Sri Ramakrishna’s conversation now turned to the Knowledge
of Brahman (Supreme Reality).

Master: "Brahman is beyond vidya and avidya, knowledge and ignorance. It is beyond maya, the illusion of duality. The world consists of the illusory duality of knowledge and ignorance. It contains knowledge and devotion, and also attachment to
‘woman and gold’ (lust and gold); righteousness and unrighteousness; good and evil. But Brahman is unattached to these. Good and evil apply to the jiva, the individual soul, as do righteousness and unrighteousness; but Brahman is not at all affected by them.

One man may read the Bhagavata by the light of a lamp, and another may commit a forgery by that very light; but the lamp is unaffected. The sun sheds its light on the wicked as well as on the virtuous.

You may ask, ‘How, then, can one explain misery and sin and unhappiness?’ The answer is that these apply only to the jiva (the individual soul). Brahman is unaffected by them. There is poison in a snake; but though others may die if bitten by it, the snake itself is not affected by the poison.

What Brahman is cannot be described. All things in the world – the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras, the six systems of philosophy – have been defiled, like food that has been touched by the tongue, for they have been read or uttered by the tongue.
Only one thing has not been defiled in this way, and that is Brahman. No one has ever been able to say what Brahman is."

Vidyasagar (to his friends): "Oh! That is a remarkable statement. I have learnt something new today."

Master: "A man had two sons. The father sent them to a preceptor to learn the knowledge of Brahman. After a few years they returned from their preceptor’s house and bowed low before their father. Wanting to measure the depth of their knowledge of Brahman, he first questioned the older of the two boys. ‘My child,’ he said, ‘you have studied all the scriptures. Now tell me, what is the nature of Brahman?’ The boy began to explain Brahman by reciting various texts from the Vedas. The father did not say anything. Then he asked the younger son the same question. But the boy remained silent and stood with eyes cast down. No word escaped his lips. The father was pleased and said to him: ‘My child, you have understood a little of Brahman. What It is cannot be expressed in words.’

Men often think they have understood Brahman fully. Once an ant went to a hill of sugar. One grain filled its stomach. Taking another grain in its mouth it started homeward. On its way it thought, ‘Next time I shall carry home the whole hill.’ That is the way shallow minds think. They don’t know that Brahman is beyond one’s words and thought. However great a man may be, how much can he know of Brahman? Sukadeva and sages like him may have been big ants; but even they could carry at the utmost eight or ten grains of sugar!

As for what has been said in the Vedas and the Puranas, do you know what it is like? Suppose a man has seen the ocean, and somebody asks him, ‘Well, what is the ocean like?’ The first man opens his mouth as wide as he can and says: ‘What a sight! What tremendous waves and sounds!’ The description of Brahman in the sacred books is like that. It is said in the Vedas that Brahman is of the nature of Bliss – It is Satchidananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute).

Suka and other sages stood on the shore of this Ocean of Brahman and saw and touched the water. According to one school of thought they never plunged into it. Those who do, cannot come back to the world again.

In samadhi (the state of super-consciousness where Absoluteness is experienced attended with all knowledge and joy) one attains the Knowledge of Brahman – one realizes Brahman. In that state reasoning stops altogether, and man becomes mute. He has no power to describe the nature of Brahman.

Once a salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean. (All laugh). It wanted to tell others how deep the water was. But this it could never do, for no sooner did it get into the water than it melted. Now who was there to report the ocean’s depth?"

A devotee: "Suppose a man has obtained the Knowledge of Brahman in samadhi. Doesn’t he speak any more?"

Master: "Sankaracharya (one of the greatest philosophers of India) retained the ‘ego of Knowledge’ in order to teach others. After the vision of Brahman a man becomes silent. He reasons about It as long as he has not realized It. If you heat butter in a pan on the stove, it makes a sizzling sound as long as the water it contains has not dried up. But when no trace of water is left the clarified butter makes no sound. If you put an uncooked cake of flour in that butter it sizzles again. But after the cake is cooked all sound stops. Just so, a man established in samadhi comes down to the relative plane of consciousness in order to teach others, and then he talks about God.

The bee buzzes as long as it is not sitting on a flower. It becomes silent when it begins to sip the nectar. But sometimes, intoxicated with nectar, it buzzes again.

An empty pitcher makes a gurgling sound when it is dipped in water. When it fills up it becomes silent. (All laugh). But if the water is poured from it into another pitcher, then you will hear the sound again. (Laughter).

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

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

The jnani (self-realized) gives up his identification with worldly things, discriminating, ‘Not this, not this’. Only then can he realize Brahman. It is like reaching the roof of a house by leaving the steps behind, one by one. But the vijnani, who is more intimately acquainted with Brahman, realizes something more. He realizes that the steps are made of the same materials as the roof: bricks, lime, and brick-dust. That which is realized intuitively as Brahman, through the eliminating process of ‘Not this, not this’, is then found to have become the universe and all its living beings. The vijnani sees that the Reality which is nirguna, without attributes, is also sagua, with attributes.

