Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 050 on 21-December-2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PADAPADME TAYO SHRITVA PRANAMAMI MOHORU MOHOHO Before we start our class, I simply forgot to look at the WhatsApp application. The question was that once a Bengali devotee visited a sadhu, and the sadhu remarked that this babu is hiding a sword. There is a sword, chaku, next tied to his belly. Is there any spiritual significance in this particular context? No, there is no spiritual significance. Even though the knife is hidden, it must be a knife, it cannot be a sword really. But the devotee might be carrying it for safety, but he kept it hidden in case any emergency comes. Excepting that, we do not see any, at least I do not see any significance. But yes, in Vedantic literature, this khatga is extraordinarily significant. Very briefly I will tell you, when we look at Mother Kali's hand on the left hand side, upper left hand side, Mother Kali has four hands and there is a sword. With that sword, she destroys. What can light destroy? Only darkness. What can sweetness destroy? Only bitterness. What can knowledge destroy? Ignorance. So it is not the business of the Mother, Divine Mother, to destroy jivas. What it means is that this worn out dress which we all put on, but which is no longer of any use, we who are trying to move towards our own Divine Mother, this is not of help and when the time comes, the Divine Mother destroys that worn out dress only to present us with a new dress. Like mothers usually do to their children on birthdays. In the process of discrimination, now we can recollect when Totapuri Maharaj, the Advaitic Vedantic guru of Ramakrishna, taught him the Mahavakya, Tat Aham Brahmasmi and instructed him to empty all his mind, all the thoughts in his mind. Ramakrishna's typical reply was, I could remove every thought excepting that of my Divine Mother and that also is a thought and that is the obstruction that separates the Divine Mother from us. Then Ramakrishna said that I took up the sword of discrimination and as soon as the Mother's form appeared, I cut it and then it disappeared and I became unconscious. Means names and forms belong to the realm of duality and they should be completely destroyed and this is sword of discrimination. It has nothing to do with physical sword. Ramakrishna gives many analogies of the sword in the gospel. One of them is that when a person attains to realization, then he becomes like an iron sword becoming a golden sword and then Ramakrishna interprets and says it looks like a golden sword, looks like a sword but it cannot function as an iron sword can function in two ways. Very significant statement. What can an iron sword do? It can kill the good. It can also destroy the evil. Let us remember always any weapon can do anything positively or also negatively. So in Ramakrishna's interpretation that a person who has attained to the highest realization, he can no longer do any evil because that egotism, ism is gone, pure ego and that became one with the Divine Mother. Hence forward it is the will of the Divine Mother which works. So naturally another question that comes is yes a realized soul cannot do any evil like a golden sword cannot cut but can it do some good? And the answer is no. Just as a golden sword is only an ornament, so also a realized soul is just an appearance, an ornament but from within he will never be able to do anything. And why can't he do anything? Because I am doer. That idea is totally gone and all of us have to use this sword of discrimination whenever first of all egotism comes. I do this. And egotism manifests only in two ways. I am the doer and I am the enjoyer, experiencer and both must go. And when both go, the ism, artism attached to ego will go. And what remains? Ego. And ego means pure consciousness, aham. So there is no need to say aham brahmasmi. Very interesting, when an aspirant hears aham brahmasmi, the teacher has to tell you that you have to repeat I am Brahman. But when the same person through sadhana progresses and attains realization, he doesn't say aham brahmasmi. He doesn't say. Because there is no need to say. We never say. Do we 24 hours go on saying I am so and so and so? So I am Brahman is experienced intuitively all the time but there is no need to express it. Why? For two reasons. If anybody can recognize him as Brahman and only another realized soul can recognize him as Brahman, then he will not ask. But if some person, an ignorant person, even if a person is told that this person is Brahman by realization, he will not understand. If a person understands, he doesn't need to be told. If a person doesn't understand, he cannot be told. Anyway, we have to keep the sword of discrimination. So in the first, what was the answer? That Bengali Babu was hiding. The yogi had the capacity to see beyond the hiding and find out what he is having. Like Shri Ram Krishna used to see people's hearts as one can see things kept in a glass case. The second answer is yes. A person after realization becomes like a golden sword but a spiritual aspirant must be like an iron sword in the beginning. But a sword has got in the hands of a surgeon. It can only do good. So a person goes on doing good and