A DISCIPLE asked his teacher, "Sir, please tell me
how I can sec God." "Come with me," said the
Guru, "and I shall show you." He took, the disciple
to a lake, and both of them got into the water.
Suddenly the teacher pressed the disciple's head
under the water. After a few moments he released
him and the disciple raised his head and stood up.
The Guru asked him, "How did you feel?" The
disciple said, “Oh! I thought I should die; I was
panting for breath”. The teacher said, "When you
feel like that for God, then you will know you
Monday, December 31, 2012
IF YOU ARE EARNEST
A MAN may not know the right path, but if he has
bhakti and the desire to know God, then he attains
Hint through the force of sheer bhakti.
Once, a sincere devotee set out on a pilgrimage to
the temple of Jagannath in Puri. He did not know
the way; he went west instead of south. He, no
doubt, strayed from the right path, but always
eagerly asked people the way, and they gave him
the right directions, saying, This is not the path;
follow that one.' At last the devotee was able to get
to Puri and worship the Deity.
So you see, even if you are ignorant, some one will
tell you the way if you are earnest.
bhakti and the desire to know God, then he attains
Hint through the force of sheer bhakti.
Once, a sincere devotee set out on a pilgrimage to
the temple of Jagannath in Puri. He did not know
the way; he went west instead of south. He, no
doubt, strayed from the right path, but always
eagerly asked people the way, and they gave him
the right directions, saying, This is not the path;
follow that one.' At last the devotee was able to get
to Puri and worship the Deity.
So you see, even if you are ignorant, some one will
tell you the way if you are earnest.
THAT DIVINE YEARNING
GOD cannot be seen without yearning of heart,
and this yearning is impossible unless one has
finished with the experiences of life. Those who
live surrounded by 'woman and gold', and have not
yet come to the end of their experiences, do not
yearn for God.
When I lived at Kamarpukur, Hriday's son, a child
of four or five years old, used to spend the whole
day with me. He played with toys and almost
forgot everything else. But no sooner did evening
come than he would say, "I want to go to my
mother." I would try to cajole him in various ways
and would say, "Here, I'll give you a pigeon." But
he wouldn't be consoled with such things; he
would weep and cry, "I want to go to my mother."
He didn't enjoy playing any more. I myself wept to
see his state.
One should cry for God that way, like a child. That
is what it means to be restless for God. One
doesn't enjoy play or food any longer. After one's
experiences of the world are over, one feels thisand this yearning is impossible unless one has
finished with the experiences of life. Those who
live surrounded by 'woman and gold', and have not
yet come to the end of their experiences, do not
yearn for God.
When I lived at Kamarpukur, Hriday's son, a child
of four or five years old, used to spend the whole
day with me. He played with toys and almost
forgot everything else. But no sooner did evening
come than he would say, "I want to go to my
mother." I would try to cajole him in various ways
and would say, "Here, I'll give you a pigeon." But
he wouldn't be consoled with such things; he
would weep and cry, "I want to go to my mother."
He didn't enjoy playing any more. I myself wept to
see his state.
One should cry for God that way, like a child. That
is what it means to be restless for God. One
doesn't enjoy play or food any longer. After one's
restlessness and weeps for God.
TO HAVE GENUINE YEARNING FOR GOD IS TO ATTAIN HIM
A MAN had a daughter who became a widow
when she was very young. She had never known
her husband. She noticed the husbands of other
girls and said one day to her father, "Where is my
husband?"
The father replied: "Govinda25 is your husband. He
will come to you if you call Him." At these words
the girl went to her room, closed the door, and
cried, to Govinda, saying: "O Govinda, come to
me! Show Yourself to me! Why don't you come?"
God could not resist the girl's piteous cry and
appeared before her.
when she was very young. She had never known
her husband. She noticed the husbands of other
girls and said one day to her father, "Where is my
husband?"
