Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 095 on 12-September-2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

Today we have got a question. This is the question. Sri Ramakrishna often says he has the mind of a woman that allows him to meditate on God. What are these feminine qualities that he has imbibed to be closer to God? First part of the question. Also, is it a part of our spiritual evolution to mentally feel that I am not a male, not a female. I am Chaitanya Swaroopam. There is no reality. These are the two separate points in one question. So what does Sri Ramakrishna mean that he has the mind of a woman? Sometimes in the Gospel of Ramakrishna, we get this in other contexts also. Narayana is like a male pigeon and Babu Ram and others are like female pigeons. So Sri Ramakrishna is telling I have the mind of a woman to be very, very simple. It is like this. Sri Ramakrishna said a Jnani is like a male and a Bhakta is like a female. Why? Traditionally, even today, a woman feels that she is helpless without a man. But the man or the father, he takes the responsibility. He has to look after his wife, protect his wife and protect his family, etc., etc. And very curiously, in the whole history, this is going on all the time. Even today, many female species, when they want a mate, they test the males. How? For example, a small flying insect, the female insect starts flying higher and higher and higher. And only a male who has the capacity to catch up with her will get the rights of mating. That means he has proved that I am very strong. That means the offspring has the chance to be born as strong. Very, very curious. Nowadays, people are completely ignoring this truth. That is why you see people like rats, very dwarfs, very lean and thin. Why? Because if the parents are like that, the children cannot be like Kumbhakarnas or Bhimasenas. It is not possible. Pure biological fact. Anyway, whatever it is, we are not talking about these gender differences here. But in the spiritual realm, the whole universe is created by whom? By Saguna Brahma. Sri Ramakrishna used to call Saguna Brahma or what Vedanta calls Saguna Brahma as Shakti, female. And all creation comes only from the female. So Sri Ramakrishna used to say very often that to call God as my mother, as the divine mother, my mother, to think of God as one's own mother is the last word in sadhana. Because remember, whatever we think, whatever we conceive of God, that becomes applicable to everybody. So if somebody thinks of Narayana, soon he sees Narayana everywhere. Sri Ramakrishna has a beautiful example. If somebody goes on staring at the sun, then he will see even if he is looking to the east, west, above, below, an orb of that light continues, persists for some time, you can experiment it even now. So whatever a person thinks, most of the time he is likely to see. That means a person becomes, by thinking of God as the divine mother, he becomes a divine mother. So what are the characteristics of the divine mother? Because that is what Sri Ramakrishna means. In me, the feminine qualities, divine mother's qualities, they are more dominant in some people by nature. For example, in the Jnanis, they are like male pigeons. That means I will think of God. I am God. I am no less than God. Aham Brahmasmi. And Brahman has to become merged in me. Whereas a devotee says, Mother, you take me into your lap. A Jnani says, I will replace you. Aham Brahmasmi. This is purely an attitude, nothing to do with egotism or anything. Now the whole universe has been created by the divine mother. And what are the most important qualities of the divine mother? That is why when Sri Ramakrishna says, think of God as one's own mother or the divine mother, he is implying every mother, not every woman, every mother. When in relationship with the children, she exhibits certain qualities and all these qualities can be divided into seven in number. I will come soon to that. But the most important qualities of the divine mother, we get in the Durga Saptashati. And we also every day hymn Sarva Mangala Mangalye, which is also from the Durga Saptashati only. Sarva Mangala, that is the key word. Sarva Mangala means, the word Sarva means every type of auspiciousness, one meaning. The meaning of the word Sarva is for everybody. Mother doesn't make that distinction, this is a good child, this is an evil child. No, children are all the same for the divine mother. How can she do that? Because she is the creator and she is not a helpless creator. She has created purposefully the good and the evil. Why is the evil necessary? It is a big subject. But Ramakrishna gives a hint. A person can become a saint only when he confronts evil. Otherwise, no. If we do not continuously confront what we call unpleasantness, evilness, undesirable things, somebody criticizing us, somebody