Sri Ramakrishna

[NightOwl1331]

Who here is familiar with his teachings? Let us unite and discuss. :)

"After the realization of God, He is seen in all beings. But his greater manifestation is in man. Again, among men, God manifests himself more clearly in those devotees who are sattvic, in those who have no attachment to 'women and gold.' Where can a man of samadhi rest his mind after coming down from the plane of samadhi? That is why he feels the need of seeking company of pure-hearted devotees, endowed with sattva and free from attachment to 'women and gold.' How else could such a person occupy himself in the relative plane of consciousness?" ~ Sri Ramakrishna

[gdkumar]

Dear NightOwl1331,

It is a wonderful thread . Thank you.

Unfortunately, I am in a hurry now, packing up gears to go out of Calcutta to the mountain-towns of Sikkim(North East India) for about 13 days.

Sri Ramakrishna, in one sentence, is my everything, my Krishna,my life.
He and his wife, Ma Sharada Mani,were the epitome of universal and unconditional love. His life was the perfect example of prem(Highest level of love). He had seen God not only outside but within himself as well.Slightest mention or hint of God used to put Him in trance. He was the epitome of the truth and never in his life had lied for anything.

He had taught us the simplest ways of attaining the realization. He had said that we can achieve the knowledge if all three attractions-that of a perfect wife(Chaste) for her husband, a miser's attraction for his wealth and a mother's attraction for her baby- are put together and applied for loving God.

He is my beloved Lord who said, "One can attain realization only when both good and bad both are accepted.Because good and bad both are God's own children".

He had said,1)"Live like that scavenger fish which lives in the muck but the muck does not touch its body."
2)"Try to be like that swan which can separate water and take the milk part only from a mixture of milk and water."
3)"Try to be like that maid who works in other's house, does all her duties there but her mind at all times stays at her own home".

It is a vast life, most exemplary. I wish everybody knows about Him for self improvement. I wish RazorofOccam read His Gospel. I still miss my dear brother, LookingSomewhereDistant. I hope, all seekers will join this thread.
I am sure, ChiefCowPie can greatly contribute here.

At last I would love to mention that I am so fortunate that my Guru was a direct disciple of Ma Sharada Moni (Mantra Guru) and was later initiated(After renunciation-Sanyas) by Swami Shibananda(Sanyas Guru) who was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.

I shall try to be in touch, if possible, through cyber cafe.

With love and prayers.............Kumar.

[SvgGrdnBeauty]

He indeed sounds like an amazing man...I esp. like this quote: "Live like that scavenger fish which lives in the muck but the muck does not touch its body."


Also...have a safe trip gdkumar...we will indeed miss your presence on the board

[eccofarmer]

NAMASTE

NightOwl1331 what a great teacher.Yes i read the book teachings of Ramakrishna.for me the book is read by me as much as i read the gita.(DAILY)
It is beings like that that still work on the higher realms who shower there love and energy to us.I remember how touched i felt to have read the book for the first time.I feel it is beings like him that brought my Guru Shri Anandi Ma to me.I feel so blessed by his teachings and try to live each day by following them in my life.

[ChiefCowpie]

Dying and being reborn

(Quotations from Sri Ramakrishna)

Vijay: Sir, why are we bound like this? Why don't we see God? Ramakrishna: 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 God's grace a man but once realizes that he is not the doer (http://www.digiserve.com/mystic/Hindu/glossary.html#doer), then he at once becomes a jivanmukta: 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 guru's grace one's ego vanishes, then one sees God.
(pp. 226-227)

Ramakrishna: In those days of God-vision I felt as if I were passing thorugh a great storm; everything was blown away from me. No trace of my old self was left. I lost all consciousness of the world.
(p. 174) Ramakrishna: What is samadhi? It is the complete merging of the mind in God-Consciousness. The jnani (http://www.digiserve.com/mystic/Hindu/glossary.html#jnani) experiences jada samadhi, in which no trace of I is left. The samadhi attained through the path of bhakti is called chetana samadhi. In this samadhi there remains the consciousness of I -- the I of the servant-and-Master relationship, of the lover-and-Beloved relationship, of the enjoyer-and-Food relationship. God is the Master; the devotee is the servant. God is the beloved; the devotee is the lover. God is the Food; and the devotee is the enjoyer. "I don't want to be the sugar. I want to eat it"
(p. 312)

