7 Yoga
7 Sri Ramakrishna
7 The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
0.00 - INTRODUCTION, #The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, #Sri Ramakrishna, #Hinduism
Sri Ramakrishna also became acquainted with a number of people whose scholarship or wealth entitled them everywhere to respect. He had met, a few years before, Devendranath Tagore, famous all over Bengal for his wealth, scholarship, saintly character, and social position. But the Master found him disappointing; for, whereas Sri Ramakrishna expected of a saint complete renunciation of the world, Devendranath combined with his saintliness a life of enjoyment. Sri Ramakrishna met the great poet Michael Madhusudan, who had embraced Christianity "for the sake of his stomach". To him the Master could not impart instruction, for the Divine Mother "pressed his tongue". In addition he met Maharaja Jatindra Mohan Tagore, a titled aristocrat of Bengal; Kristodas Pal, the editor, social reformer, and patriot; Iswar Vidyasagar, the noted philanthropist and educator; PUNDIT SHASHADHAR, a great champion of Hindu orthodoxy; Aswini Kumar Dutta, a headmaster, moralist, and leader of Indian Nationalism; and Bankim Chatterji, a deputy magistrate, novelist, and essayist, and one of the fashioners of modern Bengali prose. Sri Ramakrishna was not the man to be dazzled by outward show, glory, or eloquence. A pundit without discrimination he regarded as a mere straw. He would search people's hearts for the light of God, and if that was missing he would have nothing to do with them.
--- KRISTODAS PAL
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PUNDIT SHASHADHAR one day suggested to the Master that the latter could remove the illness by concentrating his mind on the throat, the scriptures having declared that yogis had power to cure themselves in that way. The Master rebuked the pundit. "For a scholar like you to make such a proposal!" he said. "How can I withdraw the mind from the Lotus Feet of God and turn it to this worthless cage of flesh and blood?" "For our sake at least", begged Narendra and the other disciples. "But", replied Sri Ramakrishna, do you think I enjoy this suffering? I wish to recover, but that depends on the Mother."
NARENDRA: "Then please pray to Her. She must listen to you."
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1.24 - PUNDIT SHASHADHAR, #The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, #Sri Ramakrishna, #Hinduism
object:1.24 - PUNDIT SHASHADHAR
subject class:Yoga
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IT WAS THE DAY of the Rathyatra the Car Festival of the Hindus. At Ishan's invitation Sri Ramakrishna went to his house in Calcutta. For some time the Master had had a desire to meet PUNDIT SHASHADHAR. Tarkachudamani, who had been staying with one of Ishan's neighbours. So it was decided that he would visit the pundit in the afternoon.
A few devotees, including Hazra, accompanied the Master to Ishan's house. Ishan had invited one or two brahmin scholars and a devotee who followed the Tantrik method of worship. Shrish and Ishan's other sons were also present.
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About four o'clock in the afternoon the Master left in a carriage for the house where PUNDIT SHASHADHAR was staying. As soon as Sri Ramakrishna got into the carriage he went into samdhi. His physical frame was very tender as a result of the austerities he had undergone during the long years of his spiritual discipline and his constant absorption in God-Consciousness.
The Master would suffer from the slightest physical discomfort and even from the vibration of worldly thoughts around him. Once Keshab Chandra Sen had said that Sri Ramakrishna, Christ, and Sri Chaitanya belonged to a delicate species of humanity that should be kept in a glass case and protected from the vulgar contact of the world.
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PUNDIT SHASHADHAR
PUNDIT SHASHADHAR, a man of fair complexion and no longer young, had a string of rudraksha beads around his neck. He was one of the renowned Sanskrit scholars of his time-a pillar of orthodox Hinduism, which had reasserted itself after the first wave of Christianity and Western culture had passed over Hindu society. His clear exposition of the Hindu scriptures, his ringing sincerity, and, his stirring eloquence had brought back a large number of the educated young Hindus of Bengal to the religion of their forefa thers.
The pundit saluted the Master with reverence. Narendra, Rkhl , Ram, Hazra, and M., who had come with the Master, seated themselves in the room as near the Master as they could, anxious not to miss one of his words.
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MASTER (smiling to Ishan): "I said to PUNDIT SHASHADHAR: 'You have hardly set your foot on the tree, and yet you aspire to lay hold of a big bunch of fruit. First of all practise some spiritual discipline. Then you may teach others.' "
ISHAN: "Every preacher thinks that he enlightens others. The glowworm also may think that it illumines the world. Imagining this to be the glow-worm's feeling, someone said to it: 'O glow-worm, how can you bring light to the world? You only reveal the intensity of the darkness.' "
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1.25 - ADVICE TO PUNDIT SHASHADHAR, #The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, #Sri Ramakrishna, #Hinduism
object:1.25 - ADVICE TO PUNDIT SHASHADHAR
subject class:Yoga
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SRI RAMAKRISHNA was in his room, sitting on a mat spread on the floor. PUNDIT SHASHADHAR and a few devotees were with him on the mat, and the rest sat on the bare floor. Surendra, Baburam, M., Harish, Ltu, Hazra, and others were present. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.
