Gospel | Chapter 7: Dec 14, 1882 (Part 4) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Om Tava Katham Ritam Tapta Jeevanam Kavi Viditam Kalmashaapam Sravana Mangalam Shreem Adha Tatam Bhuvigrinanti Bhuridha Jana Alright. So, in this class we study the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, which is an English translation of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Katham Ritam, which are the recorded dialogues of Sri Ramakrishna, the conversations actually of Sri Ramakrishna. They're recorded by Master Mahasaya, who comes in this book as M. So, in this class we do a little bit of reading and anytime if you have questions, if you have observations, just anytime to raise your hand, speak up. So, we are doing this particularly long conversation. This is on 14th December 1882, Thursday 14th December 1882 and in my book, in this edition, we were on page 168. Vijay Krishna Goswami, who was a very devout person, a spiritual practitioner, a teacher in the Brahma Samaj, so he has come to visit Sri Ramakrishna and he is having this conversation with Sri Ramakrishna. A lot of subjects, yoga, devotion, gyan, a path of knowledge, all of them come up for discussion and why is it so difficult to become enlightened? How does one go beyond sorrow? What are the obstacles and how does one tackle them and so on? So we were reading to Vijay. Sri Ramakrishna says this is on page 168, the second paragraph, we're just starting up there. To Vijay, come here now and then. I like to see you very much. Did you find it? Come here now and then. I like to see you very much. Vijay, I have to do my duties, various duties in the Brahma Samaj. That is why I can't always come here. But I shall visit you whenever I find it possible. Master, to Vijay, the task of a religious teacher is indeed difficult. One cannot teach men without a direct command from God. People won't listen to you if you teach without such authority. Such teaching has no force behind it. One must first of all attain God through spiritual discipline or some other means. Thus armed with authority from God, one can deliver lectures. After receiving the command from God, one can be a teacher and give lectures anywhere. He who receives authority from God also receives power from Him. Only then can he perform the difficult task of a teacher. An insignificant tenant was once engaged in a lawsuit with a big landlord. People realized that there was a powerful man behind the tenant. Thus another big landlord was directing the case from behind. Man is an insignificant creature. He cannot fulfill the difficult task of a teacher without receiving power direct from God. Vijay, don't the teachings of the Brahma Samaj bring men salvation? Master, how is it ever possible for one man to liberate another from the bondage of the world? God alone, the creator of this world, bewitching Maya, can save men from Maya. There is no other refuge but that great teacher Satchidananda, which is Brahman, the Absolute Reality. How is it ever possible for men who have not realized God or received His command and who are not strengthened with divine strength to save others from the prison house of the world? One day as I was passing the Panchavati on my way to the pine grove, I heard a bullfrog croaking. I thought it must have been seized by a snake. After some time as I was coming back, I could still hear its terrified croaking. I looked to see what was the matter and found that a water snake had seized it. The snake could neither swallow it nor give it up. So there was no end to the frog's suffering. I thought that had it been seized by a cobra, it would have been silenced after three croaks at the most. As it was only a water snake, both of them had to go through this agony. A man's ego is destroyed after three croaks, as it were. If he gets into the clutches of a real teacher, but if the teacher is an unripe one, then both the teacher and the disciple undergo endless suffering. The disciple cannot get rid either of his ego or of the shackles of the world. If the disciple falls into the clutches of an incompetent teacher, he doesn't attain liberation. Sir, Vijay says, Sir, why are we bound like this? Why don't we see God? Master, Maya is nothing but the egotism of the embodied soul. This egotism has covered everything like a veil. All troubles come to an end when the ego dies. If by the grace of God a man realizes that he is not the doer, then he at once becomes a Jeevan Mukta. Though living in the body, he is liberated. He has nothing else to fear. This Maya, that is to say the ego, is like a cloud. The sun cannot be seen on account of a thin patch of cloud. When that disappears, one sees the sun. If by the grace of the Guru, one's ego vanishes, then one sees God. Rama, who is God himself, was only two and a half cubits ahead of Lakshmana. But Lakshmana couldn't see him because Sita stood between them. Lakshmana may be compared to the Jeeva and Sita to Maya. Man cannot see God on account of the barrier of Maya. Just look, I