Video 134

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Atmajnanananda (6/9/2023)

foreign [Music] Souls they're praised by Poets and remove all sin they are auspicious to hear wonderful and exalted those who spread these words throughout the world are truly giving Souls welcome everyone to our class on the gospel of srama Krishna we are on the chapter advice to an actor this was Saturday May 24th 1884 and now we're in page 433. and the less we saw that it was five o'clock in the afternoon Krishna was sitting on the steps of the Shiva Temple and several other devotees were with him and they're having a conversation so we start on page 433 master keshav sen used to come here frequently as a result he changed a great deal as late he became quite a remarkable man many a time he came here with his party but he also wanted to come alone in the early years of his life keshav didn't have much opportunity to live in the company of the holy men now we've seen the so many references to the Geisha throughout and gospel of the srama Krishna and to the Brahma samaj and uh the Curious Thing is that many of the followers of the Brahma samaj were convinced or at least made the case that it was keshav who influenced the charama Krishna and that after srirama Krishna Med case of that he changed his spiritual views a little bit but we see how much case of change especially the end of his life we saw uh takor's Last Visit to him how only talking to the Divine mother and everything and so filled with with the devotion and so alhamdul bowing down before srama Krishna when they first met it was the opposite and not that he was arrogant or anything but uh the taco said that the Brahma members of the Brahma samaj learned how to make uh namaskar and pranam by coming to him because he would bow if he saw that they didn't know they may stand there just folded hand something like that you do to anybody so strong immigration he himself would get on the ground touch his head to the ground and bow before them so gradually they learned how to salute a holy man he didn't have much opportunity to live in the company of holy men but they say that his mother was in great devotion of a devotee huh so he he's not that he came from uh such an orthodox or such a westernized family he came from a tradition of devotion standard but I guess uh the company that he kept was most the westerners or at least those Western educated Indians he used to come here now and then one day in a spiritual mood I said to him oh sorry I skipped something I visited him at the house at his house in kulutola street hiridori was with me we were shown into the room where Keisha was working he was writing something after a long while he put aside his pen got off his chair and sat on the floor with us but he didn't salute us or show us respect in any other way this this is a a way of of showing disrespect that it's very common in in places where there's a hierarchy and uh where you have like Civil Service tradition with those higher and lower and all of that where they'll just make you wait as if you're not even there you know so I it happened to me a few times you go in and they know you're there and you're just kind of standing waiting and everything you're supposed to be getting annoyed but you don't have to get annoyed you're supposed to get annoyed and everything and then they'll look up and say ah have a seat like that wave people who have somebody over them it's a way of of them the feeling that they have something over somebody else so anyhow Kesha did that uh obviously he knew that somebody had come but he's busy writing and everything so he was an important person a very important person yeah but even he even met Queen Victoria the very big thing for a member of the subject race we have to remember that to meet the Queen of England he used to come here now and then one day in a spiritual mood I said to him one should not sit before a sadhu with one leg over the other that increases one's rudges as soon as he and his friends would arrive I would salute them before they bowed to me thus they gradually learned to salute a holy man touching the ground with their foreheads I said to Kesha chant the name of a Hari and the Kali Yuga wanted saying the name and glories of God after that they began to sing the name of God with the drums and symbols there's a footnote for some years before meeting the master keshav and his followers had been singing the name of Brahma now in India this is this is an unusual thing that those who believe in or even like this idea of Brahmin they're usually ghanis and this is uh not uh personal type of God that one has great devotion it's not Brahma the Creator this is a Philip high philosophical idea that we find in the upanishads and people agreed to have great reverence for this if we think of this brahmanas the source of the everything the nature of existence but to to have that kind of in place of all of the other types of personal relationship with God and traditional kirtan because they would didn't like this the gods and goddesses or the avatars or any of that so if they had anything with music and singing uh it was around this idea from the upanishads and sometimes this idea of God is Father remember there some old vedicans like that also pitasi so this footnote after meeting ceramic Christian in 1875 Keisha told particular Devotion to the singing of the names of Hadi and the Divine mother so we we find songs now especially songs that are addressed to the mother the most famous that we know the talk were like was uh make me mad with with the whole mother named the very beautiful song takur loved it very much so they they really uh without knowing it probably they really were tremendously influenced by meeting