IT
IS A RECOGNIZED FACT that from time to time messengers and incarnations of God
are born on earth to shed the light of righteousness and to
dispel the darkness of evil and injustice. They also transmit pure, unselfish,
divine love to man and give a taste of the unadulterated nectar of heavenly
bliss to the arid souls scorched by the fire of worldliness.
It is indeed
strange that the human soul, by nature divine and full of infinite peace and
bliss, should suffer such misery in the world. Scriptures say that this is due
to Maya or ignorance of the three characteristics of the soul, viz. existence
(Sat), consciousness (Cit), and bliss (Ananda). Maya, they say, conceals the
potential bliss, in particular. The existence aspect is manifest in all objects
and' creatures. In human beings the modifications of thought-waves or citta - vrttis
determine which of the other two aspects will manifest itself or remain
concealed. This is explained through the example of the transmission of heat
and light of fire in various objects. In heated water there is transmission of
heat only, and not of light. Similarly in a mind where tamasika and rajasika
vrttis predominate, only consciousness is manifested. But an inflammable wood
while burning transmits both heat and light. Similarly, the light of bliss
flashes forth together with • the warmth of consciousness from persons with sattvika
vrttis. It expresses itself in human being as priyatva i.e. love, attraction,
charm and beauty; and as ananda i.e., peace, contentment, joy and bliss. Saints
and sages enjoy more bliss and display greater love and attraction since they
possess sattva guna in much greater amount than the ordinary human being. Sri
Ramakrishna is considered an incarnation with preponderance of sattva. Hence
these two qualities radiated from his personality in the highest degree.
Sri
Ramakrishna the Great Lover
It was a fact of daily experience with every disciple of
Sri Ramakrishna that he felt that the Master loved him more than others. Swami Premananda, a disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna, true to his name was an extremely affectionate monk. His loving
nature used to attract a large number of people. But the Swami used to say that
his love was not even one hundredth of Sri Ramakrishna's love. He admitted even
in front of his mother that Sri Ramakrishna's love for his disciples exceeded
even the love of parents for their children. In his hymns composed in praise of
Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda has incorporated two phrases to highlight
this aspect of the Master: bhāva-sāgara prema-pāthār, 'Ocean of feeling
sublime and love', and darsita prema vijrmbhita rangam, 'who has shown various
sports of Love Divine'. He goes to the extent of regarding Sri Ramakrishna as
LOVE personified.
Pure love is rarely seen in
the world. Either it degenerates into physical attraction between two
individuals or gets perverted into passive dependence or possessiveness. But
true love is more dynamic and consists of care, responsibility and respect for,
and knowledge of, the beloved. Care and responsibility are best seen in a
mother's love for her child. She actively busies herself in feeding, nursing and
dressing it and takes care of it in various ways. Higher still is the love of a
spiritual teacher who takes care of his disciple's soul. In the life of Sri
Ramakrishna we find a number of touching examples of how much solicitude he had
for his disciples.
Sri Ramakrishna had
instructed the young boys doing spiritual practices under his guidance to eat
less, specially at night, so that they could meditate better. Accordingly Latu,
who excelled in following the Master's instructions to the letter, reduced his
diet abruptly and drastically to the detriment of his health. Sri Ramakrishna
noticed it and asked Latu to take his meals in his presence. Like an
affectionate mother, he would then serve clarified butter from his plate on to
Latu's plate. At times Latu would remain engrossed in spiritual practices,
oblivious of food and rest. On various pretexts Sri Ramakrishna would call and
cajole him to take his food. Once a Hathayogi came to Dakshineswar. Young Yogen
felt attracted towards him and hoped to learn a trick or two from him to
conquer lust. Sri Ramakrishna however knew that a spiritual aspirant is likely
to get side-tracked and miss the goal if he becomes body-conscious due to Hathayoga.
So he warned Yogen against it. When Yogen did not heed his warning he forcibly
dragged him away from the presence of the Hathayogi. Initially Yogen thought
that the Master was jealous of the Hathayogi, but soon realized the truth of
the Master's teaching.
Closely
associated with care is the sense of responsibility, not only for physical
well-being but also for the development of human potentialities of the beloved.
Prompted by the sense of duty, Sri Ramakrishna gave spiritual instructions to,
and kept a close watch on, his disciples and earnestly prayed to the Divine
Mother for their spiritual growth. It was this sense of responsibility which
prompted him to make repeated visits to Calcutta to meet the devotees who found
it difficult to visit him at Dakshineswar. He felt concerned even for their
material well-being. When Narendra was facing acute financial crisis after the
sudden death of his father, Sri Ramakrishna asked some influential people if
they could find a job for him. He was prepared even to go to the extent of
begging from door to door for his sake. It was this love of Sri Ramakrishna which
bound Narendra to him forever. But without respect for and knowledge of the
beloved, love runs the risk of deteriorating into domination and
possessiveness. Respect means the ability to see a person as he is, to be aware
of his individuality and uniqueness. This is not possible without knowing him.