trying not to do evil. In course of time, he becomes a golden sword. He surrenders his egotism, everything to God and only God functions through that body and mind and therefore there is no question of he is doing either good or evil. Then only one thing remains, Shukali Tomari Iccha. So that is the answer. It's a beautiful question. Now we will enter into the gospel of Shri Ram Krishna. So in our last class, we were talking about the most important point. What is it? How can one have a vision of God? And in answer, Shri Ram Krishna many times emphasizes God's grace alone can bestow God vision. And this has been confirmed also in the Katha Upanishad. नायमात्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो नमेधया नभहुनाशुतेन इमेवैशवरुनुतेतेन लभ्यः तस्येशात्मा इवुरुनुतेतनूम् स्वाम् That is only when the Atman chooses to reveal itself to a sincere spiritual aspirant and only then the aspirant can know because the finite can never know the infinite. The small can never know the big. The effect can never know the cause. And whatever amount of books we read, we meditate upon, we hear and we ponder over them. नमेधय, even the cleverest person, नभहुनाशुतेन नयमात्मा नलभ्यः, not available. So, Sri Ramakrishna is continuing to Vijay. It is said in a song of your Brahmo Samaj, O Lord, is it ever possible to know Thee without love, however much one may perform, worship and sacrifice, if the devotee but once feels this attachment and ecstatic love for God, this mature devotion and longing, then he sees God in both his aspects, with form and without form. Hence Ramakrishna continues, which is very relevant for us. But one requires purity of heart to see God. One requires purity of heart. Remember, last time we discussed when Arjuna requested, can I see you, O Lord? And Divine Lord Krishna categorically emphasizes and here an important point needs to be kept in mind. When we say Krishna, when he showed himself to Arjuna, he was neither Rama nor Krishna nor Ramakrishna. He was Bhagavan himself. Bhagavan in a particular name and form can be called Rama, Krishna, Jesus, Buddha. But the moment, like Sri Ramakrishna revealed himself to Mathur Babu as Mother Kali, as Shiva, then Ramakrishna is a finite form. Whereas when we say Kali and Shiva, they are not the same. Only for the sake of Upasana, worship, we give particular names like God, like Allah, like Eshwara, like Shiva. See, all these names have got wonderful etymological meanings. He who bestows auspiciousness, an embodiment of auspiciousness is called Shiva and Vishnu. So what does Vishnu mean? He who is present everywhere. He who is everything. So he is all-pervading and that is called Vishnu. Is Vishnu available in Vaikuntha? Yes. But we should never say Vishnu is available only in Vaikuntha. Wherever one sees, whenever one sees Vishnu, that is Vaikuntha. Sri Ramakrishna, one of his devotees, used to see Gopala for two months continuously. And Sri Ramakrishna remarked, now her mind has gone to Goloka. Goloka means where Harishta Devata resides. Has she gone to Goloka? No. Her mind is seeing only Harishta in the form of Bala Gopala. And that is called seeing, going to Goloka. That is all we have to understand. So without purity of heart, it is not possible. So Krishna says that, no, I will give you Divyam Dadhamite Chakshabhu. What does that Divyam, divine, mean? Is it some special form of contact lens? Yes. What is that special? That is, O Arjuna, for the time being, I am removing all the impurities from your heart because it is the impurities which form the veil, which prevent us from seeing the ever-present God. Because where is not God? Prahlada was seeing Narayana everywhere. Interesting question. When Prahlada is seeing God everywhere, is there someone called Prahlada? Because there cannot be two. One is Prahlada, a devotee. Another is called Narayana. He is Ishta Devata, chosen deity. But we have to understand this concept through devotion, purity of heart. That is very, very necessary. So if Prahlada was seeing God everywhere, what was he seeing in the pillar? Only God. What was the pillar? Narayana. What is inside the pillar? Narayana. What is outside the pillar? That is also Narayana only. So his father was there, Hiranyakashipu was there. So how was Prahlada looking at his own father? As father? As an ignorant person? No. He is seeing him as Narayana. Then when Hiranyakashipu asked him, Where is your Narayana? Who was replying? It was Narayana who was replying to the Narayana in the form of Hiranyakashipu, ignorant Narayana, that he is everywhere. Hiranyakashipu says, what about this pillar? Is he hiding inside? That hiding means incapacity to see. And immediately Prahlada replies, that means God replies, Yes, he is inside, he is outside, he is everywhere. It is not that he is hiding. Only an individual perhaps can hide, not the universal. And immediately Hiranyakashipu breaks, thinking that there is a peculiar creature called Narayana within. And of course these are all Puranic stories. Lord assumed the form of a half lion and immediately he removes the tears, the veil of ignorance, from one of his greatest devotees. Remember, God tears, God destroys the evil only when the devotee is ready. And in the eyes of God, there is no enemy, there