srama Krishna this footnote is not from the editor this is a footnote by m in the Bengali gospel by the way do you know how my faith in the name of a Hadi was all the more strengthened the name of a Hari is uh we can say it's the name of Vishnu a division of a thing but it's a very generic generic type of name Hadi sahab we have and just uh almost just a way of saying ishwara or God in almost any form you know one will object to that this worshiping calling God in the Hadith that way yeah the last question yeah yeah [Music] yeah became famous because of caitanya table so yeah do you know how my faith in the in the name of Hadi was all the more strengthened holy men as you know is it frequently visit the temple Garden want a sadhu from Multan arrive Multan is a place Pakistan now the sacred two followers is Guru nanak and we find the same sadhu uh I think probably the same one taco met in rishikesh maybe here uh is not very clear uh one very distinctive feature of mrama Krishna was that he never took credit for any of these very special important teachings he would always quote somebody else okay so I met this wandering monkey said this or the one devotee said that or uh uh Swami he said that uh Swami that after 21 days the body drops off all these different important teachings he was I heard this from this person used to say so he always quotes this uh this young sadhu we don't know much about him uh at one time I think he points to Evan says he was about your age something like that at that time so I wanted for Multan arrived he was waiting for a party going to gangasagar for ah here it is of his age it was he who said to me the way to realize God in the kaliyuga is the path of bhakti as prescribed by Narada now this is one of ceramic krishna's uh strongest convictions now is it such a strong conviction because one young wondering sadhu happened to say it to him no of course this is his own realization but he did hear it from the sadhu and he probably heard and said yes this is true and uh because that was his experience and and his inner feeling but he always gets credit that's an interesting thing he doesn't have to and nobody cares nobody knows about this young Santa but so he's the one who said in the kaliyuga the path of bhakti is not a dear but of bhakti as prescribed by Narada now we don't take this too strictly that it means the Narada bhakti Sutra but just in general they have to devotion the main elements of this path of devotion are uh establishing a relationship establishing a relationship with God and identifying with one of the archetypes so we look upon God as a child we identify with Mother yeshoda where there are many other aspects also uh some of the teachings that we find of ramakrishna uh if if the passions are very strong then give them a Twist toward the god this will find him also so uh many many of his of his teachings can be found there and I I am of the opinion he never refers to it specifically that he must have had it read out to him he must have been familiar with the bhakti Sutra we go see oh we should just say how many things I heard and whenever there were recitations and and teachings going on he would attend these things so every chance at least some of the important sutras that he would have he would have known one day Keisha came here with his followers they stayed till 10 at night we were all seated in the panchavati for the top but I thought this is he was one of the important members and several others said they would like to spend the night here keship said no I must go I have some work to do I laughed and said can't you sleep without the smell of your fish basket then he'll tell the story once a fish wife was a guest in the house of a gardener who raised flowers she came there with her empty basket after selling fish in the market and was asked to sleep in a room where flowers were kept but because of her the fragrance of the flowers she shouldn't sorry she couldn't get to sleep for a long time her Hostess saw her condition and said hello why are you tossing from side to side so restlessly the fish wife said I don't know friend perhaps the smell of the flowers has been disturbing my sleep can you give me my fish basket perhaps that will put me to sleep the basket was brought to her she sprinkled water on it and set it near her nose then she fell sound asleep and snored all night at this story the followers of Keisha burst into loud laughter now what does this mean this story and unless we have some appreciation of spiritual ideas and the joy of spiritual life it won't appeal to us we it's it's uh it's something that we have to get accustomed to in Gita it even says that this type of satwik Happiness it's like poison in the beginning and at the end like nectar we have to get a taste for it so for some people they just don't have a taste for it and the only joy they'll get will be worldly pleasures doctor gives another example that's much more Stark that you know there are different types of of worms in India everywhere of course and there's some worms that uh they'll be happy if they get some sweets and things that they can their others will be intestinal they'll only be happy if they're in your system and uh he says if you take them and put them in with the sweets and everything they'll die they won't eat it they won't be interested at all so they're very Stark example but uh this is why SRI ramakrishna very often would say when uh David it would bring friends who really had no interest in spiritual life he said why do you bring them here they won't do them any good they're not yet ready for that they haven't developed a taste for their anything like that so uh we're all in that in between stage wherever uh he also talks about the bee only lights