Hinduism 21
Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Prayer
ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु ।
मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ।
हरिः ॐ ।
Transliteration (IAST):
Om Saha Nāvavatu
Saha Nau Bhunaktu
Saha Vīryaṃ Karavāvahai
Tejasvi Nāvadhītamastu
Mā Vidviṣāvahai
Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ
Hariḥ Om
Translation:
Om, may Brahman protect us both.
May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge.
May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge.
May what we both study reveal the truth.
May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other.
Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.
What is Hinduism? The Contribution of Saints
Opening Prayer
Oṃ sahana vavatu sahana vunaktu sahaveeryam karavavahai tejasvinavadhi tamastumavidvishavahai Oṃ śānti śānti śānti hai hari Oṃ
Om, may Brahman protect us both. May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge. May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge. May what we both study reveal the truth. May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other. Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.
Introduction: The Role of Saints in Religion
What is Hinduism? Today I will be discussing the contribution of saints.
In any religion, those who propagate religion—the most important role is to be given to saints. It is they, in reality, who, as we say, are the very root of any religion. So what do these saints do? They are the people, first of all, who practise. They are the people who realize God and prove to humanity what is the real life of religion, what is the utility of religion.
The Four Fruits of Life
Religion is looked upon as a tree, a fruit tree. What does it yield? Four fruits: Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Moksha.
In Bengali, there is a very beautiful song: "Let us go, O mind, and sit under the tree, a wish-fulfilling tree, and that is Kali. And let us gather the four fruits."
There are only four things which a human being or any living creature really wants. Only four things: Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Moksha. The essence of these four is: we want happiness. We all want happiness. We go to God because we hope to get happiness. We lose faith in God because we think God is the root cause of all our problems. Many times it is true also—He is the root cause of all problems.
Somebody asked me, "Who is the root cause of all problems?" He said, "You know, he was sitting alone according to our scriptures. No problem. Then he created all of us and we are in trouble. He is also in trouble. He was at peace when there was no creation. After creation, neither he is at peace nor we are at peace. Where was the need for him to do all these things? He should have been happier."
The Problem of Desire for Sense Objects
Four fruits of life. But unfortunately what happens—people would only want one fruit. One of these is desired, not the other three. What is that? Artha. Artha means what? Sense objects: houses, money, bank balance, etc., etc., etc.
To be able to enjoy, our scriptures tell us three things are necessary:
- This instrument through which we can enjoy must be in a fit condition.
- The sense objects which we would like to enjoy must be in the best of conditions.
- There must be a peaceful environment.
Otherwise, even though we are ready, even though sense objects are there, we will not really be able to enjoy them. We may do the action, but whether we derive the happiness—that's a different issue.
What Saints Prove to Us
Now what do the saints do? First of all, they prove to us that man can be extremely happy. And there is only one way for him to be happy. And that way by which he can be the happiest is called religion. This is the definition of religion. Anything that makes man a better man, a happier man, a stronger man—that is religion. According to Swami Vivekananda, that is the definition.
India's Spiritual Heritage
Hinduism is one of the religions, one of the most fortunate of religions. You know what Swami Vivekananda has said about India? He said, "I challenge anybody to show one single period of our national life when India was lacking in spiritual giants." One single period, any century. You point out and say, "Where were the saints?" Even today, even this century, there are so many saints who are inspiring people everywhere through their life. I will give you some examples at the end of the talk.
Understanding the Importance of Saints
The Apparent Paradox
Importance of the saints—we have to understand. What is their importance? Many times, these so-called saints do not appear to be, to our ordinary eyes, to be doing any good to the society. We are utilitarians, you see. A swami is sitting and doing japa. What good does it do? How much good work is going on?
Ramakrishna himself did not establish any schools or colleges or hospitals. But by his inspiration, how many millions and millions of people are dedicating their life for the good of the world.
The True Purpose of Service
But I would not even say that we are not doing this for the good of the world. You know why? Because one of the fundamental doctrines of Vedanta is: you cannot do any good to this world. It is like trying to straighten the tail of a dog. But then what is the good of doing good to the world? You will be helped. You will become straight in the process. Your heart becomes pure and you will realize God. That is the benefit.
So this is the ātmano mokṣārthaṃ jagahitāya ca—for one's own liberation and as part of that process, do some good to this world. That is what every saint does.
The Highest Category of Saints
Swami Vivekananda used to say: among the saints, the highest category of the saints that are known to us are called incarnations. But then he said, "No, they are not the highest category of saints. There is one more class about which the world knows nothing, because they will be somewhere in the Himalayan cave or in a forest. He may be right here in Bourn End—you don't know. But nobody can recognise such a great soul. But their very concentrated thoughts will spread like wildfire."