A man cannot live on the roof a long time. He comes down again. Those who realize Brahman in samadhi come down also and find that it is Brahman that has become the universe and its living beings. In the musical scale there are notes sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni; but one cannot keep one’s voice on ‘ni’ a long time. The ego does not vanish altogether. The man coming down from samadhi perceives that it is Brahman that has become the ego, the universe, and all living beings. This is known as vijnana.

The path of knowledge leads to Truth, as does the path that combines knowledge and love. The path of love, too, leads to this goal. The way of love is as true as the way of knowledge. All paths ultimately lead to the same Truth. But as long as God keeps the feeling of ego in us, it is easier to follow the path of love.

The vijnani sees that Brahman is immovable and actionless, like Mount Sumeru. This universe consists of the three gunas – sattva, rajas, and tamas. They are in Brahman. But Brahman is unattached.

The vijnani further sees that what is Brahman is the Bhagavan, the Personal God. He who is beyond the three gunas is the Bhagavan, with His six supernatural powers. Living beings, the universe, mind, intelligence, love, renunciation, knowledge – all these are the manifestations of His power. (With a laugh) If an aristocrat has neither house nor property, or if he has been forced to sell them, one doesn’t call him an aristocrat any more. (All laugh). God is endowed with the six supernatural powers. If He were not, who would obey Him? (All laugh).

Just see how picturesque this universe is! How many things there are! The sun, moon, and stars; and how many varieties of living beings! – big and small, good and bad, strong and weak- some endowed with more power, some with less."

Vidyasagar: "Has He endowed some with more power and others with less?"

Master: "As the All-pervading Spirit He exists in all beings, even in the ant. But the manifestations of His power are different in different beings; otherwise, how can one person put ten to flight, while another can’t face even one? And why do all people respect you? Have you grown a pair of horns? (Laughter). You have more compassion and learning. Therefore people honour you and come to pay you their respects. Don’t you agree with me?"

Vidyasagar smiled.

The Master continued: "There is nothing in mere scholarship. The object of study is to find means of knowing God and realizing Him. A holy man had a book. When asked what it contained, he opened it and showed that on all the pages were written the words ‘Om Rama’, and nothing else.

What is the significance of the Gita? It is what you find by repeating the word ten times. It is then reversed into ‘tagi’, which means a person who has renounced everything for God. And the lesson of the Gita is: ‘O man, renounce everything and seek God alone.’ Whether a man is a monk or a householder, he has to shake off all attachment from his mind.

Chaitanyadeva set out on a pilgrimage to southern India. One day he saw a man reading the Gita. Another man, seated at a distance, was listening and weeping. His eyes were swimming in tears. Chaitanyadeva asked him, ‘Do you understand all this?’ The man said: ’No, revered sir, I don’t understand a word of the text.’ ‘Then why are you crying?’ asked Chaitanya. The devotee said: ‘I see Arjuna’s chariot before me. I see Lord Krishna and Arjuna seated in front of it, talking. I see this and I weep.’

Why does a vijnani keep an attitude of love toward God? The answer is that ‘I-consciousness’ persists. It disappears in the state of samadhi, no doubt, but it comes back. In the case of ordinary people the ‘I’ never disappears. You may cut down the Aswattha tree, but the next day sprouts shoot up. (All laugh).

Even after the attainment of Knowledge this ‘I-consciousness’ comes up, nobody knows from where. You dream of a tiger. Then you awake; but your heart keeps on palpitating! All our suffering is due to this ‘I’. The cow cries, ‘Hamba!’ which means ‘I’. That is why it suffers so much. It is yoked to the plough and made to work in rain and sun. Then it may be killed by the butcher. From its hide shoes are made, and also drums, which are mercilessly beaten. (Laughter). Still it does not escape suffering. At last strings are made out of its entrails for the bows used in carding cotton. Then it no longer says, ‘Hamba! Hamba!’, ‘I’ ‘I’, but ‘Tuhu!’ ‘Tuhu!’, ‘Thou!’ ‘Thou!’ Only then are its troubles over. O Lord, I am the servant; Thou art the Master. I am the child; Thou art the Mother.

Once Rama asked Hanuman, ‘How do you look on Me?’ And Hanuman replied: ‘O Rama, as long as I have the feeling of ‘I’, I see that Thou art the whole and I am a part; Thou art the Master and I am Thy servant. But when, O Rama, I have the knowledge of Truth, then I realize that Thou art I, and I am Thou.’

The relationship of master and servant is the proper one. Since this ‘I’ must remain, let the rascal be God’s servant.

