FAITH. DEVOTION AND RESIGNATION

Once a washerman was beating a devotee, severely, and the devotee was crying, ' Narayana I Narayana !' Lord Narayana was in Sri Vaikuntha, sitting near Lakshmi. As soon as He heard the cry of the devotee, He got up and proceeded to protect the man. But he returned to His seat after going only a few steps. Seeing this, Lakshmi asked the Lord why He had returned so quickly. Lord Narayana replied, Because I found no need of my going there. That fellow too has become a Dhobi (washerman). He has begun to protect himself; he is now giving blows in return to the man who has been beating him before. So where is the necessity of my going there? TheJLord saves one^only if one surrenders oneself completely to Him.

1081. Having received no news of herGopal (Krishna, God incarnate), Yasoda once came to Radha and asked her if she had any news from him. At that time Radha was in a deep trance, and so did not hear Yasoda. Subsequently, when her trance was over, she saw Yasoda, the queen of Nanda, sitting before her. Bowing down to her at once, Radha asked Yasoda the reason of her visit, and when Yasoda stated the reason, she said, ' Mother, shut your eyes and meditate upon the form of Gopala, and you will be able to see him." And as soon as Yasoda shut her «yes, Radha, who was herself the very essence of spiritual feelings (Bhava), overwhelmed her with her power, and in that superconscious mood, Yasoda saw her Gopala. Then Yasoda asked this boon of Radha, " Mother, grant me that I may see my beloved Gopala whenever I close my eyes.

Sri Ramachandra, in the course of His travels through the forest, descended into the lake called Pampa for drinking water, leaving His bow and arrow fixed on the ground. Coming up, he found that a frog was lying covered all over with blood, having been run through by His bow. He was very sorry and said to the frog, " Why did you not make some kind of sound ? Then I could have known that you were here, and you would not have come to this plight." The frog replied, " O Rama, when I fall into danger, I call on Thee, saying, O Rama, save me. Now that Thou Thyself art killing me, to whom else shall I turn and pray? "

1083. Once a servant of a rich man came to his master's house, and stood in a corner with great reverence and humility. He held in his hand something covered with a cloth. The master enquired, ' What is there in your hand ?' The servant brought out a small custard-apple from the cloth and kept it humbly before the master, feeling that he would be much gratified if the master would take it. The master was much pleased to see the loving devotion of the servant and accepted the offering, though a trifle. With great delight he exclaimed, " Ah, what a fine fruit is this ! Where did you get it from ? " In the same way God looks into the heart of the devotee. He is infinite in his grandeur, yet He is responsive to the influence of love and devotion.

The Master (to Pratap Ch. Mazumdar) : You are an educated and intelligent man, and you are a deep thinker too. Keshab and yourself were like the two-brothers, Gour and Nitai. You have had enough of this world—enough of lectures, controversies, schisms and the rest. Do you still care for them ? Now it is high time for you to collect your scattered mind and turn it towards God-Plunge into the ocean of Divinity.

Mazumdar: Yes, revered Sir, that I ought to do; there is no doubt about it. But all this I do simply to preserve Keshab's name and reputation.

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling) : Let me tell you a story. A man built a cottage on a mountain top. It cost him hard labour and much money. After a few days there came a cyclone and the cottage began to rock to and fro. The man, being very anxious to save it, prayed to the Wind-god, saying, " Lord, I beseech Thee, do not destroy this cottage." But the Wind-god did not listen. He prayed again, but the cottage kept on rocking. Then he thought of another plan to save it. He remembered that according to mythology, Hanuman was the son of the Wind-god. So he cried out, " Lord, I beg of Thee, spare this cottage ; for it belongs to Hanuman, Thy son." But the Wind-god did not listen. Then he said, " Lord, I pray Thee, spare this cottage, for it belongs to Hanuman's Lord, Rama." Still the Wind-god did not listen Then, as the cottage began to topple over, the man ran out of it to save his life, and he began to swear saying, " Let this miserable cottage be destroyed. What is it to me ? "

You may now be anxious to preserve Keshab s name; but console yourself with the thought that it was after all owing to God's will that the religious movement connected with his name was set on foot, and that if the movement has had its day, it is also due to that same Divine will. Therefore dive deep into the sea of Immortality.