The Power of Ideas
We know now the power of ideas. In this world, we know the power of ideas. Let me give you just a few examples:
In India, the power of Mahatma Gandhi's idealism. Even today, there are thousands of people who dedicate. Russia, look at Russia. Look at China and all these countries. Where is the influence? Whose influence? Only one person's influence. Though misapplied and not carried out properly. Misunderstood and misapplied. But one man's ideas. You know who that man was? Karl Marx. One idea.
So there are good people whose ideas spread. There are evil people whose ideas also spread. The persons themselves have passed away long back.
The Eternal Influence of Rāma and Sītā
In India, we say "Rāma Rājya." Very few people know. Rāma Rājya means the kingdom of Rāma. It's an ideal. Rāma set an example. Sītā—Swami Vivekananda used to say—for eternity, Sītā had set an example for all the women in this world. Whether you like it or not, whether you believe it or not, whether you understand it or not, if you want your own good, ultimately all women must follow the ideal of Sītā. And all men must follow the ideal of Rāma. This is the truth.
This is what saints do. Anyways, I mentioned that the highest category of saints—they live in the world of ideas. So they don't come out into the public. But their ideas are alive. And those whose hearts are open, they would receive these ideas.
The Four Categories of Saints in Hinduism
Now, Hinduism divides saints into four categories. Even though we hear the word "saint," it is not exactly the same. Hinduism divides all saints into four categories.
Who Is a Saint?
The first category is an ordinary saint. And before that, we must all know: who is a saint? Anybody who calls himself a saint should not be taken into consideration as a saint.
Who is a saint? A saint is, first of all, who lives in God. Secondly, he is free from egoism, likes and dislikes, selfishness, vanity, I and mine-ness, lust, greed, and anger, who is endowed with equal vision, balanced mind, mercy, tolerance, righteousness, and universal love, and who has self-knowledge. He is a saint.
The Two Aspects of a Saint
A saint has two sides. Just as Sri Ramakrishna used to say: an elephant has two tusks, two category classes of teeth. One is the tusks which you see outside, but there is another type of tusk which is inside. I didn't understand in the beginning how Sri Ramakrishna got hold of this idea. Later on I know: every elephant has got six sets of teeth.
What Sri Ramakrishna said: a saint has two aspects, the inner aspect and the outer aspect. The inner aspect is his realization, his knowledge, who he is. "I am the Ātman, I am a devotee, I am a child of God." That is his inner aspect, and nobody can know about this inner aspect unless each one of us experiences it for ourselves. There is no way you can know a saint.
But there is an outer aspect. That aspect is God, his behaviour in this world. And that is what we say: "This person behaves like this, he must be a holy man, he must be a saint." Certain characteristics are there. But even a person who has not realized God, he can also practise these characteristics. He lacks the inner knowledge, but he will be eventually reaching there.
Recognizing a Saint
So nobody can know who is a real saint. In fact, we do not even know who is a happy person. But outside behaviour is the only measurement, which as far as we can understand: a person is loving, unselfish, balanced, very wise. Any outer circumstances are not easily going to upset him. I am repeating that statement: any outside circumstances are not easily going to upset him.
So we think that, you know, outer circumstances—immediately, even the greatest difficulties, we don't see the other side of the coin. Greatest prosperity, greatest opportunity to be happy. No, he is not upset. He remains in sukhe-duḥkhe, equanimous. Under happiness, under unhappiness, his mind is not affected.
A little bit normal affectation will be there. The only thing is, so far as he is concerned, he is not affected. If you offer him the kingdom of heaven, he will remain calm and quiet. If you put him in a burning fire, he will be exactly the same.
The Saint's Response to Others
But when it comes to others, his behaviour will be just the opposite. At the happiness of other people, he will be very, very happy. You know, like a mother: when the mother hears the child has passed his exams, then she will be four times happier than the child. When the child is suffering, the mother's suffering is four times more. You know, those of you who have read Holy Mother's life, you know how much it is proved.
In a saint's life, this is the paradox. Towards himself, he is indifferent to either praise or censure, happiness or unhappiness. But for others, he will have extreme identity. That is the characteristic of a saint.
The Four Categories Defined
Anyway, I was telling you, there are four categories of saints according to Hinduism:
1. The Ordinary Realized Soul The first is an ordinary realized soul.
2. Ācārya The second is Ācārya—means those who have established a particular school of philosophy. And in Hinduism, an Ācārya is first a realized soul and then only a propagator. It is not intellectual. That is why philosophy and religion have never been separated in India.
Whether it is Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Madhva, Nimbārka, Vallabhācārya—whatever, they formulated certain dogmas. "This is my philosophy." And immediately thereafter, the goal is to take one to God. Therefore, you will have to follow the disciplines.
So one thing we have to understand is: all the Ācāryas, their philosophical points, they are different. But in spiritual practice, absolutely there is no difference. They have to practise or acquire four Ds. Four Ds, remember? Discrimination, dispassion, discipline, and intense desire. Desire for God-realization. Four Ds. This is common.