The father replied: "Govinda25 is your husband. He
will come to you if you call Him." At these words
the girl went to her room, closed the door, and
cried, to Govinda, saying: "O Govinda, come to
me! Show Yourself to me! Why don't you come?"
God could not resist the girl's piteous cry and
appeared before her.
SINGLE-MINDEDNESS IS ANOTHER NAME FOR DEVOTION
A MAN was angling in a lake all by himself. After a
long while the float began to move. Now and then
its tip touched the water. The angler was holding
the rod tight in his hands, ready to pull it up, when
a passer-by stopped and said, "Sir, can you tell me
where Mr. Bannerji lives?' There was no reply from
the angler, who was just on the point of pulling up
the rod. Again and again the stranger said to him in
a loud voice, "Sir, can you tell me where Mr,
Bannerji lives?" But the angler was unconscious of
everything around him. His hands were trembling;
his eyes were on the float. The stranger was
annoyed and went on. When he had gone quite a
way, the angler's float sank under water and with
one pull of the rod he landed the fish. He wiped
the sweat from his face with his towel and shouted
after the stranger. "Hey!" he said, "Come here!
Listen!" But the man would not turn his face. After
much shouting, however, he came back and said to
the angler, "Why are you shouting at me?" "What
did you ask me about?" said the angler. The
stranger said, "I repeated the question so many
times, and now you are asking me to repeat it oncelong while the float began to move. Now and then
its tip touched the water. The angler was holding
the rod tight in his hands, ready to pull it up, when
a passer-by stopped and said, "Sir, can you tell me
where Mr. Bannerji lives?' There was no reply from
the angler, who was just on the point of pulling up
the rod. Again and again the stranger said to him in
a loud voice, "Sir, can you tell me where Mr,
Bannerji lives?" But the angler was unconscious of
everything around him. His hands were trembling;
his eyes were on the float. The stranger was
annoyed and went on. When he had gone quite a
way, the angler's float sank under water and with
one pull of the rod he landed the fish. He wiped
the sweat from his face with his towel and shouted
after the stranger. "Hey!" he said, "Come here!
Listen!" But the man would not turn his face. After
much shouting, however, he came back and said to
the angler, "Why are you shouting at me?" "What
did you ask me about?" said the angler. The
stranger said, "I repeated the question so many
more!" The angler replied, "At that time my float
was about to sink: so I didn't hear a word of what
you said."
A man can achieve such single-mindedness in
meditation that he will see nothing, hear nothing.
He will not be conscious even of touch. A snake
may crawl over his body, but he will not know it.
Neither of them will be aware of the other.
THORNS DENIED PRICK NO LESS KEENLY
ONCE, finding it difficult to reconcile the
contradictory doctrines of man's free will and
God's grace two disciples of the Master went to
him for a solution of the same. The Master said,
"Why do you talk, of free will? Everything is
dependent upon the Lord's will. Our will is tied to
the Lord's, like the cow to its tether. No doubt we
have a certain amount of freedom even as the cow
has, within a prescribed circle. So man thinks that
his will is free. But know that his will is dependent
on the Lord's."
Disciples: "Is there then no necessity of practising
penance, meditation and the rest? For one can as
well sit quiet and say, "It is all God's will; whatever
is done, is done at His will."
Sri Ramakrishna: Oh! To what effect, if you simply
say that in so many words? Any amount of your
verbal denial of thorns can never save you from
their painful prick when you place your hand on
them. Had it been entirely with man to do spiritual
practices according to his will, everybody would
contradictory doctrines of man's free will and
God's grace two disciples of the Master went to
him for a solution of the same. The Master said,
"Why do you talk, of free will? Everything is
dependent upon the Lord's will. Our will is tied to
the Lord's, like the cow to its tether. No doubt we
have a certain amount of freedom even as the cow
has, within a prescribed circle. So man thinks that
his will is free. But know that his will is dependent
on the Lord's."
