not a commodity like fish or vegetable to be had for a certain price. The sages have stated in the Sastras the several paths by which they attained God. One has stated that one should perform Puja in such and such a way. Another that one should practise Japa. And so on. Narada says, ‘Just as the river flows intently towards the sea in order to meet it, without deviating its course to any other direction, even so he who seeks God should move towards Him and Him alone giving up all other concerns.’”

18 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Oh, those days are coming to my mind. While I lived at Srinagar Ghat, I used to rise very early and bathe. Then I would sit in meditation and afterwards read. At eleven, I would rise and procure some food in an hour. Then I would again begin meditation and Japa. And thus every day. It was there that I committed eight Upanishads to memory. I would meditate on every verse I read and what an indescribable joy it was! I used to read the commentary of Sankara and the gloss of Jnanananda. And much further light used to come through meditation.

C.; “Maharaj, we are engrossed in the world. Pray tell us how we can realize Him.”

Swami: “There is no fixed means of attaining God. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, a man can be sincere only by virtue of merits acquired in many past lives! Swamiji has nicely said, ‘God is not a commodity like fish or vegetable to be had for a certain price. The sages have stated in the Sastras the several paths by which they attained God. One has stated that one should perform Puja in such and such a way. Another that one should practise Japa. And so on. Narada says, ‘Just as the river flows intently towards the sea in order to meet it, without deviating its course to any other direction, even so he who seeks God should move towards Him and Him alone giving up all other concerns.’”

19 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

It is said in the Gita, “Persons who worship Me alone without being attached to anything else, to them thus ever zealously engaged, I carry what they lack and preserve what they already have.”

There are two forms of Bhakti (devotion): Firstly, the ritualistic or obligatory devotion, such as, one should practise so much Japa or one should perform Puja in such and such a way. Then there is the loving devotion. At this stage the devotee thinks ardently of God. He finds no pleasure in things unrelated to God. Above all perseverance is necessary. It will not do to discontinue practice if a little effort does not produce the desired effect. It is said that a man practised so intensely that an ant-hill grew upon him.

C: “What does Japa actually mean?”

Swami: “It means that one should utter His name and at the same time meditate on His form, think of Him and love Him. If the mind is attached to worldly things, what will the mere repetition of God’s name do? What is wanted is that we must anyhow make Him our own.”

Disciple: “Just as Sri Ramakrishna has said, ‘You should somehow meet the master of the house, either by fighting with the gatekeeper or by climbing the wall.’”

20 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

C: “What about those who think, ‘I have seen the Master’ or those who say, ‘I have seen the Holy Mother, hence, I need not undergo any spiritual practice’?”

Swami: “How can I say anything about them? They best know their affairs.”

Disciple: “Perhaps C. means that there are some who believe that since the Holy Mother has taken their entire responsibility, they need not make any effort themselves. They feel that since she is holding them by the hand, they can do whatever they like with the other hand—their salvation is assured.”

Swami: “He who truly has this faith, has already reached the goal. But is it easy to have that faith? One must beware of self-delusion. Those who have absolute trust in God will be at once purified through His grace, though they might have committed heinous sins before. Just apply a little spark of fire to a mountain-high heap of cotton. The whole mass will be consumed in no time. If you bring light into a room which has been dark for a thousand years, will the darkness go gradually or all at once?

The Lord says in the Gita: ‘Even if a very wicked man worships Me, with devotion, he should be regarded as good, for he has rightly resolved. Soon he becomes righteous, and attains to eternal peace. O son of Kunti, boldly canst thou proclaim that My devotee is never destroyed.’ Even if the greatest villain resigns himself entirely to Him, he must be considered a devotee. And ‘soon he becomes righteous.’ Through His grace he no longer remains a villain but becomes a pious man. An expert dancer never takes a wrong step. No sin can possibly be committed by him who surrenders himself to God, although he might have committed many misdeeds before.”

21 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

There was no sin which Girish Babu did not indulge in. He once said to us, “I have drunk so much wine in my life that if the wine-bottles were placed one upon another, they would stand as high as Mount Everest.” He was a poet, so he spoke thus poetically. Really he drank much. When he was asked by the Master to repeat the name of God morning and evening, he refused to do so. He said, “I am not sure I can do it. I do not know in what condition or where I may be at those hours.” Then Sri Ramakrishna asked him to remember God before meal-time. “That also I cannot promise you,” replied Girish Babu. “I am often engrossed in law-suits and have to attend to all sorts of things. I cannot do even that.” At that, Sri Ramakrishna said, “Then give me the ‘power of attorney’.” Referring to this, Girish Babu afterwards said to us, “I readily agreed to give him the ‘power of attorney,’ but later on I have realized what a difficult task it is to give the power of attorney. I had said that I would not be able to repeat the name of God even once in the evening, but afterwards I found that I could not do the least bit of work without remembering Him every moment.” In one day, Girish Babu gave up his fifteen years habit of taking opium. He said that the first three days he had to suffer much; his whole body became inert. On the fourth day he was all right. Later in life he did not even smoke.

22 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

C.: “How to know whether one is progressing towards Him or not?”

Swami: “One can know it oneself. Others also can know it. All his passions, lust, anger, and greed will wane, his attachment for the objects of the senses will diminish, and he will have peace at heart.”

Disciple: “Maharaj, can a man have peace before the realization of God?”

Swami: “No, real peace is far off. But if you find that a man’s desire for sense-enjoyments is growing less and less and his love is extending over all beings, then you may know that he is progressing towards God. Simply repeating the holy name will not do. If there be a hole of attachment in the mind, the result of Japa will run out through it. A man irrigated his field all day, but in the evening he found that all the water had run out through a hole; not a drop had remained in the field. I remember a beautiful saying of Nag Mahasaya in this connection. I had been to his house. His father was practising Japa sitting in a corner. Nag Mahasaya said to me, ‘Bless my father that he may have true devotion to God.’ ‘He has already got it,’ I replied, ‘he is constantly repeating the name of God. What more do you want?’ Nag Mahasaya rejoined: ‘What is the use of rowing a boat which is at anchor? My father is much attached to me. What good will his Japa do?’ ‘If he is not to love a son like you, whom else should he love?’ said I. ‘Don’t say so, don’t say so,’ he cried out, ‘only bless that he may lose all attachment for me.’”

23 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Oh, what a great man Nag Mahasaya was! Do you know the full meaning of ‘rowing a boat at anchor?’ One dark night several drunkards took it into their heads to have a boat-trip. 24/02/2022

The Swami was sitting in his room. A few Sannyasins and lay devotees were present. A conversation was going on Sir John Woodroffe’s *Is India Civilized?*, the second edition of which had come out much enlarged.

What are you saying? Who says that spiritual practice produces no effect? Surely it does. There is not a shade of doubt about it. “People of the world give you wages, if you work for them. Is God so unkind that He will not requite the works done for Him? But you must work in the right spirit. Working haphazardly will not do. A mad man lived near a distillery. Every noon he would go where the rejected earthen pots used in distilling wine were thrown and break them one by one with a stick, and perspiring profusely he would cry out, ‘Oh, I can work no more.’ He would then take a little rest and begin again!

It will not do if you toil this way. You may irrigate the field all day, but it would be all in vain, if there be a hole in the field. When you go to the field in the evening, you will find that not a drop of water has remained in the field, all has run out through the hole. Attachment to sense-objects is the hole.

Jai Ramakrishna

No, they would not, if he really be in quest of God. Such a man is sure to receive a glimpse of His grace someday. “If anyone advances one step towards God, He comes nearer by ten steps.” This is no idle talk. Whoever has made even a little effort to earn His grace has realized this. (Turning to A.) What do you say?

“Truthfulness, obedience, and looking upon all women as mother, if these do not lead one to Hari, then Tulsi is a liar.” Few, alas, speak the truth. What is obedience? It is complete resignation. And one must look upon another’s wife as one’s own mother. Whoever will have these, will reach God; Tulsi stands surety for it.

“He who constantly steals others’ property may perform great charities, still he does none. He who always depends on others, may live long, yet he lives not. He who always slanders others may repeat the holy name, yet he does it not,” so said Kabir. What will it avail if one makes charity with money stolen from others? To live long on the charity of others is as good as death. It is useless for a slanderer to repeat the name of God. This is why Jesus said: “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

24 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Disciple: “What shall we do, Maharaj, if we cannot find out our own faults? A seeker of God may adopt a wrong course, but it is certain that his object is the attainment of God. Why then should his labours prove fruitless?

Swami: “No, they would not, if he really be in quest of God. Such a man is sure to receive a glimpse of His grace someday. ‘If anyone advances one step towards God, He comes nearer by ten steps. This is no idle talk. Whoever has made even a little effort to earn His grace has realized this.

(Turning to A.) What do you say?

A.: “Yes, sir. Certainly He does.

Swami: “ ‘Truthfulness, obedience, and looking upon all women as mother, if these do not lead one to Hari, then Tulsi is a liar.

Few, alas, speak the truth. What is obedience? It is complete resignation. And one must look upon another’s wife as one’s own mother. Whoever will have these, will reach God; Tulsi stands surety for it.

“ ‘He who constantly steals others property may perform great charities, still he does none. He who always depends on others, may live long, yet he lives not. He who always slanders others may repeat the holy name, yet he does it not, so said Kabir.

‘What will it avail if one makes charity with money stolen from others? To live long on the charity of others is as good as death. It is useless for a slanderer to repeat the name of God.

This is why Jesus said: ‘Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.’ ”

25 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Devotee: “It is pleasant to hear all this, Maharaj. But it costs one’s life to carry them out. Theoretically it is easy to understand them, but to practise them is extremely difficult.”

Swami: “But even an intellectual grasp is not nothing. It is possible only in this country. A great many souls were born here, who realized Brahman, and the influence of their experiences has entered into the very marrow of the country. That is why men and women, old and young, all can easily understand these truths.”

A.: “No other nation has perhaps been able to realize the personal and the impersonal aspects of God at the same time?”

Swami: “Only the Rishis (seers) of this country realized the Nirguna Brahman.

One Mussulman is said to have attained the consciousness, ‘I am Brahman, I am He’.

But when he declared this, the Mollahs were much enraged with him. They being the descendants of Ali were the priests of the Mohammedans. They were all dualists.

Once the emperor’s daughter fell dangerously ill. No physician could cure her. Then someone suggested that that saint should be called in. ‘He possesses wonderful powers,’ he said, ‘surely he can cure her.’ So he was called in. He said to the emperor’s daughter: ‘In the name of God, I declare you cured. Therefore get up.’ But the words produced no effect. Then he exclaimed: ‘I say that you are cured. Therefore get up.’ And she got up at once cured. The emperor was highly pleased. But the Mollahs cried out, ‘Did you see how he said he was more powerful than Allah?’

He was immediately put on trial and flayed alive. In that terrible state he went from door to door begging for food. But all closed their doors for fear of the mullahs, against him. Only a butcher threw a bit of flesh to him and shut the door.

Next he begged for fire to roast the meat, but was refused by all. Then he held it towards the sun and the sun in order to give more heat came lower down. So it is said that the sun is much nearer at Multan.”

26 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

But when he declared this, the Mollahs were much enraged with him. They being the descendants of Ali were the priests of the Mohammedans. They were all dualists. Once the emperor’s daughter fell dangerously ill. No physician could cure her. Then someone suggested that that saint should be called in. ‘He possesses wonderful powers,’ he said, ‘surely he can cure her.’ So he was called in. He said to the emperor’s daughter: ‘In the name of God, I declare you cured. Therefore get up.’ But the words produced no effect. Then he exclaimed: ‘I say that you are cured. Therefore get up.’ And she got up at once cured. The emperor was highly pleased. But the Mollahs cried out, ‘Did you see how he said he was more powerful than Allah?’ He was immediately put on trial and flayed alive. In that terrible state he went from door to door begging for food. But all closed their doors for fear of the mullahs, against him. Only a butcher threw a bit of flesh to him and shut the door. Next he begged for fire to roast the meat, but was refused by all. Then he held it towards the sun and the sun in order to give more heat came lower down. So it is said that the sun is much nearer at Multan.

He answered very carefully in the court. He was asked: ‘art thou the king of the Jews?’ ‘Thou sayst it,’ he answered. The priests were all enraged with him because of his powers, for his influence affected their income, as people obeyed him implicitly. Jesus said, ‘Come ye after me, and I will make ye fishers of men.’ And at once Simon and his brother forsook their nets and followed him. One of his disciples came and said, ‘Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.’ When the priests saw that he was bringing about their ruin they sued him in the court. But the governor found no guilt in him. He was ready to release him. But the multitudes insisted on his being sentenced to death, so he delivered him up to them to be crucified, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to it.’

‘Why? He said to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is within you.’’

27 February 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

'Yes. 27/02/2022'

He meditated on Jesus so intensely that he got stigmata in his hands and feet. He bore these marks till death. Devotee: “In Islam also many great saints have been born.” Swami: “Yes, certainly. It is because such great souls are born in every religion and realize the Truth that these religions live through ages. Swamiji (Swami Vivekananda) used to say, all come and say, ‘Tell us the way, tell us the way,’ but none would follow any. It is wrong to say that even when one calls on the Lord earnestly, one does not find Him. There was a boy who called Him as Brother Madhusudana. What was his name?” Devotee: “Jatila.” Swami: “Yes, yes, Jatila. He was rather afraid to go to school all alone through a wood. His mother said: ‘You have a brother, Madhusudana. Call Him and you will have no fear.’ The boy was convinced that Madhusudana was his real brother. Whenever he felt frightened in the forest, he called his brother Madhusudana and he came and escorted him. When the schoolmaster learnt this, he said to him, ‘Can you show me your brother?’ ‘Why not?’ replied the boy. They went to the forest. As the boy called earnestly, Madhusudana came. But the teacher could not see Him, he only heard the sound of His anklets.”

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Do you know the story of the milkmaid crossing the ocean of life? A milkmaid supplied milk to the house of a Brahman a Pundit. She had to cross a river on the way. As the ferry-boat could not be found at the right time every day, she was very late now and then in her supply of milk, and the Pundits’ children had to suffer much. So he severely scolded her one day. ‘What shall I do, sir,’ replied the milkmaid, ‘I do not find the ferry-boat in right time every day, so I am delayed.’ The learned Pundit said at once: ‘Oh, you cannot cross this small river? How will you then cross the ocean of life?’ The illiterate milkmaid had not even heard the phrase ‘the ocean of life’. She stood dumb-founded. Then the Pundit explained to her that by taking God’s name one could easily cross the ocean of life, what to speak of this little river. The milkmaid was much delighted and went away. Thenceforth she supplied milk at the right time; she was never late. One day the Pundit said to her: ‘Now I see you come every day at the proper time. How do you cross the river?’ ‘Why, sir? It is you who kindly told me the means. Now I have not to wait for the ferry-boat, nor have I to pay the boatman.’ ‘What do you mean? Who then takes you across the river?’ ‘Nobody has to help me, sir. I come straight down to the river, repeat the name of Hari and walk across the waters.’ ‘Can you show me how you do it?’ ‘Why not, sir? Come along.’ The Pundit could not believe it. He followed the milkmaid in suspense.”

28 February 2022

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Do you know the story of the milkmaid crossing the ocean of life? A milkmaid supplied milk to the house of a Brahman, a Pundit. She had to cross a river on the way. As the ferry-boat could not be found at the right time every day, she was very late now and then in her supply of milk, and the Pundit’s children had to suffer much. So he severely scolded her one day. ‘What shall I do, sir?’ replied the milkmaid. ‘I do not find the ferry-boat in right time every day, so I am delayed.’ The learned Pundit said at once: ‘Oh, you cannot cross this small river? How will you then cross the ocean of life?’ The illiterate milkmaid had not even heard the phrase ‘the ocean of life’. She stood dumb-founded. Then the Pundit explained to her that by taking God’s name one could easily cross the ocean of life, what to speak of this little river. The milkmaid was much delighted and went away.

“Thenceforth she supplied milk at the right time; she was never late. One day the Pundit said to her: ‘Now I see you come every day at the proper time. How do you cross the river?’ ‘Why, sir? It is you who kindly told me the means. Now I have not to wait for the ferry-boat, nor have I to pay the boatman.’ ‘What do you mean? Who then takes you across the river?’ ‘Nobody has to help me, sir. I come straight down to the river, repeat the name of Hari and walk across the waters.’ ‘Can you show me how you do it?’ ‘Why not, sir? Come along.’ The Pundit could not believe it. He followed the milkmaid in suspense. The milkmaid went close to the river, repeated the name of Hari and walked across the river, as if there was no more than knee-deep water in it. As she reached the other side, she turned back and saw the Pundit standing wonder-struck on the other side. She cried out: ‘How is it? Why are you standing there, sir? Repeat the name of Hari and come along.’ The Pundit was startled, and spell-bound he walked across the river uttering the name of Hari. But as the water became deeper and deeper, he raised his clothes with both hands. He had no faith at heart, though his lips uttered the name of God. Finding the Pundit in such a plight, the milkmaid said: ‘Oh, you repeat the name of Hari and at the same time raise your clothes? That will not do, sir.’

“A little self-examination will make everything clear.”

1 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the most auspicious Mahashivratri. On this sacred day, may the gracious Mahadeva bless us all with Bhakti and Mukti.)

(While acting as Siva on the occasion of the Sivaratri, the Master had ecstasy for the third time.)

Once on the occasion of the Sivaratri, there was an arrangement of dramatic performance. The troupe belonged to the neighbouring village; they were to play a few scenes indicative of Siva’s greatness, and the play was to begin about half an hour after dusk. At dusk, it was learnt that the boy of the troupe who was to play Siva’s role was seriously ill. As no one else could be found to play that part, the proprietor gave up all hopes and proposed with humility that the performance be postponed.

What was to be done? How could the vigil be kept during the night? The elderly people sat together for consultation. They sent word to the proprietor asking him whether he could conduct the drama that night if a person could be found to play the part of Siva. A reply came in the affirmative. The village council consulted again as to who might be asked to act as Siva. Although Gadai was young, he knew many songs of Siva, and he had the appropriate looks for playing the part. So, it was settled that he should be requested. As regards the speaking of a few words while playing that part, it would be managed by the proprietor somehow.

Gadadhar was approached, and when he saw that all were eager, he agreed. The play as arranged began about half an hour after nightfall. Dharmadas Laha, the landlord of the village, was a close friend of the Master’s father. So, his eldest son Gayavishnu and the Master also became friends. When Gayavishnu came to know that his friend would act as Siva, he and his friends began to dress him accordingly. The Master put on the dress of Siva, sat in the green-room, and was thinking of Siva when he was called to appear on the stage. One of his friends came to lead him there.

Called by his friend, the Master rose and, without looking in any direction, in a preoccupied state of mind, approached the stage with a sedate and slow step, and stood there motionless. The audience felt an indescribable divine emotion and were filled with joy and wonder when they saw the Master in that dress, bedecked with ashes and matted hair, with a calm and dignified gait and in a fixed and motionless posture. They felt particularly charmed to witness that heavenly, indrawn and fixed gaze and that gentle smile on his lips. As the villagers are wont to do, they suddenly cried out the name of Hari. Some of the women uttered the auspicious sound of “ulu,” and some blew conchshells.

Afterwards, in order to restore order in the audience, the proprietor began reciting hymns to Siva even before the noise subsided. Although the audience became a little calm, they made signs to and nudged one another, whispering in low tones, “Bravo, how beautiful Gadai looks! We never thought the lad would act the part of Siva so well; it will be very good if we can secure the boy somehow and form a Yatra troupe of our own,” and so on and so forth.

But Gadadhar was all the while standing in that same posture. Moreover, incessant streams of tears were flowing down his cheeks. Some time passed this way, but Gadadhar did not speak or move. Then the proprietor and one or two elderly men of the village went to the boy and saw that his hands and feet were insensitive and that he had no external consciousness at all. The noise then doubled. Some cried out, “Water, water. Sprinkle water over his eyes and face.” Some said, “Fan him,” some others, “An ecstatic influence of Siva has come on him; utter His name,” while some others murmured, “The boy has spoilt the whole amusement; it is certain that the play cannot continue now.”

At last, the audience dispersed when the boy could not be brought to consciousness by any means. Some people carried Gadadhar home on their shoulders. 2 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Shivaratri in March 1886)

The meditative mood was becoming more and more spontaneous with Naren, and was manifest in the power to plunge into deep concentration on any subject. Sometimes, following meditation, Naren would see his double. It would appear as someone just like himself, and he would wonder, "Who is this?"

It would respond to all his actions like an image reflected in a mirror, and remain with him sometimes for more than an hour. He told Shri Ramakrishna of it, but the Master passed it over lightly, saying, "It is only an incident in the higher stages of meditation."

Naren was now becoming aware of the spiritual power within him. There were moments when he, as it were, touched divinity and became almost physically conscious of Reality by the spiritual transmutation of the internal faculties of sense. His thought became a sweeping power. On one occasion he displayed it: It was on Shivaratri (the Night of Shiva) in March 1886. Naren was seated with three or four brother-disciples in a room in the compound of the Cossipore garden-house. They had fasted the whole day and intended to spend the night in meditation, worship and prayer. A mild shower of rain fell in the evening and the starlit sky was in parts fleeced with clouds. After finishing the worship, Japa and meditation proper to the first quarter of the night, Naren was resting and conversing with others, sitting on the worshipper's seat. One of the brother disciples went out to prepare a smoke for him and another went to the main residence on a piece of work. Just then a feeling of divine power came to Naren. He wanted to test it out that night, and said to Kali (later Swami Abhedananda) who was sitting close to him, "Just touch me after a while."

When the brother disciple who had gone to prepare tobacco entered the room, he saw Naren sitting motionless in meditation and Kali, with his eyes shut, touching Naren's right knee with his right hand. He noticed that Kali's hand was trembling. After a minute or two Naren opened his eyes and said, "That is enough. How did you feel?"

Kali answered, "I felt a shock as though from an electric battery. My hand was shaking all the while."

The brother disciple asked Kali, "Was your hand trembling because you were touching Naren?"

Kali answered, "Yes, I could not keep it steady, though I tried." A little later the young men applied themselves to the worship and meditation proper to the second quarter of the night. Kali entered into deep meditation at that time. He was never seen to enter into such deep meditation before. His whole body became stiff, with his neck and head inclined slightly forward. Consciousness of the outer world seemed to have completely left him for some time. Everyone present thought that he was having such meditation as a result of having touched Naren a little while previously. Naren also noticed that state and indicated it to a companion by a sign. After the last quarter's worship was over at four in the morning, Shashi came to the worship-room and said to Naren, "The Master wants you."

Naren went upstairs with Shashi to the Master. No sooner had the Master seen Naren than he said, "What is this? Spending with hardly anything accumulated! Allow it first to accumulate sufficiently in yourself; then you will know where and how to spend it. Mother Herself will teach you."

2 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Shivaratri in March 1886)

The meditative mood was becoming more and more spontaneous with Naren, and was manifest in the power to plunge into deep concentration on any subject. Sometimes, following meditation, Naren would see his double. It would appear as someone just like himself, and he would wonder, "Who is this?"

It would respond to all his actions like an image reflected in a mirror, and remain with him sometimes for more than an hour. He told Shri Ramakrishna of it, but the Master passed it over lightly, saying, "It is only an incident in the higher stages of meditation."

Naren was now becoming aware of the spiritual power within him. There were moments when he, as it were, touched divinity and became almost physically conscious of Reality by the spiritual transmutation of the internal faculties of sense. His thought became a sweeping power.

On one occasion he displayed it: It was on Shivaratri (the Night of Shiva) in March 1886. Naren was seated with three or four brother-disciples in a room in the compound of the Cossipore garden-house. They had fasted the whole day and intended to spend the night in meditation, worship and prayer. A mild shower of rain fell in the evening and the starlit sky was in parts fleeced with clouds. After finishing the worship, Japa and meditation proper to the first quarter of the night, Naren was resting and conversing with others, sitting on the worshipper's seat. One of the brother disciples went out to prepare a smoke for him and another went to the main residence on a piece of work.

Just then a feeling of divine power came to Naren. He wanted to test it out that night, and said to Kali (later Swami Abhedananda) who was sitting close to him, "Just touch me after a while."

When the brother disciple who had gone to prepare tobacco entered the room, he saw Naren sitting motionless in meditation and Kali, with his eyes shut, touching Naren's right knee with his right hand. He noticed that Kali's hand was trembling.

After a minute or two Naren opened his eyes and said, "That is enough. How did you feel?"

Kali answered, "I felt a shock as though from an electric battery. My hand was shaking all the while."

The brother disciple asked Kali, "Was your hand trembling because you were touching Naren?"

Kali answered, "Yes, I could not keep it steady, though I tried." A little later the young men applied themselves to the worship and meditation proper to the second quarter of the night.

Kali entered into deep meditation at that time. He was never seen to enter into such deep meditation before. His whole body became stiff, with his neck and head inclined slightly forward. Consciousness of the outer world seemed to have completely left him for some time.

Everyone present thought that he was having such meditation as a result of having touched Naren a little while previously. Naren also noticed that state and indicated it to a companion by a sign.

After the last quarter's worship was over at four in the morning, Shashi came to the worship-room and said to Naren, "The Master wants you."

Naren went upstairs with Shashi to the Master. No sooner had the Master seen Naren than he said, "What is this? Spending with hardly anything accumulated! Allow it first to accumulate sufficiently in yourself; then you will know where and how to spend it. Mother Herself will teach you. Don't you see what harm you have done to him by injecting your attitude of mind into him? He has been progressing till now with a particular mental attitude, the whole of which has now been destroyed, like a miscarriage during the sixth month of pregnancy. What's done is done. Don't act so thoughtlessly from now on. The boy, however, is lucky that greater harm has not befallen him." Naren said afterwards, "I was completely flabbergasted. The Master was able to know whatever we did at the time of worship. What else could I do but keep silent when he scolded me like that!"

3 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

The Master usually got up at three or three-thirty in the morning, and as soon as he got out of bed I would wake up. When he went to the pine grove I would either lead the way or follow him with a jug and towel. He would then go to the pond, throw off his cloth, and sit on the ghat, dangling his legs. I would bring him water and he would wash his face, hands, and feet. After covering himself with his towel, he would return to his room. In his room he would put on a fresh cloth and go to the southern verandah to brush his teeth. After that he would take a little Ganga water on his palm and sprinkle it on his head, saying, "Brahma-Vari, Brahma-Vari! Ganga, Ganga! Hari Om Tat Sat! [The water of the Ganga is as pure as Brahman. God is the only Reality.]" Then he would take some prasad of Jagannath and Kali and also a few bits of dried bel leaves that had been offered at the shrine of Tarakeshwar Shiva, which he kept in a small bag. With joined palms he would salute all the holy pictures in his room and then sit down on the small cot. (Ramlal Chattopadhyay, from *Ramakrishna as we saw Him*, pg. 44)

4 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(On this most auspicious Janma-Tithi of Sri Ramakrishna may He bless us all with Bhakti and Jnana.)

The birth of Gadadhar

It was some ten minutes before dawn that Chandradevi felt the first pangs of labour. Dhani helped her to the lying-in room, and there, almost immediately, she gave birth to a male child.

After doing the needful for Chandra, Dhani turned her attention to the baby only to find that it had disappeared from the place where she had kept it. In alarm she took the lamp to look for the child and found that it had rolled down the ground covered with blood and slime into the hollow fireplace and was lying there, with its little body adorned with ashes, and still not crying! Dhani tenderly picked up the child, washed it, and looking at it in the light wondered at its beauty and its size. It looked like a six-months-old infant!

Chandramani’s friends, Prasanna and other women of the Laha family, were sent for. As soon as they arrived, Dhani told them what had happened. At the sacred solemn hour before sunrise, the sound of the conch filled that humble cottage— the scene of Kshudiram’s austerity—and proclaimed to the world the advent of a great soul.

Ascertaining the signs of the zodiac under which the child was born, Kshudiram, well versed in astrology, found that the boy had come into the world at an especially auspicious moment.

The astrological signs at the moment of Gadadhar’s birth

It was, according to the Hindu calendar which reckons the day from sunrise to sunrise, Wednesday, the sixth day of Phalgun in B.E. 1242, or 1757 of the Saka year, or Thursday, February 18, A.D. 1836 according to Gregorian calendar.

The child was born just twelve minutes before sunrise, in the happy astrological conjunction called the Siddhiyoga, indicating that the boy would have a unique life.

By Narayanachandra Jyotirbhushana

Sri Ramakrishna was born in the year A.D. 1836 on the 2nd day of the bright fortnight of the month when the sun was in the zodiac of Aquarius (Kumbha - February 18), early in the morning at about 5 a.m.

His birth took place when it was Siddhi Yoga owing to the auspicious union of Sukla Dwitiya with Purvabhadrapada Nakshatra.

The result of this natal arrangement of the planets is, according to Bhrigu Samhita, the man becomes the head of a religious movement, virtuous, highly honoured, always engaged in doing virtuous deeds; he lives in a temple, and gets a large following of disciples; he is called a great man by all, and is born of the spirit of Lord Narayana; he is worshipped by all.

5 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(The Antecedents of Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth)

(Kshudiram’s divine dream at Gaya)

Sometime during the winter of 1835, Kshudiram visited Varanasi (Banaras) and Gaya. It was the beginning of Chaitra (middle of March) when he reached Gaya after paying obeisance to Visvanatha (the Lord of the universe) at Varanasi. He came to Gaya at this time of the year probably because he knew that the spirits of his ancestors would have immense satisfaction if worship was offered at that holy place during spring, in the month of Chaitra. He lived there for about a month, performed all the ceremonies according to the scriptures, and at last offered worship at the lotus feet of Gadadhar (Vishnu). Because of his great faith, Kshudiram experienced unspeakable peace and satisfaction on thus performing the prescribed obsequial rites in honour of his ancestors. Having fulfilled to the best of his capacity his obligation to his forefathers, he was now free from all anxiety. When the thought came to him that the divine Lord had made it possible for an unworthy person like him to accomplish all this, his grateful heart overflowed with a feeling of humility and love such as he had never experienced before. Peace and joy were with him all that day and at night also. Scarcely had he fallen asleep when he had a dream. He saw himself in the holy temple, in the act of offering worship to his forefathers, at the divine feet of Gadadhar. He saw his ancestors in luminous celestial bodies, joyfully accepting the Pindas and blessing him. He could not control his emotion at seeing them after what seemed a very long time. With tears in his eyes, and a heart overflowing with devotion, he bowed down to them and touched their feet. The very next moment he found that the temple was filled with a divine light as never seen by him before. His forefathers were standing in the temple on both sides in a reverential attitude with their hands folded, worshipping a wonderful divine Being seated happily on a beautiful throne. He had a luminous body, green like the colour of new Durva grass. 05/03/2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

6 March 2022.

Jai Ramakrishna.

(The Antecedents of Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth)

Looking at Kshudiram with benign, affectionate eyes, He beckoned him. Hardly conscious of what he was doing, Kshudiram drew near and, full of devotion, prostrated himself at His feet in worship and uttered hymns in praise. Pleased by his worship, that divine Being addressed him thus in a sweet voice, “Kshudiram, your extraordinary devotion has made me very happy; I bless you, and I wish to be born as your son and receive your loving care.”

On hearing these words—strange even for a dream—Kshudiram’s joy knew no bounds. But the very next moment, the thought struck him how, being so poor, he could possibly feed and give proper shelter to such an exalted Being. This made him exceedingly sad, and in a voice choked with tears, he said, “No, no, Lord, I am not worthy of such good fortune. Is it not enough that Thou hast blessed me by graciously revealing Thyself and wishing to be born as my son? If Thou wert really to be born as my son, what service can a poor man like me render?”

Hearing these words full of humility, that celestial Being seemed to become even more gracious than before and said, “Do not fear, Kshudiram, I will relish whatever you give me to eat. Let my desire be fulfilled.”

Kshudiram had not the heart to say “No.” Conflicting emotions like joy and sorrow assailed him with so much force that he could hardly contain himself and lost consciousness. This broke his dream. (Kshudiram returned to Kamarpukur)

For quite a while after waking up, Kshudiram did not know where he was. The reality of the dream overwhelmed him. Gradually regaining consciousness of the outside world, he rose from his bed and, recalling the details of the strange dream, viewed it from different angles. His believing heart was at last convinced that, since a divine dream must come true, some great soul would soon be born in his house. He was destined, even at that advanced age, to see again the face of a new child. He then decided not to speak of that remarkable dream to anyone till it had actually come to pass. A few days later, he bade farewell to Gaya, the abode of Vishnu, and returned to Kamarpukur. It was then the month of April, A.D. 1835.

7 March 2022.

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Chandradevi had a spiritual vision)

Once, in the month of Asvin, Ramkumar had gone to a house at Bhursubo to perform the evening worship of the goddess Lakshmi. When her son did not return home, though it was past midnight, Chandra became very restless and, coming out of the house, waited for him anxiously.

6 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(The Antecedents of Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth)

Looking at Kshudiram with benign, affectionate eyes, He beckoned him. Hardly conscious of what he was doing Kshudiram drew near and full of devotion prostrated himself at His feet in worship, and uttered hymns in praise.

Pleased by his worship that divine Being addressed him thus, in a sweet voice, “Kshudiram, your extraordinary devotion has made me very happy; I bless you, and I wish to be born as your son and receive your loving care.”

On hearing these words—strange even for a dream—Kshudiram’s joy knew no bounds. But the very next moment the thought struck him how being so poor, he could possibly feed and give proper shelter to such an exalted Being.

This made him exceedingly sad and in a voice choked with tears, he said, “No, no, Lord, I am not worthy of such good fortune. Is it not enough that Thou hast blessed me by graciously revealing Thyself and wishing to be born as my son? If Thou wert really to be born as my son, what service can a poor man like me render?”

Hearing these words full of humility, that celestial Being seemed to become even more gracious than before, and said, “Do not fear, Kshudiram, I will relish whatever you give me to eat. Let my desire be fulfilled.”

Kshudiram had not the heart to say “No.” Conflicting emotions like joy and sorrow assailed him with so much force that he could hardly contain himself, and lost consciousness. This broke his dream.

(Kshudiram returned to Kamarpukur)

For quite a while after waking up, Kshudiram did not know where he was. The reality of the dream overwhelmed him. Gradually regaining consciousness of the outside world, he rose from his bed and recalling the details of the strange dream, viewed it from different angles. His believing heart was at last convinced that since a divine dream must come true, some great soul would soon be born in his house. He was destined, even at that advanced age, to see again the face of a new child. He then decided not to speak of that remarkable dream to anyone till it had actually come to pass.

A few days later he bade farewell to Gaya, the abode of Vishnu, and returned to Kamarpukur. It was then the month of April, A.D. 1835.

7 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Chandradevi had a spiritual vision)

Once in the month of Asvin Ramkumar had gone to a house at Bhursubo to perform the evening worship of the goddess Lakshmi. When her son did not return home, though it was past midnight, Chandra became very restless, and coming out of the house waited for him anxiously.

While looking in the direction from which he was to come, she saw a lone figure approaching by the field-path leading from Bhursubo to Kamarpukur. Thinking that it was her son, she went a few steps forward in great joy to meet him. When the person drew nearer, she found that it was not Ramkumar, but a very beautiful girl, bedecked with various ornaments.

As Chandra was full of fear that something had happened to her son, the sight of a respectable girl walking thus at dead of night did not strike her as something strange.

She just went up to her and called out: “Where do you come from, my child?”

The girl answered, “From Bhursubo.”

Chandra then asked her anxiously, “Did you meet my son, Ramkumar? Is he coming back?” It did not cross her mind even for a moment how an absolute stranger like this girl could possibly know her son.

The girl replied comforting her: “I come from the very house where your son went to perform the worship. Do not worry; he will return soon.”

Hearing this, Chandra felt relieved and became more observant. Noticing at last the girl’s remarkable beauty and her dress and ornaments of a novel kind, and hearing her sweet voice, she said, “You are so young! Where are you going at this time of the night wearing such fine ornaments and dress? And what is this strange ornament on your ears?”

With a smile the girl said: “It is called Kundala,” and added, “I have yet to go a long distance.”

Thinking that she was in trouble Chandra said affectionately, “Come, my child, rest for the night at our house. Tomorrow you may go at your leisure.”

“No, mother,” replied the girl, “I must go just now. I will come to your house some other time.”

Taking leave of her she went in the direction of the larger paddy stacks of the Lahas nearby. Surprised to see her going towards the house of the Lahas instead of following the regular path, Chandra thought that she had missed the way. She went after her, but could not find her, though she searched in all directions.

Then, recalling what the girl had said, it suddenly dawned upon her that she might have seen the goddess Lakshmi! She hastened to her husband and, in great excitement, told him everything from beginning to end, in great detail.

After hearing the whole account, Kshudiram assured her that there was no doubt that the divine goddess Lakshmi had graciously revealed Herself to her. Soon after this Ramkumar returned home and, hearing what had happened, was filled with wonder.

8 March 2022

Chandra then asked her anxiously, “Did you meet my son, Ramkumar? Is he coming back?” It did not cross her mind even for a moment how an absolute stranger like this girl could possibly know her son. The girl replied comforting her: “I come from the very house where your son went to perform the worship. Do not worry; he will return soon.”

Hearing this, Chandra felt relieved and became more observant. Noticing at last the girl’s remarkable beauty and her dress and ornaments of a novel kind, and hearing her sweet voice, she said, “You are so young! Where are you going at this time of the night wearing such fine ornaments and dress? And what is this strange ornament on your ears?”

With a smile the girl said: “It is called Kundala,” and added, “I have yet to go a long distance.”

Thinking that she was in trouble Chandra said affectionately, “Come, my child, rest for the night at our house. Tomorrow you may go at your leisure.”

“No, mother,” replied the girl, “I must go just now. I will come to your house some other time.”

Taking leave of her she went in the direction of the larger paddy stacks of the Lahas nearby. Surprised to see her going towards the house of the Lahas instead of following the regular path, Chandra thought that she had missed the way. She went after her, but could not find her, though she searched in all directions. Then, recalling what the girl had said, it suddenly dawned upon her that she might have seen the goddess Lakshmi! She hastened to her husband and, in great excitement, told him everything from beginning to end, in great detail. After hearing the whole account, Kshudiram assured her that there was no doubt that the divine goddess Lakshmi had graciously revealed Herself to her. Soon after this Ramkumar returned home and, hearing what had happened, was filled with wonder.

Chandradevi’s strange dream

After Kshudiram returned home from Gaya, Chandradevi, for days together, took every opportunity to relate to him all that she had seen or experienced during his absence. One day she told him: “When you were away, I had a strange dream in which I saw a luminous god lying on my bed. At first I thought it was you, but soon realized that no human being could be like that. Then I woke up, but the thought persisted that the god was still in the bed. The next moment, another thought came: ‘Does a god ever appear to a human being in this way?’

A great fear then seized me. I got up hurriedly and lighted a lamp, but found that there was no one in the room and the door was still bolted from within. But fear kept me awake the rest of that night.

Chandradevi’s divine vision and experience in front of the Siva temple

“On another occasion when I was speaking with Dhani in front of the temple of the Jugis, I suddenly saw a divine effulgence come from the holy image of the great God Siva, fill the temple and rush towards me in waves. Taken by surprise I was on the point of telling Dhani about it, when all of a sudden the light engulfed me and swiftly entered into my body. Stunned by wonder and fear, I fell down unconscious. Afterwards, when Dhani had helped me to recover, I told her everything. At first she was much surprised; then she said, ‘You had an epileptic fit.’

But I have the feeling that the light has been in my womb ever since, and that I am pregnant. Determined not to divulge it to anyone except you, I have so far kept silent. Well, what do you think? Was it the grace of God that did it, or could it have been due only to ill health? Even now I have the feeling that I am pregnant.”

As he listened to everything that Chandra said, Kshudiram remembered his own dream at Gaya. Then reassuring her in various ways, he said: “Do not henceforth speak about such visions and experiences to anybody except me. Be free from all anxiety and know for certain that whatever Raghuvir shows by His grace is for our good.”

9 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

Chandradevi’s visions after conception: Day by day, after she had conceived, Chandradevi’s spiritual visions and experiences became more numerous. It is said that at this time her visions of gods and goddesses occurred almost daily. At times, she was aware of a purifying fragrance coming from the bodies of these holy beings and spreading over the whole house; or, again, she would hear celestial voices and be struck with wonder. It is also said that at this time her heart overflowed with motherly love for all the gods and goddesses. Almost every day she would tell her husband about these visions and experiences and ask why they should come to her. Kshudiram comforted her in various ways and told her not to be perturbed.

We shall now relate an incident of this period. We were told that Chandra described it thus to her husband with a feeling of awe: “O revered one, there is no end to the number of gods and goddesses who have shown themselves to me from time to time ever since the day I saw the light, standing in front of the Siva temple. Many of them I have never seen before, not even in pictures. Today, I saw a god come on the back of a swan. At first I was startled; but then feeling sorry for him as his face was red with the heat of the sun I called him and said, ‘O dear little god riding a swan, your face looks burnt by the sun. There is in the house some cold rice, prepared yesterday. Come, eat a little and get refreshed before you go.’ He heard me and smiled, but then faded away and I could see him no more. I see many such forms. I do not worship or meditate on them and yet I see them at any time of the day or night. Sometimes they come before me in human shapes, and then dissolve into thin air. Can you tell me why I see all this? Is it some disease? At times I wonder if I am possessed by some spirit.”

Kshudiram told her again about the dream he had had at Gaya and pointed out how fortunate she was to be actually carrying in her womb the Supreme Lord whose purifying influence alone gave rise to her spiritual visions. Because of her absolute faith in her husband’s words, what he now said filled Chandra’s heart with supreme devotion. Fortified by a new strength she became free from anxiety. Time rolled on. Completely surrendering themselves to Raghuvir, Kshudiram and his virtuous wife spent their days in the expectation of beholding, as their son, the divine Being whose auspicious presence had already filled their lives with deep devotion.

10 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Anna-Prasana Ceremony of Gadadhar)

The new-comer gradually passed his fifth month, and the time for the first rice-eating ceremony of the baby was at hand.

At first Kshudiram decided to perform this ceremony in a simple way in keeping with his means. His idea was just to make it conform to the scriptural injunction and to conclude it by giving the child the rice offered to Raghuvir, and to invite a few near relatives. But actually, things took a different course.

At the secret prompting of Kshudiram’s great friend, Dharmadas Laha, the village landlord, the foremost Brahmins and other leading men of the village came to Kshudiram and, to his utter surprise, insisted that he should feed them on that auspicious day.

Kshudiram was in a great fix; for since all the villagers respected and loved him, he could not make up his mind as to whom to invite and whom to leave out. And to invite all was out of the question because of his slender resources. Convinced in his heart that Raghuvir would show him the way out, he sought the advice of Dharmadas.

As soon as he came to know of his friend’s desire to take the responsibility for the ceremony on himself, Kshudiram left the whole matter to him and returned home.

Dharmadas cheerfully made all arrangements for the ceremony, almost entirely at his own expense, and the function went off smoothly. We are told that people of all castes in the village came to Kshudiram’s cottage for the ceremony and enjoyed taking the food offered to Raghuvir. Many poor beggars also had their fill that day and left, each with a blessing for Kshudiram’s son.

11 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

Chandradevi’s divine visions

Gadadhar’s every little action appeared sweeter with the passing of time, and filled Chandradevi’s heart with joy, but she was not quite free from fear. Before the birth of this child she had never asked the gods for any favour. But now, urged by a mother’s love, a thousand times a day, consciously or unconsciously, her heart poured forth prayers for her son. And yet she could not shake off her anxiety altogether. The thought of her son’s care and well-being so completely filled her mind now that, before long, it could not but come in the way of her seeing spiritual visions. But they still came to her from time to time, and filled her sometimes with amazement, sometimes with an apprehension of evil. We shall now relate an example of this, having heard it from a reliable source.

Chandradevi’s vision: Gadadhar looked much bigger

One morning, when Gadadhar was seven or eight months old, he fell asleep at his mother’s breast. Chandra put him to rest under a mosquito-net and went out of the room to attend to her household duties. Shortly afterwards, when she happened to come back to the room for something, she found that instead of the child, a strange tall person was lying under the net, filling the whole bed. In great alarm Chandra rushed out of the room and called for her husband. As soon as he came, she told him what she had seen and both of them went to find no one except the child sleeping as before. Even then, Chandra’s fear did not abate. She went on repeating: “I am certain that it was a mischievous spirit who did it. I distinctly saw a tall person lying in the bed where our son lies. It was certainly not a delusion. How could it be? Do call immediately an experienced exorcist to examine the child. Otherwise, some harm may befall him.”

Kshudiram consoled her saying: “There is nothing strange in your getting visions even now about our son; for we were blessed with them even before his birth. So drive away the idea that it was the doing of a spirit. With Raghuvir in the house, is it ever possible for spirits to come here to harm the boy? Therefore be at rest and do not speak to anyone about it. Be sure that Raghuvir always protects him.”

Although for the time being Chandra was pacified by her husband’s words, the fear of harm befalling the child still haunted her mind like a shadow. 12/03/2022

Jai Ramakrishna. Gadadhar’s preparation for going to school. As Gadadhar grew up, Kshudiram was filled with wonder and delight at noticing the development of the boy’s remarkable memory and intelligence. Sometimes he would take the lively boy on his lap (and lovingly calling him as 'Ramkeshto') and repeat to him a long list of names of his ancestors, or short hymns to gods and goddesses, and the various ways of paying homage to them, or wonderful stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. He found that Gadadhar could remember, by hearing it only once, most of what he was told, even after a long time, and that, when the boy was asked to repeat, he could do so without faltering. At the same time, he discovered that, just as the boy took to and remembered some things with great eagerness, he also remained indifferent to certain other things which did not appeal to him in spite of all efforts to rouse his interest. He noticed this when trying to teach him arithmetic, especially the multiplication table, and thought it unnecessary to force the impatient lad, still so young, to learn those things. But finding that the boy was becoming more and more restless, he sent him to school after the usual ceremony. He was then five years old. Gadadhar was very happy, to meet boys of his own age, and his loving ways endeared him to them and to the teacher.

Jai Ramakrishna. Kshudiram became aware of the boy’s peculiar temperament. The wonderful dreams and visions which had begun even before Gadadhar was born and foretold the boy’s destiny had made a lasting impression on Kshudiram’s mind. And so, whenever he found the boy doing something naughty, like all lively children, he could never be harsh with him. Instead, he would gently ask the boy not to do it again. He now and then noticed signs of wilfulness in Gadadhar but he was not sure whether this was due to the undue attention everybody paid him or to the boy’s own nature. Instead of going to school, the self-willed boy would go and play with his companions outside the village; or, without caring to tell anybody, go to an open-air performance called the Yatra, at some place in the neighbourhood. Kshudiram did not scold him for this wilfulness, as other parents would have done, for he now felt convinced that it was this that would ultimately help the boy to become great. And there was good reason for him to think so, since he invariably found that Gadadhar would not rest till he accomplished what he had set out to do, would never try to hide anything he had done by telling a lie; and, would, above all, never think of doing harm to anybody. But there was one thing that really worried Kshudiram. When the boy was asked or forbidden to do anything, he would deliberately go counter to the instruction till it was put to him in a way that appealed to his heart and understanding. Kshudiram understood that this really showed the boy’s desire to know the why and wherefore of everything; but he realized that people would not normally tolerate such behaviour, nor take the trouble to satisfy the boy’s curiosity by telling him the reason for everything. As a result, he thought, it was possible that the boy might occasionally be led to ignore the conventional rules of good conduct. It was the occurrence, at that time, of a small incident which gave rise to this apprehension of Kshudiram.

12 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

Gadadhar’s preparation for going to school

As Gadadhar grew up, Kshudiram was filled with wonder and delight at noticing the development of the boy’s remarkable memory and intelligence. Sometimes he would take the lively boy on his lap (and lovingly calling him as 'Ramkeshto') and repeat to him a long list of names of his ancestors, or short hymns to gods and goddesses, and the various ways of paying homage to them, or wonderful stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

He found that Gadadhar could remember, by hearing it only once, most of what he was told, even after a long time, and that, when the boy was asked to repeat, he could do so without faltering.

At the same time, he discovered that, just as the boy took to and remembered some things with great eagerness, he also remained indifferent to certain other things which did not appeal to him in spite of all efforts to rouse his interest.

He noticed this when trying to teach him arithmetic, especially the multiplication table, and thought it unnecessary to force the impatient lad, still so young, to learn those things.

But finding that the boy was becoming more and more restless, he sent him to school after the usual ceremony. He was then five years old. Gadadhar was very happy, to meet boys of his own age, and his loving ways endeared him to them and to the teacher.

13 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

Kshudiram became aware of the boy’s peculiar temperament. The wonderful dreams and visions which had begun even before Gadadhar was born and foretold the boy’s destiny had made a lasting impression on Kshudiram’s mind. And so, whenever he found the boy doing something naughty, like all lively children, he could never be harsh with him. Instead, he would gently ask the boy not to do it again. He now and then noticed signs of wilfulness in Gadadhar, but he was not sure whether this was due to the undue attention everybody paid him or to the boy’s own nature.

Instead of going to school, the self-willed boy would go and play with his companions outside the village; or, without caring to tell anybody, go to an open-air performance called the Yatra at some place in the neighbourhood. Kshudiram did not scold him for this wilfulness, as other parents would have done, for he now felt convinced that it was this that would ultimately help the boy to become great. And there was good reason for him to think so, since he invariably found that Gadadhar would not rest till he accomplished what he had set out to do, would never try to hide anything he had done by telling a lie, and, would, above all, never think of doing harm to anybody.

But there was one thing that really worried Kshudiram. When the boy was asked or forbidden to do anything, he would deliberately go counter to the instruction till it was put to him in a way that appealed to his heart and understanding. Kshudiram understood that this really showed the boy’s desire to know the why and wherefore of everything; but he realized that people would not normally tolerate such behaviour, nor take the trouble to satisfy the boy’s curiosity by telling him the reason for everything. As a result, he thought, it was possible that the boy might occasionally be led to ignore the conventional rules of good conduct.

It was the occurrence, at that time, of a small incident which gave rise to this apprehension of Kshudiram. It also made him understand the working of the boy’s mind, and he began carefully to guide him accordingly.

14 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

An incident indicating it:

There is a big tank known as Haldarpukur, by the side of Kshudiram’s house. All the villagers used its clear pure water for bathing, drinking, cooking, etc. It had two bathing Ghats, one for men and the other for women. Young boys like Gadadhar would very often use the Ghat reserved for women. Coming one day for a bath to that Ghat with a few boys of his own age, Gadadhar started jumping and swimming in the water and made himself a nuisance to the women who had come there to bathe. Elderly women who were occupied with their daily prayers and other devotions found that, now and then, a little water was splashed over them. They told the boys to stop, but the boys would not listen. Annoyed at this, one of the women scolded them saying, “Why do you come here? Can’t you go to the men’s Ghat? Here women wash their clothes after their bath. You should know that women must not be seen undressed.”

Gadadhar asked, “Why not?”

But, instead of making him understand, she began to scold him all the more. Seeing that the women were annoyed and fearing that they would complain to their parents, the boys behaved better. But Gadadhar hit upon a plan. For two or three days, he hid himself behind a tree near the tank and peeped at the women while they were taking their bath. When, later, he met the elderly woman who had scolded him, he told her, “Day before yesterday I saw four women bathing, yesterday six and today eight. But I find that nothing has happened to me!”

She thereupon came to Chandra and told her laughingly what the boy had said. At an opportune moment, Chandra spoke to Gadadhar gently, but in a convincing manner: “It is true nothing will happen to you when you do that; only the women feel insulted. They are in no way different from me; and so, if you insult them, it is the same as insulting me. In future don’t do anything that would hurt their sense of honour. Is it right to wound their feelings, as well as mine?” The boy understood and never again behaved that way.

15 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

The remarkable development of Gadadhar’s power of imagination

Gradually a year went by and Gadadhar was now seven. As the child’s sweet nature developed, everybody loved him more and more.

About this time an incident occurred which made Gadadhar’s parents and friends very anxious about the boy.

By the grace of God, Gadadhar was born with a strong and robust constitution, and until now he had not suffered from any disease. As a result, he was wonderfully buoyant and cheerful like a free bird. Well-known physicians say that it is the absence of body-consciousness that is the sign of health. It was this kind of health that the boy enjoyed from his birth.

Whenever his mind, which was naturally one-pointed, became absorbed in a particular object, his body-consciousness almost vanished and he became completely identified with the idea on which he set his mind. The enchanting view of the vast green fields fanned by the gentle breeze, the incessant flow of the river, the melodious songs of birds, and, above all, the magic of ever-changing clouds in the deep blue sky would, at times, unfold their mystery and glory to the boy’s inner vision and hold him spell-bound.

He would then lose himself completely and enter the unknown, distant, and solitary domain of the spirit. The experience we now relate also had its origin in the boy’s tendency towards the spiritual contemplation of beauty.

One day, while roaming carefree in the fields, Gadadhar looked up at the sky and saw a newly formed dark cloud, and against it the rhythmic movement of a flock of cranes in full flight, with their snow-white wings outspread. The boy became so completely absorbed in the beauty of it all, that awareness of his own body and of all other earthly things vanished altogether, and he fell down unconscious.

His friends, finding him in that condition, were alarmed and distressed. They sent word to his parents and the boy was carried home from the field.

As soon as he regained consciousness, he was his old self again. Naturally, this incident caused a lot of worry to Kshudiram and Chandradevi and they thought of various means to prevent its happening again.

In fact they thought it to be the beginning of fainting fits and considered what remedy should be applied and whether propitiatory rites should be performed.

But Gadadhar told them, again and again, that what had happened to him was really due to his being merged in a feeling he had never experienced before; and that, although he was found outwardly unconscious, he was conscious inwardly and had experienced a unique bliss.

16 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Lately I witnessed a strange fight within my body. During my recent illness, I was reduced to a skeleton. This muscle that you see now (touching the calf muscle), was all gone. All this grew anew afterwards.

Devotee: “Do you mean the influenza you suffered from last time?”

Swami: “No. It was at Puri. Then there was nothing in the body except bone and skin. I could neither turn over sides nor move my limbs. Only the power of speech was left to me. One day I saw that the life within the body was engaged in a severe struggle with another from the outside. The struggle was severe and lasted for a long time. They were at close grips with each other, and now the one and now the other seemed to win. The external one was struggling to snatch away the life from the body, but the life would not go. At last the outer one was defeated and went away. So life remained. Had it been defeated, it would have gone away with the other one, and the body would have remained lifeless, that is, I would have died. I was watching the battle in wonder from a distance as it were. As soon as the outer one went away defeated, I said to those who were about me, ‘This time I am saved, I won’t die.’ Then all this flesh grew anew. Before or after this incident, I do not exactly remember when, Swamiji (Vivekananda) appeared to me and said at once: ‘What is this? Get up.’”

17 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The Swami was talking to a group of Sannyasins and Brahmacharins who had come to his room.

Swami: (Turning to one of the assembled monks) “Do you believe in the existence of God? (The monk remained silent.)

I once felt this atheistic mood.” Monk: “Yes, Maharaj, sometimes I too feel that there is no God.”

Swami: “So my confession encourages you to speak out! Perhaps you thought at first that if you spoke out, you would be exposed?

That is not so. Such a sceptical mood comes upon many. This is a stage on the way to God. Once the reading of a book made me atheistic.”

A Brahmacharin: “Was the author a European?”

Swami: “Yes. What a terrible agony I then passed through! Nothing could give me peace. This mood lasted only a day or two. The book was full of materialistic ideas. After a hard struggle I got over its influence.

“A". also had to pass through such a state. He was an out and out Vedantist, you know.

It is said in the Gita: ‘He who takes the Self to be the slayer, he who takes It to be the slain, neither of these knows. It does not slay, nor is It slain.’ A. was very much impressed by this idea.

One day the Master sent for him, and when he came, said to him, ‘Can you kill a man?’

‘Why not, sir? I can easily,’ replied A.

‘‘Will not the sense of sin prick your conscience?’

‘Why? Who kills whom?’

All right. Go ahead. This is also a stage—just as we enter one room through another. But you must not stop here. If you do, you will be ruined.

Beware you do not become a householder with such an attitude of mind.

18 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the Holy Jayanti of Sri Chaitanya. On this auspicious day, may the Lord bless us all with Shraddha in the glory of God’s name.)

Sri Chaitanya’s grace on a Brahmana guest

Once a very pious Brahmana, who was touring all over the country, traveling from one pilgrimage place to another, reached Navadvip and became a guest in the house of Jagannatha Mishra. He worshiped Lord Krishna by chanting the Gopala-mantra, and he would not eat anything other than the remnants of food he had offered to Sri Gopala. Jagannatha Mishra gave him all ingredients for cooking, and the Brahmana prepared his food. When the Brahmana was offering the food to Lord Bala-gopala (Child Krishna) in meditation, Nimai (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) came before him and began to eat it, and because of this, the Brahmana thought the whole offering had been spoiled. Therefore, by the request of Jagannatha Mishra, he cooked for a second time, but when he was meditating, the child again came before him and began to eat the food, spoiling the offering again. By the request of Jagannatha Mishra, the Brahmana cooked for the third time, but this time the child had been locked within a room. But the Lord was pleased with his devotee, and He wanted to satisfy his desire of accepting the bhoga, so the Lord came before him and began to eat the food, by making everyone sleep. The Brahmana became greatly agitated by this and thought that Lord Bala-gopala was not willing to accept his food, and therefore he decided to fast. When Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw the Brahmana in that agitated state, He showed him His real form and told him:

“Formerly I was the son of mother Yashoda. At that time too, you were a guest in the house of Nanda Maharaja, and I disturbed you in this way. I am very much pleased with your devotion. Therefore, I am eating the food you have prepared.”

Understanding the favour offered to him by the Lord, the Brahmana was overwhelmed with the love of Krishna. He was thankful to the Lord, for he felt himself greatly fortunate. Then the Lord asked the Brahmana not to disclose the incident to anyone else. The Brahmana ecstatically danced, sang, laughed, and made loud roaring sounds, “All glories to Lord Bala-gopala!”

(The devotees of Sri Ramakrishna can recall how Sri Ramakrishna ran and ate the offerings of Bhairavi Brahmani to her Ishta Devata Sri Rama.)

19 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “It is very difficult to realize God. The slightest desire blocks the way. The Master often said, ‘The thread does not pass through the eye of a needle, if even the minutest fibre sticks out.’ Swamiji (Vivekananda) once said to him, ‘Kindly pray to the Mother that they (Swamiji’s relations) may have a bare subsistence.’ The Master sent him to the temple to beg of the Mother. But when Swamiji entered the temple, he could not beg anything but Viveka (discrimination) and Vairagya (dispassionateness). How could he? He had no attachment within. When he said this to the Master, the Master remarked to us: ‘Do you see what a great soul he is? He could not ask of the Mother anything but Viveka and Vairagya.’”

The Swami was sitting in his room. Some Sannyasins and Brahmacharins were present.

Swami: “See how my skin has shrivelled. This is a sign of old age. King Yayati also had the same experience. One day all of a sudden his skin shrivelled, his hair turned grey and his body became decrepit. To be successful in any work, you must look upon the work itself as your ideal. You may have a fancy for a work for a day or two and then give it up as soon as it loses charm. This is no good. Sasi Maharaj (Swami Ramakrishnananda) demonstrated in his life how to work. For sixteen years he followed the same routine in the same place. Sometimes his sufferings became so intense that he abused Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji in the strongest language. Still he did not give up the work entrusted to him.”

A.: “Swamiji was once asked which of the four—Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Yoga—was the greatest. ‘Don’t bother yourself about that,’ replied Swamiji. ‘Take up any of them you like and follow it as best as you may.’”