Only the devotees, they worship God—that is their path. Whereas those who tread the path of knowledge, they will have to do a slightly different type of spiritual practice.
So these Ācāryas—in India, all the Hindus can be divided into three categories: those who follow Śaṅkara, those who follow Rāmānuja, those who follow Madhvācārya.
3. Īśvara Koṭi The third category is what Sri Ramakrishna used to call Īśvara Koṭi, or the companions of an incarnation of God, like Swami Vivekananda. He didn't establish any school of philosophy, but he is considered to be one of the greatest Ṛṣis. Every incarnation brings with him someone who will act as an assistant to the incarnation. These are called Nitya Muktas or Īśvara Koṭis.
4. Incarnations of God And the fourth highest category is incarnations of God.
What Distinguishes These Categories
So what determines this division? I already told you, but just to remind you: it's not the content, it is not the goal, because they are all equally Godly people. What distinguishes them is the amount of power, not knowledge. The amount of influence they can have.
A saint will have little influence, like a hundred watt bulb. An Ācārya will have—it is like moonlight. He will have much more. And an Īśvara Koṭi or a third category of the saints, he will have much, much vast influence for a longer period of time. And an incarnation's influence: incalculable.
Buddha, 2,500 years back—even now his influence is strong. Buddhists are growing. Then came Jesus Christ. His influence is growing still. Chaitanya Mahāprabhu incarnation is growing. Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, we don't know how many years back they came. Their influence is growing. And it will grow and grow and grow, at least until the end of this yuga.
So the difference is not in the knowledge, but the difference is in their power. The capacity to influence how many people, in how vast an area, and for how long a time. The longest period of influence belongs to the incarnation. The Ācāryas have limited amount of influence. The local saints, of course, will have only influence in the locality.
The Utility of Saints
With this background, let us first discuss: what is the utility of a saint? We are utilitarians. So we want to know: if there is a saint, what good does it do to me? So here are certain things.
1. Saints Stand as Beacon Lights
First, they stand as beacon lights. You know what is a beacon light? Lighthouse. Do you know what is a lighthouse? Do you know what is its function? When the ship is travelling, it is to indicate that this is a safe harbour. This is the place you have to come. So that is the first thing.
2. Saints Inspire Faith
They inspire faith. Now, we have a curious theory. Swami Vivekananda had expounded this many, many times. He said: if you want to influence somebody, you cannot simply influence a person by talking intellectually. You may be the greatest scholar on earth. You may be talking in the most beautiful language, most logically. Nobody is going to change.
But an ordinary person, may be ungrammatical, he just uses one or two words, and immediately there is a change in the person who receives that in a proper way. So what is the difference? The difference is: the ability to influence comes when a man authentically lives a life and somehow he will develop that capacity to influence people.
The Analogy of the Lotus and the Bee
Ramakrishna had unique language to put these truths in his own way. He used to say: when the lotus blooms, it doesn't need to invite bees. They come of themselves. And if the lotus—if there is no honey, go on advertising, no bee is ever going to come there.
Who advertises himself as a saint, he may dress like a saint, he may behave like a saint—if there is no inner substance, there will be people, they will come to him. But they will be of that sort of people who belong to... yathā guru tathā śiṣyaḥ, yathā śiṣyaḥ tathā guru—as the guru, so the disciple. As the disciple, so the guru. This is the invariable law of karma.
If somebody says, "I am good, but my disciple is not good," or "my guru is not good," the law of karma doesn't allow such a thing. The exact people will be attracted—there is a law of attraction is there. Nothing is wrong. They will also get benefit, but that would not be exactly the same benefit that a real student gets from a real teacher. But all of us have to go through this process.
The Power of Faith from Realized Saints
A saint—what does he do? He is a man of realization, and therefore he can inspire faith in others. M, the recorder of the Gospel of Ramakrishna, he used to talk whole life—he only used to talk about Ṭhākur, and his conversations have been recorded by one of his disciples, and that is in 16 volumes, the Gospel of M. He recorded the Gospel of Ramakrishna, but somebody recorded the Gospel of M. Actually it is like a wonderful commentary on the Gospel of Ramakrishna.
So in that, somebody asks M, a devotee asks M: "What is the benefit of an incarnation of God?" And immediately he tells, you know, says: "Faith is infused into the hearts of a huge number of people." Not of course into everybody's heart, but a huge number of people—those who want, waiting for practising religious life, who are a bit ready, who are hesitating, oscillating: "Does God exist, does he not exist? Is it a waste of time? Or shall I do something?" Somehow faith comes into their hearts. This is a miraculous phenomena.
You cannot infuse faith by reading books or by giving a lecture. It has to come from an authentic person. That is again—Ramakrishna used to say that God must authorize a person, then only his words will have effect. So what is the authorization here? Simply people will have faith. That is called knowledge, indirect knowledge. That is called belief. "Oh, I have belief in this person."