in the flower but the fly well like both both the sweets and also just the ordinary because if somebody has a scab that's opened or something they'll also fly there so this is the painful thing where this in between State the world no longer satisfies us and we're not yet able to really fully experience the joy of God realization or anything so it's painful but it's also uh hopeful yeah it's awesome how do we make that leap what does Taco say What's the best way to make that leap holy company yeah holy company also means reading this yeah we keep company with Kaku and holy mother and reading and everything and then of course we have to do spiritual practice Yeah as much as Taco talks about on Grace and everything uh he he gives more emphasis on spiritual practice that we have to toil hard in the beginning at the end a little bit less so we we picture the the boatmen it's not easy with the big heavy boat that's uh anchored on the shore to pull up the anchor and to to push it out a little bit and then to row very hard and then to raise the sails it's all very very hard work once the sale is up and the breeze comes then it doesn't have to do so much you can sit back and relax yeah so uh holy company and then a spiritual practice going into Solitude from time to time there's a whole list of things tacos is very sincere prayer a little bit of worship all of these things pilgrimage holy places foreign so with this story the followers of Keisha Burris did the loud laughter Geisha conducted the prayer that evening yeah very often surama Krishna would out of curiosity I mentioned last time that he he understood that uh he had entered into a whole new world when he came to Kolkata that his village was left behind and who were these strange people and how do they uh how do they look upon the world what type of worship did they do so very often would Vijay Krishna goswami with the keshab he would say I want to hear how you lecture you know you give a sermon or something so he wouldn't ask them it doesn't say here but probably he asked keshav otherwise I don't think Keisha would just tell him now I'm going to do it keship conducted the prayer that evening in the bathing God on the river after the worship I said to him where is this uh but yeah this is an induction instrument I said to him it is God who manifests himself in one aspect as the scriptures therefore one should worship the sacred books such as the puranas and the tantras in another aspect he has become the devotee the heart of the devotee is God's drawing room one can easily find one's a master in the drawing room therefore by worshiping his devity when worshiped God himself there's a nice verse I think from bhagavata swamiji quotes it uh How does it go ES those are devotees of my devotees or my greatest devotees so see Krishna it is not those who worship me but those who are devoted to those who worship me to the others to who who see have great reverence for other devotees the advice not saved by that idea I consider them my greatest difference I know where it's from the swamiji quotes it so in another aspect he has become the devotee the heart of the devotee is God's drawing room one can easily find one to master in the drawing room therefore by worshiping his devotee one worships God himself and his followers listen to my words with great attention it was a full moon night the sky was flooded with light we were seated in the open court at the top of the stairs leading to the river I said now let us all chant bhagavata bhakta bhagavan all chanted in unison bhagavata bhagavan next I said to them say Brahman is verily Brahman again they chanted in unison Brahman is verily Shakti Shakti is verily Brahman I said to them he whom you address as Brahma is none other than she whom I called mother mother is a very sweet name then I said to them say Guru Krishna vaishnava then we get a footnote the master meant that the guru Krishna and the vaishnava were to be equally reviewed these will be just the devotees of Krishna to to be equally revered one should honor the vaishnava because God dwells in his heart now for sure yeah this keship said we must not go so far sir if we do that then all will take us for orthodox salvation of us the Orthodox evolution of a community in in Bengal was really uh almost exclusively separate from other traditions they they really were very or we can say a very tight-knit community that they didn't mix too much didn't go to other temples too much and everything a very tight-knit type of community and can send very Orthodox uh they were probably the only vegetarian the tradition in Bengal at that time vegetarianism wasn't uh so uh popular at that time so they they had they were recognizable by the marks that they were and the clothes and everything and always with their mothers and everything so it was very easy to know they really otherwise if somebody was a worshiper of Yeshiva or Kali or something you wouldn't necessarily know so much but the advice you could tell and so they represent their own Orthodox here also means uh I don't want to say bigoted or one-sided but a little bit in that in that direction that they didn't like to mix too much with other people and they really a little bit of feeling of superiority at the same time uh professing tremendous humility one of the the features of the Invitational community that over nobody where nothing were Sinners on all of that but at the same time srama Krishna had great uh respect for the the goswamis and those uh really those who were person-tier members of that community and uh he himself looked upon caitanya and caitanya David was really the founder of this tradition even though there will be any it could be much much older you know but in Bengal that tradition