SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

To drink pure water from a shallow pond one should gently take the water from the surface without disturbing it in the least. If it is disturbed, the sediments rise up and make the whole water muddy. If you desire to be pure, have firm faith, and slowly go on with your devotional practices, without wasting your energy in useless

1 The itinerant monk who initiated the Master into the practice of Advaita Vedanta scriptural discussions and arguments. Your little brain will otherise be muddled.

There are many who inquire about the houses and riches of a wealthy citizen of Calcutta like Jadunath Mullick, but only a few go to see him personally and cultivate his acquaintance. Similarly, many are the men who-study scriptures and talk of religion, but very few are those who wish to see God or take pains to approach Him.

Adopt adequate means for the end you seek to attain. You cannot get butter by crying yourself hoarse saying, There is butter in the milk.' If you wish to get butter, turn the milk into curd and churn it well, and then you will have. butter. So if you long to see God, take to spiritual practices (Sadhanas). What is the good of merely crying, " O God ! O God !

If a man desires to see the king in his palace, he will have to go to the palace and pass through all the gates; but, if, after entering the outermost gate only, he exclaims, "Where is the king? he will not find him. He must go through the seven gates, and then he will see the king.

Effort is necessary for realisation. One day in Bhava Samadhi (spiritual absorption), I saw the Haldar-pukur and found there a rustic taking water. He removed the sedges from the surface and examined it now and again, taking it up in his hand. It was shown to me, as if to signify that just as water can never be seen unless one removes the sedge, love of God and realisation of Him cannot be had if one does not work for it. Meditation,

1 A big tank situated just in front of the ancestral house of Sri Ramakrishna in his native village Kamarpukur. repeating the ' name' of the Lord, singing His glories, praying to Him, charity, performance of sacrifices—these are the holy works that lead to God.

Even Sri Krishna went through tremendous spiritual practises relating to the worship of the Radha-yantra. The Yantra is the Brahmayoni (Creative Power of Brahman), and the Sadhana consisted of its worship and meditation. From this Brahmayoni there spring myriads of worlds I

The course of Sadhana is of three kinds, viz.t (1) of the nature of birds, (2) of the nature of monkeys and (3) of the nature of ants.

(1) The bird comes and pecks at a fruit which perhaps falls down at the jerk, and the bird cannot get it for eating. So there are devotees who try to rush on with devotional practices with such violence that it often frustrates their attempts.

(2) It is the nature of the monkey to jump from branch to branch, holding a fruit in its mouth, and while jumping, the fruit often falls down from its mouth. Thus at times, distracted by the changing events of life the aspirants lose sight of the devotional path, if the grasp is not firm.

(3) The ant creeps gently and steadily towards a grain of food, and carries it back to its hole where it enjoys it comfortably. The course of Sadhana like that of the ant is considered the best—there is sureness of attaining and enjoying the fruit.

He who is fond of fishing, and wishes to be informed if good fish abound in a certain pond, goes to those persons who have already fished in it, and eagerly asks them: " Is it true that there are big fish in this pond? And what is the most suitable bait to catch them?" Having gathered the necessary information from them, he resorts to the pond with his fishing rod, waits there patiently after throwing his line, and allures the fish with dexterity. At last he succeeds in hooking a large and beautiful dweller of the deep. Similarly, with implicit trust in the sayings of holy saints and sages, one must try to secure God in one s own heart with the bait of devotion, and the rod and hook of one s mind. With unceasing patience one must wait for the fullness of time. Then only can one catch the Divine fish.

The Master used to say : " Will you be able to obey to the fullest extent the commands that I give you ? Verily, I tell you, your salvation is assured if you put into practice even one-sixteenth of what I say to you.

Spiritual practices (Sadhanas) are absolutely necessary for Self-knowledge, but if there is perfect faith, then a little practice is enough.

590. Once a person comes to believe in the power of His holy name ' and feels inclined to repeat it constantly, neither discrimination nor devotional exercises of any sort are necessary for him. All doubts are set at rest, the mind becomes pure, and the Lord Himself is realised through the force of His holy name.

The Vedas and the Puranas must be read and heard, but one must act according to the precepts of the Tantras. The name of Lord Hari must be uttered by the mouth and heard with the ear as well. Indeed in some

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diseases it is necessary not only to apply medicine externally but also to take it internally.

There are two kinds of Siddhas (perfect men) —Sadhana-siddhas and Kripd-siddhas (those who have gained perfection through religious discipline and those who have gained perfection through grace). To get a good crop, some have to irrigate their fields with great labour by cutting canals, or by drawing water. But some others are lucky enough to be saved all this trouble for getting water; for there comes the rain and floods the whole field. Almost all have to perform devotional practices assiduously in order to get freedom from the shackles of Maya. But Kripit-siddhas are saved from all this trouble ; they attain perfection through the grace of God. Their number, however, is extremely small.