If that person doesn't have that realization, this person's belief also is a very superficial, very fragile belief. But if that person is a person of realization—Sri Ramakrishna's teachings are so deep. He used to say, you know: "If a cobra catches a frog with three croaks, it may croak." Croaking means what? Doubting. It will be finished. But if a water snake catches a frog, it is an agony both for the snake and also for the frog.
But as I said, where can we get a cobra? So first become a good frog. If you are a water frog, then you will get only water snake. You will have to pray and discipline yourself and get ready, then it will be alright.
3. Saints Teach Us How to Rebel Against Nature
Saints teach us how to rebel against the octopus hold of nature, internal and external. Their usefulness consists in the example, the sect of renunciation of the things of the senses and the so-called happiness of the world of appearances.
We are slaves to worldly nature. We believe what is there in the newspapers. It's a strange thing. I am not talking about outside people. I am talking about so-called devotees of God, us. Our opinions are based upon other people's opinions. How slavish we are. If somebody says something, we are upset. And if somebody says something good, we don't easily trust.
We think we are free from it. We are egotistic, we are arrogant, we do not have that knowledge, we do not think deeply—and yet we think we are free of all the things that catch us in the most death-like grip. You know what is it? Worldliness. The idea that this world is real. This is the octopus-like nature of the Māyā. It doesn't allow us to think that there is some other reality which is greater than this reality. And so we behave according to this influence of this world.
This world is influencing us very much. Doubting is part of that influence. If a man becomes truly spiritual, the first thing he gets over is doubt.
The Example from Kaṭha Upaniṣad
Upaniṣads teach us this lesson. Kaṭha Upaniṣad. Nachiketa. Nachiketa's father. What is the difference? Nachiketa's father claimed that he was an aspirant after higher life. Nachiketa also wanted higher life. What then was the difference between these two? Nachiketa's father was beset with doubts.
Doubts means what? This world is real. And that's why he was unable to give up. If he comes to know that there is a higher world, then gladly he will give up this world. Do you see the point?
If you are convinced—Ramakrishna comes to you and says, "I will take you to my world"—gladly, immediately, you will give up. And you will run off. Because that is the nature of reality. It is your personal experience. But now we think that we are saying: scripture is telling, all right, and other saints are telling, all right, we have to practise renunciation. But when it comes to giving up—discrimination, we are all great. You know, we all discriminate. Dispassion is very difficult. That is where most of us fail. We don't want to give up anything.
So this is what the saints teach us. There is another reality. And unless we come across such a person, this idea doesn't sink. By reading our books it won't come. That is why satsaṅga, holy company, is very necessary.
The Importance of Physical Presence
So why do devotees come to the ashram? These talks you can have on the internet. Nowadays, you know, very easy. You don't need to come. You download into your MP3 player and you can listen. Why do you come to the ashram? Why did people come running to Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, other saints? Because they could see in front of their eyes a living example. Monks provide that kind of example. This you will not get on the internet. This is what the saints, first of all, they show us.
The octopus hold of nature. We are slaves to our body, to our mind, to our opinions, to our preconceived ideas. And we are not even ready to keep an open mind and say: "Maybe the other person has a point. There is something I can learn from that person." Until we do that, we are not going to progress one centimetre.
The Example of Arjuna
Bhagavad Gītā—as long as Arjuna held to his own opinions, Sri Kṛṣṇa simply didn't open his mouth. The moment Arjuna found out that he was wrong and he is responsible, he accepted himself. And you know what he said? "I am confused. I didn't understand that I was confused. But now by your grace, I understand I am confused. And I surrender myself to you because I have faith you can take me out of this confusion." And only then, Sri Kṛṣṇa opens his mouth. That is the first condition. And this can happen only in the presence of a saint. Otherwise self-acceptance is very difficult. This is first.
4. Saints Exemplify True Renunciation
Second point is: their usefulness consists in the example they set of renunciation of the things. And then why should we have sense objects? For only one reason: we want to be happy. And why do saints renounce? Because they want to be happy.
The Story of Socrates
So you know, it was said—a funny story about a great ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates. So he used to go to the supermarkets, Tesco, Marks and Spencer's and all that. From morning till evening, he would go on, going around looking at all things. Somebody noticed him and asked him, "Sir, you come every day, look at everything, but never buy anything. Why do you come?"
And he said, "You know, I am trying to find out how many things I could be without. If I can live without that, then my life—economically it is better, environmentally it is better, in every way it is."
"Do I need a husband?" When you come to that point—really, if it is Holy Mother, not my words, Holy Mother's words: an unmarried person is 50% on his way to heaven. 50%—he is not on the way, he is enjoying 50% of heavenly happiness. This is the truth. I am not joking, because we ourselves don't know what we are. We try to take responsibility for the other persons also.
5. Saints Provide Reassurance
Saints serve as everlasting sources of reassurance to every struggling soul that the spiritual destiny, though difficult to get it, is certainly attainable.