[ChiefCowpie]

In a certain village of India there was a little park where people came to sit and chat. The path to it lay alongside the forest. On the edge of the path there was a large, well-known tree. One day a city-dweller came to the village, passed the tree, and saw a peculiar lizard climbing on the trunk. When he reached the park he told the others sitting there, "I just saw a cream-colored lizard on that old tree!"

"Oh," said one man, "I know that lizard. I've seen it there several times -- but it's not cream-colored, it's green."

"No, no, not green," said another, "it is yellow." Then others chimed in: "We have seen it -- it is lavender (gray, etc.). Everyone had a different picture of the lizard.

They decided to go to the tree to find the animal and settle the argument. What they found was a hermit from the forest, sitting in meditation under the tree. The people questioned him. "I know all about that creature, who lives on this tree," he answered. (Have you guessed it? Yes. It was a chameleon.) "It is sometimes lavender, sometimes gray, sometimes green, yellow, cream, and sometimes it has really no color at all."

God, said Sri Ramakrishna, is like that chameleon, taking on different qualities and appearances, and then again He has none.

[Jedi]

Who here is familiar with his teachings? Let us unite and discuss. :)

"After the realization of God, He is seen in all beings. But his greater manifestation is in man. Again, among men, God manifests himself more clearly in those devotees who are sattvic, in those who have no attachment to 'women and gold.' Where can a man of samadhi rest his mind after coming down from the plane of samadhi? That is why he feels the need of seeking company of pure-hearted devotees, endowed with sattva and free from attachment to 'women and gold.' How else could such a person occupy himself in the relative plane of consciousness?" ~ Sri RamakrishnaDo you mean ramakrishna paramahamsa? He is a great person... I Love his teachings, but one strange thing about him is that he talks about being sattvic and pure but I heard somewhere that he himself used to eat meat.

One of the qualities of sattvicism is ahimsa and love for all beings.. and taking only the things that you need from the environment.. so meat eating is not exactly looked upon as sattvic...

[ChiefCowpie]

lucky chickens to be so fortunate to have their meat eaten by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ramakrishna ate meat that was part of sacred offerings to Ma Kali and as such was mercy...love...prasada and beyond any ignorance as was he

meat eating as well is common among native american indians and shamanic tribes worldwide who are as well on a high level of spirituality of thankfullness to the divine as these animals offer themselves to them and loved all the same

"The Bison gives itself so the People may live" Lakota Sioux

[NightOwl1331]

lucky chickens to be so fortunate to have their meat eaten by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ramakrishna ate meat that was part of sacred offerings to Ma Kali and as such was mercy...love...prasada and beyond any ignorance as was he

meat eating as well is common among native american indians and shamanic tribes worldwide who are as well on a high level of spirituality of thankfullness to the divine as these animals offer themselves to them and loved all the same

"The Bison gives itself so the People may live" Lakota Sioux
ChiefCowpie,
Thank you for your post.

When you see through the veil as Ramakrishna did you see that all life is connected because we are all part of Brahman. There can be no mistakes made. You are Brahman and whatever you eat, whether it be plant or animal it is also just as much a part of Brahman.

[Jedi]

I don't want to be a critic but I have to say something when I think is right...

You see, Rama krishna paramahamsa may have been a great soul and beyond the ignorance of this world... He might have been like Ramana maharshi , who is merged with brahman. I totally respect that. He is beyond sattvic , rajasic and tamasic modes of nature , thus he is not affected by them.