Disciples: "Is there then no necessity of practising
penance, meditation and the rest? For one can as
well sit quiet and say, "It is all God's will; whatever
is done, is done at His will."
Sri Ramakrishna: Oh! To what effect, if you simply
say that in so many words? Any amount of your
verbal denial of thorns can never save you from
their painful prick when you place your hand on
them. Had it been entirely with man to do spiritual
practices according to his will, everybody would
have done so. But no; everyone can't do it, and
why? But there is one thing: If you don't utilise
properly the amount of strength He has given you,
He never gives more. That is why self-exertion is
necessary. And so everyone has to struggle hard
even to become fit for the grace of God. By such
endeavour, and through His grace, the sufferings
of many lives can be worked out in one life. But
some self-effort is absolutely necessary. Let me tell
you a story.
Once, Vishnu, the Lord of Goloka, cursed Narada,
saying that he would be thrown into hell. At this
Narada was greatly disturbed in mind; and he
prayed to the Lord, singing songs of devotion, and
begging Him to show where hell is and how one
can go there. Vishnu then drew the map of the
universe on the ground with a piece of chalk,
representing the exact position of heaven and hell.
Then Narada said, pointing to the part marked
'hell', "Is it like this? This is hell then!" So saying he
rolled himself on the spot and exclaimed he had
undergone all the sufferings of hell. Vishnu
smilingly asked, "How is that?" and Narada replied:
"Why, Lord, are not heaven and hell Thy creation?
When Thou didst draw the map of the universewhy? But there is one thing: If you don't utilise
properly the amount of strength He has given you,
He never gives more. That is why self-exertion is
necessary. And so everyone has to struggle hard
even to become fit for the grace of God. By such
endeavour, and through His grace, the sufferings
of many lives can be worked out in one life. But
some self-effort is absolutely necessary. Let me tell
you a story.
Once, Vishnu, the Lord of Goloka, cursed Narada,
saying that he would be thrown into hell. At this
Narada was greatly disturbed in mind; and he
prayed to the Lord, singing songs of devotion, and
begging Him to show where hell is and how one
can go there. Vishnu then drew the map of the
universe on the ground with a piece of chalk,
representing the exact position of heaven and hell.
Then Narada said, pointing to the part marked
'hell', "Is it like this? This is hell then!" So saying he
rolled himself on the spot and exclaimed he had
undergone all the sufferings of hell. Vishnu
smilingly asked, "How is that?" and Narada replied:
"Why, Lord, are not heaven and hell Thy creation?
Thyself and point out to me the hell in the plan,
then that place became a real hell; and as I rolled
myself there, my sufferings were intense. So I do
say that I have undergone the punishments of hell.
"Narada said all this sincerely and so Vishnu was
satisfied with the explanation.
NO BEGGAR, I, FOR COMMON FRUIT
JUST imagine Hanuman's state of mind. He didn't
care for money, honour, creature comforts, or
anything else. He longed only for God. When he
was running away with the heavenly weapon that
had been secreted in the crystal pillar, Mandodari
began to tempt him with various fruits so that he
might come down and drop the weapon. But he
couldn't be tricked so easily. In reply to her
persuasions he sang this song;
Am I in need of fruit?
I have the fruit that makes this life
Fruitful indeed
Within my heart
The tree of Rama grows,
Bearing salvation for its fruitscare for money, honour, creature comforts, or
anything else. He longed only for God. When he
was running away with the heavenly weapon that
had been secreted in the crystal pillar, Mandodari
began to tempt him with various fruits so that he
might come down and drop the weapon. But he
couldn't be tricked so easily. In reply to her
persuasions he sang this song;
Am I in need of fruit?
I have the fruit that makes this life
Fruitful indeed
Within my heart
The tree of Rama grows,
Under the wish-fulfilling Tree
Of Rama do I sit at ease
Plucking whatever fruit I will
But if you speak of fruit—
No beggar, I, for common, fruit.
Behold, I go
Leaving a bitter fruit for you
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