Sri Ramakrishna had met PUNDIT SHASHADHAR six days before in Calcutta, and now the pundit had come to Dakshineswar to visit the Master. Bhudar Chattopadhyaya and his elder brother, the pundit's hosts, were with him.
Nature of Brahman
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PUNDIT SHASHADHAR was charmed with his singing. Very humbly he said to Sri Ramakrishna, "Are you going to sing anymore?"
A little later the Master sang again:
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As Sri Ramakrishna sang the line, "And with it have bought Sri Durga's name", the tears flowed from PUNDIT SHASHADHAR's eyes. The Master went on with the song: Deep within my heart I have planted the name of Kli, The Wish-fulfilling Tree of heaven;
When Yama, King of Death, appears,
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The Master remained silent a few moments and then asked PUNDIT SHASHADHAR to have a smoke. The Pundit went to the south east verandah to smoke. Soon he came back to the room and sat on the floor with the devotees. Seated on the small couch, the Master continued the conversation.
MASTER (to the Pundit): "Let me tell you something. There are three kinds of nanda, joy: the joy of worldly enjoyment, the joy of worship, and the Joy of Brahman. The joy of worldly enjoyment is the joy of 'woman and gold', which people always enjoy. The joy of worship one enjoys while chanting the name and glories of God. And the Joy of Brahman is the joy of God-vision. After experiencing the joy of God-vision the rishis of olden times went beyond all rules and conventions.
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PUNDIT SHASHADHAR entered the room with one or two friends and saluted the Master.
MASTER (smiling): "We are like the bridesmaids waiting near the bed for the arrival of the groom."
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PUNDIT SHASHADHAR was weeping. Vaishnavcharan, the musician, sang: O tongue, always repeat the name of Mother Durga!
Who but your Mother Durga will save you in distress?
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Again PUNDIT SHASHADHAR shed tears of love.
Sri Ramakrishna came down to consciousness of the world. Pointing to Shashadhar, he said to M., "Why don't you prod him?" He wanted M. or some other devotee to ask Shashadhar a question.
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PUNDIT SHASHADHAR was ready to leave. Sri Ramakrishna asked a devotee to bring a carriage for the pundit.
SHASHADHAR: "Don't trouble yourself. I shall walk."
--
PUNDIT SHASHADHAR saluted the Master and went away.
RAM: "I visited Shashadhar yesterday. You asked me to."
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1.26 - FESTIVAL AT ADHARS HOUSE, #The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, #Sri Ramakrishna, #Hinduism
NARENDRA: "Yes. His belly danced too." (All laugh.) PUNDIT SHASHADHAR's host had been thinking of inviting the Master for dinner.
MASTER: "I have heard that his host is not an honest man. He is immoral."
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1.27 - AT DAKSHINESWAR, #The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, #Sri Ramakrishna, #Hinduism
Referring to PUNDIT SHASHADHAR, the Master said to the devotees, "I found him monotonousengaged in the dry discussion of philosophy.
"He alone who, after reaching the Nitya, the Absolute, can dwell in the Lila, the Relative, and again climb from the Lila to the Nitya, has ripe knowledge and devotion. Sages like Nrada cherished love of God after attaining the Knowledge of Brahman. This is called vijnna.
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2.17 - THE MASTER ON HIMSELF AND HIS EXPERIENCES, #The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, #Sri Ramakrishna, #Hinduism
They thought it was just a sore in his throat. Many devotees arrived at Dakshineswar to visit him. Among them were Girish, Ram, Nityagopal, Mahima, Kishori, and PUNDIT SHASHADHAR.
Sri Ramakrishna was in his usual happy mood. He was talking to the devotees.
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2.19 - THE MASTER AND DR. SARKAR, #The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, #Sri Ramakrishna, #Hinduism
GIRISH (to the devotees): "PUNDIT SHASHADHAR said to him [meaning the Master]: 'Please bring your mind to bear on the body during samdhi. That will cure your illness.' And he, the Master, saw in a vision that the body was nothing but a loose mass of flesh and bones."
MASTER: "Once, a long time ago, I was very ill. I was sitting in the Kli temple. I felt like praying to the Divine Mother to cure my illness, but couldn't do so directly in my own name. I said to Her, 'Mother, Hriday asks me to tell You about my illness.' I could not proceed any farther. At once there flashed into my mind the Museum of the Asiatic Society, and a human skeleton strung together with wire. I said to Her, 'Please tighten the wire of my body like that, so that I may go about singing Your name and glories.' It is impossible for me to ask for occult powers.
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