Swami: “Work for work’s sake. Your whole mind should be fixed upon the work. Let that be your ideal, the be-all and end-all of life. Never mind success or failure.”

20 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The Swami was sitting in his room with a few Sannyasins and Brahmacharins. He was not feeling well. The conversation turned on milk.

Swami: “Once Upamanyu had a desire to drink milk. He had just returned from his aunt’s place where he had tasted milk. He urged his mother to give him milk. She was a poor widow and could not afford milk for her son. But as he still insisted, she mixed powdered rice with water and gave him that as milk. Upamanyu found that it did not taste like the stuff he had taken at his aunt’s house. ‘This is milk,’ said the mother. But he would not believe. Then she began to cry. ‘I am a poor woman,’ she said, ‘where shall I get milk, my child? Siva is the giver of wealth. If you can satisfy him by your prayers and austerities, he may grant you the boon of abundant milk.’ Upamanyu practiced hard austerities until Mahadeva appeared to him and gave him the desired boon. But that was not the only Tapasya he practiced in his life. He is one of the great sages celebrated in the Mahabharata. Of Sri Krishna’s wives at Dwaraka, Jambavati had no son. One day she thus expressed her sorrow to Sri Krishna: ‘Through your grace all have been favoured with sons except the unfortunate me who have none.’” 21/03/2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the Punya Janma-Tithi of Revered Swami Yoganandaji Maharaj. May he bless us all with Bhakti and Jnana.)

SWAMI YOGANANDA

At the time when Shri Ramakrishna was attracting devotees—old and young—to the temple-garden at Dakshineswar, a young man in his teens, belonging to a neighbouring family, used to visit the garden of Rani Rasmani. He had read of Shri Ramakrishna in the literature of the Brahmo Samaj; but his aristocracy and rural prejudice stood in the way of any personal acquaintance. One day he had a desire for a flower. A man was passing by. The boy took him for a gardener and asked him to pluck the flower for him. The man obliged. Another day the boy saw many people seated in a room in front of that gardener and listening to his discourse. Was this then the Ramakrishna of whom Keshab wrote so eloquently?

The boy went nearer but stood outside. At this time the Master asked someone to bring all those who were outside within the room. The man found only a boy and brought him inside and offered him a seat. When the conversation ended and all went away, the Master came to the boy and very lovingly made inquiries about him. The name of the boy was Yogindra Nath Chaudhury. The Master was delighted to know that the boy was the son of Nabin Chandra Chaudhury, his old acquaintance. Yogin's parents had become poor. His father was a very orthodox Brahmin and performed many religious festivals. Shri Ramakrishna, during the period of his spiritual striving, had sometimes attended these festivals, and was thus known to the family. Yogin was born in the year 1861. From his boyhood he was of a contemplative temperament. Even while at play with his companions, he would suddenly grow pensive, stop play and look listlessly at the azure sky. He would feel that he did not belong to this earth, that he had come from somewhere in some other plane of existence and that those who were near about him were not really his kith and kin. He was simple in his habits and never hankered after any luxury. He was reserved and taciturn by nature. This prevented his friends from being very free with him. But he commanded love and even respect from all. After he was invested with the sacred thread, he spent much of his time in meditation and worship, in which he now and then became deeply absorbed. Yogin was about sixteen or seventeen when he met Shri Ramakrishna for the first time.

21 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the Punya Janma-Tithi of Revered Swami Yoganandaji Maharaj. May he bless us all with Bhakti and Jnana.)

SWAMI YOGANANDA

At the time when Shri Ramakrishna was attracting devotees—old and young—to the temple-garden at Dakshineswar, a young man in his teens, belonging to a neighbouring family, used to visit the garden of Rani Rasmani. He had read of Shri Ramakrishna in the literature of the Brahmo Samaj; but his aristocracy and rural prejudice stood in the way of any personal acquaintance. One day he had a desire for a flower. A man was passing by. The boy took him for a gardener and asked him to pluck the flower for him. The man obliged. Another day the boy saw many people seated in a room in front of that gardener and listening to his discourse. Was this then the Ramakrishna of whom Keshab wrote so eloquently?

The boy went nearer but stood outside. At this time the Master asked someone to bring all those who were outside within the room. The man found only a boy and brought him inside and offered him a seat. When the conversation ended and all went away, the Master came to the boy and very lovingly made inquiries about him. The name of the boy was Yogindra Nath Chaudhury. The Master was delighted to know that the boy was the son of Nabin Chandra Chaudhury, his old acquaintance. Yogin's parents had become poor. His father was a very orthodox Brahmin and performed many religious festivals. Shri Ramakrishna, during the period of his spiritual striving, had sometimes attended these festivals, and was thus known to the family. Yogin was born in the year 1861. From his boyhood he was of a contemplative temperament. Even while at play with his companions, he would suddenly grow pensive, stop play and look listlessly at the azure sky. He would feel that he did not belong to this earth, that he had come from somewhere in some other plane of existence and that those who were near about him were not really his kith and kin. He was simple in his habits and never hankered after any luxury. He was reserved and taciturn by nature. This prevented his friends from being very free with him. But he commanded love and even respect from all. After he was invested with the sacred thread, he spent much of his time in meditation and worship, in which he now and then became deeply absorbed. Yogin was about sixteen or seventeen when he met Shri Ramakrishna for the first time. He was then studying for the Entrance Examination. At the very first meeting the Master recognised the spiritual potentiality of the boy and advised him to come to him now and then.

22 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“I do not like buffalo’s milk. It increases fat. Cow’s milk is the best. Yudhisthira was fond of cow’s milk from childhood, and Duryodhana of buffalo’s milk; and you see the difference in their nature.

“It is very wrong to waste a thing, however insignificant. Do you know how the Master rebuked one of us for cutting a lemon too deep? If any rice were left on the plate after meal, Sasi Maharaj used to be much annoyed.”

K.: “Yes, Maharaj. If anybody said that such rice could be given to dogs, he would be offended and would say, ‘What! the food cooked for God should be given to dogs!’ ”

M. came in and sat down after saluting the Swami.

Swami: “How are you?”

M.: “Quite well, Maharaj. There is no place like Benares. I did not know much about its greatness before. But the reading of the Kashi Khanda has opened my eyes.”

K.: “Yes, there is no place like Benares.

If anyone lives here, his mind naturally becomes quiet and settles at the feet of Vishwanath. From 3 o’clock in the morning, people here go about crying, ‘Lord Vishwanath!’ ”

Swami: “Yes, to live here is in itself a spiritual discipline. One has daily to take bath in the Ganges and visit the temple of Vishwanath. But I cannot unfortunately go and worship Vishwanath on account of a pain in the leg. I had been to the temple only once.”

M.: “The daily visit to the temple has created such a tendency in me that I feel very unhappy if I miss it a single day.”

Devotee: “Unlucky as I am, I never feel like that. When I go to the temple, I only see a block of stone and nothing else. I never feel any attraction like yours.”

Swami: “Ah, what do you say? All feel like M. How is it that you do not?”

Disciple: “It is no use saying that I feel when I really do not. From time immemorial, men and women have been coming to Benares to visit Vishwanath. There must be some meaning in that, I know. Yet I myself do not feel any attraction.”

23 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “If a person cannot weep tears of devotion, he can do so by applying oil and chilli powder to his eyes. One actually did so at the time of Sri Chaitanya. When Sri Chaitanya held Kirtana in the house of Srivasa, everyone shed tears through devotion. But there was one who could not. This made him very sad.

So one day he applied chilli powder in his eyes at the time of Kirtan and thus shed tears. When Sri Chaitanya came to know of it, he ran up to him and embraced him. He thought that the man must have great devotion, otherwise he would not have been so grieved for not being able to weep.”

K.: “He (a disciple) speaks sincerely. I am sure he also is miserable for not feeling drawn to lord Viswanath.”

Swami: “You will feel it, you will feel it. Through His grace, the feeling will come of itself.”

The Swami was reading a letter written to him from Rangoon by Brahmachari K. It said that relief centres had been opened for the flood and famine-stricken people there and that nearly a thousand rupees were being spent every month.

Swami: “K. regrets that he whose grace has made it possible for him to do all this, is not here to see this in the material body. He speaks of Swami Premananda. It is he who attracted him to this life. It is well written by K., “he is not seeing this in the material body,’ that is, he is seeing, but not in the material body.

Devotee: “I have noted that whenever any work is started, there is no lack of money through His grace. We have only to collect it. Un­fortunately there are few to do even this. Wherever I have gone, I have found that it is not money that is wanting, but men.”

Swami: “Yes. The Kankhal Sevasrama was started in a rented house with only Rs. 15O in hand. The permanent site was secured afterwards.

“A Judge used to supply foodstuff worth Rs. 15 every month to the Kankhal Sevasrama. Someone spoke to him against the Sevasrama.

One day he paid a surprise visit and was much impressed with the care and attention with which the patients were being treated and nursed by the Sadhus: he found one of the monks cleaning a deadly ulcer of a patient.

He then gave out the object of his visit and said, ‘I am convinced by what I have seen that you are indeed blessed and my gift is also blessed!’

24 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Wherever I have gone, I have found that it is not money that is wanting, but men.”

Swami: “Yes. The Kankhal Sevasrama was started in a rented house with only Rs.150 in hand. The permanent site was secured afterwards. A Judge used to supply foodstuff worth Rs.15 every month to the Kankhal Sevasrama. Someone spoke to him against the Sevasrama. One day he paid a surprise visit and was much impressed with the care and attention with which the patients were being treated and nursed by the Sadhus: he found one of the monks cleaning a deadly ulcer of a patient. He then gave out the object of his visit and said, ‘I am convinced by what I have seen that you are indeed blessed and my gift is also blessed!’”

1st July, 1920. The talk was about Sri Ramakrishna.

Swami: “Sri Ramakrishna appealed to the Divine Mother saying, ‘Mother, if lust overtakes me, I shall commit suicide!’ What lofty words! Once he felt as if he had a premonition of it. In great alarm he ran at once and threw himself at the feet of the Mother. His mentality was such that he would surely have carried out his words if he felt any lust—he was extremely true to his words! And rest assured, Mother never allows such propensities to come unto one who can speak like that. If one can have such determination, he surely reaches the goal. ‘Make the mind free from lust and such other desires’—What a beautiful sentiment!

“Isn’t it terrible to be overcome by lust in old age? They say that such desires are stronger in old age. The impulse is there but the senses lack in power—isn’t it a great torment? Besides, one loses much of one’s controlling power then. Well, what is this lust? Isn’t it merely a function of the mind?”

A Devotee: “It is evidently a sense-pleasure.”

Swami: “There must be a psychology behind it, and what is that? It is the desire to attain oneness. Lust also is an aspect of that Love. But men take a wrong course. They begin with the gross, hence their failure to carry it up to that Pure Substance, God. Some, however, have attained realization even through this, as for instance Chandidas. You have heard of him, I dare say? A washerwoman, but the image of the youthful Radha, with no taint of lust in her. ‘With no taint of lust in her’—what an idea! You have heard also of Bilvamangal, and of Tulsidas.”

25 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Tulsidas was henpecked. His wife was going to her father’s house and Tulsidas followed her. Disgusted at this, the wife remarked, ‘If you can bestow even a grain of this love on the Lord, you will soon realize Him.

At once his power of discrimination was roused.

Men of this stamp are roused up by such trifling causes. Love and lust are two things very much allied.

Hence Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘Lust is blind, but love is pure and resplendent. It is lust if you have the idea of man; and love if you have the idea of God in your beloved.

A Devotee: “Well, the Gopis had no idea of God at the outset; they started with attachment for the gross. Didn’t they?

Swami: “Not so. In the Bhagavata, we find in the supplication of the Gopis that they had the idea of God in Sri Krishna from the very beginning.

When the Gopis approached Him and He asked them to go away.

They said, ‘We have come to Thee leaving our husbands, fathers, children, relatives, friends, and everything. And where is the place for us to go to? Are you not inside everything as the Inner Self?

“The Gopis attained perfect concentration on Sri Krishna. If there is concentration on any single object, there the idea of God manifests itself.

Lust, anger, fear, affection— any of these may bring about concentration. Lust—as in the case of the Gopis; anger—as with Kamsa; fear—as in the case of Sisupala; affection—as with Mother Yasoda; and so on.”

‘Lust, anger, fear, affection, amity, and friendship—those who always cherish any of these feelings towards God, assuredly attain to concentration on Him.’ But can such things happen unless the mind is absolutely pure? Never think of it!

26 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“If there is concentration on any single object, there the idea of God manifests itself. Lust, anger, fear, affection—any of these may bring about concentration. Lust—as in the case of the Gopis; anger—as with Kamsa; fear—as in the case of Sisupala; affection—as with Mother Yasoda; and so on.”

“‘Lust, anger, fear, affection, amity, and friendship—those who always cherish any of these feelings towards God, assuredly attain to concentration on Him.’ But can such things happen unless the mind is absolutely pure? Never think of it!”

“‘If there is love, there must also be an object of that love. It never happens that there is hunger, but no food to satisfy it.’”

The Swami opened the conversation addressing a monk of the Order who had been conducting a Vedanta class.

Swami: “You had the Vedanta class today?”

A.: “Yes, sir.”

Swami: “What was the topic?”

A.: “‘That Brahman (from which the origin, subsistence, and dissolution of this world proceed) is to be known from the scriptures alone, for It is the main purport of all Vedanta texts?’” (Bhagavata 10.19.15) (Vedanta Sutras 1.1.4.) We had the discussion about ‘changefully eternal, and absolutely eternal.’”

Swami: “The very expression ‘changefully eternal’ sounds like ‘hot ice.’ It is, I think, the Samkhya view. Prakriti consists of the three Gunas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas (balance, activity, and inertia). It is these which undergoing modification lead to creation. Dr. S. one day asked me this very question. He said, ‘The three Gunas make up Prakriti. So, if the Gunas undergo modification, does not Prakriti verily cease to be itself?’ I replied, ‘The whole of Prakriti is not of course undergoing modification, but only a portion of it. There is Prakriti, and there is also the modified Prakriti. As for instance, when milk is coagulated into curd somewhere, all the milk in the world does not turn into curd—there is yet milk somewhere. Vedanta describes the Purusha and Prakriti as identical. (Pointing to his own body) Even here don’t you find both Prakriti and Purusha existing together?

“Even in a single grain there are two halves as ‘Kshetra’ and ‘Kshetrajna.’ The body and mind are changing but the Self always remains unaffected by the changes. ‘The Purusha resting on Prakriti experiences the attributes that spring from the latter. The attachment for the Gunas is the cause of the soul’s being born in higher and lower bodies.’ ‘He who thus knows the Purusha and the Prakriti together with its Gunas, is never subject to rebirth, howsoever he may live.’”

27 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Well, what is spiritual practice but purifying this Prakriti? The Vaishnavas say, Krishna alone is Purusha, all else is Prakriti. (Gita 13.21) The terms Purusha and Prakriti, in Samkhya philosophy, mean the soul and Nature which, in its broad sense, is the material cause of the universe. Purusha is intelligent, unchanging, eternal, and infinite in number, and experiences happiness and misery etc. through falsely identifying itself with Prakriti which is insentient, ever-changing, and eternal, and contributes to the experience of the Purusha. Both are independent.” 28/03/2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

A young man hailing from East Bengal came and saluted the Swami. He had received initiation and Brahmacharya from a highly spiritual man of that part and had been practising Sadhana for the last eleven years. He had recently come to Benares with the object of spending his days in Sadhana and holy company.

Swami: (To the new-comer) “There are signs of Vairagya (dispassionateness) visible on your person. Well, what sort of Vairagya do you feel? Is it real Vairagya or Vairagya from some exciting cause? If it be due to some temporary cause, Vairagya disappears as soon as the cause ceases to exist. Were you interned?”

The youth: “No, sir.”

Swami: “Anyway, it is good fortune to have this feeling of Vairagya. And what is Vairagya but the discrimination between the Self and the non-Self? ‘Discrimination between Purusha and Prakriti’ is another name for it.”

Asked whether he intended to stay on at Benares, the youth replied that if circumstances were favourable he would like to do so.

Swami: “If one lives a good, moral life, one can live in any country, not to speak of India. ‘The whole earth is the Lord’s, where is there any obstruction in it for anybody? He only who has scruples in his mind meets with obstructions outside.’

“This is the saying of a very great man. Do you know him? It was uttered by Hari Singh, the general of Ranjit Singh. The Afghans began to create disturbances on the frontier, and when chased they would retreat and halt just beyond Attock. It became quite a problem to control them, as going beyond Attock meant losing one’s religion. Then Hari Singh was called in and being asked his advice in this crisis, he uttered those words. He crossed Attock and taught the intruders a sound lesson.”

28 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

A young man hailing from East Bengal came and saluted the Swami. He had received initiation and Brahmacharya from a highly spiritual man of that part and had been practising Sadhana for the last eleven years. He had recently come to Benares with the object of spending his days in Sadhana and holy company.

Swami: (To the new-comer) “There are signs of Vairagya (dispassionateness) visible on your person. Well, what sort of Vairagya do you feel? Is it real Vairagya or Vairagya from some exciting cause? If it be due to some temporary cause, Vairagya disappears as soon as the cause ceases to exist. Were you interned?”

The youth: “No, sir.”

Swami: “Anyway, it is good fortune to have this feeling of Vairagya. And what is Vairagya but the discrimination between the Self and the non-Self? ‘Discrimination between Purusha and Prakriti’ is another name for it.”

Asked whether he intended to stay on at Benares, the youth replied that if circumstances were favourable he would like to do so.

Swami: “If one lives a good, moral life, one can live in any country, not to speak of India. ‘The whole earth is the Lord’s, where is there any obstruction in it for anybody? He only who has scruples in his mind meets with obstructions outside.’

“This is the saying of a very great man. Do you know him? It was uttered by Hari Singh, the general of Ranjit Singh. The Afghans began to create disturbances on the frontier, and when chased they would retreat and halt just beyond Attock. It became quite a problem to control them, as going beyond Attock meant losing one’s religion. Then Hari Singh was called in and being asked his advice in this crisis, he uttered those words. He crossed Attock and taught the intruders a sound lesson. Hari Singh was a Vaishnava, but how like a Jnani he spoke! Being good and moral you may live anywhere you like—you will live happily. Well, He alone is the Real—the Good, there is nothing beside Him which is real or good.

29 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Let me tell you a short story. While Rama and Lakshmana were wandering in the Dandaka forest after Sita had been stolen, they saw a delightful place. Wishing to spend the four months of the rainy season there, Rama said to Lakshmana, ‘Brother, just go and look if there is anybody about. Without the owner’s permission how can we stay here?’

Lakshmana, searching hither and thither in the forest, came across a Siva temple, but found no trace of men. On his coming back and reporting the matter to Rama, the latter said, ‘It is excellent; Siva is the presiding deity of the place. Go and get His permission.’ In pursuance of the order, Lakshmana went to the temple and asked for the permission, when there emerged from the image of Siva a radiant being who went on dancing for some minutes in a wonderful posture, and then disappeared. Lakshmana, unable to make any meaning out of it, came back bewildered and reported all that had happened. Hearing it, Rama said, ‘Build the hut. We have got the permission.’

‘How is that?’ asked Lakshmana. Rama replied, ‘Keeping the palate and the sexual instinct under control, you may live happily not only here, but anywhere you like. Every creature on earth seeks the satisfaction of the palate and the sexual instinct. To one who gives up the craving for these, of what avail is anything in this world?’

“Well, the whole trouble is due to these—the palate and the sexual instinct. In the Himalayas there are lots of solitary places suited for spiritual practices, but why can’t Sadhus live there? Owing to the urge of the tongue! The craving for delicacies drives them out of those places. And why is it that Sadhus cannot live in peace at one place? Either they have a rude tongue and quarrel with others, or they hanker after dainty dishes, or it is the sexual instinct. Hence, if a Sadhu can live at a place peacefully for twelve years, he is said to have ‘perfected his seat.’ A twelve years’ restraint is not a joke!

30 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Perfect mastery over the sex impulse is very difficult. There is a saying: ‘The woman will die and her ashes be blown to the winds, then only may one sing her praises.’

There is a story about it. One day Emperor Akbar said to his minister Birbal, ‘Go and enquire of your mother if she has got rid of passion.’ The lady was then over eighty years of age. Besides, how could Birbal ask his mother such a question? Yet that was the Emperor’s mandate. Birbal was in a fix, and gave up food and sleep in his anxiety. His mother was a very wise old lady—after all, she was Birbal’s mother, you must remember—and she guessed it all. She said to her son, ‘Don’t you worry, my boy. Have your food and take some rest. When you go to the Durbar tomorrow, take from me the answer.’

When it was time for him to go to the Court, Birbal’s mother gave her son a device of ‘Twenty boxes,’ with instructions to hand it over to the Emperor. On receipt of the box, the Emperor opened it. There were numerous boxes one within the other, all empty. Only in the inmost one he found a little ashes! The point of the answer is clear enough.

31 March 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“All trouble is over if the palate and sex impulse are conquered.

When Sri Chaitanya went to Kesava Bharati for initiation into Sannyasa, the latter remarked, ‘You are in the bloom of youth and so surpassingly handsome. Who will be bold enough to initiate you into Sannyasa?’

Sri Chaitanya replied, ‘Sir, you usually examine an aspirant before conferring Sannyasa on him. If you find me qualified, you will naturally be inclined to initiate me also. So please examine me and see if I am fit for it.

Bharati asked Sri Chaitanya, ‘Put out your tongue.’ On the disciple’s putting out his tongue, the Guru put some sugar on it. The sugar was left as it was, without being moistened in the least, and was scattered in the air the moment it was blown out. There was no more need to examine the sexual instinct.

“A man who has controlled all other senses except the palate is not to be considered a master of his senses. When the hankering of the palate is controlled, everything else is controlled.’

“When the palate is controlled the sex impulse is also controlled. Unless the senses are brought under control there cannot be any spiritual progress.

Throughout the Gita there is repeated mention of this: ‘Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, control thou the senses first, and thereby kill this sinful propensity of lust, which destroys one’s Knowledge and Realization.’ Even if a single organ remains uncontrolled, all austerities, all efforts after spirituality become useless even as when there is a single hole in a pitcher, all the water escapes through that.

You know that parable of Sri Ramakrishna, of the peasant irrigating his field. All the water escaped through a subterranean passage and not a drop of water reached the field!

‘Even if a single organ is allowed to run out, that alone destroys the aspirant’s illumination, like water from a cracked leathern jar.

‘‘Even the craving for sense-objects leaves an aspirant when he realizes the Lord. Control of the senses is not to be brought about by a violent effort. Only by realizing Him is it perfectly achieved.

But at first one must struggle for this end. Afterwards it becomes quite natural. Still one should not be over-confident. Just as the intelligent hunter catches a deer and ties it up, so after succeeding in controlling the organs one should be alert, and continue to hold the mind and organs in check."

1 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“(Pointing to the young visitor) He appears to be a lad who is practising Sadhanas. Don’t you all detect this? I see it quite clearly.

One test of the steadiness of mind is the steadiness of look. As soon as the mind gets steady the look also gets steady. No more is there any restiveness in one’s looks and movements.

“(To the youth, smiling) What do you want? You don’t want powers, I hope?“

(To others) All’s well that ends well. It is very difficult to hold on to the last.

Powers sometimes come of themselves to the spiritual aspirant, but the moment he cares for them he is gone—his further progress is stopped. These powers, again, do not last. Not to speak of using them for selfish purposes, even using them for other ends means losing them.

A man set out from home in search of the gems of the sea. When he came to the sea-shore he found variously coloured pebbles and shells scattered there and he set himself to fill his pockets with these—he forgot all about the gems in the sea. The Divine Mother deludes all so as to make them forget their ideal.

In the Kathopanishad Yama says to Nachiketas: “‘These damsels, with chariots and musical instruments, are not accessible to men. I give them to you. Have them attend on you, but don’t ask me about what comes after death, O Nachiketas.’”

And see what Nachiketas replies: ‘O Death, all these are but transient and they weaken the vigour of the senses of mortals. Even the biggest span of life is but short. So let these chariots and music and all remain with thee. Man is not to be satisfied with riches, and when we have met thee, we shall have riches enough, and live too, as long as thou wilt rule. So I crave that very boon and nothing else.

2 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Just as Yama is trying to delude Nachiketas, so the Divine Mother is deluding all. What is there in these powers? Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘It is priding oneself upon others’ things, as the washerman does.’ What matter these to you? They all belong to the Lord; only He is making them pass through you, that’s all. The case is analogous to Sri Ramakrishna’s parable of the elephant killed and brought back to life. (To the young man) No, no, one must not have leanings that way. We want Bhakti. If one has but Bhakti, what else is needed?

Narada was once undergoing great austerities when he heard a voice from heaven: ‘If the Lord is ever present inside and outside, then with what object should you undergo austerities, subjecting the body to various hardships? And if He be not inside and outside, of what avail are these austerities?’ In other words, we must go through them, betaking ourselves to God. In our country, however, there is now a sad dearth of austerities. One no more hears nowadays of rigid austerities as of old. Well, this is the result of undigested Vedanta. Is it possible to understand the truths of Vedanta without undergoing austerities?

Pseudo-Vedantism has spoilt the country. They simply talk big—‘He only exists,’ ‘The universe is non-existent, in the past, present as well as in the future,’ and so on. Nonsense! Do they mean anything by all that? Vedanta cannot be understood except through austerities.”

3 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

S.: “Sir, one of Elizabeth’s poems has the idea that given proper education and environment, two boys born under different circumstances will develop in the same way. They do not, of course, believe in impressions of past lives (Samskaras).”

Swami: “Well, does it hold good always? Five boys living together present five different aspects of character. The Western people have got no idea of reincarnation; hence they do not understand past impressions and so on. Do you think anybody comes to earth with a ‘tabula rasa’?

In this connection, a Devotee referred to the Darwinian theory and out of fun called a Brahmana boy of very good habits a descendant of the monkey.”

Swami: “What nonsense! He is a Brahmana boy with a store of good Samskaras—why should he be descended from the monkey! What a fine intelligence indeed do the Westerners show! What does science really know? Today it arrives at some conclusion, the greater part of which is exploded tomorrow. Let those who will, accept Darwinism.

We have got two theories about human creation. One is that after going the round of 84 lakhs of births, one attains a human body. This sounds very much like Darwinism. The other is that of descent from Godhead. Brahma, the Creator, first created beings like Sanatkumara and others, whom he asked to lead a worldly life. Well, they had just descended from God? So they said, ‘What a proposal! We shall be no party to such a plan.’

Brahma then created the Prajapatis (Patriarchs), who agreed to embrace a worldly life. It is a simple phenomenon, which we too observe in our everyday life. To this day, we find that many are averse to marriage and the worldly life from their very birth. These are the Kumaras.”

4 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Haven’t you heard of Sri Ramakrishna’s parable of the bird called Homa? It lays eggs in the sky. As the egg falls through space, the young bird comes out of it, and when in the course of its fall it finds it is about to touch the earth, it is reminded of its mother who is high up in the sky. At once it flies straight up. It has no more to fall down on the earth. Similarly, there are many people who as soon as they grow up a little give up all attachment for the world and speed straight towards God.

“(To the boy) Tell me whether you wish to be a Sadhu or a householder.”

The boy: “I will be a Sadhu.”

Swami: “Certainly, why not? If you try from now you will indeed realize the Lord. There should be a firm resolve in the mind that one must realize Him. If you perfectly control your senses from now, you will be blessed with His vision. And if you wish to be like ordinary men, you will get something to eat, have children, scrape together a little money, and die—there will be an end of it. Do you want the prestige of a householder, or do you want to be a Sadhu?”

The boy: “Have Sadhus no prestige? They too have it.”

Swami: “Certainly, Sadhus too have prestige. Look at the honour Swamiji received! How like a hero he conquered the world! What a heroic temperament! What a perfect mastery over the senses! If one is like him, one has indeed achieved everything. He was absolutely free from the sex-instinct. It was because he had his mind pitched on high things that it had no opportunity to come down to a lower level.”

5 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the mind of ordinary men is generally confined to the three lower centres in the spinal column; while the mind of the spiritual aspirant rises to the centre in the heart, whence it ascends higher still to the centre in the neck, and then finally to the centre in the head when he attains the state of Samadhi. Then the body dies within three weeks. Sri Ramakrishna also used to say that gold is gold whether it lies in a ditch or is kept in a room. If power is latent in anybody, it will manifest itself wherever you may put him.

“Have faith in God and pray to Him for devotion.

“(To S.) He wants to have the Pasupata weapon from Siva.

“(To the boy). What will you do with the Pasupata weapon? You are not a Kshatriya, you are a Brahmana. You should please Him and ask for the knowledge of Brahman; a Brahmana has no mightier weapon.” 6 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

There is nothing pre-ordained. In a way, everything depends on our personal exertion. The Yogavasishtha has highly extolled this. I do not mean to say that destiny is altogether a fiction. "Manifest thy manliness by ousting destiny through thy own power." To one who is endowed with personal exertion, even destiny becomes favourable. God helps those who help themselves. Relying on destiny, people often tend towards degradation. Free-will also comes under this personal exertion. People make mistakes through their own fault, and then lay the blame on destiny. Stumbling on the way is an accident—going along is the natural course. Making mistakes is an accident—rising higher and higher is the natural course.

S.: "Between the two blades of a pair of scissors, we do not know which is responsible for the cutting. So we cannot ascertain whether destiny or personal exertion is responsible for the accomplishment of an act, and in what measure. We, however, take it for granted that both are equally responsible. Our duty is to exert, what is within our control, rather than wait for destiny to help us out."

Swami: "Quite so. That is the way. Unless one acts like that, nothing can be done. But then, there is such a thing as resignation to the Lord. It is no weakness to say, 'Thy will be done'."

7 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The parlour was full of eager listeners. A householder came in and, prostrating himself before the Swami, took his seat. He wanted to give up the world and embrace the monastic life and expressed his intention to the Swami.

Swami: "So you came away leaving everyone behind? You had your enjoyments yourself and got away? Don't you see it is cruel and cowardly to get away without making some sort of provision for the family? Do you think one is at liberty to give up the world all of a sudden?"

The gentleman: "Well, this is but a relative concern—it is the outcome of ignorance."

Swami: "And your fleeing away from the world is absolute—it is the result of knowledge; is that so? Does it stand in the way of religion merely to be in the world?

Once, Narada asked of the Lord as to who was His best devotee. The Lord in reply said, 'In such and such a village, there is a peasant who is My best devotee. Just go and see him.' Narada went to the place and found that the peasant was off to the field. Late in the evening, the peasant returned home, took the name of the Lord once, and then retired for the night. Seeing all this, Narada came back to the Lord and said, 'How is this, Lord? How could this man who was engaged the whole day in trifling worldly pursuits and took Thy name but once, be the best of devotees?'

'Well, Narada,' replied the Lord, 'you will have your question answered soon. Now, take this cup filled with oil to the brim, and go round the world, and come back.' Narada went round the world with the greatest caution, and when he returned, the Lord asked, 'Well, Narada, how many times did you remember me?'

Narada replied, 'How could I remember you? My attention was on the oil.'" 8 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Sri Ramakrishna used to relate that once at Dakshineswar one Mukherji, who had left house and home, used to pass his days at the Kali temple, living on the doles regularly given there. One day Sri Ramakrishna said to him, ‘You are a married man—have you got children?’ On being answered in the affirmative he next inquired who was looking after them. And as soon as he heard from Mukherji’s lips that his wife was pining at her father’s place, he shouted, ‘You rogue, you were the man who married and who had children, and now they must be fed and clothed by your father-in-law! And here you are living on the food that is meant for the poor!’ Hearing such words Mukherji went home and began to look after his household duties with zeal.

“The scriptures also mention the four orders of life. First of all, students had to take up the Brahmacharin’s vow in the house of the teacher and go through their studies. Then service unto the Guru, strict Brahmacharya, study, etc. were their duties. As soon as these duties were gone through they were free. After finishing the course of study in the teacher’s house the students used to test themselves to see whether they should return to the householder’s life. Those who considered themselves under the sway of worldly ideas used to go through the usual ablution ceremony that marked the close of the student’s life and entered the world. Here, too, they had such duties as marrying and having children, ministering unto guests, maintaining the family, and so on. And when they finished these duties they were at liberty to take up the next order of life. The same things do not appeal always. When the desire for enjoyment abated and when along with it the duties of the family life too were finished, then they used to retire to the forest and embrace the life of a recluse. They could take their wives also with them—only they had to live as brothers and sisters, without any physical attachment.

6 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

If power is latent in anybody, it will manifest itself wherever you may put him. Have faith in God and pray to Him for devotion.

(To S.) He wants to have the Pasupata weapon from Siva. (To the boy) What will you do with the Pasupata weapon? You are not a Kshatriya, you are a Brahmana. You should please Him and ask for the knowledge of Brahman; a Brahmana has no mightier weapon. Do you know the story of Vasistha and Visvamitra? King Visvamitra armed with his bow and arrows one day killed the hundred sons of Vasishtha and went his way, seizing the latter’s holy cow. But Vasishtha, though he witnessed all, said nothing and sat with his Brahmadanda (the staff of the Brahmana) in hand and at peace. Then Visvamitra with folded palms fell at the feet of Vasishtha and begged his pardon saying, ‘Fie on Kshatriya valour! Real strength is that which a Brahmana possesses.’

The boy took his leave to attend to his evening prayers, when the Swami remarked: “The boy has inherited excellent past impressions. He is endowed with Sattva that has a touch of Rajas in it, while A— has got Sattva only. If this boy leads a pure life, he will make progress. Otherwise he will become like the ordinary run of boys.”

There is nothing pre-ordained. In a way everything depends on our personal exertion. The Yogavasishtha has highly extolled this. I do not mean to say that destiny is altogether a fiction. ‘Manifest thy manliness by ousting destiny through thy own power.’ To one who is endowed with personal exertion even destiny becomes favourable. God helps those who help themselves. Relying on destiny people often tend towards degradation. Free-will also comes under this personal exertion. People make mistakes through their own fault, and then lay the blame on destiny. Stumbling on the way is an accident—going along is the natural course. Making mistakes is an accident—rising higher and higher is the natural course.

S.: “Between the two blades of a pair of scissors we do not know which is responsible for the cutting. So we cannot ascertain whether destiny or personal exertion is responsible for the accomplishment of an act, and in what measure. We however take it for granted that both are equally responsible. Our duty is to exert, what is within our control, rather than wait for destiny to help us out.”

Swami: “Quite so. That is the way. Unless one acts like that, nothing can be done. But then, there is such a thing as resignation to the Lord. It is no weakness to say, ‘Thy will be done’.”

7 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The parlour was full of eager listeners. A householder came in and prostrating himself before the Swami took his seat. He wanted to give up the world and embrace the monastic life and expressed his intention to the Swami.

Swami: “So you came away leaving everyone behind? You had your enjoyments yourself and got away? Don’t you see it is cruel and cowardly to get away without making some sort of provision for the family? Do you think one is at liberty to give up the world all of a sudden?

The gentleman: “Well, this is but a relative concern—it is the outcome of ignorance."

Swami: “And your fleeing away from the world is absolute—it is the result of knowledge; is that so? Does it stand in the way of religion merely to be in the world?

Once Narada asked of the Lord as to who was His best devotee. The Lord in reply said, ‘In such and such a village there is a peasant who is My best devotee. Just go and see him.

Narada went to the place and found that the peasant was off to the field. Late in the evening the peasant returned home, took the name of the Lord once and then retired for the night.

Seeing all this Narada came back to the Lord and said, ‘How is this, Lord? How could this man who was engaged the whole day in trifling worldly pursuits and took Thy name but once, be the best of devotees?

‘Well, Narada, replied the Lord, ‘you will have your question answered soon.

Now take this cup filled with oil to the brim, and go round the world, and come back. Narada went round the world with the greatest caution and when he returned the Lord asked, ‘Well, Narada, how many times did you remember me!

Narada replied, ‘How could I remember you? My attention was on the oil.

‘Well, said the Lord, ‘in your anxiety lest the oil be spilt from the cup you could not remember Me even once, but that peasant, in spite of his being engrossed in work all day, remembers Me regularly at the end of his day’s work. Is he not then a great devotee?’

8 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Sri Ramakrishna used to relate that once at Dakshineswar one Mukherji, who had left house and home, used to pass his days at the Kali temple, living on the doles regularly given there. One day Sri Ramakrishna said to him, ‘You are a married man—have you got children?’

On being answered in the affirmative he next inquired who was looking after them. And as soon as he heard from Mukherji’s lips that his wife was pining at her father’s place, he shouted, ‘You rogue, you were the man who married and who had children, and now they must be fed and clothed by your father-in-law! And here you are living on the food that is meant for the poor!’

Hearing such words Mukherji went home and began to look after his household duties with zeal.

“The scriptures also mention the four orders of life. First of all, students had to take up the Brahmacharin’s vow in the house of the teacher and go through their studies. Then service unto the Guru, strict Brahmacharya, study, etc. were their duties. As soon as these duties were gone through they were free. After finishing the course of study in the teacher’s house the students used to test themselves to see whether they should return to the householder’s life. Those who considered themselves under the sway of worldly ideas used to go through the usual ablution ceremony that marked the close of the student’s life and entered the world. Here, too, they had such duties as marrying and having children, ministering unto guests, maintaining the family, and so on. And when they finished these duties they were at liberty to take up the next order of life. The same things do not appeal always. When the desire for enjoyment abated and when along with it the duties of the family life too were finished, then they used to retire to the forest and embrace the life of a recluse. They could take their wives also with them—only they had to live as brothers and sisters, without any physical attachment.

9 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“In the Upanishads, too, there is a dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi. Yajnavalkya reached the state of Sannyasa as the natural outcome of Knowledge. He said to his two wives, ‘Now the time has come for my taking up the monastic life. So whatever I have, you both divide between yourselves.’ Then Maitreyi asked: ‘What shall I do with that which won’t give me immortality?’ Hearing this Yajnavalkya said, ‘Maitreyi, I used to love you before, but now I love you all the more.’ Then he gave her instructions, and she too renounced.

“But can one give up the householder’s life though it is no more appealing, when there are wife and children? What then will be their fate? It is selfishness, pure and simple. To be in the world and maintain the family, to fulfil one’s duties—this also is certainly religion. Nothing will be gained by giving up all of a sudden. One cannot climb to the roof at one bound, one has to ascend step by step. 4/10/22

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

To say that you are renouncing the world with the object of calling upon God would be utterly false. Of course, one should devote time to spiritual practices, and this is the time. It is selfishness that is impure. First of all, a man should perform his duties according to his caste and order of life, and when the mind is thus purified, he should approach a qualified teacher for the attainment of Self-knowledge. There is no way out unless one has fulfilled one’s duties. And the moment you have truly finished the duties of one order of life, those of the next naturally come up.

But the case is different for those who have never entered the world since their boyhood. Thousands of Brahmanas who were Brahmacharins from their boyhood have reached heaven without continuing their line. (To the Sannyasins present) That you people did not enter the world was due to the good impressions of past lives. You have finished all that already. So, where was the need for you to enter the world again? It is because you understood everything that you gave up. You have, forsooth, been born with this privilege. Don’t you see that the world is mad after sense-enjoyment? People run into debt to get married, and before the debt is cleared, perhaps, they die!

Whenever anybody spoke to Sri Ramakrishna about giving up the world, he would say, "If you are sincere, you will find the circumstances gradually becoming favourable." He never said, "Leave everything and come away." "If you are sincere"—that is what he used to say, because he knew the contents of everyone’s mind. In everything pertaining to this world, there are two factors—your own wish as well as the Lord’s. Hence, it is highly prejudicial to take any step through personal obstinacy. Of course, He is inside all, as the controlling principle.

10 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

To say that you are renouncing the world with the object of calling upon God would be utterly false. Of course, one should devote time to spiritual practices, and this is the time. It is selfishness that is impure. First of all, a man should perform his duties according to his caste and order of life; and when the mind is thus purified, he should approach a qualified teacher for the attainment of Self-knowledge. There is no way out unless one has fulfilled one’s duties. And the moment you have truly finished the duties of one order of life, those of the next naturally come up.

But the case is different for those who have never entered the world since their boyhood. “Thousands of Brahmanas who were Brahmacharins from their boyhood have reached heaven without continuing their line.” (To the Sannyasins present) That you people did not enter the world was due to the good impressions of past lives. You have finished all that already. So where was the need for you to enter the world again? It is because you understood everything that you gave up. You have, forsooth, been born with this privilege.

Don’t you see that the world is mad after sense-enjoyment? People run into debt to get married. And before the debt is cleared, perhaps, they die! Whenever anybody spoke to Sri Ramakrishna about giving up the world, he would say, “If you are sincere, you will find the circumstances gradually becoming favourable.” He never said, “Leave everything and come away.” “If you are sincere”—that is what he used to say, because he knew the contents of everyone’s mind.

In everything pertaining to this world, there are two factors—your own wish as well as the Lord’s. Hence, it is highly prejudicial to take any step through personal obstinacy. Of course, He is inside all, as the controlling principle. 10/04/2022

Bhagavad Gita class will start in 15 minutes.

11 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Sri Ramakrishna used to tell the parable of a woman in love. She attends to all her household duties, but her thoughts are on her lover. When, in this way, her whole mind goes to her lover, she breaks the family ties and follows the man of her heart. Isn’t it a beautiful parable?

Work with one hand and serve the Lord with the other. When the time comes, you will be able to serve Him with both hands. And the time does come if one is sincere. “One should be consistent in thought and words. It won’t do to let the lips utter something which the mind does not approve. What the mind thinks, the lips too should express, and vice versa. What has once come out of the lips must be carried out at all cost. One who acts thus finds everything getting favourable to him. What you were saying yesterday about predestination has no meaning. In that case, nothing can be done on earth. Even virtue and vice become non-existent. The only case in which predestination holds good is the resignation of the perfect devotee. He works automatically. There is no difference whatever between his will and the Divine will. But that too has its test—no wicked action can be done by him. He never takes a false step. ‘One should elevate the soul with the help of the mind and never depress the mind. The mind verily is one’s friend, and it is also one’s enemy. One whose mind is satisfied with Knowledge and Realization, who is unchanged in all circumstances, who has controlled his senses, and looks alike upon a clod of earth, a stone, or a piece of gold, is called a Yogi.’”

12 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Sri Ramakrishna used to give no other blessing except this, ‘Mother, let them have illumination—let them be conscious of their real nature.’ Rakhal Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda) then used to live with him. It was his relatives who brought him to the Master. But when they found that he was about to renounce, they did not like it. First of all, they spoke to Sri Ramakrishna. He did not pay much attention to it. Suresh Babu then used to spend something on the comforts of Sri Ramakrishna. One day, Manmohan, a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and a relation of Rakhal Maharaj, said, ‘Suresh Babu does not like that Rakhal lives here.’

Immediately, Sri Ramakrishna called out, ‘What! Who is Suresh? What has Suresh got to do here? Hello, throw all that (some bedding etc. given by Suresh) away—remove them at once.’ (Whenever the Master got excited, everybody would be terribly afraid. None would dare come near.) ‘Because these boys have good characteristics that tend to spirituality, I keep them with me. And I pray to Mother to bless them so that they may realize God. My idea is that they should first attain Realization, and then they may live anywhere they like.’ Hearing this, Suresh Babu fell at his feet and, with tears in his eyes, said that he had never said such a thing—that it was all false.”

13 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Now you are going down and down, because you do not know the real nature of the world. First know it and then be in it and you won’t get bound. Is the world really an evil? The root of all trouble is that you don’t know its nature. Where do you try to flee? By doing so you will be placed between two pits. You will have neither God nor the world. In the Yogavasishtha we read that when Visvamitra came to king Dasaratha and asked for Rama, the king said to him, ‘Rama is getting reduced every day. I think the spirit of Vairagya (dispassionateness) is upon him. How can I under the circumstances send him with you to fight the Rakshasas?’ At the king’s command Rama came to the court, saluted those present and took his seat. Then Visvamitra said to him, ‘Well, Rama, if you have got Vairagya, we must rejoice at it as it is a rare boon. But tell me why you are getting more and more emaciated and out of spirits every day. There’s nothing in it to make one melancholy.’ Then fathoming the contents of Rama’s mind Visvamitra said to Vasishtha, ‘Look here, please give Rama the instructions that Brahma gave you and me after our fight. Let him realize the Truth and be in the world.” Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘Be converted into gold and then you may remain even in an unclean place. You will then remain gold throughout.’

14 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“It is not good to give up the world simply because one has not been successful in it. People sometimes wake up only to fall asleep again. ‘One can rouse a man who is really asleep, but it is difficult to knock up one who is only feigning’. Really speaking, it doesn’t take one much time to attain Realization. But men are apt to ‘fall asleep’, which means that past impressions are too strong for them. One has to summon up all one’s resolution and rouse oneself—determined to do or die. One is perhaps dreaming of a woman—but the counter-impressions are so strong that even in dream he is getting indignant. He is alert even in dream. We are not mere machines—we can be alert in all conditions. Whether a man will succeed in attaining Realization or not depends upon the amount of earnestness he has. This is the test. “You are your own witness. If any mistakes have been made, well, let bygones be bygones. Say, ‘I won’t do any such thing in future.’ And if you do not repeat the act, there, you attain your object. ‘Whenever one’s mind condemns a wicked course of life, one should sincerely repent and do evil no more. As one begins to feel repugnance to wicked deeds one must resolutely discard them —then can one be free from their clutches. ‘I will not do it any more’—one has to say this with great vigour and determination.

15 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

We must strain every nerve to accomplish the thing. If you are determined to do it at any cost, you will find that great obstacles which you thought would overpower you, ultimately turn out to help you. But you must struggle sincerely.

Does one find circumstances always propitious? Consider what you have got to do as your duty and go on. Are you not undecaying and immortal always? So why should you go about seeking favourable circumstances? It is you who have projected all this.

‘He who wishes to think upon the Lord after all his engagements have been finished, is like the fool who wishes to bathe in the sea after the waves have subsided.’

“One wishing to bathe in the sea waits and waits, with the idea that one would have a plunge when the waves would have subsided!!

Nonsense! Will that moment ever come! Instead of doing so, you buffet against the waves, have your bath and come out. The sea remains always the same. So in this world, you must manage to call upon the Lord in the midst of these waves.

It is a wild-goose-chase to be on the look-out for opportunities. Now or never! Apply yourselves to it, and disadvantages will turn into advantages.

“Thus says Ramprasad addressing himself: ‘Don’t you hanker after comfort if you will reside at the lotus feet of the Mother. . . . Why should you be a fool in action? Try your best and you will reap an excellent harvest.’

“How beautifully expressed! There is no freedom, no respite until you have done your duties. That which you have given up without performing, will be waiting for you— only to appear again.

16 April 2022

If you are determined to do it at any cost, you will find that great obstacles which you thought would overpower you, ultimately turn out to help you. But you must struggle sincerely. Does one find circumstances always propitious? Consider what you have got to do as your duty and go on. Are you not undecaying and immortal always? So why should you go about seeking favourable circumstances? It is you who have projected all this. ‘He who wishes to think upon the Lord after all his engagements have been finished, is like the fool who wishes to bathe in the sea after the waves have subsided.’ One wishing to bathe in the sea waits and waits, with the idea that one would have a plunge when the waves would have subsided!! Nonsense! Will that moment ever come! Instead of doing so, you buffet against the waves, have your bath and come out. The sea remains always the same. So in this world, you must manage to call upon the Lord in the midst of these waves. It is a wild-goose-chase to be on the look-out for opportunities. Now or never! Apply yourselves to it, and disadvantages will turn into advantages. Thus says Ramprasad addressing himself: ‘Don’t you hanker after comfort if you will reside at the lotus feet of the Mother. Why should you be a fool in action? Try your best and you will reap an excellent harvest.’ How beautifully expressed! There is no freedom, no respite until you have done your duties. That which you have given up without performing, will be waiting for you—only to appear again.

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Face the brute! You can’t save yourself by flight. Taking up the monastic life will be advantageous, while the householder’s life is disadvantageous—such considerations are futile. You cannot come to the next stage without performing the duties of the previous one. Aspire after higher things but never shirk the present duties. Don’t do that. The case of those who live a celibate life from their boyhood is different. They have come with such good Samskaras that even if they live in the world, they will live there as Sannyasins. You are what you are—you cannot jump to a higher stage. Avoidance is not good, nor is it possible. Do your duties in the world but think of God all the while. The case of the woman in love who thinks always of her lover in all her daily duties is an illustration in point. One must pray from the bottom of one’s heart to have a steadfast devotion for God. To make oneself fit, association with Sadhus and occasional retirement into solitude are necessary. If one is sincere the Lord Himself prepares the way. You have to offer this mind unto Him. You have to churn out butter first, and then only it won’t get mixed up by remaining in water.

17 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The greatness of a Sadhu is in proportion to the amount of self-examination he has made—to the degree of intimate knowledge he has of his ins and outs. Self-examination is a very difficult task. It is extremely difficult to detect the tricks that the mind plays. Great God!

It is drizzling today, but the heat is very oppressive. The talk drifted on to the orphanage at the Sevasrama and the education of the boys. Swami: “The country has taken up the idea of the Sevasrama. Don’t you see how many Sevasamitis are being started? Now we can stand by and let the thing be in the background. I had a talk about this with Swami Saradananda. We have not as yet been able to do anything in the field of education. This work should be taken up now.”

“Well, I don’t find really capable men. There are so many graduates now, but one vainly looks for that spirit in them. I am not for any sweeping remark, but the majority are a bit wayward. 18 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Do you know X? When I was lying seriously ill at the Holy Mother’s place in Calcutta, I used to have long discussions with him. He would say, ‘Let us first find out the truth through contemplation, and then we shall work.’

“Everybody says he would practise meditation and Japa. But does he really do that? And is this the only way to realization? To be in the Order and not accept its creed is very bad. One must see what the creed is. They would take all the advantages of the Mission but won’t accept its creed. The spirit of Swamiji—that he would be born a hundred times simply to serve others—this is the creed of the Mission, which they should by all means accept. Otherwise, why should they be in it? Are there not lots of monks? Let them beg their food and meditate.”

The Swami was seated in the verandah surrounded by Brahmacharins and Sannyasins. Swami: “With whatever evil tendencies one may come, one is sure to improve in holy company. As when you go to a scent shop, the scent will enter your nostrils, whether you will it or not. Well, people are not often inclined to associate with holy persons, and few have the capacity to do so. Sri Ramakrishna would be talking and the devotees listening, but their companions would whisper, ‘Well, let us go, how long will you be listening?’ The devotees, of course, would have no inclination to leave, and their friends would say in exasperation, ‘You remain here, we shall be waiting in the boat.’ How beautifully would Sri Ramakrishna describe this!”

18 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Do you know X? When I was lying seriously ill at the Holy Mother’s place in Calcutta, I used to have long discussions with him. He would say, ‘Let us first find out the truth through contemplation, and then we shall work.’

“Everybody says he would practise meditation and Japa. But does he really do that?

And is this the only way to realization? To be in the Order and not accept its creed is very bad. One must see what the creed is.

They would take all the advantages of the Mission but won’t accept its creed. The spirit of Swamiji—that he would be born a hundred times simply to serve others—this is the creed of the Mission, which they should by all means accept. Otherwise why should they be in it? Are there not lots of monks? Let them beg their food and meditate.”

The Swami was seated in the verandah surrounded by Brahmacharins and Sannyasins.

Swami: “With whatever evil tendencies one may come, one is sure to improve in holy company. As when you go to an scent shop, the scent will enter your nostrils, whether you will it or not.

Well, people are not often inclined to associate with holy persons, and few have the capacity to do so.

Sri Ramakrishna would be talking and the devotees listening, but their companions would whisper, ‘Well, let us go, how long will you be listening?

The devotees, of course, would have no inclination to leave, and their friends would say in exasperation, ‘you remain here, we shall be waiting in the boat. How beautifully would Sri Ramakrishna describe this!

19 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Well, holy association is bound to produce good effects, for life only can communicate life. Nothing but a round body can give a round shadow. Life can give much more than writing can.

What a tremendous difference is there between reading and hearing a lecture! In writing, also, the more life one puts into it, the more effective it becomes.

Look at Swamiji’s writings and those of other Swamis. Personality is the chief thing.

It is only a handful of men who are directing this world—the rest follow like sheep.

On his return from his travels all the world over Swamiji remarked, ‘Democracy is a myth. Only a handful of men rule everywhere.

“A country goes to ruin when it fails to produce the right type of men for its task. Ours is a religious country. She has all along been producing saints. Show me one period of her history when she has failed in this.

A single life has been inspiring thousands of people—and that for centuries! Look at Nanak. Look at Kabir. See how long Tulsidas has been swaying this part of the country (United Provinces).

‘‘Today a lady came to me who has recently been widowed. I had a talk with her about Sri Ramakrishna. Her people had invited Swami Premananda to their place. Her husband’s brother is a graduate who is conducting a school in his village. He is an honorary worker.

A new spirit has come into the country. It will take time, it is true, but undoubtedly there is a stir all over the land. Formerly there was not the boldness of speech that we meet with now.”

20 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “It is very difficult to get rid of bad influences, if once they have a hold on the mind. If the youths are convinced of the utility of chastity and the evils of its opposite, they may afterwards marry and turn out decent citizens. Those who are spiritually bent are free from temptation, for chastity is the bed-rock of spirituality. Unless one is chaste, the mind is never steady. ‘The body is formed of the elements and is swayed by thought. If the mind-stuff is disturbed the elements are destroyed. Therefore it should be carefully protected. A steady mind-stuff only can give rise to a bright understanding.’ The best element in our body is preserved by chastity. If there is no chastity the mind-stuff becomes unsteady. Then the image of the Chosen Deity (Ishta) is no more clearly reflected in it. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘If the coating of mercury is all right, then the mirror gives a perfect image but if there is any break, the image is defective.’

What is the mind-stuff? It is that which gives rise to thought—where the first impression is received. So it is clear that if the very source of thought is agitated, meditation is out of the question. We simply go on reading ‘mind-stuff (Chitta), mind, intellect,’ but which is which, one has to understand by diving deep into the interior. It is difficult to escape if the mind-stuff has already received bad impressions. Hence the Lord says in the Gita: ‘Therefore, O Arjuna, first control the organs and kill the wicked lust, which destroys both Knowledge and Realization.’ Look at the immensity of the evil!”

21 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

‘If the mind, which is outgoing in its activities, is ever so slightly deflected from the Ideal, it goes down and down, even as a playball inadvertently dropped at the head of a staircase goes down bumping from one step to another! How it goes down, and down, till it reaches the extreme limit of the fall!

Q: “Does one attain to the knowledge of Brahman by practising chastity for twelve years at a stretch?

Swami: “Undoubtedly. Through the power of Ojas the knowledge of Brahman unfolds itself. The Knowledge already exists, we have only to unfold it.

If you can maintain your chastity for twelve years, the mind gets steady, with the result that the Knowledge unfolds itself.

What power but this helped Swamiji to revolutionize the world! About Keshab Chandra Sen Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘Had Keshab renounced the world, he could have done much more work.

“Swamiji used to tell us, ‘Do you think I only lecture? I know I give them something solid, and they know they receive something solid.

In New York Swamiji was lecturing to a class. Oh, the tremendous effect of it! K. said that while listening to the lecture he felt as if some force was drawing the Kundalini up, as at the time of meditation. After the lecture was finished (it took an hour) K. announced that he would hold a question class. Most of the audience had gone after Swamiji’s lecture.

Swamiji rebuked K—saying, A question-class after this! Do you want to spoil the effect of my lecture?’

Just see! Oh, what a Power Sri Ramakrishna left for the world in Swamiji! Hasn’t he changed the very thought-current of the world? Think of the strength of one whom nothing could attract.

22 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Once a monk frankly told me that for eighteen years he had been grinding Vedanta, but was not yet above the temptation of sex. His mind had evidently imbibed some impressions. To root out impressions is an uphill task. But if one has the determination to say, “What if I have once done something wrong? Now I know what it is; so I won’t do it any more,” then one can get through. About monks Swamiji used to say, a Sadhu can have all his faults forgiven, but unchastity is unpardonable. He must be strictly continent.

Swamiji moved amongst ladies—beautiful, rich, and gifted—but none could attract him. Rather he attracted them to himself. Can you conceive it?

A householder devotee once had a nice experience. He had drunk freely and was very excited. He stopped his carriage before a house of ill fame and went up the stairs. At the head of the staircase before the door he found Sri Ramakrishna standing! He fled in shame. Unless God saves us, there is no way out. Blessed are those who have no evil impressions upon their minds—whom He protects. They alone are saved. None can escape from this by personal exertions. But then Sri Ramakrishna used to say, “If you are sincere, Mother will set everything right. There must be sincerity—it won’t do to profess one thing and meditate on another. You may pass for an honest man before others, but you cannot hoodwink yourself. You are your own witness. So, if you pray to the Lord with your whole heart, He cannot but listen—take my word for it. But you must not be a hypocrite.” Swamiji used to say, “Such a man allows himself to fall into the trap and then laments his fate.” What’s the use of weeping after the deed is done? Say like a hero, “I won’t do it anymore!” Then only will the Lord come to your help.

23 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“There is no creature more despicable than a person subject to passion. To what indignities he puts himself! Thank your stars that you have escaped its influence. Even men of light and leading give way to it. There is a story of a king who was very henpecked. One day a friend touched on this weak point of his, and from that time he tried to correct himself. He came to his inner apartments, but talked little with the queen except on important matters. He was very grave. The queen understood everything. The king was taking his meal, and the queen’s pet cat was nibbling at his plate. He was trying to drive the animal but it would not keep away. The queen thereupon tauntingly reminded him that the animal had enough indulgence already, and was not to be beaten off now. One cannot remove a pest that has already got indulgence. One must hold the reins tight in one’s own hand, and never relax them. Otherwise the case is hopeless.”

24 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Swamiji used to say, ‘Ready to attach and ready to detach any minute!’ We take up a work and get attached to it—we cannot detach ourselves from it. But this should not be. We must have the power to give up at will—to leave everything behind, for nothing is really ours. Look at Sri Ramakrishna. Hriday was ordered to clear out of Dakshineswar. The Durwan came and said to Sri Ramakrishna, ‘You will have to leave this place.’ ‘What do you mean? It is not I, but Hriday,’ replied Sri Ramakrishna. The man said, ‘No, my master has ordered that both of you should go.’ This decided the question. He put on his slippers and moved towards the gate. Trailokya Babu saw this from the concert room, ran and fell at his feet, saying, ‘Sir, why are you going? I have not asked you to quit.’ Without speaking a word Sri Ramakrishna came back. Just see, there was not a bit of animus in his renunciation. And how we raise a dust over our deeds! Had we been in his place, we would surely have given the Babu a piece of our mind. But Sri Ramakrishna said nothing—he was as ready to go away as to return.

“He used to be shabbily dressed, so much so that one day a man mistook him for a gardener and ordered him to pluck a rose for him, which he immediately did. Sometime after, that very man came to know about his mistake and stammered out an apology. At this Sri Ramakrishna said that there was nothing wrong in it, as one asking for help should be assisted by all means! Isn’t it grand?”

25 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Again, look at Swamiji. He gave away everything not to his disciples but to his brother-disciples. Among the first trustees of the Math you will find only his brother disciples, and not one disciple. He used to live upon a private fund, for as he said, ‘I have given away everything.’ Once he wrote to me, ‘Now that I have given everything to you, I am at peace.’ What a wonderful man! You could have seen his influence, had you been to the West. He himself used to say, ‘My work will be more in the West; thence it will react on India.’

‘One day he was very much annoyed and said, ‘I see I have to conduct the whole music single-handed—to sing and play the instruments and do everything myself, with none to help me!’”

26 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Sri Ramakrishna knew a lot about things. Girish Babu once said to him, ‘You are my superior in every respect—even in wicked things.’