However, people are not like ramakrishna paramahamsa.. we are affected by rajasic, tamasic and sattvic modes... and meat is considered tamasic by the enlightened rishis and it has also been recorded that once a rishi on the trip to self realization used to eat meat in the past ... they had to go over severe penances for years again to get his/her tejas back. Because, they were affected by it.

It is very important for us ignorant ones to notice that in order to become brahman realized or even more at a higher level Bhagavan realized, we have to know that we have to leave all abominable activities alone and purify ourselves and our surroundings.

[b] it is said in bhagavad gita as spoken by the lord krishna that a self realized soul rids himself of all abominable activities and works not just for himself, but also for the environment- (because the self realized soul realises that he is part of the whole!) - Some one post that verse here!!!

I don't know how he got brahman realized, probably he was very forward in spirituality then if he was eating meat while becoming self realized.. according to the enlightened ones of the ancient world .. you have to give up all rajasic and tamasic buddhis and that includes meat eating.

[eccofarmer]

Namaste

Jedi i agree to a point with you.But one thing you or anyone must look at that when one is god realized saint or being you transend the three gunas.I have studied eastern thought now for 15teen years and one thing seems to be the same with all great beings they transend there lower modes for the higher.There are some who seem to come into this wold untouched by these modes then there is some who go threw them.Myself i am drawn to those who go threw the three modes that you talk of.I look and see what they did and gives me hope that while i am here or others that we too can merge in the Divine.

[Bhaskar]

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was one of the most greatestsaints of the past century.

Even as a child of 4 I used to respond very strongly to his pictures and would talk about him often.
He is not my guru, I am a student of Swami Chinmayananda, another great mahapurusha of the 20th century.

About realised souls and the gunas...It is explained in the yoga vasistha, that souch people may contiinue to live in the world, they may display many of the qualities and colours of the mind, likes, dislikes, etc, however, their state of supreme bliss is untouched by all this, as they know it to all be a game, a dance. So Sri Ramakrishna may have eaten meat, you cannot question him. When we realise god, we may also do the same. However at our current state in evolution, we must cultivate satva guna as much as possible in order to develop spiritually. Therefore for us, meat eating would be a nono.

Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi said that a man may live of the flesh of a pig, but if he can develop love and devotion to the Lord he is more blessed than one who consumes nothing but buttermilk all his life.

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah.

http://www.om-guru.com/html/saints/img/rk_b1.jpg

[gdkumar]

Dear Bhaskar,

Thank you so much.
Only His wish prevails. I do not know how to say how much I feel indebted to you for putting His photograph here. You are the instrument in His hands. Let all of us truly open up our eyes and look up at Him. This one simple job alone can liberate us. Please believe me.

With love and prayers...........Kumar.

[Bhaskar]

Dear Bhaskar,

Thank you so much.
Only His wish prevails. I do not know how to say how much I feel indebted to you for putting His photograph here. You are the instrument in His hands. Let all of us truly open up our eyes and look up at Him. This one simple job alone can liberate us. Please believe me.

With love and prayers...........Kumar.

Beloved Immortal Kumarji,

hari om!
It is not to me that you should be thankful, indeed I feel grateful to all who post here for giving me a much needed outlet and some wonderful satsang. It is all bhagawans will alone that brings us all to the same place at the same time. Om sri satgurave namah.

your own self,

Bhaskar

[gdkumar]

"Beloved Immortal Kumarji,

hari om!
It is not to me that you should be thankful, indeed I feel grateful to all who post here for giving me a much needed outlet and some wonderful satsang. It is all bhagawans will alone that brings us all to the same place at the same time. Om sri satgurave namah.

your own self,

Bhaskar"


Dear Bhaskar,

Thanks for your kind post. It is so nice to read your post. You are a picture of devotion and humility.

You have truly spoken out from my heart. After joining this forum I also felt the much needed relief and it is all,as you said, because of the wonderful sat sang that I get here. I really mean it.