and he considered caitanya David to be a an avatar so he had great reference for this tradition but he didn't like their one-sidedness so what this keship said we must not not go so far sir if we do that then all will take us for orthodox observation of us I used to tell the case of now and then he whom you address is none other than she whom I call Shakti the Primal energy the same thing sometimes he would say Kali it is called Brahman in The Vedas when it transcends speech and thought and is without attributes in action I call it Shakti adiya Shakti and so forth when I find it creating preserving and destroying the universe this is uh a very beautiful way of just stating a very basic vedantic truth that God with form and God without form are not two separate gods that God with qualities without qualities are one and the same one in the same reality sometimes these these qualities are prominent sometimes their potential uh the example that I always give because the Swami swamiji always gave it was the woman and the mother that the woman aspect uh is the Transcendent aspect and that's always there that's that's the ground for everything but the potential to have a child is there and when she has a child she becomes a mother but there's not a woman and a mother two separate people now is the same one only now she's after the woman becomes a mother she doesn't cease to be a Woman She's Always a Woman you're going to Brahman is always there the saguna Brahman when there's no Universe there's this remains as near going to Brahman that's all if we have uh subject object relationship and the object is gone then the subject is is no longer uh a subject in the sense that it's aware of anything else but it doesn't cease to exist it remains within itself the nowhere so something like that so this this was really see we we have the dwightens who put all the emphasis when they're going to run in we have the followers of ramanuja who put all the emphasis on second agreement and this idea of srammakrishna whether you're fighting about nothing that these belong to these one in the same reality seen from two different points of view or uh when one is active and one is passive and calling it Divine mother this is a bit of a personal devotional preference but also mother is the one who gives birth to the child so Brahman gives birth to the universe stands the reason to look upon Ramadan that formed as mother I said to Keisha it is extremely difficult to realize God while leading a worldly life now we have these terms they said some sort of some and sometimes it simply means the householder life and sometimes it really means worldly life that means that people who don't have much interest in spiritual life or very much involved in the world and trying to earn a lot of money and have a lot of enjoyment and everything so it'll be a little bit in between here but we can say worldly life is probably a good translation here sometimes we we prefer to just say household life how soldiers don't have to be worldly people in that sense but they belong to some sort of because they haven't renounced it so um so I said to keshav it is extremely difficult to realize God while leading a worldly life how can the typhoid patient be cured if he is kept in a room with a Tamarind pickle and jars where Tamarind pickle and George of water are kept yeah one of the things with the typhoid is that uh they're thirsty all the time huh and it's bad for them to drink too much water is that the idea they are dehydrated actually they need water oh and back then because water was infected wow okay okay yeah so that was the thing that they thought the cure for it was not drinking water but how is it possible when you keep doing things that make your mouth water and yeah so how can a typhoid patient be cured if he's kept in a room where Tamarind pickle and jars of water are kept therefore what should go into Solitude now and then to practice spiritual discipline sriyama Krishna understood the psychology of this very very well that uh the mind of most people is so easily affected by circumstances and external things that rather than put emphasis on self-control and uh to to live in the midst of objects of Desire without Desiring them and better to remove yourself from that the tantric tradition does the opposite it says that we really want to have some strength of mind we should be able to live in the midst of objects of desires and and transcend it without desire but sure I'm a Christian said that's okay theoretically and for someone who's who's very Advanced but uh in the beginning we have to protect ourselves we have to hedge the small plan around and we have to uh be careful about the company that we keep and the things we do and everything this is why this holy environment is so important therefore one should go and solitude Solitude gives us a a chance to really do self-reflection and what what do we want out of life what's important in life it's a time when there are no outside distractions and it's a time when we get to really feel ourselves as who we are when we're not being seen by other people who are defining us how do people Define us when we're all alone we find that we behave in one way and then somebody comes in and we behave a little bit different we adjust things because we know we're being judged by other people and seen by other people there are very few people who are really natural people you don't see any change it doesn't matter they're with important people or or workers or anybody they're just the same but most of us uh almost Define ourselves through the eyes of the other person yeah the clothes that we wear they drain all of the uh coming your hair and all the different things that we do uh not for ourselves