trying to cheat us, pull us down, even to do away with us, insults us at every given opportunity, then only our spirituality will come out. Otherwise, we will be like doormats, dead things, not living things. Every saint has become, not because of God, but because of the evil people. I also mentioned, if you still remember, the story of the father superior, who was being troubled by a novice monk. But one day the novice monk left the monastery. Everyone was happy, but the father superior was not happy. So he went at night, searched, found him out, and bribed him and brought him back. And when asked for an explanation, he said, all the spirituality that I gained is only because of that. An absolute truth. In a pleasant environment, we are never going to grow, either physically or even physically. If somebody is so pleasantly, he doesn't want to go to the gymnasium and exercise, his body is not going to grow up. If somebody reads only what is called lighter books, like reading novels, etc., all the time, then his mind will be only in an artificial mind, not real world. Obstacles are deliberately created. And if we pray to God, He will create for the good of the world. Because it is only the obstacles which help us to grow. Now coming back, in the Divine Mother, as I mentioned, many qualities have been mentioned in the 5th chapter. Most likely, I do not remember, these are some of the most important Divine Mother's qualities. YADEVI SARVA BHUTESHU First quality, MATRA RUPENA SAMSTHITA Present as the Mother. Then, SHAKTE RUPENA SAMSTHITA KRISHNA RUPENA SAMSTHITA KANTE RUPENA SAMSTHITA SHANTE RUPENA SAMSTHITA SHRADDHA RUPENA SAMSTHITA LAKSHMI RUPENA SAMSTHITA SMRUTI RUPENA SAMSTHITA DAYA RUPENA SAMSTHITA TUSHTI RUPENA SAMSTHITA And there are also, KSHRUDA RUPENA, KRISHNA RUPENA, VRUTHI RUPENA, and also the final, clinching manifestation, BRANTE RUPENA SAMSTHITA Why Brante? Because that is the obstacle which will drive us ultimately to the Divine, to the Mother's lap. Now I will come to you. I mentioned earlier, there are seven important qualities of the Divine Motherhood. And by the way, in Tantrics, worship the Divine Mother. It is not simply meant when we say it is Mother, like Father and Mother. The first idea connoted by the Divine Motherhood is that of energy. I am the power that is in all beings. So these are some of the qualities we have to think about. What is the first quality? It is the Divine Motherhood or even Ordinary Motherhood. Because these qualities are present in every Mother, maybe in a smaller degree. First, She is the Source. Where from we are coming? SRISHTI STHITI VINASHA NAM SHIKTI BHUTE SANATANI GUNASHRAYE GUNAMAYI NARAYANI NAMOSTU TE The Divine Mother is the womb, the origin from my own, origin of all beings, the entire world, both living and non-living. The Upanishads, especially the Taittiriya Upanishad YATO VA AIMANI BHUTANI JAYANTE ENU BHUTANI JEEVANTE YAT PRAVISHANTE VISAM SHAMTE TE TAD VIJIG NASASVA TAD BRAHME TE That from which the entire world is manifested, that is Brahman, that is the Source, that is called Brahmayoni. Second, who is closest to the baby? Her closeness. The physical aspect of the Mother is too obvious not to take notice. The organic dependence for long, long nine months in the Mother's womb and then the symbiotic psychological exchange which goes on even in the weeks after birth for many years. That is Mother is close. Even today in our sleep if somebody slaps us, the first word that comes is Amma, Mother, not Father. Third, Mother's love is all-encompassing love. Of course I am talking about Divine Mother but here we are comparing with every Mother, not a woman but a Mother. Whenever the motherliness in a woman comes out, she manifests this motherliness and this thing so much present in our Holy Mother. That's why Shri Ramakrishna said, I have kept you as an ideal of the Divine Motherhood. For this Kali Yuga, Divine Motherhood is the only remedy for all these effects of the Kali. All-encompassing love. In God's love, that means Divine Mother's love, there is no trace of partiality. How can that be love? We ask. Because His rain falls upon the just and the unjust alike is a proof. The sun shines not only on clean places but even on the dirtiest places. That is, if God doesn't love anybody, that person even cannot exist, that being doesn't exist. That is the third. Fourth is forbearance. Who can forbear? Whatever the baby does, the baby defecates, passes all sorts of things, quarrels, even kicks mother even while he is being suckled by the mother. But who can put up with all that? Infinite forbearance. Kshama. That is how much God is putting up with us. Marvellous. Then forgiveness. It is one thing to forbear and endure a lot of sufferings. Quite another is to forgive and forget. Only a mother can truly forgive and forget. Even if the child