People talk about all subjects but nobody is willing to spend even five minutes to talk about God or about the significance of this life. So when I found here persons like you,NightOwl1331,SvgGrdnBeauty,Know1nozme,Sleeping Jiva, BBB,Osiris,YogaLady,Sebbi,Jedi,Cloudminerva,Razoro fOccam,ChiefCowPie...
..endless list, it was like a great relief and new lease of life for me. I honestly find a reason to go on.

It is all my beloved Sri Ramakrishna's compassion that I got associated with all of you. Because He knows the best, He knows who needs what. Jai Sri Ramakrishna.

With lots of love...........Kumar.

[NightOwl1331]

gdkumar,

Yes, it is wonderful to find so many people who want to talk about God. It is not easy to find people like us. And as Sri Ramakrishna taught, it is good to spend your time in the company of those who are focused on God. I hope that we will all be an inspiration to each other through our dicussions.

Here is something I've been thinking and I derived this from Sri Ramakrishna's teachings. He often spoke of God being like an ocean with no shores. So, here is my thought: We can picture ourselves as flowing down a river in this life. We can fight against the current or we can go with the flow of it. And we must try to not get caught up in the scenery along the way...because our goal is to reach the sea. So, that is how I try to live my life...stay on the river, go with the flow, don't get caught up in the scenery...and keep my mind focused on the sea. And I'm so happy to find that there are others that seem to be doing the same thing.

NightOwl

[BlackBillBlake]

Just like to say I agree that Sri Ramakrishna is one of the greatest of modern seers of the truth. I am particularly impressed by the fact that he attained realization using different methods - hindu of course, but also muslim and christian. Therefore, Sri Ramakrishna repesents a way ahead out of religious intolerance and dogmatism which blights the earth at this time.


I don't think that what he taught is somehow beyond the reach of any sincere and well intentioned person - the whole point of systems of yoga and sadhana is to provide means by which all can attain, whatever their predisposition and temprament. This is brought out very well in the works of Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna's disciple and messenger, where all the various paths are expounded and explained.

[gdkumar]

Dear NightOwl1331,

Thank you so much for the charming post. You are Thakur's (Sri Ramakrishna's) child, no wonder you have gone so deep into the subject and you can think so beautifully in such a simple way.

No Gita, Bible, Veda or Vedanta is required to acquire the knowledge. Thakur proved this beyond any doubt. Simplicity was his hallmark which you have inherited. Simplicity is the first sign of enlightment.

You have rightly said that we are all going to mix and be one with the sea.We should, in our journey, at all times be alert that Maya(Illusions caused by material desire) should not be able to stop us. Those who want Thakur only, Thakur himself takes care of them. Many a time He had said "As you desire so you get."

Maya(Illusions caused by material attachment) is the most difficult thing to get rid of. Even Laxman could not see Lord Ram fully because Sita(Followed by Laxman) used to be behind Lord Ram.Unless Sita gave way or Laxmant went past Sita, Lord Ram could not be seen even by His own brother.Here Sita stands as a symbol representing nature.

Let us pray to Thakur, we are His dear children, He shall save us from all odds and take us to that Ocean of divinity.

With lots of love and prayers.......Kumar.

[Jedi]

"Beloved Immortal Kumarji,

hari om!
It is not to me that you should be thankful, indeed I feel grateful to all who post here for giving me a much needed outlet and some wonderful satsang. It is all bhagawans will alone that brings us all to the same place at the same time. Om sri satgurave namah.

your own self,

Bhaskar"


Dear Bhaskar,

Thanks for your kind post. It is so nice to read your post. You are a picture of devotion and humility.

You have truly spoken out from my heart. After joining this forum I also felt the much needed relief and it is all,as you said, because of the wonderful sat sang that I get here. I really mean it.

People talk about all subjects but nobody is willing to spend even five minutes to talk about God or about the significance of this life. So when I found here persons like you,NightOwl1331,SvgGrdnBeauty,Know1nozme,Sleeping Jiva, BBB,Osiris,YogaLady,Sebbi,Jedi,Cloudminerva,Razoro fOccam,ChiefCowPie...
..endless list, it was like a great relief and new lease of life for me. I honestly find a reason to go on.