What do the saints do? This is the most wonderful thing. For most of us, we are not lacking in faith in God or religion, but we are lacking faith in ourselves. Can I achieve God? Is it possible for a weak human being like me to ever achieve God?
Hope from Sri Ramakrishna
Go to Sri Ramakrishna, read Sri Ramakrishna's Gospel—every page tells you it is possible for every person irrespective of what he is, who he is, even the most—what is called—those who committed the most heinous crimes.
Bhagavad Gītā, the Lord says, you know: "Even a person who committed the most heinous crimes, if he only tells, 'O Lord, I have committed this great crime, is there any way for him?'" He says, "Once the man turns to me, kṣipraṃ bhavati dharmātmā, śaśvat śāntiṃ nigacchati"—immediately he will become dharmātmā. That means he is giving hope: nobody will be left behind.
Sri Ramakrishna is telling—only yesterday I was reading: everybody will be liberated without exception. Where else do you get this kind of hopeful thing?
"But I am in a very desperate condition, I can't control my mind, I cannot think of God, I don't have faith in God." Don't worry, he will—you pray to him: "O Lord, I want to come to you, please help me." He will help you. Maybe he will send you such a big shock—that is what is called the best weapon he had. If you want desperately—urgent SOS—he will send you a big problem, and immediately he will renounce the world and turn towards you. He has not found out any other way. God, you know, he is very knowledgeable. He tried many other ways, nothing works. This is the only thing which works.
The Example of Vibhīṣaṇa from Rāmāyaṇa
So, reassurance: anybody, at any stage, at any time, even if we have wasted practically whole of our life, the last breath—is there any hope? Yes, there is hope. Where is the hope?
Rāmāyaṇa, we are talking about Hinduism, you know—Vibhīṣaṇa comes, and he wants to surrender himself to the Lord. Everybody was against him: "This must be a spy of Rāvaṇa, he must have come to assess your strengths and weaknesses, and it is dangerous, we don't know anything about him."
Then, here Rāma asks Hanumān: "So what is your opinion?" Hanumān says, "Lord, once a person comes to you, without examining him, without testing him, it is not commonsensical to send him away. Test him first if you want, but what is it that you don't know? You are all-knowing. So anybody comes, you have no other way but to give refuge to him."
Then, there is a beautiful śloka comes in Rāmāyaṇa. Rāma utters: "If anyone, once in his life, says to me sincerely, 'Oh Rāma, I want to belong to you, I have a wish that I should belong to you'—once a person utters this, thereafter, I will never again abandon that person."
See, Ramakrishna, he says: anyone who prayed to God sincerely, at least once in his life, he is bound to come to me. This is his verse. So, God doesn't have that kind of judgment: "Oh, I have to examine, I will test hundred times, whether he is..."—he has no doubts, because he has his own vision, how he looks upon us, in his own way, like a mother, looking upon a helpless child. The child may think, "I am helpless, what good am I to mother?" But the mother looks upon the child as the treasure of her heart. This is a Holy Mother, has to look upon every person, worthy, unworthy. Who is unworthy in the eyes of a mother? That's the idea.
So a saint, he will never discourage anybody. He will never say, "Oh, you will never attain anything good, you are good for nothing." Such a thing—such doesn't exist in the dictionary of a saint.
6. Saints Teach Happiness and Love
They teach by their blissful and love-laden lives how to attain unalloyed happiness, and how to love the entire creation without expecting any return. Two things: how to be happy.
This is our search, whether you are married, unmarried, monks or whatever—there is only one search: how to be happy. And we are labouring under the false impression that we can't be happy until we have certain things. But the saints teach us that you can be very happy without any things.
The Story of the King and the Happy Man
Like the king who was searching for happiness. There was a king—he had everything, but he was profoundly unhappy. So he was searching for happiness. So he called his ministers and said, "Find out a way how I could be happy, otherwise I will chop off your heads."
So the ministers got together, said, "King, there is a way."
"What is it?"
"Find out a man who is very happy, and you put on his clothes."
Immediately the king sent a huge army, four directions: "Find out the happiest man on earth." After six months, they all came back. The king thundered, "Did you find the happiest man on earth?"
"Yes, king."
"Where are his clothes?"
"Sorry, king, he had no clothes."
The point is, we are labouring under the impression: if we don't have a house, or this or that, or the other thing, we can't be happy. But the saints show us: even if they don't have anything, they can be the most peaceful persons, they can be the most happiest persons, thereby proving to us: happiness comes from within, not from outside.
That is Sri Ramakrishna. Look at the life of Sri Ramakrishna. Look at the life of Holy Mother. What did she have to give you? But people used to run there like bees in search of honey. Once they go there, they are the happiest, as though they are at home. This is the meaning of "at home." This is first.
Learning to Love Without Expectation
The second is: how to love the entire creation without expecting any return. This is the most difficult thing for us. Even if we don't get any benefit, we will not lift a single piece of blade of grass. This is our nature. But a saint, he doesn't expect anything, yet he loves.