is no demon. Everybody is a devotee because we are all devoted to ourselves. So God is also devoted to himself. That means God assumes various forms and enjoys himself. So in one form as the deity, another form as devotee. Bhagavata, Bhakta, Bhagavan. Anyway, coming back to our subject, that if anybody has got purity, what is purity, impurity? Impurity means veil. Veil means that which hides reality from us, either partially or completely. When we are in the Tamasika state, it covers almost completely, not really, something will be there. It is, that is a revelation. That nobody can deny. When a person is in Rajasika mood, then it is much more clear, but there also there is a covering because of which he mistakes with various names and forms. But he doesn't have the idea this is none other than God. Every form is of God. Therefore every name is of God. That is why we say, In the Purusha Sukta, we get this marvelous idea. Every head is God's head. Every mouth is God's mouth. Every hand is God's hand. Every leg is God's leg. That means nothing exists other than God. Just as every part, small, big, round, square, of whatever color we put upon it, is nothing but pure clay. So nothing else exists excepting God. Then naturally the question comes, why can't we see God if He is everywhere? Then Shri Ramakrishna gave an example, which we cited in our last class. Shri Ramakrishna was sitting and talking with the devotees. He had a small towel on his shoulders. He took it out and put it in front of his face and then says, See, you are so near to me and yet you can't see my face and I can't see your face. All because of this small towel. This Maya is like that small towel. And what is that towel here in this instance? Impurity. Impurity means what? Ajnana. Ajnana means what? Mistaking God for something else. That means any object, worldly object. So that is how it continues. But purity of heart is necessary. What is this purity of heart? In Vedantic language, it is called Chitta Shuddhi. That is, in the mind, everything must be looked upon as Brahman. Sarvam Brahma Mayam Re Re Khelati Brahmande Bhagavan Bhagavan is playing in this whole universe as the experiencer and as the experiencer, as the subject, as the object, as the Drik, as the Drishya. Everywhere. Now Sri Ramakrishna is continuing. Through what is this purity of heart? One cannot see God without purity of heart. And Sri Ramakrishna is explaining. What is this impurity? Through attachment to lust and gold, the mind has become stained, covered with dirt, as it were. Every word of people like Sri Ramakrishna is like Veda Vakya. Whether it is Jesus, is Buddha, Ramakrishna, from their mouth, nothing but truth will come. Because they are Satya Kamas and Satya Sankalpas. So, as it were, through attachment to lust and gold, that is what he said, Kamini Kanchana, the mind has become stained, covered with dirt, as it were. Not really. Because this sunlight can never become impure with anything. In fact, nothing can become impure with anything. There is nothing called impure. An object may not be suitable for many creatures. But the same object is extremely suitable for many other objects. For example, these are very interesting thoughts to explore. Suppose there is a dead body. And, of course, no human being will ever go and try to eat it. That is not possible. Of course, dead animals, people used to eat. We all used to eat in our ancestral forms. A dead elephant, a dead tiger, a dead anything. At that time, our stomachs were also equipped for digesting such a type of food. In fact, our stomachs were not equipped to eat fresh food. Only when an animal is dead and is getting decomposed, then only it is possible. I have heard that when people shoot deer and it has to be hung for 10 to 15 days, until the decomposition is well in progress, then only they can cook it. Otherwise, it is very tough. Only prey animals like lions, tigers, wolves, hyenas, etc., they can kill, they can eat, they can digest, but not human beings. So, that is why like babies, they cannot digest solid food. So, the mother eats for the baby and digests it and converts it into digestible milk and then only it is possible. So, as it were, covered as it were, and then Sri Ramakrishna also gives. In that context only, I was referring, nothing is impure in this world. A dead animal is the most suitable food for millions of, billions of other creatures. And then David Attenborough had illustrated it by showing when a zebra or when a rhino was killed, within days, nothing was left out excepting a few bones. That became food and for different parts of the rhino's body had become food for different creatures including insects, ants, and worms, etc., etc. And if we look at ourselves also, within our guts, there are what we call very friendly bacteria. South Indians, when they eat first-class curds, they are priding themselves that they are purest vegetarians. They do not know how many billions of bacteria, living bacteria, they are eating, committing the greatest sin in this world. Of course, take God's name, Ramas. If you utter Rama's name, then Koti Koti Papa will just disappear. Anyway, this is a Parasparambhava Yantaha. I scratch my back and you scratch my back. This is a very harmonious