has done something wrong, she might still remember. But after some time, if the child becomes repentant, then mother forgives everything. Sarva Kshama Roopini, forgiveness. Then auspiciousness. What does a mother want of the child? May my child have everything that is good. Sarva Mangala Mangaliye. So, what are they? Auspiciousness in all auspicious things. She is the root cause of all auspiciousness. Finally, playfulness. And the whole creation is nothing but called Leela. Who can do Leela? Not Nirguna Brahma, but only Saguna Brahma. So, western people, whose ideas of religion are usually shrouded in seriousness and solemnity, quite naturally take time to get accustomed to the thought of God as a mother playing with her children in sport. It is only in very few religions, in Hinduism, that God is thought not only as a mother, but only as the mother. Even when, for example, a Vishnu Bhakta thinks of Vishnu, he is thinking in the male aspect. But all the qualities, feminine qualities that we have mentioned here, the whole universe comes from Brahma, who himself came from Narayana. He is the source, the closeness, the all-encompassing love, the forbearance, the forgetfulness and the equidistribution of everything without any partiality and hopelessness with the baby. Only the mother plays. So, there are many other qualities, but these are the seven important qualities we should think of God and possessing that. What is this? Source, closeness, all-encompassing love, forbearance, forgiveness, auspiciousness, playfulness. And that is what Sri Ramakrishna means that I have the mind of a woman. Whereas, look at Narendranath, whom Sri Ramakrishna compared as a male pigeon. He and Bhavanath also. I don't know why Bhavanath and Narendra are like male pigeons. We are all like female pigeons. Sharanagati is our path. And by the way, we have to realize it. And another very important, interesting fact, Sri Ramakrishna often used to divide or classify his devotees into those who are born with the Amsa of Shiva and those who are born with the Amsa of Vishnu. So, born with the Amsa of Shiva means their Gnan is often Aham Brahmasmi. They cannot tolerate other types of relationships. Whereas a Bhakta, he compared it to this Vishnu Amsa. That is, it is Vishnu who incarnates most of the time. And sometimes Shiva incarnates. When he incarnates like Shankaracharya, it is only Gnana Marga. And don't enjoy this world. Don't even drink boiled water because you cannot digest. Whereas Vishnu's all happiness, from early morning onwards, happiness, oh happiness, bliss, oh bliss. So, that is the mainly Sri Ramakrishna is talking about. Vishnu Amsas, they become Bhaktas. Shiva Amsa, Gnanis. Broad classification, most of us are a combination of Vishnu and Shiva, Bhakti and as well as some knowledge also. But ultimate path also differs. One is Sharanagati. Another is Aham Brahmasmi, Mahavakya. So much difference is there. For most of us, Sri Ramakrishna said, think of God as the most loving creature. Especially, not with relation with a grown up child, but as a baby. We are completely helpless. We can only cry. Then mother comes running. And especially Sri Ramakrishna used to quote, there are two bhavas are there. One bhava is that of the kitten. Another bhava is that of the monkey. Marjara Nyaya, Markata Nyaya. Sri Ramakrishna advocated Marjara Nyaya. That is, let the mother carry the baby. Put wherever she knows. The mother knows better than anybody else. Just a curious incident I had read about when I was in UK. A beautiful book, small is beautiful. It is all about a veteran, I think I forgot the name of the author now. Now, there was a lady who loved cats. She has more than 40 or 50 cats. Any stray cat, she will take him. And she used to give food. So, she saw once a wild cat. Never came near her. But she used to come into her garden. And she used to put the food. As soon as this lady goes out into the garden, that wild cat runs away. A female cat, it runs away. But after she returns, this lady was watching. Immediately the mother cat comes and then gobbles up the food and runs away. It was a wild cat. And then one day, she was sitting there and she was shocked. This wild cat has given birth to one kitten. We don't know others have died or not. But one kitten and it was severely injured, suffering from. Somehow with great difficulty, she entered, kept the baby at the feet of this old lady. And immediately ran away. And this was noticed and informed for a veterinary. Now I remember, James Harriot. That was the name of the author. And immediately this lady has taken. She was exclaiming. Even this wild cat knew intuitively that my baby cannot survive without me. I am going to die soon. So the best thing for my baby will be to bring it and leave it with this lady. My baby will be very safe with this lady. This is what