Editorial

Solitude

Can we realise God while leading a householder’s life? This is one of the questions that devotees often asked Sri Ramakrishna, and every time he affirmed that it was possible. To achieve this, one of the practices he strongly recommended was to go into solitude now and then.

But why are we talking of solitude at the beginning of a new year when the common and popular custom is to get together with friends and family and have parties or go on outings? Well, anyone serious about progressing in spiritual life and leading a meaningful, peaceful life would do well to add periodic solitudes into their To Do list for this year.

Our everyday life is a continuous struggle to maintain mental and physical balance, and to have a harmonious relationship with things and people around us. The balance is disturbed by the onrush of sensate impressions from the world outside and from the samskaras bubbling up within our mind. Living in our modern society is like travelling on a crowded train or bus; ‘we are in each other’s way and we stumble over one another.’ Rubbing shoulders with all kinds of fellow passengers we literally pick up their dirt and sweat, and also willynilly their attitudes and passions. When we live and function for long in this state of confusion and strife, we unknowingly get used to it; we begin to sympathise and adjust with the duties, obligations, and etiquettes of mundane life just as the fisherwoman, in Sri Ramakrishna’s parable, accepts and enjoys the stench of her fish-basket deeming it a normal, desirable state of affairs. We imperceptibly compromise and slip from our spiritual ideal.

While we thus sleepwalk through life, engrossed in meeting the demands of day-today events, our ideal or goal of life remains obscure and far away. To remedy this, we need to ask ourselves, What do I really want? What do I truly value? Am I progressing towards my goal? To ask these wake-up questions in an effective manner, we need to stand back a little from the mundane world. This conscious, purposeful withdrawing, at least for some time, from the never-ending chain of life experiences and entering into the depths of the inner stillness of the soul is called solitude.

As evident, this withdrawing has two dimensions. One is withdrawing into the inner realms or depths of our personality, and the other is the physical withdrawal to a silent place where no one can disturb us. While withdrawing into the inner stillness of the soul is the ideal, and sincere sadhakas are seeking just that through practices like meditation, bhajans, and leela chintan, the solitude that Sri Ramakrishna recommends begins with physical withdrawal. Explaining this he says, ‘How can the worldly man be cured of his serious disease unless he goes into solitude? A worldly man is suffering from delirious fever, as it were. Suppose there are pickled tamarind and jars of water in the room of such a patient. Now, how can you expect him to get rid of the disease? … To a man, a woman is the pickled tamarind, [and vice versa] and his desire for enjoyment, the jars of water. There is neither end nor limit to this desire for worldly enjoyment. And the things are in the patient’s very room. Can you expect the patient to get rid of the delirious fever in this fashion? He must be removed for a few days to another place where there are neither pickled tamarind nor water-jars. Then he will be cured. After that if he returns to his old room he will have nothing to fear.’

How should we enter into solitude and how long should we be in it? Sri Ramakrishna again answers, ‘When you practice discipline in solitude, keep yourself entirely away from your family. You must not allow your wife, son, daughter, mother, father, sister, brother, friends, or relatives near you. While thus practicing discipline in solitude, you should think: “I have no one else in the world. God is my all.” You must also pray to Him, with tears in your eyes, for knowledge and devotion. ‘If you ask me how long you should live in solitude away from your family, I should say that it would be good for you if you could spend even one day in such a manner. Three days at a time are still better. One may live in solitude for twelve days, a month, three months, or a year, according to one’s convenience and ability. One hasn’t much to fear if one leads the life of a householder after attaining knowledge and devotion.’

Withdrawing into solitude to commune with God is also very much necessary for monastics. It is well known that Swami Vivekananda and his brother disciples spent many months in solitude performing intense spiritual practices. Once, after returning from his first visit to the West, Swamiji went into a short solitude in the forest near Almora. He told Mrs. Sara Bull, ‘I am going away into the forests to be alone; and when I come back, I shall bring peace.’ He spent ten hours every day in the silence of the forest for a few days.

In Sufi Islam there is a practice of solitude called Chilla wherein the sadhaka withdraws from ordinary social interaction and sits in a circle for 40 days and nights without food, and practices intense meditation and prayers. Jesus too, after his baptism, went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days and nights.