if we live alone we don't care about any of these things we have lots of good saw dudes that they don't care about these things at all whether somebody sees them or not do I care but those who live in the world it's a little different they have to be a little presentable sometimes so anyhow talk we're emphasized First Holy company and then very often if you can't get holy company go into solitude and even if you can from time to time this Solitude is a test for us where does the mind go when we're when we're alone and Solitude doesn't mean that we go into an empty room and we have nothing to do we can have our books and our reading and and uh listen to some spiritual music but there are no other people there it makes it psychologically makes a huge difference when we're when we're sitting alone and when we're sitting with something if we have very good close friend and then it's almost the same as being alone with somebody but otherwise uh I I always get this feeling that uh we we see ourselves from the inside out when we're with other people we see ourselves from the outside in psychologically that it makes it a big difference that we can understand ourselves as pure consciousness when we're all alone otherwise some body Consciousness comes because if you look at me what does it mean to look at me it means to look at my body so automatically the mind is I'm making some identification with the self in the body isn't that true yeah personalization that no reading no books you just have to be completely with your own thoughts only I don't know they insist on that personal meditation no books nothing for for all the time or just oh 10 days the next 10 days that's 10 days yeah otherwise they can read for 10 days they want them just to be introspective I guess yeah I don't have much uh I've never attended any of these things I don't know much about yeah if we go into Solitude there's no harm we want to take the gospel with us or something and yeah of course there's no harm for that but they have their own tradition if the whole mind is is being focused on being the witness observing then you don't want to get to get too involved in reading a book or anything like that then we forget so if their main emphasis is on that to to be the witness they don't use those terms exactly but being mindful observing everything that's that Nina it's very hard to read and observe ourselves reading at the same time well maybe that's the reason when the trunk of a tree becomes thick and strong an elephant can be tied to it but a young sapling is eaten by cattle that is why Keisha would say in his lectures live in the world after being strengthened in spiritual life yeah sometimes talk would say first realize God then we enter the world there's too much other times he says first get some devotion and get a little established in spiritual life but don't go plunging into the world that means that now we can go to parties day and night and everything it doesn't mean that but uh we can mix with people who may have their own worldly ideas and like things that we won't be tempted it won't interest us at all but we have to get established a little bit first we can't expect to realize God first and then live in the world that will be rare for you who could do that but to at least develop some conviction strong conviction regarding spiritual life and then we're a little bit safe but we should never feel that we're completely safe because the mind is so easily influenced by outside environmental different things to the devotees you see Acacia was a great scholar he lectured in English I don't know how much uh The Scholar he was a Sanskrit scholar or anything like that so Dubai you know probably not but any of his wonderful speaker and very inspiring and very sincere and loved him there's no question about that and and respected him also and and felt that he had detained a high spiritual State when everyone was meditating he said the ketchup is the only one who I could see I could see he was deeply absorbed in meditation uh the only one whose tail had dropped huh he gave the he made that statement when he first met Keisha and all the others and then who is this madman making such a silly statement like that and keship said no there must be some meaning to it and he said when the Tad postal has its tail it can only swim in the water when it drops its tail that means it grows into a little frog or something huh it can live in the water or the land so the Geisha would reached that point where he could mix freely with the with worldly people and everything without being affected and the others were still in that stage where they had to be fenced around and hitched around they hadn't uh reached that the advanced state that ketchup had reached so to the devotees you see Acacia was a great scholar he lectured in English many people honored him Queen Victoria herself talked to him but when keship came here he would be bare-bodied and bring some fruit this is after some time very quickly he he recognized shramakrishna very humble before him and bring some fruit as one should when visiting a holy man he was totally free from egotism all of the other brahmos they had a little pride that oh I should be of this on lettered Graham and everything they were all with Western educated people well to do people and everything but keshav did not totally free from egotism to other you are a scholar and a deputy magistrate but with all that you were head picked that go forward Beyond and this uh there are another one that Tucker loved very very dearly uh it's it's always amazing to me how quickly he became such an innovative he came to ceramic Krishna and uh he had his worldly desires the big storyline was always how to get this big job that he