At this Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘No, no, it is not so. Here (meaning himself) there are no Samskaras.

There is a world of difference between knowing a thing by actual experience and leaming about it through study or observation.

Experience leaves impressions on the mind which it is very difficult to get rid of. This is not the case with knowledge through study or observation.

The Swami was talking to a boy; he asked him: “You practise meditation, don’t you? Meditation can be on divine forms as well as on OM. As one goes on meditating, the mind gets absorbed in Om. As one goes on ‘repeating Om and reflecting on its meaning, the mind becomes steady.

‘Through surrender to God all the obstructions to the concentration of the mind are destroyed and one realizes one’s Self.

“Then Patanjali says about the obstructions to Yoga. What are those distracting influences? They are as follows:

One may get diseased. Either one becomes mad or has some serious illness that prevents any further progress. Lassitude is inaction of the mind or torpidity.

Doubt is cogitating whether a thing is of this kind or that—whether a particular course of action will produce the desired results or not.

Not doing that which will leads to Samadhi or Yoga is inadvertence.

Laziness is the want of proper care or exertion owing to an excess of Tamas or dullness. Attachment is attraction for sense-objects.

Delusion is mistaking one thing for another.

Not reaching the higher states of Samadhi is what is called non-attaining of heights.

There is one more, viz. the inability to stay on in a particular state of Samadhi already attained.

These disturb the mind and prevent Yoga.

All these obstructions are removed if one meditates on Om.

27 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

A man may not at all be disposed to meditate! “When one suffers from biliousness, even sugar-candy tastes bitter. But meditation alone is the remedy for it. If one regularly uses it, the disease will disappear and the sugar-candy also will taste sweet. Similarly with the name of God. If a man under nescience repeats it every day, even as a medicine, in time it becomes sweet. The trouble will go and he will also be able to taste the sweetness of the Lord’s name. It will destroy the very roots of the disease of nescience. Therefore one should practise repeating it even against one’s wishes. He who gives it up is lost. The Gita says, ‘The mind, O Arjuna, can be controlled by practice and non-attachment.’ It also says, ‘One should slowly withdraw one’s mind from sense-objects through patient discrimination. Fixing the mind on the Self, one must no more think of anything else.’

“The author of the Yoga-Sutras says, ‘By carefully persisting in practice, for long and without intermission, the concentration becomes steady.’”

28 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Power of concentration

We must attain to a steady concentration. The young plant needs to be hedged round, but when the tree is big, it requires protection no more. We must have steadfastness to the ideal.

As soon as we decide that a certain course is right, we must resolve to give up our life for it. We must have a strong will.

‘O Arjuna, a determined will is one, but people of unsettled minds have innumerable varying ideas.’

We must decide on a particular course and devote our whole life to it.

—‘From continence comes strength.’ We must make ourselves fit. Before taking up any work, make yourself fit for it. Because Ramamurti has stopped a running motor car, would it be proper on my part to try to do so? It would be foolish. But it is not an altogether impossible feat. If one watches how he does it, and makes oneself gradually fit, then one can do it, as Gobar is doing

29 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Self-confidence—most people do not know their own strength. It was Jambavan who roused the power of Hanuman. Angada asked the monkeys as to which of them would be able to cross the sea for the sake of Rama and return after finishing his work. Someone said he could go but not return. Then Jambavan said, “Here is one who can both go and return.” Then he narrated the valiant deeds of Hanuman—how immediately after his birth he had jumped to the sun to catch it. This had the effect of rousing Hanuman’s self-confidence. He started on his aerial journey. On the way, Surama, assuming the shape of a serpent, confronted him and said, “Pass through my mouth before you go.” Hanuman first saluted her and said, “Now I am going on Rama’s errand. Let me finish it first. On my return I shall pass through your mouth.”

See how courteous he was—the line of least resistance. Surama said, “No, you must do it now.” Hanuman was in a fix. He increased his bulk, but Surama, too, did the same. Each vied with the other in increasing the stature. Finding it was of no use, Hanuman suddenly contracted his body to a tiny size and passed through.

30 April 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The best servant is he who acts in anticipation of his master’s wish; he who acts after the orders are issued is the mediocre servant; and the worst servant is he who gets the order but neglects to carry it out. Couriers were being sent out in search of Sita. Everyone started. But Hanuman, before leaving, asked for credentials. From this Rama understood that he would succeed. He whispered to him the required message. Reaching Lanka, Hanuman gave ample proof of his bravery by humiliating Ravana.

Books on Yoga say that all power is in us. We must control the mind through proper discipline; then only will its powers be manifested. For the accumulation of spiritual power, absolute continence is needed.

1 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

It is very difficult to be a disciple. Haven’t you heard the story?

A man wanted to be a disciple. He went to a Guru and said, “Sir, make me a disciple.”

The Guru replied, “Will you be able to be one? A disciple has to draw water, fetch wood, and serve the teacher. Will you be able to do all this?”

Then the man said, “And what has the Guru to do?”

The teacher replied, “Not much to speak of. He sits at ease and now and then gives a little instruction. That’s all.”

Then the man said, “If you think it difficult for me to be a disciple, why don’t you make me a Guru instead?”

How funny—everybody wants to reap the harvest without sowing the seed. The fit man overcomes his defects bit by bit. If you try to do it all of a sudden, you won’t succeed, for they will persist. Therefore one should withdraw the mind slowly. 2 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“‘There the sun does not shine, nor the moon, nor stars, nor even lightning. The fire is nowhere. It shining, everything else shines. Through its lustre all this is shining.’

We have mixed up the subject and the object. They can be separated. I am the subject—not the object. The whole universe up to Buddhi (intellect) falls under the category of the object.—‘There being no further cause, the First Cause is uncaused.’

How much must they have thought who first discovered these truths!

“Discrimination must be thorough, or it is of no use. Children often say, ‘Heaven bear witness!’ What a funny idea! They have picked up the phrase from someone. They do not reason on the idea, they just say it.”

2 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“‘There the sun does not shine, nor the moon, nor stars, nor even lightning. The fire is nowhere. It shining, everything else shines. Through its lustre all this is shining.’

We have mixed up the subject and the object. They can be separated. I am the subject—not the object. The whole universe up to Buddhi (intellect) falls under the category of the object.—‘There being no further cause, the First Cause is uncaused.’

How much must they have thought who first discovered these truths!

“Discrimination must be thorough, or it is of no use. Children often say, ‘Heaven bear witness!’ What a funny idea! They have picked up the phrase from someone. They do not reason on the idea, they just say it.

3 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“As a bird flies to the sky with its two wings, so we must have the two wings of discrimination and renunciation to climb to the edifice of Liberation. If one has real discrimination and renunciation, one is safe. A man runs after water in a mirage only so long as he mistakes the mirage for real water. Once the delusion is broken, nobody goes after a mirage for water. The truth is that he only escapes whom the Mother Herself holds by the hand. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, a finger-print is clear when the ink is all right, and if it is bad the impression also is bad. Spiritual instructions make a lasting impression on the mind that possesses discrimination and renunciation, and when there is a deficiency in these the impression produced is proportionately small.”

4 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Alluding to spiritual exercises such as concentration and meditation the Swami said: When the mind is withdrawn from all other objects except one and fixed on the latter, then the succession of similar impressions on that object is called meditation.

And, as Swami Vivekananda used to say, ‘Fixing the mind on some particular object like a lump of dough is called concentration.

“Nothing drops from the skies all of a sudden. Why don’t all have concentration? Because they don’t fulfil the conditions necessary for it, viz. absolute continence. This is known as strength.

What can you expect of one who lacks this strength? The long and short of it is that one must have full self-control.

The Gita says: ‘In My opinion, Yoga is impossible for one who has no self-control. But one who has controlled his senses may, if he tries, get at it by adopting the proper means.’

“People follow their own whims and fail to get good results. The scriptures are there, but they won’t look into them. Nor would they listen to the teacher. In the end they become unfit for Yoga.

‘One who is moderate in food and pastime, in his effort for work, and in sleep and wakefulness—for such a man Yoga puts an end to all miseries.’ “If one has some disease, it will pass off; but one must keep his spiritual practices going.”

5 May 2022

The Gita says: “In My opinion, Yoga is impossible for one who has no self-control. But one who has controlled his senses may, if he tries, get at it by adopting the proper means.” People follow their own whims and fail to get good results. The scriptures are there, but they won’t look into them. Nor would they listen to the teacher. In the end they become unfit for Yoga. “One who is moderate in food and pastime, in his effort for work, and in sleep and wakefulness—for such a man Yoga puts an end to all miseries.” If one has some disease, it will pass off; but one must keep his spiritual practices going.

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami (Singing): “‘Everything depends on Thy will, Mother, Thou actest as Thou pleasest.’ Nowadays I am intensely liking this idea. This idea appeals to me more and more as days pass by. Good and evil—Thou art both. Through Thy will they come to pass. The Lord has good work done by those whom He will raise, and again, bad work by others whom He will degrade. ‘Thou makest the lame scale mountains and the elephant stick in a quagmire.’ The mind—poor thing!—is not to blame. Kali is the juggler’s daughter that makes it dance as She pleases. There is a relief in the thought itself, that behind all this there is a Power which guides everything. But the rationalists won’t admit this view. They will say, ‘Can an effect be produced without a cause?’ But the other party will reply, ‘He is the Cause of all causes.’ Formerly I, too, would not admit this and had heated discussions over it with Swami Adbhutananda in particular.

6 May 2022

I used to say, “If God acts according to His sweet will, He becomes a despot. Is He an autocrat like the Czar of all Russia? He is just, merciful and benign.” Swami Adbhutananda would reply: “Well, it is good that you are thus defending your God against all blemish.” It is excellent. What a nice answer! He spoke from the suprarational standpoint. But from the rationalistic standpoint it is open to much criticism. It strikes at the root of free-will. So long as one has only theoretical knowledge, such a view is dangerous. One really qualified to take that standpoint never takes a wrong step. In my boyhood, when I saw a puppetshow and heard a puppet scream, I thought that it actually made that sound. The puppets seemed to move of their own accord. But later on I was disillusioned to find that someone pulled the wires from behind the screens.

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

7 May 2022

Nowadays the theory of Mahamaya, or a Universal Force directing everything, appeals to me very much. I haven’t got words to tell you how I like it. It is because the mind has accepted the truth of it. Swamiji also in his later days used to have great faith in Mahamaya. To be like an automaton in Her hands is easier said than done. If we submit to Her, She never fails to protect us. With the advance of age there comes a time when we naturally resign ourselves to the Divine Mother.

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda) 07/05/2022

Bhagavad Gita class will start in 15 minutes.

8 May 2022. Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “The idea of the millennium, even though it may never be fulfilled, is commendable.”

Devotee: “Sir, everyone says that women lead to hell and so forth. But had they written books, they would also have painted men exactly in the same colours.”

Swami: “They are doing it! Don’t you see how they are giving tit for tat in the West? The scriptures have not condemned women as a whole. They have distinguished between higher and lower types of women. Sri Ramakrishna also used to speak in the same way. The woman who always drags a man towards sense-gratification is of the lower type, while she who helps a man Godward is of the higher type. The strictures of the Sastras are on the former class of women. You certainly do not praise one who is always dragging another towards sense-gratification. Therefore the Sastras advise aspirants to keep away from such women, even from those who associate with them.”

9 May 2022. Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Don’t you notice the great influence of association? When we were at school, some boys while returning home used to enter an opium-smokers’ den and try to pose as drunkards. Opium-smokers, you know, have a dread for drunkards. One of the boys, however, in so doing, himself turned into a confirmed opium-smoker! See the dreadful consequences!

“Impressions, once formed, are most difficult to root out. Sometimes they even work in the form of somnambulism. Swamiji once described the marvellous workings of this state. He cited an instance of a Western woman who in sleep used to open graves, take away things and put them under her bed. On waking she remembered nothing of all this.

“In Calcutta, a young man of character, learning, and intelligence set himself to reforming women of ill-fame. A girl unfolded to him her tale of woe, which moved his heart. He then became inextricably attached to her. One must not be too bold, for there is always a chance of danger.”

10 May 2022. Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“I know of another incident which is very wonderful. It is not a piece of information picked up from books—I was an eye-witness to it. A Bengalee graduate, a monk, of great renunciation, was a class-friend of Swamiji, through whom we came to know this monk. He prided himself on being a perfect master of his senses. He used to beg money for lepers and for people ailing from foul diseases, and serve them. He used to say to us: Swamiji is the only one amongst you who has got brains.”

8 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “The idea of the millennium, even though it may never be fulfilled, is commendable.”

Devotee: “Sir, everyone says that women lead to hell and so forth. But had they written books, they would also have painted men exactly in the same colours.”

Swami: “They are doing it! Don’t you see how they are giving tit for tat in the West? The scriptures have not condemned women as a whole. They have distinguished between higher and lower types of women. Sri Ramakrishna also used to speak in the same way. The woman who always drags a man towards sense-gratification is of the lower type, while she who helps a man Godward is of the higher type. The strictures of the Sastras are on the former class of women. You certainly do not praise one who is always dragging another towards sense-gratification. Therefore the Sastras advise aspirants to keep away from such women, even from those who associate with them.”

9 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Don’t you notice the great influence of association? When we were at school, some boys while returning home used to enter an opium-smokers’ den and try to pose as drunkards. Opium-smokers, you know, have a dread for drunkards. One of the boys, however, in so doing, himself turned into a confirmed opium-smoker! See the dreadful consequences!

“Impressions, once formed, are most difficult to root out. Sometimes they even work in the form of somnambulism. Swamiji once described the marvellous workings of this state. He cited an instance of a Western woman who in sleep used to open graves, take away things and put them under her bed. On waking she remembered nothing of all this.

“In Calcutta, a young man of character, learning, and intelligence set himself to reforming women of ill-fame. A girl unfolded to him her tale of woe, which moved his heart. He then became inextricably attached to her. One must not be too bold, for there is always a chance of danger.”

10 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “Swamiji used to bring with him all sorts of people to Sri Ramakrishna. At this the Master would say: ‘What worthless people do you bring—one-eyed, lame, and so forth? You don’t know good people from bad people—don’t bring anyone and everyone.’ Swamiji always used to help the weak. He would say: ‘The weaker the man, the more help should he get. If a Brahmana boy needs one teacher, engage four such for a Pariah.’ What a grand statement! Once Sri Ramakrishna was very angry with a lady devotee. He asked all of us not to go to her house or eat from her hands. He also asked her not to come to Dakshineswar. Against this serious injunction of his, who would dare visit her house? Swamiji, however, said to Swami Shivananda one day, ‘Come, let us have a walk.’ In the course of the walk he came to the lady’s house and wanted something to eat. The lady was beside herself with joy and fed him heartily. After this Swamiji went to Sri Ramakrishna and told him what he had done. Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘Well, I forbade you and yet you went there and ate!’ Swamiji replied, ‘Well, what harm was there? I have also invited her to come here.”

11 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Once Swamiji importuned Sri Ramakrishna for the sake of Hazra. The Master was then at Cossipore. Swamiji would not leave him—his persistent demand was, ‘You must do something for him—must bless him.’ Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘He will have nothing now, but he will have it at the time of death.’ It actually came to pass. Swamiji was a believer at heart in grace and things of that sort. L. (Latu Maharaj) used to fall asleep early, and once Sri Ramakrishna was very much vexed at it. He wanted to remove him from Dakshineswar. But Swamiji interceded and the matter ended peacefully. It was for this reason that L. used to say, ‘If anyone is really a brother-disciple, it is Vivekananda.’ Once a boy came to the Math to stay. Everyone was against it. Swamiji said, ‘Sri Ramakrishna could read a man’s heart, so his opinion as to admitting a man or otherwise used to be correct. But I have not this power. So I am prepared to give a chance to all. If you, like Sri Ramakrishna, know how to read one’s mind, well, you may decline to admit the boy.’ Then he asked everyone his opinion on the matter. When my turn came I said: ‘I have marked this well that none can live here whom Sri Ramakrishna does not like to have. Those who are to stay will stick, and those who are not, will go away.’ At this Swamiji remarked: ‘Well said. It is an excellent plan.’ The boy was admitted but left after a few days.”

12 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Once Swamiji importuned Sri Ramakrishna for the sake of Hazra. The Master was then at Cossipore. Swamiji would not leave him—his persistent demand was, ‘You must do something for him—must bless him.’ Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘He will have nothing now, but he will have it at the time of death.’ It actually came to pass. Swamiji was a believer at heart in grace and things of that sort.

L. (Latu Maharaj) used to fall asleep early, and once Sri Ramakrishna was very much vexed at it. He wanted to remove him from Dakshineswar. But Swamiji interceded and the matter ended peacefully. It was for this reason that L. used to say, ‘If anyone is really a brother-disciple, it is Vivekananda.’

Once a boy came to the Math to stay. Everyone was against it. Swamiji said, ‘Sri Ramakrishna could read a man’s heart, so his opinion as to admitting a man or otherwise used to be correct. But I have not this power. So I am prepared to give a chance to all. If you, like Sri Ramakrishna, know how to read one’s mind, well, you may decline to admit the boy.’ Then he asked everyone his opinion on the matter. When my turn came I said: ‘I have marked this well that none can live here whom Sri Ramakrishna does not like to have. Those who are to stay will stick, and those who are not, will go away.’ At this Swamiji remarked: ‘Well said. It is an excellent plan.’ The boy was admitted but left after a few days.”

13 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Even men like Girish Babu had a place with Sri Ramakrishna, who could fit in with everybody. But what we do is to try to mould all according to our own ideas. Whereas he used to take everybody where he was and push him forward. He never disappointed anybody by failing in the attempt to mould him according to his own light. He had a distinct relation with each devotee and maintained that throughout. Through humour he would teach them a good deal. Ah, what a teacher he was! Where can one get a teacher like him? Swamiji, too, was a great humourist. One day I was working with a knife when its tip broke, and I was sad. Seeing this Swamiji said: ‘Well, a knife has always an end like that. It certainly won’t have an attack of cholera or typhoid!’ At this I laughed out. Didn’t he put it beautifully? When a mother teaches her child, how deep the impression is! Though she does not give out that she is teaching, by her words alone the best teaching is imparted. Well, there is that great love behind. A teacher should put himself in line with the mentality of the pupil. Then only will the instruction be effective.”

14 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swamiji also once transmitted faith in God into Kidi’s mind by a touch. Kidi was a great agnostic before that. “Swamiji really had the power to help others. He had no jealousy. But that’s where we are put into difficulties. We are always afraid lest anybody tops over us. But he was too great for that sort of fear. He had not the least bit of jealousy. He used to say: ‘Help everyone forward from where he is, and if you can, supply his particular deficiency. But if you can’t, don’t try to drag him to your own level.’ How wonderfully Sri Ramakrishna taught each man so as to remove his particular wants! He used to illustrate it saying: a mother has made various curries out of a fish. She doesn’t give all her boys the same thing. She gives to each what would exactly suit his stomach. The Master followed this in practice also.”

15 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda) 15/05/2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Swami Yogananda once heard reproaches against Sri Ramakrishna. He pocketed the affront and reported the matter to the Master. Hearing this the Master said, ‘They abused me and you kept quiet’! And he rebuked the Swami. Again, sometime after this event, one day Swami Niranjanananda was coming to Dakshineswar by boat. A number of people in it were criticizing Sri Ramakrishna. The Swami was exceptionally strong. He at once came out of the cabin and placing his legs across began to roll the boat saying: ‘You are abusing Sri Ramakrishna. I shall now sink this boat. I would like to see who dares to oppose me’. They were all frightened, and begged him to stop. When Sri Ramakrishna heard this he said: ‘You fool, if they abused me, what was that to you? Let everybody say what he likes, what matters it to you?’

“You see the fun! The teaching was different, according to the recipient’s need. Where can you find a teacher like him?”

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “Everything is hypnotism—the play of Maya. Have you seen hypnotic performances? A man under hypnotic spell swims on land if he is given the suggestion. The Divine Enchantress (Mahamaya) has hypnotized us all. Vidya Maya and Avidya Maya (leading respectively to knowledge and ignorance) are both hypnotism. We have to destroy the one with the help of the other, for knowledge is the opposite of ignorance. You know Swamiji’s story. A jackal ate a part of a Mohammedan’s food. Now the jackal is considered very unholy among the Mohammedans. The man went to a Mullah and sought his advice on the point. The Mullah said, ‘Dogs are the enemies of jackals. So if you can have the food eaten by a dog, then it will become pure again.’ (Laughter.)

One has to destroy Avidya by Vidya—ignorance by knowledge.”

Question: “Is something else needed to destroy Vidya again?”

Swami: “No. Vidya leads a man to the Reality and itself ceases to be. Don’t you remember Sri Ramakrishna’s parable of the three robbers?”

A man was attacked in a forest by three robbers who seized all he had. One of them wanted to kill him, but another interposed. So they tied his hands and feet and left him. Shortly after, the third robber came, and setting him free, conducted him to the high road, within sight of his house. Out of gratitude the man wanted to invite him to his house, but the kind robber declined, saying that he would then be caught by the police. The Master compared the three Gunas—Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva—to these three robbers respectively. Tamas kills, Rajas binds, and Sattva sets free. But it too is a robber—it cannot stand before Realization. Here Vidya represents the Sattva.

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “There is a mention of the Uttarayana in the Mahabharata. Bhishma was waiting for the Uttarayana. By this no particular time is meant. It only shows that Bhishma had the power to die whenever he chose.”

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

16 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Swami Yogananda once heard reproaches against Sri Ramakrishna. He pocketed the affront and reported the matter to the Master. Hearing this, the Master said, ‘They abused me and you kept quiet’! And he rebuked the Swami.

“Again, sometime after this event, one day Swami Niranjanananda was coming to Dakshineswar by boat. A number of people in it were criticizing Sri Ramakrishna. The Swami was exceptionally strong. He at once came out of the cabin and, placing his legs across, began to roll the boat, saying: ‘You are abusing Sri Ramakrishna. I shall now sink this boat. I would like to see who dares to oppose me’. They were all frightened and begged him to stop. When Sri Ramakrishna heard this, he said: ‘You fool, if they abused me, what was that to you? Let everybody say what he likes; what matters it to you?’

“You see the fun! The teaching was different, according to the recipient’s need. Where can you find a teacher like him?”

17 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “Everything is hypnotism—the play of Maya. Have you seen hypnotic performances? A man under hypnotic spell swims on land if he is given the suggestion. The Divine Enchantress (Mahamaya) has hypnotized us all. Vidya Maya and Avidya Maya (leading respectively to knowledge and ignorance) are both hypnotism. We have to destroy the one with the help of the other, for knowledge is the opposite of ignorance. You know Swamiji’s story: A jackal ate a part of a Mohammedan’s food. Now, the jackal is considered very unholy among the Mohammedans. The man went to a Mullah and sought his advice on the point. The Mullah said, ‘Dogs are the enemies of jackals. So, if you can have the food eaten by a dog, then it will become pure again.’ (Laughter.)

One has to destroy Avidya by Vidya—ignorance by knowledge.”

Question: “Is something else needed to destroy Vidya again?”

Swami: “No. Vidya leads a man to the Reality and itself ceases to be. Don’t you remember Sri Ramakrishna’s parable of the three robbers?”

A man was attacked in a forest by three robbers who seized all he had. One of them wanted to kill him, but another interposed. So, they tied his hands and feet and left him. Shortly after, the third robber came and, setting him free, conducted him to the high road, within sight of his house. Out of gratitude, the man wanted to invite him to his house, but the kind robber declined, saying that he would then be caught by the police. The Master compared the three Gunas—Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva—to these three robbers respectively. Tamas kills, Rajas binds, and Sattva sets free. But it too is a robber—it cannot stand before Realization. Here, Vidya represents the Sattva.

18 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “There is a mention of the Uttarayana in the Mahabharata. Bhishma was waiting for the Uttarayana.

By this no particular time is meant. It only shows that Bhishma had the power to die whenever he chose.

The scriptures do not mean by the word Uttarayana any time at all—it only means the Deva or deity identifying himself with that time. We can well understand this. It is like people coming forward to receive a distinguished visitor.

I am reminded of an incident in this connection.

“B. got news that his father was ill. Before he reached the place, the gentleman had expired. As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw a shining figure”.

He wrote to me that first he thought that perhaps it was his father waiting to meet him. But suddenly the idea flashed to his mind that it might be some angel come there to escort the departing soul.

B. of course won’t tell an untruth; he is not the man to do so.

Besides, we can very well understand such things as the following statement of the Gita: ‘Fools do not perceive when the soul departs from the body, or lives in it, or enjoys things through the help of the Gunas. But wise men see it all the time.’

“Swamiji used to say, ‘He who has seen even a ghost is much greater than a mere book-learned Pundit’—because he has got an opportunity to form a conviction about the future life.”

19 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The scriptures do not mean by the word Uttarayana any time at all—it only means the Deva or deity identifying himself with that time. We can well understand this. It is like people coming forward to receive a distinguished visitor.

I am reminded of an incident in this connection. B. got news that his father was ill. Before he reached the place, the gentleman had expired. As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw a shining figure. He wrote to me that first he thought that perhaps it was his father waiting to meet him. But suddenly the idea flashed to his mind that it might be some angel come there to escort the departing soul. B. of course won’t tell an untruth; he is not the man to do so. Besides, we can very well understand such things as the following statement of the Gita: “Fools do not perceive when the soul departs from the body, or lives in it, or enjoys things through the help of the Gunas. But wise men see it all the time.”

Swamiji used to say, “He who has seen even a ghost is much greater than a mere book-learned Pundit”—because he has got an opportunity to form a conviction about the future life.

Swami: “When I was dining today it at once struck me that bread won’t agree with me, still I took it. Just see the fun of it! We know that a certain course of action is wrong, but we do it all the same. Such is the magic spell of the Divine Mother! Again, a certain action appeals to us while performing it. Haven’t you heard that story—‘It is beginning to taste nice as I eat it?’

A son who had returned home from service was taking his food. The old mother had cooked many things for him. The son said: ‘Oh, mother, what’s this that you have cooked? It is simply horrible!’ At this moment his wife came in and said: ‘What do you mean? Well, it’s all my cooking!’ ‘Indeed!’ exclaimed the startled young man. Then after a while he said, ‘Ah, it begins to taste nice as I eat it!’ (Laughter.)

Nothing really is of any use in the world—people only go madly hither and thither in search of things in the fond hope of getting them. There lived a courtesan in the kingdom of Janaka. One night she—poor woman—was waiting in suspense hoping that someone or other would pay her a visit. When it was about two o’clock and no one turned up, she gave up all expectation. She said to herself: ‘There is no other more unfortunate woman in this whole kingdom than myself. Alas, what tortures have I not suffered, deluded by hope! Enough! Let me now go and retire.’ Saying this she retired for the night. An Avadhuta (itinerant monk) was nearby. He saw all this and said apostrophizing the woman: ‘You have given up all hope and are happily asleep. I bow to you. You are my teacher.’ Saying this he went away.

20 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Sir James Meston said about Hinduism: ‘‘Such a great storm (the Mohammedan conquest) blew over the Hindu Society, but how could it retain its individuality by absorbing all? Whence could such vitality come? The Mohammedans proselytized at the point of the sword, but still they could do nothing to injure it!

“Our relations are with Brahman. It is therefore quite in the fitness of things that we should possess vitality.

“I have received a letter from Babu x.

He wrote that to me when his son died. From his letter I could clearly see what the Gita meant by ‘that grief which shatters the senses. He is reading the Tantras now.

The Tantras are practical, while the Upanishads are theoretical.

In many respects the Tantras go ahead of the Upanishads.

For instance, you have the Upasana (meditation or worship) in the Tantras, which is very grand. Show me the man who has not recognized Sakti (the Lord’s Power).

21 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“The Tantras are practical, while the Upanishads are theoretical. In many respects the Tantras go ahead of the Upanishads. For instance, you have the Upasana (meditation or worship) in the Tantras, which is very grand. Show me the man who has not recognized Sakti (the Lord’s Power).”

“The Mahimna Stotra is the best of all hymns. I used to read it daily while at Kankhal. I also read Madhusudan’s commentary on it. There was a Gandharva called Pushpadanta who, treading on some flowers that had been offered to Siva, lost his power of going through the air. Then he chanted those verses and got back his power. It is a grand hymn.”

Someone informed the Swami that Chameli Puri, a celebrated monk living at Benares, had breathed his last.

Swami: “When?”

Someone: “Yesterday afternoon.”

Swami: “Do any of you know more details? He was very old too—108 years. For sixty years he lived in that very garden. How spirited he was! Because, as you know, he was a perfectly chaste man. I went to see him once. He was uttering, ‘Siva Kedar! Siva Kedar!’ What a tremendous strength was in that call! The death of such people is like a ripe fruit dropping off of itself from the tree. They don’t feel any pain. Well, I am fifty-four, and the world appears so old to me. But he was 108 years of age—just double that of mine—and how very old must the world have appeared to him! He must have known a lot of the old history of Benares. A— Babu looked after him for three or four years. He told me that when he had first gone to see the monk, the latter had said to him: ‘I am fasting the whole day. What has the Mother sent through you? Give it to me and I shall eat it.’ Ever since he supplied him with food. His assistant, a Pundit —, used to go to the monk’s place daily with food.”

22 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“There is another Sadhu here named Magni Baba, near the Asi Ghat. He too is very old. He has been living long at Benares. He is a Naishthika Brahmacharin, and a good scholar, but of the orthodox type. He got to that stage which is called in the scriptures Vidvat Sannyasa, when monasticism comes naturally to a man. He has great vitality in him, and gets rid of serious attacks of illness without much effort. Once he was seriously ill, which hampered his attending to all the duties of a Brahmacharin. Then he went to the bank of the Ganges and himself took the vow of Sannyasa according to the scriptural rites. I have seen him a number of times. He is always absorbed in contemplation, which perhaps has brought him the title of Magni Baba (‘the absorbed monk’). The orthodox attitude has both advantages and disadvantages.”

“I was reading about Hirananda’s life today, and liked it very much. He, too, was a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, and was much liked by the Master. During his last illness, Hirananda came from Sindh to see him. He brought some sweets and loose trousers for Sri Ramakrishna, who wore the trousers for a day. One day he set Hirananda to argue with Swamiji. The latter spoke from the standpoint of knowledge, while Hirananda spoke from the standpoint of devotion. He did not argue.”

23 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Noticing some birds moving in search of food on the lawn nearby, the Swami said: “They have got their young ones; so they are in search of food. How marvellous! They won’t eat the food themselves, but will take it to their young ones. Again, as soon as these are grown up a little, they will peck at them and drive them away. They are doing the Divine Mother’s work. See how She is having Her work done through them. ‘Thou dost Thy work, Mother; but people only lay claim to it.’”

“Animal bodies are for the experience of pleasure or pain only (the result of past work). No fresh work (Karma) can be done through them. When the present body is gone, animals will take on another body by drawing upon the storehouse of their past work (Sanchita Karma). Animals have no conscience, hence they have no merit or demerit. They have obviously got intelligence, but there it ends. Only men can do fresh work, because they have got a conscience. They only have got the idea of bondage, which other creatures have not. Only when there is the idea of bondage, can there be any real effort for Liberation. Don’t you see how a prisoner struggles for release? It is only when there is the idea that the world is a bondage, that a man can strive for Liberation. His failure to understand this takes him through the endless cycles of births and deaths.”

24 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“You, of course, know the story of a bird called Homa which Sri Ramakrishna used to relate. As soon as the young bird is hatched and has its eyes opened and sees that it is falling to the ground, it straightway flies up. Therein lies the way to safety. There are men also, who, as soon as they are conscious of their position, go straight up.”

“Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘The granny likes the play to go on.’ I said to him: ‘But what of that? Why should I play?’ He at once rebuked me saying: ‘Bah! How selfishly you talk! The whole bliss is in the continuance of the game. The granny dislikes those players who prefer to loiter about her. But she stretches forth her hand to one who after a vigorous play comes back to touch her. Haven’t you noticed how, in a game of dice, the expert player sometimes gives up an invulnerable position willingly? He plays again and by a few masterly throws gets back to his former position.’”

“I asked him if this was possible. He answered: ‘Yes, quite possible.’”

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

News came just then that the Holy Mother’s condition was gradually becoming critical. When the letter was read out to the Swami, he remained grave for a few minutes and then said: “Everything in this world has a dissolution. You won’t find anything in it that escapes this fate. Death is but another name for dissolution. The authors of our Sastras say that everything that has an origin must die. A thing, according to the sage Yaska, is born, exists, grows, attains maturity, decays, and dies. Whatever has a birth—every creature, and plant too—is subject to this sixfold transformation. Do you find any departure from this rule anywhere?

The authors of our Sastras have pronounced the last word on this as on other allied subjects. Their doctrine of reincarnation is very grand. The Christians have nothing corresponding to it. Their idea is that when a man dies and is buried, his soul lives for a long time in that grave. Then, on the Day of Judgment following the destruction of the world, Jesus Christ will take his seat on the right side of the Lord; the angels will take all the souls out of their graves. And those about whom Jesus will say, ‘I know them,’ will be sent to heaven, while those of whom he will deny any knowledge shall have eternal damnation. What a dreadful thing!

Many a lady in the West with naive faith feels very miserable if her child dies before baptism. For the Protestants believe that one who is not baptized is doomed to eternal damnation after death.

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The Roman Catholics have a place called the purgatory, through which, they believe, even the unbaptized souls can pass to heaven. How far Vedanta has saved the people of the West, well, they only know. About the doctrine of reincarnation they say that it is very logical, for there ought to be a chance for all. If one fails to attain the goal in a single birth, one can make up for it in the next, and so on. Here you have no idea what a revolution Swamiji has brought about in the world. He has changed the entire thought-current of the West. The New Thought movement had its rise and full play just after his preaching those doctrines. Western philosophy can bear no comparison with Hindu philosophy. Our sages declared long ago the final conclusions on the subject.

At Almora, the chief clergyman used to say: ‘The reason why we cannot make any impression on the Hindus is because of their philosophy. You can’t find anywhere a philosophy like that.’ The authors of our scriptures reached unity, beyond which, of course, there is no progress. The more people are learning to think, the more are they reluctant to accept the Bible. With Emerson there sprung a new sect in the West called the Unitarians. They, too, have a fine literature of their own. The Unitarians say, ‘If Jesus is the son of God, so are we.’ Well, the great war has shown which way the west is heading. Their only goal is enjoyment, and you know materialism can never lead to any permanent good.

25 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

News came just then that the Holy Mother’s condition was gradually becoming critical. When the letter was read out to the Swami, he remained grave for a few minutes and then said: “Everything in this world has a dissolution. You won’t find anything in it that escapes this fate. Death is but another name for dissolution. The authors of our Sastras say that everything that has an origin must die. A thing, according to the sage Yaska, is born, exists, grows, attains maturity, decays, and dies. Whatever has a birth—every creature, and plant too—is subject to this sixfold transformation. Do you find any departure from this rule anywhere?

The authors of our Sastras have pronounced the last word on this as on other allied subjects. Their doctrine of reincarnation is very grand. The Christians have nothing corresponding to it. Their idea is that when a man dies and is buried, his soul lives for a long time in that grave. Then, on the Day of Judgment following the destruction of the world, Jesus Christ will take his seat on the right side of the Lord; the angels will take all the souls out of their graves. And those about whom Jesus will say, ‘I know them,’ will be sent to heaven, while those of whom he will deny any knowledge shall have eternal damnation. What a dreadful thing!

Many a lady in the West with naive faith feels very miserable if her child dies before baptism. For the Protestants believe that one who is not baptized is doomed to eternal damnation after death.

26 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The Roman Catholics have a place called the purgatory, through which, they believe, even the unbaptized souls can pass to heaven. How far Vedanta has saved the people of the West, well, they only know.

About the doctrine of reincarnation they say that it is very logical, for there ought to be a chance for all. If one fails to attain the goal in a single birth, one can make up for it in the next, and so on. Here you have no idea what a revolution Swamiji has brought about in the world. He has changed the entire thought-current of the West. The New Thought movement had its rise and full play just after his preaching those doctrines. Western philosophy can bear no comparison with Hindu philosophy. Our sages declared long ago the final conclusions on the subject.

At Almora, the chief clergyman used to say: ‘The reason why we cannot make any impression on the Hindus is because of their philosophy. You can’t find anywhere a philosophy like that.’

The authors of our scriptures reached unity, beyond which, of course, there is no progress. The more people are learning to think, the more are they reluctant to accept the Bible. With Emerson there sprung a new sect in the West called the Unitarians. They, too, have a fine literature of their own. The Unitarians say, ‘If Jesus is the son of God, so are we.’ Well, the great war has shown which way the west is heading. Their only goal is enjoyment, and you know materialism can never lead to any permanent good. 27 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“How beautifully has Tulsidas expressed it: Where the Lord is, there is no desire; and where there is desire, there the Lord is not. Both can never co-exist, like light and darkness. In Bengal, too, there has recently grown up a party for combining Yoga and Bhoga—spirituality and materialism. …writer has no idea about Maya. The highest attainment of philosophy is the theory of Maya. People won’t study Sankara, but would criticize him! There are two quotations from the Gita in that letter, and both are misquoted. What a good deal of worthless stuff they circulate along with a little that is good! But the wonder is, they, too, have their appreciators among the people. To be frank, I cannot follow what they mean to say. Fools are not wanting who, without understanding a bit of Sankara, dare criticize him.

27 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“How beautifully has Tulsidas expressed it: Where the Lord is, there is no desire; and where there is desire, there the Lord is not. Both can never co-exist, like light and darkness. In Bengal, too, there has recently grown up a party for combining Yoga and Bhoga—spirituality and materialism. …writer has no idea about Maya. The highest attainment of philosophy is the theory of Maya. People won’t study Sankara, but would criticize him! There are two quotations from the Gita in that letter, and both are misquoted. What a good deal of worthless stuff they circulate along with a little that is good! But the wonder is, they, too, have their appreciators among the people. To be frank, I cannot follow what they mean to say. Fools are not wanting who, without understanding a bit of Sankara, dare criticize him.”

28 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Nowhere has Sankara said that we must all fly to the woods. He himself has done a world of good. Just study his life. We are all in the world, and where can we go, leaving it aside? But doing good to the world is not an end in itself. The world will remain as it is. As Sri Ramakrishna used to say, it is but a dog’s tail, which won’t straighten up. In trying to help the world, you help yourself—you realize your Freedom. Whenever Sankara has argued, he has silenced all his adversaries with the greatest ease. But he himself was a worshipper of Sakti, in whom he had perfect belief. His very hymns prove this. It requires the finest intellect to understand Sankara, and where this is wanting, you have only childish prattle.

29 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

News came this morning of the Holy Mother’s passing away. It cast a profound gloom upon the minds of all. The Swami also is in a reserved mood. He is, besides, indisposed, and has taken nothing till now. He has his usual audience in the room, but everyone is silent. The Swami broke the stillness with a Bengali song: “‘Listen, my mind, a whole load of guilt is on thy back—the legacy of thy evil actions.’ Sorrow everywhere! I am seriously thinking of discontinuing idle talk, and observing silence. Of what use is it to talk unless one can speak what one really thinks? Every day before our very eyes our term of life is wearing out, and youth is decaying. Days once past never return, and Time is eating up the universe. Fortune, too, is fickle like the play of ripples on the surface of the water, and life itself is brief like lightning. Therefore, O Lord, Thou refuge to all, protect me who have taken shelter at Thy feet, before it is too late. There was a rich man at Muttra, who was in the habit of entertaining any new Sadhu that came to the town. He would take him to his house and feed him with delicacies. When I went to Muttra, some Sadhus advised me to go to him, saying that there was a good arrangement for food. So I went to him. There were other Sadhus too. 29 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Today is the sacred Phalaharini-Kali Puja day. Phala Harini means one who eats up the results, the Karma-phalas, of all the karmas done in the worshipper’s past and present lives and grants him Mukti, liberation from Samsara. Puja or worship means complete self-surrender. On the night of 5th of June, 1872, Sri Ramakrishna worshipped Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and invoked the Divine Mother of the Universe in her. Here is the description.

(A.D. May 25, 1873) had elapsed. It was the new-moon day, the holy occasion for the worship of the Phalaharini Kali Devi. It was the day of a special festival at the Dakshineswar temple. The Master had made special preparations on that day with a view to worshipping the Mother of the universe. Having finished the nocturnal service and worship of Radha-Govinda, the first priest, Dinu, came to help the Master in the preparations. It was 9 p.m. when all the preparations for the mystery-worship of the Devi were completed. In the meantime, the Master had sent word to the Holy Mother to be present during the worship. She came to the room and the Master started the worship. The Master sprinkled consecrated water on the Holy Mother and worshipped her.

The Master beckoned to the Holy Mother to sit on the wooden seat decorated with Alimpana. While witnessing the worship, the Holy Mother had already entered into a divine semiconscious state. Not clearly conscious, therefore, of what she was doing, she, like one charmed with Mantras, sat facing north to the right of the Master, who was seated with his face to the east. According to scriptural injunctions, the Master sprinkled the Holy Mother repeatedly with the water purified by Mantras from the pitcher placed before him. He then uttered the Mantra in her hearing and then recited the prayer:

“O Lady, O Mother Tripurasundari, who art the controller of all powers, open the door to perfection; purify her (the Holy Mother’s) body and mind, manifest Thyself in her and be beneficent.”

Sri Ramakrishna went into Samadhi at the end of the worship. He offered Japa, worship, etc., at the feet of the Devi.

The Holy Mother also lost normal consciousness and went into Samadhi. The Master, too, uttering Mantras in the semiconscious state, entered into complete Samadhi. The worshipper in Samadhi became perfectly identified and united with the Devi in Samadhi. A long time passed. Returning to the semiconscious state again, he offered himself to the Devi. He now gave away for ever at the lotus feet of the Devi his all—the results of his Sadhanas, his rosary, etc.—along with his self, and saluted her, uttering the Mantras:

“O Thou, auspiciousness of all auspicious things, O doer of all actions, O refuge, O three-eyed One, O Thou fair-complexioned spouse of Siva, O Narayani, I bow down to Thee, I bow down to Thee.”

The worship was at an end. The Master’s Sadhana reached its culmination with the worship of the Ruler of the universe, the divine Mother in the body of a woman, the embodiment of spiritual knowledge itself; the god-man attained perfection in all respects.

30 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Everywhere you find selfishness, and nothing but that. Take, for instance, my own case. I say, and think too, that perhaps I am free from selfishness. But it is there, all the same. Great Lord!”

A Bengali youth, Vaisya by caste, has recently come to Benares, leaving home. He has put on the ochre cloth of his own accord. His mother is living. When he had asked her permission to renounce the world, she had told him that she only liked to see him happy, whatever path he chose. The youth has come to meet the Swami. Hearing all about him, the Swami said: “Vairagya is indeed a great thing. Your mother, too, does not oppose your inclinations. You are unmarried and have got very few ties in the world. You are young and healthy, and your physique, too, indicates self-control. Those who are sexually pure take some fifty years to root out the sex impulse; while those who have led an indifferent life take several lives to do it. It is such a difficult task!

You have put on the ochre cloth. So people of all the four castes will bow to you, and this means spiritual harm. Give up the ochre cloth. As for initiation, it must be taken from a very competent man; otherwise, it produces bad results. And what is initiation? Any name of the Lord that appeals to you, you may take up whole-heartedly, and that will serve the purpose. Pray to Him sincerely, and He will provide everything. It is because I feel interested in you that I advise you so particularly.”

31 May 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “The Gita is a splendid book. Though it is a Smriti, it is often classed among the Upanishads, for it contains all their essential teachings. Haven’t you noticed how, under each chapter, is written, ‘In the Upanishad of the Gita’ &c.? The Gita is called ‘Srimad-Bhagavad-Gitopanishad.’ Therefore, the sages have said, ‘A single plunge in the waters of the Gita removes the dirt that has accumulated from birth to birth.’ The body and the mind have been stained with the dirt of countless past lives, and it is all washed away by a bath in the waters of the Gita. It won’t do merely to have a superficial knowledge of the book; you must dive deep. You will understand the Gita all the better if you first go through the Upanishads.”

1 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Haven’t you read in the Gita: ‘It is the contact with sense-objects, O Arjuna, that gives rise to the sensations of heat and cold, of pleasure and pain; these are subject to origin and destruction. So you must bear them.

Since these are mere sensations, the Lord advises us to put up with them. You know Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘In the (Bengali) alphabet each sound is represented by one, or at the most, by two letters, but there are three letters in the ‘S’ group. This means that we must bear and forbear. He who does this survives, but he who does the opposite surely comes to grief.

After a short pause the Swami continued:

“Ah, what a fund of humour we found in Sri Ramakrishna! It was unique. One day Keshab Babu was to call at Dakshineswar. Even before the appointed time, Sri Ramakrishna put on a red-bordered cloth, covered his body with a decent chadar, and with his lips crimsoned by the chewing of betel, began to pace the verandah of his room in expectation of Keshab.

When Keshab saw him in that state he remarked, ah, today you have dressed yourself with extraordinary care. What is the matter?

‘Why, replied Sri Ramakrishna smiling, ‘today I have to charm Keshab! That’s why all this trimming.’

At this Keshab began to laugh.

2 June 2022

You know Sri Ramakrishna used to say, “In the Bengali alphabet each sound is represented by one, or at the most, by two letters, but there are three letters in the ‘S’ group. This means that we must bear and forbear. He who does this survives, but he who does the opposite surely comes to grief.”

After a short pause the Swami continued: “Ah, what a fund of humour we found in Sri Ramakrishna! It was unique. One day Keshab Babu was to call at Dakshineswar. Even before the appointed time, Sri Ramakrishna put on a red-bordered cloth, covered his body with a decent chadar, and with his lips crimsoned by the chewing of betel, began to pace the verandah of his room in expectation of Keshab. When Keshab saw him in that state he remarked, ‘Ah, today you have dressed yourself with extraordinary care. What is the matter?’

‘Why,’ replied Sri Ramakrishna smiling, ‘today I have to charm Keshab! That’s why all this trimming.’ At this Keshab began to laugh.”

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“Swamiji also was very humorous. But his humour was nothing in comparison with Sri Ramakrishna’s, which used to create side-splitting laughter. He would say, ‘I keep people in the right mood by introducing secular topics now and then.’

Once a Brahmo devotee referred to Keshab Chandra Sen and Pratap Mazumdar, in their very presence, saying that they were like Gauranga and Nityananda. Sri Ramakrishna was close by. Keshab asked him, ‘What then are you?’

Sri Ramakrishna at once replied, ‘I am the dust of your feet.’ At this Keshab said, ‘He is never to be caught napping.’

“It was Sri Ramakrishna who taught the Brahmos to salute in the proper fashion. The idea of the motherhood of God was also his gift to the Brahmo Samaj. Every word of Sri Ramakrishna was instinct with a wonderful power. He used to snatch the hearts of people, as it were.”

3 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

The talk gradually drifted on to devotion and devotees. Swami: “There is a story about Siva and Parvati. One day, at Mt. Kailas, they were playing at dice, when Siva broke off in the midst of the game and went out. But He returned immediately, and so Parvati asked Him the reason for this sudden exit and return. Siva answered, ‘Well, a devotee of Mine, having fallen among some robbers, at first took refuge in Me. But before I reached the spot, I found that he had himself taken up a stone to throw at the robbers. At this I came away.’

The Lord’s grace doesn’t manifest itself unless one absolutely resigns oneself to Him. It is no easy thing to surrender oneself to the Lord, and that too wholeheartedly. They say that a devotee always beholds the Lord. It is quite true. In the Bible it is written: ‘For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.’”

4 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

All this is very true. A man who has good health improves by degrees, and little irregularities seldom affect him. But a man in bad health may take all precautions possible, and yet fail to maintain his already poor health. A slight irregularity tells upon him badly. This is the case everywhere. It is a law of nature.

But there is another side to the question. The Lord is the protector of the humble, their friend and helper. It is, however, very difficult to be humble. 5 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“In the Gita we have: ‘They speak of an eternal Aswattha tree (i.e., relative existence) rooted above and branching below, whose leaves are the Vedas; he who knows it is a knower of the Vedas.’ You see, there is no mention here of the Brahman. How then can a man be a knower of the Vedas by simply knowing this relative existence? Well, let us see. ‘Rooted above’ means emanating from the Paramatman, and ‘aswattha’ means that which will not last till tomorrow, i.e., transitory. So the meaning of the verse comes to this: ‘One who has known relative existence to be such—that is, has definitely understood its transitoriness—is a knower of the Vedas.’ Isn’t it all right now?

5 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Krishna pointed out that one must have dispassion to cut off that tree of relative existence. Then he went on to the next verse: “‘That Goal is to be sought for, going whither the wise return no more.’ Isn’t it so? But here a difficulty seems to present itself. How is it that they return no more? Don’t we hear it said that we have all come from Brahman? How then can we help returning from that to this relative plane again? When we have once come down from a state of union with the Absolute, isn’t there another chance of our returning again to the relative plane, after our attaining to that in this life?” The Swami answered the question indirectly, by referring to the case of the Adhikarika beings, that is, those entrusted with the management of the world. The Swami said: “Their case is different. They come with perfect knowledge from their very birth. It is only they who can come down again from a state of union with Brahman. For this purpose they allow some little trace of desire to remain in their mind.” 07/06/2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“What is the ‘Eternal Goal’ like? Ah, how beautifully the Lord puts it: ‘That the sun does not illumine, nor the moon, nor fire. That is My Supreme Abode, going whither they return no more.’ In the life of everyone there comes satiety after a prolonged enjoyment of sense-objects. If at that time one happens to come in contact with a saint, one advances towards the goal. Dispassionateness first originates by seeing the evil clinging to sense-objects. Until a man begins to see the dark side of life, no spiritual advice is of any avail to him. In Samadhi there is complete destruction of the mind, but it must be the Nirvikalpa Samadhi. To transcend the mind is to manifest the intellect fully. It is not that the mind is altogether annihilated, but the mind which formerly had relations with the phenomenal world is gone. Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the pure mind and the pure Self are one. The mind gets purified as soon as its worldly character is destroyed. A pure mind is that which, fully believing in the unity of Self, sees the same Atman in all, and deals with them accordingly. In the Gita and the Upanishads you will find that words like ‘samatvam’, (meaning steady and well-balanced) are repeatedly used. Such a state comes when the mind has become pure.”

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: At the time of death an outer power struggles with the inner power. These two powers are not different. They are like concentric circles, the bigger one trying to destroy the smaller. Once when I was at the point of death at Puri, I perceived this distinctly; as if I had one foot outside the door and another inside. I could see both sides. Death is no more terrible when there is no attachment. One must keep out attachment. All the trouble is due to love being centred on specific objects. When you dive into the Ganges you don’t feel any weight, although there are tons of water overhead. But one feels so burdened when one places a pot of water on one’s head! Even the spine may give way. You may love all the beings in the world and be not at all under bondage, but the moment you allow your love to be centred on any special object, you are bound. If you can get rid of these loads, then only can you attain to Peace and Liberation.

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Constant discrimination sharpens the intellect. Truth reveals itself to a man who is always discriminating to attain it. One must always keep the sword of discrimination ready at hand. The Lord says in the Gita that we must cut down the deep-rooted Aswattha (of Samsara or the relative world) with the sword of non-attachment, and seek to enter that blessed state from which there is no return. ‘When the pigeon saw that all his mates had fallen into the trap, he was overcome with delusion, and allowed himself to follow suit’. It is thus that men fall into delusion and die.

6 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Krishna pointed out that one must have dispassion to cut off that tree of relative existence. Then he went on to the next verse: “‘That Goal is to be sought for, going whither the wise return no more.’ Isn’t it so? But here a difficulty seems to present itself. How is it that they return no more? Don’t we hear it said that we have all come from Brahman? How then can we help returning from that to this relative plane again? When we have once come down from a state of union with the Absolute, isn’t there another chance of our returning again to the relative plane, after our attaining to that in this life?”

The Swami answered the question indirectly, by referring to the case of the Adhikarika beings, that is, those entrusted with the management of the world. The Swami said: “Their case is different. They come with perfect knowledge from their very birth. It is only they who can come down again from a state of union with Brahman. For this purpose they allow some little trace of desire to remain in their mind.”

7 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“What is the ‘Eternal Goal’ like? Ah, how beautifully the Lord puts it: ‘That the sun does not illumine, nor the moon, nor fire. That is My Supreme Abode, going whither they return no more.’

In the life of everyone there comes satiety after a prolonged enjoyment of sense-objects. If at that time one happens to come in contact with a saint, one advances towards the goal.

Dispassionateness first originates by seeing the evil clinging to sense-objects. Until a man begins to see the dark side of life, no spiritual advice is of any avail to him.

In Samadhi there is complete destruction of the mind, but it must be the Nirvikalpa Samadhi. To transcend the mind is to manifest the intellect fully. It is not that the mind is altogether annihilated, but the mind which formerly had relations with the phenomenal world is gone.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the pure mind and the pure Self are one. The mind gets purified as soon as its worldly character is destroyed. A pure mind is that which, fully believing in the unity of Self, sees the same Atman in all, and deals with them accordingly.

In the Gita and the Upanishads you will find that words like ‘samatvam’, (meaning steady and well-balanced) are repeatedly used. Such a state comes when the mind has become pure.”

8 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: At the time of death an outer power struggles with the inner power. These two powers are not different. They are like concentric circles, the bigger one trying to destroy the smaller.

Once when I was at the point of death at Puri, I perceived this distinctly; as if I had one foot outside the door and another inside. I could see both sides.

Death is no more terrible when there is no attachment. One must keep out attachment. All the trouble is due to love being centred on specific objects.

When you dive into the Ganges you don’t feel any weight, although there are tons of water overhead. But one feels so burdened when one places a pot of water on one’s head! Even the spine may give way.

You may love all the beings in the world and be not at all under bondage, but the moment you allow your love to be centred on any special object, you are bound. If you can get rid of these loads, then only can you attain to Peace and Liberation.

9 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Constant discrimination sharpens the intellect. Truth reveals itself to a man who is always discriminating to attain it. One must always keep the sword of discrimination ready at hand.

The Lord says in the Gita that we must cut down the deep-rooted Aswattha (of Samsara or the relative world) with the sword of non-attachment, and seek to enter that blessed state from which there is no return.

‘When the pigeon saw that all his mates had fallen into the trap, he was overcome with delusion, and allowed himself to follow suit’. It is thus that men fall into delusion and die.

10 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

‘Such is the charm the Divine Enchantress has spread, that everyone is caught in it. Not to speak of petty creatures, even the Supreme Gods like Brahma and Vishnu are infatuated. Not only the common run of men, even the Jnanis lose their heads, through the will of the Divine Mother!’

The Swami quoted from the Durga Saptasati some verses showing how the Divine Mother, through Her unthinkable power, projects, maintains, and dissolves the universe, deludes even the greatest, and again, out of Her grace, confers liberation on people. Then he said: “If you succeed in purifying the mind, everything is set right. The pure-minded have things pre-arranged for them in the external world. They find everything ready for them.”

11 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

“When Swamiji went to America for the first time, I accompanied him from Mt. Abu to Bombay. In the running train, Swamiji said to me in all seriousness, ‘Well, all that preparation that you see going on (in America) is for this (pointing to his own body). My mind tells me so. You will see it verified at no distant date.’

“Take for instance the case of Sri Ramakrishna. The Kali Temple at Dakshineswar was kept ready for him. All that arrangement was made for him beforehand.”

In the morning the talk drifted on to Swami Vivekananda and his message to the country. Swami: “As Swamiji would say, ‘Religion is the very life of India. Even now it is so. What has India been doing all this time if not producing saints? India will have to preach religion throughout the whole world.’

“The words of Swamiji cannot but turn out true. India will surely rise again. Swamiji once remarked: ‘This time I have left nothing unsaid.’ Yes, he has said everything, and his ideas are now being worked out. The introduction of selfless service in the country by Swamiji is a wonderful thing. I believe India will surely rise. If we have not the good fortune to see that in our lifetime, it will come to pass later on. Otherwise the advent of personalities like Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji becomes meaningless. Swamiji prophesied many times about the future glorious mission of India in unmistakable terms, and his prophecy cannot prove false. There is already a good beginning.”

12 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

In the afternoon, a small audience gathered in the Swami’s room, and there was the usual Bhagavata class. After the class the Swami said, “There are three kinds of sins—sins committed through deeds, words, and thought. In consequence of these sins, men after death attain the inanimate state, are reborn as birds, beasts, and wretched creatures in the lowest strata of human society respectively.

“It is in the human body that the gates to Freedom are open. So every man should be on his guard and make a good use of his life. Enjoyment is possible in other bodies also, but Freedom is not.

“Attachment to the body is the last and strongest bondage. The parental affection of monkeys is very great. The mother carries the dead body of her young one even after the flesh has dropped off and the skeleton alone is left. But even they, as all other animals, forget everything about their young ones when their own life is at stake.”

13 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: “By silent and continued prayer and meditation one should create in the mind a subconscious current, and it will go on working at all times—even in sleep. Not that one will have no dream, but the current thus generated will be supreme, working imperceptibly within. During this Sadhana one should not mix with too many persons or engage in useless talk.”

“Sri Ramakrishna used to say: ‘Man will be born as many times as he has sex-connections. And in each of these births there is a great likelihood of having that connection over again. So there is the endless round of births and deaths’.”

14 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "By silent and continued prayer and meditation one should create in the mind a subconscious current, and it will go on working at all times-even in sleep.

Not that one will have no dreams, but the current thus generated will be supreme, working imperceptibly within. During this spiritual, endeavour one should not mix with too many persons or engage in useless talk."

"Shri Ramakrishna used to say, 'A man will be born as many times as he has sex-connections.'

And in each of these births there is a great likelihood of having that connection over again. So there is the endless round of births and deaths.

The only remedy against that is to take refuge in the Lord and give up that clinging to flesh with a firm determination saying I won't do it again'.

In that case, all the sins done previously will be forgiven. But a person must not play the hypocrite. Then all the old sins will come down upon him and exact their dues with compound interest.

A true devotee cannot have a permanent fall. Even if he falls, he is bound to rise again through the grace of the Lord.

Eternal damnation! Nonsense! I do not believe it. God has His work done even by the apparent lapse of a devotee."

15 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

The conversation turned to compassion and attachment.

Swami: "There is a gulf of difference between compassion and attachment. A monk must have compassion and not attachment — the idea of ‘me and mine', for that is the root of all bondage.

The Master had great love for Swamiji and others like him, for he could see a greater manifestation of Divinity in them than in others. He was fully conscious of that, so there was no fear of bondage in his case. "Even saints may slip and become bound, as for instance, jada Bharata*. Self-exertion is needed to snap the bondage. It is self-exertion that brings about quick results; otherwise there is no knowing when success will come.

'Last birth' means that one will realize God in this very life. Ignorance is without beginning, for one cannot trace its origin.

"Once Girish Babu put the question to the Master, 'Why have you to practise so hard?'

The Master replied : 'You know, there is eternal union of Hara (Shiva) with Gauri. Still, why did she practise so much austerity? All that was as an example to others. If I do so much, others will do at least one-sixteenth part of it?'

Is it not so?

(Jada Bharata was a great monarch in one of his previous births.In that birth when he retired in his old age from the duties of the King to lead a life of contemplation in a forest. There he became attached to the young one of a deer which had lost its mother. As a result he turned away from God and in his next birth was born as a deer. In his birth after that he was again born as a man and attained realization.

In this last birth he was known as Jada Bharata for he lived as one inert and idiotic for fear of getting bound again by worldly ties.)

16 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "Words of supreme knowledge carry no meaning to an ordinary man with a limited vision. Through discrimination the ordinary sense-knowledge vanishes. Take for example this house. It is nothing but a conglomeration of atoms; so is the body. Discrimination pushed further will reduce even the atoms to one entity-the Absolute Existence.