A man went to a Sadhu and said with a great show of humility, " Sir, I am a very low petson. Tell me O Master, how I am to be saved. The, Sadhu, reading the heart of the man, told him, " Well, go and bring me that which is meaner than yourself. The man went out and looked all round but found nothing whatsoever meaner than himself. At last he saw his own excrement and said, " Well, here is something which is certainly worse than myself.' He stretched forth his hand to take it up and carry it to the Sadhu when suddenly he heard a voice say from within the ordure, " Touch me not, O sinner. I was a sweet and delicious cake, fit to be offered to the Gods and in appearance so pleasing to all the spectators. But my ill-fortune brought me to you, and by your evil contact L have been reduced to such a detestable condition that men run away from me with faces turned and with handkerchiefs covering their noses. Once only did I come in contact with you and this has been my fate. What deeper degradation may I not be thrown into if you touch me again ? The man was thus taught true humility, and became the humblest of the humble. As a result he attained the highest perfection.

Once upon a time conceit entered into the heart of Narada, and he thought there was no greater devotee than himself. Reading his heart, the Lord said, " Narada, go to such and such a place. A great devotee of mine is living there. Cultivate his acquaintance; for he is truly devoted to me. Narada went there and found an agriculturist who rose early in the morning, pronounced the name of Hari (God) only once, and taking his plough, went out and tilled the ground all day long. At night, he went to bed after pronouncing the name of Hari once more. Narada said to .himself, " How can this rustic be a lover of God ? I see him busily engaged in worldly duties, and he has no signs of a pious man about him." Then Narada went back to the Lord and spoke what he thought of his new acquaintance. Thereupon the Lord said, Narada, take this cup of oil and go round this city and come back with it. But take care that you do not spill even a single drop of it. Narada did as he was told, and on his return the Lord asked him, " Well, Narada, how many times did you remember me in the course of your walk round the city? "Not once, my Lord," said Narada, "and how could I, when I had to watch this cup brimming over with oil?" The Lord then said, "This one cup of oil did so divert your attention that even you did forget me altogether. But look at that rustic, who, though carrying the heavy burden of a family, still remembers me twice every day."

Once there lived two Yogis who were practising austerities with a view to realise the Lord. One day Narada, the divine sage, was passing by their hermitage, when one of them asked him, Are you coming from Heaven ? " Narad a replied, " Yes, that is so.' The Yogi said, " Do tell me what you saw the Lord doing in Heaven." Narada replied, ' I saw the Lord playing by making camels and elephants pass through the eye of a needle." At this the Yogi observed, " There is nothing in it to marvel at. Nothing is impossible with God !' But the other man exclaimed, O nonsense! That is impossible ! It only shows that you have never been to the Lord's abode."

The first man was a Bhakta and had the faith of a child. Nothing is impossible to the Lord, nor can any one know His nature fully. Everything can be predicted of Him.

Once the son of a certain man lay at the point of death, and it seemed that none could save his life. A Sadhu, however, said to the father of the dying son, " There is but one hope. If you can get in a human skull the venom of a cobra mixed with a few drops of rain-water under the constellation of the Svati star, your son's life can be saved.' The father looked up the almanac and found that the constellation of the Svati would be in the ascendant on the morrow. So he prayed, saying, ' O Lord, do Thou make possible all these conditions, and spare the life of my son." With extreme earnestness and longing in his heart, he set out on the following evening and diligently searched in a deserted spot for a human skull. At last he found one under a tree, and holding it in hand, waited for the rain, praying. Suddenly a shower came, and a few drops of rain were deposited in the upturned skull. The man said to himself, Now I have the water in the skull under the right constellation." Then he prayed earnestly : " Grant, O Lord, that the rest may also be obtained. In a short time he discovered, not far from there, a toad, and a cobra springing to catch it. In a moment the toad jumped over the skull, followed by the cobra whose venom fell into the skull. With overwhelming gratitude the anxious father cried outr " Lord, by Thy grace even impossible things are made possible. Now I know that my son s life will b'e saved.' Therefore I say, if you have true faith and earnest longing, you will get everything by the grace of the Lord.

Spiritual practices (Sadhanas) are absolutely necessary for Self-realisation, but if there be perfect faith, then a little practice is enough. The sage Vyasa was about to cross the river Jumna. Just then the Gopis arrived at the place where the sage was. They also> wanted to cross the river, but there was no ferry-boat. So they asked Vyasa, " Sir, what shall we do ? ' Vyasa replied, " Do not worry. I will take you across the river But before that, can you give me something to eat ? For I am very hungry. The Gopis had with them a quantity of milk, cream and fresh butter, which they offered him, and he consumed them all. The Gopis then asked, " What about crossing thd river? " Vyasa stood near the bank of the water and prayed: " O Jumna, if I have not eaten anything to-day, by that virtue I ask you to part your waters, so that we may walk across your bed and reach the other side." No sooner did he utter these words than the waters parted, and the dry river-bed was laid bare. The Gopis were amazed. They thought: " How could he say, If I have not eaten anything to-day/ when he ate so much just now?" They did not'understand that this was

Faith, Devotion and Resignation

the proof of Vyasa's firm faith—that he did not eat anything, but the Lord who dwelt within him was the real eater.