was in line for uh would have brought a thousand rupees a month or something he was a deputy magistrate already a big job but uh he he went to see shroff's Christian so often and uh surama Krishna also went to his house many times he was invited there many times other devotees went so very quickly he became a very intimate householder devotee of disciple maybe because thakur knew he has a short lifespan that's part of the I that I don't know if that's that that's partly why he he told told him don't spend all your time trying to get this big job you can tell me what you have and everything yeah I I think that that's uh that part part of the equation when we when we see how Swami Krishna spoke to him that it was with that the feeling that he won't live long yeah yeah he died well the following year very young fell off a horse voice back writing is fun yeah to other you were a scholar and a deputy magistrate but with all that you were impact go forward Beyond the Forest of Sandalwood there are many more valuable things Silver Mines gold mines diamonds and other gems The Woodcutter was chopping wood in the forest the brahmatari said to him go forward this was another story that Tucker told very often that in spiritual life we may feel that or we had something this morning I achieved something I had some Vision or some Joy something came and everything and we may be content uh I realize the fruit of all my spiritual practice and it may be just a very tiny small little thing on the way and then we have a long way to go after that so he said don't rest content with a little bit of uh spiritual Joy or advancement or something but keep going it's a good sign these are these are milestones that you know when you go along the path they actually used to do that they'd put a stone one stone for one mile next two stones for two miles something like that they just show us how far we won but we haven't reached anything so he would say keep going forward was told he found Sandalwood trees he was happy they didn't know I'm supposed to go forward he found the silver mine he was happy he made a lot of money he said no he told me to go forward from the gold mine and then finally diamonds and then that was the highest that had reached the goal yeah even if you feel happy after your meditation about how it went away don't get stuck on it like you know yeah they say this is this is supposed to be even one of the obstacles in yoga I don't know I don't get that that much you have to worry about it but if we get if we get that state where we really feel we had a good one yeah enjoy it for some time it's not going to last yeah it's very yeah this is almost the final obstacle that we if we get stuck there for us enjoy it and remember it and and let and let it uh be inspiration for us that it's possible yeah and and analyze it oh what did I do how did I get into that state what did it feel like what did it tell me about the real nature of the self what did tell me about Grace all of these things but no we we need to have these things from time to time and yeah appreciate it enjoy it yeah yeah SRI ramakrishna came down from the steps of the Shiva temples and went to his own room through the courtyard the devotees were with him just then Ram Chatterjee came and said that the holy mothers attended had had an attack of Cholera because he was one of the temple uh priests or workers there Brahm to the master I told you about it at 10 o'clock this morning but you didn't pay any attention to me see all these Temple workers and other priests they were all very free and Casual with ramakrishna they didn't have that that the respect that the devotees had on the one hand on the other hand they they failed the intimacy with him so they could speak this way the sub of course we're disrespectful and others but and redoi of course was downright uh tormenting yeah any other realm is it he doesn't play such a prominent role but and so he said to the master a little bit in a scolding way I told you about it at 10 o'clock this morning but you didn't pay any attention to me master what could I do yes what could you do but there were rock called ramlal and others even they didn't pay any attention m he sure he has gone to alambazar to get medicine Master alone where will he get medicine so sarama Krishna probably didn't register when he first heard it that who knows where his mind was what type of mood he was in not that he was indifferent now he's really trying to figure out well did she had medicine tell the nurse what to do if the illness takes a turn for the worse or if the patient feels better um yes sir is kishori is probably M's brother this is he shorted it went the ladies mentioned before who were the ladies mentioned before they were they were sisters-in-law yeah so they were married to Two Brothers they were fasting takura told them to do this worship Shiva and to come again and they seem to know him quite well they were asking about initiation and he said no no I don't do anything like that but come next time and we'll see you have that type of answer to them so the ladies mentioned before saluted the master so they were probably not sitting exactly on the steps with the others but maybe close enough to hear the conversation we don't know the ladies mentioned before saluted the master and were about to take their leave SRI ramakrishna again said to them perform the Shiva Puja according to my instruction and have something to eat before you come here otherwise I shall feel unhappy come another day yeah in in India men fat sometimes for their spiritual well-being women fast sometimes for their husbands it's very unfair huh yeah yeah [Laughter] it's true that's true but yeah holy person people don't eat before they go yeah yeah