relationship. Otherwise, they cannot live. We also cannot live. So, as it were, nothing in this world is impure. And that's why when Sri Ramakrishna was practicing Tantric sadhana, he had several experiences. One day Bhairavi Brahmane brought rotten, rotting human flesh and then asked him to eat. And he said, I could eat other things. But that day my mind rebelled against it. But she said, what is there, my child? Look, I am eating. Eating means not eating, just a very tiniest portion she touched to her tongue. And so that this hatred, this abomination, that idea should be completely removed because everything is Divine Mother. Everything is God. Filth is also not filth. It may not be suitable for us. A crocodile can live in the most unhygienic conditions and thrive. But human being has to be very careful. A baby also has to be very careful. So, any food is pure food and everything in this world is food in whatever form it is there. And dust and dirt also is part and parcel of the greatest protection. I am expounding it because these ideas have to enter into our heads. Dust and dirt, what is it? When an elephant after taking bath, it comes out, it rolls itself on the dirt and dust. We think this is a dirty animal. No, no, sir. You are totally ignorant. It is not dirty. It wants a thick layer of mud on its body to protect itself from harmful insects and other things. And if you are thinking like a pet dog, I will clean it up nicely, then other insects will come and nicely feast upon that. Not knowing that, you are thinking you are doing a lot of good to it. No. Anyway, what is the idea? Everything in this world is purest form of God only. Nothing can be contaminated, nothing called filth, nothing called impurity. But it doesn't mean everybody, anybody can interact with anything. Everybody has to be careful what is suitable that one must accept. So, Ramakrishna is stating that fact as if the mind has become covered with dirt. That means what? Attachment to this world. That means what? That this world is real. Many-ness is real. And I am a man is real. There is a woman is real. And I am attracted to her and she is attracted to me. That is a reality. That means body consciousness has become thick. Similarly, here is money. And it is what is called most valuable things in this world. Is it really valuable? What can money do? I laugh many times. There are so many people who have more than enough money. And they can't eat properly. And what are they going to do with all that money? There are people who have money, they are blind. There are people with money, they are deaf. There are people with money, they are sick physically and mentally. What is your millions or billions going to do when individually we are unable to use it? Only that is why whatever a person can use and enjoy, that is his greatest wealth. So, as it were, we think reality is what I experience. And I experience my body and mind. And that is the reality. So, Sri Ramakrishna is proceeding. A magnet cannot attract a needle if the needle is covered with mud. Wash away the mud and the magnet will draw it. So, what is the mud here? Impurities. And what is that iron? Piece. So, a needle. What is the needle? Our mind. If the needle, and it is made up of metal, iron, and if it is not covered with mud, means attachment. Attachment means Raga Dvesha. Then the magnet, who is the magnet? God is the magnet. And immediately, you don't need to say, it is a most natural process. So, what is Ramakrishna telling all this? He is trying to tell us that God is ever present everywhere all the time. We are unable to see. In fact, not that we are not able to see. We are able to see the world. But we are not able to see the world that it is none other than God. Everything is Brahman only. Like every mud pot, even if there are billion mud pots, are nothing but clay. Similarly, the whole universe in the form of Sathya existence is nothing but God. But because of our limitations, the covering of the mud, that is firm conviction that I am the body-mind. That means I am the reality. Therefore, as soon as I think my body is real, everything the body can react with in this world becomes real. Similarly, if mind is real to me and I am the mind, anything that the mind can think, that is real. That means if a positive emotion arises in my mind, I become one with it and enjoy. If similarly, a negative emotion enters into me, and that also, I will be able to suffer by the same token. When we are capable of seeing behind both the positive and negative, the good and the evil, the pure existence alone is there, which is God, which is Sathya, then the same thing is perceived as God. We will come to some of the experiences of Sri Ramakrishna, visions of Sri Ramakrishna. Then, as soon as I repent, how to get rid of the dirt? Sri Ramakrishna says, likewise, the dirt of the mind can be washed away with the tears of our eyes. We have to shed tears. Tears of what? Tears of repentance. What is the repentance? Oh Lord, I was unable to recognize you because of my impurity of mind, and now I cognize that I have to become pure and I strive my best, but still a lot of samskaras, I made them so strong that I am unable to get out of them. Sri Ramakrishna used to give a beautiful example. A