Two kinds of samādhi

“Generally speaking there are two kinds of samādhi. First, sthita or jada samādhi: one attains it by following the path of knowledge-as a result of the destruction of the ego through reasoning.

Second, bhava samādhi: one attains this by following the path of bhakti. In this second samādhi a trace of ego remains, like a line, in order to enable the devotee to enjoy God, to taste His Lila. But one cannot understand all this if one is attached to ‘woman and gold’.

“I said to Kedār, ‘You will never succeed if your mind dwells on “woman and gold”.’ I wanted to pass my hand over his chest, but I could not. He has knots and twists inside. It was like a room smelling of filth, which I could not enter. His attachment to the world is very deep; it is like a natural emblem of Śiva, whose root spreads as far as Benares. One will never succeed if one is attached to the world-to ‘woman and gold’.

Master praises his young disciples

“The youngsters are yet untouched by ‘woman and gold’. That is why I love them so dearly. Hazra says to me, ‘You love a boy if he comes from a wealthy family or if he is handsome.’ If that is so, then why do I love Harish, Lātu, and Narendra? Narendra hasn’t a penny to buy salt to season his rice.

“The youngsters’ minds are not yet coloured by worldliness. That is why they are so pure in heart. Besides, many of them are eternally perfect; they have been drawn to God from their very birth. It is like a garden in which, while cleaning it, you suddenly discover water-pipes. The water gushes forth without any effort on your part.”

BALARĀM: “Sir, how was it possible for Purna to know all of a sudden that the world is illusory?”

MASTER: “He has inherited that knowledge from his previous births. In his past lives he practised many disciplines. It is the body alone that is small or grows big, and not the Ātman.

“Do you know what these youngsters are like? They are like certain plants that grow fruit first and then flowers. These devotees first of all have the vision of God; next they hear about His glories and attributes; and at last they are united with Him. Look at Niranjan.

He always keeps his accounts clear. He will be able to go whenever he hears the call.

Respect for one’s own mother

But one should look after one’s mother as long as she is alive. I used to worship my mother with flowers and sandal-paste. It is the Mother of the Universe who is embodied as our earthly mother.

“As long as you look after your own body, you must look after your mother too. Therefore I said to Hazra: ‘when you have a cold, you procure black pepper, sugar candy, and salt. As long as you feel you must look after your body, you must look after your mother too.’

“But it is quite different when you completely forget your body. Then God Himself assumes your responsibilities. A minor cannot look after himself; therefore a guardian is appointed for him. Chaitanyadeva, like a minor, could not look after himself.” M. went to the Ganges to bathe.

Master’s spiritual experiences

Sri Ramakrishna was talking with the devotees in the small room in Balarām’s house. Mahendra, Balarām, Tulasi, Haripada, Girish, and other devotees were sitting on the floor. M. returned from the Ganges. After saluting the Master he took a seat near him. Sri Ramakrishna was recounting to the devotees some of his spiritual experiences.

MASTER: “One day in the Kāli temple Haladhāri and Nangta were reading the Adhyātma Rāmāyana. Suddenly I had a vision of a river with woods on both sides. The trees and plants were green. Rāma and Lakshmana were walking along wearing their shorts. One day, in front of the kuthi, I saw Arjuna’s chariot. Sri Krishna was seated in it as the charioteer. I still remember it. Another day, while listening to kirtan at Kamarpukur, I saw Gaurānga in front of me.

“At that time a naked person, emerging from my body, used to go about with me. I used to joke with him. He looked like a boy and was a paramahamsa. I can’t describe to you all the divine forms I saw at that time. I was suffering then from indigestion, which would become worse when I saw visions; so I would try to shun these divine forms and would spit on the ground when I saw them. But they would follow me and obsess me like ghosts. I was always overwhelmed with divine ecstasy and couldn’t tell the passing of day and night. On the day after such a vision I would have a severe attack of diarrhoea, and all these ecstasies would pass out through my bowels.”

GIRISH (smiling): “I am examining your horoscope.”

MASTER (smiling): “I was born on the second day of the bright fortnight of the moon. My horoscope shows the positions of the sun, the moon, and Mercury at the time of my birth. There are not many more details.”

GIRISH: “You were born under Kumbha. Rāma and Krishna were born under Karkat and Brisha, and Chaitanya under Simha.”

MASTER: “I had two desires: first, that I should be the king of the devotees, and second, that I should not be a dry sādhu.”

GIRISH (smiling): “Why did you have to practise spiritual discipline?”

MASTER (smiling): “Even the Divine Mother had to practise austere sādhanā to obtain Śiva as Her husband. She practised the panchatapa. She would also immerse Her body in water in wintertime, and look fixedly at the sun. Krishna Himself had to practise much sādhanā.

I had many mystic experiences, but I cannot reveal their contents. Under the bel-tree I had many flaming visions. There I practised the various sadhanas prescribed in the Tantra. I needed many articles-human skulls, and so forth and so on. The Brahmani used to collect these things for me. I practised a number of mystic postures.

“I had another strange experience: if I felt egotistic on a particular day, I would be sick the following day.”

M. sat motionless as a picture on canvas, hearing about these unique visions of the Master. The other devotees also were spellbound. There was a dead silence in the room.

TULASI (pointing to M.): “He never laughs.”

MASTER: “But he laughs inside. The surface of the river Phalgu is covered with sand; but if you dig into the sand, water comes up.

(To M.) “Don’t you scrape your tongue? Scrape it every day.”

BALARĀM: “Well, Purna has heard much about you from M.”

MASTER: “Perhaps the account of my early spiritual experiences.”

BALARĀM: “If Purna is perfect by nature, then what is M.’s function?”

MASTER: “A mere instrument.”

It was 9am. Sri Ramakrishna was about to leave for Dakshineswar. Arrangements were being made for his departure. A boat had been hired at Baghbazar. The devotees saluted the Master. Sri Ramakrishna went to the boat with one or two devotees. Gopal Ma accompanied them. She intended to spend the morning at Dakshineswar and go to Kamarhati in the afternoon.

The camp cot generally used by Rakhal at Dakshineswar had been sent to Calcutta for repair. It was put in the boat, and the boat left for Dakshineswar. According to the Hindu almanac the day was not auspicious. So Sri Ramakrishna decided to return to Balarām’s house the next Saturday and start again for Dakshineswar on an auspicious day.