As Shri Ramakrishna would say, 'The palmyra tree is true and not its branches or fruits, for they drop off.' Brahman alone is real; the world is changing. Taken as a whole, it is Brahman that comes to be true. Knowledge is, so long as ignorance is. In fact, when ignorance goes away, knowledge also vanishes with it.

Knowledge is simply a means to an end and not the end itself. It is Brahman alone that exists. When we say that Brahman is Absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, we do not mean that Brahman is actually that, but that that is the nearest approximation. Brahman is not untruth; it is not ignorance; it is not misery.

To explain this, Brahman is described as Absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. But, truly speaking, Brahman is beyond the reach of words and thought.

"There is a place even in this body, where the mind being pitched, one can perfectly be at ease. What is required is a change of the angle of vision. There.is no escape from trials and difficulties by flying from them."

17 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

The talk this day was on retirement. It had been introduced as a spiritual discipline by the Swami at the Shanti Ashrama, California, U.S.A., when he had been there.

Swami: "The American devotees coming up and living there used to call it 'talking with the Self'. It helped them much spiritually, and they used to acknowledge it. But it was a rule that none was to remain with oneself for more than three days.

Once a lady retired without my knowledge. I myself was then living like that, occupying an outhouse of the Ashrama at a distance.

Of course, I made an exception in my case and was to be in retirement for a week.

That lady made up her mind to be in seclusion, like me, for a week and observe the vow of silence and constant meditation with scanty food like myself. The seclusion soon became too much for her, and she was about to be out of her mind.

I was then observing the vow of silence in my solitary cell. But something like a premonition told me that an untoward event was going to happen. I felt uneasy and had to come out on the fifth day of my retirement.

Miss B was being served by a young woman. Her condition was really serious. I sent for her, and when she came I gave her a good scolding.

She admitted her mistake and begged to be pardoned. I was thinking of asking her to go away. But afterwards finding that she was repentant I let her remain.

"She herself said afterwards, 'I was about to die. Had I not been made to come out I would have actually died.'

"There were many like her, distinguished, but self-opinionated.

Of course, they were all sincere. They would wonder and say, 'Swami!' How can you manage to keep together so many conflicting temperaments and train them? We watch carefully every movement of yours, but find nothing defective in your conduct. This is as it should be.'

To manage an organization well, one must behave like a mother, full of love and consideration.

18 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"What is needed is love. Even beasts appreciate it. It cannot be that a sensible being like man will not understand it. 'Why does the lamb love Mary? Because Mary loves the lamb.'"

A householder devotee and a few monks of the Mission were present before the Swami.

The devotee was talking about the visions of his brother-in-law who used to see his Chosen Deity in dreams or meditation and was commissioned to worship his wife as mother. But the wife being of a different temperament would not let him.

Swami: "Tell your relative to pray to the Lord, and He will change the mind of his wife.

"His work is going on all right. We know very little of His Lila (Divine disport).

In how many ways does He help man and push him forward! At first He presents supernatural phenomena before him and thus strengthens his faith. In short, whatever is done by Him is for the good of all."

19 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

The talk was about service.

Swami (Turning to S.): "To serve creatures as God is a grand thing. But mere theorizing will not do. It must be done spiritually so that it may help one to the realization of the ideal-the manifestation of the Divine potentialities.

Those who profess to be the children of the Master must have Yoga, Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, nay, everything.

For, Sri Ramakrishna stands for the synthesis and harmony of all religious paths.

The spiritual growth of a person following a particular line was the rule in the past. But now one should have an all-round development combined with a magnanimity of heart to tolerate others.

Slowly the conversation drifted on to self-surrender.

Swami : "We can be at perfect peace if we can resign ourselves to the Lord. Let Him do what He thinks best. It is foolishness to dictate terms to Him as regards His dealings with us. Once you have surrendered yourself at His feet, there should be no room left for the assertion of your individual will. He knows what is best for you. Even if you pray for what is not desirable, He will do the right thing by you."

20 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

It was the birthday of the Holy Mother, and many devotees were present in the Swami's room.

Referring to the recent pain he had in his toe he remarked, "There is no knowing why such a thing happens or why it increases or decreases. People hazard some patchwork of an explanation, but behind everything in the universe there is a great Divine Mother.

I have realized that behind everything in the universe there is a great Energy at work. And She is all good. Even the worst suffering a man undergoes is due to Her will.

And it is ultimately for his good, for such suffering removes countless past impressions from his mind.

"Man has to his credit the actions of many previous births, which must work themselves out.

Nothing particularly wrong has been committed in this life. But there are the accumulated sins of many past lives. These sufferings are due to them."

A.: "It might also be a case of vicarious punishment."

Swami: "Yes, some people argue that way also. Formerly I had not much belief in such a theory - that one suffered for the sins of another.

Now I fully believe in it. One can easily increase the happiness or decrease the misery of another.

The extent to which one can so help another depends upon one's spiritual powers.

The lives of Shri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother have strengthened my belief."

21 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "The great power of Shri Ramakrishna and Swamiji is at the back, so the work of the Mission is going on smoothly, and new recruits are coming.

"Nowadays I advise all to stick to their posts. One must stay somewhere. So it is best to continue where increased experience will give greater facilities for work."

The Swami was reading the book ‘Vichitra Jagat’ (The Wonderful World) by the late principal Ramendra Sundar Trivedi. Eulogizing the author he remarked : "One can explain a thing only if one has a clear grasp of it, which is the outcome of concentration. Better still is meditation.

At Srinagar I used to meditate on the Upanishads. It was a charming occupation. In this way eight Upanishads (the first eight) were committed to memory.

What is meditation but absorption in a subject? By concentrating on a subject, its inner secrets are revealed.

"First you have to prepare the mind. After that, any subject to which you may apply it will stand explained.

The method of controlling the mind is by seriously watching it for some length of time. It can be done both by love and by discipline, according to circumstances.

22 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

The mind should be under your control-it must not be allowed to ride you, for then the tables will be turned.

"Even the least attachment to anything gives the mind a loop-hole to direct you as it pleases. You become a slave to it, which is not the case if you are unattached. Lust, attachment, and the like are one and the same thing, varying only in intensity.

'Therefore first control the senses, O Arjuna, and conquer lust which destroys one's knowledge and realization' (Gita).

One must turn the mind away before it gets attached to any object. Otherwise it becomes an impossible task afterwards."

Referring to a noted person the Swami observed, "What will mere words do if there is no character behind them? That is the great stumbling-block for all. Sri Ramakrishna would say, 'Almost all have been caught in the snare of sex-attraction. Only a few have been saved by the Divine Mother.' It is a most dreadful attachment. People are all right so long as they do not come under its influence. A man under its spell can stoop to anything.

'Lust and gold', and 'the palate and sex-impulse' are short expressions denoting the same thing.

If one gives up these enjoyments, one verily renounces the world. One who can do this indeed sets at naught the whole world."

23 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "The world is a dreadful place. Only falsehood reigns here. For a monk truth is everything. If he gives up truth, he can progress no more. Innocent lies are untruths all the same."

Referring to somebody's slackness as regards truth the Swami said, "Truth is God. Falsehood is Maya. One gets everything by holding on to truth.

Shri Ramakrishna taunted Pundit Shivanath Shastri with the words, 'You are all such sane people, but how can you speak an untruth? You call me insane, but never does an untruth escape my lips!'

Wishing to keep the incident of the Kalighat priest's kicking him a secret, the Master asked Hriday (his nephew) to elicit from him a promise not to mention it to anybody.

Hriday at first objected. But Shri Ramakrishna made him elicit the promise from him three times, and then remarked, 'Now it will never escape my lips'.

For the good of the priest he thus put himself under a vow to observe silence on the matter.

24 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"Sri Ramakrishna once had an engagement with Sj. Jadu Mallick. But he forgot about it, being engrossed in conversation with a number of visitors.

At 11 P.M., when he was about to retire for the night, he suddenly remembered it.

Immediately he had a lantern lighted, and accompanied by Swami Brahmananda, went to the garden. Finding the gate closed, he put one foot in and shouted, 'Here I have come'.

He had given up everything, but could not give up truth.

"It is a tremendous ordeal to abide by truth.

A good deal of sacrifice is needed. To keep something secret, saying 'I won't tell it,'-is also a kind of untruth. To be absolutely frank and open in one's dealings is real truthfulness.

"How dreadful is this realm of Maya! What stormy billows on it! One can watch it calmly only if one succeeds in removing oneself from it, if one is non-attached. Otherwise there is a great danger. But it is very difficult to remove oneself from it."

25 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami (To one who wanted to leave Varanasi): "Do not be restless. Only the other day you came from Calcutta. If you go now, it will be setting a bad example. Control the mind, be not controlled by it. Surrender yourself to Him alone, your everything-your body, mind, and soul.

'O my Mind-bird, why fly from tree to tree tasting different fruits? Have thy eternal nest on One who can offer thee the greatest fruit.'"

The conversation then turned on the power of the Mantra.

Swami: "Yes, one can cure disease by the power of mystic formulas. But by His will, I have learnt to have greater faith in Him Who is at the back of that power."

D.: "Kindly make my mind free from sex impulse."

Swami: "Look to the Atman, not to the body. Practise fixing the mind always on the Atman.

'One gets attached to objects by constantly brooding over them. From attachment comes longing, and from longing anger.'

"Anger is a concentrated form of lust. It makes one lose one's head completely. Lust does not so absolutely overwhelm the mind.

Never think of transient things. That way you can escape attachment.

26 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"Once in America, a lady came to see me.

I at once divined her mind and asked her if she had anything to tell me. She was very glad that I understood her. She told me that her husband was very sensual, but she herself had not the least inclination for that sort of life.

She said, 'I allow my husband freedom to go to whomsoever he likes; only let him not trouble me.'

To that I replied : 'You are very nice! You started life together, and now you want to drive him away! Live with him and try to reform him by your advice.' She burst out into tears at my words, she understood.

And though for a time they lived together, she could not hold on to the last, she separated, but never married again.

"In America men work very hard; they necessarily seek enjoyment of the senses. And they have no other idea of enjoyment than that.

Hence it is that they are so excessively lustful.

The women labour less and some are intellectual. Therefore perhaps they have less of the sex-impulse.

"While there, I was once repeatedly sent for by a woman. She was the mistress of a man who was a perfect rogue and would not allow her to go out. She begged me earnestly to go and see her once. She persuaded the man to allow my visit. He agreed on the express understanding that the interview would take place, in his presence.

He sat a little apart, and the woman came out of her room and shook hands with me. I stood up, and holding her hand in mine for about five minutes, I willed that her mind be purified and have pure tendencies. We then sat down and chatted for some time on spiritual topics without minding in the least the presence of the man.

The man became furious and exclaimed, 'You should know this is America.'

'What of that?' I said, I know it is America.'

The effect of this visit was astonishing. The woman overcame his influence and having extricated herself from him lived apart.

She had said after the handshake, 'I am filled, my difficulties are solved. I feel that I am pure, I have known what womanhood means.'

27 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"The Lord endows religious teachers with a special power which descends through a succession of disciples. Why otherwise, if they are only like common men, should people seek them? It is to do His work that He so endows the preachers.

But if they utilize the power for selfish purposes, they are deprived of it.

Other powers such as oratory may remain, but the saving power departs from them. The power survives even after the completion of the work for which God granted it. Only it wanes a little. But by misuse it is completely lost.

Oh, the tremendous will power I used to feel then! It is all His wondrous play."

He quoted from the sixth chapter of the Gita, interspersing the recitation with beautiful and illuminating comments.

Through whatever reason, the restless, unsteady mind wanders away, let him, curbing it from that, bring it under the sway of the Self alone.' With unflagging perseverance the mind must again and again be brought back to the Atman.

It is the nature of the mind to be fickle and restless, like a naughty child that has to be pulled back by the ear to its studies.

The mind must be carried even beyond the Buddhi, the determinative faculty, directly to the Atman.

28 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: Of course, repeated and incessant efforts are necessary, and the mind at last will come under your control and remain calmly fixed on the Atman.

At first you are to transcend Tamas, then Rajas, and finally you are to go beyond even Sattva itself. Then you realize the Self as pervading everything. You find that He alone exists, and nothing else. And that is called the state of transcendental consciousness.

"The senses, the mind, and the intellect - we shall have to capture all these outposts of consciousness, and thus conquer lust.

Lust, anger, and avarice - these are but different forms of the same thing. They are the eternal enemies of the Jnani, and destroyers of knowledge and wisdom. Join the senses to the Lord. That is the way to teach the senses a lesson."

D. referred to Shri Ramakrishna's bringing about sudden transformation in the lives of drunkards and sensual men.

At that the Swami said, "Yes, these are all true. To some, however, he would allow an interval.

'Enjoy yourself,' he would say to them, 'you won't croak long now that you have been bitten by a poisonous serpent.'

"If you are in touch with the Atman, you are safe."

29 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "Last evening I had a rise of temperature. My attendants had at first concealed it from me, and declared it was 99.2°. When the truth was out, they excused themselves by saying that they had read it wrongly.

'Where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise.' But ignorance is never beneficial.

Knowledge is the only real thing.

And as Gaudapada says, when knowledge comes, all duality vanishes. It is this dual consciousness which is at the root of all evils. With the destruction of duality, all fear departs. 'The sense of duality is the father of all fear.'

'Verily, O Janaka, hast thou attained to fearlessness!'

"It is no use reading the scriptures unless you practise what they say. The Books have been there from time immemorial!

During our wanderings in the Kangra valley, Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda), and myself-I was then about twenty-six years old-met a monk aged about forty two, very sincere and unsophisticated.

He said, 'I have been studying Vedanta for the last sixteen years. But even now the sight of a woman relaxes my self-control, just as the thought of tamarind makes the mouth water!' He was quite right. What is there in a Book?

30 June 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"Chandasoka, highly enraged with a man, pursued him sword in hand. The man sought refuge in a monastery, and the Abbot, though fully conscious of the risk, granted him asylum.

When Asoka came and enquired about the man, the Abbot admitted that he was there-he could not tell a lie.

'Surrender him to me,' said the Emperor.

'No, sir', came the bold reply.

This made him so furious that Asoka at once lifted his sword to strike him.

To the great wonder of the Emperor, the monk stood his ground unflinching without the faintest sign of fear or movement of muscle.

The Emperor asked him, 'How is it that you do not quake before death?'

'Why should I? Whose death do you mean?'

And thus they had a discussion, and at last Chandasoka became Dharmasoka.

For the Emperor had keen intelligence, and he understood.

1 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

ON DISCRIMINATION

A devotee: “Maharaj, you monks advise us to give up attachment to lust and gold, but we are householders. How can we renounce? Please tell us the way. Our minds are filled with worldly attachments. We see no possibility of fighting against them. The attachments are so strong that they won’t allow us to develop ways and means to defend ourselves against them. You have asked us to chant the name of the Lord and to discriminate, but we are overpowered by attachments. Now please tell us the secret: How did you overcome them?”

Latu Maharaj: “You people don’t practice japam sincerely, so you always complain and make excuses. Look, if one makes a habit of repeating the holy name, the name itself will take hold of the mind. The mind craves the intoxication of worldly enjoyments. Attachments are troublemakers; they fasten the mind with a noose, as it were, and drag it in all directions. Lord Krishna agreed with Arjuna that the mind is restless. He told Arjuna that the restless mind can be stilled by the renunciation of sense enjoyments and by repeated practice. Whenever your mind runs after sense enjoyments, use your discrimination. Look, the sense objects are impermanent. They come and go. Be satisfied with whatever you need for your daily living and don’t desire more. Too many worldly belongings displace the thought of the Reality from the mind. The Reality is one, and that is Brahman. Brahman alone is real and everything else is unreal. Impress these thoughts again and again upon the mind, and gradually true discrimination will arise.”

2 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

ON DISCRIMINATION

"Listen to a story. Once Rama presented a pearl necklace to his devotee Hanuman. Hanuman examined the necklace carefully, broke open one of the pearls with his teeth, and, not finding the name of Rama there, threw the necklace away.

This upset Lakshmana. who said: 'How can a monkey appreciate the value of a pearl necklace? He destroyed such a valuable thing with his teeth!'

Rama then asked Lakshmana to inquire about the reason for Hanuman's action.

Upon being questioned. Hanuman replied: I opened the pearl to see if the holy name was there. The necklace is worthless if Rama is not in it.'

"You will have to discriminate between the real and the unreal. To keep one's discrimination alert is a great austerity. He who has learned to discriminate can successfully overcome lust and greed. So, cultivate your discrimination and conscience.

How can you struggle against evil tendencies if your intellect is not trained to differentiate between good and evil? First clear out the rubbish which has entered the mind through the gates of the sense organs, and then put a ‘NO ADMITTANCE' sign in front of each gate.

Those bad thoughts which ignore the notice and still come in. you will have to hand over to the police, which is your conscience.

With the help of the police you must evict the impure tendencies from the mind and then install the Lord there. This is the way to conquer lust and desire.

3 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

ON DISCRIMINATION

"The seed of lust is in the mind. That seed is nurtured by the sense organs within and the sense objects without, and thus it grows and produces innumerable fruits. These fruits are to be chopped off and the seeds are to be destroyed. Afterward, you must sow the seed of the Lord's name, and you will reap the harvest accordingly. Now you are reaping the harvest of desire. The Master used to say, 'Where desire is, God is not; and where God is, there is no desire.'"

ON PURITY

"Be pure. Be pure. Be pure. You cannot comprehend God without purity. If you are not pure, you won't realize God, who is the embodiment of purity. In order to serve God, the true Master of all, one must purify one's mind."

4 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

ON HUMILITY

One day a wealthy devotee saluted Latu Maharaj in the customary manner: that is, folding his hands and raising them to his head.

At this Latu Maharaj said: "Look here. sir. One should bow down to gods, to monks, and to holy people with reverence.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say. There is no merit in this sort of axe-raising salutation.’“

Another devotee who was present asked. "Maharaj. what is an axe-raising salutation?"

Latu Maharaj: "Touching the forehead with folded hands as you usually do is what the Master called an axe-raising salutation."

The wealthy devotee: "Maharaj, please forgive me. We don't know the real significance of the salutation. We merely follow the custom."

Latu Maharaj: "I don't mind. It is not your fault. But remember what the Master said: Between equals one should exchange salutations as you have just done. But if the person is superior to you in learning, intellect, fame, power or spirituality, you should bow down to him with reverence. You should be humble before him and do what he says.

Let your thoughts and your words be united when you are paying respect to others. Salutations that are merely for show have no value."

ON THE NAME

"Sri Ramakrishna used to say that before starting to chant the name of the Lord, one should salute the name. One should take refuge in the name of the Lord. The name and the named, that is, the Lord, are one.

If one prays wholeheartedly to the name, one's prayer reaches the Lord. "Look here. The name of the Lord itself is shakti, God's power, and the named is God himself. Without worshipping Shakti, one cannot realize God."

5 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

ASPECTS OF GOD

A devotee: "Maharaj, is it good to have visions of gods and goddesses other than the Chosen Ideal?"

Latu Maharaj: "It is always good to see divine forms. You will find that during meditation your Chosen Ideal will appear to you in many forms. That is his divine play. Since all forms are contained within him, why are you making distinctions between them?"

A devotee: "The scriptures have described the various forms of God differently, and for each deity there is a prescribed meditation, a method of worship, and certain mantras. So how can it be possible to see other forms of God when one is meditating on one's own Chosen Ideal? Are these visions conducive to one's spiritual progress?"

Latu Maharaj: "You people think of the gods and goddesses as distinct from each other, but in reality they are all the same. What is wrong if the forms are many? Look. You are a man. When you are angry, your face takes on one expression; when you laugh it assumes another; and when you cry it looks still different. Your facial expression changes with your emotions, but you, as a man, always remain the same. If someone calls you by name, you respond regardless of your mood. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: 'The chameleon changes its colour. Sometimes it is red, sometimes green, yellow, gray, violet, blue, and so on. One may think that the chameleon is always the same colour as he sees it. But the man who stays under the tree where the chameleon lives knows that the chameleon changes colour at different times.' Similarly, the man who meditates deeply on his Chosen Ideal ultimately realizes that the various names and forms are actually but different aspects of the same reality."

6 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

ON PRAYER

A devotee: "Maharaj. which is the easier method to dispel doubts about God. prayer or reasoning?"

Latu Maharaj: "Sri Ramakrishna used to say: 'Who can know God through reason? His powers and glory are infinite. Too much reasoning can create confusion and, moreover, may lead to an atheistic attitude. So it is better to call on God with a longing heart."

The Master said further: 'If you can become drunk with one bottle of wine, why should you bother to know how many barrels of wine there are in the grogshop? If your thirst is quenched with one glass of water, why should you rack your brain calculating how much water there is on the earth?" "

A devotee: "Whom should we call on, Maharaj, the guru or the Chosen Ideal?"

Latu Maharaj: "You may call on either; it is the same. The guru and the Chosen Ideal are the same. Doubt arises in the mind of an aspirant if he does not practice spiritual disciplines, and doubt is the root of all troubles.

Have faith in your guru. Be loyal to him, even like a dog that never leaves its master, whether it is fed or not.

Say. '1 am your servant and you are my Master for ever and ever.’“

7 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

ON WORSHIP

"Do you know what worship is? Everything belongs to the Lord, so what can you offer him? But the Master used to tell us: 'Once a rich man went to visit his orchard. He saw the gardeners busy with their work. The caretaker approached him and presented him with a ripe papaya, saying: "Sir, I picked this ripe fruit for you yesterday. Please accept it." Now the owner knows that the garden, the tree, the fruits—all belong to him; but won't he appreciate the love and thoughtfulness of the caretaker? Worship is like this.'"

On another occasion, a devotee bought a small piece of cheap cloth for the Divine Mother's worship. Latu Maharaj was very upset. He remarked: "Throw away that cloth. It is too short. Why did you buy such a cheap one? Always offer a good cloth to the Mother, and if you cannot afford it, say with tears: 'Mother, I am unable to offer anything to you. Please forgive me.' Some people buy cheap, flimsy cloth, rotten fruit, or stale sweets for the worship of the Lord. Why do you offer the Lord these things which you yourself don't want to use or eat? It is better not to worship at all than to do worship negligently. He who offers the Lord's things to the Lord with joy and love is really fortunate. The Lord does not accept anything that is not presented with devotion."

8 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION

A devotee: "Maharaj, we have not seen God: how can we depend on him? We do not know how to surrender to him. Can it be enough just to say, 'Lord, be kind to us, bestow your grace on us?'"

Latu Maharaj: "Look, he is showering his grace on us unceasingly. It is through his grace that you even exist in this world. You are asking about prayer. Well, you know God's name: you can begin with his name as your guide. Don't you send your application for a job to the manager of a company without ever having seen him? Your interview with the manager depends upon sending your application to him. You write the application thus: 'Sir, please appoint me for the job; I shall be extremely happy to serve you; I promise my unswerving obedience to you,' and so on. And you write all this without having seen the manager, don't you?

"So, similarly, you can send an application to the Lord. However, this application is not to be written on paper, but on the pages of one's mind. You must be careful about the wording and the address must be correct; otherwise, the letter will not reach its destination. Write the application like this: 'O Lord, may I never forget your name. I take refuge in you.'" 08/07/2022

Please assign me to your service and destroy my ego and my doubts. You are my master, guru, father, mother, and all in all. I am your child. Please guide me to the path of blessedness. Make me your instrument. Do not delude me with your bewitching maya. O my sweet Lord, I have not seen you; I have only heard your name. Please make me your own. You will have to pray like this daily. Only then will he choose to bestow his grace on you. Once you are chosen by him, you will not have to worry any more. He will guide you at every step and will tell you what to do.

Jai Ramakrishna.

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

AFTER GOD-REALIZATION

A devotee: "Maharaj, you have realized God. Could you tell us what your understanding of the world is now?"

Latu Maharaj: "I have understood this much: If you keep a bowl filled with water somewhere by itself, the water will eventually evaporate, but this is not so if the bowl is immersed in the river Ganga. Likewise, if we can surrender our minds at the feet of the Lord, the wind of worldliness will not be able to dry our minds and make them dreary. Then the world no longer seems an unhappy place."

A devotee: "Maharaj, do you now feel that the world is a burden?"

Latu Maharaj: "Look, when you dive deep into the Ganga, though there are thousands of pounds of water above you, you don't feel that weight. Similarly, if you plunge into God's creation yet still hold onto him, you will not feel its burden. Then the world becomes a place of merriment. Remember this beautiful saying of Tulasidas: 'He who takes refuge in God is protected by him. A huge elephant may be swept away by the current of the river, but the small fish who lives in the river can even swim against its current.' Remember that if you depend on God, he will take care of you in all circumstances."

Jai Ramakrishna.

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

BRIEF TEACHINGS

"Be attached to no one but God. Only if you hold onto God will your life be meaningful."

"Who is a man of knowledge? Not he who has read a lot of books, studied scriptures and acquired some degrees, but he who knows the path to God and can direct people toward him."

"A man can attain peace if he gives up worldly enjoyment, for such enjoyment is the source of sorrows and sufferings, disease and despair."

"Don't be ungrateful to a person who has helped you. An act of kindness, however small it may be, can never be repaid."

"See your own faults. Never criticize anyone; it is a great sin. It contracts the mind and pollutes the heart. Always look for the good qualities in others. If fault-finding becomes your habit, you will always see faults in them. Everyone has both good and bad in him. Only God is free from fault and full of divine qualities."

"Don't be concerned whether someone agrees with your opinion or not. Don't argue unnecessarily just to prove your point. It ruins the spiritual atmosphere. Let people do whatever they like: you should live according to your own ideal."

9 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

AFTER GOD-REALIZATION

A devotee: "Maharaj, you have realized God. Could you tell us what your understanding of the world is now?"

Latu Maharaj: "I have understood this much: If you keep a bowl filled with water somewhere by itself, the water will eventually evaporate, but this is not so if the bowl is immersed in the river Ganga. Likewise, if we can surrender our minds at the feet of the Lord, the wind of worldliness will not be able to dry our minds and make them dreary. Then the world no longer seems an unhappy place."

A devotee: "Maharaj, do you now feel that the world is a burden?"

Latu Maharaj: "Look, when you dive deep into the Ganga, though there are thousands of pounds of water above you, you don't feel that weight. Similarly, if you plunge into God's creation yet still hold onto him, you will not feel its burden. Then the world becomes a place of merriment. Remember this beautiful saying of Tulasidas: 'He who takes refuge in God is protected by him. A huge elephant may be swept away by the current of the river, but the small fish who lives in the river can even swim against its current.' Remember that if you depend on God, he will take care of you in all circumstances."

10 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

BRIEF TEACHINGS

"Be attached to no one but God. Only if you hold onto God will your life be meaningful."

"Who is a man of knowledge? Not he who has read a lot of books, studied scriptures and acquired some degrees, but he who knows the path to God and can direct people toward him."

"A man can attain peace if he gives up worldly enjoyment, for such enjoyment is the source of sorrows and sufferings, disease and despair."

"Don't be ungrateful to a person who has helped you. An act of kindness, however small it may be, can never be repaid."

"See your own faults. Never criticize anyone; it is a great sin. It contracts the mind and pollutes the heart. Always look for the good qualities in others. If fault-finding becomes your habit, you will always see faults in them. Everyone has both good and bad in him. Only God is free from fault and full of divine qualities."

"Don't be concerned whether someone agrees with your opinion or not. Don't argue unnecessarily just to prove your point. It ruins the spiritual atmosphere. Let people do whatever they like: you should live according to your own ideal."

11 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

BRIEF TEACHINGS

- "Don't ask for anything from God, for he knows everything. It is sometimes amazing how he fulfils the needs of his devotees."

- "Desire begets wants in the mind of man. If he has no desire, he has no wants. Love for God destroys all desires."

- "He who follows the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, will be saved by the Mother from the trials and tribulations of the world. If you want peace, read The Gospel Of Sri Ramakrishna."

- "It is easy to fool human beings, but not God. He knows all your shortcomings in spite of your best efforts to hide them. Pray to the Lord with a guileless heart: 'O Lord, please remove all my faults and weaknesses.' Man becomes stainless only after God-realization."

- "Jealousy is a deadly poison. A jealous person cannot bear others' welfare and happiness. His heart breaks to see others progressing. If one can give up jealousy, one will understand God."

12 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

BRIEF TEACHINGS

- "On a moonless night a man cannot recognize another, however close they may be standing: similarly, a man cannot see his innermost self due to the dark covering of delusion."

- "Dissatisfaction and craving for worldly enjoyments are signs of a diseased mind."

- "If you always think of a holy person, you will become holy and pure: if you think of a thief, you will become a thief. Pure character is formed by close association with the holy."

- "Do you think we salute trees and stones? We salute the Supreme Being, who pervades every atom of the universe. He who sees God in all creatures and all things attains the knowledge of Brahman."

- "Although God is formless, he takes form according to our mental conception of him. It is because the formless Sat-chidananda dwells in our hearts that we can meditate on one of God's blissful forms. God appears in whatever form the devotee meditates on him."

- "God gives power to those who are pure in heart."

13 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

Today is the most auspicious Guru Poornima. May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti and Sraddha on this auspicious occasion.

(TEACHINGS OF SWAMI ADBHUTANANDA)

A CONVERSATION WITH WESTERN VISITORS

One day two Western women came to see Latu Maharaj at Balaram's residence in Calcutta. They were atheists, but they believed in doing good works for the benefit of humanity.

First lady: "To do good to others is life's ideal—we agree with you on this point. But you give a higher place to God than to philanthropy, and we do not agree with that. God cannot be perceived, and there is no proof of his existence. We do not understand why you want people to have faith in this unknown entity first and then to do good to others."

Latu Maharaj: "Those who try to serve humanity without believing in God cannot keep it up for a long time. After a while the question crops up, 'What shall I gain from this?' And once this question arises, one begins to lose interest. If a man wants to serve others, he will have to make some personal sacrifice. You must realize that the desire to sacrifice for the sake of others cannot come unless one believes in God." 14 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Adbhutananda)

Latu Maharaj: "All arguments are invariably fallacious. Only if you admit the existence of God does everything become meaningful. When we bring God into our lives, distinctions lessen and we feel that all are our own. On the physical plane there is a difference between myself and others, but on the spiritual plane we are the same Satchidananda [Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute]. From that standpoint no one can help another—one is only helping oneself. The key to any philanthropy is this: In doing good to others, we try to forget the apparent distinctions between ourselves and other men. The welfare of others is my welfare—that is our attitude. Who does not want his own good? If you believe in God and then serve society, you can never feel any resentment."

Q: How can the multitude become part of me?"

Latu Maharaj: "You see, this is not an argument: it is a fact. The multitude is a part of the one Satchidananda— that is the truth. The differences are in name and form only, just as the same silver is transformed into cups, saucers, rings, and so on. Similarly, you, I, and others may be different outwardly, but in essence we are all the same Satchidananda. The same God has become many and is playing in different names and forms."

Q: "Do you have proof of this?"

Latu Maharaj: "Certainly. But this proof is not something that can be demonstrated to others. It is a matter of one's own realization. Can love be demonstrated to others? Only the lover and the beloved feel it. Can outsiders understand it? The case is similar with God. Only God and the one to whom he shows his favour can understand it. Others cannot."

14 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Adbhutananda)

Latu Maharaj: “All arguments are invariably fallacious. Only if you admit the existence of God does everything become meaningful. When we bring God into our lives, distinctions lessen and we feel that all are our own. On the physical plane there is a difference between myself and others, but on the spiritual plane we are the same Satchidananda [Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute]. From that standpoint no one can help another—one is only helping oneself. The key to any philanthropy is this: In doing good to others, we try to forget the apparent distinctions between ourselves and other men. The welfare of others is my welfare—that is our attitude. Who does not want his own good? If you believe in God and then serve society, you can never feel any resentment.”

Q: How can the multitude become part of me?

Latu Maharaj: “You see, this is not an argument: it is a fact. The multitude is a part of the one Satchidananda—that is the truth. The differences are in name and form only, just as the same silver is transformed into cups, saucers, rings, and so on. Similarly, you, I, and others may be different outwardly, but in essence we are all the same Satchidananda. The same God has become many and is playing in different names and forms.”

Q: Do you have proof of this?

Latu Maharaj: “Certainly. But this proof is not something that can be demonstrated to others. It is a matter of one’s own realization. Can love be demonstrated to others? Only the lover and the beloved feel it. Can outsiders understand it? The case is similar with God. Only God and the one to whom he shows his favour can understand it. Others cannot.”

15 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Adbhutananda)

Q: Suppose somebody does not believe in God but still does a lot of good to others. Won’t he get merit for that?

Latu Maharaj: “Yes, every action brings a corresponding result. A man will get merit through his philanthropic activities, but if his ego is involved in those activities, he will not get any spiritual merit. Even the result of a good action turns into a bondage if it is done with ego. None can escape the wheel of karma through self-motivated action. On the other hand, unselfish action destroys the bondages of action and brings liberation to man.”

Q: Can one do good to others with no motive at all?

Latu Maharaj: “We say, let the motive be God-oriented. Although everyone cannot see God, one should have faith in his existence, and that faith is the key to seeing God. First have faith in God and then love his children. For instance, somebody did a job exceptionally well. The news reached the king, and he summoned the man. The meeting with the king came about because that job was well done. Similarly, by lovingly serving the Lord’s children, you will get his grace and his vision too. All are the children of God.” 16/07/2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"Vedanta as prevalent in some parts of the country is of a loose sort. 'I am Brahman', they say, and go on doing all sorts of things as if these did not affect them. Discrimination, according to them, is not a sign of knowledge. Even the womankind hold this view. And sometimes vile things are done in the name of Vedanta. You know the story of a monk who came to live in the Panchavati at Dakshineswar. Gossip went round about his character, and it reached at last the ears of the Master. And when he remonstrated with him, the monk said, 'If the world is unreal, are my slips of character alone real?' Shri Ramakrishna replied, 'I spit upon such knowledge as thine!' Falsehood should never be allowed to flourish. The common man takes to those activities which tend to perpetuate the bond of attachment. And this is true of the whole world. The only exceptions are the monks, who have found out the evanescence of the world and renounced it. Knowledge dawns when discrimination is perfect."

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "How difficult to hold the mind for ever above the world! It wants to come down. It is indeed very hard to escape the grip of desires. As Shri Ramakrishna would say, 'Even he who has no one to call his own rears up a cat and creates homely attachments.'

"Realization! Ah, how wonderful it is! The mere thought of the Lord fills one with joy—who can measure the bliss of seeing Him face to face?

"In the ocean of Brahman filled with the nectar of Absolute Bliss, what is to be shunned and what accepted, what is other (than oneself) and what different? I do not see or hear or taste or smell or touch anything in this. I exist as the Self, the Eternal Bliss—distinct from everything else.'"

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Apropos of the Bhagavata class held yesterday, the Swami said, "What a fine advice Prahlada gives to his companions! He says, 'Worship the Lord even from childhood. This body is extremely despicable; the only saving grace is that it helps realization of the Lord.'

"And how boldly he declares to his father that none taught him to love God, neither his teachers nor even he himself! This love of God, he says, is attainable only through the grace of the devotees. The father exclaims, 'Who is this boy? He will be my death, I fear. Even Brahma and Vishnu quake before me, but he argues fearlessly with me! Kill him!'

"Perhaps you are thinking that it is fictitious. No, it is all true. Prahlada is not dead, he still lives. He lives in every devotee's heart, in yours and in mine. When such stupendous efforts failed to kill him, how can he ever die? Did he not realize himself as pervading everything?

"Read the Vishnu Purana; there you will find that his monistic consciousness made even blocks of stone float on water!"

An excellent book again is the Chandi! The philosophy of the Chandi has established the unity of Brahman and Shakti.

16 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"Vedanta as prevalent in some parts of the country is of a loose sort. 'I am Brahman', they say, and go on doing all sorts of things as if these did not affect them. Discrimination, according to them, is not a sign of knowledge.

Even the womankind hold this view. And sometimes vile things are done in the name of Vedanta.

"You know the story of a monk who came to live in the Panchavati at Dakshineswar.

Gossip went round about his character, and it reached at last the ears of the Master. And when he remonstrated with him, the monk said, 'If the world is unreal, are my slips of character alone real?' Shri Ramakrishna replied, I spit upon such knowledge as thine!' Falsehood should never be allowed to flourish.

"The common man takes to those activities which tend to perpetuate the bond of attachment. And this is true of the whole world.

The only exceptions are the monks, who have found out the evanescence of the world and renounced it. Knowledge dawns when discrimination is perfect."

17 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "How difficult to hold the mind for ever above the world! It wants to come down. It is indeed very hard to escape the grip of desires.

As Shri Ramakrishna would say, 'Even he who has no one to call his own rears up a cat and creates homely attachments.'

"Realization! Ah, how wonderful it is! The mere thought of the Lord fills one with joy-who can measure the bliss of seeing Him face to face?"

In the ocean of Brahman filled with the nectar of Absolute Bliss, what is to be shunned and what accepted, what is other (than oneself) and what different? I do not see or hear or taste or smell or touch anything in this. I exist as the Self, the Eternal Bliss-distinct from everything else.'"

18 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Apropos-of the Bhagavata class held yesterday, the Swami said, "What a fine advice Prahlada gives to his companions! He says, 'Worship the Lord even from childhood. This body is extremely despicable; the only saving grace is that it helps realization of the Lord.'

And how boldly he declares to his father that none taught him to love God, neither his teachers nor even he himself! This love of God, he says, is attainable only through the grace of the devotees. The father exclaims, 'Who is this boy? He will be my death, I fear. Even Brahma and Vishnu quake before me, but he argues fearlessly with me! Kill him!'

"Perhaps you are thinking that it is fictitious.

No. it is all true. Prahlada is not dead, he still lives. He lives in every devotee's heart, in yours and in mine. When such stupendous efforts failed to kill him, how can he ever die? Did he not realize himself as pervading everything?

Read the Vishnu Purana; there you will find that his monistic consciousness made even blocks of stone float on water! "

An excellent book again is the Chandi! The philosophy of the Chandi has established the unity of Brahman and Shakti.

'She, the Divine Mother is the Absolute and yet the relative in the form of the universe. She pervades everything.' Mahamaya (the Great Illusion) has veiled everyone with delusion that Her play may continue undisturbed. She vouchsafes both worldly enjoyment and spiritual emancipation. Such is the theme of the book. King Suratha and the merchant Samadhi worshipped the Mother for three years before they realized their desires.

19 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"How is it that we know, and yet cannot act accordingly? This is due to Her Maya. The Divine Mother must be propitiated. 'She being propitiated grants the boon of Freedom.' Aye, without Her grace, no man can get out of this network of illusion.

Only through worship can the common man realize the supreme beatitude, the state of universal consciousness. There is no other way.

"Speak to others even as you speak to yourself. That is to say, know every one as your own self.

Do you ever get angry with yourself? Even so behave with others. But that would be possible only when you see your own Self existing in others.

This is the spirit which underlies Swamiji's doctrine of the worship of the poor, all the forms of Narayana.

Indeed, there is a plane of consciousness where everything appears as one's own Self. And when one reaches that plane, there is no more any confusion for him."

20 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Three days of selfless service done in the right way will bring about spiritual realization. Such indeed has been the experience of everyone who has tried it. K-has told me that in those days when he was working in the hospital, he would always feel highly lifted up in spirit.

Is not every man God Himself? 'The Lord abides in every heart.' If one fails to realize this, it is one's own fault, none else's.

"Once when I made known to Shri Ramakrishna that my life's ideal was to attain Nirvana, he reproved me for entertaining such a low ideal.

He said, 'The ordinary man yearns for Nirvana. Have you not seen in a game of dice how cautiously a novice moves his pieces, keeping them in pairs to escape being checkmated, and how anxious is he to reach "home"! But the expert takes no caution. He deliberately turns down his pieces even when very near "home" so that the play might go on.

And the dice become so attuned in his hands that he can cast any number he likes. Yes, the "expert" remains in the world and yet enjoys its fun.'

I was astonished at the statement, and on my expressing a doubt, he reassured me that it was quite possible through the grace of the Mother. 'She graciously makes the dice so attuned,' he said metaphorically."

21 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

N.: "You once told us that the joy of one day's company with an Incarnation was enough compensation for the sufferings of a whole life."

Swami: "Yes, it is true. An hour of congregational singing in the company of the Master used to fill us with such an exuberant joy that we would feel transported, as it were, into an ethereal region. But now even meditation fails to evoke that celestial bliss, or even a semblance of it.

That bliss would abide in us for a week continually. We used to feel intoxicated, though we did not know the why or how of it. Who will believe it? It is difficult to convince anyone. Yet I must speak out.

"The ordinary man seeks Nirvana because he has suffered. But he does not know the tremendous joy there is in Divine communion.

"One day I arrived at the Dakshineswar temple when the Master was having his dinner.

A number of cups containing various preparations were set before him. Someone might have thought these an unbecoming luxury, fit only for a Rajasika life.

The Master at once said, 'Well, the tendency of my mind is ever towards the Infinite. It is by such Rajasika devices that I hold it down to the lower planes, otherwise I could not have talked with you.'

'How strange!' I said to myself on hearing him, 'others seek to attain Sattva by overcoming Rajas through rigorous discipline of food, whereas he has to forcibly check his mind from rising to the Sattvika plane!'

"Out of infinite mercy, he once vouchsafed me the realization that every action and movement of his, nay, even his footfall was meant for the good of others.

22 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"People have only a superficial idea of the meaning of selfless action, not a clear grasp.

For, if they are once convinced, how can they ever resist practising it? Only the self-deluded talk glibly of having understood it. Complete surrender to truth is an indispensable condition of selfless action.

"It is desires that obstruct spiritual realization. Could we but surrender ourselves wholly to Him! But no, we only partly rely on Him, and partly on our own effort lest He should not do the whole thing.

(To R.) "Tell us something about God."

R.: "We can recite only from the Bhagavata of the Kali Yuga! (He meant newspapers.)"

Swami : "Why do you think like that? How can there be any Kali Yuga for a devotee?

23 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

The other day R told me a dream of his. It seemed almost real and deeply impressed me."

R., who was persuaded to recount it, said, "I dreamt that Shri Ramakrishna was very ill, and that the dissolution of his body was imminent. The disciples were very much cast down, and the Holy Mother was crying in an inner apartment.

I had an idea in those days when I had this dream that a Divine Incarnation and man differed only in the degree of power. And as I stood before Shri Ramakrishna, I thought within myself whether the love of his disciples could not induce him to preserve his body a little longer.

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than he said, 'Look here, there is a great difference between God and men. Do you know what men are like? They are like persons walking a short distance into the waters of the ocean, reaching at most to the breakers with extreme difficulty and then coming back.'

And as he said this, I actually saw an infinite ocean spread before me, with men moving on the water, most of whom were very close to the sands, and only one or two had gone as far as the first breakers.

Shri Ramakrishna continued, 'But God can cross it and return in a moment'.

And at once I saw him cross the sea and come back! He then said to me, 'The mind of an Incarnation of God always tends towards the Infinite. Only a particle of His mind attends to the universe of which the devotees form a very minute portion indeed. How can they hold down my mind?'

"The Holy Mother also used to say the same thing. She once said, 'My mind always wants to soar into the Infinite. I have to forcibly keep it down on a lower plane by various devices.

They talk of my attachments! They do not know that I can in a moment sever all ties!

24 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "I heard a beautiful story relating to Holy Mother, told by herself. After the passing away of Shri Ramakrishna, she was once crying, when he appeared before her and said, 'How is it that you cry? Do you think I am gone? Here I am! I have, as it were, passed from one room to another, that's all. You may not see me physically, but you know in many ways that I exist.'"

The Swami was arguing in fun with D. to prove the superiority of Bhakti over Jnana.

He quoted from the Chaitanya-Charitamrita : "'The Jnani, ignorant of the bliss of Divine Love, like a crow tastes the margosa fruits of Jnana. But the devotee, knowing the mystery of Divine Love, like a cuckoo, tastes the mango blossoms of Love.'

The margosa fruit is bitter to the taste, and being a mature product of the tree, has no further development and soon withers away. But the mango-blossom has a glorious future before it. It will grow and ripen into a luscious fruit; it implies progressiveness.

"Jnana fully evolved becomes Bhakti.

Practice of knowledge leads the mind higher and higher, beyond the bounds of duality. But true Bhakti is its own end. Wherever he be, the devotee is ever full of the nectar of love and bliss Divine.

"Knowledge is necessary in the first stages of spiritual life to master the senses.

Afterwards it is one continuous enjoyment of the beatific love of God.

25 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"And how beautiful are these words of Thomas a Kempis : 'Speak, O Lord, for Thy servant heareth. Silence, all ye teachers! And silence, ye prophets! Speak Thou alone, O Lord, unto my soul!' " 'Come, O mind, let us evade lust and other passions, and live by ourselves.' But how difficult to evade them! It is these which have made brutes of men!

"Shri Ramakrishna once asked a Pundit to discourse on some scriptural topic. The Pundit went on for more than an hour expounding the doctrine of Triputi-bheda (the dissolution of the difference between knowledge, knower, and the thing known). At the end, Shri Ramakrishna remarked : 'Nicely indeed you have spoken.

But all I know is that I have my Mother and I am Her son.'"

26 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday (Jayanti) of Revered Swami Ramakrishnanandaji Maharaj. On this auspicious day may he bless us all with Bhakti.)

(Below we are producing the reminiscences of him by Revered Yatiswaranandaji Maharaj)

Swami Ramakrishnananda: A Life of Supreme Dedication

The fittest disciple to receive his Master’s name.

Referring to those who used to come to him, Sri Ramakrishna would say: “The devotees who come here may be divided into two groups. One group says—’O God, give me liberation. Another group, belonging to the inner circle, does not talk that way. They are satisfied if they can know two things; first who I am (referring to himself), who they are, and what their relationship to me is.’”

Swami Ramakrishnananda belonged to this second group of souls who are born to fulfil the mission of the Divine Incarnations.

He was, in fact, a perfect illustration, of devotion which he himself described:

“True devotion is selfless. Whether the Beloved is rich or poor, still the devotee’s whole soul is for Him and no one else. He does not want anything from God. He always wants to give something to God. The true lover of God must be more than perfect. For, a perfect man may be self-contained and self-satisfied, but he may not have the power of satisfying others, just as a reservoir of water full to the brim, is self-contained and lives only in itself. Not so the perennial spring, which is not only full in itself but also springs out of itself with overflowing munificence for the sake of others. A true devotee is like that. He lives not so much for himself as for his Beloved and for those who belong to Him.”

Swami Ramakrishnananda lived so much for his Master that speaking of his unique service to Sri Ramakrishna during his fatal illness, Dr. Ramachandra Dutta, a great householder devotee of the Master, wrote : ‘Dear brother, born as a man, you have understood the duty of human life. That is why you are the object of the Master’s special grace. By His grace you stand at the head of the circle of his attendants. You are His chosen son and servant and are second to none in service to Him.’

In fact, the great Swami Vivekananda himself wished at first to take the name of Ramakrishnananda but he thought that his brother disciple Shashi had a better claim to it because of his unparalleled love and service to the Master.

So, it was this Shashi who became Swami Ramakrishnananda, the founder of the Ramakrishna movement in South India.

26/07/2022, 18:49 - Vamsi Krishna Marri added Rita Chicago Vedanta Society

26/07/2022, 18:49 - Vamsi Krishna Marri added Hima Bindu Telugu Devotee Mayavati

26/07/2022, 18:51 - Vamsi Krishna Marri added Saradakaral

26/07/2022, 19:13 - Vamsi Krishna Marri added Amit Kumar delhi

27 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Below we are producing the reminiscences of Revered Ramakrishnanandaji by Swami Yatiswaranandaji Maharaj)

The most suitable monk to take the Master’s message to South India.

I had not the privilege of sitting at the feet of Swami Ramakrishnananda because he was staying in South India and I was then at Calcutta. When the Swami was taken to Calcutta during his fatal illness in 1911, I was fortunate in having just two glimpses of him.

The first was on the roof of the Bagbazar Math, when he had gone up for breathing some fresh air. Next time, it was in what proved to be his death-bed.

It was really not death but passing into immortality.

After the Swami’s passing away in August 1911, when I joined the Order as a Brahmacharin, I was sent to the Madras Math for training.

There one could tangibly feel the atmosphere, full of the Swami’s spirit of renunciation and devotion. But I was surprised to find that there was not a single South Indian Brahmacharin in the Madras Math. However, I had the good fortune of meeting some householder devotees whose life had been transformed by his touch and inspired by his ideal of self-dedication.

The Swami’s brother-disciples, each one of them a spiritual giant by himself, held a great opinion of him.

Swami Brahmananda said of him: “His influence is a living force in South India.”

Swami Premananda proclaimed that he was the founder of the original Ramakrishna monastery, not Rakhal, not Sharat, not even Swamiji (i.e. Swami Vivekananda).

From the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and also from the devotees in Madras I learnt of the wonderful life of renunciation, devotion and service, of the tremendous strength and transforming power of the Swami and made him my ideal in life.

I did not know then that years later I would have to be the third president of the Madras Math and follow in the Swami’s footsteps in my own humble way.

During my stay in the Madras Math, from 1911 to 1917, I could definitely feel how the mental atmosphere was saturated with the spirit of Tapasya—moral and spiritual disciplines, renunciation and service—practised by the Swami for long fourteen years.

In order to appreciate these illumined souls, it is necessary for us to have a little subtle perception. It is then that we discover how they fertilise the mental soil by their spiritualised presence and vibrations and thoughts.

That many of us were greatly benefited by our stay in the Madras Math was due not only to the grace of the Master but also due to the living spiritual atmosphere there bequeathed by the Swami. But then, if we may say so, this also is an expression of the Master’s grace.

The Swami was the most suitable monk to bring the message of his Master to the South—the land of Alwars, Nayanmars and the Acharyas.

When Swami Vivekananda returned from the West, in 1897, he had told the people of Madras: “I shall send you one who is more orthodox than your most orthodox men of the South and who is at the same time unique and unsurpassed in his scholarship, worship and meditation on God.”

The promise was indeed fulfilled to the letter.

28 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Ramakrishnananda)

ADVERSITY

Unless one passes through the school of adversity, one cannot properly be called a human being. We learn much from our troubles. You should not lose heart in adversity.

Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, prayed to Sri Krishna to beset her with adversities, since in adversity alone is He more frequently remembered!

AIM

We must not cease to strive for the highest even though it seems unattainable. We must keep God as our ideal and aim; that will pull us on. If a man aims at the sky, at least he may strike the top of a tree. If he aims at the top of the tree, he may not get above the ground.

AMBITION

The very fact that we are dissatisfied with our finite nature shows that it is not our natural condition. The fact that we have infinite ambition, that we have insatiable hunger for more and more, proves that we are infinite by nature, and that is why we are always dissatisfied with whatever is finite.

Wipe away the dust, arouse your ambition, stir up your activity and know that all power is latent in you. You are not limited.

29 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Ramakrishnananda)

ATTITUDE

Divine Mother does not like us to call ourselves Her servants... We are her children to Her, not servants. Always think of yourself as Her child.

CONTENTMENT

Do not be content with the little things of this world. This universe is like a baby’s toy. Throw it away. Claim your eternal heritage. This little span of life is not yours; your life has no beginning, no end.

DESIRE

Mind is like a big mirror which gives a perfect reflection but which has been so thickly covered with dirt that nothing can be seen in it. The more you can rub off that dirt, the more you will be able to see yourself in it. The more you can remove the least speck of dust, the more you can get a perfect image of your true Self.

What is that dirt that hides the image? Selfish desires.

DEVOTEE

If we love God for what we can get from Him in the world, we really love the world, not God, and we can never be true devotees.

The true devotee loves God just for the joy of loving Him, because God is the Beloved.

30 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Ramakrishnananda)

DEVOTION

If we are caught in a labyrinth and someone comes and says, “I can

show you the way out,” what do we do? Follow him. And the gratitude we feel is what we call worship and devotion.

DISCOURAGEMENT

You need not complain that you are not successful in your attempts. So it is with almost all.

Every child before it learns to walk falls down a hundred thousand times. I can assure you that God helps those who help themselves.

DISCRIMINATION

The first personal pronoun is at the root of all our miseries. Hence our primary duty should be to get rid of it somehow or other. This can be done by the service of the great, by good works without caring for results, by concentration or discrimination.

EDUCATION

True education consists in the sacrifice of vanity and the manifestation of the God within.

EGO

Almost all men in the world have usurped the throne where God should sit. On that throne where God should be, a most worthless slave has been given place. This is the ego.

When you know this, then drive out the ego. When you do this and become the slave or servant of God instead, you will realize your eternal nature. Being one with God, all fear of death will go, peace will come to you, and you will taste true bliss.

All Maya is localized in ego. Pull out the foundation and the whole house will collapse. Take away the ego and the whole structure of Maya will fall. Then you will realize a state of perfect calmness.

31 July 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Ramakrishnananda)

FATE

I cannot accept that fate is irremovable. I do not believe that good and bad, virtue and vice, happiness and misery and all pairs of opposites stored in the chamber of fate are irremovable.

None but the supreme Self is immutable, indivisible, incombustible, and indestructible in this universe.

Wherever there is disease, there is remedy. Light follows darkness. Repression is shadowed by relief. Virtue succeeds vice. This is the eternal law of nature. If one uniform Law prevails in all matters, why then should fate be an exception?

FREEDOM

What keeps us from seeing God? Selfishness, egotism, ambition, vanity, pride. The more we can minimize these, the sooner will we come to the goal. If we can get rid of them altogether, then freedom is ours.

GOD

God does not dwell somewhere beyond the clouds. He is in the heart of all living beings.

God comes before us in the form of the ignorant, the needy, the diseased, the destitute, the famished—so that we may serve Him in these forms and thus edify ourselves.

GRACE

When God’s grace is combined with personal effort, everything turns favourable and every undertaking becomes successful.

IGNORANCE

What is the use of imagining yourself a sinner? You are infinite; it is sheer ignorance that makes you imagine that you are finite.

1 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Ramakrishnananda)

LAZINESS

Shake off all dullness from within you. Laziness is the worst of all sins.

LOVE

If we cannot love others, if we cannot serve others, what are we here for?

No love is really love that knows its opposite, hate. True love is always inclusive and universal. So long as one has an enemy and cannot bear to have any good come to that person, he cannot know what real love is.

You are, indeed, a very bad lover of God if you cannot bear some worldly troubles for His sake!

LUST

Know that you are a God and consequently the Lord of the senses. Why should you allow the senses to lord over you?

RAMAKRISHNA

Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna will surely help you, if you only sincerely ask Him for help. He is the Incarnation of Love and Mercy.

SELF-SURRENDER

That man who can throw himself at the feet of the Lord and say, “All this is Thine, This body, mind, and soul all belong to Thee; of myself I am utterly helpless; do Thou take me,” the Lord takes that man and makes his hands, his feet, his eyes and ears, His instruments. He speaks through his mouth; He works through his hands; He walks with his feet; and the man becomes a living representative of God. This is salvation.

2 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

The conversation turned on ancient civilizations.

‘T’. remarked that the Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, arid Persian civilizations were the most ancient.

Swami: "They hold that the present civilization of mankind is the outcome of the evolution of the amoeba. I would tell the Americans that though we admit evolution, yet we hold that the civilized man has always existed. I would challenge them to show a single civilization which did not result from contact with another civilization."

T.: "Yet, Maharaj, the Hottentot is still the same Hottentot."

R.: "But it may be that a great man suddenly appeared amidst an uncivilized people and gave them light."

Swami: "As a matter of fact, great men are never born like that. Savage races are always found to have become civilized by contact with civilized races.

"The highest ideal of civilization is the realization of the Self as existing in all beings.

'He who judges of pleasure and pain everywhere by the same standard as he applies to himself, that Yogi, O Arjuna, is regarded as the highest.'

That realization, however, comes only after Nirvikalpa Samadhi."

3 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

One of the Swami's toe-nails had come off of itself. Referring to this, he said, "Thus is the body left behind, and the soul flies off, though, of course, not unperceived - the mind, the ego feels its departure.

'The great elements, egoism, intellect, and also the unmanifested, the ten senses, desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the body, consciousness, fortitude - these, briefly described, constitute the Kshetra (lit. field) and its modifications.

The Kshetrajna (soul) alone is real, and its reality makes the Kshetra-the body, mind, etc., appear as real.

In his last birth, man becomes conscious of the Truth, knows God and succumbs no more to egoistic delusions.

"Attachment and aversion are at the root of all evil. Hence the injunction to relinquish them. For, free of them, one can do with impunity whatever one likes.

"One attains knowledge through the grace of the great sages. 'Through the grace of the great ones or of the Lord, says the scripture.

Then one feels a strong yearning for emancipation from the world, and the Cosmic Will makes circumstances favourable to him.

4 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

B.: "When a man has realized the Personal God in the Savikalpa Samadhi, he finds Him abiding in everything. Is not that also the realization of Universal Oneness?"

Swami: "There are stages in realization.

Swamiji used to say that India never felt the want of the Jivanmuktas (the living-free). He said that he had himself seen at least fifteen or sixteen of them; and that even in the darkest days of India, spiritual giants were born."

R.: "Indeed, a land inhabited by three hundred millions of people-and by more in the past-persistently aspiring after spiritual realization, cannot know the want of such seers.

India is, as it were, the shrine of the world, and contemplation of God its principal occupation."

Swami: "It was the opinion of Swamiji that all heart and no brain is preferable to all brain and no heart. He used to say that the heart does everything."

T.: "I do not believe in this theory."

Swami: "You cannot build up life without the living touch of an ideal life. The Bhagavata is always insisting on the company of the good and the devout. Shankara, has no doubt, laid particular stress on the Jnana (knowledge) aspect. But Vedanta upholds the necessity also of a spiritual teacher. Life can be kindled only from another life."

T.: "Fortunately we have the lives of Shri Ramakrishna and Swamiji and yourselves before us. Thus we can know the true ideal and the true significance of the scriptures."

Swami: "Indeed the lives of seers are the proof and demonstration of the scriptures."

5 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"The individual is bound. Like a tethered cow he is free to a certain extent only, not fully. But he is emancipated if he utilizes that limited freedom in a proper way. He does not do it, but rather abuses it in various ways.

"Each man has his own world and sees the same substance in a different way. Realizing the Self in all things, one attains to Peace Eternal."

Swami (Referring to ‘D’, who was present): "He is daily going down into Tamas, becoming more and more lazy in the name of spiritual progress. They think that inaction in itself is the ideal. If it be so, why, then the wall also should be considered to have attained Samadhi. Should not one transcend all dualities?

To maintain one's mental balance under all circumstances, to remain absolutely unmoved -that indeed is the goal!"

'Worship of Narayana'-how exquisite! This is the characteristic of the present age.

Meditation and work both are excellent, if properly done. They are equally good.

Practice of medicine is bad if you seek remuneration. Selflessly done, it leads to salvation.

6 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"The individual is bound. Like a tethered cow he is free to a certain extent only, not fully. He can be emancipated if he utilizes that limited freedom in a proper way. He does not do it, but rather abuses it in various ways.

"Each man has his own world and sees the same substance in a different way. Realizing the Self in all things, one attains to Peace Eternal."

Swami (Referring to ‘D’, who was present): "He is daily going down into Tamas, becoming more and more lazy in the name of spiritual progress. They think that inaction in itself is the ideal. If it be so, why, then the wall also should be considered to have attained Samadhi. Should not one transcend all dualities?

To maintain one's mental balance under all circumstances, to remain absolutely unmoved -that indeed is the goal!"

'Worship of Narayana'-how exquisite! This is the ideal of the present age.

Meditation and work both are excellent, if properly done. They are equally good.

Practice of medicine is bad if you seek remuneration. Selflessly done, it leads to salvation.