Care and responsibility may become blind and do more harm than good if they are
not guided by deep knowledge of the person's temperament and aptitudes. Being
established in 'Bhāvamukha', Sri Ramakrishna had a tremendous ability to know
the specific moods or bhavas of each individual who came to him. Once he knew a
person intimately, it was easy for him to guide him on his spiritual path. He
never destroyed the specific mental attitude of anyone. Nor did he try to
impose his ideas forcibly on others. Rather he endeavoured to raise each one
from where he was and led him in the direction of his natural bent of mind. Innumerable
instances can be cited of how Sri Ramakrishna showed respect for the uniqueness
of each individual.
Lakshmi Devi, Sri
Ramakrishna's niece and a close companion of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi,
was a pious lady who delighted in singing and dancing ecstatically during kirtan.
The Holy Mother was temperamentally just the opposite. She was extremely shy
and never came out in public. Sri Ramakrishna recognized this difference and
instructed each one of them accordingly. He made such arrangements that the
Holy Mother could live in Dakshineswar without relinquishing her bashful
nature. Sri Ramakrishna asked Gauri Devi, another lady devotee with a masculine
temperament, to start an institution for the spiritual training and education
of women.
Although Rakhal, one of the
disciples, was devotional by nature, like many other young men of the day he
had enrolled himself as a member of the then popular Brahmo Samaj and had
signed a pledge not to worship images. However, when he came in touch with Sri
Ramakrishna his natural devotion for Personal God got encouragement and he
started making obeisance to images of deities in temples. Narendra, his
co-member of the Brahmo Samaj, rebuked him for breaking his pledge, but Sri
Ramakrishna defended Rakhal's action because it was in accordance with the
natural bent of his mind. Sri Ramakrishna's respect for individuals was not
merely due to his knowledge of their inner nature. It was a natural consequence
of his seeing divinity in all. Once Latu went into a trance while meditating
upon Lord Siva. He was perspiring due to heat, and when Sri Ramakrishna noticed
it he started fanning the boy who had lost all outward consciousness. Later,
Sri Ramakrishna said that he was actually fanning Lord Siva who had manifested
Himself in Latu's consciousness.
Sri Ramakrishna's love for
Narendra, however, was extraordinary. Once Narendra protested and said that if
he loved him so, much he would suffer the fate of Jada Bharata who had to be
reborn as an antelope due to his inordinate attachment for the animal.
Perturbed, Sri Ramakrishna rushed to the Divine Mother and unburdened his
anxiety. The reply he got from the Divine Mother was that he loved Narendra
because he saw God in him. To Sri Sarada Devi he had said, 'I look upon you as
none other than the Divine Mother who is worshipped in the temple.' And since
Sri Ramakrishna loved the indwelling spirit, the innermost reality in every
being, everyone felt that he loved him most.
Sri
Ramakrishna the Beloved
Not only did Sri Ramakrishna love all alike and deeply,
he was also the most beloved of all. He alone is loved by others who has the
capacity to love. People are concerned with the question whether they are
attractive, but they forget that the essence of attractiveness is in their ability
to love. And it is precisely due to his ability to love the divine in all that
Sri Ramakrishna was so attractive, though he was not physically handsome. The
fact was that apart from God he had no separate personality and it was the
Divine in him which attracted people to him. His utter absence of ego, his
childlike simplicity and guilelessness endeared him to all.
Most people who came to Sri
Ramakrishna once could not resist the urge to visit him and obtain his
blessings again. Even women of respectable families, who would not generally
venture out in public, would visit Dakshineswar for his darsan, walking
long distances. They were drawn by his heavenly charm. It was immaterial
whether he talked to them or not. To see him was enough recompense for all the
trouble they had to take. Narendra used to get maximum attention from Sri
Ramakrishna. But once for full one month Sri Ramakrishna totally neglected him
and did not even talk to him. Narendra however continued his visits to Sri
Ramakrishna as before. Later, when asked why he continued to come even when
thus neglected, Narendra said that he came just because he loved Sri
Ramakrishna and liked to see him.
Devotees loved Sri
Ramakrishna with various attitudes. His simple trust in others, his absolute faith
in the words of those whom he loved or respected, and his anxiety and
impatience in illness etc. made him appear like a child of five who must be
looked after and protected carefully. Rakhal [Swami Brahmananda] and Tarak [Swami Shivananda] looked upon him
as their affectionate mother. Latu loved, respected and served him as his
father and master. And, of course, there were many who served and honoured him
as their beloved Guru. Whatever the relationship, all felt that he was their
nearest and dearest.