that's why you come here fasting yeah you come here to eat here that's why you fast [Laughter] yeah yeah I mean that could that of course I'm not saying that on that particular day they were but but it seems like that we hear that testing for the benefit of the husband sometimes and usually it's true they need it but don't deserve it yeah sure ramakrishna sad down on the porch west of his room that ended a Banerjee Hari M another said by his side the master knew about narendra's family difficulties we read that before again just like M that he didn't get along with the parents that had to separate with his wife and family and to set up his own household Master you see all these sufferings are because of a piece of loin cloth there's a story there's it'll be a footnote because he doesn't tell the story here he tells it in other places a reference to the following story which ramakrishna often told his devotees there was a sannyasi whose only possession was two pairs of loincloths one day a mouse nibbled at one piece so the holy man kept a cat to protect his loincloth from the mouse then he had to keep a cow to supply milk for the cat later he had to engage a servant to look after the cow gradually the number of his cows multiplied he acquired pastures and farmland he had to engage a number of servants but he became in course of time a sort of landlord and last of all he had to take a wife to look after his big household one day one of his friends another Monk happened to visit him and was surprised to see his altered circumstances when asked the reason the holy man said it is all for the sake of the Peace of loincloth okay so what does this mean huh what does this story mean yeah really that we see something rewind that it means we have to take a second job and then one thing leads to another thing spiral out of control when we have some desire for even for small things sometimes that we we think that there'll be an end to it it'll be a simple thing but each step requires some greater need and the next thing you know we're completely entangled in things yeah that I see so many times even among good devotees that they're perfectly happy where they are but they get it uh offer for a good position uh more money and more Prestige and everything which requires them to move sometimes even the family splits out and and they'll do it and uh and it involves more time they have less Leisure but it's prestigious and they make a lot of money and they feel that you know who will turn down such a position and uh are there a few relatively few who actually do we're just content with what they are so it's a question of contentment because we're content with what we have and things don't surprise spiraled out of control that way otherwise always looking for something else and that always has consequences and ramifications and uh we we try to do things that'll give us more money so we have more time for enjoyment and we have less time for enjoyed it and what do we end up with more money and and more get entangled in other things and so it's a really a story to to remember when we're faced with options what do we do uh we were very happy with what we have but uh who will not want something a little better if it's offered but what's lurking behind yeah what do we sacrifice in order we always we don't get something for nothing there's always some sacrifice behind it thank you so he's talking to this Narendra who's unhappy swamiji Narendra Banerjee he says a man takes a wife and begets children therefore he must secure a job the father was worried about his loincloth and the house told her about his wife further the householder may not live in good terms with his relatives this is the case here so we must live separately with his wife with a laugh caitanya once said listen to me brother a man entangled in worldliness can never be free cute little Expressions that he would use him to himself now m is going to start guessing uh what is the talk we're really referring to is he is the preferring to people in general is the to this energy does he know that I'm also here listening so him to himself perhaps the master is referring to the world of India it is the world of Avidia that entangles a householder yeah I think m is thinking that because he doesn't want to think that he's he's talking to me also that I'm also like that of course Amazon not an ordinary householder in the any by any means and was still living in a separate house how many times has takur told him uh try to to live continually with with your your father in the family uh can you go back even after that long period we saw how many days 21 days or something 24 days that he said can you go back now and make predom to your father and everything to them said yes but it still didn't move back he'll move back and then he goes back and forth a little and we're still living in a Shepherd house with his wife when account of a misunderstanding with the other members of the family when did that move out the day before he met ramakrishna and even with the thought of maybe committing suicide yeah Master to Banerjee pointing to him he also lives in a separate house now and so you two could be friends you have so much in common YouTube will get along very well once two men happened to me one said to the other who are you oh I'm away from my country was the others replied the second man then asked the first and who are you and who are you praying oh I am away from my beloved was the answer both were in the same plight so they got along very well all left but one need not have any fear if one takes refuge in God God protects his devotee then we get a very good question finally Huddy well why does it take many people such a long time to realize him first of all it's