Not only that, saints also will have enemies—I mean, what I meant is, from a saint's point of view, there are no enemies, but there will be people who will be inimical to the saints. They don't like saints, so they can create a lot of problems. But what do they get? Why is it saying in Hindu literature: the more you cut a sandalwood tree with an axe, or the more you saw a sandalwood tree, what do you get? The more fragrance you will get. What a wonderful thing! These great people are like that. The more you abuse them, the more they give you.
Girish Chandra Ghosh—he abused, and immediately he got Mokṣa itself.
Saints and Human Welfare
Material and Psychological Contributions
To the utilitarians and narrow-minded among the humanists, saints appear socially sterile, and they think they don't contribute anything to man's material welfare. Saints, though they do not appear to contribute anything to man's material welfare, are indispensable for his psychological and spiritual welfare.
Psychologically, it is a very sad age we are living in. One in four, one or one in three, are psychologically damaged among us. Count how many of us are here? Yes, psychologically not happy—some problem is there. So who can help us? No psychologist can help us. He can give you advice.
You know, the other day one psychologist came here, and I asked him, "You are treating so many patients. Have you really helped them?" You know what he said? "Psychology doesn't cure patients. They only help them control their symptoms." I never knew about this before. That means they give some medication, some advice, because the root cause of the problem is not removed.
The Root Cause: Spiritual Disconnection
What is the root cause of the problem? Do you know what is the problem? We have forgotten our spiritual nature. We are like people wandering in a foreign country. So unless we go back to our spiritual roots, not to speak of problems in this world—obesity is directly traced to lack of spiritual life.
There was recently a book had come, Spiritual Intelligence. The first point he brings out is: that people are obese because they have no spiritual outlook. What is the connection between these two? Then the author says: what is the cause of obesity? Lack of happiness. Man gets bored. Why? Because he is surfeit of things—too many things, and nothing gives satisfaction. The only thing that gives him satisfaction is eating. So he will raid the fridge, whatever is there he will go on eating. For a few minutes it will give immediate satisfaction, but it creates obesity. See how wonderful it is, connection!
A lot of social problems are also due to lack of spiritual outlook. This is the truth. Without spirituality, even worldly happiness is not possible. That is a different subject altogether.
The Priority of Spiritual Help
I am just mentioning: what the saints do is that they contribute not only to the spiritual welfare of people—and remember, do not forget, that those who want spiritual life in this world are always very, very few. Among millions of people, one may genuinely want God. Rest of them, they want God to do something for them. God as a goal, God as an instrument—most of us use God only as an instrument. We want something from Him, we don't want Him.
Suppose you are praying to God: "I want you." So God comes and says, "Look here, you do not seem to understand my nature. If you want me, you won't get happiness. If you get happiness, you won't have me. Choose what you want." What would you choose if you know definitely that happiness and God are two distinctly separate things?
The Dangers of Materialism
Psychologically we are damaged people because we do not estimate the negative effect of having too many things. There was a great social psychologist, Eric Fromm, and in one of his books he points out that too much of efforts towards happiness is counterproductive.
Happiness is not an object. You can go to any supermarkets: "I want half a kilo of happiness." It is a by-product of doing something satisfactory—that which is fulfilling. It could be anything. When you are hungry, eat something—that is fulfilling. When you are full stomach, you eat something—you eat, but it is not fulfilling.
So having too many things, too much of material wealth, etc., is really counterproductive. He tries to prove it in the whole of the book. It is what we are, not what we have. To Be or to Have—that is the title of the book, very beautiful book.
So what the saints do is: we must have certain psychological fitness even to enjoy material wealth. And that requires certain type of renunciation, certain type of self-discipline, certain type of self-control. Whether we like it or not, that is the only way.
Can a Mentally Deranged Person Be a Saint?
One very important point in this connection is: is it possible for a saint to be mentally deranged? Or a mentally deranged person, can he become a saint?
The question is important because there are so many people who are mentally deranged but claim to be having wonderful experiences. "One day I was meditating, I was about to commit suicide, thinking of how to commit suicide, and suddenly I had this wonderful vision, and my life has changed."
You know, there are people who have this kind of claims that they have certain types of visions. Thereafter, you observe their behaviour—they have not changed anything. They are only claiming "we are changed," but they have not really changed in any way. In fact, now they have acquired so many disciples, and they are teaching to their disciples: "You renounce everything and bring it to my house. I will help you how to practise renunciation. I am doing a great service to you thereby."
The Importance of Self-Knowledge
We have to be very careful. A person who is a saint, he is a depth psychologist. The first thing, if we want to progress in spiritual life, is to know what is wrong with ourselves: study our own mind, be aware of what is our problem, and find out a remedy, and have this strong will and discipline to be able to overcome that problem. Otherwise there is no spiritual progress.