silk worm builds a cocoon around it and it is entrapped, and then the man who is cultivating, he will come and put it in boiling hot water and it cannot get out and it dies, etc. So, like that, we have created problems for ourselves. Sri Ramakrishna used to sing many times, Dosh karo noye goma, Ami shokhaata sholile, Dubey mori shama. It is no one's fault. Oh Mother, it is only me who has done things which should not be done. I dug a well and poisonous water has come out and I am drowning in the poisonous waters which was brought upon with my own hands. It is a very beautiful song. So, this Punyakshetra, this body is the greatest temple. The sanctum sanctorum, that is the pure heart, that is where the divine image of God has to be established. But what did I do? Not only I didn't ever look upon myself, my heart, at the most purest temple, sacred temple, I defiled this body-mind through my activities, kama, krodha, and then with these six parikaras, six instruments for digging, like iron rod, etc., with these very things, I have dug in this holy place and then sufficiently I dug thinking I am so clever and suddenly the karma phala, the results of what I have done, because if I do things according to the scriptures, it will always push us towards God. But if we do it out of selfishness, things forbidden by the scriptures, that is called digging in a holy place, holy tirtha. So, this poison is what? Poison means what? Again and again being born, being dead, etc. Beautiful song. Especially if you know a bit of Bengali, go to YouTube. YouTube, that living encyclopedia of most things. So, but if a man recognizes and unable to overcome because already he has dug himself such a grave, he is at the bottom of the well and is about to drown and it is almost impossible for him, but he can try wholeheartedly. Oh Lord, I have done something wrong. I accept it. But, Sri Ram Krishna continues, this stain is removed if one sheds tears of repentance and says, Oh God, I shall never again do such a thing. This is a most precious instruction for us. Any number of mistakes we might have committed, but in the end when we recognize our own fault, we must take a vow, I shall never again do such a thing. Then, what happens? Bhagavan Krishna says to Arjuna, proclaim any person who resolves, I have done a lot of ugly things, cruel things, evil things, I recognize my own fault, Oh Lord, please forgive me, I will never again do one such repentance and immediately the Lord draws him to his bosom and this is so beautifully illustrated in the Bible through the story of the lost son. A man had two sons and one son was foolish, he got angry with his father, left his father and went away and then after many years of suffering, he understood, he comes back, says, Father, forgive me, I have done terrible wrong things and what does the father do? He hugs him to the bosom and then orders, my lost son has returned, my heart is rejoicing, so let us make a great feast in honor of reception of my son. Very, very wonderful, significant symbolic story in the Bible, but the other son, he became very angry with his father. He said, what is this? You never gave any feast in my name and as soon as this son who did so much of harm, who rejected you and kicked you out, went away, is coming back and you are throwing a feast. Then the father embraces the eldest one, says, my son, you are always with me, there is no need, whatever belongs to me is already yours, but here is a son who is lost and who is gained again, who is found again, so let us rejoice. So much like that, God rejoices and says, my child has turned his face towards me and this time for good. Thereupon God, who is like the magnet, casts to himself the mind which is like the needle. Then the devotee goes into Samadhi and obtains a vision of God. That means, always remember the word Samadhi, a very significant word. Do not understand it in the narrow meaning given by some people, especially those who are ignorant. In Vedantic literature, especially Ramakrishna in Vedantic literature, the word Samadhi means only one thing, complete unity with God, not the temporary postponement of the functions of the thought, not mindlessness, but it is also called Amanibhava. Amanibhava means thinking, identifying with the mind. Amanibhava means complete removal of the mind, not in the sense of temporary cessation, but permanently the mind has become pure and the mind understands I am divine and I claim my ignored divinity which is tugging at me all the time. So, this is what Ramakrishna is telling that God then goes into Samadhi because God draws him. This is also a very significant word. A needle simply says that I want to come to you. Okay, that is okay, but are you fit to come to the magnet? It is not that the magnet rejects the needle. The needle is rejecting itself because it is covered with mud. The moment it is free of the mud, immediately the magnet, you don't need to tell the magnet, automatically that is done and that the needle becoming one with the magnet and becomes a magnet itself and draws other needles towards it because now it is not a needle, it is the magnet. It is not the drop, it is the ocean. It is not the aham, it is Brahma. This is called the vision of God. Always vision