It is all my beloved Sri Ramakrishna's compassion that I got associated with all of you. Because He knows the best, He knows who needs what. Jai Sri Ramakrishna.

With lots of love...........Kumar.
Check these sites up :

www.belief.net (http://www.belief.net)
www.hindu-religion.net (http://www.hindu-religion.net)
www.audarya-fellowship.com (http://www.audarya-fellowship.com)

:)
I will make another post about this, if you are wishing for a satsang, please do check these sites up, they are filled with devotees or jyanis..and they are all free.

[gdkumar]

Dear Jedi,

Thank you so much.

I checked the sites, they are all nice.
Right now the best thing to happen to me is that I am with all of you.
I am very happy. Waiting to hear from you soon again.

With love.......Kumar.

[gdkumar]

"Just like to say I agree that Sri Ramakrishna is one of the greatest of modern seers of the truth. I am particularly impressed by the fact that he attained realization using different methods - hindu of course, but also muslim and christian. Therefore, Sri Ramakrishna repesents a way ahead out of religious intolerance and dogmatism which blights the earth at this time.


I don't think that what he taught is somehow beyond the reach of any sincere and well intentioned person - the whole point of systems of yoga and sadhana is to provide means by which all can attain, whatever their predisposition and temprament. This is brought out very well in the works of Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna's disciple and messenger, where all the various paths are expounded and explained."
.......BlackBillBlake.

Dear BlackBillBlake,

Thank you for your wonderful post and, of course, for attaching the beautiful photographs.
It is so nice to know that you feel it this way and you can think so clearly.
It is my own experience and conviction that it is enough just only to read about Sri Ramakrishna and believe Him. He was illiterate but had the knowledge of the whole world. Because He was connected and one with the ocean of divine consciousness. He was like a child and His simplicity was unfathomable. I always considered 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' as today's Bible or Gita. I am yet to know if anybody else could make the subject of divinity and spiritualism as simple as He did. There is nothing for which He did not have any simple answer or which He could not explain in very simple words.

You also very truly said that anybody can attain that stage provided he is sincere and follows the ways and means advised by them or other seers of the truth.

With love.........Kumar.

[Bhaskar]

There is a story about Sri Ramakrishna, emphasising the power of living out your convictions, that my gurudev used to tell.

There was a young boy who was greatly addcted to sweets, but he had a health problem, so he he was advised not to eat sweets by his doctor. However, he wouldnt listen and he continued to gorge himself. His father, out of desparation took him to Sri Ramakrishna, who agreed to talk to the boy, but only one month later.

One month later, the boy and his father arrived. Sri Ramakrishna looked into the childs eyes and said, `beta, dont eat sweets.`

Many days later, the father returned and fell at the mahatma`s feet and told him hat his son had completely astoped eating sweets. He then asked Sri Ramakrishna why he did not simply tell the child to stop eating sweets at the first meeting itself.

Sri Ramakrishna smiled and said, ` At that time I used to eat sweets. When you returned one month later, I had stopped eating them, so I could tell him to stop also.`

Om Sri gurubhyo namah.

[gdkumar]

"There is a story about Sri Ramakrishna, emphasising the power of living out your convictions, that my gurudev used to tell.

There was a young boy who was greatly addcted to sweets, but he had a health problem, so he he was advised not to eat sweets by his doctor. However, he wouldnt listen and he continued to gorge himself. His father, out of desparation took him to Sri Ramakrishna, who agreed to talk to the boy, but only one month later.

One month later, the boy and his father arrived. Sri Ramakrishna looked into the childs eyes and said, `beta, dont eat sweets.`

Many days later, the father returned and fell at the mahatma`s feet and told him hat his son had completely astoped eating sweets. He then asked Sri Ramakrishna why he did not simply tell the child to stop eating sweets at the first meeting itself.