we are all talking about. Hence Ramakrishna says, I have the mind of a woman, means I have the mind of a devotee. I have the mind of a mother. Because whole life Ramakrishna worshipped only the Divine Mother, Mother Kali. And Mother Kali, for many people, unfortunately, is a very ferocious concept. Including Haldari also. But Ramakrishna had proved she is the most caring of the Mother. How? Guna Shreye, Gunamayee, Narayane, Namostu The. So that was the question we were talking about. What was the second type of question? Ultimately, we have to go beyond the concept of this male-female, what is called dichotomy. What is it? It is the mind which creates this dichotomy. I am male and I am female. And what does it mean, male and female? We never think about in terms of bodily qualities. But it is mostly mental qualities. I have seen fathers who have lost their wives, bringing up the children more than what is called mother's love. You also must have seen such things. So in that case, for the baby, they may call that person as father, but really speaking, more of motherly quality is present. What is father's quality? Protectiveness, I would say. Loving, encompassing, protectiveness for a whole life is the special quality of the father. So when we say somebody's mind is male, it means the person's mind is more on Nirguna Brahma. And the same person or another person, when he comes down to the level of this world, body-mind, then necessarily the person has to think about Saguna Brahma. Nirguna Brahma, in fact, cannot be thought of by anybody. Only when we transcend our mind, which creates all these divisions, male-female, good and evil, pleasant and unpleasantness, etc. We have to transcend finally. The final attainment is to go beyond the mind. We go beyond time, space and causation. And that is the ultimate goal. So I think I have explained this. Now we will go back to our class. In our last class, Ramakrishna was talking about what was the first thing he talked about. We have to cultivate holy company. And that was the topic we will discuss today, here, now. And then in our last class, I also explained the difference between what is japa and what is prayer. Just to recollect, in case some of us have forgotten, japa is continuous repetition of God's name with tremendous amount of love. Many times, unfortunately, it degenerates into what we call mechanical repetition. But prayer, mechanically one cannot pray. One has to pay attention and especially when we are in great trouble, then prayer springs out automatically from our hearts. Oh Lord, please come and rescue me. Nobody can pray under those circumstances unless we pay special attention. Special concentration will come. The more the trouble, the more our fear and the more will be our earnestness and our urgency also will be there. That is the difference. And I also quoted in that connection a beautiful book, The Pilgrim, The Way of the Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues, an autobiography of a Russian Orthodox Church, How to Pray Continuously, where loving japa and prayer both are continued. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. That was the Christian mantra. Anyway, so we have dealt with it. Now, further talk is going on. I also gave some examples, the truthfulness of Sri Ramakrishna with regard to eating a lemon. Also, Baburao Maharaj, future Swami Premanandaji. Once he was sleeping in Sri Ramakrishna's room. Suddenly Sri Ramakrishna, he was awakened by the furious pacing up and down of Sri Ramakrishna, shouting, Mother, I spit upon it, I spit upon it, name, fame, which includes getting all sorts of money, trying to possess, etc. That is the most marvelous thing in the world. So, that is what we need to understand. Now, we will continue where we left off. A devotee asks, then what is the Vesar, prayer and holy company and earnest longing? This is the answer. This is the title given by Sri M. What is it? Prayer and the company of holy men. Of course, we have to understand what is the company of God. God's company means what? God's company means company of God's name. I mentioned earlier, there is a beautiful, meaningful song by Purandar Dasa, written in Kannada. I don't want you, I don't want your glory, if I have your name, that is all I want. So many songs are there. In that very strain, God's name is more powerful even than God himself. Sri Ramakrishna, being a pun master and fun master also, he gave an example. Sri Rama, God himself, required the help of a bridge. Bridge has to be built if he wanted, if he had to cross the ocean and go to Sri Lanka. But by taking the name of Sri Rama, Hanuman, in one jump, cleared the whole ocean and landed in Sri Lanka, in Ravana's place. So this is a great thing for us to understand. The name of God and what does Guru do? He gives us the name of the God. Now, coming