Covering of Maya

MASTER: "Yes, there is only One without a second. The Vedas speak of It as 'Om Satchidananda Brahma', the Puranas as 'Om Satchidananda Krishna,' and the Tantra as 'Om Satchidananda Śiva'. 

"The ChitŚakti, as Mahamaya, has deluded all with ignorance. It is said in the Adhyātma Rāmāyana that when the rishis saw Rāma, they prayed to Him in these words only: 'O Rāma, please do not delude us with Your world-bewitching maya.' " 

ISHAN: "What is this maya?" 

MASTER: "Whatever you see, think, or hear is maya.  In a word, 'woman and gold' is the covering of maya. 

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, P 290 (22 September 1883)

Snake and its Motion

Whatever we see or think about is the manifestation of the glory of the Primordial Energy, the Primal Consciousness. Creation, preservation, and destruction, living beings and the universe, and further, meditation and the meditator, bhakti and prema - all these are manifestations of the glory of that Power. 

But Brahman is identical with Its Power. 

On returning from Ceylon, Hanuman praised Rāma, saying: 'O Rāma, You are the Supreme Brahman, and Sita is Your Śakti. You and She are identical' Brahman and Śakti are like the snake and its wriggling motion. Thinking of the  snake,  one  must  think  of  its  wriggling  motion,  and  thinking  of  its wriggling motion, one must think of the snake. 

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, P 290 (22 September 1883)

Gem and Its Lustre

 

Form and Formless God

 

Brahman and Shakti are Identical

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute is one, and one only. But It is associated with different limiting adjuncts on account of the different degrees of Its manifestation. That is why one finds various forms of God. 

The devotee sings, 'O my Divine Mother, Thou art all these!' Wherever you see actions, like creation, preservation, and dissolution, there is the manifestation of Śakti. Water is water whether it is calm or full of waves and bubbles. 

The Absolute alone is the Primordial Energy, which creates, preserves, and destroys. 

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, P 277 (19 August 1883)

Uncle Moon

 

Body Worship

Body and wealth are impermanent. Why go to so much trouble for their sakes? Just think of the plight of the hathayogis. Their attention is fixed on one ideal only - longevity. They do not aim at the realization of God at all. They practise such exercises as washing out the intestines, drinking milk through a tube, and the like, with that one aim in view. 

There was once a goldsmith whose tongue suddenly turned up and stuck to his palate. He looked like a man in samādhi. He became completely inert and remained so a long time. People came to worship him. After several years, his tongue suddenly returned to its natural position, and he became conscious of things as before. So he went back to his work as a goldsmith. (All laugh.) 

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, P 285 

                      (7 September 1883)