Interestingly, this practice of intense solitude is also used by some Hindustani musicians. They practice Chilla Katna, a 40- day self-imposed retreat where the musician practices in isolation focussing all the energies of his mind to discover the next level of excellence. Zakir Hussain, the renowned tabla player, is said to have undergone this austerity at the age of 17; of this experience he later said, ‘I saw things in the music that I had never seen before, new combinations, new patterns.’

Indeed, as modern neuroplasticity assures us, we can through focussed, sustained efforts redesign our brain activity, and create new patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions.

But to go into such long solitudes without proper preparation is an invitation for mental imbalance. Therefore, along with solitude, Sri Ramakrishna recommends some other forms of sadhana: 1) Repeat god’s name and sing His glories; 2) Keep holy company; 3) Now and then visit God’s devotees and holy men. These practices prepare the mind for intense sadhana in solitude. In fact, keeping this advice in mind, some of our centres regularly conduct Japa Yajna camps wherein initiated devotees gather for a 5-day camp in the ashrama determined to perform one lakh japa interspersed with bhajans, reading from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, and discourses by sannyasis. All the days, they maintain silence and are cut off from social media and friends. They practice communing with Sri Ramakrishna and in the process also identify the obstructions to their spiritual growth – subtle samskaras, habits of thought and action.

From such solitude, we should come out empowered as ideal men and women and re-engage with the world at a deeper level, discovering the divine behind the mundane, and seamlessly integrating inner and outer life.

In this new year, let us determine to physically reject the allurements of the sensate world, reside more within the inner chamber of our heart, learn to converse with the Lord, and then share the ensuing peace, joy, and knowledge with those around us.

Reminiscences of Sargachhi

SWAMI SUHITANANDA

Conversations with Swami Premeshananda (1884-1967) a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi.

(Continued from November 2018 issue. . .)

34

6.9.60

Maharaj: In my pre-monastic days I saw people drinking alcohol and engaging in revelry in the name of practising spiritual disciplines. Seeing such practices, I have become a cynic. Consuming betel leaves, bidis, tobacco, tea, and taking interest in football matches – all these appear to be types of bondage. It is better not to pick up these habits. Why even consider them at all? Are our minds so empty? Don’t they have anything else to hold on to? I very much like that Bhagavad Gita verse `Vmo `Vmo {ZíMa{V _ZíM#mb_pñWa_²&& ‘Through whatever reason, the restless and unsteady mind wanders away …’ (6:26) That is why I say that nothing is achieved if you wait for an environment conducive to sadhana. A person who cribs about the difficulties on his path, is actually deliberately blocking the path to success.

Question: Is it okay to tell some little lies in order to make work go more smoothly?

Maharaj: We are sannyasins. Why should we resort to telling lies? Take up some small work, regard it as your sadhana, and with a worshipful attitude execute it like a beautiful piece of art. ñdën_ß`ñ` Y_©ñ` Ìm`Vo _hVmo ^`mV²… ‘Even a little of this dharma saves one from great danger.’ – (Gita 2:40). Take care not to harm anyone even in the least. And try your utmost to come out from that lie as soon as possible.

You see, people will say many things, but they have no value. Accept only those which tally with the scriptures and are rational. Keep the rest filed in your mind, and at your convenience check to see if they are true.

The misdeeds we hear about happened because of the inability to identify subtle desires lurking within the mind. Not harmonising knowledge, work, devotion, and yoga is the reason for this unfortunate situation.

In training sannyasins, it will be good if there is a deep study of scriptures in which all the four yogas are explained in detail. After that there should be scope for practising those yogas during the following four years. If this is done, novices will come out as excellent sannyasins after ten years (the period of training in the Ramakrishna Order before a novice is given the vows of sannyasa). Those who are not sincere will run away, unable to endure the rigours of the two-year study period (the intense training that brahmacharis of the Order receive at Belur Math, the headquarters of the Order).

7.9.60

Maharaj: Kishori-bhajana (worship of young girls) used to be very much in vogue among the Vaishnavas. A man practicing austerities at Vrindavan had a disciple. He noticed that every day this disciple was detaining the maid who supplied milk and chitchatting with her. The guru then told the milkmaid, ‘Look, you stop coming here for a few days; send the milk through somebody else.’ Not seeing the milkmaid, the disciple became restless. The guru then told him, ‘You meditate upon this milkmaid.’ The disciple, who was a sincere spiritual seeker, became aware of the condition of his mind. As his mind gradually became steady, he forgot his attraction for the milkmaid.