back, a devotee asks, Sir, you advised us about holy company, what is the good of holy company? Sri Ramakrishna is answering, It begets yearning for God. It begets love of God. Nothing whatsoever is achieved in spiritual life without yearning. By constant living in the company of holy men, the soul becomes restless for God. This yearning is like the state of mind of a man who has someone ill in the family. His mind is in a state of perpetual restlessness, thinking how this sick person may be cured. Or again, one should feel a yearning for God, like the yearning of a man who has lost his job and is wandering from one office to another in search of work. If he is rejected at a certain place which has no vacancy, he goes there again the next day and inquires, Is there any vacancy today? Very apt type of illustrations which were, of course, Sri Ramakrishna observed in his time. But I think all of you are familiar, and even if you do not know, I reminded you many times, a great thing is coming now called AI and the fear of many people. We don't know whether it really happens. Probably it happens. Many jobs will be taken away. And I know some people whose jobs have been lost because of this AI. And I myself have gotten rid of so many people's jobs. What I mean is that my talks are being transcribed by people. Now AI is doing it very nicely. So those people, as if they are lost, now we have to find out some other job for them to keep them engaged. Now what is it happening? AI is going to get rid of a lot of people. And then one of the most negative things the modern civilization has done is introducing what you call the debit card. That is to say you borrow. And borrowing and enjoying things, in Vedanta, by the way, is called Charuaka, materialist. First you borrow, then you think how to repay it. Because, very interesting, I am not an economist, but by my common sense I am telling, the banks are at one time forcing people to use the credit cards. They were not having foresight to think, okay, borrowing is easy, anybody will borrow. But how are they going to get back? That is why for 20 years, what is called 19, now 2010, a big economic collapse had taken place, where billions of dollars have lost their way. So many people have lost also their jobs. Now why am I bringing all this subject? Because Shri Ram Krishna is telling, He is giving this example that a person has lost his job. Just imagine, you have to exercise your imagination. He is a person, he has got a wife, probably parents, probably he has got some children, and he is not having a lot of money, and he had borrowed a lot of money for the mortgage, for this housing mortgage, car mortgage, holiday mortgage, and so many other mortgages, and now he has lost the job. And if he doesn't pay, there is every likelihood that he will be arrested. Now what do you think will be the condition of that person? Remember, I had an elaborate discussion about it, work or job is not meant only for money, because if 24 hours, if we don't have any work, because we have more than sufficient money, the person will be what is called rot and sick. Why? What are we going to do with time? One of the big monsters we have to confront, even an ordinary person, not to speak of a spiritual person, is confrontation with this demon called time. The whole samsara is nothing but time. Time also is called death. So to conquer death permanently is called spiritual life, one way of defining what is spiritual life. So this time, it becomes death, even if somebody has money and he doesn't know how to forget time. All our struggle is to forget time, because time sits very heavily on our heads. Whether we are reading newspapers or reading mystery novels or even studying scriptures or watching movies, it is all to forget time. If we don't know to pass time, that is going to be one of the most horrible things in this world. That is why, do you know what is the hardest punishment for anybody? It is called solitary confinement. What happens? You are supplied with food, but there is nothing, no books to read, no place to walk, nothing to do 24 hours, and then to add to the psychological torture. They have discovered some ways. Dripping water, drop by drop, with a big sound, 24 hours, it gets on the nerves, wrecks the nerves, and the person cannot have the opportunity even to commit suicide. Just imagine what is the mental agony. So many people go mad. That is why man is called a social animal. He always seeks society, not because he is doing something good or positive, but just to forget time. Boredom we call it. So what does this clerk or the person who lost his job do? Especially if the person depends totally upon money, then he becomes restless. 