of God, not like ourselves, seeing each other. It means becoming one with God. Aham Brahmasmi. So, this is what Ramakrishna is telling, but he is emphasizing again, God's grace the ultimate help. You may try thousands of times, but nothing can be achieved without God's grace. One cannot see God without His grace. These are the precious teachings of Sri Ramakrishna itself. One cannot see God without His grace. Is it an easy thing to receive the grace of God? One must all together renounce egotism. One cannot see God as long as one feels, I am the doer. That means egoism, egotism, egotism, what is it? I am the doer and where there is that sense, I am the bhokta, I am the doer, I am the karta, I am the doer, comes immediately, I am the bhokta. If I feel I am the doer, I alone must experience the result good or bad. So, that ism, I-S-M or T-I-S-M should be completely removed. Only aham will be there. So, one cannot see God as long as one feels I am the doer. Then he says, I am also not the enjoyer. Who is the doer? God. Who is the enjoyer? Only God. So, that is what Bhagavad Gita in the second chapter also, if a killer thinks that he is the killer. If the being killed, the man who is going to be killed thinks I am going to be killed. Both of them are ignorant people. The Atman neither kills nor is killed. And it is a most marvelous statement. What is it telling? The person who thinks I am going to kill, feels that I am the doer. And the person who is going to be killed feels I am the bhokta, enjoyer, experiencer. And every experience comes only, bhoga comes only as a result of our own past karmas. That is the most marvelous subject. This is called karma siddhanta. So, we must get rid of, I am the doer. The moment the doership disappears, the enjoyership also, experiencership also, immediately it goes. Ramakrishna, like Kalidasa, is a lot of similes. Here he is going to give one. Suppose, in a family, a man has taken charge of the storeroom. Then, if somebody else comes and says, Sir, will you yourself kindly give me something from the storeroom? The master says to him, there is already someone in charge in the storeroom. What can I do there? That means what? What is Ramakrishna telling here? We have become the masters of the storeroom. What is the storeroom? My body and mind. So, long as I think, I am the doer and I am in charge, I do what I like and I experience, I try to experience, but man thinks he is clever. If he does wrong, when he experiences, rarely does he acknowledge that this is the result of what I myself have done. Generally, he tries to push that blame upon somebody else, circumstances or weather or ultimately God. This is what, if God is trying to do this, what can I do? No. It is all our own kartrutva bhava, worship only. That is the problem. The moment the man in charge, he says, I don't want to be in charge. Let somebody else be in charge. Then the master himself, perhaps, will take charge of the store. That means, in this instance, when that ism disappears, God himself takes over that instrument. Thereupon, the man remains only an instrument and shakali tomari ichcha, that is, O mother, everything happens by your will. So, whatever happens, then that person feels that it is God who is doing, I am not in charge. And then what happens that he will have no karmaphala. But no karmaphala means, does he not enjoy? Does he become like a stone? No. He experiences the highest bliss of God because he has become one with God. That wonderful statement has been given in the very beginning of the second valli of the Taittiriya Upanishad, Brahmavid Aapnoti Param. Brahmavid, a knower of Brahman, Aapnoti becomes, retains, means becomes Param. Param means the highest. Highest means Brahman. A knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. There is no difference between Brahman and a knower of Brahman. Not intellectual knowing, but through realization. So whatever, what is Brahman? Such is Ananda Swaroopa. Therefore the Brahmavid also becomes Ananda Swaroopa. So that is why I said, along with Brahman he enjoys everything. This is what Sri Ram Krishna is telling through this story of the storeroom. This body, mind is the storeroom. What are we storing? All the samskaras. It is a very interesting concept. You eat a thousand sweets but they will all be there in the form of attachment to taste and dislike to some taste. Whatever forms we see attachment in the form of raga and dvesha. Certain things I cannot enjoy, so I don't want them. Certain things I enjoy highly, so I want them. Running towards what we think gives us pleasure or happiness and what we think are suffering or unhappiness, we try to run away from them and whole human life is nothing but all activities can be divided into these two. Running towards, running away from and all those things happen because of the samskaras and the samskaras are stored in this body-mind and the man thinks I am in charge of that. When a person gives up then everything, that body belongs to God, mind belongs to God, the janma janmantara samskaras, they also belong to whom? Only to God. That is what what can I do there? God does not easily appear in the heart of a man who feels himself to be his own master but God can be seen the moment His grace