Table of Contents
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The path of Sat, which is the path of knowledge.
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The path of Chit, of yoga, of karma yoga, which includes the duties and functions of the four stages of life.
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The path of Ānanda, the path of devotion and ecstatic love.
You are an adept in all 3 paths; you can speak of them all with authority.
Sri Ramakrishna laughed.
Dr. Sarkar took his leave. It was evening, the first night after the full moon. Sri Ramakrishna stood up, lost in samādhi. Nityagopal stood beside him in a reverent attitude.
Sri Ramakrishna took his seat. Nityagopal was stroking his feet. Devendra, Kalipada, and many other devotees were seated by his side.
Many of the devotees were taking their leave. Sri Ramakrishna stood up.
On japa
to a devotee: “Japa means silently repeating God’s name in solitude. When you chant His name with single-minded devotion you can see God’s form and realize Him.
Suppose there is a piece of timber sunk in the water of the Ganges and fastened with a chain to the bank.
You proceed link by link, holding to the chain, and you dive into the water and follow the chain.
Finally, you are able to reach the timber. In the same way, by repeating God’s name you become absorbed in Him and finally realize Him.
Suddenly Sri Ramakrishna said, “This is troubling me.”
The Master’s throat was hurting him.*
Superphysics Note!
He thought that the Master feigned illness to hoodwink the devotees.
Most of the devotees departed. It was arranged that a few of the younger men should stay to nurse the Master by turns. M. also was going to spend the night there.
Sunday, October 25, 1885
It was about 6:30 am when M. arrived at Syampukur and asked Sri Ramakrishna about his health.
He was on his way to Dr. Sarkar to report the Master’s condition.
After 7pm M. came to Dr. Sarkar’s house and told him about the Master’s condition.
The physician’s old teacher and one or two friends were in the room. Dr. Sarkar said to his teacher:
“You see, you don’t know my actual loss on account of the Paramahamsa. Every day I fail to see two or three patients.
When the next day I go to their houses, of my own accord, I cannot accept any fee since I am seeing them without being called. How can I charge them for my visit?”
Dr. Sarkar on Mahima
The conversation turned to Mahima Chakravarty.
He had been with the Master when Dr. Sarkar had visited him the previous Saturday. Pointing to the doctor, Mahima had said to Sri Ramakrishna,
“Is that so? How full of tamas he is! Didn’t you notice it? I saluted him as ‘God’s Lower Third’.
There exist in God sattva, rajas, and tamas. Tamas is the third and an inferior quality.
Didn’t you hear him say to the Paramahamsa, ‘You yourself have created this disease in order to pamper the doctor’s pride’?”
“What? Cure that disease himself? Is that possible? We are physicians; we know what cancer is. We ourselves cannot cure it. And he to cure himself! Why, he doesn’t know anything about cancer.
(To his friends) The illness is no doubt incurable, but these gentlemen have been nursing him with sincere devotion.”
M. requested the doctor to visit Sri Ramakrishna and returned home.
In the afternoon, about three o’clock, M. came to the Master and repeated the conversation he had had with Dr. Sarkar. He said to Sri Ramakrishna, “Today the doctor embarrassed me.”
“He described Mahima Chakravarty as ‘God’s Lower Third’. Now he admits that all the qualities — sattva, rajas, and tamas — exist in God.
(The Master laughs.)
Then he told me that he had waked at 3am and had been thinking of you ever since. When I saw him it was 8am. He said to me ‘Even now the Paramahamsa is in my mind.’”
“I asked him, ‘What is your suggestion today about the patient?’
He said: ‘Suggestion? Hang it! I shall have to go to him again myself. What else shall I suggest?’
(Sri Ramakrishna laughs.)
Further he said: ‘You don’t know how much money I am losing every day. Every day I miss two or three calls.’”
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