‘I’ and ‘mine’ – these constitute ignorance. ‘My house’, ‘my wealth’, ‘my learning’, ‘my possessions’ – the attitude that prompts one to say such things comes of ignorance. On the contrary, the attitude born of Knowledge is: ‘O God, Thou art the Master, and all these things belong to Thee. House, family, children, attendants, friends, are Thine.’

One should constantly remember death. Nothing will survive death. We are born into this world to perform certain duties, like the people who come from the countryside to Calcutta on business. ‘This is our garden’, ‘This is our lake’, and so forth. But if the superintendent is dismissed for some misdeed, he can’t carry away even his mango-wood chest. He sends it secretly by the gatekeeper. (Laughter).

God laughs on two occasions. He laughs when the physician says to the patient’s mother, ‘Don’t be afraid, mother, I shall certainly cure your boy.’ God laughs, saying to Himself, ‘I am going to take his life, and this man says he will save it!’ The physician thinks he is the master, forgetting that God is the Master. God laughs again when two brothers divide their land with a string, saying to each other, ‘This side is mine and that side is yours.’ God laughs and says to Himself, ‘The whole universe belongs to Me, but they say they own this portion or that portion.’

Can one know God through reasoning? Be His servant, surrender yourself to Him, and then pray to Him."

(To vidyasagar, with a smile) "Well, what is your attitude?"

Vidyasagar (smiling): "Some day I shall confide it to you." (All laugh).

Master (laughing): "God cannot be realized through mere scholarly reasoning."

Intoxicated with divine love, the Master sang:

Who is there that can understand what Mother Kali is? Even the six darsanas are powerless to reveal Her.
It is She, the scriptures say, that is the Inner Self Of the yogi, who in Self discovers all his joy. She that, of Her own sweet will, inhabits every living thing. The macrocosm and microcosm rest in the mother’s womb;
Now do you see how vast it is? In the Muladhara The yogi mediates on Her, and in the Sahasrara:
Who but Siva has beheld Her as She really is? Within the lotus wilderness She sports beside Her Mate, the Swan (Siva, the Absolute).

When man aspires to understand Her, Ramprasad must smile; To think of knowing Her, he says, is quite as laughable As to imagine one can swim across the boundless sea. But while my mind has understood, alas! My heart has not; Though but a dwarf, it still would strive to make a captive of the moon.

Continuing, the Master said: "Did you notice? The macrocosm and microcosm rest in the Mother’s womb; Now do you see how vast it is?

Again the poet says: Even the six darsanas are powerless to reveal Her. She cannot be realized by means of mere scholarship. One must have faith and love. If a man has faith in God, then he need not be afraid though he may have committed sin – nay, the vilest sin. Then Sri Ramakrishna sang a song glorifying the power of faith:

If only I can pass away repeating Durga’s name, How canst Thou then, O Blessed One, Withhold from me deliverance, Wretched though I may be? ….

The Master continued: "Faith and devotion. One realizes God easily through devotion. He is grasped through ecstasy of love.

While singing, the Master went into samadhi. He was seated on the bench, facing west, the palms of his hands joined together, his body erect and motionless. Everyone watched him expectantly. Vidyasagar, too, was speechless and could not take his eyes from the Master.

After a time Sri Ramakrishna showed signs of regaining the normal state. He drew a deep breath and said with a smile: "The means of realizing God are ecstasy of love and devotion – that is, one must love God. He who is Brahman is addressed as the Mother.

He it is, says Ramprasad, that I approach as Mother; But must I give away the secret, here in the market place?

From the hints I have given, O mind, guess what that Being is!

"Ramprasad asks the mind only to guess the nature of God. He wishes it to understand that what is called Brahman in the Vedas is addressed by him as the Mother. He who is attributeless also has attributes. He who is Brahman is also Shakti. When thought of as inactive, He is called Brahman, and when thought of as Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer, He is called the Primordial Energy, Kali.

Brahman and Shakti are identical, like fire and its power to burn. When we talk of fire we automatically mean also its power to burn. Again, the fire’s power to burn implies the fire itself. If you accept the one you must accept the other.

Brahman alone is addressed as the Mother. This is because a mother is an object of great love. One is able to realize God just through love. Ecstasy of feeling, devotion, love, and faith – these are the means. Listen to a song:

As is a man’s meditation, so is his feeling of love; As is a man’s feeling of love, so is his gain; And faith is the root of all. If in the Nectar Lake of Mother Kali’s feet My mind remains immersed, Of little use are worship, oblations, or sacrifice.

"What is needed is absorption in God – loving Him intensely. The ‘Nectar Lake’ is the Lake of Immortality. A man sinking in it does not die, but becomes immortal. Some people believe that by thinking of God too much the mind becomes deranged; but that is not true. God is the Lake of Nectar, the Ocean of Immortality. He is called the ‘Immortal’ in the Vedas. Sinking in It, one does not die, but verily transcends death.