7 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

There was a king who promised the gift of half his kingdom to anyone who would teach him the preparation of puffed rice.

Many came and explained and demonstrated, but at the end the king would always say that he did not understand. How could he? He simply would not!

We are also like him. Who does not know that the world is transitory? But 'we refuse to feel convinced' lest we also have to give away 'half the kingdom' i.e., the enjoyments of the world."

N.: "But this hugging of sorrow, is it not also a sort of madness?"

Swami: "Yes, it is. But as a spiritual discipline it has great value, it purifies the mind.

"Merely saying 'I am Brahman' is no use as long as there is the least ignorance left in you.

"You must worship God. The Mother being pleased by our worship grants both enjoyment and freedom.

'Take refuge, O king, in Her, the Great Goddess. Being propitiated, She grants both worldly prosperity and spiritual emancipation.'

'What if Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva teaches thee? Unless thou forgetest everything, thou canst not be established in Self-realization."

'The whole universe, being but an effect of Brahman, is in reality nothing but Brahman.

8 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

The Swami spoke enthusiastically on service and work.

Swami: "Work done in the spirit of service can lead one as surely to the goal as meditation and Japa.

"The Gita read between the lines, is found to emphasize work. There is a deeper meaning behind its saying that the Jnani has no work to do. It means that he has not, like the ordinary worker, any egoistic feeling attached to his work.

"All those old ideas that the Sannyasin should renounce all works except begging, can no more satisfy us, especially after we have been enlightened by the life and teachings of the Master and Swamiji. They have thrown a new light on these things, they have given a new expression to the ancient light."

Hearing that a certain work was inconvenienced for want of a trained worker, the Swami said, "Never mind. Do your best.

Work yourself to death, if need be. Nothing but good will come of it."

9 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"I am against our work being done by paid men. Better you wind it up.... Go on working, ready to sacrifice even life for the Master's work. I am sure he will provide all necessary help in time. Do not worry.

"I do not at all like the idea of separating work from worship. Work is worship. All work is His service. I have seen people who practise austerities in solitude often become very selfish.

But the worker has to mix and live with many for the sake of his work and has thus to cultivate patience, sympathy, love, and selflessness. Besides Upasana (worship) also is work, and its fruits also have to be dedicated to the Lord."

"J. came to see me some time ago. He is a staunch believer in Purushakara - free-will and free agency. I put the other side, that of destiny, before him.

I said, 'We have seen both these aspects, and therefore look upon the Divine will as the stronger factor.

You perhaps have not seen failure in life. That is why you are so emphatic about free-will.'

But he frankly and naively upheld his thesis.He came to congratulate us on our works of service.

When I said that they were possible through the grace of God, he replied, 'No, not through God's will, but through your own efforts.'

But he is a fine man and I like him."

10 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami (Referring to Y.): "He wants to put by some money before retiring from the world. The idea of begging one's food frightens him. But then, his won't be true renunciation.

'Wander about living on alms.' Begging is holy, it teaches reliance on God. And one comes to feel that all places are His and that one gets only what and when He gives. One cannot otherwise get rid of fear and reliance on men.

"Some are alarmed at the idea of sharing their things with others. There was a monk who lived in a forest. To him once came a king seeking God, having renounced his kingdom. The monk became alarmed at this prospective partner of his daily bread. So he said to the king, 'You must give up all company.

Go deeper into the forest where you will have perfect solitude.' The king took the words in an earnest spirit and left him and retired into the deep forest.

In a short while there came a man bearing food for two persons, out of which he gave the usual portion of bread to the monk.

The monk found that the man had reserved a gold dish laden with delicacies and asked him whom it was meant for. 'It is for him,' he replied, 'who was a king'.

The monk flared up : 'What! mere bread for me who am so old a monk and all these delicacies for a novice!'

The man said, 'I do not know anything. But he who sent me has said that if you are not satisfied with the bread, you can take to the scythe.'

The monk, before he renounced, had been used to mowing the grass.

The idea was that if he and the king did not feel content with their present life, they might go back to their old occupations, the monk to grass-mowing and the king to his kingdom.

Why then should not the king be carefully served?"

"This is a fine story, profoundly significant.

11 August 2022

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami (Referring to Y.): He wants to put by some money before retiring from the world. The idea of begging one’s food frightens him. But then, his won’t be true renunciation. “Wander about living on alms.” Begging is holy; it teaches reliance on God. And one comes to feel that all places are His and that one gets only what and when He gives. One cannot otherwise get rid of fear and reliance on men.

Some are alarmed at the idea of sharing their things with others. There was a monk who lived in a forest. To him once came a king seeking God, having renounced his kingdom. The monk became alarmed at this prospective partner of his daily bread. So he said to the king, “You must give up all company. Go deeper into the forest where you will have perfect solitude.” The king took the words in an earnest spirit and left him and retired into the deep forest.

In a short while, there came a man bearing food for two persons, out of which he gave the usual portion of bread to the monk. The monk found that the man had reserved a gold dish laden with delicacies and asked him whom it was meant for. “It is for him,” he replied, “who was a king.” The monk flared up: “What! Mere bread for me who am so old a monk and all these delicacies for a novice!”

The man said, “I do not know anything. But he who sent me has said that if you are not satisfied with the bread, you can take to the scythe.” The monk, before he renounced, had been used to mowing the grass. The idea was that if he and the king did not feel content with their present life, they might go back to their old occupations, the monk to grass-mowing and the king to his kingdom. Why then should not the king be carefully served?

This is a fine story, profoundly significant. It was, in the first days of the Shanti Ashrama.

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Niranjananandaji Maharaj. On this auspicious day may Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.)

Swami Niranjanananda

Swami Niranjanananda was one of those few disciples whom Sri Ramakrishna termed as Nityasiddhas or Ishwarakotis—that is, souls who are perfect from their very birth and are not caught by Maya at any time. With particular reference to Niranjanananda, the Master once said that he was born with the characteristics of Rama inherent in him.

The early name of Swami Niranjanananda was Nityaniranjan Ghosh, and he was usually called by the shortened form Niranjan. He came from Rajarhat-Vishnupur, a village in 24 Parganas, but lived in Calcutta with his uncle Kalikrishna Mitra. In his boyhood, he became associated with a group of spiritualists in Calcutta. He was very often selected as a medium, and a very successful medium he always proved himself to be. At this time he developed some psychic powers—powers of curing people in a miraculous way and so on.

It is said that a very rich man, suffering from insomnia for eighteen long years, sought the help of Niranjan for recovery. Niranjan said afterwards, “I do not know whether that man got any real help from me. But finding the man suffering so much in life in spite of all his riches and wealth, I was seized with a feeling of the emptiness of all worldly things.”

Hearing about the great spiritual power of Sri Ramakrishna, one afternoon, Niranjan came to Dakshineswar to see him. Some say that Niranjan came there first with his spiritualist friends. It is said that they tried to make Sri Ramakrishna a medium. At first, the Master agreed and sat like an innocent child to be a medium. But soon he disliked the idea and left the seat.

Niranjan was about eighteen years old when he met the Master for the first time. He had a very majestic appearance—being a tall figure with broad shoulders and a strong physique. Though a boy, fearlessness beamed through his eyes. Sri Ramakrishna was surrounded by a circle of devotees when Niranjan came to him. 13 August 2022

Swami Niranjanananda

At the very first meeting, the Master talked with Niranjan as if he had known him for a long time. Sri Ramakrishna, seeing that it was getting dark, pressed Niranjan to pass the night at Dakshineswar. But Niranjan could not do so lest his uncle should be anxious for him. He, however, promised to come again.

This meeting, though short, so much impressed Niranjan that all the time on his way home he kept thinking about Sri Ramakrishna. At home also Sri Ramakrishna occupied all his thoughts. So within two or three days he again came to him. As soon as the Master saw the boy near the door, he ran to him and warmly embraced him. Then with deep feelings he began to say, “My boy, days are passing, when will you realize God? And if you do not realize God, the whole life will be meaningless. I am extremely anxious as to when you will wholeheartedly devote yourself to God.”

Niranjan was mute with wonder, and thought, “Strange indeed! How could he be so anxious because I have not realized God! Who could this man be?” Anyway, these words, uttered with deep feeling, greatly touched the heart of the boy. He spent the night at Dakshineswar. The next day and the day following that were also spent there in ecstatic joy. It was on the fourth day that he returned to Calcutta.

His uncle was in great anxiety for him. When Niranjan returned home, he was scolded for his absence and put under surveillance so that he might not go anywhere. Afterwards, however, Niranjan was permitted to go to Dakshineswar whenever he liked.

Niranjan was very frank and open-minded. The Master liked this trait in him because frankness and open-mindedness, in his opinion, were rare virtues—the effect of much Tapasya in one’s previous life and they indicated the possibility of realizing God.

Niranjan had a great abhorrence for married life. When his relatives pressed him for marriage, he was alarmed at the very idea. He thought he was being dragged towards his ruin. He was an extremely pure soul. The Master used to say that Niranjan was without any ‘Anjan’—that is, without any blemish in his character.

Niranjan was of violent temper, though he had a very tender heart. When provoked, he would lose all sense of proportion. One day he was going to Dakshineswar in a country-boat. Some fellow passengers began to speak ill of Sri Ramakrishna in the hearing of Niranjan. Niranjan at first protested. But finding that it was of no avail, he began to rock the boat, threatening to drown the passengers for their misconduct. The robust appearance and the furious mood of Niranjan struck terror into the hearts of the calumniators, who immediately apologized for their improper behaviour.

When Sri Ramakrishna heard of this incident, he severely took Niranjan to task for his violent temper. “Anger is a deadly sin, why should you be subject to it? Foolish people in their pitiable ignorance say many things. One should completely ignore them as beneath notice,” said Sri Ramakrishna. The reader may contrast this with a similar incident in Swami Yogananda’s life, and find for himself how the Master’s teaching varied according to the character of the disciple.

12 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Niranjananandaji Maharaj. On this auspicious day may Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.)

Swami Niranjanananda

Swami Niranjanananda was one of those few disciples whom Sri Ramakrishna termed as Nityasiddhas or Ishwarakotis —that is, souls who are perfect from their very birth and are not caught by Maya at any time. With particular reference to Niranjanananda, the Master once said that he was born with the characteristics of Rama inherent in him.

The early name of Swami Niranjanananda was Nityaniranjan Ghosh, and he was usually called by the shortened form Niranjan. He came from Rajarhat-Vishnupur, a village in 24 Parganas, but lived in Calcutta with his uncle Kalikrishna Mitra. In his boyhood, he became associated with a group of spiritualists in Calcutta.

He was very often selected as a medium, and a very successful medium he always proved himself to be. At this time he developed some psychic powers—powers of curing people in a miraculous way and so on. It is said that a very rich man, suffering from insomnia for eighteen long years, sought the help of Niranjan for recovery.

Niranjan said afterwards, ‘I do not know whether that man got any real help from me. But finding the man suffering so much in life in spite of all his riches and wealth, I was seized with a feeling of the emptiness of all worldly things.’

Hearing about the great spiritual power of Sri Ramakrishna, one afternoon, Niranjan came to Dakshineswar to see him. Some say that Niranjan came there first with his spiritualist friends. It is said that they tried to make Sri Ramakrishna a medium. At first, the Master agreed and sat like an innocent child to be a medium. But soon he disliked the idea and left the seat.

Niranjan was about eighteen years old when he met the Master for the first time. He had a very majestic appearance—being a tall figure with broad shoulders and a strong physique. Though a boy, fearlessness beamed through his eyes.

Sri Ramakrishna was surrounded by a circle of devotees when Niranjan came to him. In the evening when all the devotees dispersed, the Master turned to Niranjan and inquired all about him. Coming to know about his interest in spiritualism, he told young Niranjan,

‘My boy, if you think of ghosts and spooks, ghosts and spooks you will become. And if you think of God, divine will be your life. Which do you prefer?’

‘Of course, the latter’ replied Niranjan. Thereupon Sri Ramakrishna advised Niranjan to sever all connections with the spiritualists, to which Niranjan agreed.

13 August 2022

'Jai Ramakrishna 13/08/2022'

The reader may contrast this with a similar incident in Swami Yogananda’s life, and find for himself how the Master’s teaching varied according to the character of the disciple.

Jai Ramakrishna.

Swami Niranjanananda.

At one time Niranjan was compelled to accept a situation in an office. When the news reached Sri Ramakrishna, he was greatly aggrieved and remarked, “I should not have been more pained, had I heard of his death.” Afterwards, when he learnt that Niranjan had accepted the situation to maintain his aged mother, Sri Ramakrishna breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Ah, then it is all right. It will not contaminate your mind. But if you had done so for your own sake, I could not have touched you. Really it was unthinkable that you could stoop to such humiliation.” Hearing these words, when one of the audience asked the Master if he was decrying service and if so, how could one maintain oneself and one’s family, the Master remarked, “Let others do whatever they like. I say these with reference to those young aspirants who form a class by themselves.”

Niranjan could not be long in the service. When Sri Ramakrishna was ill at Cossipore, Niranjan was one of those young disciples who stayed with him and day and night attended to his needs, with the hope that they would be able to cure him through their devoted service. After Sri Ramakrishna’s Mahasamadhi, after the demise of the Master, all the devotees agreed to inter the ashes somewhere on the Ganga. But later on, Ramchandra Datta and others wanted to take the ashes to Kankurgachi, in the eastern part of Calcutta. Niranjan is remembered for his bold advocacy of the original plan. By his intervention, the greater portion of the ashes was retained by the world-renouncing young men. After the passing of Sri Ramakrishna, Niranjan joined the monastery at Baranagore and gave up himself heart and soul to the realization of Truth. Now and then, spurred by the spirit of freedom, which does not allow a monk to confine himself to one place, Niranjan also would go hither and thither; but the monastery at Baranagore and afterwards at Alambazar, when it was removed there, was, as it were, the headquarters for him as also for all his gurubhais. He was the peer of Shashi (Swami Ramakrishnananda) in extraordinary steadfastness to the worship of the relic of the Master enshrined in the monastery. His faith in Sri Ramakrishna was so very living that it made him strong enough not to care at all for the praise or the blame of the whole world.

Jai Ramakrishna.

Swami Niranjanananda.

When Swami Vivekananda, after his triumphant success in the West, was returning to India, Swami Niranjanananda hastened to Colombo to receive him there. Afterwards, Niranjanananda accompanied Swami Vivekananda to some places in his tour through Northern India. For some time he stayed alone in Varanasi performing Tapasya and living by begging from door to door. Devotion to Holy Mother.

Swami Niranjanananda had a very loving heart though his appearance would inspire awe. His last meeting with the Holy Mother was very touching. “It disclosed”, a devotee records, “his loving, impulsive nature.”

14 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Niranjanananda

At one time, Niranjan was compelled to accept a situation in an office. When the news reached Sri Ramakrishna, he was greatly aggrieved and remarked, “I should not have been more pained, had I heard of his death.” Afterwards, when he learnt that Niranjan had accepted the situation to maintain his aged mother, Sri Ramakrishna breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Ah, then it is all right. It will not contaminate your mind. But if you had done so for your own sake, I could not have touched you. Really, it was unthinkable that you could stoop to such humiliation.” Hearing these words, when one of the audience asked the Master if he was decrying service and if so, how could one maintain oneself and one’s family, the Master remarked, “Let others do whatever they like. I say these with reference to those young aspirants who form a class by themselves.”

Niranjan could not be long in the service. When Sri Ramakrishna was ill at Cossipore, Niranjan was one of those young disciples who stayed with him and day and night attended to his needs, with the hope that they would be able to cure him through their devoted service. After Sri Ramakrishna’s Mahasamadhi, after the demise of the Master, all the devotees agreed to inter the ashes somewhere on the Ganga. But later on, Ramchandra Datta and others wanted to take the ashes to Kankurgachi, in the eastern part of Calcutta. Niranjan is remembered for his bold advocacy of the original plan. By his intervention, the greater portion of the ashes was retained by the world-renouncing young men.

After the passing of Sri Ramakrishna, Niranjan joined the monastery at Baranagore and gave up himself heart and soul to the realization of Truth. Now and then, spurred by the spirit of freedom, which does not allow a monk to confine himself to one place, Niranjan also would go hither and thither; but the monastery at Baranagore and afterwards at Alambazar, when it was removed there, was, as it were, the headquarters for him as also for all his gurubhais. He was the peer of Shashi (Swami Ramakrishnananda) in extraordinary steadfastness to the worship of the relic of the Master enshrined in the monastery. His faith in Sri Ramakrishna was so very living that it made him strong enough not to care at all for the praise or the blame of the whole world.

15 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Niranjanananda

When Swami Vivekananda, after his triumphant success in the West, was returning to India, Swami Niranjanananda hastened to Colombo to receive him there. Afterwards, Niranjanananda accompanied Swami Vivekananda to some places in his tour through Northern India. For some time, he stayed alone in Varanasi performing Tapasya and living by begging from door to door.

Devotion to Holy Mother

Swami Niranjanananda had a very loving heart though his appearance would inspire awe. His last meeting with the Holy Mother was very touching. “It disclosed,” a devotee records, “his loving, impulsive nature. He made no mention of the approaching end but was like a tearful child clinging to its mother. He insisted that the Holy Mother do everything for him, even feed him, and he wanted only what she had made ready for his meal. When the time came for him to leave her, reluctantly he threw himself at her feet weeping tears of tender sadness; then silently he went away, knowing that he would never see her again.” 13 August 2022

Swami Niranjanananda

At the very first meeting, the Master talked with Niranjan as if he had known him for a long time. Sri Ramakrishna, seeing that it was getting dark, pressed Niranjan to pass the night at Dakshineswar. But Niranjan could not do so lest his uncle should be anxious for him. He, however, promised to come again. This meeting, though short, so much impressed Niranjan that all the time on his way home he kept thinking about Sri Ramakrishna. At home also Sri Ramakrishna occupied all his thoughts. So within two or three days he again came to him. As soon as the Master saw the boy near the door, he ran to him and warmly embraced him. Then with deep feelings he began to say, “My boy, days are passing, when will you realize God? And if you do not realize God, the whole life will be meaningless. I am extremely anxious as to when you will wholeheartedly devote yourself to God.” Niranjan was mute with wonder, and thought, “Strange indeed! How could he be so anxious because I have not realized God! Who could this man be?”

Anyway, these words, uttered with deep feeling, greatly touched the heart of the boy. He spent the night at Dakshineswar. The next day and the day following that were also spent there in ecstatic joy. It was on the fourth day that he returned to Calcutta. His uncle was in great anxiety for him. When Niranjan returned home, he was scolded for his absence and put under surveillance so that he might not go anywhere. Afterwards, however, Niranjan was permitted to go to Dakshineswar whenever he liked. Niranjan was very frank and open-minded. The Master liked this trait in him because frankness and open-mindedness, in his opinion, were rare virtues—the effect of much Tapasya in one’s previous life and they indicated the possibility of realizing God. Niranjan had a great abhorrence for married life. When his relatives pressed him for marriage, he was alarmed at the very idea. He thought he was being dragged towards his ruin. He was an extremely pure soul. The Master used to say that Niranjan was without any ‘Anjan’—that is, without any blemish in his character. Niranjan was of violent temper, though he had a very tender heart. When provoked, he would lose all sense of proportion. One day he was going to Dakshineswar in a country-boat. Some fellow passengers began to speak ill of Sri Ramakrishna in the hearing of Niranjan. Niranjan at first protested.

16 August 2022

Love for Truth

There was a strange mixture of tenderness and sternness in him. His love for truth was uncompromising and counted no cost. Once a gentleman of Calcutta built a Shiva temple in the city of Varanasi. When Swami Vivekananda heard of this, he remarked, “If he does something for relieving the sufferings of the poor, he will acquire the merit of building a thousand such temples.”

When this remark of the great Swami reached the ears of the gentleman, he came forward with a large offer of pecuniary help to the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service at Varanasi—then in a nucleus state. But afterwards, as the first impulse of enthusiasm cooled down, he wanted to curtail the sum which he had originally offered. This breach of promise so much offended Swami Niranjanananda’s sense of regard for truth that he rejected the offer altogether, though that meant great difficulty for the institution.

It is very hard to estimate a spiritual personality by external events. The height of spiritual eminence of a person can be perceived, and that also only to some extent, by the inspiration he radiates. Swami Niranjanananda left the stamp of his life on many persons. Some even renounced everything for the sake of God and joined the Ramakrishna Order because of his influence. He left one sannyasin disciple.

Above all, to know Swami Niranjanananda we must turn to what the Master said about him: that Swami Niranjanananda was one of his “Antarangas”, that is, belonged to the inner circle of his devotees. During the last few years of his life, he suffered greatly from dysentery, and passed away on 9 May 1904, from an attack of cholera at Hardwar where he had gone for Tapasya.

'Jai Ramakrishna 17/08/2022'

Jai Ramakrishna. (Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda) It is extremely difficult to see 'the Atman in all things and all things in the Atman,' and 'God as existing equally in all beings.' We talk glibly about it and preach it to others, but how very hard to practise it! Everything is within us. Joy and sorrow have no 'objective existence'. We project joy from within us and associate it with certain things. The Jnani speaks and thinks of the ‘I’ as identical with the Atman. We identify it with the body. To perceive the Divine in one's consciousness is nothing but merging the ego in the Atman. 'As pure water poured into pure water, becomes the same, so becomes the Self of the sage, O Gautama, who knows the unity of the Atman.' The Jnani who has realized Oneness, behaves in the world in the same way as we do when we happen to bite our tongue—we do not become angry with the teeth. So long as we do not know the real nature of the image, we are deceived by it. But once we know its nature, we are no longer taken in, though we see it again and again. So also the Jnani who knows the nature of the world is not deluded by it. The difference between the Savikalpa and the Nirvikalpa Samadhi is one of degree of bliss, not of kind, for in both of them, the soul revels in God. The Nirvikalpa Samadhi is full of the infinite joy of Self-knowledge. It is not a barren vacuity.

Jai Ramakrishna. (Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda) When one has attained liberation, one realizes pure love without any ulterior motive. It is a love devoid of any thought of the power and glory of the Beloved. It is a love such as the Gopis bore to the child Krishna. The Adhikarika Purushas, the prophets and Incarnations, that are born to uplift the world, have not to suffer the bondage of Karma. Their incarnation is not due to their past actions but to the will of God that they may serve mankind. Indra and other gods are lords of 'spheres of enjoyment' and they have their fall. But the Jivanmuktas, the 'living-free', are all-powerful. It is true the Brahma-Sutras have stipulated that these gods cannot create or destroy the world; these functions belong to God. But it is not that they lack the power to create etc., they simply do not want to create. Possession of all powers is a sine qua non of the attainment of Mukti. Shri Ramakrishna said that Shiva had taken one sip from the Ocean of Brahman, Shuka had touched it, and Narada had only seen it from a distance.

Jai Ramakrishna. (Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda) Someone has written expressing his disapproval of the constant festivity that has characterized the stay of Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda) here. But how can it be otherwise? The Bhagavata says, 'Those who realize the eternal presence of the Lord in their heart, are endowed with perpetual good and beauty, and their life is imbued with an eternal festive joy.' Ramanuja came to where Suradas lived, and found him daily complaining to the Lord of his sufferings and sorrows. He said, 'Why, O Suradas, do you thus complain of your sorrows to God? Sing His glory.' That is how Suradas came to compose his hundred thousand verses in praise of the Lord. Suradas, who had been blind, regained his eyesight afterwards.

17 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

It is extremely difficult to see 'the Atman in all things and all things in the Atman,' and 'God as existing equally in all beings.'

We talk glibly about it and preach it to others. But how very hard to practise it! Everything is within us. Joy and sorrow have no 'objective existence'. We project joy from within us and associate it with certain things.

"The Jnani speaks and thinks of the ‘I’ as identical with the Atman. We identify it with the body.

To perceive the Divine in one's consciousness is nothing but merging the ego in the Atman. 'As pure water poured into pure water, becomes the same, so becomes the Self of the sage, O Gautama, who knows the unity of the Atman.'

"The Jnani who has realized Oneness, behaves in the world in the same way as we do when we happen to bite our tongue-we do not become angry with the teeth.

So long as ‘we do not know the real nature of the image, we are deceived by it. But once we know its nature, we are no longer taken in, though we see it again and again.

So also the Jnani who knows the nature of the world is not deluded by it.

"The difference between the Savikalpa and the Nirvikalpa Samadhi is one of degree of bliss, not of kind. For in both of them, the soul revels in God.

The Nirvikalpa Samadhi is full of the infinite joy of Self-knowledge. It is not a barren vacuity.

18 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"When one has attained liberation, one realizes pure love without any ulterior motive. It is a love devoid of any thought of the power and glory of the Beloved. It is a love such as the Gopis bore to the child Krishna."

"The Adhikarika Purushas, the prophets and Incarnations, that are born to uplift the world, have not to suffer the bondage of Karma. Their incarnation is not due to their past actions but to the will of God that they may serve mankind. Indra and other gods are lords of 'spheres of enjoyment' and they have their fall. But the Jivanmuktas, the 'living-free', are all-powerful. It is true the Brahma-Sutras have stipulated that these gods cannot create or destroy the world, these functions belong to God. But it is not that they lack the power to create etc., they simply do not want to create. Possession of all powers is a sine qua non of the attainment of Mukti."

Shri Ramakrishna said that Shiva had taken one sip from the Ocean of Brahman, Shuka had touched it, and Narada had only seen it from a distance.

19 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"Someone has written expressing his disapproval of the constant festivity that has characterized the stay of Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda) here. But how can it be otherwise? The Bhagavata says, 'Those who realize the eternal presence of the Lord in their heart, are endowed with perpetual good and beauty, and their life is imbued with an eternal festive joy.'"

"Ramanuja came to where Suradas lived, and found him daily complaining to the Lord of his sufferings and sorrows. He said, 'Why, O Suradas, do you thus complain of your sorrows to God? Sing His glory.' That is how Suradas came to compose his hundred thousand verses in praise of the Lord. Suradas who had been blind regained his eyesight afterwards."

"It is God who does everything. Rightly does Tulasidasa say that profit and loss, life and death, fame and slander, all are His gifts. Yes, He is the only doer. But the plan of the world is not all for Mukti, but also for Bhoga, enjoyment. Thus people plod on through joy and sorrow till they 'wake up' and are emancipated. God is the motive power behind both virtue and vice. And behind all these is His beneficent will. Every action thus tends to an ultimate good."

20 August 2022

The world is full of bewildering variety and is extremely complex. All phenomena are the effect of Trigunas. But there is a higher state beyond them, which has been realized by Paramahamsas. Whoever sees the underlying unity amidst these varieties has peace eternal. For then there is neither loss nor profit nor good nor evil. We have been reading these few days of the selfish prayers in the Rudradhyaya: "Do not destroy my cows. Ever turn thy benignant face on me. Come putting aside thy bow and arrows. And humble my enemies and chastise them." Well, such prayers come out of selfishness. But when one is rid of body consciousness, one does not feel these desires. The highest conception is to think that everything is He. Failing that, it is best to think that He is the real agent behind all actions and He is causing us to act. Shri Ramakrishna used to say that one becomes fit for Sannyasa only by having been a king in a previous birth and enjoyed life. Then only is one imbued with true dispassionateness from the very beginning of life. Is Sannyasa a mere form? Our idea was that a Sannyasin is very rare. For no ordinary man is he whom Maya has released from her bondage. When I saw three thousand monks at Rishikesh, then did I truly feel the difference between a true and a formal monk. A mere ochre garb does not constitute Sannyasa.

21 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"Some want Sannyasa in order to evade work. Our Master did not emphasize Sannyasa so much as realizing God. But it is true he was emphatic that knowledge of God is not possible without renunciation."

A Devotee: "But Swamiji strongly emphasized the necessity of Sannyasa."

Swami: "Yes, he did. But he also initiated the institution of service. You must take him in toto, which you do not. Some there are who refuse to work. They want, to use the Master's words, to have the 'butter' put into their mouth; they will not churn it out themselves. Everything must be given them readymade! That is why initiation into Sannyasa does not conduce to progress. Unless we dedicate ourselves to the service of others, we can do little good to them. Infinite sympathy and patience are needed. Bad health is a great impediment; it often causes mental irritation.

Was not Swamiji Sattvika, of a calm and dispassionate mind? Who was ever so Sattvika as he? My impression of him is not derived from hearsay, but from constant companionship and ocular evidence. I have seen him sitting at meditation at nine in the evening, quite insensible to the bitter stings of swarms of mosquitoes, and rising from it at five in the morning to take an early bath. It seemed as if Shiva himself was meditating, so deeply absorbed and unconscious of the external he would be!

Self-control and balance – these are characteristics of Sattva. Swamiji saw that India could not redeem herself unless she passed first through Rajas or activity. That is why he preached the doctrine of selfless work, which is Rajas or activity inspired and controlled by Sattva or mental poise and dispassionateness."

22 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: Self-control and balance – these are characteristics of Sattva. Swamiji saw that India could not redeem herself unless she passed first through Rajas or activity. That is why he preached the doctrine of selfless work which is Rajas or activity inspired and controlled by Sattva or mental poise and dispassionateness. "Sattva gives self-control, Rajas evokes activity and Tamas degrades. Tamas must be changed into Rajas or activity. Tamas is like drowsiness in snow- fatal. If one takes a fatal dose of opium, he should be forcibly kept from falling into sleep, even by physical torments; for to sleep then is to die. Indians are going down in Tamas under the pretext of Sattva. Swamiji tried hard to whip them into activity."

A: "Why this degradation of India?"

Swami: "The reason is quite apparent, Indians have strayed away from the ideal."

Disciple: "How to control the senses?"

Swami: "What do I know? (After a pause) 'My only refuge is Thy name, O Mother Shyama.' 'Never forget the name of Shri Durga. Why dost thou forget Her, O my mind! Just utter the name of Shri Durga.' Can you for once stop all talk and vigorously repeat only the name of God? Well, you see, you cannot expect to accumulate unless there is something already in the store. The man who lives from hand to mouth cannot store up anything. But if anyhow by hard labour he can once lay by something, his store goes on increasing rapidly. Similar is the case even in the field of religion. For a period work hard, and try to store up something."

23 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Always repeat the name of God- while taking meals, while at bed, or when you are at your seat. Just close your lips and be busy only with the repetition of the name of God. The Master would cite the example of the compass. The needle of a compass always points to the north. You may turn the needle away, but as soon as you let go the hold, it again points to the north. Your mind also should be so moulded. If somebody comes and diverts your mind to any other topic, as soon as he leaves you, the mind should be again repeating His name. See, so long I was talking with you; as soon as I have stopped speaking, this song is going on within, 'Why dost thou, my mind, become forgetful? Just repeat the name of Shri Durga' - exactly what the mind was doing before the conversation began. And you must do all your spiritual practices quite secretly, so that nobody comes to know of it.

24 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

“People say, ‘What God wills will come to pass.’ Well, will the wish arise in Him, without any struggle on your part? Only when the wings are tired does a bird sit on the mast of a ship for rest. Only when you have struggled your utmost will real resignation come.”

D: “What method should I follow as regards repeating His name?”

Swami: “Do not be bothered about methods. Just think, ‘I am Thy child, You are my Mother.’ Talk with Her in the same way as you are talking with me. She knows your heart. She is indeed within all.”

D: “Should one pray also?”

Swami: “Yes, you should be praying too.”

D: “My only prayer is that my mind may always remain fixed on Him—that I may never forget Him.”

Swami: “Surely you should have that kind of prayer. You must say: ‘Why should I forget You? I have given up everything only with the object of praying to You. May You out of compassion see that I do not forget You.’”

25 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

D: “Should I take to devotional songs also?”

Swami: “Yes, you should have devotional songs also. Else spiritual practices become monotonous. But then in the beginning special stress should be given on Japa (repetition of God’s name). You should practise one thing at a time. Be up and doing. Once the mind is brought under control, there is no more fear. It is the mind which creates all troubles.” 26 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday (Jayanti) of Revered Swami Advaitanandaji Maharaj. On this auspicious day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti.)

Swami Advaitananda (28 August 1828 – 28 December 1909), one of the direct disciples of Ramakrishna, was also known as Budo Gopal or the aged Gopal. He was older than Ramakrishna and took monastic vows at an advanced age. He played a crucial role during the early years of Ramakrishna Mission.

Pre‑monastic days

Gopal Chandra Ghosh was born on 28 August 1828 in Rajpur village in 24 paraganas, a few miles from Calcutta, to Govardhan Sur (Ghosh). He lived in Sinthi in Calcutta. Little is known about his early life and education. He was an employee in a shop in Chinabazar, which belonged to Beni Madhav Pal, a member of the Brahmo Samaj, whose name appears in *The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna*. Gopal was married, and at the time of meeting Ramakrishna for the first time he was more than 50 years old. At the death of his wife, he was taken by a friend to Sri Ramakrishna to assuage his grief. On his first visit Gopal was not very impressed with Ramakrishna, but after a few more visits he became devoted to him and served him in various ways, by buying provisions and running errands. Once Gopal distributed twelve ochre clothes in the presence of Ramakrishna to the first bunch of monks of Ramakrishna order, which included Vivekananda. After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, the “Baranagar Math” was started with Gopal as the first inmate. He was soon joined by Narendra Nath Dutta (Vivekananda), Rakhal (Brahmananda), Kali (Abhedananda), Latu (Adbhutananda) and other direct disciples of Ramakrishna.

Monastic life

In 1887, Gopal along with other disciples took up the monastic life and came to be known as Advaitananda (Advaita = Non‑dualism, ananda = bliss). After staying for a few years in Baranagar Math, Advaitananda travelled to Benaras where he stayed for around 5 years. Here he stayed in a small room, where he rose at 4 A.M. every day and bathed in the Ganga river, after which he did his spiritual practices for the day. He lived on *madhukari*, i.e., begging small quantities of cooked food from various places, as per the injunctions of the scriptures. He spent time mostly in contemplation. When Vivekananda returned to India after his visit to the west, Advaitananda returned to Alambazar, where the Ramakrishna Math had moved to. Afterwards, when the new monastery in Belur Math was established, he used to stay mostly there and looked after gardening and other managerial affairs. Even in his old age he was self‑dependent.

26 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday (Jayanti) of Revered Swami Advaitanandaji Maharaj. On this auspicious day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti.)

Swami Advaitananda (28 August 1828 – 28 December 1909) one of the direct disciples of Ramakrishna, was also known as Budo Gopal or the aged Gopal. He was older than Ramakrishna, and took monastic vows at an advanced age.

He played a crucial role during the early years of Ramakrishna Mission. Pre monastic days

Gopal Chandra Ghosh was born on 28 August 1828 in Rajpur village in 24 paraganas, a few miles from Calcutta, to Govardhan Sur (Ghosh). He lived in Sinthi in Calcutta.

Little is known about his early life and education.

He was an employee in a shop in Chinabazar, which belonged to Beni Madhav Pal, a member of the Brahmo Samaj, whose name appears in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

Gopal was married and at the time of meeting Ramakrishna for the first time he was more than 50 years old.

At the death of his wife, he was taken by a friend to Sri Ramakrishna to assuage his grief.

On his first visit Gopal was not very impressed with Ramakrishna, but after a few more visits he became devoted to him, and served him in various ways, by buying provisions and running errands.

Once Gopal distributed twelve ochre clothes in the presence of Ramakrishna to the first bunch of monks of Ramakrishna order, which included Vivekananda.

After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, the "Baranagar Math" was started with Gopal as the first inmate. He was soon joined by Narendra Nath Dutta (Vivekananda), Rakhal (Brahmananda), Kali (Abhedananda), Latu (Adbhutananda) and other direct disciples of Ramakrishna.

Monastic life

In 1887 Gopal along with other disciples took up the monastic life and came to be known as Advaitananda (Advaita = Non-dualism, ananda = bliss).

After staying for a few years in Baranagar Math, Advaitananda travelled to Benaras where he stayed for around 5 years. Here he stayed in a small room, where he rose at 4 A.M every day and bathed in the Ganga river, after which he did his spiritual practices for the day. He lived on madhukari i.e., begging small quantities of cooked food from various places, as per the injunctions of the scriptures. He spent time mostly in contemplation.

When Vivekananda returned to India after his visit to the west, Advaitananda returned to Alambazar, where the Ramakrishna Math had moved to. Afterwards, when the new monastery in Belur Math was established, he used to stay mostly there and looked after gardening and other managerial affairs.

Even in his old age he was self-dependent. After his return to the monastery, Advaitananda's special duty was to look to the levelling of the newly purchased land at Belur and the repair of the old structures there. The land had been in use for repair of steamers etc. and was hence full of pits and canals. All this meant strenuous work.

When the monastery became fully established there, he took up the duty of looking after the comforts of the monks and producing food.

He sometimes expressed disappointment that he fell so short of the ideal.

He did not take up any public activity; his monastic life was quite simple. However, he lived austerely and practiced meditation till his last days.

He travelled extensively and visited at one time or other sacred places including Kedarnath, Badrinarayan, and Hardwar in the north, Dwaraka in the west, and Rameswaram and other places in the south.

He was in sound health throughout his life, even at an advanced age. He accompanied Sarada Devi in some of her travels. After suffering for some time from stomach trouble, he passed away on 28 December 1909, at the age of 81.

27 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "'He is really a saint who has tasted the bliss of Rama. What has he known, who has not known Rama?'

"Tulasidasa said that four things are very essential in the world: 1. association with holy people, 2. taste in the name of God, 3. kindness, and 4. the spirit of service. 'Association is the root cause of everything.' 'From association grows attachment,' says the Gita. There is a saying: Tell me what company one keeps and I will tell you what he is. Association with holy people purifies the mind. But they must be really holy men. The outward garb alone does not make a man holy. He is really a holy man, who has made God his own. If one realizes God, to him the world is a paradise and everything in it yields whatever he desires."

28 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

The Swami was reading a Bengali book, *Vaijnanika Jagat*, by Shrijut Ramendra Sundar Trivedi. Referring to the book he said, "The author has tried to show that everything is growing according to the law of the survival of the fittest. Yes, this theory holds good in the lower stages, from amoeba to man; for up to this, self-interest is the principal thing. But after the human stage is reached, no longer is the theory true. Now the goal is to reach God. And the more one can forget his self, the nearer he approaches God." Swami Vivekananda once told me, "From the very nature of things, it is difficult to understand anything of the world. And now after lifelong labour it seems that I have known a little and when I think of giving that knowledge to others, the call has come from Above; 'Come away, just come away—don't bother yourself about teaching others. It is not the will of the Granny that the play should be over.'"

29 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Once, one of his brothers came to see him at the monastery at Baranagore. Swamiji scolded him right and left and drove him off. At this I took the boy aside and sympathetically treated and comforted him. Then I asked Swamiji, "Why did you scold the boy so much?"

Swamiji replied, "You think I have no feeling, that I am heartless; is it not?"

I was completely silenced. Then he said, "You see, if I show my love for them even to a little extent, it will not be possible for me to stay here; they will all come and give me all sorts of troubles. I would like to see that my brothers and sisters, all my relations are dying of hunger, while I am taking the name of God. In that case only shall I know that I have real love for God."

"Sarada (Swami Trigunatitananda) wanted to leave the monastery and go home. Swami Brahmananda was dissuading him, saying, 'Why should you go? Where will you go leaving Narendra? Have you got from anyone else the kind of love that you get from Narendra? I can also go home and live there if I like. But then it is solely the love of Narendra that keeps me here.'"

30 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Dr. K. of Cossipore has come to Varanasi with the idea of becoming a Sannyasin and is putting up in the Advaita Ashrama for some days past. Swami (Addressing K.): "When once God is realized, all religious practices seem like children's play with dolls. In the play children say, 'This is my bride, this is my husband.' They give one doll in marriage to another. This playing with dolls is but the forecast of the actual play they will have in life. And when they get real husbands, all their joys are with them, the dolls are all put aside; who then cares for them? Similarly, when God is realized, all religious practices are left behind. As Sri Ramakrishna used to say: 'The bridegroom is expected, so a bride dresses herself nicely, combs her hair, does many things to look beautiful with the expectation of getting a husband. But when she gets one, everything is neglected—where is the necessity for all these things then?'"

31 August 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Doctor B. was telling a visitor (pointing to the Swami and us), "They are all monks."

Swami (with a smile): "Yes, monks in form, no doubt. But, then, monasticism does not consist in clothes and dresses. The mind must attain saintliness, and that is a very difficult task. 'Set fire to desires and burn them to ashes; that will make a nice washing material (for the mind).'

"The name of God removes the dirt of the mind. As impurities in water settle down at the bottom when Nirmali (a kind of fruit) is put into it, in the same way, all impurities in the mind pass away on one's constantly repeating the name of God. 'A very serious disease it is, O Mother Divine; I know not whether I shall live or die: I have got a distaste for Thy name, day and night.'

"To have a distaste for God's name is the greatest mishap. (Addressing Dr. B.) 'To develop a dislike for food is a kind of disease, is it not the opinion of the medical science?'"

Dr.: "But there never comes a distaste for sense-enjoyments."

Swami: "That is true, indeed. You eat your fill—loading your stomach to its utmost capacity. It satisfies your hunger for the time being; but soon the same hankering for food comes again. Only a temporary cessation, it is—not a permanent one. Of all enjoyments, the one possessing the greatest attraction is that of sex. All enjoyments are called Bhoga, but sex-enjoyment is called Sambhoga, enjoyment par excellence. But even that is controlled if one knows how to discriminate."

1 September 2022

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"But there never comes a distaste for sense-enjoyments."

Swami: "That is true, indeed. You eat your fill, loading your stomach to its utmost capacity. It satisfies your hunger for the time being; but soon the same hankering for food comes again. Only a temporary cessation, it is—not a permanent one. Of all enjoyments, the one possessing the greatest attraction is that of sex. All enjoyments are called Bhoga, but sex-enjoyment is called Sambhoga, enjoyment par excellence. But even that is controlled if one knows how to discriminate.

The other day a doctor came, a very nice man. He said, 'The mind gets averse to all enjoyments, but not to that sex.' I said, 'Pray to God.' He replied, 'There is no desire to pray even.' He seemed to be a very nice man. Unhesitatingly he laid bare all that was in his mind before a holy man. I said, 'All right, enjoy the sourness of the hog-plum. In time it will go.'

Shri Ramakrishna used to say, 'Hog-plum is all peel and stone; it has no pulp and causes colic when taken. But then it has got an attractive taste. So is this world.' Where is happiness in the world? It is full of sufferings, an abode of misery. Sri Krishna said to Arjuna, 'Those who take refuge in Me alone, cross over this Maya.' Anticipating Arjuna's question, 'If by taking refuge in You, one can escape from the clutches of Maya, why do not people do that?' Shri Krishna said, 'Where is the chance of that? I have, on the other hand, got My Maya, which does not allow people to take refuge in Me.'

Tulasidasa used to say, 'When there is fever in the body, one will have a dislike even for palatable food.' In the same way, so long as one is in sin, one's mind will not move towards God."

2 September 2022

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"The mind must be made pure. An impure mind is one which has got a great attachment to sense-enjoyments; whereas the one which has got a great measure of dispassionateness is pure."

Swami: "Man's mind generally works in the three lowest planes. It travels up and down amongst those three only—food, sleep and sexual pleasure. It does not generally like to rise above these planes. The mind of some rises up to the plane of the heart. Then one gets the vision of light. The next is the 'throat plane'. If the mind goes there, the world seems to be unreal. Even from these two planes the mind comes down—such is the force of the downward pull. But when the mind rises from the throat to the 'plane of the eyebrow', it does not come down again below the heart. The mind next goes to the 'plane of the brain'."

A: "They say one gets the vision of light when the mind rises to the 'throat plane'. What kind of light is that? Is it very luminous?"

Swami: "Yes, one sees light. But, then, it is not any gross light; it is the light of knowledge. 'The sun does not shine there, nor the moon nor the stars nor these lightnings. How can this fire be there? He shining, all shines after Him. By His light all this shines.' Here, to think that Brahman is a big light, which bedims the light of the sun and the moon, will be a mistake. The passage means that He existing, the whole universe is manifested."

3 September 2022

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

An impure mind is one which has got a great attachment to sense-enjoyments; whereas the one which has got a great measure of dispassionateness is pure.

Man's mind generally works in the three lowest planes. It travels up and down amongst those three only—food, sleep and sexual pleasure. It does not generally like to rise above these planes. The mind of some rises up to the plane of the heart. Then one gets the vision of light. The next is the 'throat plane'. If the mind goes there, the world seems to be unreal. Even from these two planes the mind comes down—such is the force of the downward pull. But when the mind rises from the throat to the 'plane of the eyebrow', it does not come down again below the heart. The mind next goes to the 'plane of the brain'.

Yes, one sees light. But, then, it is not any gross light, it is the light of knowledge. "The sun does not shine there, nor the moon nor the stars nor these lightnings. How can this fire be there? He shining, all shines after Him. By His light all this shines." Here, to think that Brahman is a big light, which bedims the light of the sun and the moon, will be a mistake. The passage means that He existing, the whole universe is manifested.

Man is entirely absorbed in sense-enjoyments. Eating, sleeping, and sexual pleasure; in these he spends his whole life. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, "Big rice-merchants put parched rice etc., at the very door, lest the rats enter the store-rooms. As soon as the rats come, they set themselves to eating those things; inside there are bags of rice; of them the rats get no scent. In the same way, the Divine Mother has kept men deluded with tempting things, gold and lust. Men cannot go beyond them and get at the rice-bags, i.e., God. This world is like a labyrinth. Once one enters it one finds no way out. With human birth there comes an opportunity to get out. But of what avail it is? Man forgets all, busy with things pertaining to the senses."

See, none gets weary of sense enjoyment! In that everybody is full of energy—people are even ready to borrow energy from others and get sense-enjoyment. Yayati borrowed youth from his son and enjoyed the world for a thousand years. All talk of getting tired comes only with regard to spiritual practices! That is all nonsense. They have no liking, they get no taste, hence they feel tired. After going through spiritual practices for some time, they think, "No result is found here, we had been better off in our worldly life."

Rather than besmearing the body with mud and then undergoing the trouble of washing it off, is it not better to keep at a safe distance from mud? But how many can do that? So Sri Ramakrishna would say that it is better to have a little of worldly enjoyment. But then it must be accompanied with due discrimination. Through this cycle of birth and death one is gradually moving towards Him.

4 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "What a great power is imbedded in words! Though we may be repeating that all is unreal, that this world is false, yet suppose I tell you a harsh word it disturbs your mind. When there is so much power in evil words, why should there not be power in the Vedic dicta (I am Brahman, etc.)? But as we have no faith in the Vedic dicta or Mantras, they do not become effective in our life. Words, again, are of two kinds – spoken and written. Something is written in a letter. On reading that, you will have a reaction, good or bad, in your mind. And again – how funny! – there will not be the same effect upon each and all. Some will be affected, some not. Those who are concerned with the particular thing – they only will be affected. While we discriminate, it seems that there is nothing; but a moment after, everything comes back. If there is no object of sense-enjoyment in front of you when you discriminate, you may feel that you have no weakness. But as soon as an object of temptation comes, you are upset."

5 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiyananda)

Swami: We discriminate, no doubt, but after doing that for some time, we give up the habit. One must be established in discrimination. One must dwell in that. Without that, no result will come. He is indeed wise whose mind does not react even though the objects of enjoyment come before him. This is the real test. When your mind has attained to that stage, then only you can be sure that it is all right. Duality is nothing. It has come only from here (pointing to his heart). It vanishes if one will only shake it off with a will. If one does not want sense-enjoyment, if one hates the approach of any thought of it in the mind, of their own accord desires for sense objects will fly away. Suppose I do not like the company of a particular individual, do not talk with him, thus showing my constant dislike for him, then in a few days he, of his own accord, will stop coming to me. One succeeds in driving away the desires for sense-enjoyments if only one makes an effort for that. It is because we cling to sense-objects the desire for them does not leave us so easily.

"There was a king and he had a friend, a holy man. The king would very often say to his friend: 'Just release me from this worldly bondage, just make me free.' The holy man would give him instructions. But yet the king was persistent in his request: 'Just make me free.' One day the holy man firmly caught hold of a pillar and repeatedly began to request the king, 'Friend, just disentangle me.' The king said, 'Why don't you let go the hold?' The holy man replied, 'No, you must disentangle me.' The king replied, 'Bah! A great fun indeed! You yourself have clasped the pillar tightly and at will you can leave it off; but no, you will request me to come to your rescue. Why don't you yourself give it up?' Then the holy man left the pillar and said to the king, 'It is the same case with you. You yourself are clasping the world and yet you constantly request me to release you from it. Why don't you yourself give it up?' Then the king understood."

6 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

“M.’s eldest son died. M.’s wife came to Sri Ramakrishna and began to weep bitter tears. I was then near by. He sternly said to M.’s wife, seeing her weep so much: ‘At other times you talk so much of knowledge, devotion, etc.; where are these things now gone? Have they vanished now?’ His words greatly appealed to me.”

Often if you thus speak sternly to a person in grief or sorrow, it becomes very effective; the influence of Tamas goes off at once. At the time of happiness everybody can remain calm, can discriminate, but one is established in it only if one can remain so even in adversity. At that time man has to summon up great strength. If he yields to weakness then, grief will overwhelm him—will altogether ruin him.

7 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "It is very hard indeed to control the mind, but that must be done anyhow; there is no other way. One should have great determination. We must control the mind and not allow the mind to control us. Here is my towel: with this I shall rub the body at my pleasure; similarly, we ought to be able to use the mind according to our will. We should ride the horse and not allow the horse to ride us. Let there be no reversal of the right process: the horse before the cart and not the cart before the horse. Swami Vivekananda would say, 'The mind must be made like a lump of earth; wherever I shall throw it, it must stick.'"

8 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "There is something in this body, which is ever free and untainted by sin; sin cannot even touch that. If you can give up the idea that you are a Jiva (limited soul) and be one with that, then there is no longer any fear. Lust and anger are the characteristics of Jivahood. By gradually freeing itself from this lust and gold, the Jiva at last becomes one with God. From constant thinking of evil things—of lust and gold—man's body also becomes changed; the facial expression gets changed. After committing a sin, however much you may try to hide it, all will be in vain; your very face will betray you. Even an ordinary man will be able to find you out, not to speak of those who know thought-reading. It is the eyes which give the clearest indication. The appearance of those who commit dacoity or murder is altogether of a different kind. Have you not marked that? A man with a very beautiful appearance becomes very ugly-looking by committing heinous deeds; whereas a great sinner, who, perhaps through the grace of some holy man, turns over a new leaf, begins to look beautiful. I have seen these things with my own eyes. Conquer lust. Assert your independence. Conquer lust even before it can conquer you."

9 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Once lust gets control over you, you are done for. It is just like what happens in wrestling feats. In wrestling, if once you fall down, you are done for. Through discrimination and devotion to God one can be free from lust. With the gradual increase of love for God, lust, anger, etc. wane out. While visiting Sri Ramakrishna, as soon as I would enter the gate of the Dakshineswar temple-garden I would feel a palpitating sensation in the heart. Many would feel like that—because the thought of going near a very holy presence would create in us a sense of awe. When one goes to a holy presence, one's sins within begin to tremble.

D: "What about those who had no sin in their mind? Did their heart tremble too?"

Swami: "Yes, it did. For who was there so pure as Sri Ramakrishna? Even the purest among us was insignificant in comparison with Sri Ramakrishna. When any contrary thought would cross my mind, he would at once detect that and say, 'Why do you look so? Perhaps this is the reason.' And what was my wonder, he would say exactly the real thing. How fearless is he, whose conscience can say that he has done no wrong!"

10 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

Swami: "If anyone would lose anything, Sri Ramakrishna would be very much annoyed. Once Hazra lost a towel in the Ganga. At this Sri Ramakrishna was much displeased and he told him, 'I am often beyond the normal plane of consciousness; still I have never lost anything. And you are so forgetful!'

"What is wanted is dependence on God. One must surrender everything to Him. It is absolutely necessary that one should completely surrender oneself to Him. Without that no success is possible, know it for certain, no success is possible. Having fully surrendered yourself to Him, live contentedly in whatever condition He places you. The path of self-surrender is open to all; but none sees it, none follows it. People always seek advantages. They are always after physical comfort, their one thought is how to live well or eat well. Does anybody really want God? One must be ready to lay down one's very life for Him. You must give your whole mind and body to Him—even more than that, if possible. Whenever He gives you any work to do, do that with all your heart and soul, concentrating all your powers on that."

11 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

"If you want to be a Sannyasin, you must give up altogether the habit of planning for yourself. You must depend on Him fully, you must completely surrender yourself to Him. It will not do to keep anything at your own disposal. Body, mind, heart, soul—everything should be given away to Him, to be done with, as He likes. If the body needs looking after, He will do it.

"While I was at Nangal (a place near Hardwar), I fell seriously ill. G. wanted to send information to the Math at Belur. At this I warned him: 'Take care. If I learn that you have written any letter, then even in this state of health I will leave this place.'

There it was that I said, 'The Ganga water is the medicine and the Lord Himself is the physician.'

It was not mere pretension. I really felt so."

D: "Maharaj, Diverse thoughts distract the mind; how to drive them away?"

Swami: "The more you think of Him, the more will other thoughts pass away. The Master used to say, 'The more you go towards the East, the further will the West recede from you.'"

12 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Spiritual Talks of Swami Turiananda)

As the waters of the Ganga flow in one continuous current towards the ocean, so should your thoughts run towards Him. If you can continue thus for some time, everything will be all right – the mind will automatically flow to Him. Write on your mind in bold characters, ‘No Admission’. Then, afterwards, there will come a time when you will be in a position to say, ‘Come one, come all.’ It is because I keep the doors open that people come to me. If I close them, how can they come? Why should you allow other thoughts to come and disturb your mind? It is only because you allow them to come that they come. In the beginning, you will not be able to perform meditation and Japa always – ‘other things’ are necessary; a little meditation, a little Japa, some reading from the scriptures, singing devotional songs for some time – various methods to remember Him alone. After practising this way for some time, you will be able to think of Him and concentrate your mind on one point.

13 September 2022

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

A brother asked Abba Macarius the Great about perfection. And in answer the elder said: “A person cannot be perfect if he does not acquire great humility in his heart and in the body, declines to measure himself in any matter but rather places himself in humiliation beneath the whole of creation, and refuses to judge anybody at all except himself alone; unless he endures insults and tears all evil out of his heart, forces himself to be long-suffering, kindly, brotherly, chaste, and self-controlled (for it is written, ‘The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force’ [Matt 11:12]), seeing what is right with the eyes, maintaining a guard on his tongue, and turning aside from every vain and soul-destroying rumor; there being justice at his hands, purity of heart toward God, and a spotless body; unless he has the remembrance of death before his eyes every day and has renounced all spiritual anger and evil, renounced material goods and the delights of the flesh, renounced the devil and all his works, but has firmly committed himself to God, the universal sovereign, and to all his commandments and is constantly waiting upon God on every occasion, in every matter and every undertaking.”

14 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

A brother asked Abba Macarius the Great about perfection. And in answer the elder said: “A person cannot be perfect if he does not acquire great humility in his heart and in the body, declines to measure himself in any matter but rather places himself in humiliation beneath the whole of creation, and refuses to judge anybody at all except himself alone; unless he endures insults and tears all evil out of his heart, forces himself to be long-suffering, kindly, brotherly, chaste, and self-controlled (for it is written, ‘The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force’ [Matt 11:12]), seeing what is right with the eyes, maintaining a guard on his tongue, and turning aside from every vain and soul-destroying rumor; there being justice at his hands, purity of heart toward God, and a spotless body; unless he has the remembrance of death before his eyes every day and has renounced all spiritual anger and evil, renounced material goods and the delights of the flesh, renounced the devil and all his works, but has firmly committed himself to God, the universal sovereign, and to all his commandments and is constantly waiting upon God on every occasion, in every matter and every undertaking.”

15 September 2022

(Today is the Janma-Tithi of Revered Swami Abhedanandaji Maharaj. On this Holy day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti and Jnana.)

(Teachings of Swami Abhedananda)

To go beyond Maya, one needs discrimination and renunciation. Even Gods cannot escape Maya unless they have these two. There is no need for you to be impatient for doing Japa or meditation and fly to solitude for that purpose. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, “Meditate in a corner, or in the forest, or in the mind.”

The Sadhaka who lives in a city can sit inside the mosquito curtain and easily do his Japa and meditation in the night without distraction. When the mind becomes steady by continued practice of Japa, meditation is accomplished by itself. Raise your mind to the Ajna Chakra, and ponder over the truth that lust, anger, and the rest are not the attributes of the soul. Meditate on this idea. Repeat the great truth: “I am Brahman”, and contemplate on the soul, which is the witness, the inspirer, the absolute, the one without any attribute. Practice a little; the secret of success lies in meditation.

When you meditate, remember first the great teachers of the world. They have given us the greatest of all gifts, the highest truth. Remember the greatest of all teachers, the Teacher of the universe. Aspire to be His faithful servant. Send thoughts of love to all living beings; pray that all may be happy and peaceful and blissful. Then think of your body; remember it is the instrument of the soul.

Jai Ramakrishna 16 September 2025

(Teachings of Swami Turiananda)

We must keep it strong and healthy and make it a useful instrument; we must master the body so that through it we can express our divine nature. Breathe slowly and rhythmically; imagine that you breathe out all that is evil and weak and undesirable and that with every breath you draw in the divine nature is flowing through you.

"But you are not to blame. You do as you see. We are also not working hard enough. We say we are old and diseased. But that is all nonsense and lame excuse. We saw Swamiji working hard till the end. During his last illness, he would press a pillow to his chest to relieve breathing difficulties, but he would still roar, 'Arise! awake! What are you doing?' If the body is to go, let it go working. Rousing the Divinity in yourself and in others, that is the ideal. If you are convinced of its truth, then be up and doing. Go out at once. Put everything else. Now or never. Go to Uttarkashi and live there by the side of the Ganga and cry to Her saying, 'Mother, I want only Thee, I want nothing else.' Prepare the mind even now for living such a life. Work and everything else will be considered afterwards."

Swami: "You will have to work your mind yourself. Others cannot do that for you. The Master has said again and again: 'You must try a little. Only then will the Guru reveal the Truth.' Let me tell you from our experience that if anyone advances towards Him a single step, He advances towards him ten steps. This is our personal experience. If you do not exert, none can do anything for you."

17 September 2025

(Teachings of Swami Turiananda)

"The Great Ones point out the way. Is that only a little help? If you tell us your difficulties, we can help you. We also have travelled the same path, so we can tell you about it. Does one want that the butter should be churned out and held before one's lips? Even then he keeps his mouth shut! Have we to feed him also? This is a mental disease, Styana (idleness), the mind refuses to labour or do anything. So, you ask, 'Will not the Lord do anything for His devotee?' Yes, He will. But you will have to become a devotee first, you must learn to feel devotion for Him. And devotion, Bhakti, is no trifling thing. You have to give Him your mind, life, everything. If you cannot do that, then cry to Him for not having attained Him, for not loving Him. People have to shed potfuls of tears before they can earn money. If you do not do that for God, why should He do anything for you? Little does He care! If you feel miserable for want of Him, know that He is very near to you, you will soon have His vision, you will soon attain infinite bliss. You must analyse your mind very carefully. The Master asked me to increase my lust infinitely. I was amazed to hear it. He then explained, 'What is lust? It is the desire to get. Then desire to get Him and strengthen this desire greatly.' Everyone wants to exhibit his good side and conceal his defects. Whoever can speak out his own faults, frankly, will get rid of them. It is not easy to confess one's weaknesses. If anyone can, know that he has worth in him. You must make everyone your own. The more you approach God, the more you will become frank, sincere, and generous. Our Master was the very personification of guilelessness and sincerity."