Vaishnava dharma became so degraded in the name of love that you cannot even speak about it. One such practice was kishoribhajana. This has been mentioned even in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna in reference to Vaishnavcharan. In the name of kishoribhajana, people had become so degraded that they used to claim that it was practiced even by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. As proof of this, they quote Sarvabhauma, who said, ‘May Saati become a widow today!’ The quotation is related to an incident that occurred when Sarvabhauma invited Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for lunch. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a robust man. After setting out the dishes in a pleasing manner for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when Sarvabhauma was about to call him to sit for lunch, his son-in-law made a taunting remark about the luxurious spread. Greatly distressed, Sarvabhauma cried out, ‘May (my daughter) Saati become a widow today!’ (i.e., ‘May my son-in-law die today!’) The wicked Vaishnavas interpreted this to mean that if Sarvabhauma’s daughter became widowed, Chaitanyadeva would practise kishori-bhajana with her. Do you see how far foolishness can go!

8.9.60

Question: Can there be a state where even without doing any work we can have knowledge, devotion and yoga?

Answer: But that state too involves work. If you mingle with people in the practical field, then you can test yourself through work. In the preliminary stage, work according to your natural inclination, and strive to do that work from higher awareness. You should convert that work into worship. But it won’t do to simply reduce your work. The obsession for work has to be reduced. As the passions decline, the yearning for work will decrease automatically.

The Bhagavad Gita mentions three gunas –sattva, rajas and tamas. Do you know their functions? Sattva is attached to happiness and beautiful things. There is nothing forbidden for tamas. Rajas is attracted to action. There are more varieties: the rajas of sattva and the rajas of tamas.

A person embodying the rajas of sattva makes a plan and an estimate before initiating a work. He charts out what has to be done, who will do the work, what are the advantages, whether there is a proper environment or not, whether it will be possible to carry on the work even in his absence, etc.

A person embodying the rajas of tamas gets entangled in a lot of tasks. He cannot keep his cool and cannot give proper attention to anything. If questioned, he will say ‘It is Sri Ramakrishna’s work, He will set right all things.’

Can you show me a young man who normally doesn’t like to work, but when assigned a job suitable to his temperament does it with redoubled enthusiasm? A person endowed with tamoguna has to be kept under watch, and if necessary even disciplined a little. He may have to be physically shown how to work. The teacher must cover up the faults of such a person so that he will understand that the teacher is his well-wisher. In his younger days Gopal was with me. I would ask him to assist me in cooking. Within a few days, after keeping the water on the stove, I would go out to attend some other work, instructing him to add rice into the water when it boiled. A month later, I found that he had become a better cook than me! Achintya used to avoid me. One day I called him and explained to him the necessity of service. Soon he became extraordinarily enthusiastic about work.

Sometimes sadhus fall from their ideal; this is quite natural. Maintain the same respect towards them. Downfall occurs because they avoid work and lack self-analysis. After a setback, they engage in worship and spiritual practice with redoubled enthusiasm. Therefore, we should not show disrespect to anyone.

Some sadhus become popular. Many people visit them. Other sadhus then feel jealous. Such mental disturbances happen when they desert God and pay more attention to the world. (To be continued. . .)

Sri Ramakrishna Math (A Branch of Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math) Puranattukara P.O., Thrissur-680 551, Kerala. Phone Office: 0487-2307719; 082817 82193; 095261 72929 E-mail: thrissur@rkmm.org; thrissur.publication@rkmm.org Web.: www.rkmthrissur.org

Appeal for Financial Help for Constructing ‘Publication & Research Centre’

