Sayings Of Sri Ramakrishna About Worldly Man

Two men went into a garden. The worldly-wise man no sooner entered the gate than he began to count the number of the mango-trees, how many mangoes each tree bore, and what might be the approximate price of the whole orchard. The other went to the owner, made his acquaintance, and quietly going under a mango-tree began to pluck the fruit and eat it with the owner's consent. Now who is the wiser of the two? Eat mangoes, it will satisfy your hunger. What is the good of counting the leaves and making vain calculations? The vain man of intellect is uselessly busy in finding out the 'why and wherefore' of creation, while the humble man of wisdom makes acquaintance with the Creator and enjoys Supreme Bliss in this world.

~Gospel of SriRamakrishna

How To Attain The Kingdom Of God

The rishis of old attained the Knowledge of Brahman. One cannot have this so long as there is the slightest trace of worldliness. Early in the morning they would go away from the hermitage, and would spend the whole day in solitude, meditating on Brahman. At night they would return to the hermitage and eat a little fruit or roots. They kept their minds aloof from the objects of sight, hearing, touch, and other things of a worldly nature. Only thus did they realize Brahman as their own inner consciousness.

But in the Kaliyuga, man, being totally dependent on food for life, cannot altogether shake off the idea that he is the body. In this state of mind it is not proper for him to say, 'I am He.' When a man does all sorts of worldly things, he should not say, 'I am Brahman.' Those who cannot give up attachment to worldly things, and who find no means to shake off the feeling of 'I', should rather cherish the idea 'I am God's servant; I am His devotee.' One can also realize God by following the path of devotion.

~Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Power Of God's Name !

.....Worldly people will never listen to you if you ask them to renounce everything and devote themselves whole-heartedly to God. Therefore Chaitanya and Nitai (saints), after some deliberation, made an arrangement to attract the worldly. They would say to such persons, 'Come, repeat the name of Hari, and you shall have a delicious soup of magur fish and the embrace of a young woman.'

Many people, attracted by the fish and the woman, would chant the name of God. After tasting a little of the nectar of God's hallowed name, they would soon realize that the 'fish soup' really meant the tears they shed for love of God, while the 'young woman' signified the earth. The embrace of the woman meant rolling on the ground in the rapture of divine love.

Chaitanya said: 'The name of God has very great sanctity. It may not produce an immediate result, but one day it must bear fruit. It is like a seed that has been left on the cornice of a building. After many days the house crumbles and the seed falls on the earth, germinates, and at last bears fruit.'

~Gospel of Sri RamaKrishna

Different kind Of Maya !

.....Maya is of two kinds - one leading towards God (Vidya-Maya), and the other leading away from God (Avidya-Maya). Vidya-Maya again is of two kinds - discrimination and non-attachment. With the help of these, individual souls surrender themselves to the mercy of God. Avidya-Maya is of six kinds - lust, anger, avarice, inordinate attachment, pride and envy. This kind of Maya gives rise to the sense of 'I and mine' and serves to keep men chained to the world. But as soon as Vidya-Maya manifests itself, all Avidya-Maya is totally destroyed.

The sun or the moon cannot be properly reflected in turbid water. Likewise the Universal Soul cannot be properly realized so long as the veil of Maya is not removed, i.e., so long as the sense of 'I and mine' is not gone.....

~Gospel of Sri RamaKrishna

Who Created Maya ?

.....This world is like a fishing-net. Men are the fish, and God, whose maya has created this world, is the fisherman. When the fish are entangled in the net, some of them try to tear through its meshes in order to get their liberation. They are like the men striving after liberation. But by no means all of them escape. Only a few jump out of the net with a loud splash, and then people say, 'Ah! There goes a big one!' In like manner, three or four men attain liberation. Again, some fish are so careful by nature that they are never caught in the net; some beings of the ever-perfect class, like Narada, are never entangled in the meshes of worldliness. Most of the fish are trapped; but they are not conscious of the net and of their imminent death.

No sooner are they entangled than they run headlong, net and all, trying to hide themselves in the mud. They don't make the least effort to get free. On the contrary, they go deeper and deeper into the mud. These fish are like the bound men. They are still inside the net, but they think they are quite safe there. A bound creature is immersed in worldliness, in 'woman and gold', having gone deep into the mire of degradation. But still he believes he is quite happy and secure. The liberated, and the seekers after liberation, look on the world as a deep well. They do not enjoy it. Therefore, after the attainment of Knowledge, the realization of God, some give up their bodies. But such a thing is rare indeed......

~Gospel of Sri RamaKrishna

What Is Maya?

Do you know what is maya? Your love towards all these relations of father and mother, brother and sister, wife and son, nephew and niece constitutes maya. On the other hand, daya (kindness) means love for all created beings. Well, what is it in my case ­ maya or kindness? Hriday has, however, done so much for me, served me so well. He would clean my excreta with his own hands. But he was equally hard on me at the end. He became so hard that I once went to the embankment to drown myself in the Ganga. Yet, he has done a lot for me. If he could get some (money), my mind would feel at rest. But whom shall I ask for it? I don’t want to ask any babu.

~Gospel Of Sri RamaKrishna

Bondage And Liberation Are Of The Mind !

It is all a question of the mind. Bondage and liberation are of the mind alone. The mind will take the colour you dye it with. It is like white clothes just returned from the laundry. If you dip them in red dye, they will be red. If you dip them in blue or green, they will be blue or green. They will take only the colour you dip them in, whatever it may be. If you are in bad company, then you will talk and think like your companions. On the other hand, when you are in the company of devotees, you will think and talk only of God.

The mind is everything. A man has his wife on one side and his daughter on the other. He shows his affection to them in different ways. But his mind is one and the same.

Bondage is of the mind, and freedom is also of the mind. A man is free if he constantly thinks: 'I am a free soul. How can I be bound, whether I live in the world or in the forest? I am a child of God, the King of Kings. Who can bind me?' If bitten by a snake, a man may get rid of its venom by saying emphatically, 'There is no poison in me.' In the same way, by repeating with grit and determination, 'I am not bound, I am free', one really becomes so-one really becomes free.

~Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Hanuman's Devotion to Rama

The conversation drifted to Hanuman, whose picture hung on the wall in the Master's( Sri Ramakrishna's ) room.

Sri Ramakrishna said: "Just imagine Hanuman's state of mind. He didn't care for money, honor, creature comforts, or anything else. He longed only for God. When he was running away with the heavenly weapon that had been secreted in the crystal pillar, Mandodari began to tempt him with various fruits so that he might come down and drop the weapon. But he could not be tricked so easily.

Ego Destroyed By Grace Of God !

Devotee— Sir, why are we bound like this? Why can’t we see the Lord?

Sri Ramakrishna — The very ego of man is maya. This egotism has veiled everything. ‘All troubles cease when the I-ness dies.’ If by the grace of the Lord a man realizes, ‘I am not the doer,’ he becomes a jivanmukta(Liberated in this very life). He has nothing to fear then.

The maya or the I-ness is like a cloud. The sun becomes invisible even if there is a patch of cloud. As soon as the cloud passes away, one can see the sun. If by the grace of the God the feeling of I-ness vanishes, one realizes the Lord.