am creating a barrier in front of my face with this towel. Now you can't see me, even though I am so near. Likewise, God is the nearest of all, but we cannot see him on account of this covering of Maya. All right, let's go back and discuss it a little bit and then we'll read more. There's so much packed in here as usual. So to Vijay, Sridhama Krishna says, come here now and then, I'd like to see you very much. Sridhama Krishna would often do that. And this reminds us of the three kinds of Gurus. He says the ordinary Guru says, these three kinds of Gurus, he compares with three kinds of doctors. So the ordinary doctor says, look, here's the medicine, take it, okay? And that's it, that's the end of it. No more follow-up, but the better doctor, the superior doctor, calls up and says, look, you must take this medicine. It's for your own good. Are you taking the medicine? Why aren't you taking the medicine? This has been said to you for your own good. And persuades him with love and affection. And the best doctor, he says that, what? You're not taking the medicine and jumps on the patient and forces his mouth open towards the medicine down the patient's throat. He says, Sri Lankrishnan describes very vividly, puts his knees on the chest of the patient and forces his mouth open towards the medicine down. Similarly, the three kinds of Gurus. So the ordinary Guru tells you what is right and shows you the right path. And that's it, it's up to you now. The better Guru is the one who affectionately, you know, counsels us and inspires us and follows up. And the best one is the one who makes sure that we get enlightenment. I told you the last time about Swami Trigunathitan and his birthdays coming up. So some, he was like that. If you did sign up for realization, enlightenment, if you did take Mantra Dikshah from him, then you're in for it. I told you about that American lady who wrote a letter. We don't have that letter because we can guess from the reply which is preserved. That must have been a complaining letter. And the reply was, Madam, you have taken refuge in me. It is now my duty to make sure that you attain enlightenment and immortality. I shall drag you willingly or unwillingly to the shores of the ocean of immortality and throw you in there. If on the way I break your bones, I care not. So that's the best kind of Guru. It's very difficult. And why don't we have that Guru? I wonder how many of us would stick it out, that kind of treatment. We read many senses of our Gurus who were disciples of the direct disciples of Srinamakrishna. All these youngsters were sitting with Srinamakrishna. 16 of them became the monks. Many of them had disciples. But how this scolded their disciples? There are many such reminiscences. And once I asked Swami Suhita Nanditya, who was the vice president now, who was the head of the monastery where I joined, why did this grow so much? They were always scolding. Our Gurus were youngsters at that time. Why did they get so much scolding? And Swami Suhita Nanditya told me that, look, they were impatient. They realized we have very little time. And these youngsters had to become ready, which means they have to become spiritually illumined and ready to pass it on and teach others. And they were impatient. There are so many such stories. One particularly striking one is Swami Sivananda. He was the second president of the Ramakrishna order, another disciple of Srinamakrishna. At that time, he was the president in the 1920s. So, he was elderly and ill at that time. In his room, there was a monk who would stay with him at night in case he needed anything to serve him. And Swami Sivananda hardly got any sleep at night. He would spend often nights altogether in meditation or in spiritual moods. At that time, Swami Akhandananda had come. Another disciple of Srinamakrishna. He was visiting Belur Madhya, the main monastery. He was visiting from Sargachi, which is the ashram, the orphanage which he established. So, he was given the room next to Swami Sivananda. And this young monk was supposed to attend to the old swamis. So, he laid it in the night. He had a little bed which he made on the floor. And he went to sleep. Naturally. And suddenly he woke to a sound of pounding. He was pounding the door. Swami Akhandananda, pounding the door to Swami, connecting it to Swami Sivananda's room. And saying, Dada, that means elder brother, wake up, wake up. Are you there? And Swami Sivananda also was awake. So, he comes. What's the matter? He says, look at this young monk. He's sleeping. He's sleeping in the night. Tell me, brother, when we were his age, in our young days in Varanagar, but the first monastery, did we ever sleep night? Has he realized God that he can sleep at night? And Swami Sivananda consoled him. No, it's alright. He'll take his time, but he will get there. Don't worry. Don't worry. And then Swami Akhandananda was sort of comforted. But he went back muttering. Still sleeping at night. I don't understand these youngsters. So, that's the