That is why, whether it is Sri Ramakrishna, or Swami Vivekananda, or anybody, anybody who advances into spiritual life, spiritual progress—the first thing that happens to him is: his own mind becomes crystal clear to him.
Rāmānujācārya, the great Ācārya, tells us that the first sign of spiritual progress is ātma valokanāt—ātma valokanāti, vision of the higher self. A man looks into depths of his own mind, and he knows everything. "Oh, I am suffering from this problem, I am suffering from this defect, oh, this desire is hidden so long, now it is coming out." Nothing can be hidden. He focuses the torch light of his search into the very bottom of his unconscious, and everything that is lying, it has to come out.
Buddha's Teaching on Meditation
That is why, you know, it is said: somebody asked Buddha, "Why is it in the beginning, meditation seems to be so wonderful, so joyous, but after some time, it becomes one of the most difficult things?"
He gave a beautiful example. This is: supposing you are travelling, and you are thirsty, and suddenly you see a small mud puddle—small mud puddle, there is a little bit of rain water collected there. How clear the water is! So very gingerly you drink the water—all the mud is at the bottom, but all the clear water is at the top. You drink that water, fine.
But supposing you take a stick and then starts churning it, what happens? All the mud that is at the bottom will come out. Now a person, a worldly person, he is like the person who is not even aware how much mud is accumulated at the bottom. He is only drinking from the topmost. But the moment he sits for meditation with serious intention, it is like taking a stick: "Let me see what is there at the bottom." What comes out!
Holy Mother's Teaching
This is what Holy Mother had expressed in her own inimitable language. Once some devotee asked, "Mother, when I start meditating, or doing japa, lots of undesirable thoughts come. Why is it?"
Then she gives a beautiful example: "My son, supposing you are winding threads of different coloured threads into a ball—it has become a ball. Now you want to unwind it. What do you see? All the different coloured threads you have put to make it a ball, you will get them. Or magically they will disappear?"
That means whatever saṃskāras we have accumulated from so many millions of births, they are all lying down. It will not do to say, "I will just run, fly to God." It won't happen. You will have to stir them up, know for what they are, deal with them, and then you will progress in spiritual life.
Saints as Spiritual Mirrors and Guides
So what a saint does is: he becomes like a mirror. So if anybody goes for an advice to him, and says, "Look, this is what you are suffering from." Now I will give one or two examples, and I will discuss it further.
The Story of the Miserly Devotee
There was a devotee—he was very sincere, he had tremendous faith in Sri Ramakrishna, but he had a great defect. The defect was miserliness. So he wants to progress in spiritual life. So in his case, what is the obstruction? Miserliness. Can a devotee be miserly? "I will be miserly and also a devotee"—yes, he will be a miserable devotee, not a real devotee.
So Sri Ramakrishna very adroitly, one day he praised: "Oh, this devotee is so generous, he loves devotees, he wants to feed them, and he gets the greatest happiness from feeding them." Pumped him up very nicely. And then this man's heart started palpitating. Then Sri Ramakrishna told him, "Shall we fix a date when we are all going to come to your house?"
Now Sri Ramakrishna praised him so much, he couldn't do or say anything. In fact, Sri Ramakrishna himself had set a date. And that day all the devotees—Sri Ramakrishna, this is my guess, he must have told even those who are not devotees—"Come, let us go and have a bonfire." So they all gathered.
Sri Ramakrishna, you know, in his infinite grace, he gave so much of joy to this devotee. Thereafter that devotee did not need any suggestion. He himself started inviting everybody: "Sir, when are you coming again?" You know why? Because he got so much of joy. That's what we do. Wherever from we get joy, we run to that object or person or place.
Many times, you know, we reminisce: "Oh, when I was a child, I was very happy." Why do we reminisce? This is the nostalgia. Why do we do it? Because we had very happy experience at that time. Now I am not getting, so the only way is fall back in memory to that state.
So from that time onwards, this devotee started inviting, because he was getting so much of joy. He understood: there is a joy in serving the devotees, there is a joy in spending money, there is a joy in the company of other devotees.
Dealing with Different Defects
There were many devotees of Sri Ramakrishna like that, and everyone had his or her own defect. So Sri Ramakrishna as an effective guru would deal with that devotee to remove that particular obstruction.
You all know, I will not go into the details, the cases of Swami Yogānanda and Swami Nirañjanānanda—same incident, but two different: one person was suffering from inferiority complex, another person is suffering from superiority complex. Both are obstructions in spiritual progress. So through his grace, he scolded both of them and removed their obstruction.
The Cost of Psychiatry vs. Spiritual Guidance
And psychiatry is one of the costliest things in this world, do you know that? 100 pounds—it was passed, I don't know how much they are going to charge you now—100 pounds per hour. They have listed these two.