Sri Ramakrishna smiled and said, ` At that time I used to eat sweets. When you returned one month later, I had stopped eating them, so I could tell him to stop also.`

Om Sri gurubhyo namah...............Bhaskar "

Dear Bhaskar,

Thank you for the wonderful story.

He preached what He himself had practised.
It is a unique life. I ,so many times, wished that I could see Him in His human form just for once.That was not possible but I met Him, by His grace and compassion, twice. Once in the early morning, in my dream, just before leaving the bed and the other time I am sure I was wide awake lying on a sofa at about 1300hrs,alone in the room,suddenly for about 20 seconds I found Him standing right in front of me. Both the times He was looking like made of light. He did not talk to me, just came and left.

Only this much of Him has changed my life. I will never forget this. It does not matter what interpretations of this will be made by the pundits. He is the driving and guiding force of my life.

I only wish that He prepares me well enough so that if there is another life after death, I meet Him then and He accepts me there to give me refuge at His lotus feet.

With love and prayers........Kumar.

[Bhaskar]

Dear Kumar,

hari om!

Such visions and guidance are very real indeed. You are lucky.

In my case, I was blessed enough to lvie for 3 years in Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda`s ashram in the sandeepany himalayas when I was very young, age 3-5. although later I was diverted far from spirituality and religion, he planted seeds in me and gave me diksha in manyw ays, it is slowly coming to the fore now. Gurudev is no more, but his successor, head of the chinmaya mission, swami tejomayananda, my beloved guruji, my ishta devata, is every bit as great. Both Gurudev and Guruji come to me in dreams often, especially when I am stressed, when I have troubles, the answers are there for me in my dreams. Such guidance is a great blessing indeed. It can be cultivated through prayer and through yearning for such visions. Often I go to bed, begging Guruji to visit me in my dream and he does. Others may laugh about this, but these are not ordinary dreams.

Your vision of Sri Ramakrishna as light is also an experience that is authentic. My grandmother has seen guruji as light, too bright to look at directly, glowing in his magnificence....I myself have often noticed that he seems to glow, a rich, beautiful orange. His name is indeed well give, tejomaya, full of tejus, the spiritual glow. Experiences of the ishta devata as light, sound, etc are common in seekers, these are signs that you are progressing. They are meant to encourage and draw you forther forward. Meditate upon the vision of sri ramakrishna. He will be yours. The day is near.

Guru bramha, guru vishu,
gurudevo maheshwaraha
guru sakshat parabramha
tasmai sri gurave namah.

[gdkumar]

Dear Bhaskar,

Thank you so much for your very kind words.

I convey my pranam to your Guruji, Swami Tejomayananda. I know about Him and have heard His explanations of The Gita(Cassettes are available).It is really so good.

I am glad about your views on my visions. Thank you dear brother.

With lots of love.........Kumar.

[SvgGrdnBeauty]

Dear Kumar,

hari om!

Such visions and guidance are very real indeed. You are lucky.

In my case, I was blessed enough to lvie for 3 years in Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda`s ashram in the sandeepany himalayas when I was very young, age 3-5. although later I was diverted far from spirituality and religion, he planted seeds in me and gave me diksha in manyw ays, it is slowly coming to the fore now. Gurudev is no more, but his successor, head of the chinmaya mission, swami tejomayananda, my beloved guruji, my ishta devata, is every bit as great. Both Gurudev and Guruji come to me in dreams often, especially when I am stressed, when I have troubles, the answers are there for me in my dreams. Such guidance is a great blessing indeed. It can be cultivated through prayer and through yearning for such visions. Often I go to bed, begging Guruji to visit me in my dream and he does. Others may laugh about this, but these are not ordinary dreams.

Your vision of Sri Ramakrishna as light is also an experience that is authentic. My grandmother has seen guruji as light, too bright to look at directly, glowing in his magnificence....I myself have often noticed that he seems to glow, a rich, beautiful orange. His name is indeed well give, tejomaya, full of tejus, the spiritual glow. Experiences of the ishta devata as light, sound, etc are common in seekers, these are signs that you are progressing. They are meant to encourage and draw you forther forward. Meditate upon the vision of sri ramakrishna. He will be yours. The day is near.