at Sri Ramakrishna Math, Thrissur, Kerala. Namaste. ‘Sri Ramakrishna Math’ situated at Puranattukara near Thrissur city in Kerala is a branch of ‘Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission’. Established as early as 1927 with a Gurukulam (hostel) for educating the poor Harijan children of the locality, this branch of the Ramakrishna Movement has since been tirelessly serving the society in a number of areas including value education, healthcare, propagation of Dharma, publication of Vedantic texts and spiritual ministration. The Publication Dept. of this Math has published 300-odd books. By its unique service of decades, this Publishing House has contributed to the material and spiritual progress of the society. Although it has developed over the years, its infrastructure has not developed in line with the increase in the volume of work and the Dept. now works under spatial constraints. It is under these circumstances that we plan to build a 4-storeyed ‘Publication and Research Centre’, estimated to cost Rs. 6 crores. The new building will house the Publication Godown, Despatch Office, Publications Office (Books Section), Prabuddhakeralam Magazine Office, Public Library, Research Section, Living Rooms for Monks and Guests etc. So, we request our devotees and well-wishers to make generous contributions to realize this unique project. I am fully sure that this project will contribute greatly to the welfare of society for decades to come. We will be greatly thankful to you if you could contribute even partially. Your donations may be sent as DD/Cheque in the name of ‘Sri Ramakrishna Math’ or transferred to our bank account: A/c Name: SRI RAMAKRISHNA MATH; SB A/c Number: 6711843752; Bank Name: Kotak Mahindra Bank; Branch Name: Thrissur; IFS Code: KKBK0000596. All donations are exempt from income tax under section 80-G of the I.T. Act. Thanking you in anticipation, Yours sincerely and affectionately,

Swami Sadbhavananda Adhyaksha

Ramakrishna Math, Yelagiri (A Branch Centre of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, W.B.)

P.O. Athanavur, via Jolarpet, Yelagiri Hills, Dt. Vellore,

Tamil Nadu, Pin: 635 853 Mobile No.9113815749 Email: yelagiri@rkmm.org

A humble appeal to all the well-wishers of the Ramakrishna Order Respected Sirs/Madams, Namaskars and greetings.

You will be happy to know that Yelagiri, hitherto a sub-centre of Nattrampalli Branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, has been made by a resolution of the Belur Math authorities, an Independent Centre to serve the local populace in a better way.

The existing two old buildings need extensive repairs. Boundary walls need to be constructed. We have plans to start non-formal education for local poor children. As there is no medical facility available, we have planned to start a health centre to meet the demands. Also a Mobile Dispensary would be started.

At present there is nothing except 7 acres of land and two old buildings. To develop the above said infrastructure, funds to the tune of several crores are required. It is in this context that we earnestly appeal to all the well-wishers, devotees and philanthropists to support this public cause by contributing your mite.

Drafts / cheques drawn in favour of Ramakrishna Math, Yelagiri, can be sent to the above address.

Online deposits can also be made to the following SBI account: Current A/c. No.: 37680966203 Bank Name and Branch: SBI, Nattrampalli Branch. IFSC Code: SBIN0014619 PAN No.: AAATR3497G

Please give details of any donation by e-mail to yelagiri@rkmm.org with your full postal address to acknowledge the donations, which are exempt from 80 G of I.T. Act.

With grateful thanks, Yours in Sri Ramakrishna Swami Bhavarupananda Adhyaksha

Meditation on the New Year

SWAMI CHETANANANDA

See God with Open Eyes is Swami Chetanananda’s new book published by Vedanta Society of St Louis, USA. The book, filled with anecdotes from the life of Sri Ramakrishna, describes how devotees can meditate on different aspects of Sri Ramakrishna – his physical form, his mind, his divine qualities, and so forth. We are grateful to Swami Chetanananda for giving our readers a New Year gift by permitting us to present here in an abridged form the chapter ‘Meditation on the New Year.’ Revered Maharaj is Minister-in-charge, Vedanta Society of St Louis, USA. Copies of this book will soon be available in India. chetanananda@vedantastl.org

…… ……

Welcoming the New Year is a cultural tradition. On New Year’s Day, ancient Babylonians would take a vow to repay their debt to God. The ancient Romans would make various solemn resolves to their God Janus — which is why the name of the first month is January in the Julian Calendar. On New Year’s Day, many Christians pray to God to preserve their resolutions. Among the Jews, it is customary to beg forgiveness for any wrongdoings committed during the previous year. On New Year’s Day, Hindu merchants go to temples with new account books and offer worship for the success of their businesses. …… ……

Our Vedanta centres in the United States observe New Year’s Day in various ways: Some centres start with midnight meditation and prayer. Some centres observe a vigil from six o’clock in the morning to six o’clock in the evening; during this time, monks and devotees take turns each hour in silently repeating their

Ishta-mantra. Some centres conduct retreats where they discuss the episode of Ramakrishna as the kalpataru.

Although more than 130 years have passed, people from all over the world have not forgotten that memorable day: 1 January 1886. One proof of this is the Kalpataru Festival that is held at Cossipore every year. On that day nearly a million people stand in line from morning to night to bow down to Ramakrishna’s picture in his room, and they pray to him to fulfil their wishes. That day is now the object of our meditation.

