A teacher must renounce the world

“But a man cannot act as an Āchārya without renouncing the world.

People won’t respect him. They will say: ‘Oh, he is a worldly man. He secretly enjoys “woman and gold” himself but tells us that God alone is real and the world unsubstantial, like a dream. ‘Unless a man renounces everything his teachings cannot be accepted by all. Some worldly people may follow him. Keshab led the life of a householder; hence his mind was directed to the world also. He had to safeguard his family interests. That is why he left his affairs in such good order though he delivered so many religious lectures.

What an aristocratic man he married his daughter to! Inside Keshab’s inner apartments I saw many big bedsteads. All these things gradually come to one who leads a householder’s life. The world is indeed a place for enjoyment.”

RAM: “Keshab Sen inherited those bedsteads when his ancestral property was divided. And for Keshab to take part in the division of property! Whatever you may say, sir, Vijay Babu told me that Keshab had said to him, ‘I am a partial manifestation of Christ and Gaurānga. I suggest that you declare yourself as Advaita.’ Do you know what else he said? He said that you too were a follower of the New Dispensation.”

(All laugh.)

MASTER (laughing): “Who knows? But as for myself, I don’t even know what the term ‘New Dispensation’ means.”

(Laughter.)

RAM: “Keshab’s disciples say that he was the first to harmonize jnāna and bhakti.”

Synthesis of jnāna and bhakti

MASTER (in surprise): “How is that? What then of the Adhyātma Rāmāyana? It is written there that, while praying to Rāma, Nārada said: ‘O Rāma, Thou art the Supreme Brahman described in the Vedas. Thou dwellest with us as a man; Thou appearest as a man.

In reality Thou art not a man; Thou art that Supreme Brahman.’ Rāma said: ‘Nārada, I am very much pleased with you. Accept a boon from Me.’ Nārada replied: ‘What boon shall I ask of Thee? Grant me pure love for Thy Lotus Feet, and may I never be deluded by Thy world-bewitching māyā!’ The Adhyātma Rāmāyana is full of such statements regarding jnāna and bhakti.”

The conversation turned to Amrita, a disciple of Keshab.

RAM: “Amrita Babu seems to be in very bad shape.”

MASTER: “Yes, he looked very ill when I saw him the other day.”

RAM: “Sir, let me tell you about the lectures of the New Dispensation. While the drum is being played, the members cry out, ‘Victory unto Keshab!’ You say that ‘dal’ grows only in a stagnant pool. So Amrita said one day in the course of his sermon: ‘The holy man has no doubt said that ‘dal’ grows in a stagnant pool. But, brothers, we want ‘dal’, we want a sect. Really and truly, I tell you that we want a sect.’ "

MASTER: “What nonsense! Shame on him! What kind of sermon is that?”

The conversation drifted to the desire of some people for praise.

MASTER: “They took me to Keshab’s house to see a performance of the Nimai-sannyās. I heard, that day, someone speaking of Keshab and Pratap as Chaitanya and Nityananda. Prasanna asked me, ‘Who are you then?’ Keshab looked at me to see what

I would say. I said to him, ‘I am the servant of your servant, the dust of the dust of your feet.’ Keshab said with a smile, ‘You can’t catch him!’”

RAM: “Sometimes Keshab used to say you were John the Baptist.”

A DEVOTEE: “But Keshab also said you were the Chaitanya of the nineteenth century [said in English].”

MASTER: “What does that mean?”

DEVOTEE: “That Chaitanya has been incarnated again in the present century of the Christian era, and that you are he.”

MASTER (absent-mindedly): “What of it? Can you tell me now how my arm can be cured? This arm is worrying me so much.” They talked about Trailokya’s music. Brahmo Samaj.

Trailokya sang devotional songs in Keshab’s

MASTER: “Ah! How nice his songs are!”

RAM: “Do you think they are genuine?”

MASTER: “Yes, they are. Otherwise, why should I be so drawn to them?”

RAM: “He has composed his songs by borrowing your ideas. While conducting the worship, Keshab Sen described your feelings and realizations, and Trailokya Babu composed songs accordingly. Take this song, for instance:

There is an overflow of Joy in the market-place of Love;

See how the Lord sports with His own in the ecstasy of Bliss!

He saw you enjoying divine bliss in the company of devotees and wrote songs like this.”

MASTER (with a smile): “Stop! Don’t torment me any more. Why should I be involved in all this?” (All laugh.)

GIRINDRA: “The Brahmos say that the Paramahamsa Deva has no faculty for organization [said in English].”

MASTER: " What does that mean?”

M: “That you don’t know how to lead a sect; that your intellect is rather dull. They say things like that.”

(All laugh.)

MASTER (to Ram): “Now tell me why my arm was hurt. Stand up and deliver a lecture on that.

(Laughter.)

“The Brahmos insist that God is formless. Suppose they do. It is enough to call on Him with sincerity of heart. If the devotee is sincere, then God, who is the Inner Guide of all, will certainly reveal to the devotee His true nature.

Friction between different religious sects

“But it is not good to say that what we ourselves think of God is the only truth and what others think is false; that because we think of God as formless, therefore He is formless and cannot have any form; that because we think of God as having form, therefore He has form and cannot be formless. Can a man really fathom God’s nature?

“This kind of friction exists between the Vaishnavas and the Shaktas. The Vaishnava says, ‘My Kesava is the only Saviour’, whereas the Shakta insists, ‘My Bhagavati is the only Saviour.’

“Once I took Vaishnavcharan to Mathur Babu. Now, Vaishnavcharan was a very learned Vaishnava and an orthodox devotee of his sect. Mathur, on the other hand, was a devotee of the Divine Mother. They were engaged in a friendly discussion when suddenly Vaishnavcharan said, ‘Kesava is the only Saviour.’ No sooner did Mathur hear this than his face became red with anger and he blurted out, ‘You rascal!’

(All laugh.)

He was a Shakta. Wasn’t it natural for him to say that? I gave Vaishnavcharan a nudge.