Paramhamsa State

 

God Alone Real

 

Faith in Guru

One must have faith in the guru's words. The guru is none other than Satchidananda. God Himself is the Guru.

If you only believe his words like a child, you will realize God. What faith a child has! When a child's mother says to him about a certain man, 'He is your brother', the child believes he really is his brother. The child believes it one hundred and twenty-five percent, though he may be the son of a brahmin, and the man the son of a blacksmith. The mother says to the child, 'There is a bugaboo in that room', and the child really believes there is a bugaboo in the room. Such is the faith of a child! One must have this childlike faith in the guru's words. God cannot be realized by a mind that is hypocritical, calculating, or argumentative.

One must have faith and sincerity. Hypocrisy will not do. To the sincere, God is very near; but He is far, far away from the hypocrite. 

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, P 673

           (6 December 1884)

Divine Incarnation and the Ordinary Man

MASTER: “You partake of the nature of him on whom you meditate. By worshipping Śiva you acquire the nature of Śiva. A devotee of Rāma meditated on Hanuman day and night. He used to think he had become Hanuman. In the end he was firmly convinced that he had even grown a little tail. Jnāna is the characteristic of Śiva, and bhakti of Vishnu. One who partakes of Śiva's nature becomes a Jnāni, and one who partakes of Vishnu's nature becomes a bhakta." 

M: "But what about Chaitanyadeva? You said he had both knowledge and devotion." 

MASTER (sharply): "His case was different. He was an Incarnation of God. There is a great difference between him and an ordinary man. The fire of Chaitanya's renunciation was so great that when Sarvabhauma poured sugar on his tongue, instead of melting, it evaporated into air. He was always absorbed in samādhi. How great was his conquest of lust! To compare him with a man! A lion eats meat and yet it mates only once in twelve years; but a sparrow eats grain and it indulges in sex-life day and night. Such is the difference between a Divine Incarnation and an ordinary human being. An ordinary man renounces lust; but once in a while he forgets his vow. He cannot control himself.” 

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, P 688 (27 December 1884)

Last Word in Spirituality

 

Yearning for God-Vision

One must have for God the yearning of a child. The child sees nothing but confusion when his mother is away. You may try to cajole him by putting a sweetmeat in his hand; but he will not be fooled. He only says, 'No, I want to go to my mother.' One must feel such yearning for God. Ah, what yearning! How restless a child feels for his mother! Nothing can make him forget his mother. He to whom the enjoyment of worldly happiness appears tasteless, he who takes no delight in anything of the world - money, name, creature comforts, sense pleasure - becomes sincerely grief-stricken for the vision of the Mother. And to him alone the Mother comes running, leaving all Her other duties. 

Ah, that restlessness is the whole thing. Whatever path you follow - whether you are a Hindu, a Mussalman, a Christian, a Shakta, a Vaishnava, or a Brahmo - the vital point is restlessness. God is our Inner Guide. It doesn't matter if you take a wrong path - only you must be restless for Him. He Himself will put you on the right path. 

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, P 673 (6 December 1884)

Giving up Animal Feeling