best kind of guru. It's analyzing at this distance, but it's not fun. I can tell you that. A little bit, I have seen very good monks, and they've done it with the best of intentions. But there's coldings I cannot forget in my whole life. All done with the best of intentions. Yeah. And serving office. So, you have to withstand that. One monk I know, very interesting Swami. He lived high up in the Himalayas. His name was... His name was... I'm forgetting his name. Sundararanda. Swami Sundararanda. He passed away a few years ago. He lived most of his life, 40 to 50 years, high up to 10,000 feet in the mountains, in a little hut. Incredible life. I didn't know about him. I just chanced upon him when I was traveling there. I was staying there. In fact, I was staying in the cottage, just down from his cottage. I didn't even know about this amazing Swami. So, he... He was at the very least spiritually very advanced. But my point here is, what's relevant here is, local people were scared of him because he had a hot temper. And you might say, how can a hot temper go with spiritual, with advanced spirituality? It can go with advanced spirituality when the person is not under the control of that hot temper. Where the hot temper is used only for a spiritual purpose. Vivekananda says, it is only the fool who cannot get angry. The wise do not get angry. So, anyway, he had a hot temper. And to get anything out of him, the first barrier he had to overcome was really rough handling. I... The first time I went into the ashram, it was not... It was not the most welcoming because I went in and this other person was leaving the ashram. She was rushing out of the ashram, weeping. So, I had received this particularly hot scolding, I think. So, I went and talked to that Swami. And I really liked him. And you have to be careful. One little thing, in my case, what triggered this scolding was, he... He was talking about you know, Brahman pervading everything, that God is everywhere. A little background, his Guru was one of the greatest teachers of Vedanta in those days, long way back in the 40s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 1930s, 40s, 50s. He was in fact... His Guru was Tapavan Maharaj, who was the Guru of Swami Chinmayananda, who established the Chinmayi mission. So, that Tapavan Maharaj, very well known, great Vedanta teacher, but very strict. So, Srinadarajan Ji told me that because I was not very studious, I didn't know Sanskrit and I was not very studious and Tapavan Maharaj just taught Vedanta. That's all. He didn't give mantras and he did not initiate anybody into Brahmacharya, Sannyasa of house of monasticism. No. You already had to be a monk. Just the minimum qualification was you had to be a monk already and you would have to come and stay there with him 10,000 feet up in the Himalayas. Find a... He will not give you quarters to stay. So, you have to find your own hut or cave and you beg for your food. And all you get from him are two classes, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. That's it. You can't even ask questions, not like here questions, objections, remarks. No. After the classes, you go straight back to your cave or hut and you meditate. Anyway. So, because this person, Srinadaranda was not scholarly, Tapavan Swami told him, what will you do here? You go away. It's not for you. Srinadaranda said, I liked him so much that I said, let me just stay here. I'll serve you and all the other disciples who are here. You know, I'll clean the place. I'll warm up the food and... Let me just sit and listen to you. And that's what he did all his life. He took care of the ashram and the guru. And when I was there, I saw him in his 80s, still taking care of the ashram. Nobody's there anymore. His guru is long gone. It is maintained perfectly. I'll give you two examples. Monks have a water pot. So, he pointed out, look at that water pot. I used to keep it ready every day. At any time, he could come and ask, give me water in my hands. And I always have this feeling that, anytime I can hear his voice, they come give me some water in my hands. And then he showed me, look, goose bumps, my hair, very hair is rising and it was. And his guru has passed away, what? 50 years ago. And so, that's one example of his seriousness. The second example I found was, there was a little storm. So, every cottage, every ashram there was, it was strewn with leaves and little branches and everything, including mine and all of the places. I went out after the storm. There was only one cottage, which was spic and span. And that was this old Swami. Just after the storm blew over, first thing he did was, he got up and he cleaned the whole place, not one leaf out of place there. So, this was his dedication, but strict. Now, the story goes this way. Because he didn't understand Sanskrit or didn't understand the intricacies of logic enough, his guru told him, he gave him a teaching from Kabir Das. Khule nae naekhoon sahabko, with open eyes I see my Lord. So, he told him, his