Sri Ramakrishna, the
Embodiment of Divine Bliss
Being inseparably united with the Supreme Spirit, which is
nothing but Bliss Absolute, Sri Ramakrishna had become the very embodiment of
divine bliss. Whether in health or in disease, whether in normal consciousness
or in a state of ecstasy, he was always cheerful. The Holy Mother, who lived
with him for a long period of twelve years, said that she never saw him in a
depressed mood. Even while he was suffering from cancer of the throat, the
devotees who served him never got the impression that he was in pain. Swami
Turiyananda, then Hari, actually told Sri Ramakrishna that to his mind the
Master was ever blissful, in spite of the cancerous, painful disease. He held
this view even when Sri Ramakrishna protested to the contrary. Finally Sri
Ramakrishna did confirm Hari's observation. During this period, Narendra with
two other brother-disciples went to Bodha Gaya for austerities. Had Sri
Ramakrishna been in pain, they would not have had the heart to leave him even
for a day.
This divine bliss Sri
Ramakrishna transmitted to the world in various ways. First of all, his very
presence radiated bliss and created a blissful atmosphere. There used to be
continuous fun and frolic, singing and dancing, lively discussions on spiritual
matters in his room day and night. Festivities, picnics and parties took place
all round the year. Young and old, worldly-minded or devout, people afflicted
with sorrow and anxiety or otherwise, all alike used to feel relaxed and happy the
moment they came within his enchanting circle.
Secondly, Sri Ramakrishna
actively endeavoured to remove the sorrow of people. He was extremely sensitive
to their suffering and could deeply sympathize with them in their woes. He
alone could assuage the agony of a bereaved father who had lost his grown-up
son. This he did in his unique way, first by feeling the grief deeply, then by
singing a song in a heroic mood of a devotee preparing to fight death, and
finally by an amiable conversation on the unreality of the world, the
transitoriness of life and the need for dependence on God.
Sri Ramakrishna could not
see anyone weeping. Touching incidents are on record of how out of compassion
he would go beyond limits to console others. Yogen Ma, one of the close
companions of the Holy Mother, was so much attached to her that she could not
bear her separation. Once when the Holy Mother had to go to her native village
from Calcutta, Yogen Ma broke down. When Sri Ramakrishna saw her weeping, he called
her to his room and tactfully diverted her mind by narrating incidents of his
period, of sadhana, and thus calmed down her mind. On another occasion,
he cajoled a small girl of five who was crying, being shocked to see sharp
thorns along with a beautiful rose.
Sri Ramakrishna was careful not to hurt anyone even by
mistake. His embarrassment and sense of guilt at inadvertently addressing the
Holy Mother as 'thou' is too well-known to be related. But a touching incident
demonstrates how he behaved with Bhagwati Dasi, an old maid of the temple. Once
Sri Ramakrishna was amiably talking to Bhagwati Dasi. Encouraged by this, the
lady saluted Sri Ramakrishna by touching his feet. He started up in pain, since
he could not bear the touch of impure persons. Poor Bhagwati Dasi was
dumbfounded with guilt and shame. Sri Ramakrishna noticed this and felt sorry
that he had inadvertently caused pain to the lady. He therefore sang a few
songs in his sweet voice to console and cheer her up.
Last
but not the least, Sri Ramakrishna taught
and demonstrated through his life the path to eternal bliss to all who
came to him for help and guidance. He used to classify bliss or ananda
into - three types: visaydnanda, bhajandnanda, and brahmdnanda.
The first is the bliss derived from sense-objects. It is transitory, debasing and
leads to bondage and sorrow. The next is the joy of singing the glories of God and
remembering him, renouncing
sense-pleasures. Through this
transformation one ultimately attains the third and the highest form of bliss,
when the aspirant achieves union with God who is the very embodiment of bliss,
and enjoys unadulterated eternal bliss.
In the end let us remember
what the Holy Mother said about Sri Ramakrishna's attitude towards the world.
According to her, Sri Ramakrishna had a maternal attitude towards all
creatures. The universal Divine Mother, out of Her maternal affection towards
Her own creation, had incarnated as Sri Ramakrishna to allay the suffering of
all creatures. While God and His incarnations remember this relationship,
ordinary beings forget it and suffer untold misery. The incarnations therefore
try their utmost to lead them to understand their divine nature, which is the
sure way to attain lasting peace and bliss.
The
uniqueness of Sri Ramakrishna lies in that he manifests the fullest amount of
divine bliss and at the same time is so utterly human. No other incarnation
came so close to humanity in his earthly existence as Sri Ramakrishna did. He
lived and moved among us like an ordinary human being so that he may be easily
approached. Through his charming humanity and deep sympathy he is drawing all
towards him, and is beckoning all to enter the kingdom of eternal joy.
