Reincarnation of soul & Inscrutability of God's ways
Table of Contents
December 1882
In the afternoon, Sri Ramakrishna was seated on the west porch of his room in the temple garden at Dakshineswar.
Among others, Baburam, Ramdayal, and M. were present. These three were going to spend the night with the Master. M. intended to stay the following day also, for he was having his Christmas holidays. Baburam had only recently begun to visit the Master.
(to the devotees): “A man becomes liberated even in this life when he knows that God is the Doer of all things. Once Keshab came here with Sambhu Mallick. I said to him, ‘Not even a leaf moves except by the will of God.’
Where is man’s free will? All are under the will of God. Nangta was a man of great knowledge, yet even he was about to drown himself in the Ganges.
He stayed here 11 months. At one time he suffered from stomach trouble. The excruciating pain made him lose control over himself, and he wanted to drown himself in the river.
There was a long shoal near the bathing-ghat. However far he went into the river, he couldn’t find water above his knees.
Then he understood everything and came back. At one time I was very ill and was about to cut my throat with a knife.
Therefore I say: ‘O Mother, I am the machine and Thou art the Operator; I am the chariot and Thou art the Driver. I move as Thou movest me; I do as Thou makest me do.’ "
The devotees sing kirtan in the Master’s room:
Dwell, O Lord, O Lover of bhakti, In the Vrindāvan of my heart, And my devotion unto Thee Will be Thy Radha, dearly loved; My body will be Nanda’s home, My tenderness will be Yaśoda, My longing for deliverance Will be Thy gentle gopi maids. Lift the Govardhan of my sin And slay my six unyielding passions, Fierce as the demons sent by Kamsa! Sweetly play the flute of Thy grace, Charming the milch cow of my mind; Abide in the pasture of my soul. Dwell by the Jamuna of my yearning, Under the banyan of my hope, For ever gracious to Thy servant; And, if naught but the cowherds’ love Can hold Thee in Vrindāvan’s vale, Then, Lord, let Dasarathi, too, Become Thy cowherd and Thy slave.
Sing, O bird that nestles deep within my heart! Sing, O bird that sits on the Kalpa-Tree of Brahman! Sing God’s everlasting praise. Taste, O bird, of the four fruits of the Kalpa-Tree, Dharma, artha, kama, moksha. Sing, O bird, “He alone is the Comfort of my soul!” Sing, O bird, “He alone is my life’s enduring Joy!” O thou wondrous bird of my life, Sing aloud in my heart! Unceasingly sing, O bird! Sing for evermore, even as the thirsty chatak Sings for the raindrop from the cloud.
A devotee from Nandanbagan entered the room with his friends. The Master looked at him and said:
Everything inside him can be seen through his eyes, as one sees the objects in a room through a glass door.
This devotee and his brothers always celebrated the anniversary of the Brahmo Samaj at their house in Nandanbagan. Sri Ramakrishna had taken part in these festivals.
The evening worship began in the temples. The Master was seated on the small couch in his room, absorbed in meditation. He went into an ecstatic mood and said a little later:
“Mother, please draw him to Thee. He is so modest and humble! He has been visiting Thee.”
Was the Master referring to Baburam, who later became one of his foremost disciples?
Why so much suffering in God’s creation?
The Master explained the different kinds of samādhi to the devotees. The conversation then turned to the joy and suffering of life. Why did God create so much suffering?
Once Vidyasagar said in a mood of pique: ‘What is the use of calling on God? Just think of this incident: At one time Genghis Khan plundered a country and imprisoned 100,000 people.
The commander of his army said to him:
Your Majesty, who will feed them? It is risky to keep them with us. It will be equally dangerous to release them. What shall I do?
Well, have them killed.
The order was accordingly given to cut them to pieces. God saw this slaughter, didn’t He?
But He didn’t stop it in any way. Therefore I don’t need God, whether He exists or not. I don’t derive any good from Him.'"
Is it possible to understand God’s action and His motive? He creates, He preserves, and He destroys.
Can we ever understand why He destroys? I say to the Divine Mother: ‘O Mother, I do not need to understand. Please give me love for Thy Lotus Feet.’
The aim of human life is to attain bhakti. As for other things, the Mother knows best. I have come to the garden to eat mangoes.
What is the use of my calculating the number of trees, branches, and leaves? I only eat the mangoes; I don’t need to know the number of trees and leaves."