descends because He is the son of knowledge. One single ray of God has illumined the world with the light of knowledge. That is how we are able to see one another and acquire varied knowledge. One can see God only if He turns His light toward His own face. So Ramakrishna is issuing some of the grandest Vedantic truths in the simple words. He says one single ray of His Gods has illumined the world with the light of knowledge. That means what? In this world is being created billions and billions and billions and billions of times and in this world there are great scientists, great artists, great saints. The whole life is divided into three departments religion, art and science and there are greatest people in scientific field, in artistic field and in religious field. If it is in the religious field, they are called saints. If it is in the artistic field, they are called artists and if it is in the scientific field, they are called scientists and there are infinite variations are there depending upon the manifestation of their knowledge and here is a very important point to note down even after billion years imagining that the world is continuing even after billion years, whatever new knowledge scientists or artists can discover and can do with it various magic magic tricks all that knowledge is just one single ray of God's knowledge. Then this is what is being told so this divinity has covered the whole earth with one portion of his manifestation one finite minutest portion of God is illuminating creating and maintaining and destroying this entire universe so just who can understand who can describe this is one of the most marvelous shlokas in the Shiva Mahinastotram even if mother Saraswati herself wants to glorify Lord or Shiva your grand qualities even for infinity if she goes on writing also she will never come to an end because who can describe the infinity, that is the idea so one ray of God's grace that is the meaning of Purusha Sukta by the way on our Thursday classes at some point I have a desire to take these beautiful Vedic Suktas and explore their meaning through the light of Sri Ramakrishna's and other great saints' life we will do it when God's grace allows me and you to do that so one single ray of his has illumined the world in the light of knowledge one single ray of his has illumined the world with the existence of his existence with the light of his existence one single ray of his in the form of happiness Ananda has filled the entire world all the happiness that can be compressed together that is from the beginning of creation to the end of creation billions of years before and billions of years hence and all that happiness is nothing but one infinitesimal part of God's Ananda but one can see God that means one can have his vision only if he turns his light towards his own face then Ramakrishna is talking about the Divine Mother, vision of the Divine Mother Master to Rana Krishna, my Divine Mother is not only formless she has forms as well one can see her forms one can behold her incomparable beauty through feeling and love, the Mother reveals herself to her devotees in different forms Mother reveals herself to her devotees in different forms what a marvellous statement Ramakrishna is giving, first of all sahasra seersha purushaha that means every single form that we see in this world is none other than only the Divine Mother yadevi sarvabhuteshu if the devotees recollect matru rupena shraddha rupena, vidya rupena jnana rupena then bhukti rupena in every form nothing but Divine Mother only exists in every being as sat, as chit and as ananda and that is what this isavasyamita kumsarvam etkincha jagatyam jagat the Divine Lord has pervaded, means manifesting as this entire world, so every form, every body is Mother's body every thought is Mother's thought Mother's mind, universal form and virat rupa of the Divine Mother and one can see her forms only by her grace one can behold her incomparable beauty through feeling and love but the Mother reveals herself to her devotees different forms, so even though everything is the Mother some forms are exalted forms Sri Ramakrishna says giving an example that there are some Bengali sweets so there is I forget the name so it can be made with ordinary what is called lentils, boiled lentils inside, outside it is covered with some sweet covering or some of them has got pure chana, chana means milk, broken milk cheese, the word English word cheese is a very inappropriate word here it means what we call paneer chana, broken milk and some jalebis are there just pure some lentils or something but there are Bengalis have specialised in this special sweets and some jalebis are filled with this chana, it is called chana jalebi, like that among forms there are some forms which are divine sattvika forms, rajasika forms namasika forms some are like gods some are like demons etc so that mother reveals herself to her devotees in different forms how does she reveal? by depending upon what they like to see, a beautiful subject we will discuss about it in our future class Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Dayo Sritva Pranamami Mohur Mohur, May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vekananda bless us all with Sati, Jai Ramkrishna