not yes why does it take people such a long time but why do so few people and why do so few people even care well it's such a rare thing out of a hundred thousand Kites and best but one or two break three from Prasad song Lester the truth is that one doesn't feel Restless for God unless he is finished with his enjoyment and duties we had a long discussion about this book on to this idea that to me this is something that uh we have to accept as effective life that were born with a certain number and a certain type of desires that we have to fulfill in this lifetime and we want to make sure that we fulfill them and get rid of them and don't allow them to multiply but there's some things that if you just say to somebody no you take a poor person and say no don't have any desire for money it'll just get you in trouble it won't work if it's somebody who's born poor because of very good some Scott is that's a different but ordinarily it'll just say yeah go enjoy the world a little bit and then see we'll hold it today what did swamiji say yeah bread for the poor even a little luxury even a little luxury because they have to reach the end of their desire somehow also yeah so reaching the end of Desire some people will have a a large amount some very small amount so maybe somebody's born just because of one small desire and they can fulfill that easily other people may have to go through a lot and suffer a lot then be free of it but we have to avoid fulfilling those types of desires that keep ballooning they keep multiplying become more and more and we get in more and more trouble we have to learn from this whole process and what is this keeping us from longing for God so this so we have two important terms here the two terms you have it there it must be it's a very we because we don't think about it very often that we think that desires present themselves to different people and we have to deal with it but there are some that are we're almost destined to to have some thirst for that were born this is that part of this whole idea of rebirth that we're born because we have certain desires and these have to be fulfilled and then eliminated and some desires are only eliminated by by fulfillment that we we have to we have to go through it so even and this is so unimaginable that srirami Krishna failed that rakal had the little desire that had to be fulfilled with a wife and a child a hard for us to imagine but as soon as that was done then free from everything then the mind was absolutely free from everything so if that's true in his case What About Us of course in his case there may be some deeper reason he's a companion of a Divine Incarnation so it was hard for us to judge that's an unusual case but this is such a beautiful answer the truth is that one does not feel Restless for God unless he is finished with his enjoyments and duties The Physician says referring to the patient led a few days pass first then the medicine will do him good we have to flounder around in the world a little bit we have to burn our fingers sometimes a little bit so in order to learn these these lessons okay Anita now's your time questions I was just wondering about um in the world when you have that love it doesn't take away living in the world is really a question of the Mind where where's the heart it's not so much physically Where We Are this is what I was saying there's a big difference so I'm sorry we use the taco uses that word a big difference between referring to someone who still is in the family situation and with a job and somebody who's really a worldly person the the householder whose mind is constantly fixed on God is not a worldly person that person Gita says that person is the real sannyasi this is chapter six first verse that the person who lives in the world without any attachment who who really whole life is one of dedication and love that person is the real sannyasi and the one who simply wears the clothes and and mind is is all over the place that person is not considered a real sannyasi because this renunciation takes place within the heart it's a question of uh what is our in real inter attitude what really attracts us if what really attracts us is God we see many householders that uh have tremendous devotion even as sannyasis that we we Envy the devotion that they have the whole mind is fixed on God constantly doing away and feeling a little pinch of being householders that was a M's condition his whole life that little pinch that if only he could externally renounce everything also would be easier for him but we have examples of uh many of the householder disciples that the mother rambos what a pure wonderful devotee was and and of course nag mahasa is a very special case and everything but we have the examples of those who live in the world but if they have that love and devotion then it doesn't matter they can live anywhere sometimes the world starts living inside us yeah all the time we start thinking about all that yeah the boat the boat will be in the water don't let the water enter into the boat it will sink yeah yeah but that's what happens yeah of course it happens but it doesn't have to happen yeah yeah this is a lot of this we recognize his choice we can't just say that it happens or it doesn't happen we allow these things to happen so we have to we have to sometimes make some very have a firm conviction and uh lead a very conscious life that we we make decisions based on what will be good for our spiritual life okay we can stop you um [Music] we've our heads before shivami Krishna who was stainless of infinite nature whose heart melts and sympathy for his devotees who is an embodiment of the Divine and the Supreme Lord and ever worthy of our worship [Music] peace peace peace foreign