24 hours, where can I get money? And money means he has to do a job. That is what Sri Ramakrishna is referring to, that the earning of a man who has lost his job and is wandering from one office to another in search of work. If he is rejected, that means he doesn't get the hope for a job in one place, then he will go next day, he will go to some other place, there anyway he can do any type of job he wants to do. One of the most important psychological truths discovered. You see, so many so-called boasted democratic western countries like America, England, etc. They hunted, brought people from Africa and more or less they did the same thing with Indian police who went and settled down in Africa as railway workers and eaten by many of the man-eating lions, etc. Legendary novels have been written about them practically. But nothing can be compared to this plight of the African people. And how could they be separated from everything else? How could they maintain even a trace of sanity? And research has been done because the slaves from sunrise to sunset have been with whips, kept busy in working. And when a person has to work and then he has to pay attention, then he cannot think of anything else. That is how mercifully they have forgotten everything about them. Survival is the only thing that happens. This is one aspect. Even if machines can take over and then do all our physical jobs and even if governments can supply all our needs freely, the biggest problem will be no government, nobody can help us how to deal with time, how to spend time, otherwise time will spend us. That is why time is called death. Boredom, suicide, death, everything is related with this concept of time. If we can imagine it, and I just casually mentioned the AI, many people, there is a chance they might lose. We don't know. We are only speculating, but it is a fact that many people are already losing, but they might get something in substitute. That is a different issue. I don't know. My purpose is to say how keenly Sri Ramakrishna is observing and telling us that what is the point? It is not losing job, but it is the yearning, the one-pointedness with which a person is searching. If anybody can search for God like that, then his life becomes a blessed life. That is what he wants to say. How to get that one? That is what Sri Ramakrishna is going to tell. It is because of holy company. Holy company begets yearning for God. It begets love of God. These are interconnected. We earn only what gives us happiness, and whatever gives us happiness, we love it. Love, joy, yearning, energy, concentration, and smriti. All these are interrelated. And then Sri Ramakrishna says nothing whatsoever is achieved in spiritual life without yearning. But how to get it? By constant living in the company of holy men, the soul becomes restless for God. Sri Ramakrishna gives two examples. One example, if somebody had fallen ill in our family, of course every person in the family loves everybody else, then what is the state of the mind of the father or mother when the child is sick, in a state of perpetual restlessness, thinking how the sick person may be cured. How is it to be applied here? We understand that I am sick, and how can I be cured? I am sick of this samsara. I want to get rid of this samsara. How to gain that back? The whole spiritual life is only thinking about it. Ultimately, prayer is the only way, only gati, paramagati. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvā sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi māśa-jahā Then Ramakrishna is turning the greatness, glory of prayer. There is another way, earnestly praying to God. God is our very own. We should say to Him, O God, what is thy nature? Reveal thyself to me. Thou must show thyself to me. For why else has thou created me? A marvellous truth is being uttered by Sri Ramakrishna. Prayer is always, you know, you call Him God, call Him the Divine Mother, only when we are convinced that God is my Mother, suddenly God listens to my prayer, God loves me, and God has the power. I don't have the power. I am like the baby. What can the baby do? Whatever distress comes, whenever it comes, it only knows how to cry. And the mother comes running, from wherever it is, because the mother knows who loves the baby better than the mother. Does the baby love the mother? Or the mother loves the baby in a more intense way? It is only the mother who loves, because the mother knows this is my baby. Baby may not know who is the mother. Baby only sees a person, a being who is looking after it. So the mother, who is our mother, everybody's mother, is only God. That is why we have to address, Oh Ma, please come and help me. Sri Ramakrishna used to, every day at sunset, Oh mother, another day has gone. I have not seen you. He used to roll on the ground. A graphic description of it has been given in the Leela Prasanga. Sri Ramakrishna, the great, compassionate Lord. So our only way, and this is the best way, whether