In America it is very costly, one session costs so much. One man, he had some problem, so he went to this clinic, psychiatric clinic, and there was modern technology—they automated everything. As soon as he approached, the door opened: "Welcome, we are privileged to have a most valuable customer like you." Nobody was there, just automated voice.
And he found two doors. So: "If you are suffering from inferiority complex, enter through the left-sided door. If you are suffering from superiority complex, enter through the right-sided door." So he entered through the left-sided door. He found another two doors: "Above 50,000 dollars, enter through the right-side door. If it is below 50,000 dollars, enter through the left-sided door." So he entered through the left-side door, found himself in the back street.
The Three Levels of Help Saints Provide
The point I am trying to make is, you see, a saint, what he does is: at the level that we are, we may need physical help. That is what Ramakrishna Mission is trying to do, through schools, through colleges, hostels, hospitals, relief works, etc.
1. Psychological Help
At the psychological level, what a saint does is—it is not spiritual help, though indirectly it is a spiritual help. If somebody is suffering from fear, or from complex, or from some other defect, then he will point out to him and gently help him to get rid of it.
2. Spiritual Help
And then of course there is a spiritual help. What is the distinction between psychological help and spiritual help? Psychological help is to make the mind a fit instrument, whereas the spiritual help is at that level: what is your particular path? Are you a devotee? Are you fit to travel the path of knowledge? Or you want to be a yogi? Or you want to be a karma yogi?
And if you are a devotee of God, then which is your chosen deity? Is it Rāma? Is it Kṛṣṇa?
The Story of the Vaiṣṇava Devotee
Let me tell you an incident. One devotee went to Holy Mother—he was a Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava means worshipper of Viṣṇu. For a long time, his generations together, their family were devotees of Viṣṇu. Then he wanted initiation from Holy Mother, and Mother gave him a mantra. He didn't like it, the least bit. He said, "Mother, I am a Vaiṣṇava, why did you give me this mantra?"
She said, "My son, I have given you the right mantra." But he didn't like it. Even though she said, he couldn't say anything, but he didn't like it.
After many, many years, his love for the feminine, the Divine Mother's aspect of God, has become so much, then he understood: "That this is my real nature. This is what Mother has given me." She did not give it by thinking. She used to say in her humility: "Sri Ramakrishna comes and tells me which mantra to give."
Sri Ramakrishna's Visions of Deities
Does not Sri Ramakrishna know? Whenever devotees used to come and approach Sri Ramakrishna, he used to have a vision of that particular deity whom they are accustomed to worship. It is most wonderful thing to study the life of Sri Ramakrishna.
He comes from a family of worshippers of Rāmachandra, but then he came to this Kālī Mandir. Who became his chosen deity? Divine Mother Kālī. And there are instances, I was thinking, how this happened. He never went into ecstasy seeing Rāma. But when he was going to see the temple of Viśālākṣī, he became one in an ecstatic state.
So later on, his whole life, he remained the devotee of the Divine Mother. It was destined. The temple, the whole temple was made for him. If the Divine Mother or God wanted Sri Ramakrishna to worship some other form of God, then he would have made a temple belonging to that particular God. But it was Divine Mother—he was destined there. The Divine Mother arranged that her temple would be established.
The Story of Rani Rasmani
This is an astonishing, dramatic story in itself. Rani Rasmani belonged to devotees of Rāma. Her father was a devotee of Rāma, and she was married into this family who worshipped Śakti. Rani Rasmani, she herself became a devotee of the Dāsī—she used to put on that emblem like that. And she wanted to go on a pilgrimage, and then she received this commandment: "That you don't need to go. Whatever money you decided to spend, you construct a temple of me. I will receive your worship."
For whose sake was the temple built? For the sake of Sri Ramakrishna. Of course there is a tremendous amount of significance why in this age he could have realized God through any other worship. For him it doesn't matter. It is for our sake—it is a different subject altogether.
But the point I am trying to make is: that everything was destined, predestined. Holy Mother used to give mantra according to the real necessity of the devotees. Sometimes the devotees may not know at the time of receiving initiation: "We thought we will receive some other." But the thing is, they know intuitively what is good for us. So we must have that faith, continue, then everything will be alright in the end.
3. Material Help
Point I am trying to tell you is: that people need material help. An example: Sri Ramakrishna gave material wealth to Upendranath Mukhopadhyay. Why did he give? Not to make him worldly. So that once that defect is removed, he will remain, become a great devotee. And he remained the greatest devotee of God.
Conclusion: The Comprehensive Role of Saints
There are psychological defects which need to be removed, and that is what Sri Ramakrishna did. Then there is spiritual help needs—that also he provided. So saint, he does everything, at whatever level we need the help. If we are sincere, depend upon God, help comes.
Saints are the people who give material help, psychological help, and also spiritual help. And of all the things, the greatest help is spiritual help. That is what the saints really illustrate.
We will take up this discussion and continue in the future.
Closing Prayer
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
Om Śānti, Śānti, Śāntih.
Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.