guru told him, that you see God in the Himalayas and the Ganga. Then he quoted from the Vedas, from the Rig Veda, pashya devasya kabhyam yonagir yati namamar Look upon the poetry of the Lord, the great poet. The poetry which neither decays nor dies. What is the poetry of the Lord? This universe. And especially something as spectacular and spiritual as the Himalayas. This is your sadhana, your spiritual. And then he, so this is the background, and the Swami was telling me with this background, that you see, everywhere is the Lord blazing forth. Now, I made the mistake of being a little skeptical and I said, well, it's alright for you, you know, you have been here in the Himalayas, in this wonderful surroundings, all your life. But we stay in cities, you know, I was staying in Calcutta, I mean in the main monastery. We stay in these cities, you know, and it's, and that was it. A memorable scolding which I remember till today. Every word of it is resounding. I will not tell you all the gory details, but here's the point was, this is rank insincerity. He says, and this is, he told me in Hindi, I'll translate. Kahan nahi hai wo laddu mein bhi wahi aur vistha mein bhi wahi. You eat the laddu, the sweets. The Lord is there, and what comes out in the toilet, the Lord is there also. In the temple and in the toilet, the same Lord shines. This attitude, I mean, he said, this is the sign of insincerity. I'm using a very polite word. He, and so I took it. I took the stones, which I just sat through that, powered through it. I sat quietly and it didn't resist. And when he was done, but then he was full of blessings. He was full of blessings, and then he opened up. So then he opens up, and he tells us so many things about his pack practices, about his realizations, his visions, about his Guru, so many wonderful things which are treasures. I remember that particular day hurrying back to my cottage, because there's no electricity at those days. So it was all, it was going to get dark. So if you had to go in the writing, it would do it before the sunlight fades. I remember I had a book. I still have it. And then the back of that book, I quickly scribbled in the fading light a few lines from what he had said, just a few of the core teachings. Not the scolding, which I'm not likely to forget. So why did they scold so much? Best Guru. Best Guru. Even there's a story about Swami Chinman, and then some of you may have heard his name, Chinman Mission, which is there all worldwide now. Almost at the end of his training, and this was, Swami told me, he was there. So it was almost at the end of his, so part of the training was, the classes where he's teaching the Upanishads. So you come, the Upanishad is taught, the class, next class, you're expected to be ready to recite what was said in the last class, the text from memory. If you slip up, you are banned for the rest of this life. Come back next life. And Chinmananda once slipped up. And of course, the poor one Swami said, get out. And he had a particularly special scolding for Chinmanandu, because Chinmanandu was a reporter in a newspaper. And Chinmanandu has written a very nice account of this in his own reminiscence. He says, he had gone there to debunk the monks of the, in the Himalayas. He had gone to write a, like a long newspaper report about the monks in the Himalayas. And he became a monk himself. But, so that the poor one Swami, his special scolding for Chinmanandu was, this is not journalism. This is not your newspaper. It's the Upanishads. So, the same scolding came. This is not your, this is not writing a newspaper article. This is the Upanishads. Go. Don't show me your face again. And the others, they pitched in for Chinmanandu. So, see Chinmanandu acknowledges that. They pre-did my case that, see, he started late. Yeah, we all know he's a slow student. He started late. But he's almost finished on that course and just let him be. And so, the poor one Swami relented. Anyway, all those stories just to show, the best gurus, what you get for withstanding all that scolding and all that toughness, you get enlightenment. You get the goal of life. You are, you are through. Another monk I met, whom I considered to be a Jeevan Mukta, traditional wandering monk. So, he told us about how his guru treated him in the ashram where he studied long ago, in the 1940s. He was a Brahmacharya, a novice. So, in those days, nashram days to wear, kharam, what I don't know how to translate that, they are wooden clogs. So, they are not sandals, like nice rubber sandals or whatever. They are wooden clogs. And you can't walk about in a wooden clog without cracking, making sounds. And so, he says, one day, I came up to my guru early in the morning, that Swami told me, that when he was a Brahmacharya. And my guru scolded me harshly. He said, don't you, aren't you mindful? Why are you cracking about all over the ashram, making so much sound? There's no other way. Either you can walk barefoot or you can walk on that. And since you're prescribed