Guru bramha, guru vishu,
gurudevo maheshwaraha
guru sakshat parabramha
tasmai sri gurave namah.
That is indeed a beautiful story. :) I understand what you are saying...indeed those we love (even though we may not understand the concept at the time...) never leave us... Thank you for your story once again...may your life always be filled with that spiritual glow...

*Peace and Love*
Nicole

[NightOwl1331]

I came across something interesting that Sri Ramakrishna said: "I am at peace now. I shall have to be born once more. Therefore I am not giving all knowledge to my companions. (with a smile) Suppose I give you all knowledge; will you then come to me so willingly?"

Any thoughts on this? Has anyone heard of anyone claiming to be his reincarnation?

[gdkumar]

Dear NightOwl1331,

It is so nice to know that you are totally absorbed in Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. It seems that you have read all about Him.

Yes, once He had said that He shall be reborn for taking divine part in the endless divine game of God(Brahman leela). If I remember well, He had mentioned that He shall come after 100years somewhere(Did not mention) in Eeshan-Kone.

Eeshan-kone means, if I am not wrong , North West angle. That should be the line of districts of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum,Burdwan and Hoogly. He had said this some time in 1885. He left His mortal body in 1886.

He was a 'satya sankalpa' purush, meaning that He had never told a lie and always spoke the truth. He could do anything for honouring the truth. For this whatever He said came true.

Therefore, we can surely expect that He is already born somewhere and is in His teens. Like you I am also,with all my being,waiting for Him to let us know about His arrival. That day my life will become significant after seeing Him and quenching all my thirst.

With love.........Kumar.

[ChiefCowpie]

thank you all for the lovely Ramakrishna stories and discussion of his philosophy

the following contains one of my favorite Ramakrishna stories when Vivekananda put a coin under his mattress

"Simplicity in the life of Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother:

Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother recommended absolute poverty and continence as the ideal for sannyasins. They almost recommended that the house-holder sadhaka -spiritual aspirant- should also consciously try to be simple and frugal in his life-style so that the divinity may make its presence felt in his life and consciousness. Just as the knowledge of superconscious state imparts these qualities, similarly, the person who attempts to cultivate these qualities in his life gets the glimpse of that much desired Divine state

In the life of Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother we get thought-provoking instances where simplicity and frugality had reached a state unparalleled in the history of spirituality. A few examples will not be out of place:

(1) That money is an obstacle in the path of spiritual progress; this idea was so deep rooted in the mind of Sri Ramakrishna that he could not touch even a coin without getting pain or reflex withdrawal of the hand. Later in his life he was unable even to touch any metal because he thought that it also represented money. Sri Ramakrishna used to take a few coins in one hand and a few clumps of earth in the other; and sitting on the banks of Ganges used to throw both in the river telling both were equally useless for realizing God. Thus his attachment to the gold and materialistic possessions also vanished completely.

Once Swami Vivekananda wanted to test the authenticity of this claim. He without anybody's knowledge hid a coin below the bed on which Sri Ramakrishna used to sleep. When Sri Ramakrishna sat on that bed, he shouted in pain as if electric shock was applied to his body. Similar experiment was confirmed in presence of his treating physician, doctor Rudra. When a coin was kept in the hand of Sri Ramakrishna, his hand began to writhe with pain. His breathing also stopped which became normal as the offending coin was removed.

(2) The idea not be greedy (as greed comes in way of God realization) became a natural reflex in his life and he was unable even to tie a knot to his clothes, lest it be taken as a sign of amassing something for the future! This is the highest form of frugality as can be easily understood, but difficult to practice in one's life. Our tragedy is that the thing that we can't accomplish, even knowing that it is beneficial for us, we discard it as untrue or of no significance.

