SAINT SKETCH - SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARMAHAMSA- LAST PART - Courtesy - Namadwaar. - The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna -Thursday, December 27, 1883

[Ravishankar.G]

Dear All,

The parables of Sri Ramakrishna is world famous. With simple day-to-day illustrations he would explain high philosophies.

 

Mahendra Nath Gupta, the recoder of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, records in his second visit of the Master -- 

M: "Sir, suppose one believes in God with form. Certainly He is not the clay image!"

Master (interrupting): "But why clay? It is an image of Spirit."

 

M. could not quite understand the significance of this "image of Spirit". "But, sir," he said to the Master "one should explain to those who worship the clay image that it is not God, and that, while worshipping it, they should have God in view and not the clay image. One should not worship clay." 

Master (sharply); "That's the one hobby of you Calcutta people -- giving lectures and bringing others to the light! Nobody ever stops to consider how to get the light himself. Who are you to teach others? 
 

"He who is the Lord of the Universe will teach everyone. ..........................He is our Inner Guide. 

"Suppose there is an error in worshipping the clay image; doesn't God know that through it He alone is being invoked? He will be pleased with that very worship. Why should you get a headache over it? You better try for knowledge and devotion yourself."

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Master: "The thing is that one must love God. Through intense love one attains the vision of Him. The attraction of the husband for the chaste wife, the attraction of the child for its mother, the attraction of worldly possessions for the worldly man--when a man can blend these three into one, and direct it all to God, then he gets the vision of God." (courtesy: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - Wednesday, January 2, 1884)

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Shrish: "It is extremely difficult to proceed toward God while leading the life of a householder."

Master: "Why so? What about the yoga of practice? At Kamarpukur I have seen the women of the carpenter family selling flattened rice. Let me tell you how alert they are while doing their business. The pestle of the husking-machine that flattens the paddy constantly falls into the hole of the mortar. The woman turns the paddy in the hole with one hand and with the other holds her baby on her lap as she nurses it. In the mean time customers arrive. The machine goes no pounding the paddy, and she carries on her bargains with the customers. She says to them, 'Pay the few pennies you owe me before you take anything more.' You see, she has all these things to do at the same time -- nurse the baby, turn the paddy as the pestle pounds it, take the flattened rice out of the hole and talk to the buyers. This is called the yoga of practice. Fifteen parts of her mind out of sixteen are fixed on the pestle of the husking-machine, lest it should pound her hand. With only one part of her mind she nurses the baby and talks to the buyers. Likewise, he who leads the life of a householder should devote fifteen part of his mind to God; otherwise he will face ruin and fall into the clutches of Death. He should perform the duties of the world with only one part of his mind. "

 

(courtesy The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna -Thursday, December 27, 1883])

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Regards & Chant the Mahamantra Nama kirtan:
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Pl visit http://namadwaar.org/home.php

or listen and chant along with the tune... Sri Sri Muralidhara swamiji's Maha Mantra Keerthanam...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsAWsd-XVOI