Meditation has infinite power.

It is not limited by time. One can turn a past event into a present event in the mind through meditation. We can imagine that it is New Year’s Day and visualize Ramakrishna lying on his bed in the southwest comer of his room at the Cossipore garden house. There was no cot in his room: his bed was a mattress placed on a carpet and a mat. It was convenient for him to sleep that way, because his body was weak from cancer. The Master is chanting the Divine Mother’s name and praying for the welfare of the devotees. ……

In Cossipore, the Master continued to observe his daily routine. Sashi Maharaj would help the Master with his morning ablutions. The Master would brush his teeth with a twig and scrape his tongue. He always kept his mouth clean because he used it for chanting God’s name and talking about Him to the devotees. He then drank a little fruit juice or milk, He could not eat solid food because of the cancer in his throat. Holy Mother would prepare farina or tapioca pudding for his lunch. After lunch he would take some rest. After his noon rest on 1 January 1886, he felt better than usual. At 3 p.m. he told his nephew: ‘Ramlal, I feel good today. Let us go for a walk in the garden.’ Ramlal replied: ‘Yes, uncle. You look good. Let us go for a walk.’

The Master put on a red-bordered dhoti, a shirt, a coat, a broad red-bordered chadar, a cap that covered his ears, and sandals. He took his walking stick. Latu Maharaj and Ramlal helped him go down the wooden steps to the ground floor. He then came out of the house through the western door and began to walk on the garden path. Because it was a holiday, more than 30 people had come from Calcutta to see the Master. Some were waiting inside the house and some were under the trees in the garden. They were talking amongst themselves about the Master. When they saw him, they all stood up reverently and bowed down. They were delighted to see him in the garden, and they followed him as he walked. ……

It was a pleasant and sunny afternoon. The red brick-dust garden path went from the main house to the south and then turned right towards the gate. The Master proceeded slowly southward to the gate. The devotees followed him at a little distance. When he reached the midpoint of the path between the house and the gate, the Master saw Girish, Ram, Atul, and a few others under a tree on the west side of the path. They bowed down and came over to him joyfully. Master addressed Girish, asking him: ‘Girish, what have you seen and understood [about me] that makes you say all these things [that I

am an avatar and so on] to everyone, wherever you go?’ Girish responded by kneeling down at the Master’s feet, folding his hands before his raised face, and saying in a voice choked with emotion: ‘What more can I say of Him? Even the sages Vyasa and Valmiki could find no words to measure His glory!’ 1

Ramakrishna was deeply moved by Girish’s words and his conviction. He stood still on the red brick-dust garden path, his

whole body covered in goosebumps as his mind ascended into ecstasy. His whole face beamed with divine bliss. Seeing that wonderful form of the Master, the devotees’ joy knew no bounds. Exultant, they began to shout, ‘Jai Sri Ramakrishna, Jai Sri Ramakrishna — Victory to Sri Ramakrishna!’ Some collected flowers from

the garden and offered them to him, and some took the dust of his feet. …

We regret that there was nobody there with a camera to take a picture of the Master in

samadhi on the garden path. How wonderful

it would be to have such a photograph! However, if we did have such a picture, we would be deprived of the bliss that our limitless imagination can bring.

After some time, the Master came down from deep samadhi (antar-dasha) to a halfecstatic state (ardhya-bahya-dasha). Smiling, he said three sentences: ‘What more need I tell

you? I bless you all. May you all be illumined!’ 2

After uttering those words, he became overwhelmed with love and compassion for his devotees, and went into ecstasy. Please remember that this auspicious occasion was the last time that he appeared outside the house to a group of devotees, blessing them collectively. On this day he expressed his last message to all. (Of course, later he blessed and advised some devotees individually.) ……

day on, the Master would no longer conceal his divinity from them or from anyone else in the world. They had no doubt that from now on all sinners and sufferers — despite their

shortcomings, lack of spirituality, or feelings of inadequacy — would find shelter at his blessed feet. … ……

Now we shall meditate on the last three

public sentences of Ramakrishna:

1. ‘Tomader ar ki balba — What more need I tell you?’ From 1879 to 1885 the devotees and disciples visited the Master and listened to message. The blessed M. recorded 177 days of the Master’s conversations in the Kathamrita

(Gospel). Still there is no limit to how many incidents and talks of the Master we have lost.