18 September 2025

(Teachings of Swami Turiananda)

"He who has realized the Personal God can also realize the Impersonal, if he so wills."

16 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

A brother asked Abba Poemen how a person ought to order his life, and the elder said to him, “Let us look at Daniel; no accusation was found against him other than the way he served his God” [Dan 6:5–6].

He also said, “Poverty, affliction, and discretion: these are the working tools of the monastic life, for it is written, ‘There were these three men: Noah, Job, and Daniel’ [Ezek 14:14]. Noah represents indifference to material goods, Job toil, and Daniel discretion. If there are these three activities in a person, God is dwelling in him.”

Abba Poemen also said, “If a monk hates two things, he can become free of the world.” “What are they?” said the brother to him, and the elder said, “Repose of the flesh and vainglory.”

17 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

They said of Abba Pambo that when he was dying, at the moment of departure, he said to the holy fathers who were present, “From the time I came to this place in the desert, built my cell and dwelt in it, I do not recall eating bread except what came from my hands, nor do I repent of anything I said until this time. And yet I am going to God as one who has not even begun to serve him.”

Abba Sisoås said, “Be of no significance, cast your will behind you, do not worry yourself [see Matt 6:25] about the concerns of the world, and you shall have repose.”

When Abba Chomai was going to die, he said to his sons, “Do not dwell with heretics; do not become acquainted with persons in power. Do not let your hands be open to gather in; let them rather be open to give.”

Speaking about life, a brother asked an elder and the elder said, “Eat hay, wear hay, sleep on hay (meaning: despise everything), and acquire a heart of steel.”

18 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

A brother asked an elder, “How does the fear of God come into the soul?”

“If a person has humility, is indifferent to material goods, and refrains from judging, in this way the fear of God comes upon him,” the elder said.

An Exhortation: An elder said, “May fear, humility, shortage of food, and sorrow remain with you.”

One of the elders said, “If you hate something, refrain from doing it to anybody else. Do you hate it when somebody speaks ill of you? Then speak no ill of any person. Do you hate it when somebody makes false accusations against you? Then do not accuse anybody falsely. Do you hate it if somebody sets you at naught or insults you or makes off with what is yours or [does] whatever is like that? Then do nothing of that sort to another. For the person who can keep this saying, it will suffice for his salvation.”

An elder said, “This is the life of the monk: work, obedience, meditation, not judging, not backbiting, not grumbling; for it is written, ‘O you that love the Lord, hate the things that are evil’ [Ps 96:10]. The life of a monk is to have nothing to do with that which is unjust, not to see evil with one’s eyes, not to be a busybody, not to listen to other folks’ affairs; to give rather than to take away with one’s hands, not to have pride in one’s heart nor wicked thoughts in one’s mind nor to fill one’s belly, but rather to act with discretion in all things. In these the life of the monk consists.”

19 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna. Today is the auspicious birthday of Swami Abhedanandaji Maharaj. May the Swami, on this holy day, bless us all with Bhakti.

Swami Abhedananda was one of those rare souls who gathered round the magnetic personality of Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar and afterwards became instrumental in the fulfilment of his divine mission. The name by which the Swami was known before his taking orders was Kali-prasad Chandra. He was born in October, in an enlightened family at Aheeritola in Calcutta. Gifted with a genius for philosophic contemplation, the boy soon began to interest himself in solving the various intricate problems of life. The boy now began to search for a suitable teacher who would make him a real Yogi and teach him how to attain to the Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the crowning glory of man's spiritual experiences. One of his classmates with whom he discussed the matter told him of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and directed him to go to the great saint who lived at that time in the temple-garden of Dakshineswar, five miles to the north of Calcutta. Kaliprasad grew restless to see the Master. One day he went to Dakshineswar and met Sri Ramakrishna towards the evening. At the very first sight, the Master instinctively felt that Kaliprasad belonged to the inner circle of his young devotees. Sri Ramakrishna said: "You were a great Yogi in your previous birth. This is your last birth. I shall initiate you into the mysteries of Yoga practices."

20 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna. Teachings of Swami Abhedananda:

Realise the idea that you are the witness of the mind. Lust, anger, and other deadly enemies are the attributes of the mind, and so they cannot touch the soul. Raise your mind to the Ajna Chakra, and ponder over the truth that lust, anger, and the rest are not the attributes of the soul. Meditate on this idea. What one seeks, that one gets. You have got what you wanted. When you really hanker after God, He will raise your mind from things of the world and grant you His vision. But as long as you are attached to the world and are strongly inclined to the things of the world, can you yearn for the Lord with all your heart?

If you desire to have firm and unshakable faith and devotion to the Lord, you should also perform Tapasya, hard austerities. Tapasya does not mean aimless wandering hither and thither; it really means regular steadfast Japa, meditation, and self-control. Vedanta cannot be understood except through austerities. Then think of your body; remember it is the instrument of the soul. We must keep it strong and healthy and make it a useful instrument; we must master the body so that through it we can express our divine nature.

21 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Teachings of Swami Abhedananda)

That you are feeling the bondage of the world and finding no peace is in itself a means of progress in the spiritual world. Just by reading a book or two on the Vedas, one cannot know their real import. Bad thoughts gain strength by association. Hence, associate with the good and give up evil company. Repeat the great truth: “I am Brahman,” and contemplate on the soul which is the witness, the inspirer, the absolute, the one without any attribute. Unless one has inner peace and contentment, one will find restlessness and suffering wherever one goes. Man is a slave to his passions, which are the same as desires, and desires are ever associated with selfishness. Selfishness means the desire to seek for food and raiment and happiness for oneself and one’s family, without any consideration as to whether one’s countrymen fare ill or well. The idea of looking on others as oneself never springs in them. This selfishness itself is ignorance.

22 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna (Teachings of Swami Abhedananda)

Any mental tendency or idea that is associated with selfishness is narrow. This keeps a man confined within his own body or limited self; his mind never expands. He thinks that whatever is favourable to himself is good, and whatever is unfavourable is bad. Such people never get any peace in this world; their mind is ever aflame with peacelessness. Desires are of two kinds — good and bad. When desires are associated with selfishness, they are bad, but when desires are motiveless or selfless, they are good. Lust, anger, and greed — these three spring from bad desires, and they harm men. The men of realization go beyond desires. To go beyond desires means to become free from desires or hankering for results. Desires, freed from hankering for results, leads to the purification of the heart, and the knowledge of the Self dawns when the mind becomes pure. Virtue and vice arise from desires. One can have no peace so long as one is a slave to desires. Peace means the conquest of desires. And the way to the conquest of desires is through doing good to others, striving for the welfare of others. Diverse are the desires of man; a thousand desires hide themselves behind any one of them. Thus there is no end of desires — one following the other in unending succession. That is why the enlightened ones speak of annihilating desires.

23 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Abhedananda)

Peace arises from detachment. Raise a wall all around your mind by your discrimination. Do not allow the distraction of external circumstances to enter your mind. Your duty for the present is complete resignation to the will of God. Purification of mind means nothing but the annihilation of the egocentric idea and removal of selfishness from the mind. The more the mind expands, the more are the egoistic ideas annihilated. It is by the power of habit that evil thoughts rise in the mind. Form a contrary habit by continued practice, and gradually the habit of evil thoughts will not arise in the mind. Swamiji used to say: From sadhu-sanga come the words of God—discussion about God incarnate and His life and lila, His teachings; from sadhu-sanga comes the feeling of compassion, that is, love and consideration for all; similarly comes the feeling of humility, that God is so great and I am so little. Ignorance is the root of all evil. Ignorance means absence of the knowledge of the Self. Ignorance or Maya also means false knowledge. That is why Maya and ignorance mean the same thing.

24 September 2022

It is by the power of habit that evil thoughts rise in the mind. Form a contrary habit by continued practice, and gradually the habit of evil thoughts will not arise in the mind. Swamiji used to say: From sadhu-sanga come the words of God—discussion about God incarnate and His life and lila—His teachings; from sadhu-sanga comes the feeling of compassion, that is, love and consideration for all; similarly comes the feeling of humility, that God is so great and I am so little. Ignorance is the root of all evil. Ignorance means absence of the knowledge of the Self. Ignorance or Maya also means false knowledge. That is why Maya and ignorance mean the same thing.

Jai Ramakrishna (Teachings of Swami Abhedananda)

Why should you be afraid of doing work? If the mind is not purified by work, one cannot attain true knowledge. Desires, freed from hankering for results, leads to the purification of the heart, and the knowledge of the Self dawns when the mind becomes pure. When the mind is freed from all nervousness, it becomes pure, and the knowledge of Brahman gets revealed in that pure mind. As dream is known to be false in the waking state, so also the whole world is seen to be false, that is changeful, when the knowledge of the Self is attained. Perhaps it will lead to better comprehension if Maya is compared to a dream rather than to a mirage. For as in a dream, a man perceives many things as true, which are really false or untrue, and again perceives them just as they are when the dream is off, just so in Maya. Whatever is perceived as true in dream, is perceived as false in the waking state. As dream is known to be false in the waking state, so also the whole world is seen to be false, that is changeful, when the knowledge of the Self is attained.

25 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Today is the auspicious Mahalaya as well as the birthday of Swami Akhandanandaji Maharaj. On this Holy Day, may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti.)

Swami Akhandananda:

Gangadhar Gangopadhyay, the name by which Swami Akhandananda was known in his pre-monastic life, was born on 30 September 1864, in the Ahiritola area of western Calcutta. His father, Srimanta Gangopadhyay, was a priest and a Sanskrit teacher. Gangadhar’s mother, Vamasundari, was a devout woman. From his childhood, Gangadhar was so compassionate that he once gave his own shirt to a poor classmate whose shirt was torn. He was fascinated by the mendicants and by their stories about the holy places of India. Gangadhar was very orthodox in his early days and scrupulously observed all the brahminical customs in accordance with the scriptural injunctions.

In the company of Sri Ramakrishna:

Gangadhar and his friend Harinath saw Sri Ramakrishna in 1877 at Dinanath Basu’s house. Seeing the Master in samadhi, Gangadhar’s spiritual longing increased. Sometimes he would go to the cremation ground and imbibe the mood of renunciation by observing the impermanence of human life. In May 1883, Gangadhar visited Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineshwar. The Master received Gangadhar cordially and made him sit on a small cot. He then asked, “Have I seen you before?” Gangadhar responded in the affirmative that he saw him at Dinanath Basu’s house.

When I saw Sri Ramakrishna for the second time a few days later, I was again made to stay the night. In the evening, after the vesper service was over, the Master handed me a mat and asked me to spread it on the ground. When I had done so, he brought a pillow and stretched himself out on the mat. He said to me, “You are now to me as a son to a mother.” Then he seated me in a comfortable posture and asked me to meditate. “It is not good to sit leaning forward or holding the body too straight,” he said. Later, the Master wrote something on my tongue and gave me initiation. Then he asked me to massage his feet.

I used to practise wrestling in those days and was very strong. No sooner had I begun to press his legs a little hard than he cried out, “What are you doing? The legs will be crushed. Press them gently.” I was taken aback and rather scared. “How should I massage, then?” I asked. “Simply pass your hands over them without pressure,” he replied. I did as directed and realized how soft and tender his body was, as if the bones were covered with butter.

26 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

From that time on, I visited Sri Ramakrishna often, usually arriving in the afternoon, staying overnight, and leaving the next morning. Many other disciples came to see him, too, and among these, Latu (later Swami Adbhutananda) and Harish (Harish Kundu, a householder disciple) were with him most of the time. I was extremely orthodox in those days and scrupulously observed all the Brahminical customs in accordance with the scriptural injunctions. For example, I took four baths a day without ever applying oil to my body, so that my skin became very dry. And I was in the habit of eating many pieces of myrobalan (a bitter nut) after meals, which turned my lips a whitish colour. Observing this, the Master said to me, “You are a youngster.” 27 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

God His Only Concern

One peculiarity of the Master which I noticed was that he talked of nothing but God and religion with every kind of person who came to see him. But he was never a dry bore. During talks on the most exalted topics suddenly the Master asked me, “Do you know how to pray?”

Saying this he flung his hands and feet about restlessly—like a little child impatient for its mother, and cried out, “Mother dear, grant me devotion and wisdom. I don’t want anything else. I cannot live without Thee.”

As he was thus teaching us how to pray, he looked just like a small boy. Profuse tears flooded his breast and he passed into deep Samadhi. He appeared to be praying for me. A little later a beggar appeared and asked for some money. The Master called me and pointing to four pice, asked me to give them to the beggar. When I had done this, Sri Ramakrishna said, “Wash your hands with Ganges water.”

So I washed my hands with the water in the large earthen pot in a corner of this room. Then he made me stand with him in front of one of the pictures on the wall—that of Kali of the Kalighat temple, which I have already mentioned. He clapped his hands and repeated “Hari, Hari,” making me do the same. This incident impressed indelibly on my mind the idea that money is rubbish, dirt. I wandered fourteen years all over the country later in life as a penniless monk, and never touched money. The indifference for it which I cherish even now is the benign result of that blessed incident. 28 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

God His Only Concern

One morning the Master took me to the Kali temple. Whenever I went there alone, I stood outside the threshold; but on this occasion, Sri Ramakrishna took me into the sanctum sanctorum and showed me the face of the Lord Siva—who was, of course, lying on his back while Kali danced on him, so that his face was not visible from outside the shrine, where one could only see the top of his head. The Master said, “See how the conscious Siva is lying unconscious.”

I was astonished at actually feeling this. How potent were the Master's words! Up to that time, I had thought that this image was just like all the other Siva images I had seen. Sri Ramakrishna shook Mother Kali's cloth and the ornaments on her hands and feet. When we left the temple, he was reeling like a drunkard. He was escorted to his room with difficulty and remained for some time in Samadhi. I cannot describe the details of that day, and the joy the Master poured into my heart cannot be communicated.

After coming down from Samadhi, the Master sang many songs in an ecstatic mood. Once, I heard a great saint who was staying at Dakshineswar singing a Hindi couplet which went as follows: “Hear, Oh mortals of the earth! There is none high or low among mankind. The God who is in the elephant is also in the ant.”

I translated this for the Master, who said, “How can that be? The power of an elephant and that of an ant are not the same. As Spirit they are one, but as Power they are different.”

27 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

God His Only Concern

One peculiarity of the Master which I noticed was that he talked of nothing but God and religion with every kind of person who came to see him. But he was never a dry bore. During talks on the most exalted topics, suddenly the Master asked me, “Do you know how to pray?” Saying this, he flung his hands and feet about restlessly—like a little child impatient for its mother—and cried out, “Mother dear, grant me devotion and wisdom. I don’t want anything else. I cannot live without Thee.”

As he was thus teaching us how to pray, he looked just like a small boy. Profuse tears flooded his breast, and he passed into deep Samadhi. He appeared to be praying for me. A little later, a beggar appeared and asked for some money. The Master called me and, pointing to four pice, asked me to give them to the beggar. When I had done this, Sri Ramakrishna said, “Wash your hands with Ganges water.”

So I washed my hands with the water in the large earthen pot in a corner of this room. Then he made me stand with him in front of one of the pictures on the wall—that of Kali of the Kalighat temple, which I have already mentioned. He clapped his hands and repeated “Hari, Hari,” making me do the same. This incident impressed indelibly on my mind the idea that money is rubbish, dirt. I wandered fourteen years all over the country later in life as a penniless monk and never touched money. The indifference for it which I cherish even now is the benign result of that blessed incident.

28 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscenses of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj))

God His Only Concern

One morning the Master took me to the Kali temple. Whenever I went there alone I stood outside the threshold; but on this occasion Sri Ramakrishna took me into the sanctum sanctorum and showed me the face of the Lord Siva— who was of course lying on his back while Kali danced on him, so that his face was not visible from outside the shrine, where one could only see the top of his head.

The Master said, “See how the conscious Siva is lying unconscious”

I was astonished at actually feeling this. How potent were the Master's words! Up to that time I had thought that this image was just like all the other Siva images I had seen.

Sri Ramakrishna shook Mother Kali's cloth and the ornaments on her hands and feet.

When we left the temple, he was reeling like a drunkard. He was escorted to his room with difficulty and remained for some time in Samadhi. I cannot describe the details of that day and the joy the Master poured into my heart cannot be communicated.

After coming down from Samadhi the Master sang many songs in an ecstatic mood.

Once I heard a great saint who was staying at Dakshineswar singing a Hindi couplet which went as follows: “Hear, Oh mortals of the earth! There is none high or low among mankind. The God who is in the elephant is also in the ant.”

I translated this for the Master, who said, “How can that be? The power of an elephant and that of an ant are not the same. As Spirit they are one, but as Power they are differnt.”

29 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

God His Only Concern

Another day at Balaram Bose's place, the Master was surrounded by devotees. Swami Vivekananda sat near, and from time to time, the Master asked him a casual question, such as, “My boy, why didn't you go there?” and so on. Then Swamiji sang a song beginning with, “My mind, take the name of Rama. Repeat it daily wholeheartedly.” The Master was charmed by this. Crowds gathered, and he fell into an ecstatic mood. Seeing him, many of the devotees were greatly moved; some wept, some laughed, some meditated and were greatly inspired, and some started shivering. A wonderful sight! Those who had come only to see the fun or to scoff remarked while leaving, “Wonderful indeed! How sweetly the Paramahamsa sings the name of the Mother. It goes home to the heart and inspires it.”

Another day, the Master went to Balaram's in the morning. He was seated in the small room to the right of the stairs. There were several devotees with him. I bowed to him and sat by his side. The Master's mind that day was turned completely inward. He would mutter a few words and then pass into ecstasy. In that state, he started talking about Ramlala (an image of Baby Rama) and described how the latter played with him, how he (the Master) bathed and fed him, and so on. While feeding him one day, the Master said, a husk got stuck in Ramlala's throat. 30 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Story Of Manmatha

It will not be out of place here to relate a story in connection with Manmath, an expert wrestler and noted ruffian, who was, as we shall see, completely transformed by coming in contact with Sri Ramakrishna. It happened like this. Yogin Ma, the great woman devotee, had a brother, Hiralal, who objected to his sister's visiting Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar. So on the occasion when she invited the Master to the house for the first time and I accompanied him there, her brother asked Manmath to be present in order to frighten Sri Ramakrishna away. But Manmatha, after seeing the Master and hearing a few of his words, fell flat at the Master's feet and wept, saying, “My Lord, I am very guilty. Please forgive me.”

The Master told him to come to Dakshineswar. I knew Manmatha very well indeed, and he asked me, “Do take me to him—he has graciously invited me to go there.” So a day was fixed and we both set off together in a coach with a pot of Rasagollas (Bengali sweets). The Master treated him very kindly. I said to Sri Ramakrishna in front of Manmath, “This man is a noted ruffian of whom all the boys are afraid, and in riotous clashes he is always the ringleader.”

The Master touched Manmath's body, and said, “How hard!” Hearing that Manmath had cast off his sacred thread, the Master asked him, “Why don't you put it on?” “Sir,” he replied, “when I perspire it sticks to my body and scratches me. So I dropped it.” The Master gravely said, “You should put on this Brahmanical symbol.” Then he took Manmath to the Kali temple, and while circumambulating, blessed him in a solitary corner and asked him to visit him on another Sunday.

Once again I took Manmath to see the Master—they met only three times in all. This is what I heard some years later from my co-disciple, Swami Shivananda: “When I passed by Manmath's house in Baghbazar, I heard him repeating ‘Mother, Mother.’ And his appearance is quite different these days—his body is no longer bulky and his hair is long. If you could see him now, you would be astonished.”

Then (four years after the Master's death) Manmath came to our first monastery at Baranagore, barefooted and with only one piece of cheap cloth around him. He kept on repeating with folded palms, “My beloved Lord! My beloved Lord (Prananath)!” Many of us, brother-monks, were present, including Swamiji, and others. Manmath smiled sweetly at me from time to time. CT1 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Other Experiences With The Master

But to return to my recollections of Sri Ramakrishna. One day I saw the Master passing frequently into Samadhi. When he came down to normal consciousness, he spoke of God vision and Self-realization, saying, “One's own favourite aspect of God is one's Self. The Chosen Ideal and the Atman are identical. The vision of the Chosen Ideal leads to self-knowledge. In other words, self-knowledge is the fulfilment of one's Chosen Ideal. How wonderful was the attitude of Hanuman! Sometimes he said ‘Not I,’ and in another mood ‘I am Thy servant, oh Lord!’ But there were moments when his mind soared to the empyrean region of the absolute state where he said ‘I am He,’ and remained still and speechless.”

Then a few days later I came to Dakshineswar, took my bath in the Ganges, and sat in the Master's room. Many devotees arrived, and talks on God poured out in a torrent through the Master's lips. Shortly after the meal, he rested a while and stretched himself on his smaller cot, turning his head southward. He called me and asked me to massage his feet and hands. I drew his legs on to my lap and was passing my hands over them when he smilingly began to tell me many beautiful things on spiritual life which I later communicated to Swami Brahmananda, who said he had been told the same things by the Master previously. While massaging his feet, I rubbed his two big toes on my forehead, as if I were drawing the Vaishnava marks. The Master smiled, “What are you doing, my boy?”

“Why,” I replied, “you told me that those who are of a Sattvic nature, while bathing in the Ganges, draw marks on their foreheads with its sacred water, whereas those who are Rajasic (active, passionate, meretricious) cover their bodies with marks of vermillion and white and red sandal paste. Today I am putting the Sattvic marks on my forehead. What is there on earth more sacred than your holy feet?”

The Master seemed glad and smiled joyfully.

30 September 2022

Jai Ramakrishna (Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj).

Story Of Manmatha

It will not be out of place here to relate a story in connection with Manmath, an expert wrestler and noted ruffian, who was, as we shall see, completely transformed by coming in contact with Sri Ramakrishna. It happened like this. Yogin Ma, the great woman devotee, had a brother, Hiralal, who objected to his sister's visiting Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar. So on the occasion when she invited the Master to the house for the first time and I accompanied him there, her brother asked Manmath to be present in order to frighten Sri Ramakrishna away. But Manmatha, after seeing the Master and hearing a few of his words, fell flat at the Master's feet and wept, saying, "My Lord, I am very guilty. Please forgive me."

The Master told him to come to Dakshineswar. I knew Manmatha very well indeed, and he asked me, "Do take me to him—he has graciously invited me to go there." So a day was fixed and we both set off together in a coach with a pot of Rasagollas (Bengali sweets). The Master treated him very kindly. I said to Sri Ramakrishna in front of Manmath, "This man is a noted ruffian of whom all the boys are afraid, and in riotous clashes he is always the ringleader."

The Master touched Manmath's body, and said, "How hard!" Hearing that Manmath had cast off his sacred thread, the Master asked him, "Why don't you put it on?" "Sir," he replied, "when I perspire it sticks to my body and scratches me. So I dropped it." The Master gravely said, "You should put on this Brahmanical symbol." Then he took Manmath to the Kali temple, and while circumambulating, blessed him in a solitary corner and asked him to visit him on another Sunday.

Once again I took Manmath to see the Master—they met only three times in all. This is what I heard some years later from my co-disciple, Swami Shivananda: "When I passed by Manmath's house in Baghbazar, I heard him repeating 'Mother, Mother.' And his appearance is quite different these days—his body is no longer bulky and his hair is long. If you could see him now, you would be astonished."

Then (four years after the Master's death) Manmath came to our first monastery at Baranagore, barefooted and with only one piece of cheap cloth around him. He kept on repeating with folded palms, "My beloved Lord! My beloved Lord (Prananath)!" Many of us, brother-monks, were present, including Swamiji, and others. Manmath smiled sweetly at me from time to time. Swamiji said to me, "You were instrumental in his having the Master's bountiful grace and this transformation."

Then a few years after that, I went with a friend to see Manmath at his home. He was winklessly gazing at the sun, without any outward consciousness. His body was emaciated and he wore an ochre cloth. The sight of his God-mad state moved me exceedingly. That day I realized that what is not gained by austere penances in the mountains and forests, is attainable easily at home through the Master's grace. Shortly after this, I heard that Manmath had died of cholera.

1 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna (Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj).

Other Experiences With The Master

But to return to my recollections of Sri Ramakrishna. One day I saw the Master passing frequently into Samadhi. When he came down to normal consciousness, he spoke of God vision and Self-realization, saying, "One's own favourite aspect of God is one's Self. The Chosen Ideal and the Atman are identical. The vision of the Chosen Ideal leads to self-knowledge. In other words, self-knowledge is the fulfilment of one's Chosen Ideal. How wonderful was the attitude of Hanuman! Sometimes he said 'Not I,' and in another mood 'I am Thy servant, oh Lord!' But there were moments when his mind soared to the empyrean region of the absolute state where he said 'I am He,' and remained still and speechless."

2 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Travels in Himalayas

From Mussoorie I went to Tihiri, Yamunotri and Gangotri. From Gangotri I passed through the Mahapitha of Chandravadani and visited Kedar and Badrinarayan.

Incident at Chandravadani

In my descent from Chandravadani hill by a perilous path, I lost my way and sat in a dense forest in meditation of the Master. On getting up, I moved forward with the name of the Master on my lips, without caring whether I was on the right track or wrong. Down the steep hill it was impossible to arrest my motion. I took hold of shrubs, my feet slipped and I tumbled down into a corn field. Two hill men were roasting sheafs of wheat for food. They were taken by surprise to see me and said, “How is this? Where do you come from? Who led you here? No other human being has come down this way before.” On hearing that I came from the seat of Devi Chandravadani, they said, “Mother Chandravadani must have held you by the hand and brought you here.” I had actually felt that somebody led me here by the hand. I had slipped down as much as two miles.

3 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Travels in Himalayas

I went to Tibet by the Mana pass. I spent three or four months in Tibet and returned to Badrinarayan by the Niti pass. I stayed there for three months and then went to Tibet again by the Sipchilum pass. This time I spent five months there and visited the Manassarovar and Mount Kailas. At Chhekra, near Kailas, a rich Khamba (gypsy) of Lhasa went into ecstasy and sat lost to the external world as he held in his hand the Master's photo that was with me. On coming back to the normal plane, he said, “Where did you get this portrait? Let it be with me. I shall worship it daily. It must be the likeness of God Himself or why should I have this state at the mere touch of it? Such facial expression, such eyes, well, they can never belong to a human being.”

He placed it on the seat of the Buddha and other gods and worshipped it daily by burning incense. It was with him as long as I was there. In my travels in Tibet the photo was my constant companion. Whenever I got an opportunity I worshipped it. So I could not spare it for him.

4 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

My purpose in going to Tibet was to visit Kailas and Manas-sarovar and then Lhasa. The hill traders were my friends. At Thuling Math I learnt Tibetan. Observing the Lamas' luxury, their love of money, food, and dress, I spoke to them on behalf of the poor. My trader friends forbade me to do so. The result was that I was tortured at Thuling Math—they hit me on the shoulders with a sword in the scabbard. Some hillmen in a drunken state complained to the Lamas of my sympathy for the oppressed. The Lamas advised them to cut open my cheeks. The purpose was that with cheeks cut open, I would be disabled.

At Rishikesh, Swamiji, who was living in a hut, contracted a slow remittent fever. One day he broke down and lost his speech. His Gurubhais (brothers disciples) gave up all hope and called on God as they wept. Turiyananda was reciting the Sankata Stotra. Suddenly a Sannyasi wrapped in a blanket made his appearance and asked them in Hindi why they were weeping. He then gave a drug to be administered with honey. He left the place in haste and went away, nobody knew where. Some time after the medicine was administered, Swamiji regained consciousness. The body grew warm and he could speak.

5 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

In search of Swami Vivekananda:

At a village eight miles from Mandavi a householder said, “Swamiji, your path is infested with highwaymen. Swami Vivekananda has the Prince's men with him; but how could you go alone?” I replied, “I have nothing with me, the robbers can expect nothing from me.” He said, “Well, to move from village to village, you may have a bullock cart. Why don't you take a guide also?” I did so. A boy was my guide. On the way my thought was, “If robbers attack me, I shall say, ‘Take everything I have, please do not kill me.’ But I do not know the dialect of the Cutch people, and probably they may not understand my Hindi too.”

So I asked my guide: “ ‘Take whatever I have, only do not kill me,’—how would you say it in the Cutch language?” The boy said, “You say, Babaji, ‘Mere gano, muke maryo mu.’ ” I repeated it as I went along. Narayan Sarovar was fourteen miles away. On finding me ready to go along that way, a shopkeeper said, “You will find no habitation on your way. At noon you will reach Zamanwara Talao (tank). Have a dip there. Please take this fried rice and molasses with you for your breakfast.”

Here an up-country man, a Tairthik Bhakat (a pilgrim devotee) joined me. I asked, “Why do you take this way infested by highwaymen?” In reply he said, “I find great pleasure in your holy company.” 05/10/2022

Though an up-countryman, the Bhakat was very sickly; he carried a worn-out long bag, with both ends open. We walked together. There were open plains on both sides. It was solitary; there was no trace of a human habitation. About the middle of the way in the noon, we came to the above-mentioned tank. We took a bath and shared the fried rice and molasses given by the shopkeeper. As he ate the fried rice, the Bhakat said, “Maharaj, do tikkar laga lun (let me make two loaves of thick bread).” This surprised me. How could we have ‘tikkar’ here? “Where will you have flour to make tikkar?” I asked. As if by magic the Bhakat brought out of that worn-out bag half a seer of flour, a pan, salt etc., and strolling out here and there procured some dried cow dung. The expert hands of the Bhakat took no time to make tikkar. We were taking bread with molasses when there came a shepherd boy with some goats and sheep. “Let Maharaj have some milk,” said he, “he is taking bread dry.” “All right, milk them if you can,” said the boy. At once from the magic bag came out a cup, in which he drew near about half a seer of milk. I shall never forget in my life how the tikkar with molasses in milk tasted. After our meal the utensils were scoured and put back into the bag. We were on our path again.

On this auspicious Vijaya Dasami day, may Mother Durga, Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti.

6 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

In the Hands of Robbers

It was afternoon. As we walked, I marked four men following us some way off our path. The plain was alluvial, and the men were sometimes visible and sometimes hidden from our view. I suspected them to be highwaymen. The sickly Bhakat had lagged behind. I thought of advising him to take to his heels, for he had his bag and possibly money too. But my next thought was, where could he escape? Also my shouting would reach the ears of the robbers. Let us walk as we have been doing, leaving things in the hands of the Master. Again I thought, “One of the men has a blanket on and a red turban on the head. I have seen at Calcutta, policemen with blanket and red turban. They may be guards of some Zamindar (landlord).” But such doubts were soon dispelled.

As I proceeded, I saw that the four robbers or sepoys had marched cross-country along the plain and were on my way, in front of me. “How far is Narayan Sarovar?” asked I. They were moving. One of them stopped and said, “Six miles.” Next, all of them stood blocking our way. In the meantime I came near and was about to ask, “Are you robbers? Do you rob people?” But scarcely had a word escaped my lips when one of them placed his hands on my shoulder and thrust me aside. At once I said, “Mere gano, mere gano, muke maryo mu (Take whatever I have, only do not kill me).”

At once a stick landed on my back twice. By the grace of God the stick was of thin bamboo and I had a coat stuffed with cotton, and there was a bundle on my back containing clothes, a book, a tiger’s skin and other things. As I lay on my back, I saw the four men had not the appearance I had seen before. Their faces had undergone a distortion, the eyes had become red with the balls rolling. Two of them held naked swords shining in the sun. An old man thundered in a rough tone, "Lugra Khol (strip off your clothes).” At once I threw all my clothes—except the koupin (loin-cloth) and went on repeating—“Mere gano, mere gano, muke maryo mu.”

The robbers made a thorough search of my clothes and the pockets of my Alkhalla (long coat). In the meantime there appeared the Bhakat. Frightened by the terrible scene and the naked swords, he uttered in a piteous tone, “Ham to gaye (I am undone).” A weakling, he was trembling all over. The bowl in his hand and the bag on his shoulder had slipped off. The tongue had protruded, and trembling he sat down on the road. At the sight of his face, distorted with fear, I could not help smiling even in that dire peril. But at once I told the robbers, “The force with which you thrust me will kill this weakling, don’t lay hands on him.” “Hand over all you have to them,” I said to the Bhakat. “I shall see to it that you get utensils and other things once again.” He was not the man to pay heed to my words or to believe me. With folded hands he prayed to the robbers, “My friends, do not seize these articles of a poor fellow. If I miss them, I shall never recover them.” I saw the poor fellow was more attached to his worn-out bag than to his life.

On the other hand, as the robbers found a tiger’s skin and some books only in the pockets of my Alkhalla and a bundle on my back, they were sure that the Sannyasi had only an empty purse. They then moved towards the Bhakat, but seeing the condition of his bag, stopped and did not even touch it. They then consulted among themselves and ordered me to fold my hands behind my back so that they might bind them. But by that time I had regained my courage. I said in a clear tone, “No, I shall not place my hands as you say.” The robbers had sheathed their swords, but they unsheathed them slightly, and said, “Unless you bring your hands at the back, they will be cut off forthwith.” “Do as you like, I won’t bring my hands at the back,” I said firmly.

Then they took my turban and began to bind my hands together with it. But before they had finished doing so, and were about to leave, I said, “Hallo, take these warm clothes. You are poor, they will be of use in winter. No one will find you out, nor shall I tell anybody.” But the fellow wearing a red turban and a blanket touched my foot and said, “Dua karo, Maharaj, kapra pindh to (You may go, Maharaj, put on your clothes).” By placing his fingers on the lips, he signed to me not to divulge the incident to anybody. I still repeated, “Take those warm clothes. 7 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

In search of Swami Vivekananda: Towards Narayan Sarovar.

As ill luck would have it, I found I would have to wait too long at the next village to secure a guide. So I sent off the boy and proceeded alone. Fifty miles I tramped along in safety. Narayan Sarovar was still thirty miles away, but now my way lay through villages, most of which were deserted because of famine. As evening fell, I found men in a village, and I spent that night there. Narayan Sarovar was fourteen miles away.

As I stayed there for some time, I marked that Shethji had a very old good-looking mother—for whom nobody cared. She would wash with her own hands her coarse clothes. Every one in the house had a personal servant, but the old mother had none. I was thinking of interceding for the uncared mother when one day the old lady, while wringing her cloth, had a bad fall. On that day I said to Shethji, “You are so wealthy. You have so many people in the house. Why should your old mother be in such a sad plight? Such a thing you will not find in our part of the country.”

I told him of the Bengalis' devotion to the mother. “Here, at our place,” said Shethji, “nobody takes any care of the mother when one has got a wife. It is surely a bad custom. Please advise me what I should do.”

“You should bow down every day,” said I, “at the feet of your mother and ask for her blessings.”

Shethji did so, but the old lady would give no reply. While bowing down, Shethji placed a four anna bit at the feet of his mother. The old lady was thankful to me, but the others in the house were displeased.

7 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscenses of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

In search of Swami Vivekananda

Towards Narayan Sarovar

As ill luck would have it, I found I would have to wait too long at the next village to secure a guide. So I sent off the boy and proceeded alone. Fifty miles I tramped along in safety.

Narayan Sarovar was still thirty miles away, but now my way lay through villages, most of which were deserted because of famine.

As evening fell, I found men in a village, and I spent that night there. Narayan Sarovar was fourteen miles away.

As I stayed there for some time, I marked that Shethji had a very old good-looking mother—for whom nobody cared. She would wash with her own hands her coarse clothes.

Every one in the house had a personal servant but the old mother had none. I was thinking of interceding for the uncared mother when one day the old lady, while wringing her cloth, had a bad fall.

On that day I said to Shethji, “You are so wealthy. You have so many people in the house. Why should your old mother be in such a sad plight? Such a thing you will not find in our part of the country.”

I told him of the Bengalis' devotion to the mother.

“Here, at our place,” said Shethji, “nobody takes any care of the mother when one has got a wife. It is surely a bad custom. Please advise me what I should do.”

“You should bow down every day,” said I, ‘ at the feet of your mother and ask for her blessings.”

Shethji did so, but the old lady would give no reply. While bowing down, Shethji placed a four anna bit at the feet of his mother.

The old lady was thankful to me but the others in the house were displeased.

8 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

At Shethji’s House

“Why should your old mother be in such a sad plight? Such a thing you will not find in our part of the country.”

I told him of the Bengalis' devotion to the mother. “Here, at our place,” said Shethji, “nobody takes any care of the mother when one has got a wife. It is surely a bad custom. Please advise me what I should do.”

“You should bow down every day,” said I, “at the feet of your mother and ask for her blessings.”

Shethji did so, but the old lady would give no reply. While bowing down, Shethji placed a four anna bit at the feet of his mother. The old lady was thankful to me, but the others in the house were displeased.

At Shethji’s house I used to read till two in the night. He then used to force me to stop. At that time I took every day salted coffee in a small wooden cup. The Arabs love to take it, and the prince of this State had many Arab servants. Shethji would take me in his coach in the afternoon. Shethji’s relations therefore became ill-disposed towards me, and on the top of it there occurred an incident.

One day Shethji had gone out to the temples when there came a Sannyasin as a guest. When the Sannyasin requested to be fed, the almoner refused him, saying, “Already there is a Sannyasin who is being fed here. You cannot be admitted.”

I got offended at this conduct of the servant and went out saying, “I won’t have my meal here.”

On coming back I found the Sannyasin seated by Shethji. I was very glad. “It seems you said you would not dine here,” said he, “so I decided to dine with him.” Shethji had formed the habit that unless there was a Sannyasin with him, he would not sit to dine. As I told him of the servant, Shethji took him to task. “Even if as many as forty Sannyasins come,” said he, “don’t send them off. By the grace of God, food is not wanting in my home.” This incident increased the displeasure of Shethji’s relatives. And to crown all, when Shethji appointed the famous singer Mulji to sing me Bajans (devotional songs), their anger knew no bounds.

9 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Poisoning

At Jamnagar I used to take coffee daily. One day, after Shethji had come round, I was taking coffee. That day it tasted very pungent and an oily layer was on it. I thought that somebody had dipped his fingers, covered with particles of some spice, into the water, and that it might also have come in contact with ghee, which is very largely used here. I did not mention it to anyone but took as many as four cups of it. After sometime I had repeated motions. The whole day long this continued and for four days I could not stir out. Jhandubhat Viththalji gave me medicines and cured me. After some days when Shethji had recovered, I stole away to the house of Jhandu Bhatji. There I said, “I will not go back to Shethji’s place.” “Rightly resolved,” said Bhatji with joy, “I have heard that there they are hatching a plot to poison you. As there were many around when I came to see you, I could give you no hint of it.” I could not believe this. But the next day when I went to Shethji’s place to take away my clothes, I saw that Shethji was weeping on his bed. In a single day he had grown pale. I consoled him saying, “I shall stay in this town and we shall meet frequently.” “Your coffee-set reminds me,” said he, “that you are leaving me and I cannot be consoled. Never more will you take your coffee here. Have a cup today.”

Coffee was brought. How is this! That same pungent drink with oil floating on the surface. I took just a sip and ran straight to Jhandu Bhat’s house. Forthwith I had a motion. Hearing the details from me, Jhandu Bhatji said, “I told you nothing regarding the incident of the first day. There was croton seed with coffee in your cup.” I refused to be convinced. At last Bhatji had a croton seed brought. As my tongue touched it I could no more disbelieve his statement. The very slight contact caused purging even that day. “Shethji always accepted your advice,” said Bhatji, “and for your service he spent money lavishly. Over and above that, there was the proposal for building a temple. Lest Shethji should squander away all his wealth for your sake, they attempted to remove you from this world altogether.”

10 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Jhandu Bhatji

I have already said that when I first came to Jamnagar Bhatji was not there; he was out on professional work. When he came back, I met him at Dhanwantari Dham. I had heard that Bhatji’s bounty had no parallel. At Jamnagar, Swamiji had met Bhatji. There the song “Daya nidhe teri gati lakhi na pare” from his lips made Bhatji shed tears. Swamiji would say, “I have been to many places and have seen many a bountiful person, but nowhere have I seen a generous man like Jhandu Bhat Vithalji.”

For sometime Bhatji had practised Yoga and observed great discipline in his ways of life. He would dine, bathe etc., exactly at the appointed time. One day as he was listening to my reading from Vidyasagar’s life, his time for the cleansing process slipped by. The saying is “The Yogi is like the patient (yogi jaysa rogi).” That one day’s breach made him ill and he suffered for a long time.

On coming to Bhatji’s house I found it to be as good as a hospital. It was filled with patients suffering from cough, asthma, fever and other ailments. They were given medicine and diet. Bhatji would leave his bed at 4 a.m. He would then have his daily worship. Next he would sit in his outer apartment. People would then throng there, have their tea and prescription for diseases. Bhatji not only prescribed but also gave away free, to the poor and the rich alike, all medicines including Makaradhwaja worth Rs.80 a tola from his dispensary outside the house. When the clock struck nine, he would drive his Tom Tom (a carriage drawn by one horse) himself and go about seeing his patients without any fee.

Once Bhatji was commissioned for the treatment of the Thakur Saheb of Oadhoan who was a victim of phthisis. I have heard from people that when Bhatji was bidding farewell, Thakur Saheb placed before Bhatji seven bags, each containing a thousand rupees, and said, “This is not your fee but a paltry sum to meet the cost of the medicines you gave me. You could not help me, I do not mind that. My disease is incurable.”

Bhatji cried aloud and said, “Our Sastra (system of medicine) says that if a disease be properly diagnosed, the patient never dies. I failed in the diagnosis in your case. So my treatment ends in failure. If the country were ruled by a Hindu king, I would be punished. Still you offer me a reward! How can I accept it?”

Bhatji came back weeping. He was then in debt for about a lakh of rupees. The prince of Jamnagar offered to clear off the debt, but Bhatji would not accept his help. 10/10/2022

Jai Ramakrishna. (Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj) In search of Swami Vivekananda: At Shethji’s House. I have heard another story. One day, a Brahmana went to beg at Bhatji’s house with “Jai Raghunathji (Glory to Rama, the scion of the race of Raghu)” on his lips. Such Brahmanas carry a bag with ten pockets, which are filled with rice, pulse, flour, etc. In Bhatji’s yard, there lay a heap of used plates. As the Brahmana saw nobody nearby, he secretly took up a used cup and thrust it into a pocket of his bag. He then walked out quietly, but Bhatji had seen the whole thing from the upper story. He called him up and said, “Sir, leave the bag there and have your seat on this bed.” The Brahmana was embarrassed. Bhatji then said to a servant, “Bring here some eatables on a new plate, a new cup, a new bowl, and a tumbler too.” The servant at once obeyed. The Brahmana thought, “Bhatji has not surely detected me; I am safe.” He was going to put the contents into his bag and was about to take up the bag when Bhatji said, “You need not bring the bag; all these are meant for you. Certainly, you are in want of utensils, or why should you take an unwashed cup? We are to blame—we who do not keep ourselves informed of your wants. You please take away all these.” With tears in his eyes, the Brahmana held the feet of Bhatji and said, “Are you a man or a God?” Since then, the Brahmana led a changed life.

Jai Ramakrishna. (Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj) In search of Swami Vivekananda: At Shethji’s House. One day, I came back after a walk to see that an ugly-looking patient, with ringworms all over, lay on Bhatji’s own bed and a woman rubbed oil on his body. Bhatji sat near him, turning the leaves of a book on Ayurveda. On my asking, “What is this, Bhatji?” He replied, “This man is a nymphomaniac. The Ayurveda prescribes that such a person should be laid on a soft bed in the presence of the physician, with a woman rubbing oil on his body. I have done so and am now looking for the remedy.” “All right,” said I, “but why on your bed?” “It would take time to have another soft bed, so I have done this,” he replied. Forthwith, that maniac was taken as a member of the family. As it would take a long time to be cured of the disease described earlier, Bhatji went out for a change and stayed in a bungalow in the open field. He took me also there with him. One day, after our noon-day meal, we were washing our face and hands when we heard the wailing of a woman from far off in the field. I understood nothing. But Bhatji lost no time in running to the place with his wooden slippers on. I waited for him in the room.

Jai Ramakrishna. (Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj) In search of Swami Vivekananda: At Shethji’s House.

11 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

At Shethji’s House

I have heard another story. One day a Brahmana went to beg at Bhatji’s house with “Jai Raghunathji” (Glory to Rama, the scion of the race of Raghu) on his lips. Such Brahmanas carry a bag with ten pockets which are filled with rice, pulse, flour, etc. In Bhatji’s yard there lay a heap of used plates. As the Brahmana saw nobody nearby, he secretly took up a used cup and thrust it into a pocket of his bag. He then walked out quietly, but Bhatji had seen the whole thing from the upper story. He called him up and said, “Sir, leave the bag there and have your seat on this bed.” The Brahmana was embarrassed. Bhatji then said to a servant, “Bring here some eatables on a new plate, a new cup, a new bowl, and a tumbler too.”

The servant at once obeyed. The Brahmana thought, “Bhatji has not surely detected me; I am safe.” He was going to put the contents into his bag and was about to take up the bag when Bhatji said, “You need not bring the bag; all these are meant for you. Certainly you are in want of utensils, or why should you take an unwashed cup? We are to blame—we who do not keep ourselves informed of your wants. You please take away all these.”

With tears in his eyes, the Brahmana held the feet of Bhatji and said, “Are you a man or a God?” Since then, the Brahmana led a changed life.

12 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

At Shethji’s House

One day I came back after a walk to see that an ugly looking patient, with ringworms all over, lay on Bhatji’s own bed and a woman rubbed oil on his body. Bhatji sat near him, turning the leaves of a book on Ayurveda. On my asking, “What is this, Bhatji?” he replied, “This man is a nymphomaniac. The Ayurveda prescribes that such a person should be laid on a soft bed in the presence of the physician, with a woman rubbing oil on his body. I have done so and am now looking for the remedy.”

“All right,” said I, “but why on your bed?”

“It would take time to have another soft bed, so I have done this,” he replied. Forthwith that maniac was taken as a member of the family. As it would take a long time to be cured of the disease described earlier, Bhatji went out for a change and stayed in a bungalow in the open field. He took me also there with him.

One day, after our noon-day meal, we were washing our face and hands when we heard the wailing of a woman from far off in the field. I understood nothing. But Bhatji lost no time in running to the place with his wooden slippers on. I waited for him in the room. When he returned, his face was flushed and he was perspiring. “How is this?” said I, “where have you been?”

“In the meadow,” said Bhatji, “a woman had collected cowdung and was praying to a passer-by to help her to raise the load on to her head. But that man paid no heed to it.”

Even from a distance Bhatji knew that the woman was in distress and ran to her help. He was then between sixty and seventy.

13 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

A Lesson on Vow of Service

A verse was constantly on Bhatji's lips—I have forgotten it. Its import is: “I do not hanker after that heaven of Vaikuntha where I may not have an opportunity to serve or do good to a man.” Once, this verse of Bhatji repeated by me brought tears into the eyes of Swamiji.

न त्वहं कामये राज्यं न स्वर्गं नापुनर्भवम् ।

कामये दुःखतप्तानां प्राणिनाम् आर्तिनाशनम् ॥* (by Raja Rantidev.)

The best thing in man's life is to serve man and to love man—the life of Bhatji brought home this truth to me. I found great joy in nursing this great man in his sick-bed. After recovery, Bhatji went back home. A Bhatiya Sheth now brought his ailing wife to Jamnagar for treatment. He once proposed to me, “Please come with me to Khambhalia, where many a millionaire had his birth and did noble deeds.”

So I went there with the Sheth (banker). For want of accommodation in his house, I was given a large solitary house to stay in—a haunted house. I spent the nights there alone. I lay in a room on the first floor. The only outlet was a square aperture on the floor. The stairs to the ground floor was fitted into it. It had to be covered with two boards moving on wheels. If they were drawn together, they covered the hole and became level with the floor. In English, it is called a trap-door and in Gujarati a Dadara. Such trap-doors are there in every big house in Gujarat and Kathiawad.

One night, I had closed the outer gate and lay on the floor leaving the Dadara open. Nobody had any way of getting into the house. I felt drowsy and had just shut my eyes when I saw a very ugly person together with two or three goats going round me and attempting in vain to push me. He could not lay hands on me. There was a burning ember nearby. I opened my eyes. The ugly fellow sat at a distance, but as the light was dim, his face could not be clearly seen. With my eyes open, I could see neither the goats nor the ember. “Who is there?” I shouted two or three times. But as there was no reply, I went towards him to seize him, but he faded away. I came down and searched minutely but could not trace him. The main gate was closed. If it had been a man, how could he have come in and got out?

I then went up and sat on the bed. I recited aloud *Ramaraksha-stavaraja* and said, “My friend, if you be a spirit, I am your guest. For the few days I stay here, please treat me as a guest and do me no harm.”

Next morning, I reported to people my experience of the night, and they said, “The house has earned the notoriety of being haunted. Now that you have seen it, the belief is proved. Come, you shall stay in another house.” As I did not agree, an old man offered to sleep with me. To that too, I did not agree. I resided in that house for five days after the incident, but never more did I see anything.

14 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

A Lesson on Vow of Service

At the invitation of the Rajah, I came back to Khetri. From there I wrote a letter to Swamiji in America, giving a graphic description of the misery of the poor tenants and the luxury of the callous ruler and chiefs. I wanted to know whether I was right in taking the vow of relieving the distressed people. Every evening I gave discourses on the Vedanta at the court. One day a sycophant said to the Rajah, “Ap to sab Jante hi hai”, i.e., whatever you were speaking of the Vedanta, was already known to the Rajah.

This sort of shameless flattery was more than I could bear. In Hindi I spoke out, “How can you say he knows all! How can a Rajah know all Vedanta? Vedanta remains inaccessible even to a Sannyasin who has studied it day and night for eighty years, or even for his whole life, and you say your Rajah has learnt it all, engaged as he is in sports, in fun, all day and night! You have spoilt the rich people of this country by this sort of base flattery. The number of books which are mere ancillaries to it are too numerous for one to master. If instead, you go on saying in his hearing, ‘He knows nothing, he knows nothing,’ he may possibly repent and may try to know something.”

The whole court was dumb. The Rajah went on saying, “Durusti, Maharaj; Durusti! (Rightly said, Maharaj; rightly said!).”

I feared I might have incurred the displeasure of the parasite I had taken to task. But the result was exactly the opposite. That very person said to me aside, “Rightly done, Maharaj. Who but you can speak the exact truth? We dare not. We are poor hangers-on, so we have to speak in that fashion.”

15 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

A Lesson on Vow of Service

(Swami Vivekananda exhorts Swami Akhandananda)

“Go about in Rajputana and foster the growth of spirituality and benevolence in the Thakur chiefs. Work you will have to do.” 16 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

At Baranagar Math I heard from Ramakrishnananda that a devotee, by name, Kailas Thakurda was pensioned off from Government service and lived a retired life at Banaras. Occasionally he came home and was a daily visitor at the Math. He was a man of a jovial temperament and had great respect for the inmates of the Math. One day he came to the Math and said to Ramakrishnananda, “My friend, from men you have been raised to gods, but I have been degraded to a caterpillar (with hundred legs).”

“How is that, venerable Sir,” said Ramakrishnananda, “you are fortunate in having both wealth and offspring. Why do you say so?”

“Hear me, my friend,” said the Pandit, “hear how I have been metamorphosed into a caterpillar. When I was in the single state, I had two legs. After marriage I became a quadruped. When grandchildren filled the home, my legs could not be counted as in the case of the caterpillar. After the day's office work, I have a change of dress, and with the vessek for divine service before me and the sacred thread wound round the finger, I sit to meditate on my Deity when my darling grandchild happens to come and hang on my neck with ‘grand pa’ on its lips, and my heart shrivels into a caterpillar!”

That is how I became a caterpillar.

16 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

At Baranagar Math I heard from Ramakrishnananda that a devotee, by name, Kailas Thakurda was pensioned off from Government service and lived a retired life at Banaras. Occasionally he came home and was a daily visitor at the Math. He was a man of a jovial temperament and had great respect for the inmates of the Math. One day he came to the Math and said to Ramakrishnananda, “My friend, from men you have been raised to gods, but I have been degraded to a caterpillar (with hundred legs).”

“How is that, venerable Sir,” said Ramakrishnananda, “you are fortunate in having both wealth and offspring. Why do you say so?”

“Hear me, my friend,” said the Pandit, “hear how I have been metamorphosed into a caterpillar. When I was in the single state, I had two legs. After marriage I became a quadruped. When grandchildren filled the home, my legs could not be counted as in the case of the caterpillar. After the day's office work, I have a change of dress, and with the vessek for divine service before me and the sacred thread wound round the finger, I sit to meditate on my Deity when my darling grandchild happens to come and hang on my neck with ‘grand pa' on its lips, and my heart shrivels into a caterpillar!”

That is how I became a caterpillar.

17 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Vision and Realisations at Alambazar Math

For six or seven years I had not suffered from any disease worth mentioning. In Rajaputana and other places I kept good health all along. At Alambazar Math an attack of malarial fever kept me in bed for a few days. One evening I had a bad headache and Subodhananda painted my forehead with an ointment prepared with a paste of powdered black pepper. The irritation caused by this paste kept the headache in check for sometime. Then the whole night long I revolved an idea in my mind. The conclusion arrived at is a memorable thing in my life and so I note it down here. What a marvel, for the whole night I totally forgot I had any suffering! That night the point of cogitation was this: the five modes of approach (Bhavas), serene (Santa), servant-like (Dasya), friendly (Sakhya), affectionate (Vatsalya) and amorous (Madhura)—they are nothing but an attempt on the part of the Jiva (living being) to enjoy all the fun of life (‘drink cups of milk') by assuming a relationship with God with the help of the Bhava or attitude that comes easy to his nature. A Jiva bound by Maya (nescience) is never called a Bhakta (devotee). These attitudes are nothing but Maya in a chastened form. Then I thought of the Atman beyond the bodies, gross, subtle and causal—that Atman was I, that is ‘Soham' (I am That). There cannot be a grander conclusion. May that be the summum bonum of life! Thus absored in deep thinking, scarcely had I closed my eyes at day-break when there appeared before me a living Narugopal (the infant Krishna with his palm stretched for a sweet)—like a big sapphire shaped in a turning lathe. What a perfectly shaped, flawless, beautiful figure! The effulgence from the divine body of Gopal illuminated the whole room, A radiant smile was on the beautiful lips. Within me Mother Yasoda (mother of Krishna)— dressed in beautiful clothes and ornaments like the ladies of Braja, held out food to Gopal and called him saying, “Come, my darling Gopal, my gem, my only stay in life!”—exactly as I had heard the Master speak to Ramlala, adding verses to the main song (Akhara). As Gopal, on all fours, advanced towards her, the Mother's tone was full of joy, but as He receded, her voice became plaintive. While Mother Yasoda and the sapphire coloured Gopal were thus at play, there stood the Master with the end of his usual red-bordered Dhoti on the shoulder, pointing with the forefinger of the right hand, once at Mother Yasoda and next at Gopal, and telling me, “Look there, what a sublime thing!” Overpowered simultaneously with wonder and joy, I spoke out, “I care not for Nirvana (absolute merging of the individual self with the Supreme Self), my lord. Oh, what a joy! I would fain have hundreds of births with this attitude in me.” So saying, as i was going to clasp in my arms the Master, Gopal and Mother Yasoda, I came back to the waking state. The day had advanced. The night was over and with it my bliss too. I got up and saw that Ramakrishnananda, with the blunt edge of a knife, was softening an end of a stick to be used by the Master as a tooth brush. I told him, in detail, of my vision. He was exceedingly glad to hear it.

10/17/22, 2:16 PM - Swami Dayatmananda: 18 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna (Reminiscenses of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj) A Haunted House At Alambazar Math There were Swamis Ramakrishnananda, Shivananda, Adbhutananda, Turiyananda, Satchidananda and a few others. And whoever else would come, would stay. Mahim (Swamiji's younger brother) often came to the Math. One day at sunset Swami Turiyananda and Mahim were to go out for a walk. Scarcely had they crossed the threshold of the outer gate when Turiyananda came back into the Math very anxiously. Mahim stood somewhat astonished. As the former came out again, Mahim learnt on enquiry that somebody had got in. Swami Turiyananda further said to Mahim, “Did you not notice that somebody got in? I made a thorough search but he is nowhere to be found. People are right in saying that this is a haunted house.” Another day a funny incident happened. I was not then in this part of the country. As I have heard, Swamis Yogananda, Premananda, Saradananda and others came that day from Baghbazar and passed the night at the Math. Probably there were five of them in the western room inside. In the bigger room in the outer part there were Swamis Saradananda and Sadananda (Swamiji's first Sannyasi disciple). 19 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

One day at about 9 a.m., there came to Alambazar Math, Nag Mahashay and his wife with a basket of fazli mangoes. We all got up to honour them, and seeing our eagerness to seat him, Nag Mahashay was worried. Uttering ‘Hari Bol, Hari Bol’, he began pacing from one end of the room to the other. His apprehension was that we would touch his feet. After hard persuasion, he sat, not on the bed but at a distance on the bare floor. His eyelids did not move and his mind was drawn inward, as is never seen in others ordinarily. I do not remember to have heard from his lips anything but the name of Hari and topics concerning the Master. Possibly at our earnest request, the two accepted that day rice Prasadam of the Master.

For long, Swami Turiyananda and I had known him. We two then had our daily walk on the Strand Road from Bagahbazar ditch to Kumartuli Ghat. We sat at many places and spent much of our time singing in praise of God, talking of the Master, and engaging ourselves in meditation. Nag Mahashay then lived in a very small rented room near Kumartuli Ghat. In our walk, we often found him in meditation on the bank of the Ganga beneath some iron steps. The choice of the solitary spot indicated how devout an aspirant he was. At the flow tide, his body would be cooled with the holy spray of Ganga waves. At dead of night, we stood long to see him absorbed in meditation.

It was on Nag Mahashay’s first visit to the Master at Kasipur Garden that, even in the presence of the Master, he ate up the Prasadam of the Master along with the leaf on which it was served. At this, the Master said, “This is the acme of humility.” In other books, anecdotes about the Master and Nag Mahashay have been narrated already.

While the Master was at Kasipur, we often had our meditation in the space between the pillars on the western side of the Port Commissioner’s hanging bridge over the Ganges. In the Persian language, there are two kinds of love—Ishk Hakiki and Ishk Majaji. Love of God is Ishk Hakiki and worldly love is Ishk Majaji. This song relates to Ishk Hakiki.

One thing more, and I have done with Nag Mahashay. While at Kasipur Garden, we heard that Nag Mahashay had been fasting for two or three days. I knew Nag Mahashay’s address, so Swamiji took me with him to go there to feed him. 20 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscenses of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Swamiji’s younger brother Mahim (Mahendranath) very often walked the whole distance from Simla to Alambazar at noon, sweating all over, to hear stories of my travels. On some days his eagerness compelled me to tell him of my wanderings. These accounts he enjoyed very much.

Service of Sadhus and Mother

Swamiji used to say, “In this Kali Yuga (Iron Age) the reward of service rendered to Sadhus and to one’s own mother is obtained readily.”

As regards devotion to mother he would cite the examples of Vidyasagar, the famous barrister Umesh Chandra Bandyopadhyay, Gurudas Bandyopadhyay and Doctor Bhagavan Rudra. The barrister Mr. Banerji had his paternal home near that of Swamiji. In those days whoever went to a foreign land lost his caste and was excommunicated by society. When Mr. Banerji had risen to the top of his profession, he would often come home and from outside the room, honour his mother by offering handfuls of sovereigns. As a reward of this devotion to his mother, he earned more than any other barrister of the High Court. I heard all these from Swamiji himself. Everybody knows of Vidyasagar’s and Gurudas Babu’s love for their mothers. Doctor Bhagavan Rudra too had a rapid rise due to his love for his mother, but unfortunately he had an early death.