we are treading the path of knowledge, treading the path of bhakti, the only way is earnest prayer. Only those who follow the path of knowledge, they would say, Guru Deva, Kripa Karo. Guru Deva, Daya Karo, Dena Jane. There is a beautiful song, our devotees of Sri Ramakrishna know it, and love it, and sing it, as often as possible. Guru Deva, Daya Karo, Dena Jane. So this is the only way. Why? Because God is all alone. What does it mean? It means He is going to listen. And a little bit of pip from us, immediately God comes running, because wherever mother is, her whole heart is fixed upon the baby. I have seen this phenomena shown in the documentaries taken by David Attenborough. The crocodiles, they lay their legs on the ground, especially where there are plenty of leaves, etc. And every now and then, the mother goes and rearranges the... She knows exactly, through instinctively, at which eggs have to be pushed down, far below, which eggs need to be changed, sides, etc. And every now and then, goes on changing the sides of the eggs. And she is eagerly waiting, because Mother Nature equipped her with the timing. And then she is anxious. She is in the nearby lake or pool or whatever it is, but 100% of its ears are tuned only to hear. And this David Attenborough has shown. The first one, the first baby crocodile, it breaks the egg. And then the first thing that emits, like a baby that comes out of the mother's womb, a peculiar baby cry. And it has a lot of resemblance with human cry. The moment it pips, very, very teeny-weeny voice, and the mother is at a distance, immediately, how fast she tries to crawl her way and then take the baby in her mouth and take away, awaiting for the other babies also to come. This is a beautiful example how God, all His mind is upon us. And Sri Ramakrishna gives also another example. And those who read the Gospel regularly, not only read, but we have to pay attention. Remember all those things. A tortoise leaves its eggs in the sand on the banks either of the sea or of lake, etc. But Sri Ramakrishna says, if this tortoise is moving all about the lake, where do you think its mind is? On the eggs which are going to be hatched sooner or later. God is like that. And we have to take Sri Ramakrishna's words for granted. And one of his aspects of God as the Divine Mother, यदेवि सर्वभूतेषो दयारूपेण समस्तिता The Godliness manifests in the form of compassion. And by the way, Sri Ramakrishna said, it is not for human beings to show compassion. It is only what is called worshipful service to the Divine, thinking that I am worshipping God, Shiva. That is what he termed as one of the true devotee's characteristics. So the next topic is, is God compassionate? And then he himself is telling, who can be really compassionate? Only one who can identify himself with the other. Who can be compassionate? What does compassion mean? Compassion means sympathy, empathy. I have got two words here. What is empathy? To feel oneness. Only a person who can identify oneself with the other, he can be called sympathetic or empathy, a person who has got empathy. And who can be compassionate? Only a person who has that identity. So for God, He knows that we are all His own manifestation. Only we do not know we are His manifestation. But God also knows that. We are like babies who have not even opened their eyes. And it takes, it is said, at least three months for the eyes to focus. Eyes of the baby. So we don't know about God. But God's attention is always on us. Because He knows we are His children. And the whole concept of evolution is slowly God making us grow. Like a mother takes all care for the baby to grow up. So the subject is compassion. What is compassion? Complete oneness with the other. That is called compassion. Not taking pity. I am a rich man. You are a poor man. I am going to take pity upon you. And I am going to give you. That is not pity. That is not compassion. That is a very bad quality. Only egotism will come out of it. So some Sikh devotees, Sri Ramakrishna is saying, once said to me, God is full of compassion. And then Sri Ramakrishna was recollecting what was his reaction. The Sikhs said, God is full of compassion. We also say, God is Kripamaya. Kripamayi namostu te. We also say everyday, Prakritim paramam. Kripamayi namostu te. I said, What? Why should we call Him compassionate? He is our creator. What is there to be wondered at? If He is kind to us, parents bring up their children. Do you call that an act of kindness? They must act that way. And then, there was further conversation. It is not here, but it is there in the Gospel at other places also. The Sikh devotees said, Shall we not call God as compassionate? Then Sri Ramakrishna explains to them, I am not saying that you should not call. What we should understand is, He is our very own. He is our own. That is what He