According to an ancient Greek legend,

swans sing a beautiful song just before dying. This is the origin of the phrase ‘swan song.’ Like that legendary Rajahamsa (swan), Paramahamsa Ramakrishna was in essence

saying to his devotees: ‘Look, I have been

giving my message to you continually for the last seven or eight years. Now my throat has developed cancer due to speaking for long periods day after day, and also due to taking upon myself the sins of others. I have no more strength to speak. I am now at the end of my life, and I am telling you the most important thing. Listen carefully.’ …… 2) ‘Asirbad kori — I bless you all.’ In Bengali, the word ‘I’ does not appear. It is implied by the verb ‘kori.’ The Master meant to say, ‘I bless you all,’ but he could not utter the word ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ His ego was completely uprooted, and his ‘I’ was merged with God’s ‘I’. ……

Ramakrishna’s mysterious ‘I’ played out in different planes at different times. Swami Saradananda wrote:

It is evident that after he attained nirvikalpa samadhi, the Master’s little, or whatever I-ness was left saw itself as ever connected with the Cosmic, or ripe, ‘I’. Sometimes it would feel itself to be a limb or a

part of the Cosmic ‘I’, and sometimes it would

ascend gradually to the level of the Cosmic ‘I’

and merge in It. The Master could therefore grasp all ideas within all minds because all ideas of all minds in the world spring from

that Cosmic ‘I’. Because the Master was always identified with that all-pervading ‘I’, he was able to know and understand any ideas that arose in the Cosmic Mind. In that exalted state, the Master’s feeling ‘I am a part of God’ would gradually vanish and the Cosmic ‘I’ or the Divine Mother’s ‘I’ would become

manifest through him, and he would act as a guru, possessing the power of bestowing grace and inflicting punishment. At that time the Master would not appear to be humbler than the humblest: His demeanour, behaviour with others, and other actions took a different form. Becoming like the mythical wish-fulfilling tree, he would ask a devotee, ‘What do you want?’ as if he was ready to use his superhuman power to fulfill the devotee’s desire immediately. 3

When the Master became the kalpataru on that auspicious New Year’s Day, he blessed his devotees. This blessing was infallible. It is not true that the Master became kalpataru

only on that day; he had fulfilled the wishes

of his disciples and devotees many times on different occasions earlier. Swamiji once said: ‘He is actually distributing love. Love, devotion, knowledge, liberation, and whatever one desires —Gora [Ramakrishna] is bestowing upon us whatever he wishes. What wonderful power!’ 4 Even now the Master listens to his devotees’ prayers and fulfills them.

3) ‘Tomader sakaler chaitanya hok — May you all be illumined!’ This was Ramakrishna’s last public utterance. The phrase is similar to the word ‘Tattwamasi — thou art that,’ a great Vedic dictum. In the Chandogya Upanishad, the sage Aruni instructed his son Svetaketu

nine times using the phrase ‘Tattwamasi — That thou art.’ Tat = Brahman; twam = you; asi = are. Through this, Svetaketu attained Self-knowledge. Aruni told his son: ‘You have always been Brahman, but due to ignorance you were unaware of it. One attains the bliss of Brahman when ignorance disappears.’

On that New Year’s Day in Cossipore, many devotees were present, so the Master said, ‘May you all be illumined,’ meaning ‘Let your hidden Brahman-consciousness be awakened.’ The difference between ‘Tattwamasi’ and ‘Tomar chaitanya hok’ is the wording and not the meaning. But on that day the Master did not stop at saying ‘May you all illumined’; he touched each devotee’s chest, one by one, with the palm of his hand and transmitted spiritual power to them instantly. In Tantra, awakening someone’s spiritual consciousness by touch is called Sambhavi initiation.

What is this consciousness? Spiritual consciousness is the chit aspect of Sat-chitananda Brahman. All kinds of knowledge come from this consciousness. This question arose in the Mundaka Upanishad: ‘What is that by knowing which all this becomes known?’ That is Satchidananda Brahman. It is the light of all lights. When It shines, everything shines. Stars, moon, sun, lightning, and fire are lighted by the light of Brahman.

The Master once said: ‘One cannot k n o w t h a t C o n s c i o u s n e s s w i t h o u t awakening one’s own spiritual consciousness. Futile is the human birth without the awakening of spiritual consciousness.’ For this reason the Master awakened spiritual consciousness in the hearts of his devotees on this New Year’s Day.