Of little use are worship, oblations, or sacrifice.

If a man comes to love God, he need not trouble himself much about these activities. One needs a fan only as long as there is no breeze. The fan may be laid aside if the southern breeze blows. Then what need is there of a fan?"

(To Vidyasagar) "The activities that you are engaged in are good. It is very good if you can perform them in a selfless spirit, renouncing egotism. Giving up the idea that you are the doer. Through such action one develops love and devotion to God, and ultimately realizes Him.

The more you come to love God, the less you will be inclined to perform action. When the daughter-in-law is with child, her mother-in-law gives her less work to do. As time goes by she is given less and less work. When the time of delivery nears, she is not allowed to do any work at all, lest it should hurt the child or cause difficulty at the time of birth.

By these philanthropic activities you are really doing good to yourself. If you can do them disinterestedly, your mind will become pure and you will develop love of God. As soon as you have that love you will realize Him.

Man cannot really help the world. God alone does that – He who has created the sun and the moon, who has put love for their children in parents hearts, endowed noble souls with compassion, and holy men and devotees with divine love. The man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really does good to himself.

There is gold buried in your heart, but you are not yet aware of it. It is covered with a thin layer of clay. Once you are aware of it, all these activities of yours will lessen. After the birth of her child, the daughter-in-law in the family busies herself with it alone. Everything she does is only for the child. Her mother-in-law doesn’t let her do any household duties.

Go forward. A woodcutter once entered a forest to gather wood. A brahmachari said to him, ‘Go forward.’ He obeyed the injunction and discovered some sandalwood trees. After a few days he reflected, ‘The holy man asked me to go forward. He didn’t tell me to stop here.’ So he went forward and found a silver mine. After a few days he went still farther and discovered a gold mine, and next, mines of diamonds and precious stones. With these he became immensely rich.

Through selfless work, love of God grows in the heart. Then, through His grace, one realizes Him in course of time. God can be seen. One can talk to Him as I am talking to you."

In silent wonder they all sat listening to the Master’s words. It seemed to them that the Goddess of Wisdom Herself, seated on Sri Ramakrishna’s tongue, was addressing these words not merely to Vidyasagar, but to all humanity for its good.

It was nearly nine o’clock in the evening. The Master was about to leave.

Master (to Vidyasagar, with a smile): "The words I have spoken are really superfluous. You know all this; you simply aren’t conscious of it. There are countless gems in the coffers of Varuna (lord of waters). But he himself isn’t aware of them."

Vidyasagar (with a smile): "You may say as you like."

Master: "Oh yes. There are many wealthy people who don’t know the names of all their servants, and are even unaware of many of the precious things in their houses." (All laugh).

Everybody was delighted with the Master’s conversation. Again addressing Vidyasagar, he said with a smile: "Please visit the temple garden some time- I mean the garden of Rasmani. It’s a charming place."

Vidyasagar: "Oh, of course I shall go. You have so kindly come here to see me, and shall I not return your visit?" Master: "Visit me? Oh, never think of such a thing!" Vidyasagar: "Why, sir? Why do you say that? May I ask you to explain?"

Master (smiling): "You see, we are like small fishing-boats. (All smile). We can ply in small canals and shallow waters and also in big rivers. But you are a ship. You may run aground on the way!" (All laugh).

Vidyasagar remained silent. Sri Ramakrishna said with a laugh: "But even a ship can go there at this season."

Vidyasagar: "Yes, this is the monsoon season." (All laugh).

M. said to himself: "This is indeed the monsoon season of newly awakened love. At such times one doesn’t care for prestige or formalities."

Sri Ramakrishna then took leave of Vidyasagar, who with his friends escorted the master to the main gate, leading the way with a lighted candle in his hand. Before leaving the room, the Master prayed for the family’s welfare, going into an ecstatic mood as he did so.

As soon as the Master and the devotees reached the gate, they saw an unexpected sight and stood still. In front of them was a bearded gentleman of fair complexion, aged about thirty-six. He wore his clothes like a Bengali, but on his head was a white turban tied after the fashion of the Sikhs. No sooner did he see the Master than he fell prostrate before him, turban and all.

When he stood up the Master said: "Who is this? Balaram? Why so late in the evening?"

Balaram: "I have been waiting here a long time, sir."

Master: "Why didn’t you come in?"

Balaram: "All were listening to you. I didn’t like to disturb you."

The Master got into the carriage with his companions.

Vidyasagar (to M softly): "Shall I pay the carriage hire?"

M.: "Oh, don’t bother, please. It is taken care of."

Vidyasagar and his friends bowed to Sri Ramakrishna, and the carriage started for Dakshineshwar. But the little group with the venerable Vidyasagar at their head holding the lighted candle stood at the gate and gazed after the master until he was out of sight. - http://www.hinduism.co.za/godcanbe.htm