(3) Once a Marwari devotee offered ten thousand rupees to Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna felt as though his head was 'under a saw'. He called his wife Ma Saradadevi and said, "Listen, my dear, this man proposes to give me money. As I have refused the offer, he proposes to give it to you. Why don't you accept this?" At this Ma Saradadevi replied instantaneously, 'How can that be? The money can't be accepted. If I receive it, it would be as good as your receiving it; for if I take it, I shall spend it on you; and hence it will amount to your own acceptance. People respect you for your renunciation; therefore, the money can never be accepted.'

Simplicity and frugality are the virtues that are more powerful than surrender and submission. There is no helpless resignation, no grudge in leading simple life, nor frown for owning fewer things of material comfort. Rather, the person of simplicity and frugality is very happy to give away to the needy whatever he has. Secondly, the person with these qualities becomes very happy at the prosperity and success of others. Hatred and jealousy are miles away from the mind of these persons.

Non-attachment was inborn virtue of the Holy Mother Ma Saradadevi. Money matters were handled by her but she had no attachment to them. Minor details never interested her. She used to clean the plates and utensils after the devotee has taken his food. Despite protests she maintained that as everyone is her child, as a mother she has no hesitation in doing such things."

[Bhaskar]

Thank you for the lovely story...Detachment or vairagya is the hardest of the virtues for a seeker to aquire. Our desires are so deeply rooted. It is only by the grace of bhagawan that we can ever hope to purge these negative traits in us.

The way described in the Hamsa Geeta by lord Sri Krishna is to increase satva guna. As you shift from tamas to rajas and rajas to satwa, when all rajasic and tamasic qualities are removed, satwa also drops off, the mind is no more coloured, it is like a clean shiny mirror, ready to reflect the paramatman. The way to increase satva...

kayena vacha manasendriyaiva
budhyatmana vaq prakriter swabhavat
karomi yad yad sakalam parasmai
narayanayeti samarpayami

Meaning -

All that I do with my body, by speech, mentally and through the sense organs, with the intellect, the self or by inborn instinct, all these actions I offer to Sri Narayana.
When every deed is an offering, then tamasic and rajasic deeds automatically drop away, for you will not feel like offering the lord a rancid fruit.

Another beautiful sloka is fmor Adi Shankaras Shiva manasa pooja.

Sanchara padoyho pradakshina vidhi
stotrani sarva giro
yad yad karma karomi tat tat akhilam
shambho tava aradhanam

Meaning -
Everywhere that I walk with my feet is like pradakshina. <pradakshina is when you walk in circles around temple or around the image of the lord.>
All the words I say are hymns in thy praise.
Every action I perform is my worship of You alone.

[gdkumar]

Dear ChiefCowPie,

Thanks for the wonderful pieces. I wonder about you at times.
It is a pity that some people go for the poison leaving the nectar.

In the last few days you have enriched me so much that I sincerely feel
indebted to you. Please keep up the good job of educating all of us. Please give us more such stories.

With love.......Kumar.

[ChiefCowpie]

thank you gdkumar...i wonder about myself too...but hopefully with a little grace from Ramakrishna, i will wonder more about God

[BlackBillBlake]

I'd like to share with you all this short quote from'The Teachings of Swami Vivekananda' - I think it is very beautiful, and very true!


"After long searches here and there, in temples and in churches, in earths and in heavens, at last you come back, completing the circle from where you started, to your own soul and find that He, for whom you have been seeking all over the world, for whom you have been weeping and praying in chuches and temples, on whom you were looking as the mystery of mysteries shrouded in the clouds, is nearest of the near, is your own Self, the Reality of your life, body and soul."

[BlackBillBlake]

Also - I'd like to post this link here to Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita - a record of His conversations with various devotees recorded by Mahendra Gupta.


http://www.kathamrita.org/kathamrita.htm

As well as all the great insight and spiritual knowledge contained in this book, it also posesses a unique charm, and the personality of Sri Ramakrishna comes through very clearly.
Hope someone finds that useful!

Om Sri Ramakrishnaya Nama!