18 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Within me, Mother Yaśodā—dressed in beautiful clothes and ornaments like the ladies of Vraja—held out food to Gopāl and called him, saying, “Come, my darling Gopāl, my gem, my only stay in life!” exactly as I had heard the Master speak to Rāmlālā, adding verses to the main song (Ākhāṛā). As Gopāl, on all fours, advanced towards her, the Mother’s tone was full of joy; but as He receded, her voice became plaintive.

While Mother Yaśodā and the sapphire-coloured Gopāl were thus at play, there stood the Master with the end of his usual red-bordered dhotī on the shoulder, pointing with the forefinger of the right hand—once at Mother Yaśodā and next at Gopāl—and telling me, “Look there, what a sublime thing!” Overpowered simultaneously with wonder and joy, I spoke out, “I care not for Nirvāṇa, my lord. Oh, what a joy! I would fain have hundreds of births with this attitude in me.”

So saying, as I was going to clasp in my arms the Master, Gopāl, and Mother Yaśodā, I came back to the waking state. The day had advanced; the night was over, and with it my bliss too. I got up and saw that Rāmakṛṣṇānanda, with the blunt edge of a knife, was softening an end of a stick to be used by the Master as a toothbrush. I told him, in detail, of my vision. He was exceedingly glad to hear it.

A Haunted House at Ālambazār Maṭh

There were Swamis Rāmakṛṣṇānanda, Śivānanda, Adbhutānanda, Turīyānanda, Saccidānanda, and a few others—and whoever else would come would stay. Māhim (Swamiji’s younger brother) often came to the Maṭh. One day at sunset, Swami Turīyānanda and Māhim were to go out for a walk. Scarcely had they crossed the threshold of the outer gate when Turīyānanda came back into the Maṭh very anxiously; Māhim stood somewhat astonished. As the former came out again, Māhim learnt on enquiry that somebody had got in. Swami Turīyānanda further said to Māhim, “Did you not notice that somebody got in? I made a thorough search, but he is nowhere to be found. People are right in saying that this is a haunted house.”

Another day, a funny incident happened. I was not then in this part of the country. As I have heard, Swamis Yogānanda, Premānanda, Saradānanda, and others came that day from Bāghbāzār and passed the night at the Maṭh. Probably there were five of them in the western room inside. In the bigger room in the outer part, there were Swamis Saradānanda and Sadānanda (Swamiji’s first Sannyāsī disciple). At dead of night, a rumbling sound on the roof was heard. On hearing that, those in their beds said, “Oh, the spirits are playing with a ball! Oh brother! Oh Rāmakṛṣṇānanda! Is it for showing us a game with balls that you brought us here?” Premānanda said, “Oh brother! Oh Jogen!” and so on. Swami Rāmakṛṣṇānanda then, in great excitement, took a stout club and, with a roar, hastened to the roof, saying, “Here I am going to send the ghost to perdition.”

On the roof, he saw a pair of big dumbbells and a burning hurricane lantern. He then shouted, “How is this! Does a spirit play with balls by the light of a hurricane lantern?” So saying, he came to the room of Saradānanda in the outer part of the house and detected those who were responsible for making the sound. Premānanda, Śivānanda, Turīyānanda, and others were ashamed, as they had taken fright for nothing. 18/10/2022

One day at about a.m., there came to Alambazar Math, Nag Mahashay and his wife with a basket of fazli mangoes. We all got up to honour them, and seeing our eagerness to seat him, Nag Mahashay was worried. Uttering ‘Hari Bol, Hari Bol’, he began pacing from one end of the room to the other. His apprehension was that we would touch his feet. After hard persuasion, he sat, not on the bed but at a distance on the bare floor. His eyelids did not move and his mind was drawn inward, as is never seen in others ordinarily. I do not remember to have heard from his lips anything but the name of Hari and topics concerning the Master. Possibly at our earnest request, the two accepted that day rice Prasadam of the Master. For long, Swami Turiyananda and I had known him. We two then had our daily walk on the Strand Road from Bagahbazar ditch to Kumartuli Ghat. We sat at many places and spent much of our time singing in praise of God, talking of the Master, and engaging ourselves in meditation. Nag Mahashay then lived in a very small rented room near Kumartuli Ghat. In our walk, we often found him in meditation on the bank of the Ganga beneath some iron steps. The choice of the solitary spot indicated how devout an aspirant he was. At the flow tide, his body would be cooled with the holy spray of Ganga waves. At dead of night, we stood long to see him absorbed in meditation. It was on Nag Mahashay's first visit to the Master at Kasipur Garden that, even in the presence of the Master, he ate up the Prasadam of the Master along with the leaf on which it was served. At this, the Master said, “This is the acme of humility.”

In other books, anecdotes about the Master and Nag Mahashay have been narrated already. While the Master was at Kasipur, we often had our meditation in the space between the pillars on the western side of the Port Commissioner's hanging bridge over the Ganges. In the Persian language, there are two kinds of love—Ishk Hakiki and Ishk Majaji. Love of God is Ishk Hakiki and worldly love is Ishk Majaji. This song relates to Ishk Hakiki. One thing more, and I have done with Nag Mahashay. While at Kasipur Garden, we heard that Nag Mahashay had been fasting for two or three days. I knew Nag Mahashay's address, so Swamiji took me with him to go there to feed him. Nag Mahashay's anxiety at our sudden appearance cannot be described in words. As we requested him to break his fast, he at once brought some Kachuris and Jilebi (an Indian sweet). We sat by him and asked him to eat them. But he pushed them to us and said he would not eat before we ate. In this way, we found it a hard job to persuade him to take anything.

Jai Ramakrishna*

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

19 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscenses of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

One day at about a.m. there came to Alambazar Math, Nag Mahashay and his wife with a basket of fazli mangoes. We all got up to honour them, and seeing our eagerness to seat him, Nag Mahashay was worried. Uttering ‘Hari Bol, Hari Bol', he began pacing from one end of the room to the other. His apprehension was that we would touch his feet. After hard persuasion, he sat, not on the bed but at a distance on the bare floor. His eyelids did not move and his mind was drawn inward, as is never seen in others ordinarily.

I do not remember to have heard from his lips anything but the name of Hari and topics concerning the Master. Possibly at our earnest request the two accepted that day rice Prasadam of the Master.

For long Swami Turiyananda and I had known him. We two then had our daily walk on the Strand Road from Bagahbazar ditch to Kumartuli Ghat. We sat at many places and spent much of our time singing in praise of God. talking of the Master, and engaging ourselves in meditation.

Nag Mahashay then lived in a very small rented room near Kumartuli Ghat. In our walk we often found him in meditation on the bank of the Ganga beneath some iron steps. The choice of the solitary spot indicated how devout an aspirant he was. At the flow tide his body would be cooled with the holy spray of Ganga waves. At dead of night we stood long to see him absorbed in meditation.

It was on Nag Mahashay's first visit to the Master at Kasipur Garden that even in the presence of the Master he ate up the Prasadam of the Master along with the leaf on which it was served.

At this the Master said, “This is the acme of humility.”

In other books anecdotes about the Master and Nag Mahashay have been narrated already.

While the Master was at Kasipur we often had our meditation in the space between the pillars on the western side of the Port Commissioner's hanging bridge over the Ganges.

In the Persian language there are two kinds of love— Ishk Hakiki and Ishk Majaji. Love of God is Ishk Hakiki and worldly love is Ishk Majaji. This song relates to Ishk Hakiki.

One thing more, and I have done withNag Mahashay. While at Kasipur Garden we heard that Nag Mahashay had been fasting for two or three days.

I knew Nag Mahashay's address, so Swamiji took me with him to go there to feed him. Nag Mahashay's anxiety at our sudden appearance cannot be described in words. As we requested him to break his fast, he at once brought some Kachuris and Jilebi (an Indian sweet). We sat by him and asked him to eat them. But he pushed them to us and said he would not eat before we ate. In this way we found it a hard job to persude him to take anything.

20 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscenses of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Swamiji’s younger brother Mahim (Mahendranath) very often walked the whole distance from Simla to Alambazar at noon, sweating all over, to hear stories of my travels. On some days his eagerness compelled me to tell him of my wanderings. These accounts he enjoyed very much.

Service of Sadhus and Mother

Swamiji used to say, “In this Kali Yuga (Iron Age) the reward of service rendered to Sadhus and to one’s own mother is obtained readily.” As regards devotion to mother he would cite the examples of Vidyasagar, the famous barrister Umesh Chandra Bandyopadhyay, Gurudas Bandyopadhyay and Doctor Bhagavan Rudra. The barrister Mr. Banerji had his paternal home near that of Swamiji. In those days whoever went to a foreign land lost his caste and was excommunicated by society. When Mr. Banerji had risen to the top of his profession, he would often come home and from outside the room, honour his mother by offering handfuls of sovereigns. As a reward of this devotion to his mother, he earned more than any other barrister of the High Court. I heard all these from Swamiji himself. Everybody knows of Vidyasagar’s and Gurudas Babu’s love for their mothers. Doctor Bhagavan Rudra too had a rapid rise due to his love for his mother, but unfortunately he had an early death.

21 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscenses of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

At that time, for some days before the Gangasagar yatra, Sadhus from different places would have their temporary camp from Jagannath Ghat to about Prasanna Kumar Tagore’s Ghat. I used to visit them. Diverse types of Sadhus were there—their number could not be counted. Some held an arm upward, some lay on points of needles, some were always standing. There were many more. There also came women Sannyasinis. The Marwaris of Burra Bazar came with heaps of Luchis, vegetable curry, and sweets and fed the Sannyasis to their heart’s content. The Marwaris did it by turns. When the Sadhus started for the confluence, the Marwaris would present each of them with a blanket and also a bowl to those that had none, and give them a free passage in large boats. As a reward of service rendered to Sadhus, even though with an expectation of return, the merchants who came from Jodhpur, Bikanir, Jaipur and other States with nothing but a bowl and a blanket with them, and started small shops in Calcutta—those poor people of Rajputana living on Chapati and pulse some fifty years back—are now owners of large properties here. The luxurious palaces and pleasure gardens in Calcutta and its suburbs are owned by them. This is the result of service rendered to Sadhus.

22 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Upendranath Mukhopadhyaya

“In my declining age I may find no opportunity afterwards to record my memories of Upendranath,” so I would like to note down here something about him. Upendra was an old devotee of the Master and the well-known founder of Basumati Sahitya Mandir (office of a newspaper and publishing house of Calcutta). When he came to visit the Master at Dakshineswar, the latter one day pointed at Upendra, sitting in the room amidst devotees, and said, “This boy comes to me with a desire to become rich.”

Upendra had a small book stall at Battala near Baishnav Basak’s book-shop, on the western side of the road. As I went to purchase religious books, I saw in Upendra’s stall copies of books like *Ramagita*, *Jnanasankalani Tantra*, and *Uttaragita*. Upendra had a monopoly in the sale of the poet Surendranath Majumdar’s *Mahila*, *Barshabartan*, *Sabita Sudarsan* and other works. Numberless were the copies of books like *Barshabartan* and *Sabita Sudarsan* that I took from that shop. After he had come in contact with the Master, I saw a large Tamal tree near their house at Ahiritollah.

Let me say here something about the devoted service rendered to Sadhus by Upendra. Immediately after the passing away of the Master, some of our Gurubhais, including Swamiji and myself, used to go out on some days in a desolate condition from Baranagar Math and walk up to Kankurgachi. From there we would go to the doors of the householder devotees of the Master, uttering, as we walked, “Wa Guruji ki phate”—Victory to the Guru!

At last, at about eight at night, we would reach, hungry and tired, at the small shop of Upendra, and he invariably refreshed us with a basketful of various sweets and packets of betel. There was a hackney carriage-stand by the Beadon Square. The drivers there would be shouting, “Baranagar, Kasipur, four paisa.” Upendra would hire those carriages, paying from his own pocket. Many were the days when he thus fed us and paid our carriage hire.

Jnanananda Avadhut (Nityagopal) then stayed at Ramdada’s house. Every afternoon he came to Upendra’s stall, remained sitting in a dark inner room, and left it late at night after taking his supper. Six months after the disappearance of the Master in 1886, when I left Calcutta, Upendra was in the aforesaid condition. Three years later, when I met Swami Shivananda in northern India, I heard from him that Upendra had an access of unexpected prosperity within these years. He was now a moneyed man. His monthly *Jnanankur* had an extensive sale. In this monthly was published serially Swamiji’s *Isanusaran* (a Bengali rendering of the *Imitation of Christ*). But fortune favoured him through that single book, *Rajbhasha*.

I have said how Upendra loved to amass money. His pecuniary condition improved through the grace of the Master and as a result of his devotion to Sadhus. Swamiji would say, “See, how Upen has fared? From Upen’s case one can see how readily devotion to Sadhus produces good fortune.” After his return from America he said one day, “Upen has a fine business.” I was then there. It is known to all how, through the Master’s grace and Upen’s merits, that business has flourished, now in the hands of Satish Chandra (Khoka), Upendra’s only son.

23 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscenses of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj)

Unknown Charities of Swamiji

Sasipada Bandyopadhyaya was the founder of the Widows’ Home of Baranager. He often came to the Math. He talked of Swamiji and enquired about him. I also often went to Sasi Babu’s Home.

Many widows had their education there and did household work. At the home there was a school for girls and the widows were the teachers.

The tender-hearted Swamiji would send money from America to the destitute families he remembered. He sent more than a thousand rupees to a householder to release his residence from a mortgage. He gave some help to charitable institutions like the one described above.

He did not forget to send a contribution to Sasi Babu for the Widows’ Home of Baranagar.

We had enough proof from Sasi Babu of the joy all felt for the real help they got from the liberal Swamiji who made no distinction between creed and creed. People do not know how many were benefited by such pecuniary help from Swamiji.

24 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(On this auspicious day of Kali Puja may the Divine Mother bless us all with Bhakti.)

(From the Book ‘How to live with God’ by Swami Chetanananda)

One midnight in Dakshineswar the Master was walking in an ecstatic mood. As Golap-ma watched him, she saw Mother Kali walking in his place. She was overwhelmed and it gave her goose bumps.

Once Swami Brahmananda described the following incident: I was then living on Baranasi Ghosh Street in Calcutta and visiting the Master regularly. One day I went to Dakshineswar in the early afternoon. The Kali temple was closed and the Master was resting after lunch. As soon as I entered his room, he asked me to sit on his bed. He talked for a while and then asked me to massage his feet. I replied: "Sir, excuse me. I can't do that. You were telling me wonderful stories; please continue." Regardless, he asked again: "Look, give me a little massage. You will benefit by serving a holy man."

After he had asked me to do this two or three times, I finally touched his feet. Suddenly something miraculous happened that left me dumbfounded. I saw with my open eyes that Mother Kali quickly entered the room in the form of a young girl, seven or eight years old. She encircled the Master's bed a few times, Her anklets making jingling sounds. Then She merged into the Master's body. The Master smiled a little and then said, "You see, you have instantly received the result of serving a holy man."

The day before Kali Puja, he told some devotees: "Collect everything that is needed for worship just on a small scale. Tomorrow we shall have Kali Puja."

Swami Saradananda wrote: Evening arrived with the sunset. To those who were a little farther away it appeared as if a luminous form of the Devi had suddenly appeared before them, taking possession of the Master's body. October 24, 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(From the Book ‘How to live with God’ by Swami Chetanananda)

"Once a devotee said to Swami Vijnanananda: 'Maharaj, when we see Ramakrishna's picture, we don't perceive an outstanding personality. But in Swami Vivekananda's picture there is a great personality manifested.'

Swami Vijnanananda responded: 'That is not true. The Master was an extraordinary and wonderful person. His picture shows a person who has passed through all six centres of the kundalini. Seeing his god-intoxicated form, we feel that he is absorbed in the ocean of bliss having transcended all centres. I see many divine forms in that picture of the Master. What great power he had! He would travel in the realms of the sun, moon, stars, and Brahma, just as he wished. Once the Master showed me his picture and said: "Look, I dwell in this. Meditate on me."

One can find everything in the Master's picture.'"

In this connection Girish Chandra Ghosh said:

"Even after seeing Sri Ramakrishna so much, I am unable to say definitely what he really is or what his distinctive aspects are. I have seen him manifest himself differently at different times. During the festival at Panihati, for instance, I saw the Master in various spiritual moods. Since that time, I cannot say whether he is Purusha or Prakriti. He told me that even he did not know whether he was Purusha or Prakriti."

October 26, 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(From the Book: ‘How to live with God’ by Swami Chetanananda)

Once Swami Saradananda asked Swami Brahmananda to approve a clay model for the Master's marble image. Brahmananda replied: "Which figure of the Master should I base my approval on? Even on the same day I saw him assume many forms. Sometimes one would find him lean and emaciated with disheveled hair; sometimes he was immersed in samadhi and his body was luminous; again sometimes he would be found to possess a stature much taller and stronger than his usual form, and he would pace from one end of the veranda to the other with big, long strides."

Those who lived with the Master day and night saw that he was polymorphic: He could change his form at will. The scriptures say that a divine form does not cast a shadow. Nistarini Ghosh told her son Swami Ambikananda:

"Once the Master saw that his body looked like crystal. It did not cast a shadow. Observing this, the Master prayed: 'Mother, what is this? Please turn this divine beauty within. Suppress it, or fear will keep people from coming here. I want to mix with everyone, like other human beings!'"

October 27, 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(From the Book: ‘How to live with God’ by Swami Chetanananda)

Once a monk asked the Holy Mother: "Does the Master dwell in the picture?"

She replied: "Of course he does. The body and its shadow are the same. And what is this picture but a shadow of his body."

25 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(From the Book ‘How to live with God’ by Swami Chetanananda)

"Once a devotee said to Swami Vijnanananda: 'Maharaj, when we see Ramakrishna's picture, we don't perceive an outstanding personality. But in Swami Vivekananda's picture there is a great personality manifested.' Swami Vijnanananda responded: 'That is not true. The Master was an extraordinary and wonderful person. His picture shows a person who has passed through all six centres of the kundalini. Seeing his god-intoxicated form, we feel that he is absorbed in the ocean of bliss having transcended all centres."

26 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(From the Book: ‘How to live with God’ by Swami Chetanananda)

Once Swami Saradananda asked Swami Brahmananda to approve a clay model for the Master's marble image. Brahmananda replied: "Which figure of the Master should I base my approval on? Even on the same day I saw him assume many forms. Sometimes one would find him lean and emaciated with disheveled hair; sometimes he was immersed in samadhi and his body was luminous; again sometimes he would be found to possess a stature much taller and stronger than his usual form, and he would pace from one end of the veranda to the other with big, long strides."

Those who lived with the Master day and night saw that he was polymorphic: He could change his form at will. The scriptures say that a divine form does not cast a shadow. Nistarini Ghosh told her son Swami Ambikananda: "Once the Master saw that his body looked like crystal. It did not cast a shadow. Observing this, the Master prayed: 'Mother, what is this? Please turn this divine beauty within. Suppress it, or fear will keep people from coming here. I want to mix with everyone, like other human beings!'"

27 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(From the Book: ‘How to live with God’ by Swami Chetanananda)

Once a monk asked the Holy Mother: "Does the Master dwell in the picture?" She replied: "Of course he does. The body and its shadow are the same. And what is this picture but a shadow of his body."

Someone asked the Master's niece Lakshmi: "What was the condition of the Master's body during samadhi?" She answered: "During samadhi, the Master's body became motionless. Tears trickled from his eyes, and sometimes both sides of his abdomen would tremble a little. His appearance was then extremely beautiful and one could see a halo around him."

Once Swami Adbhutananda said to a devotee: "Look, some days you see something and it instantly penetrates the mind. I saw the Master in samadhi many times, but one day I saw him in a beautiful and unique form. His complexion had changed and his face radiated fearlessness and compassion. Even now I cannot forget that form of the Master."

28 October 2022

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Sri Ramakrishna as Chaitanya

Swami Saradananda writes:

Master was travelling by palanquin from Kamarpukur to Hriday's house at Sihar. During that journey, the Master enjoyed seeing the vast fields under the blue sky, the green rice fields, the rows of banyan trees providing cool shade along the path, and the creepers bedecked with sweet fragrant blossoms, and hearing the melodious singing of birds. Suddenly, two beautiful adolescent boys emerged from his body. They wandered far into the field searching for wildflowers and then came back near the palanquin, laughing, joking, and talking playfully. Thus, they proceeded joyfully for a long time and then reentered the Master's body.

Nearly a year and a half after this vision, Bhairavi Brahmani arrived at Dakshineswar. One day in the course of conversation, the Master described this vision to her. She responded: "My child, your vision was true. This time Chaitanya has manifested in Nityananda's body. Both Chaitanya and Nityananda have come and are dwelling inside you now. That is why you had that vision."

When Hriday later described that conversation to us, he mentioned that the Brahmani then recited the following two verses from the Chaitanya Bhagavata:

"Putting his arms around the neck of Advaitacharya, Chaitanya said repeatedly: 'I shall enact my wonderful divine play once more. My form will be manifested as bliss during kirtan.'

Gaur [another name of Chaitanya] is still enacting his divine play; only a fortunate few can see it."

29 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Sri Ramakrishna as Chaitanya

Soon after Ram Chandra Datta met Sri Ramakrishna, he started to read Sri Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, an authoritative biography of Sri Chaitanya, written in Bengali. The more Ram read about that god-intoxicated life, the more he felt that Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Chaitanya were the same person. But sometimes he had doubts. Once, at the Master's request, Ram spent a night at Dakshineswar. When he was alone with the Master, he started looking at him in wonder. "What are you looking at?" asked Sri Ramakrishna. "I am looking at you."

"What do you think of me?"

"I consider you to be Chaitanya."

Sri Ramakrishna was silent for a moment and then said, "Well, the Bhairavi Brahmani used to say the same thing."

On another occasion, the Master asked Ram: "What do you want?" Overwhelmed with emotion, Ram replied: "Lord, I don't know what to ask for. You decide for me."

"Give me back the mantra I gave you in the dream," said the Master as he entered into samadhi. Immediately Ram prostrated himself before the Master and offered the mantra mentally at his feet like a flower. Gradually the Master came back to the normal plane of consciousness. "If you wish to see anything," said the Master to Ram, "look at me."

Ram looked and saw that Sri Ramakrishna had taken the form of his Chosen Deity, the form of God that was dearest to his heart. Then Sri Ramakrishna told him: "You do not need to practise any more spiritual disciplines. Just come here and see me now and then, and bring with you a pice worth of something as a present."

30 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Sri Ramakrishna as Chaitanya

Once Shyamasundari, the mother of Manomohan Mitra, said of the Master: "The Master is not a sadhu or a mahatma; he is God Himself. He was born in Navadwip as Chaitanya, and now the same Mahaprabhu is living at the Dakshineswar temple as Sri Ramakrishna and saving souls through his divine play.”

Swami Saradananda writes:

We remember that in the evening Narendra took us for a walk in Cornwallis Square [now Azadhind Bagh]. On the way he told us of divine experiences that he had experienced by the grace of the Master. He was absorbed within himself for a while and then finally expressed his inner bliss with his heavenly voice:

Gora bestows the Nectar of love; Jar after jar he pours it out,

And still there is no end!

Sweetest Nitai is summoning all;

Beloved Gora bids them come;

Shantipur is almost drowned,

And Nadia is flooded with love!

When he had finished singing, Narendra gently soliloquized: "He is actually distributing love. Love, devotion, knowledge, liberation, and whatever one desires — Gora [Sri Ramakrishna] is bestowing upon us whatever he wishes. What wonderful power!"

He was silent for a while and then continued. "One night, I was lying on my bed with the door bolted. Suddenly he attracted me — or rather the soul that lives in this body — and drew me to Dakshineswar. He talked with me about various things, gave me advice, and finally allowed me to return home. He can do anything — this Gora of Dakshineswar can do anything!"

Once the Master said to Swami Vivekananda: "Have you not heard about Gauranga of Nadia? I am that Gauranga."

31 October 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Sri Ramakrishna as Chaitanya

The musician Nilkantha saw Gauranga in Ramakrishna. In The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, M. described this scene:

Ramakrishna said to Nilkantha, "I should like to hear that song of yours I heard in Calcutta."

M.

1 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Ramakrishna as a Luminous Being

Swami Saradananda described a vision that Hriday had:

One night Hriday saw the Master going towards the Panchavati. Thinking that he might need his water pot and towel, he obtained them and followed the Master. While walking, Hriday had an extraordinary vision. He saw that the Master was not a human being made of flesh and blood. Light was emanating from his body and illumining the entire Panchavati. As he walked, his luminous feet moved through the air without touching the ground.

Hriday repeatedly rubbed his eyes, thinking this must be an optical illusion. He looked at the other objects around him and then back at the luminous form of the Master. Although he perceived the trees, creepers, Ganges, hut, and so on as before, he saw the Master's shining form again and again. Amazed, Hriday thought, "Is there any change in me that I am seeing the Master this way?"

Then he looked at himself and saw that his own body was also luminous. He felt that he was a veritable attendant of God, living with Him and serving Him eternally. He felt as if he were a part of that luminous form of God and had assumed a separate form in order to serve Him. He then forgot himself, forgot the world, and forgot to consider what others might think of him, calling him mad. In ecstasy, he shouted frantically again and again: "O Ramakrishna, we are not human beings. Why are we here? Come, let us go from place to place and save human souls. You and I are the same."

The Master said later: "Hearing his loud cry, I said: ‘Ah! Keep quiet, keep quiet. Why are you shouting like that? People will rush here thinking some calamity has happened.’ But he paid no heed to my words. Then I hurried to him and said, touching his chest, 'Mother, make this rascal dull and stupid again.'"

November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious Jagaddhatri Puja. On this sacred day may our Holy Mother, the incarnation of Jagaddhatri, bless us all with Bhakti.)

(The origin of Jagaddhatri Puja at Jairambati)

The improvement in the material condition of the Holy Mother's family is also associated with the institution of Jagaddhatri Puja in their home some time after the demise of Ramachandra Mukherji. Once at the village Kali Puja, conducted by one Nava Mukherji, owing to some quarrel with the Holy Mother's family, refused to accept the rice that Syamasundari Devi had vowed to the Deity. The poor lady was much aggrieved at it and spent a whole night weeping. She was at a loss to decide what she should do with the rice set apart for the Deity. She was, however, relieved of her grief and worry when at night she saw in a vision the Deity as Jagaddhatri asking her to offer to Her the rice she had vowed to Kali. From that day the idea of worshipping Jagaddhatri became a passion with her. Although in straitened circumstances, she performed the worship with due éclat, meeting the expenses of it from the sale of a quantity of paddy she secured from a neighbouring house.

Next year, Syamasundari Devi wanted to perform the worship again and asked the Holy Mother to help her in making preparations. But the Holy Mother objected to it, saying that it had been done once and that there was no need to bother themselves again with all the heavy work involved in it.

'That night,' said the Holy Mother in later days, 'I saw in a dream that three of them arrived—Jagaddhatri and Her two companions, Jaya and Vijaya. I remember it distinctly. They said to me, "Shall we go away then?"

"Who are you all?" I asked. One of them said, "I am Jagaddhatri."

In reply I said, "No, why should you go? Stay here. I did not ask you to go away."'

From that time onwards the Jagaddhatri Puja became an annual function in the Holy Mother's home, and she used to take a leading part in arranging for the celebration. As she said later on: 'Since that time I have been going home as far as possible every year at the time of the Jagaddhatri Puja. I am to help in polishing the utensils and look after other things. Formerly there were not many people in the family. I would go home to cleanse the pots and pans. Later, Yogen (Swami Yogananda) got a set of wooden utensils. He said to me, "Mother, you do not have to scour pots and pans any more." He also secured a piece of land to provide for the expenses of the Puja.'

1 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Ramakrishna as a Luminous Being

Swami Saradananda described a vision that Hriday had:

One night Hriday saw the Master going towards the Panchavati. Thinking that he might need his water pot and towel, he obtained them and followed the Master. While walking, Hriday had an extraordinary vision. He saw that the Master was not a human being made of flesh and blood. Light was emanating from his body and illumining the entire Panchavati. As he walked, his luminous feet moved through the air without touching the ground. Hriday repeatedly rubbed his eyes, thinking this must be an optical illusion. He looked at the other objects around him and then back at the luminous form of the Master. Although he perceived the trees, creepers, Ganges, hut, and so on as before, he saw the Master's shining form again and again. Amazed, Hriday thought, "Is there any change in me that I am seeing the Master this way?"

Then he looked at himself and saw that his own body was also luminous. He felt that he was a veritable attendant of God, living with Him and serving Him eternally. He felt as if he were a part of that luminous form of God and had assumed a separate form in order to serve Him. He then forgot himself, forgot the world, and forgot to consider what others might think of him, calling him mad. In ecstasy, he shouted frantically again and again: "O Ramakrishna, we are not human beings. Why are we here? Come, let us go from place to place and save human souls. You and I are the same."

The Master said later: "Hearing his loud cry, I said: ‘Ah! Keep quiet, keep quiet. Why are you shouting like that? People will rush here thinking some calamity has happened.’ But he paid no heed to my words. Then I hurried to him and said, touching his chest, ‘Mother, make this rascal dull and stupid again.’"

Hriday said that as soon as the Master uttered those words, his vision and bliss vanished and he became the same as before.

2 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Today is the auspicious Jagaddhatri Puja. On this sacred day may our Holy Mother, the incarnation of Jagaddhatri, bless us all with Bhakti.)

(The origin of Jagaddhatri Puja at Jairambati)

The improvement in the material condition of the Holy Mother's family is also associated with the institution of Jagaddhatri Puja in their home some time after the demise of Ramachandra Mukherji.

3 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Yesterday was the auspicious Jagaddhatri Puja. On this sacred day may our Holy Mother, the incarnation of Jagaddhatri, bless us all with Bhakti.)

The Mother was very simple by nature; she was simplicity incarnate. Nobody had any altercation with her during childhood sports and games in which she very often played the master or the mistress of a house. She, of course, made dolls and played with them; but she preferred worshipping with flowers and bel leaves Kali and Lakshmi in images fashioned by herself. When other girls fell out, she would mediate, settle their quarrels, and re-establish cordial relations. Once during the worship of the goddess Jagaddhatri, Sri Ramhriday Ghoshal of Haldepukur was present. 4 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Ramakrishna as a Luminous Being

In the early 1900s Swami Vishuddhananda met a gardener in the Dakshineswar temple garden who had had a vision of the Master's luminous form. The swami writes:

The gardener was cleaning, very carefully, the path from the Master's room to the Panchavati with a spade-like instrument. He was a little bent because of his age. I observed that he steadfastly cleaned that path up to the pine grove and the bel tree. I was a little curious because I saw him do the same work every day. One day I asked him, "Have you seen the Master?"

The gardener laid the spade on the ground, then looked at me in wonder and said: "I am following his order. The Master told me that many of his devotees would come. So I am cleaning this path for them."

He was reluctant to say anything more. When I pressed him to say something more, he told me this wonderful story:

"One summer night I could not sleep, so I went for a walk in the garden. I saw a light coming from the Panchavati area. I went there and found the Master immersed in samadhi under the bel tree; a light emanated from his body. I was so scared, I could not stay there long. The next morning I went to him, fell at his feet, and burst into tears. He asked: 'What is the matter? Why do you have so much overflowing devotion today?'

I only said, 'Master, please bless me.'

He realized what was in my mind. He lifted me up and said: 'Meditate on the form that you saw last night. Clean the path to the Panchavati. Many devotees will come in the future.'"

4 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Ramakrishna as a Luminous Being

In the early 1900s Swami Vishuddhananda met a gardener in the Dakshineswar temple garden who had had a vision of the Master's luminous form. The swami writes:

The gardener was cleaning, very carefully, the path from the Master's room to the Panchavati with a spade-like instrument. He was a little bent because of his age. I observed that he steadfastly cleaned that path up to the pine grove and the bel tree. I was a little curious because I saw him do the same work every day. One day I asked him, "Have you seen the Master?"

The gardener laid the spade on the ground, then looked at me in wonder and said: "I am following his order. The Master told me that many of his devotees would come. So I am cleaning this path for them."

He was reluctant to say anything more. When I pressed him to say something more, he told me this wonderful story:

"One summer night I could not sleep, so I went for a walk in the garden. I saw a light coming from the Panchavati area. I went there and found the Master immersed in samadhi under the bel tree; a light emanated from his body. I was so scared, I could not stay there long. The next morning I went to him, fell at his feet, and burst into tears. He asked: 'What is the matter? Why do you have so much overflowing devotion today?'

I only said, 'Master, please bless me.'

He realized what was in my mind. He lifted me up and said: 'Meditate on the form that you saw last night. Clean the path to the Panchavati. Many devotees will come in the future.'

I meditate on that luminous form of the Master and clean this path every day!"

5 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Ramakrishna as an Avatar.

Second phase: During this period the Master was recognized as an avatar by great scholars and highly evolved spiritual aspirants. Swami Saradananda writes: We heard that one day during this period the Master and Mathur were at the Panchavati, and Hriday was also present. In the course of conversation the Master told Mathur the Brahmani's findings about him. He said: "She says that all the signs of the avatars are in this body and mind (pointing to himself). She is well versed in the scriptures and she has many books with her." Mathur replied with a laugh: "Father, whatever she may say, according to the scriptures there are no more than ten avatars. So how can her words be true? But it is true that Mother Kali has bestowed Her grace on you." While they were talking, Mathur saw a nun approaching them. He asked the Master, "Is this the lady?" "Yes," replied the Master. Pointing to Mathur, the Master told the Brahmani: "Mother, I was just telling him what you say about me. But he says that the scriptures mention only ten avatars and no more than that." Mathur saluted the Brahmani and admitted that he had raised that objection. She immediately replied: "Bhagavan Vyasa mentioned twenty-four avatars in the Bhagavata and then indicated an infinite number of them. Moreover, the Vaishnava scriptures clearly indicated that Chaitanya would be incarnated again. In addition, there is a striking resemblance in many characteristics between him and Sri Ramakrishna."

6 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(From ‘How to Live with God’ By Swami Chetanananda)

Second phase

During this period the Master was recognized as an avatar by great scholars and highly evolved spiritual aspirants. Swami Saradananda writes:

We heard that one day during this period the Master and Mathur were at the Panchavati, and Hriday was also present. In the course of conversation the Master told Mathur the Brahmani's findings about him. He said: "She says that all the signs of the avatars are in this body and mind (pointing to himself). She is well versed in the scriptures and she has many books with her."

Mathur replied with a laugh: "Father, whatever she may say, according to the scriptures there are no more than ten avatars. So how can her words be true? But it is true that Mother Kali has bestowed Her grace on you."

While they were talking, Mathur saw a nun approaching them. He asked the Master, "Is this the lady?"

"Yes," replied the Master. Pointing to Mathur, the Master told the Brahmani: "Mother, I was just telling him what you say about me. But he says that the scriptures mention only ten avatars and no more than that." Mathur saluted the Brahmani and admitted that he had raised that objection. She immediately replied: "Bhagavan Vyasa mentioned twenty-four avatars in the Bhagavata and then indicated an infinite number of them. Moreover, the Vaishnava scriptures clearly indicated that Chaitanya would be incarnated again. In addition, there is a striking resemblance in many characteristics between him and Sri Ramakrishna." 7 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Vijnananandaji Maharaj. On this auspicious day may Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.)

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

I was a mere boy, fourteen or fifteen years old, when I first met Sri Ramakrishna. It came about this way. One day I was playing a game with another boy in his home when a mutual friend of ours came and asked, "Would you like to visit a paramahamsa?"

"Where is he?" we inquired. "At the Dewan's house, nearby."

We had no idea what a paramahamsa was. Anyway, we all went to meet him. As we entered the hall of the Dewan's house, we heard a chorus of melodious voices. We encountered a strange scene. A group of devotees were singing. Sri Ramakrishna was standing in the center, completely oblivious of his surroundings. A disciple was holding him so he would not fall. His face shone with a heavenly luster, and a smile played over his lips. His eyes seemed to be gazing at something, and he appeared, as it were, immersed in an ocean of bliss. After a while he sang a song in praise of the Divine Mother. He was still in an ecstatic mood. It seemed to me that he was having a direct vision of the Mother and was singing to her. After the music, Sri Ramakrishna and his companions were led upstairs by the host, and we returned home. I met Sri Ramakrishna another time in Mani Mallick's house. I went there with Sarat, who was my classmate.

7 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Vijnananandaji Maharaj.

On this auspicious day may Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.)

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

I was a mere boy, fourteen or fifteen years old, when I first met Sri Ramakrishna.

It came about this way.

One day I was playing a game with another boy in his home when a mutual friend of ours came and asked, "Would you like to visit a paramahamsa?”

"Where is he?" we inquired.

"At the Dewan's house, nearby.”

We had no idea what a paramahamsa was. Anyway, we all went to meet him.

As we entered the hall of the Dewan's house, we heard a chorus of melodious voices.

We encountered a strange scene. A group of devotees were singing. Sri Ramakrishna was standing in the center, completely oblivious of his surroundings.

A disciple was holding him so he would not fall. His face shone with a heavenly luster, and a smile played over his lips. His eyes seemed to be gazing at something, and he appeared, as it were, immersed in an ocean of bliss.

After a while he sang a song in praise of the Divine Mother. He was still in an ecstatic mood. It seemed to me that he was having a direct vision of the Mother and was singing to her.

After the music, Sri Ramakrishna and his companions were led upstairs by the host, and we returned home.

I met Sri Ramakrishna another time in Mani Mallick's house. I went there with Sarat, who was my classmate.

8 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

Several years passed. I was then about seventeen or eighteen years old and a student at St. Xavier's College in Calcutta. One day I went to visit Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar. It was in the afternoon. Many devotees were seated in his room. I went in, prostrated before him, and then sat quietly in a corner. Seated on the small cot, Sri Ramakrishna was conversing with the devotees. In physical appearance he was like any other man, but his smile was something divine. When he smiled, a wave of joy played, not merely over his eyes and face, but over his whole body. And his blissful smile would wipe out the worries and troubles of those who looked at him. His voice was so sweet and melodious that one never tired of hearing it. His eyes were keen and bright, and his look was tender and affectionate. I felt Sri Ramakrishna's room vibrating with a tangible atmosphere of peace. The devotees present seemed to be listening in blissful absorption to the words which poured from the Master's lips. I don't recall what he said, but I still remember the transport of delight I experienced then as if it had been yesterday. For a long time I sat there, beside myself with joy, and my whole attention was concentrated on Sri Ramakrishna. He did not say anything to me, nor did I ask him anything. 9 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

Sri Ramakrishna was always concerned about our welfare. If any one of his disciples did not visit him for a while, he would ask someone to inquire about him. Once I absented myself for a long time, and so he sent for me. As I entered his room, he asked in a complaining but affectionate tone, "Hello, how are you? What is the matter? Why haven't I seen you for so long?"

Truthfully I replied, "I did not feel like coming."

"That's all right," Sri Ramakrishna said smilingly. "But I hope you continue in your practice of meditation."

I remarked, "I try to meditate, sir, but I find I can't."

The Master seemed surprised at my reply and exclaimed, "What do you say? You cannot meditate? Surely you can!"

He remained silent for a few moments. I was looking at him, waiting for him to say something more. Soon I noticed a change come over his face and eyes. He was looking at me intently. After a little while he said, "Come near me."

As I approached Sri Ramakrishna, he asked me to put out my tongue and then drew a figure on it with his finger. My whole body began to shake, and I felt an unspeakable bliss within. Then the Master said, "Go to the Panchavati and meditate there." Following his advice, I slowly moved toward the Panchavati. I walked with difficulty, intoxicated with joy after that touch from the Master. Somehow I reached the Panchavati and sat for meditation. Then I lost all outward consciousness.

When I regained my ordinary state of mind, I saw Sri Ramakrishna seated by me, rubbing my body with his palms. His face shone with a heavenly smile. I was still a little tipsy. He asked me, "Well, how was your meditation?"

"It was very good, sir," I replied. Then Sri Ramakrishna said, "From now on you will always have deep meditations. 10 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

“Did you have any vision?” he inquired. I reported the experience to the Master as faithfully as I could. Then I followed him to his room. I was alone with him. That day he talked to me for a long time and imparted many spiritual instructions. Unbounded was Sri Ramakrishna’s grace! There is none equal to it. He made us his very own by his unparalleled love. I left for Bankipur, Patna, after some time. One night I saw Sri Ramakrishna standing before me in a vision. I did not know why I saw him in that manner. The next morning I received the news of his passing away. Once Sri Ramakrishna gave me a book in English. He asked me to read a certain page and explain to him what it said. I read: “Speak the truth. Do not covet. Gain control over the senses.” As I read these sentences, the Master expressed great satisfaction. Without saying a word, he gave me to understand that if one observes these three maxims, he can realize God. Sri Ramakrishna did not have much use for book learning. He wanted us to acquire the wisdom that comes from the direct vision of God. The Master was the living embodiment of purity, and he had the simplicity of a child. It seemed strange to him that anyone would wish to lose himself in the ephemeral pleasures of the world when there is eternal happiness within his reach. To Sri Ramakrishna, the only purpose of human life is to realize God and to attain unending joy in him. If man can detach his mind from the objects of the sense world, he will have the vision of the Reality. He will see Brahman and the light of Brahman everywhere in the universe. Man burns in the fire of worldliness, forgetting the peace that is in God because of his inordinate craving for material objects. Sri Ramakrishna lived continuously immersed in the consciousness of the Blissful Mother, and so the fire of worldliness never touched him. His heart was filled with the joy of Brahman; he lived intoxicated by that joy; and his only sorrow was that he could not give it to all mankind, although he was always eager to share his bliss with each and every one. Compared to the wisdom and bliss that result from the vision of Brahman, all secular knowledge and worldly pleasures are like dust. Sri Ramakrishna saw Brahman everywhere; we, on the other hand, sense and experience only the world appearance.

9 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

Sri Ramakrishna was always concerned about our welfare. If any one of his disciples did not visit him for a while, he would ask someone to inquire about him. Once I absented myself for a long time, and so he sent for me. As I entered his room, he asked in a complaining but affectionate tone, "Hello, how are you? What is the matter? Why haven't I seen you for so long?"

Truthfully I replied, "I did not feel like coming."

"That's all right," Sri Ramakrishna said smilingly. "But I hope you continue in your practice of meditation."

I remarked, "I try to meditate, sir, but I find I can't."

The Master seemed surprised at my reply and exclaimed, "What do you say? You cannot meditate? Surely you can!"

He remained silent for a few moments. I was looking at him, waiting for him to say something more. Soon I noticed a change come over his face and eyes. He was looking at me intently. After a little while he said, "Come near me."

As I approached Sri Ramakrishna, he asked me to put out my tongue and then drew a figure on it with his finger. My whole body began to shake, and I felt an unspeakable bliss within. Then the Master said, "Go to the Panchavati and meditate there." Following his advice, I slowly moved toward the Panchavati. I walked with difficulty, intoxicated with joy after that touch from the Master. Somehow I reached the Panchavati and sat for meditation. Then I lost all outward consciousness. When I regained my ordinary state of mind, I saw Sri Ramakrishna seated by me, rubbing my body with his palms. His face shone with a heavenly smile. I was still a little tipsy. He asked me, "Well, how was your meditation?"

"It was very good, sir," I replied. Then Sri Ramakrishna said, "From now on you will always have deep meditations."

10 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

Did you have any vision?" he inquired.

I reported the experience to the Master as faithfully as I could. Then I followed him to his room. I was alone with him. That day he talked to me for a long time and imparted many spiritual instructions.

Unbounded was Sri Ramakrishna's grace! There is none equal to it. He made us his very own by his unparalleled love.

I left for Bankipur, Patna, after some time. One night I saw Sri Ramakrishna standing before me in a vision. I did not know why I saw him in that manner. The next morning I received the news of his passing away.

Once Sri Ramakrishna gave me a book in English. He asked me to read a certain page and explain to him what it said. I read: "Speak the truth. Do not covet. Gain control over the senses."

As I read these sentences, the Master expressed great

satisfaction. Without saying a word, he gave me to understand that if one observes these three maxims, he can realize God.

Sri Ramakrishna did not have much use for book learning. He wanted us to acquire the wisdom that comes from the direct vision of God.

The Master was the living embodiment of purity, and he had the simplicity of a child. It seemed strange to him that anyone would wish to lose himself in the ephemeral pleasures of the world when there is eternal happiness within his reach.

To Sri Ramakrishna, the only purpose of human life is to realize God and to attain unending joy in him.

If man can detach his mind from the objects of the sense world, he will have the vision of the Reality. He will see Brahman and the light of Brahman everywhere in the universe.

Man burns in the fire of worldliness, forgetting the peace that is in God because of his inordinate craving for material objects.

Sri Ramakrishna lived continuously immersed in the consciousness of the Blissful Mother, and so the fire of worldliness never touched him. His heart was filled with the joy of Brahman; he lived intoxicated by that joy; and his only sorrow was that he could not give it to all mankind, although he was always eager to share his bliss with each and every one. Compared to the wisdom and bliss that result from the vision of Brahman, all secular knowledge and worldly pleasures are like dust.

Sri Ramakrishna saw Brahman everywhere; we, on the other hand, sense and experience only the world appearance.

11 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

Once I asked the Master if God was with or without form.

Sri Ramakrishna replied, "He is with as well as without form. And he is beyond both form and formlessness.”

I inquired again, "If God is all, is this cot also God?”

He answered emphatically, "Yes, this cot is God, this glass, this utensil, this wall—everything is God."

As he spoke, I experienced an inner transformation and was lifted beyond the mundane consciousness. My heart was illumined, and I saw the light of Brahman everywhere.

Sri Ramakrishna was unique in every way. His photograph symbolizes the awakening of the kundalini. It shows him immersed in the ocean of bliss. When I look at his photograph, many spiritual visions come to me.

Swamiji and Maharaj also used to have many visions through his image, but they did not divulge their experiences.

One day the Master showed me his photograph and said, "Meditate on this image. I am living there.”

Those who have taken refuge in Sri Ramakrishna's name will be looked after by him. He will do everything for them.

On one occasion I was massaging the Master's feet, when a gentleman came to visit him from Konnagar.

After he left, Sri Ramakrishna said, "You know, I can see the inside of a man's mind just like objects in a glass case."

I thought to myself, "Well, then he can also see everything in me. What a dangerous man he is!" But he would only speak of the goodness in others, not of their evil deeds or tendencies.

In Sri Ramakrishna we found manifest the aspects of other divine incarnations of the past. When I first heard him say, "He who was Rama, he who was Krishna, is born as Ramakrishna," I did not believe him. I thought to myself, "He may be talking nonsense, but anyway, he is a holy man and very sincere."

Much later, during my college days, the Master once again remarked in a very serious mood, "In my incarnation as Krishna I played with the shepherds and shepherdesses at Vrindavan."

This time I did not accept his words either. He knew my doubts and so began to talk of the deep love of the shepherdesses for Sri Krishna. He explained how they had surrendered their all, mind, body, and soul to their beloved.

While talking about this divine attraction, Sri Ramakrishna suddenly became speechless and lost all outward consciousness. He was deeply absorbed in samadhi.

I also experienced an ecstatic joy and felt a dense atmosphere of divine love in the orbit of his power. For the first time I realized the true significance of Sri Krishna's divine play with the shepherds and shepherdesses, and my doubt that the Master was a reincarnation of Sri Krishna was completely removed.

When Sri Ramakrishna returned to normal consciousness, he laughed like a little boy. I kept silent.

12 November 2022

Those who have taken refuge in Sri Ramakrishna's name will be looked after by him. He will do everything for them. On one occasion I was massaging the Master's feet, when a gentleman came to visit him from Konnagar. After he left, Sri Ramakrishna said, "You know, I can see the inside of a man's mind just like objects in a glass case." I thought to myself, "Well, then he can also see everything in me. What a dangerous man he is!" But he would only speak of the goodness in others, not of their evil deeds or tendencies. In Sri Ramakrishna we found manifest the aspects of other divine incarnations of the past. When I first heard him say, "He who was Rama, he who was Krishna, is born as Ramakrishna," I did not believe him. I thought to myself, "He may be talking nonsense, but anyway, he is a holy man and very sincere." Much later, during my college days, the Master once again remarked in a very serious mood, "In my incarnation as Krishna I played with the shepherds and shepherdesses at Vrindavan." This time I did not accept his words either. He knew my doubts and so began to talk of the deep love of the shepherdesses for Sri Krishna. He explained how they had surrendered their all, mind, body, and soul to their beloved. While talking about this divine attraction, Sri Ramakrishna suddenly became speechless and lost all outward consciousness. He was deeply absorbed in samadhi. I also experienced an ecstatic joy and felt a dense atmosphere of divine love in the orbit of his power. For the first time I realized the true significance of Sri Krishna's divine play with the shepherds and shepherdesses, and my doubt that the Master was a reincarnation of Sri Krishna was completely removed. When Sri Ramakrishna returned to normal consciousness, he laughed like a little boy. I kept silent.

Wherever great souls live, they create a spiritual atmosphere around themselves. Whoever comes within their orbit is elevated to a higher consciousness. One can feel a spiritual power like an electric current emanating from them and entering into him. It is a strange phenomenon. One has to experience it to know what it is. One time, when I touched the feet of Swamiji [Vivekananda], I felt a shock like that of an electric current from him. Maharaj [Swami Brahmananda] also had great power to transmit spirituality to others. One day he was deeply absorbed in meditation. I was seated near him. I began to feel a nerve current within me and also became absorbed. To transmit such spiritual power to another, even without the knowledge of the recipient, is the manifestation of the greatest spirituality. Maharaj was a spiritual dynamo, and at the same time he was full of fun. What compelling attraction those two great souls, Swamiji and Maharaj, possessed! They drew others to themselves by their magnetic power of love. Whoever came within their orbit was gradually freed from evil tendencies, and the veil of ignorance was lifted. Swamiji and Maharaj could not be compared. Each was unsurpassed in his own way. Each was complementary to the other. Swamiji's ideals were given the practical shape by Maharaj. Swamiji preached knowledge and action, but inwardly he was a great devotee. His heart was tender and affectionate. What deep love he had for all of us, his brother-disciples, and especially for Maharaj! His attitude toward Maharaj was: "The son of the guru is to be regarded as the guru himself." Yet he would not spare us, not even Maharaj, if we made any mistakes. One day I was supervising the building of the embankment of the Ganges in front of the Belur monastery. The sun was hot, and I felt very thirsty. I noticed Swamiji seated on the veranda on the second floor, drinking lemonade. I was wishing I too had a cool drink. No sooner did this thought come to mind than an attendant brought me a glass with the message that Swamiji had sent this drink for me.

13 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Swami Vijnanananda)

At one time a doubt arose in my mind. Sri Ramakrishna had taught that a monk must not even look at pictures of women, not to speak of associating with them. He had also told me particularly to be careful and not to look at any woman, even if she was deeply devoted to God. Yet Swamiji travelled all over the world, delivered lectures everywhere, and associated freely with women in the West. For this reason I wondered if Swamiji was really following Sri Ramakrishna's teachings in spirit.

One day, finding Swamiji alone in his room, I brought up the topic and mentioned what the Master had taught us. As Swamiji was listening, he became very serious. After a little while he said, "Peshan, it is not as easy to understand Sri Ramakrishna as you think. Do you know, he obliterated from my consciousness all distinction between man and woman. Through his grace I have realized that there is no sex in the Atman. Furthermore, Sri Ramakrishna came for the good of all. Do you think he came only to save the men? His grace makes no distinction between races and sexes. Of course, you must follow his instructions to you, but he taught me differently. Not only that he taught me, but now as ever he is holding me by the hand and guiding me, and I do as he makes me do."

I was sorry that I had ever doubted Swamiji and kept silent. Then Swamiji smiled at me and continued, "The mother power, the source of all divine energy, needs to be awakened in all women, whether of the East or of the West. Don't you realize that our Holy Mother was born to kindle this power in all women? Only the beginning has been made. A great spiritual awakening will come in women all over the world.”

At the Belur monastery I slept in the little room opening onto the veranda. Swamiji often walked there. I recall one night when he was pacing up and down the veranda, singing to himself, "Thou art the Saviour, Mother." He repeated this line over and over again. At times I could see him standing motionless in ecstasy, with tears of joy running down his cheeks. And so he continued until dawn.

14 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

on Advancing toward Perfection

Somebody asked Antony, “By observing which [precept] shall I be well pleasing to God?”

The elder answered, “Observe what I am telling you:

Always have God before your eyes wherever you go. Whatever you are doing, have the testimony from Holy Scripture to hand. Wherever you are living, do not be in a hurry to move away. Observe these three [precepts] and you will be saved.”

Abba Pambo asked Abba Antony, “What am I to do?”

The elder said to him, “Have no confidence in your own righteousness; have no regrets about a past action; get your tongue and your belly under control.”

The blessed Gregory said, “God requires these three things of every person who has received baptism: correct faith of the soul, truth of the tongue, self-control of the body.”

One of the fathers said, “A simple diet coupled with love speedily bring the monk to the haven of apatheia.”

He also said, “When one of the monks was informed of the death of his father, he said to the messenger, ‘Stop blaspheming, for my father is immortal.’”

Abba Isaiah said, “One of the fathers used to say that a person ought before all things to acquire faith in God, a ceaseless yearning for God, guilelessness, not returning evil for evil, mortification and humility, purity, clemency and love for all, submission, gentleness, long-suffering, patience, a desire for God, and [the practice of] constantly calling upon God with a painful heart and genuine love, with a view to not paying attention to what is past but attending to that which is to come, having no confidence in one’s own good works and service, and ceaselessly invoking the help of God in the things that happen to one each day.”

15 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

A brother asked Abba Isaiah for a saying, and in answer the elder said to him, “If you want to follow our Lord Jesus, observe his word, and, if you are willing for your old man to be crucified with him, until you die, you ought to cut off those who bring you down from the cross. You have to prepare yourself to tolerate being set at naught; to repose the hearts of those who do you wrong; to humble yourself before those who would have dominion over you; to maintain silence of the mouth; and to refrain from judging anybody in your heart.”

He also said, “Toil, poverty, voluntary exile, fortitude, and keeping silent produce humility, and humility effaces many sins. The renunciation of one who does not observe these [practices] is in vain.”

He also said, “Hate everything in the world and repose of the body, for these made you an enemy of God. As a person who has an enemy fights with him, so we ought also to fight against the body to allow it no repose.”

An Exhortation

A brother asked Abba Isaiah about the phrase of the prayer in the Gospel: “What is this ‘Hallowed be thy name’?”

“This is for the perfect,” he answered, “for the name of God cannot be hallowed in us who are dominated by a passion.”

They used to say of Abba Theodore of Pherma that he exceeded many in these three points: poverty, asceticism, and fleeing from folk.

16 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

Abba John Colobos said, “Personally, I would like a person to participate in all the virtues. So when you arise at dawn each day, make a fresh start in every virtue and commandment of God with greatest patience, with fear and long-suffering, in the love of God, with all spiritual and physical fervor, and with much humiliation; enduring affliction of the heart and prevention, with much prayer and intercession, with groans, in purity of the tongue and custody of the eyes; being reviled and not getting angry, living peaceably and not giving back evil for evil; not noticing the faults of others; not measuring oneself, but for you to be beneath the whole of creation, having renounced material goods and the things that pertain to the flesh; on a cross, in combat, in poverty of spirit, in determination and spiritual asceticism; in fasting, in repentance, in weeping, in the strife of battle, in discretion, in purity of the soul, in generous sharing, [doing] your manual labor in hasychia, in nightly vigils, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in toils, closing your tomb as though you were already dead, so that death seems to be near to you every day.”

17 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

Abba Joseph the Theban said there are three things that are precious in the sight of the Lord. When a person is sick and temptations come upon him, he accepts them gratefully. The second is when someone renders all his deeds pure in the sight of the Lord, with no human element in them. The third is when someone is living in submission to a spiritual father and renounces all his own desires. Abba Cassian recounted of one Abba John, superior of a coenobion, that he was great in his lifetime. “When this man was about to die and was migrating to God joyfully and eagerly,” he said, “the brothers gathered around him, asking him to leave them some concise and salvific saying as a legacy by which they would be able to advance toward perfection in Christ. But he sighed and said, ‘I have never done my own will, nor did I teach anyone to do that which I did not first do myself.’”

18 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

A brother asked Abba Macarius the Great about perfection, and in answer the elder said, “A person cannot be perfect if he does not acquire great humility in his heart and in the body, declines to measure himself in any matter but rather places himself in humiliation beneath the whole of creation, and refuses to judge anybody at all except himself alone.

Unless he endures insult and tears all evil out of his heart, forces himself to be long-suffering, kindly, brotherly, chaste, and self-controlled (for it is written, ‘The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force’ [Matt 11:12]), seeing what is right with the eyes, maintaining a guard on his tongue, and turning aside from every vain and soul-destroying rumor; there being justice at his hands, purity of heart toward God, and a spotless body; unless he has the remembrance of death before his eyes every day and has renounced all spiritual anger and evil, renounced material goods and the delights of the flesh, renounced the devil and all his works, but has firmly committed himself to God, the universal sovereign, and to all his commandments and is constantly waiting upon God on every occasion, in every matter and every undertaking.”

19 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

Abba Mark said, “The law of freedom teaches all truth. Most people read [this law] in the light of what they know, but a few think of it as an analogy for the fulfilling of the commandments. Do not look for its perfection in human virtues, for nobody is found to be perfect in them; its perfection is encrypted in the cross of Christ.”

A brother asked an elder, “What good activity is there, that I could practice and live in it?”

The elder said, “God knows what is good, but I heard that one of the fathers questioned Abba Nisteros the Great, the friend of Abba Antony, saying to him, ‘What good work is there, that I might practice [it]?’

And he said to him:

‘Are not all undertakings equal? For the Scripture says, “Abraham was hospitable and God was with him” [see Gen 18:2]; Elijah loved stillness and God was with him; David was humble and God was with him.’

So whatever you observe your soul wishing to do for God, do it—and watch over your heart.”

20 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

Abba Poemen used to say of Abba Nisteros, “Just as with the case of the brazen serpent in the wilderness—anyone of the people who looked at it was healed [see Num 21:9]—so it was with the elder. Possessing all virtue and keeping silence, he would heal everybody.”

Abba Poemen said, “Being on the alert, paying attention to oneself, and discretion—these three virtues are the working tools of the soul.”

He also said, “God gave this rule of life to Israel: to refrain from what is contrary to nature, that is, from anger, bad temper, jealousy, hatred, slandering a brother, and the rest of the things [pertaining] to the old way of life.”

A brother asked him how a person ought to order his life, and the elder said to him, “Let us look at Daniel; no accusation was found against him other than the way he served his God” [Dan 6:5–6].

21 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

Abba Poemen also said, “Poverty, affliction, and discretion: these are the working tools of the monastic life, for it is written, ‘There were these three men: Noah, Job, and Daniel’ [Ezek 14:14].

Noah represents indifference to material goods, Job toil, and Daniel discretion. If there are these three activities in a person, God is dwelling in him.”

Abba Poemen also said, “If a monk hates two things, he can become free of the world.” “What are they?” said the brother to him, and the elder said, “Repose of the flesh and vainglory.”

They said of Abba Pambo that when he was dying, at the moment of departure, he said to the holy fathers who were present, “From the time I came to this place in the desert, built my cell and dwelt in it, I do not recall eating bread except what came from my hands, nor do I repent of anything I said until this time. And yet I am going to God as one who has not even begun to serve him.”

22 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

Abba Sisoas said, “Be of no significance, cast your will behind you, do not worry yourself about the concerns of the world, and you shall have repose.”

When Abba Chomai was going to die, he said to his sons, “Do not dwell with heretics; do not become acquainted with persons in power. Do not let your hands be open to gather in; let them rather be open to give.”

