God dwelling in the Master

“But what am I? It is all He. I am the machine and He is its Operator. It is God alone who exists in this [meaning his body]. That is why so many people are feeling more and more attracted to it. A mere touch is enough to awaken their spirituality. This attraction, these pull, is the attraction of God and of none else.

“Tārak of Belgharia was going home from Dakshineswar. I dearly noticed that a flame-like thing came out of this [meaning his body] and followed him. A few days later Tārak came back to Dakshineswar. In a state of samādhi He Who dwells in this body placed his foot on Tārak’s chest.

“Well, are there more youngsters like these?”

M: “Mohit is very nice. He came to you once or twice. He is studying enough books to pass two university examinations. He has great longing for God.”

MASTER: “That maybe. But he doesn’t belong to a high plane. His physical traits are not so good; he has a puggish face. But these other youngsters belong to a high plane.

Worries associated with human birth

“Many troubles and worries follow in the wake of a birth in a physical body. Further, if a person is cursed, he may have to be born seven times. One must be very careful. One has to assume a human body if one cherishes the slightest desire.”

A DEVOTEE: “What are the desires of those who are Incarnations of God?”

MASTER (smiling): “I find that I have not got rid of all my desires. Once I saw a holy man with a shawl, and I too wanted to put on one like it. Even now I have that desire. I don’t know whether I shall have to be born again for it.”

BALARĀM (smiling): “Then will you be born again just for a shawl?” (All laugh.)

MASTER (smiling): “One has to keep a good desire so that one may give up the body meditating on it. There are four holy places for the sādhus to visit. They visit three and leave out one. Many of them leave out Puri, the place of Jagannath, so that they can give up their bodies meditating on Jagannath.”

A man dressed in an ochre robe entered the room and greeted the Master. Privately he was in the habit of criticizing Sri Ramakrishna; so at the sight of him Balarām laughed. Sri Ramakrishna could read a man’s mind. He said to Balarām: “Never mind. Let him say I am a cheat.”

Sri Ramakrishna was talking to Tejchandra.

MASTER: “I send for you so often. Why don’t you come? If you practise meditation and prayer it will make me happy. I look on you as my own; that is why I send for you.”

TEJCHANDRA: “Sir, I have to go to the office. I am very busy with my duties.”

M. (smiling): “There was a marriage ceremony at his home and he got leave from his office for ten days.”

MASTER: “Well, well! You say you have no leisure. You told me just now that you were going to renounce the world.”

NARAYAN: “M. said to us one day that this world, is a wilderness.”

MASTER (to M.): “Please tell them that story of the disciple who became unconscious after taking the medicine. His teacher arrived at the house and said he would revive if someone else swallowed a pill that he would prescribe. The disciple would get back his life, but the man who, swallowed the pill would die.

“Please tell the other one, too, of the hathayogi who thought that his wife and children were his very own, and who feigned death with his limbs stretched out. It will do them good to hear those stories.”

It was noon. Sri Ramakrishna partook of the food that had been offered to the Family Deity, Jagannath. The Master often used to say that the food at Balarām’s house was very pure. Afterwards he rested awhile.

Late in the afternoon Sri Ramakrishna sat with the devotees in the drawing-room of Balarām’s house. Chandra Babu, of the Kartabhaja sect, and a witty brahmin were there. The brahmin was something of a buffoon; his words made everybody laugh.

About six o’clock Girish’s brother Atul and Tejchandra’s brother arrived. Sri Ramakrishna was in samādhi. A few minutes later he said, still in the ecstatic mood: “Can one become unconscious by meditating on Consciousness? Can one lose one’s mind by thinking of God? God is of the very nature of Knowledge; He is of the very nature of Eternity, Purity, and Consciousness.

Sri Ramakrishna said to the witty brahmin: “Why do you waste your time with these frivolous jokes about insignificant worldly things? Direct your mind to God. If a man can calculate about salt, he can also calculate about sugar candy.”

BRAHMIN (smiling): “Please attract me.”

MASTER: “What can I do? Everything depends on your effort. Your mind is your own. Give up this trifling buffoonery and go forward toward God. You can go farther and farther along that way. The brahmachari asked the wood-cutter to go forward. At first the wood-cutter found a sandal-wood forest; next, a silver-mine; next, a gold-mine; and then gems and diamonds.”

BRAHMIN: “There is no end to this path.”

MASTER: “Where you find peace, there is the end.” About a new visitor Sri Ramakrishna said: “I didn’t find any substance in him. He seemed worthless.”

It was dusk. Lamps were lighted in the room. Sri Ramakrishna was meditating on the Divine Mother and chanting Her name in his melodious voice. The devotees sat around him.

Since Balarām was going to celebrate the Car Festival at his house the following day, Sri Ramakrishna intended to spend the night there.

After taking some refreshments in the inner apartments, Sri Ramakrishna returned to the parlour. It was about ten o’dock. The Master said to M., “Please bring my towel from the other room.” A bed was made for Sri Ramakrishna in the adjoining small room. About half past ten Sri Ramakrishna lay down to sleep. It was summertime. He said to M., “You had better bring a fan.” He asked the disciple to fan him. At midnight Sri Ramakrishna woke up. He said to M., “Don’t fan me any more; I feel chilly.”