wants to say. Therefore, we should force our demands on God. He is our father and mother. Isn't He? If the son demands his patrimony and gives up food and drink in order to enforce his demand, then the parents hand his share over to him three years before the legal time. Or when the child demands some pies from his mother and says over and over again, Mother, give me a couple of pies. I beg you on my knees. Then the mother, seeing his earnestness and unable to bear it anymore, tosses the money to him. Remember, Sri Ramakrishna was the keenest observer. He was always observing people and most of his illustrations have been taken only from his observance. So, in the villages, the mother is talking with somebody and the child always demanding, I want to eat candy, I want to eat chocolates, I want to eat something, give me. But the mother knows the child must have fallen sick before, so the mother doesn't want to make the child sick again because she knows. But a vendor is coming, that fellow's vendor, great psychologist, they know where the children are and they come with colorful candies and nobody can resist. And the children can see this candy even from half a mile away and then Ma, who, who, like that they will show. So, Sri Ramakrishna must have seen that your father strictly forbade me to give anything. But this fellow catches hold of the mother's feet and goes on beating his head, Ma, I fall upon your feet. This is called Brahmastra. You must have heard in the Puranas, Brahmastras. Anything, any astra may not work. Brahmastra definitely will work. So, this is the child has discovered or God has given him early that quality. This is the Brahmastra, which mother can resist. And then she may be talking with somebody else. She takes out her purse in a cloth bag, takes out a paisa, throws it, you rogue, get out from here. After all, the child is very happy. He takes the paisa and runs straight to the vendor and then is very happy for some time. But what is the point? The point is, the mother cannot tolerate the baby begging like that. If we are honest and if we also pray to that like that, then God will definitely fulfill our desires. This is what he wants to tell. Therefore, we should force our demands on God. He is our father and mother, isn't he? If the son demands his patrimony, then even before legal time, it will be given to him. In Sriram Krishna Saha, when the child is falling, touching the feet of the mother, then the mother cannot tolerate that. Because the rightful place of the child is in the lap of the mother, not the feet of the mother. She cannot tolerate that condition. She tosses the money and then she tells words, but she was not angry with the child at all. So, that is the way. Intense yearning for God's realization. How to get it? Sriram Krishna had shown. Find out some great devotees and cultivate their holy company. And I mentioned earlier, holy company can be got even through YouTube. There are marvelous speakers who are explaining scriptures. You want on the Upanishads, you want on the Puranas, you want on the Bhagavatam, you want on the Mahabharata. You name the subject and there are experts and they are giving freely their services and some of them are really, really good. Absolutely marvelous. So, if you have no reason that I don't have holy company. So, books are holy company. Japa is holy company. God's name is holy company. Tirtha Yatras are holy company. And even I would dare to say any negative experience, any painful experience in the life is the greatest holy company. Because if nothing else can drive us to God, these negative experiences, painful experiences can definitely drive us to God. There is no doubt about it at all. It is very true. Then Hiram Krishna is going to talk about Siddhis, occult powers. This is the topic it has come. But for today, we will only talk about there is no question of compassion. It is a divine love. Because God has created us or I would say even better than that, God has become the world. So, if you are striving to make yourself happy, do you call that you are showing compassion upon yourself? You are only making yourself happy which is the most natural thing. So, Shri Ram Krishna used to say the whole universe is nothing but manifestation of the Divine Mother. That Vedantic idea has been expressed so beautifully. Shri Siddhi Vinashanam Siddhibhutai Sanatani Unashraye Gunamayi Narayani Namostute A Divine Mother is ever ready. She is waiting for the call. Like this crocodile waiting for the pip from its young one. As soon as the chick comes out, immediately the mother runs and then takes it under her wings. Beautiful ideas. We will talk about it in our next class. Om Jananim Shardam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamami Mohan Moho May Ram Krishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Ramkrishna.