Spiritual consciousness is knowledge. The Master further said: ‘It to know one’s own Self and keep the mind in It. One must light the lamp of Knowledge in one’s heart to see the Divine Mother. After attaining knowledge, when a man lives in this world, he can see clearly the difference between good and bad, real and unreal. The sign of knowledge is passion for God, the awakening of the kundalini, a peaceful nature, and the absence of pride.’

The Master came to lead human beings from darkness to light, bondage to liberation. So he blessed the devotees, saying, ‘Be illumined.’ He knew the mind goes up and down in the dualistic plane, so there is no permanent peace and happiness there. The nondualistic experience is the final goal in spiritual life. The Master said, ‘First tie the knowledge of nonduality in a corner of your cloth, then do as you please. Consciousness is awakened after the knowledge of the nondual Brahman. After this realization comes eternal bliss.’ On that New Year’s Day, the Master bestowed his supreme blessing not only upon those 30 devotees, but also for future human beings. Among the four goals of human life — dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (aesthetic desire), and moksha (liberation) — moksha is the supreme or ultimate goal. The scriptures say ‘Jnanat moksha — liberation comes from Self-knowledge.’

The main intention of the Master’s blessing was to impart the knowledge of Brahman to devotees by destroying the fetters binding their hearts. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: ‘This Brahman is the supreme goal, supreme glory, supreme abode, and supreme bliss. On a particle of this bliss other creatures live’ (4:3:32).

On this auspicious New Year’s Day, the Master broke the jar of bliss in front of everybody assembled in that garden. Akshay Kumar Sen wrote in Ramakrishna Punthi: ‘Sri Ramakrishna promised that before he left the world he would break the earthen jar in the market place. Let me tell you how the Master broke the jar.’ Then the author described the events of 1 January 1886. …

The meaning of ‘breaking the jar in the market place’ is ‘to reveal a mystery in front of all.’ However, this also implies that if the

Cossipore Garden. Sri Ramakrishna became the Kalpataru near the curve of the Mango tree

earthen jar is broken in the marketplace, its contents (generally sweets) come out and can no longer be sold. The treasure within the jar is

The Master said to me, ‘Ramlal, my hands and feet are burning. Please bring some Ganga water and sprinkle it on me.’ He was extremely

gathered up by the public to enjoy — as during

restless. I asked, ‘What happened?’ He replied:

a festival when sweets are scattered in honour ‘I came into this world secretly with a few close

of Lord Hari for the devotees to collect.

On that New Year’s Day, standing on the red brick-dust path at the Cossipore garden devotees, and now Ram [Ram Chandra Datta] is spreading my name. He brings all sorts of people here and asks me to touch and bless

house, the Master became the kalpataru and them. How much burden can I carry? I got this

broke the jar of love in front of his devotees.

disease by taking the sins of these people upon

Tasting that supreme divine love, some became intoxicated, some peaceful, and some completely immersed in the bliss of the Atman. myself. Look, I shall not stay in this world any longer.’ I consoled him: ‘No, no. You will not have to receive any visitors or touch anybody.’

Out of exuberant joy they began to call others to partake of that joy. This is the sign of supreme Then I brought the Ganga water and washed his hands and feet, and gradually he calmed down. 5

The Master’s kalpataru-lila and last public message are the objects our meditation. On this day, the Master bestowed fearlessness to the devotees through Self-revelation, fulfilled their wishes, and lighted the lamp of wisdom in their hearts. However, God does not become the kalpataru only on one day; God is always the kalpataru. If we meditate daily on this lila of the Master, then he will appear before us every day as the kalpataru. love. The Master used to say, ‘Pure knowledge and pure love are the same.’ …… …. The Master returned to his room after blessing the devotees. As Lord Shiva drank the poison of this world to protect the creation, so the Master absorbed the poisonous sins of the devotees whom he had touched and began to suffer from a burning sensation. Ramlal recalled: References tt

1. Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play. [Divine Play] Swami Saradananda. Trans. Swami Chetananda. St.Louis: Vedanta Society, 2006, 926 Ibid., 926

3. 4. 5. Divine Play, 450 Ibid., 803 Ramakrishna as We Saw Him. Swami Chetanananda. St. Louis, Vedanta Society, 2012, 60