Chapter-4. ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS-29. Sri Ramakrishna

19/04/2018

Brahman and Divine Incarnations :-

"The jnanis think of God without form.  They don't accept the Divine Incarnation.  Praising Sri Krishna, Arjuna said, 'Thou art Brahman Absolute.' Sri Krishna replied, 'Follow Me, and you will know whether or not I am Brahman Absolute.' So saying, Sri Krishna led Arjuna to a certain place and asked him what he saw there.  'I see a huge tree,' said Arjuna, 'and on it I notice fruits hanging like clusters of blackberries.' Then Krishna said to Arjuna, 'Come nearer and you will find that these are not clusters of blackberries, but clusters of innumerable Krishnas like Me, hanging from the tree.' In other words, Divine Incarnations without number appear and disappear on the tree of the Absolute Brahman.

"Kavirdas was strongly inclined to the formless God.  At the mention of Krishna's name he would say: 'Why should I worship Him? The gopis would clap their hands while He performed a monkey dance.' (With a smile) But I accept God with form when I am in the company of people who believe in that ideal, and I also agree with those who believe in the formless God."

M. (smiling): "You are as infinite as He of whom we have been talking.  Truly, no one can fathom your depth."

MASTER (smiling): "Ah! I see you have found it out.  Let me tell you one thing.  One should follow various paths.  One should practise each creed for a time.  In a game of satrancha a piece can't reach the centre square until it completes the circle; but once in the square it can't be overtaken by any other piece."

M: "That is true, sir."

MASTER: "There are two classes of.  yogis: the bahudakas and the kutichakas.  The bahudakas roam about visiting various holy places and have not yet found peace of mind.  But the kutichakas, having visited all the sacred places, have quieted their minds.  Feeling serene and peaceful, they settle down in one place and no longer move about.  In that one place they are happy; they don't feel the need of going to any sacred place.  If one of them ever visits a place of pilgrimage, it is only for the purpose of new inspiration.

"I had to practise each religion for a time - Hinduism, Islam, Christianity.  Furthermore, I followed the paths of the Saktas, Vaishnavas, and Vedantists.  I realized that there is only one God toward whom all are travelling; but the paths are different.

"While visiting the holy places, I would sometimes suffer great agony.  Once I went with Mathur to Raja Babu's drawing-room in Benares.  I found that they talked there only of worldly matters - money, real estate, and the like.  At this I burst into tears.  I said to the Divine Mother, weeping: 'Mother! Where hast Thou brought me? I was much better off at Dakshineswar.' In Allahabad I noticed the same things that I saw elsewhere - the same ponds, the same grass, the same trees, the same tamarind-leaves.

To be continued ..