Speaking about life, a brother asked an elder and the elder said, “Eat hay, wear hay, sleep on hay (meaning: despise everything), and acquire a heart of steel.”

A brother asked an elder, “How does the fear of God come into the soul?”

“If a person has humility, is indifferent to material goods, and refrains from judging, in this way the fear of God comes upon him,” the elder said.

An elder said, “May fear, humility, shortage of food, and sorrow remain with you.”

One of the elders said, “If you hate something, refrain from doing it to anybody else. Do you hate it when somebody speaks ill of you? Then speak no ill of any person. Do you hate it when somebody makes false accusations against you? Then do not accuse anybody falsely. Do you hate it if somebody sets you at naught or insults you or makes off with what is yours or [does] whatever is like that? Then do nothing of that sort to another. For the person who can keep this saying, it will suffice for his salvation.”

23 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

An elder said, “This is the life of the monk: work, obedience, meditation, not judging, not backbiting, not grumbling; for it is written, ‘O you that love the Lord, hate the things that are evil.’ The life of a monk is to have nothing to do with that which is unjust, not to see evil with one’s eyes, not to be a busybody, not to listen to other folks’ affairs; to give rather than to take away with one’s hands, not to have pride in one’s heart nor wicked thoughts in one’s mind nor to fill one’s belly, but rather to act with discretion in all things. In these the life of the monk consists.”

An elder said, “He who does not receive all persons as brothers but discriminates, such a one is not perfect.”

An elder said, “Beseech God to give you sorrow in your heart and humility. Be always attentive to your sins and do not judge others; rather, rate yourself beneath all others. Maintain no friendship with a woman, with a child, or with heretics. Disassociate yourself from loose talk; control your tongue and your belly. If somebody speaks to you about any matter whatsoever, do not argue with him. If he speaks well, say, ‘Yes.’ If he speaks badly, say, ‘You know what you are talking about,’ and do not contend with him about what he says; then your mind will be at peace.”

24 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

A brother asked one of the fathers, “What is life?” and in answer he said: “A truthful mouth, a holy body, a pure heart, thoughts that do not wander off to the world, psalm singing, living in hasychia, and having nothing in mind other than the expectation of the Lord.”

An elder said, “Let us practice gentleness and long-suffering, forbearance, and love, for in these the monk consists.” He also said, “The definition of Christian is the imitation of Christ.”

Abba Antony said, “Just as fish die if they are on dry land for some time, so do monks who loiter outside their cells or waste time with worldlings release themselves from the glory of hasychia. So we should hasten back to the cell (like the fish to the sea) lest while loitering outside we forget to keep a watch on the inner [self].” He also said, “He who stays in the desert in hasychia is released from fighting on three fronts: hearing, speaking, and seeing. He has only one to contend with: the heart.”

25 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

When Abba Arsenius had retired into the solitary life, he heard a voice saying to him, “Arsenius, take flight, keep silent, and maintain hasychia, for these are the roots of sinlessness.”

Abba Mark said to Abba Arsenius, “Why do you run away from us?”

The elder said to him, “God knows that I love you, but I cannot be with God and with people. The thousands and tens of thousands above have one will, but people have many wills, so I cannot forsake God and come among people.”

One day the blessed archbishop Theophilus visited Arsenius together with an official; the archbishop asked that they might hear a saying from him.

After remaining silent for a little while, the elder answered them, “If I say something to you, will you observe it?” They agreed to observe it. Then the elder said to them, “Wherever you hear Arsenius is, do not come near.”

Another time the archbishop wanted to visit him; first he sent to see whether the elder would open his door. Arsenius made it clear to him, “If you come, I will open to you; and if I open to you, I open to everybody—and then I am not staying here any longer.”

When he heard that, the archbishop said, “If I am going there to chase him away, I will not go to the holy one anymore.”

Abba Arsenius once visited a place where there were reeds, and they were moved by the wind.

The elder said to the brothers, “What is that disturbance?” and they said to him, “It is the reeds.”

The elder said to them, “Indeed, if somebody is living in hasychia but hears the sound of a sparrow, his heart does not have the same hasychia; how much more so you who have the disturbance of these reeds!”

They used to say of him that his cell was two miles away and he did not readily come out, for there were others who attended to his needs.

But when Scete was devastated, he came out weeping and saying, “The world has lost Rome, the monks [have lost] Scete.”

26 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

One day the blessed archbishop Theophilus visited Arsenius together with an official; the archbishop asked that they might hear a saying from him. After remaining silent for a little while, the elder answered them, “If I say something to you, will you observe it?” They agreed to observe it. Then the elder said to them, “Wherever you hear Arsenius is, do not come near.”

Another time the archbishop wanted to visit him; first he sent to see whether the elder would open his door. Arsenius made it clear to him, “If you come, I will open to you; and if I open to you, I open to everybody—and then I am not staying here any longer.” When he heard that, the archbishop said, “If I am going there to chase him away, I will not go to the holy one anymore.”

Abba Arsenius once visited a place where there were reeds, and they were moved by the wind. The elder said to the brothers, “What is that disturbance?” and they said to him, “It is the reeds.” The elder said to them, “Indeed, if somebody is living in *hesychia* but hears the sound of a sparrow, his heart does not have the same *hesychia*; how much more so you who have the disturbance of these reeds!”

They used to say of him that his cell was two miles away and he did not readily come out, for there were others who attended to his needs. But when Scete was devastated, he came out weeping and saying, “The world has lost Rome, the monks [have lost] Scete.”

Once when Arsenius was living at Canopus, an exceedingly rich, God-fearing maiden of senatorial rank came from Rome to see him. Archbishop Theophilus received her [as his guest], and she entreated him to persuade the elder to receive her. So he went to him and entreated him, saying, “So-and-so of senatorial rank came from Rome, and she wants to see you,” but the elder would not agree to meet her. She, however, when this was reported to her, ordered the beasts to be saddled, saying, “I am trusting in God that I shall see him. There are many folk in our city, but I came to see a prophet.”

By divine providence, he happened to be outside the cell when she arrived in the environs of the cell. She fell at his feet when she saw him, but he angrily raised her up and looked her up and down, saying to her, “If you want to see my face, take a look,” but she was ashamed to look him in the face. The elder said to her, “Have you not heard of my deeds? Do you have to see them? How dare you undertake such a voyage? Do you not realize you are a woman and ought never to go abroad? Or was it so that you can say to the other women when you return to Rome, ‘I saw Arsenius,’ and turn the sea into a highway for women coming to me?”

She said, “If it be the will of God, I will not allow anybody to come here; but do pray for me and ever be mindful of me.” In answer he said to her, “I am praying to God that he might expunge the memory of you from my heart.” On hearing that, she went out deeply troubled.

When she came to the city, from her grief she fell into a fever, and it was reported to the archbishop that she was ill. He came to her and begged of her that he might learn what the matter was. Said she to him, “Would that I had not come here, for I said to the elder, ‘Be mindful of me,’ and he said to me, ‘I am praying to God that the memory of you be expunged from my heart,’ and look: I am dying of grief!”

“Do you not realize that you are a woman,” the archbishop said to her, “and that it is through women that the enemy does battle with the saints? This is why the elder said [that], for he is praying for your soul all the time.” In this way she was healed in her mind; she went back home rejoicing.

27 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

Some elders once came to Arsenius and entreated him to speak a word to them about those living in hasychia who encounter nobody. The elder said to them: “While a maiden is in her father’s house, many want to be her fiancé, but if she starts going out, she does not please everybody. Some look down on her, others praise her; she is not held in the same esteem as formerly when she was hidden. So it is with the soul: if it begins to spread itself out, it cannot command the confidence of all.”

Abba Diodochos said, “Just as the heat quickly escapes outside if the doors of the bathhouse are continuously open, so it is with the soul when it wants to do a lot of conversing. Even if the conversation is good sometimes, its own heat dissipates through the gate of speech. So silence at the appropriate time is a good thing, being nothing other than the mother of wisest thoughts.”

Abba Doulas said, “If the enemy is coercing us to abandon hasychia, let us not listen to him at all, for there is nothing like it. And going without food is comparable with it in an alliance against him, conferring sharpness on the inward eyes.”

28 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

He also said, “Cut off your relations with the multitude lest your mind become caught up in circumstances and disturb the mode of your hasychia.”

A brother asked Abba Isaiah, “How does one maintain hasychia in the cell?” The elder answered, “To maintain hasychia in the cell is to thrust oneself into the presence of God and, to the best of one’s ability, to withstand every temptation sowed by the enemy, for that is to flee from the world.”

The brother said, “What is the world?” and the elder replied: “The world is distraction by affairs; the world is to perform what is contrary to nature and to satisfy one’s own desires of the flesh; the world is to think that one is remaining in this age; the world is to care for the body rather than for the soul and to boast of what you are leaving behind. I did not say this on my own authority; it is the apostle John who says this: ‘Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world’” [1 John 2:15].

He also said, “A person living in hasychia must investigate himself all the time as to whether he has evaded those in the air who would detain him and whether he has become free of them while still going about in the body. For if he is in subjection to those, he cannot be in hasychia yet.”

A brother asked him, “What does one living in hasychia need to do?” And he said, “One living in hasychia needs these three things: to fear God without ceasing, to intercede with patient endurance, and not to release his heart from being mindful of God.” 28/11/2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

They said of Abba Isidore the priest that he used to take refuge in the inner cell when a brother went to him. The brothers said to him, “What are you doing, Abba Isidore?” and he said, “The wild animals who take refuge in their dens are saved.” He said this for the benefit of the brothers. A brother visited Abba Moses at Scete, asking him for a saying. The elder said to him, “Go and stay in a cell; your cell will teach you everything.”

Abba Moses said, “A person who flees from people is like a bunch of ripe grapes, but he who is with people is like an unripe grape.”

Abba Mark said, “He who would pass over the intelligible ocean is long-suffering, humble, watchful, and self-controlled. If he is coerced to go onto it without these four [qualities], he disturbs his heart but cannot pass over.”

He also said, “Hesychia (Quietness of mind) is beneficial, having nullified the vices, and if, as an aid to apatheia (refers to a state of mind in which one is not disturbed by the passions), it takes along these four virtues in addition to prayer, there is no more speedy a way.”

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

They said of Abba Isidore the priest that he used to take refuge in the inner cell when a brother went to him. The brothers said to him, “What are you doing, Abba Isidore?” and he said, “The wild animals who take refuge in their dens are saved.” He said this for the benefit of the brothers. A brother visited Abba Moses at Scete, asking him for a saying. The elder said to him, “Go and stay in a cell; your cell will teach you everything.”

Abba Moses said, “A person who flees from people is like a bunch of ripe grapes, but he who is with people is like an unripe grape.”

Abba Mark said, “He who would pass over the intelligible ocean is long-suffering, humble, watchful, and self-controlled. But if he is coerced to go onto it without these four [qualities], he disturbs his heart but cannot pass over.”

He also said, “Hesychia (Quietness of mind) is beneficial, having nullified the vices, and if, as an aid to apatheia (refers to a state of mind in which one is not disturbed by the passions), it takes along these four virtues in addition to prayer, there is no more speedy a way.”

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

They said of Abba Isidore the priest that he used to take refuge in the inner cell when a brother went to him. The brothers said to him, “What are you doing, Abba Isidore?” and he said, “The wild animals who take refuge in their dens are saved.” He said this for the benefit of the brothers. A brother visited Abba Moses at Scete, asking him for a saying. The elder said to him, “Go and stay in a cell; your cell will teach you everything.”

Abba Moses said, “A person who flees from people is like a bunch of ripe grapes, but he who is with people is like an unripe grape.”

Abba Mark said, “He who would pass over the intelligible ocean is long-suffering, humble, watchful, and self-controlled. But if he is coerced to go onto it without these four [qualities], he disturbs his heart but cannot pass over.”

He also said, “Hesychia (Quietness of mind) is beneficial, having nullified the vices, and if, as an aid to apatheia (refers to a state of mind in which one is not disturbed by the passions), it takes along these four virtues in addition to prayer, there is no more speedy a way.”

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

Abbot Arsenius, when he was still in the King's palace, prayed to the Lord saying: Lord, lead me to salvation. And he heard a voice saying to him: Arsenius, fly, be silent, rest in prayer: these are the roots of non-sinning. A certain brother went to Abbot Moses in Scete, and asked him for a good word. And the elder said to him: Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything. 1 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Premanandaji Maharaj. On this auspicious day may Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.)

(Teachings of Swami Premananda)

The devotees seek nothing but the grace of the Lord. It does not matter where you live; only do not forget the goal of life. Then you will have nothing to fear. It does not mean, however, that I am asking you to renounce the world. You have received the grace of the Holy Mother. Hence you must be good. Have faith that you are endowed with sattva. But the tree does not bear fruits except at the right season. Nothing is gained by being impatient.

[To an aspirant]

Worldly people will advise you to follow that which they have understood as good. You are to discriminate and find the path that is good for you and that will lead you to your goal. The best path is the path trodden by men of God. You desire to follow the path of renunciation. Naturally your relatives will not like it and they will try to dissuade you. Nevertheless you must not be angry at them, nor should you speak harshly to them. If you want to be a holy man, learn to bear and forbear. If you want to be good and happy in this world, have patience and forbearance. Infinite patience, unlimited forbearance, and forgiveness—these alone bring peace and happiness. Think that you are the servant of the Lord, that you are strong in the strength of the Lord. How could lust overcome you? You have to be strong and a hero, and at the same time calm and tender. If you have faith in Sri Ramakrishna, you will have no fear.

29 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

They said of Abba Isidore the priest that he used to take refuge in the inner cell when a brother went to him. The brothers said to him, “What are you doing, Abba Isidore?” and he said, “The wild animals who take refuge in their dens are saved.” He said this for the benefit of the brothers. A brother visited Abba Moses at Scete, asking him for a saying. The elder said to him, “Go and stay in a cell; your cell will teach you everything.”

Abba Moses said, “A person who flees from people is like a bunch of ripe grapes, but he who is with people is like an unripe grape.”

Abba Mark said, “He who would pass over the intelligible ocean is long-suffering, humble, watchful, and self-controlled. If he is coerced to go onto it without these four [qualities], he disturbs his heart but cannot pass over.”

He also said, “Hesychia (Quietness of mind) is beneficial, having nullified the vices, and if, as an aid to apatheia (refers to a state of mind in which one is not disturbed by the passions), it takes along these four virtues in addition to prayer, there is no more speedy a way.”

30 November 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of Holy Fathers)

They said of Abba Isidore the priest that he used to take refuge in the inner cell when a brother went to him. The brothers said to him, “What are you doing, Abba Isidore?” and he said, “The wild animals who take refuge in their dens are saved.” He said this for the benefit of the brothers. A brother visited Abba Moses at Scete, asking him for a saying. The elder said to him, “Go and stay in a cell; your cell will teach you everything.”

Abba Moses said, “A person who flees from people is like a bunch of ripe grapes, but he who is with people is like an unripe grape.”

Abba Mark said, “He who would pass over the intelligible ocean is long-suffering, humble, watchful, and self-controlled. But if he is coerced to go onto it without these four [qualities], he disturbs his heart but cannot pass over.”

He also said, “Hesychia (Quietness of mind) is beneficial, having nullified the vices, and if, as an aid to apatheia (refers to a state of mind in which one is not disturbed by the passions), it takes along these four virtues in addition to prayer, there is no more speedy a way.”

1 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

ABBOT ARSENIUS, when he was still in the King's palace, prayed to the Lord saying: Lord, lead me to salvation.

And he heard a voice saying to him: Arsenius, fly, be silent, rest in prayer: these are the roots of non-sinning.

A CERTAIN brother went to ABBOT Moses in Scete, and asked him for a good word. And the elder said to him: Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.

IT was said of ABBOT Agatho that for three years he carried a stone in his mouth until he learned to be silent.

ONE of the brethren questioned ABBOT Isidore, the elder of Scete, saying: Why is it that the demons are so grievously afraid of you?

The elder replied: From the moment I became a monk I have striven to prevent anger rising to my lips.

ABBOT ANASTASIUS had a book written on very fine parchment which was worth eighteen pence, and had in it both the Old and New Testaments in full.

Once A CERTAIN brother came to visit him, and seeing the book made off with it. So that day when ABBOT Anastasius went to read his book, and found that it was gone, he realized that the brother had taken it.

But he did not send after him to inquire about it for fear that the brother might add perjury to theft.

Well, the brother went down into the nearby city in order to sell the book. And the price he asked was sixteen pence.

The buyer said: Give me the book that I may find out whether it is worth that much. With that, the buyer took the book to the holy Anastasius and said: Father, take a look at this book, please, and tell me whether you think I ought to buy it for sixteen pence. Is it worth that much?

ABBOT Anastasius said: Yes, it is a fine book, it is worth that much. So the buyer went back to the brother and said: Here is your money. I showed the book to ABBOT Anastasius and he said it is a fine book and is worth at least sixteen pence.

But the brother asked: Was that all he said? Did he make any other remarks?

No, said the buyer, he did not say another word.

Well, said the brother, I have changed my mind and I don't want to sell this book after all.

Then he hastened to ABBOT Anastasius and begged him with tears to take back his book, but the ABBOT would not accept it, saying: Go in peace, brother, I make you a present of it.

But the brother said: If you do not take it back I shall never have any peace.

After that the brother dwelt with ABBOT Anastasius for the rest of his life.

2 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

Abbot Macarius said: “If, wishing to correct another, you are moved to anger, you gratify your own passion. Do not lose yourself in order to save another.”

Abbot Hyperichius said: “It is better to eat meat and drink wine, than by detraction to devour the flesh of your brother.”

Once in Scete a bottle of wine from the new vintage was brought in, so that the brethren might have some, each in his goblet. One of the brethren came in and, seeing that they had received wine, he ran and hid in the cellar. But the cellar caved in. When they had heard the noise, they ran and found the brother lying half dead, and they began to rebuke him, saying: “It serves you right, because of your vanity.” But the Abbot, giving him every care, said: “Forgive my son, for he has done well. And as the Lord lives, this cellar shall not be built again in my time, so that the world may know that for the sake of a glass of wine a cellar collapsed in Scete.”

A monk ran into a party of handmaids of the Lord on a certain journey. Seeing them he left the road and gave them a wide berth. But the Abbess said to him: “If you were a perfect monk, you would not even have looked close enough to see that we were women.”

A certain brother, renouncing the world, and giving the things he owned to the poor, kept a few things in his own possession. He came to Abbot Anthony. When the elder heard about all this, he said to him: “If you want to be a monk, go to that village and buy meat, and place it on your naked body and so return here.” And when the brother had done as he was told, dogs and birds of prey tore at his body. When he returned to the elder, the latter asked if he had done as he was told. The brother showed him his lacerated body. Then Abbot Anthony said: “Those who renounce the world and want to retain possession of money are assailed and torn apart by devils just as you are.”

3 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

Abbot Ammonas said that he had spent fourteen years in Scete praying to God day and night to be delivered from anger.

Abbot Pastor said: “The virtue of a monk is made manifest by temptations.”

An elder said: “The reason why we do not get anywhere is that we do not know our limits, and we are not patient in carrying on the work we have begun. But without any labour at all we want to gain possession of virtue.”

An elder said: “Just as a tree cannot bear fruit if it is often transplanted, so neither can a monk bear fruit if he frequently changes his abode.”

An elder said: “The monk's cell is that furnace of Babylon in which the three children found the Son of God; but it is also the pillar of cloud, out of which God spoke to Moses.”

A certain brother came, once, to Abbot Theodore of Pherme, and spent three days begging him to let him hear a word. The Abbot however did not answer him, and he went off sad. So a disciple asked Abbot Theodore: “Father, why did you not speak to him? Now he has gone off sad!” The elder replied: “Believe me, I spoke no word to him because he is a trader in words, and seeks to glory in the words of another.”

4 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

Another brother asked the same elder, Abbot Theodore, about things which he had never yet put into practice himself. The elder said to him: “As yet you have not found a ship, and you have not put your baggage aboard, and you have not started to cross the sea: can you talk as if you had already arrived in that city to which you planned to go? When you have put into practice the thing you are talking about, then speak from knowledge of the thing itself!”

Once a certain provincial judge heard of Abbot Moses and went off to Scete to see him. Someone told the elder that the visitor was coming and he rose up to fly into the marshes. But on the way he ran into the judge with his companions. The judge asked him, saying: “Tell us, elder, where is the cell of Abbot Moses?”

The elder replied: “What do you want with him? The man is a fool and a heretic!”

The judge went on and came to the church of Scete and said to the clerics: “I heard about this Abbot Moses and came out here to meet him. And an old man heading for Egypt ran into us, and we asked him where was the cell of Abbot Moses, and he said to us: ‘What do you want with him? The man is a fool and a heretic!’”

But the clerics, hearing this, were saddened and said: “What kind of old man was this, who said such things to you about the holy man?”

They said: “He was a very old elder with a long black robe.” Then the clerics said: “Why, that was Abbot Moses himself. And because he did not want to be seen by you, therefore he said those things about himself.” Greatly edified, the judge returned home.

6 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

One of the brethren had been insulted by another and he wanted to take revenge. He came to Abbot Sisois and told him what had taken place, saying: “I am going to get even, Father.” But the elder besought him to leave the affair in the hands of God. “No,” said the brother, “I will not give up until I have made that fellow pay for what he said.” Then the elder stood up and began to pray in these terms: “O God, Thou art no longer necessary to us, and we no longer need Thee to take care of us since, as this brother says, we both can and will avenge ourselves.” At this the brother promised to give up his idea of revenge.

One of the brothers asked Abbot Sisois: “Supposing some robbers or savages attack me and try to kill me: if I can overcome them should I kill them myself?”

The elder replied: “Not at all. But commit yourself entirely to God. Any evil that comes to you, confess that it has happened to you because of your sins, for you must learn to attribute everything to the dispensation of God's wisdom.”

There was once a great hermit in the mountains and he was attacked by robbers. But his cries aroused the other hermits in the neighbourhood, and they ran together and captured the robbers. These they sent under guard to the town and the judge put them in jail. But then the brothers were very ashamed and sad because, on their account, the robbers had been turned over to the judge. They went to Abbot Poemen and told him all about it. And the elder wrote to the hermit saying: “Remember who carried out the first betrayal, and you will learn the reason for the second.” 05/12/2022

Unless you had first been betrayed by your own inward thoughts, you would never have ended by turning those men over to the judge. The hermit, touched by these words, got up at once and went into the city and broke open the jail, letting out the robbers and freeing them from torture.

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

One of the brethren had been insulted by another and he wanted to take revenge. He came to Abbot Sisois and told him what had taken place, saying: "I am going to get even, Father." But the elder besought him to leave the affair in the hands of God. "No," said the brother, "I will not give up until I have made that fellow pay for what he said." Then the elder stood up and began to pray in these terms: "O God, Thou art no longer necessary to us, and we no longer need Thee to take care of us since, as this brother says, we both can and will avenge ourselves." At this the brother promised to give up his idea of revenge.

One of the brothers asked Abbot Sisois: "Supposing some robbers or savages attack me and try to kill me: if I can overcome them, should I kill them myself?" The elder replied: "Not at all. But commit yourself entirely to God. Any evil that comes to you, confess that it has happened to you because of your sins, for you must learn to attribute everything to the dispensation of God's wisdom."

There was once a great hermit in the mountains and he was attacked by robbers. But his cries aroused the other hermits in the neighbourhood, and they ran together and captured the robbers. These they sent under guard to the town, and the judge put them in jail. But then the brothers were very ashamed and sad because, on their account, the robbers had been turned over to the judge. They went to Abbot Poemen and told him all about it. And the elder wrote to the hermit saying: "Remember who carried out the first betrayal, and you will learn the reason for the second. Unless you had first been betrayed by your own inward thoughts, you would never have ended by turning those men over to the judge." The hermit, touched by these words, got up at once and went into the city and broke open the jail, letting out the robbers and freeing them from torture.

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

Once there was a disciple of a Greek philosopher who was commanded by his Master for three years to give money to everyone who insulted him. When this period of trial was over, the Master said to him: "Now you can go to Athens and learn wisdom." When the disciple was entering Athens, he met a certain wise man who sat at the gate insulting everybody who came and went.

7 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

Once there was a disciple of a Greek philosopher who was commanded by his Master for three years to give money to everyone who insulted him. When this period of trial was over, the Master said to him: Now you can go to Athens and learn wisdom.

When the disciple was entering Athens he met a certain wise man who sat at the gate insulting everybody who came and went. He also insulted the disciple who immediately burst out laughing.

Why do you laugh when I insult you? said the wise man.

Because, said the disciple, for three years I have been paying for this kind of thing and now you give it to me for nothing.

Enter the city, said the wise man, it is all yours.

Abbot John used to tell the above story, saying: This is the door of God by which our fathers, rejoicing in many tribulations, enter into the City of Heaven.

Once in the Valley of the Cells, a feast being celebrated, the brethren were eating together in the place of assembly. And there was a certain brother present, who said to the one waiting on table: I do not eat any cooked food, just a little salt.

And the one waiting on table called another brother in the presence of the whole assembly, saying: That brother does not eat cooked food. Just bring him some salt.

One of the elders got up and said to the brother who wanted salt: It would have been better had you eaten meat alone in your cell today, than to let this thing be heard in the presence of so many brethren.

One of the brethren had sinned, and the priest told him to leave the community.

So then Abbot Bes-sarion got up and walked out with him, saying: I too am a sinner!

8 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

A Brother in Scete happened to commit a fault, and the elders assembled, and sent for Abbot Moses to join them. He, however, did not want to come. The priest sent him a message, saying: “Come, the community of the brethren is waiting for you.” So he arose and started off. And taking with him a very old basket full of holes, he filled it with sand, and carried it behind him. The elders came out to meet him, and said: “What is this, Father?” The elder replied: “My sins are running out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I come to judge the sins of another!” They, hearing this, said nothing to the brother but pardoned him.

A Certain brother inquired of Abbot Pastor, saying: “What shall I do? I lose my nerve when I am sitting alone at prayer in my cell?” The elder said to him: “Despise no one, condemn no one, rebuke no one, God will give you peace and your meditation will be undisturbed.”

9 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

An Elder said: Do not judge a fornicator if you are chaste, for if you do, you too are violating the law as much as he is. For He who said thou shalt not fornicate also said thou shalt not judge.

One of the Fathers told a story of a certain elder who was in his cell busily at work and wearing a hairshirt when Abbot Ammonas came to him.

When Abbot Ammonas saw him wearing a hair-shirt he said: That thing won't do you a bit of good.

The elder said: Three thoughts are troubling me. The first impels me to withdraw somewhere into the wilderness. The second, to seek a foreign land where no one knows me; The third, to wall myself into this cell and see no one and eat only every second day.

Abbot Ammonas said to him: None of these three will do you a bit of good. But rather sit in your cell, and eat a little every day, and have always in your heart the words which are read in the Gospel and were said by the Publican, and thus you can be saved.

10 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

It was told of Abbot John the Dwarf that once he had said to his elder brother: I want to live in the same security as the angels have, doing no work, but serving God without intermission. And casting off everything he had on, he started out into the desert. When a week had gone by he returned to his brother. And while he was knocking on the door, his brother called out before opening, and asked: Who are you? He replied: I am John. Then his brother answered and said: John has become an angel and is no longer among men. But John kept on knocking and said: It is I. Still the brother did not open, but kept him waiting. Finally, opening the door, he said: If you are a man, you are going to have to start working again in order to live. But if you are an angel, why do you want to come into a cell? So John did penance and said: Forgive me, brother, for I have sinned.

Abbot Pastor said: If you have a chest full of clothing, and leave it for a long time, the clothing will rot inside it. It is the same with the thoughts in our heart. If we do not carry them out by physical action, after a long while they will spoil and turn bad.

11 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

The same Father said: If there are three monks living together, of whom one remains silent in prayer at all times, and another is ailing and gives thanks for it, and the third waits on them both with sincere good will, these three are equal, as if they were performing the same work.

He said, again: Malice will never drive out malice. But if someone does evil to you, you should do good to him, so that by your good work you may destroy his malice.

And he also said: He who is quarrelsome is no monk: he who returns evil for evil is no monk: he who gets angry is no monk.

A Brother came to Abbot Pastor and said: Many distracting thoughts come into my mind, and I am in danger because of them. Then the elder thrust him out into the open air and said: Open up the garments about your chest and catch the wind in them. But he replied: This I cannot do. So the elder said to him: If you cannot catch the wind, neither can you prevent distracting thoughts from coming into your head. Your job is to say No to them.

12 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

Abbot Ammonas said: One man carries an axe all his life and never cuts down a tree. Another, who knows how to cut, gives a few swings and the tree is down. This axe, he said, is discretion.

A Brother inquired of Abbot Pastor saying: My soul suffers harm from living with the Spiritual Father that I have. What, then, do you command me to do? Shall I go on staying with him?

Now Abbot Pastor knew that the brother's soul would be harmed by this other Abbot, and he was surprised that he even asked whether he ought to go on staying with him.

And he said to him: If you like, stay with him. The brother went off and remained with that Father. But he came back again, saying to Abbot Pastor: It is a great burden on my soul! And still Abbot Pastor did not tell him to leave the man.

Finally the brother came back a third time and said: Believe me, I am through with him! Then the elder said: See! now you are saved, go, and have no more to do with him.

And Abbot Pastor told the same brother: When a man sees that his soul is suffering harm, he has no need to ask advice about it. When it is a matter of secret thoughts, one asks advice, that the elders may test them. But when there are manifest sins there is no need to inquire - you just break off at once.

13 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

What, then, do you command me to do? Shall I go on staying with him? Now Abbot Pastor knew that the brother's soul would be harmed by this other Abbot, and he was surprised that he even asked whether he ought to go on staying with him. And he said to him: If you like, stay with him. The brother went off and remained with that Father. But he came back again, saying to Abbot Pastor: It is a great burden on my soul! And still Abbot Pastor did not tell him to leave the man. Finally the brother came back a third time and said: Believe me, I am through with him! Then the elder said: See! now you are saved, go, and have no more to do with him. And Abbot Pastor told the same brother: When a man sees that his soul is suffering harm, he has no need to ask advice about it. When it is a matter of secret thoughts, one asks advice, that the elders may test them. But when there are manifest sins there is no need to inquire—you just break off at once.

Abbot Palladius said: The soul that wishes to live according to the will of Christ should either learn faithfully what it does not yet know, or teach openly what it does know. But if, when it can, it desires to do neither of these things, it is afflicted with madness. For the first step away from God is a distaste for learning, and lack of appetite for those things for which the soul hungers when it seeks God.

One of the elders said: If a man settles in a certain place and does not bring forth the fruit of that place, the place itself casts him out, as one who has not borne its fruit.

An Elder was asked: What does it mean, this word we read in the Bible, that the way is strait and narrow? And the elder replied: This is the strait and narrow way: that a man should do violence to his judgments and cut off, for the love of God, the desires of his own will. This is what was written of the Apostles: Behold we have left all things and have followed Thee.

One of the elders said: It is not because evil thoughts come to us that we are condemned, but only because we make use of the evil thoughts. It can happen that from these thoughts we suffer shipwreck, but it can also happen that because of them we may be crowned.

14 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

ANOTHER elder said: It happens that one man eats more and yet remains hungry, and another man eats less, and is satisfied. The greater reward belongs to the one who ate more and is still hungry than to him who ate less and is satisfied.

There was a certain brother who was praised by all the others in the presence of Abbot Anthony, but when the elder tested him he found that he could not bear to be insulted. Then Abbot Anthony said: You, brother, are like a house with a big strong gate, that is freely entered by robbers through all the windows.

A Certain brother came to Abbot Poemen and said: What ought I to do, Father? I am in great sadness.

The elder said to him: Never despise anybody, never condemn anybody, never speak evil of anyone, and the Lord will give you peace.

One of the brethren asked an elder, saying: Father, do the holy men always know when the power of God is in them?

And the elder replied: No, they do not always know it. For once a very great hermit had a disciple who did something wrong and the hermit said to him: Go and drop dead! Instantly the disciple fell down dead and the hermit, overcome with terror, prayed to the Lord, saying: Lord Jesus Christ, I beg Thee to bring my disciple back to life and from now on I will be careful what I say. Then right away the disciple was restored to life.

15 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. On this auspicious day, may Holy Mother Sarada bless us all with Jnana and Bhakti.)

(Teachings of the Holy Mother Saradadevi)

THE MYSTERY OF LIFE AND GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS

Mother: “The world is the Lord’s. He created it for His own play. We are mere pawns in His game. Wherever He keeps us and in whatever way He does so, we have to abide by it contentedly. We suffer as a result of our own actions; it is unfair to blame anybody for it. We have to surrender ourselves completely to the Lord with faith and devotion in Him, serve others to the best of our capacity, and never be a source of sorrow to anybody.”

Disciple: “If there is a God, why is there so much misery in this world? Does He not see? Or hasn’t He the power to remove these evils?”

Mother: “The creation itself is full of griefs. How can one understand joy if there is no sorrow? And how can everyone be happy at the same time?

There is a story that once Sita said to Rama, ‘Why do you not remove everybody’s miseries? Make everyone in your kingdom—all your subjects—happy. You can do it if you like.’

Rama answered, ‘Can everyone be happy at the same time?’

‘Well, they can, if you so desire. Why not satisfy all their needs from the royal treasury?’

‘Just as you wish.’

Then Rama called Lakshmana and said, ‘Go and tell everyone in my kingdom that all their needs will be supplied from my treasury.’

When the people heard this, they came and explained their needs. The treasury was laid open. Everyone lived in happiness. But such was the dispensation of Rama that soon the roof of the royal palace showed cracks and water seeped through. Masons were sent for to repair the crack. But there were none to be found. Where was any labourer to be found? The subjects also came and complained that because there were no masons or workmen, their houses and buildings were falling to pieces. Then, seeing no other way, Sita said to Rama, ‘We cannot suffer in the wet like this. Let everything be as it was. Then we can get workmen again. Everybody cannot be happy at the same time.’

‘So be it,’ answered Rama.”

16 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Holy Mother Saradadevi)

The Mystery Of Life And God-Consciousness

Disciple: ‘Then is everything the fruit of Karma?”

Mother: ‘What else, if not Karma?”

“Each has to get the results of the actions he earned for this life. A pin at least must prick where a wound from a sword was due.”

“Such is life, here today, gone tomorrow! Nothing goes with one, except one’s merit and demerit; good and evil deeds follow one even after death.”

“One suffers as a result of one’s own actions. So, instead of blaming others for such sufferings, one should pray to the Lord and depending entirely on His grace, try to bear them patiently and with forbearance under all circumstances.

“My son, forbearance is a great virtue: there’s no other like it.

“One must be patient like the earth. What iniquities are being perpetrated on her! Yet she quietly endures them all. Man, too, should be like that.

“There is no treasure equal to contentment and no virtue equal to fortitude.”

17 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Holy Mother Saradadevi)

(The Mystery Of Life And God-Consciousness)

“Such is life, here today, gone tomorrow! Nothing goes with one, except one’s merit and demerit; good and evil deeds follow one even after death. One suffers as a result of one’s own actions. So, instead of blaming others for such sufferings, one should pray to the Lord and, depending entirely on His grace, try to bear them patiently and with forbearance under all circumstances. My son, forbearance is a great virtue: there’s no other like it. One must be patient like the earth. What iniquities are being perpetrated on her! Yet she quietly endures them all. Man, too, should be like that. There is no treasure equal to contentment and no virtue equal to fortitude.

“You see, my son, it is not a fact that you will never face dangers. Difficulties always come, but they do not last forever. You will see that they pass away like water under a bridge. Don’t be afraid. Human birth is full of suffering and one has to endure everything patiently, taking the Name of God. None, not even God in human form, can escape the sufferings of the body and mind. Even Avataras, saints, and sages have to undergo the ordeal of suffering, for they take upon themselves the burden of sins of omission and commission of ordinary human beings and thereby sacrifice themselves for the good of humanity. People complain about their griefs and sorrows and how they pray to God but find no relief from pain. But grief itself is a gift from God. It is the symbol of His compassion. Tell me, who is there in the world who has not had to bear sorrow? Vrinda once said to Krishna, ‘Who said you are merciful? As Rama you filled Sita’s life with sorrow; as Krishna you fill Radha’s life with sorrow. In Kamsa’s prison your parents weep for you night and day. Yet we call upon you, because he who takes your Name has no fear of death.’ The Mother of the universe is the Mother of all. From Her have come out both good and evil.”

Disciple: “Where does this initiative for good and evil originate? You may say from our previous life; but where is the source of it all?”

Mother: “Even a blade of grass cannot stir without the will of God, my son. When a creature falls on good times, his thoughts turn to prayer; when he falls on bad times, all is evil. It is all according to God’s will.”

18 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Holy Mother Saradadevi)

(The Mystery Of Life And God-Consciousness)

It is God alone who expresses His will through the actions of man. What powers did Naren (Swami Vivekananda) have by himself? It was because God acted through him that he achieved what he did. The Lord knows what He is about to perform. But should a man surrender himself totally at His feet, He will do everything for him. One must bear with everything, because it is all due to cause and effect, according to one’s Karma. And Karma counteracts the effects of one’s previous Karma. If you do a good act, it cancels the effects of your evil deeds. If one prays, takes the Name of God and thinks of Him, the effects of evil are cancelled.

Disciple: “If God is the father and mother of all, then why does He make us commit sin?”

Mother: “No doubt, God alone has become all these objects, animate and inanimate, but in the relative world all beings act and suffer according to their past Karma and innate tendencies. The sun is one, no doubt, but his manifestation differs according to objects and places.”

Disciple: “If everything happens according to the will of God, then why does He not annul the law of Karma?”

Mother: “Yes, if He wills He can shorten the period of evolution. But we do not know His will.” 19 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Shivananda, (Mahapurush Maharaj.) On this auspicious day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti.)

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

23rd March 1919

Some college students had come to see the Belur Math (monastery). The Swami was sitting in the eastern verandah of the main building overlooking the Ganga. Swami: "You have a long vacation before you. How are you going to spend it? What is the use of spending it in merry-making and playing at cards? Having come to this place take a few of our ideas and try to work them out. Raise a small fund amongst yourselves, buy a few homeopathic medicines, and when you go home serve the sick and the poor of the locality by giving them medicine free and by nursing them. Give them oral instruction in history, sanitation, hygiene, and tell them about Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. In this way give them education. They have to be raised if the country is to rise. At first, probably, they will be suspicious about your ways and means. But in time, when they will find that you have no selfish motive, they will be won over. You also try to be selfless. It is only by doing selfless work in this way that the mind gets purified. And when the mind is purified, even the slightest suggestion would fill your heart with devotion for the Lord. If the mind be not purified, you may practise Japa (repetition of God’s name) to any extent, nothing will result by way of spiritual progress."

19 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Shivananda, (Mahapurush Maharaj.) On this auspicious day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti.)

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

23rd March 1919.

Some college students had come to see the Belur Math (monastery). The Swami was sitting in the eastern verandah of the main building overlooking the Ganga.

Swami: "You have a long vacation before you. How are you going to spend it? What is the use of spending it in merry-making and playing at cards? Having come to this place take a few of our ideas and try to work them out. Raise a small fund amongst yourselves, buy a few homeopathic medicines, and when you go home serve the sick and the poor of the locality by giving them medicine free and by nursing them. Give them oral instruction in history, sanitation, hygiene, and tell them about Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. In this way give them education. They have to be raised if the country is to rise. At first, probably, they will be suspicious about your ways and means. But in time, when they will find that you have no selfish motive, they will be won over. You also try to be selfless. It is only by doing selfless work in this way that the mind gets purified. And when the mind is purified, even the slightest suggestion would fill your heart with devotion for the Lord. If the mind be not purified, you may practise Japa (repetition of God’s name) to any extent, nothing will result by way of spiritual progress."

20 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

Thursday, October 28, 1920. In the morning, according to their custom, the monks of the monastery at Belur gathered upstairs in Swami Shivananda's room, where he was seated, looking serious and indrawn. Presently a monk, who had come from a branch centre a few days previously, unburdened his mind, saying: ‘Maharaj, though I have been practising meditation to the best of my ability, I find hardly any joy in it. Most often I find I go through my practice as through a routine. That does not satisfy my heart nor does it give me any peace.’

Swami Shivananda said very quietly: 'Look here, my boy, peace is not such an easy thing to attain. The way to peace is very difficult, full of thorns. "Sharp as the blade of a razor and hard to cross is the way to Self-knowledge" — so the sages have described it. These are the actual words of the illumined seers.' 21 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

One should cry to God, laying bare the heart. "O Lord, be merciful to me. I am an ordinary man. How can I hope to realize Thee unless Thou vouchsafest to appear before me? Have mercy on me, O Lord; have mercy on this weak being." Pray this way to Him every day. The more you cry to Him the more your mind will be cleansed. The Lord will reveal Himself to the pure transparent mind.

Pavhari Baba said to Swami Vivekananda: "Remain lying at the door of your guru like a dog." Swamiji repeated this remark to us many times. As a dog never leaves his master's home to go elsewhere, whether he is fed or not, whether his master beats him or is kind, in the same way one must be completely resigned to the Lord. He who can take refuge at His feet and stay resigned under all conditions and circumstances till the last, will indeed obtain divine grace. You have no reason to worry, because you have taken refuge in him and found shelter in his Order. As the Master used to say: "The child whose hand is held by the father has no fear of falling." Know for certain that the Master will save you as long as you remain in his Order.

21 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

One should cry to God, laying bare the heart. "O Lord, be merciful to me. I am an ordinary man. How can I hope to realize Thee unless Thou vouchsafest to appear before me? Have mercy on me, O Lord; have mercy on this weak being." Pray this way to Him every day. The more you cry to Him the more your mind will be cleansed. The Lord will reveal Himself to the pure transparent mind.

Pavhari Baba said to Swami Vivekananda: "Remain lying at the door of your guru like a dog." Swamiji repeated this remark to us many times. As a dog never leaves his master's home to go elsewhere, whether he is fed or not, whether his master beats him or is kind, in the same way one must be completely resigned to the Lord. He who can take refuge at His feet and stay resigned under all conditions and circumstances till the last, will indeed obtain divine grace. You have no reason to worry, because you have taken refuge in him and found shelter in his Order. As the Master used to say: "The child whose hand is held by the father has no fear of falling." Know for certain that the Master will save you as long as you remain in his Order.

22 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

`Though you did not see Sri Ramakrishna in the flesh, you see us—his devoted servants, and through us you hear his words. It is indeed unusual good fortune, because the next generation of monks will not see even us.

It was with this in mind that Swamiji founded the Order. In the body of the Order the spirit of the Master is manifestly present and will be so for many centuries for the good of the world.

From now on he will do his work through the instrumentality of the Order.

Constantly bear in mind that loyalty to the Order is loyalty to the Master. Swamiji founded this monastery in direct obedience to the wish of Sri Ramakrishna.

Our words, also, are for the good of the world and for your good. We say what is true. We have not come to the world to mislead people.

'Those who are here in the Order are certainly making spiritual progress, and so are you. Be convinced that our Master is gracious to those who take refuge in him. He protects those in every way who are wholly resigned to him with their body, mind and soul.

You have given up worldly attachments in order to realize God and find peace. Look up to the Master for everything. He will certainly bless you and bring you peace.

'You are expected to live his commandments and pursue the path he chalked out. Being a monk, you should, above everything and by every means, avoid the lust of the flesh and the greed for wealth. Purity and guilelessness should be your watchword.

The Master forgives all failings except hypocrisy and self-deception. Those who play false and take to hypocritical ways, do not belong here. The Master does not allow them to remain in the Order; he removes them. Only those who are genuine can stay.'

23 December 2022

MERRY CHRISTMAS

HAPPY NEW YEAR GREETINGS

On this auspicious occasion please accept my hearty prayers and greetings. May Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother grant us deep faith, strength and steadfastness. I trust this finds you all in good health. By the grace of the Lord we are all keeping fine. With prayers and best wishes and namaskarams.

Yours affectionately,

(Swami Dayatmananda) Christmas 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

BECOME AN IMITATOR OF CHRIST

(Teachings of Saint Basil)

Do not accumulate a heavy burden of sins for yourself by having too soft a bed or by the style of your garments, by variety in food, or a table too richly appointed for your stage of self-renunciation, by the way you stand or sit, or by being too negligent or too fastidious with regard to manual labour. All these things bring harmful results, even if they are objects of your desire. Unless you quickly recognize them as a snare and root them out of your heart, they will lead you to defection from the life in Christ.

Do not make excuses, saying, “Alas, my head!”, alleging non-existent pain and relaxing the rigor of the vigil for the sake of taking rest. Rather, be constant in secret prayer, which God beholds in secret and will repay you for openly. Hoard the accruing gains of the most perfect way of life, that in the day of need you may discover hidden wealth.

Let your countenance be bright and cheerful, that you may give joy to him who speaks with you. Rejoice in every success achieved by your neighbour and glorify God, for his triumphs are yours as yours also are his. Perform the duties of your ministry with care as if you were serving Christ, for “Cursed,” says the Prophet, “be every man that doeth the work of the Lord negligently.”

The nearer you approach the higher ranks of sacred orders, the more you should abase yourself. Humility is the imitation of Christ; haughtiness and arrogance, the imitation of the devil. Become an imitator of Christ. Examine the actions of each day, compare them with those of the previous day and press on toward improvement.

Spend your time in retirement, not for days nor months, but throughout many years, praising your Lord in song, night and day, in imitation of the Cherubim. If thus you begin and thus make an end, travelling the straight road for the short time of your probation, you will, by the grace of God, enter into paradise with the lamp of your soul brilliantly alight, to rejoice with Christ for ever and ever.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

And

HEARTY NEW YEAR & KALPATARU GREETINGS

Dear Devotees,

On this joyous and auspicious occasion please accept my hearty prayers and greetings. May Jesus, Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother grant us deep faith, strength and steadfastness. I trust this finds you all in good health. By the grace of the Lord we are all fine.

With prayers and best wishes and namaskarams.

Yours affectionately,

(Swami Dayatmananda)

24 December 2022

MERRY CHRISTMAS

HAPPY NEW YEAR GREETINGS

On this auspicious occasion please accept my hearty prayers and greetings. May Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother grant us deep faith, strength and steadfastness. I trust this finds you all in good health. By the grace of the Lord we are all keeping fine. With prayers and best wishes and namaskarams.

Yours affectionately,

(Swami Dayatmananda) 25/12/2022

Christmas 2022.

Jai Ramakrishna.

BECOME AN IMITATOR OF CHRIST

(Teachings of Saint Basil)

Do not accumulate a heavy burden of sins for yourself by having too soft a bed or by the style of your garments, by variety in food, or a table too richly appointed for your stage of self-renunciation, by the way you stand or sit, or by being too negligent or too fastidious with regard to manual labour. All these things bring harmful results, even if they are objects of your desire. Unless you quickly recognize them as a snare and root them out of your heart, they will lead you to defection from the life in Christ. Do not make excuses, saying, "Alas, my head!", alleging non-existent pain and relaxing the rigor of the vigil for the sake of taking rest. Rather, be constant in secret prayer, which God beholds in secret and will repay you for openly. Hoard the accruing gains of the most perfect way of life, that in the day of need you may discover hidden wealth. Let your countenance be bright and cheerful, that you may give joy to him who speaks with you. Rejoice in every success achieved by your neighbour and glorify God, for his triumphs are yours as yours also are his. Perform the duties of your ministry with care as if you were serving Christ, for "Cursed," says the Prophet, "be every man that doeth the work of the Lord negligently." The nearer you approach the higher ranks of sacred orders, the more you should abase yourself. Humility is the imitation of Christ; haughtiness and arrogance, the imitation of the devil. Become an imitator of Christ. Examine the actions of each day, compare them with those of the previous day and press on toward improvement. Spend your time in retirement, not for days nor months, but throughout many years, praising your Lord in song, night and day, in imitation of the Cherubim. If thus you begin and thus make an end, travelling the straight road for the short time of your probation, you will, by the grace of God, enter into paradise with the lamp of your soul brilliantly alight, to rejoice with Christ for ever and ever.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HEARTY NEW YEAR & KALPATARU GREETINGS.

Dear Devotees,

On this joyous and auspicious occasion please accept my hearty prayers and greetings. May Jesus, Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother grant us deep faith, strength and steadfastness. I trust this finds you all in good health. By the grace of the Lord we are all fine. With prayers and best wishes and namaskarams.

Yours affectionately,

(Swami Dayatmananda)

26 December 2022.

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

Place: Belur Monastery. Time: Saturday, December 25, 1920. At about 8.30 p.m. Swami Shivananda arose from his meditation and returned to his room, humming a devotional song indicative of inward joy. His voice was unusually sweet and full of divine love. Some monks and devotees had been waiting in his room to pay their respects to him. Still in an abstracted, meditative state, the Swami said: "Night is the ideal time for spiritual practice. Meditation and japa should be performed regularly with great devotion. They purify the mind. Continued for some time, regular practice of this kind is conducive to the establishment of a constant spiritual mood, giving one a taste of inner joy."

26 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

Place: Belur Monastery. Time Saturday, December 25, 1920.

At about 8.3O p.m.

Swami Shivananda arose from his meditation and returned to his room, humming a devotional song indicative of inward joy. His voice was unusually sweet and full of divine love. Some monks and devotees had been waiting in his room to pay their respects to him.

Still in an abstracted, meditative state, the Swami said:

'Night is the ideal time for spiritual practice. Meditation and japa should be performed regularly with great devotion. They purify the mind.

Continued for some time, regular practice of this kind is conducive to the establishment of a constant spiritual mood, giving one a taste of inner joy.

A person should not leave his seat immediately after meditation, but should sit for a while thinking about the object of his meditation. Then he may recite some prayers and hymns along similar lines to intensify and stabilize the meditative mood and inner joy.

Even after leaving his seat he should not talk with anyone, but should rather be contemplative and remain by himself for some time.

Practice like this fosters a continuous undercurrent of meditation, helping to keep the mind on a high level and bringing to the heart ‘great joy.'

27 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Teachings of Swami Shivananda)

Place: Belur Monastery. Time: Saturday, December 25, 1920. A monk of the Order said, “Maharaj, should we not sometimes leave the monastery and go somewhere else for the practice of austerity and meditation? Are not visiting holy places and wandering as itinerant monks also favourable to the monastic life?”

Swami: “My child, in common parlance it is said that a rolling stone gathers no moss. Aimless wandering by itself cannot be beneficial in the spiritual realm, nor can it help one towards God-realization. But with the aim of getting rid of the ego and fostering a spirit of full reliance on God, one may periodically subsist on food gathered from many places, or live a life of total seclusion without any possession, or wander about a little. Undoubtedly such courses can be helpful, but there is no necessity of or pursuing them year after year.” Swami Adbhutananda used to say, “Where would you roam? Children of Sri Ramakrishna should stay in one place.”

28 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(Today is the auspicious birthday of Revered Swami Saradanandaji Maharaj. On this auspicious day may the Swami bless us all with Bhakti.)

(The Path of the Devotee by Swami Saradananda)

Generally speaking, the struggle to know the transcendental Reality has long since taken two courses. First, what is known in the Shastras as the process ‘Not this’, ‘not this’, is the path of knowledge which seeks to attain fulfilment by negation. And the other, the process of ‘this, this’, is the path of Bhakti. The sadhaka on the path of knowledge is from the very beginning fully aware of the consummation of his path and tries to approximate it by constant meditation upon the goal, while those who take to the path of Bhakti are in most cases ignorant of the highest end in the beginning, but at last realise the same transcendent being by advancing step by step from one ideal to another. But in either case, the angle of vision is changed, and both have to renounce the feverish attachment for the world. 29 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(The Path of the Devotee by Swami Saradananda)

(Continued from 28th December)

We have ample evidence in the Upanishads of the fact that man soon became introspective as he proceeded with the analytical process of negation, ‘not this,’ ‘not this,’ in his search after the Eternal First Cause. He soon realised that more than any other external object, his own body and mind are chiefly instrumental in getting himself trapped in the phenomenal world. So they, if properly directed, would help him more in finding out that First Cause, than all other external aids. “As by examining a single grain in a rice pot, one can tell if the whole rice is well-boiled or not.” Similarly, if one can find out the Eternal Being within one’s own self, one can see Him in all. Thus, to a pursuer of the path of knowledge, the only aim and ideal is to know ‘what I am.’

As has been already told, be he a Jnani or a Bhakta, he has to give up his attachment to the world. When the renunciation becomes complete and no other thought or idea of the world can arise in the mind, which is held in perfect stillness, almost to the point of negation—this is the Nirvikalpa Samadhi spoken of in the Shastras. How a seeker on the path of knowledge attains this state of Nirvikalpa and what are his realisations, we shall have occasion to deal with later on. Let us here describe the way in which a Bhakta reaches such a state.

The Bhakta, though he perceives the transiency of the world, believes in a personal God and so also believes in the reality of the phenomenal world, His creation. All persons and objects are dear to him, as he finds them all connected with God. He renounces all those objects that blur his vision of the Beloved. His only aim and ideal is to merge himself in the love and thought of some particular aspect of God, and then his whole life becomes an oblation on the altar of love for the Lord.

29 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(The Path of the Devotee by Swami Saradananda)

(Continued from 28th December)

We have ample evidence in the Upanishads of the fact that man soon became introspective as he proceeded with the analytical process of negation, ‘not this,’ ‘not this,’ in his search after the Eternal First Cause.

He soon realised that more than any other external object, his own body and mind are chiefly instrumental in getting himself trapped in the phenomenal world. So they, if properly directed, would help him more in finding out that First Cause, than all other external aids.

“As by examining a single grain in a rice pot, one can tell if the whole rice is well-boiled or not."

Similarly if one can find out the Eternal Being within one’s own self, one can see Him in all. Thus to a pursuer of the path of knowledge, the only aim and ideal is to know ‘what I am.’

As has been already told, be he a Jnani or a Bhakta, he has to give up his attachment to the world.

When the renunciation becomes complete and no other thought or idea of the world can arise in the mind, which is held in perfect stillness, almost to the point of negation—this is the Nirvikalpa Samadhi spoken of in the Shastras.

How a seeker on the path of knowledge attains this state of Nirvikalpa and what are his realisations, we shall have occasion to deal with later on. Let us here describe the way in which a Bhakta reaches such a state.

The Bhakta, though he perceives the transiency of the world, believes in a personal God and so also believes in the reality of the phenomenal world, His creation. All persons and objects are dear to him, as, he finds them all connected with God. He renounces all those objects that blur his vision of the Beloved.

His only aim and ideal is to merge himself in the love and thought of some particular aspect of God and then his whole life becomes an oblation on the altar of love for the Lord.

30 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna.

(The Path of the Devotee by Swami Saradananda)

(Continued from 29th December)

Now let us see how a Bhakta loses himself in the one thought of his Beloved and forgets the existence of all outside world and ultimately reaches the state of Nirvikalpa. As has been already hinted, the Bhakta accepts one particular form of God as his Chosen Ideal and begins to think and meditate on That alone. In the beginning he fails to bring before his mind’s eye, in meditation, the complete picture of his Chosen Ideal. But as he proceeds on with his practice of meditation his mind gets more and more concentrated and his mental image of God also becomes more and more vivid and steady. And subsequently in a profounder state of meditation, the image appears to be living and it becomes possible even for the devotee to feel His Divine touch and hold talks with Him. In that state, whether with eyes opened or closed, the least concentration makes the devotees feel the living presence of his Lord. Then again, from the belief that it is his Lord Who has assumed all the different forms, the devout sadhaka perceives the emanation of various other divine forms from his own chosen Beloved. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘To him who is blessed with the vision of one such living divine form, the visions of other forms of God come easily of themselves’. But there is one point which needs elucidation here. Though these visions have their inception in the subjective mind of the devotee, yet, in the matured state of meditation, when the vistas of the thought world are opened up to the mental gaze, they assume all the true colourings of objective reality as experienced in the waking state. And as those divine visions begin to come oftener and oftener and the consciousness of the reality of thought-world grows deeper and deeper, the scales fall from his eyes and the devotee begins to perceive that the so called objective-world with all its apparent concreteness is but constructed of thought fabrics. And again the visions in the super-conscious state appear with such an all-absorbing reality, that for the time being, the objective world appears to be completely obliterated from his consciousness. And this state has been described in the Shastras as Savikalpa Samadhi.

31 December 2022

Jai Ramakrishna

(The Path of the Devotee by Swami Saradananda)

(Continued from 30th December)

In that state of Savikalpa Samadhi, though the material world disappears altogether, yet there still remains for him the other world, the world of thought. Then the Bhakta feels the joys and sorrows of life with his God exactly as we feel in our relations with the objects and persons of the outside world. Only there is this difference that the web of all his emotions and desires is woven round his Beloved. And as then in his mind various waves of thought still arise around the central theme, his Lord, the Shastras define the state as Savikalpa, i.e., the superconscious state where mentation is not completely stopped, but is held fast to one idea only.

Thus, by meditating on one object of the thought-world, the perceptions of the gross external world disappear altogether, and when one idea gets hold of the mind strongly, all other ideas also fall off from there. The Bhakta who has advanced so far is not far from reaching the state of Nirvikalpa. It is needless to point out that he who has been able so much to get rid of the idea of the reality of the world, has got his will sufficiently strengthened and mind keen. Swami Dayatmananda:

1st January 2023 – Kalpataru.

(Today is the Blessed Kalpataru day. May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all on this auspicious day with Bhakti, Jnana, Viveka and Vairagya. May the new year bring all blessings.)

The first day of January, besides being the New Year day, is of special significance to a Ramakrishna-devotee. This is the day of the self-revelation of the Great Master when he became, what is now popularly called, the Kalpataru, ‘the wish-fulfilling tree.’

It happened in 1886 at Kasipur where the Master had been undergoing treatment for his throat cancer. On January 1st, he felt particularly better and came down from his room for a stroll on the spacious lawns of the garden-house. About thirty devotees were present and were scattered here and there in the garden. As soon as they saw the Master, they all came near him and bowed down. To Girish, the Master said, ‘Girish, what have you seen that makes you glorify me publicly before one and all?’

Girish at once fell at the Master’s feet and said with folded hands and choked voice, ‘What more can I say of Him, even a fraction of whose glory Vyasa and Valmiki miserably failed to express in their immortal epics and Puranas?’

Hearing these words of Girish, the Master was deeply charmed and his mind soared to a high plane. Seeing the divinely illumined countenance of the Master, Girish was thrilled and he cried out in great joy, ‘Glory unto Ramakrishna! Glory unto Ramakrishna!’ and began taking the dust of his feet again and again. The Master looked at all present and said smilingly, ‘What more shall I say to you? May you all be spiritually awakened!’ No sooner had he said these few words than he went into Samadhi. What followed is best described in the words of Swami Saradananda, who had seen the whole episode from a distance:

“When the devotees heard those words of blessings and protection from fear, they raised repeated cries of joy, exclaiming, ‘Glory to Ramakrishna.’ Some of them saluted him, some showered flowers, some again came and touched his feet.”

The Master touched the devotees in that state of Samadhi and blessed them all. The effect was instantaneous. Swami Saradananda’s account continues:

“…there arose by that marvellous touch a wonderful mood in the mind of each. Some of them began to laugh, some to weep, some to meditate, and some again to call aloud all others in order that they might also be blessed by receiving the grace of the Master, and be sharers in the bliss that was overflowing.”

On later enquiry it was known that the devotees blessed by the Master on that day had wonderful spiritual experiences and visions. Some felt bliss and a sort of divine intoxication, some experienced the creeping blissful sensation of the rising Kundalini, some saw ecstatic visions of their chosen deities, some saw divine light. All the experiences were unique, each in its own way. Although they differed in their content, the feeling of being filled with an extraordinary divine bliss was common to all.

Jai Ramakrishna.