1090. There was a certain Brahmin priest who served in a household chapel. Once he went away leaving the charge of the service in the chapel to his little son. He asked the boy to place the daily offering of food before the Deity and see that He ate it. The boy, following the injunctions of his father, placed the offering before the image and silently waited. But the image neither spoke nor ate. The boy watched for a long time. He had the firm faith that the Deity would come down from the altar, take the seat before the offering and eat it. So he prayed, " O Lord, come and eat. It is getting very late, I cannot wait any longer. But the Lord did not speak. Then the boy began to cry saying, " Lord, my father asked me to see that you didst eat the offering. Why dost Thou not come ? Thou comest to my father and eatest his offering. What have I done that Thou dost not come to me and partake of my offering ? " He cried bitterly for a long time. Then, as he looked up at the seat, he saw the Deity in a human form eating the offering! When the service was ended, and the boy came out, the people in the house said to him, " If the service is over, bring out the offering. The boy replied, " Yes, but the Lord has eaten everything." In amazement they asked, " What do you say ? ' In absolute innocence the boy repeated, " Why, the Lord has eaten all that I offered." Then they entered the chapel and dumbfounded at the sight of the empty dishes. Such is the power of true faith and true yearning !

Extreme longing is the surest way to God-vision. One should have faith like an innocent child, and a child's longing for its mother.

There was a boy named Jatila. He used to go to school alone through the woods. Often he felt lonely and afraid. He told his mother about it, and she said to him, " Why are you afraid, my child ? You call aloud for Krishna when you get frightened." "Who is Krishna, mother?" the boy asked. The mother answered, Krishna is your brother." After that, when Jatila was passing through the woods alone, and felt frightened, he called aloud, Brother Krishna!" When no one came, he called again, " O brother Krishna, where are you ? Come to me and protect me. I am frightened.' Hearing the call of the child, so full of faith, Krishna could no longer remain away. He appeared in the form of a young boy and said, " Here am If your brother ! Why are you frightened ? Come, I will take you to school." Then having escorted him to school, Lord Krishna said to him, " I will come to you whenever you call me. Do not be afraid." Such is the power of true faith in the Lord and of real longing for Him.

A milk-maid used to supply milk to a Brahmin priest living on the other side of a river. Owing to the irregularities of the boat service, she could not supply him milk punctually every day. Once, being rebuked for her going late, the poor woman said, " What can I do? I start early from my house, but have to wait for a long time at the river bank for the boatman and the passengers." The priest said, " Woman 1 they cross the ocean of life by uttering the name of God, and cant you cross this little river ?" The simple-hearted woman became very glad at heart on learning this easy means of crossing the river. From the next day the milk was being supplied early in the morning. One day the priest said to the woman, " How is it that you are no longer late nowadays ? " She said, " I cross the river by uttering the name of the Lord as you told me to do, and don't stand now in need of a boatman." The Priest could not believe this and said, Can you show me how you cross the river ? The woman took him with her and began to walk over the water. Looking behind, the woman saw the priest in a sad plight and said, How is it, Sir, that you are uttering the name of God with your mouth, but at the same time with your hands you are trying to keep your cloth untouched by water ? You do not fully rely on Him." Entire resignation and absolute faith in God are at the root of ail miraculous deeds.

Once, finding it difficult to reconcile the contradictory doctrines of man's free will and God's grace, two disciples of the Master went to him for a solution of the same. The Master said, ' Why do you talk of free will ? Everything is dependent upon the Lord s will. Our will is tied to the Lord's, like the cow to its tether. No doubt we have a certain amount of freedom even as the cow has, within a prescribed circle. So man thinks that his will is free. But know that his will is dependent on the Lord's."

Disciples: Is there then no necessity of practising penance, meditation and the rest ? For one can as well sit quiet and say, ' It is all Gods will; whatever is done, is done at His will.'

Sri Ramakrishna : Oh ! to what effect, if you simply say that in so many words ? Any amount of your verbal denial of thorns can never save you from their painful prick when you place your hand on them. Had it been entirely with man to do spiritual practices according to his will, everybody would have done so. But no ; everyone can't do it, and why? But there is one thing. If you don't utilise properly the amount of strength He has given you, He never gives more. That is why self-exertion is necessary. And so everyone has to struggle hard even to become fit for the grace of God. By such endeavour, and through His grace, the sufferings of many lives can be worked out in one life. But some self-effort is absolutely necessary. Let me tell you a story:

• Once Vishnu, the Lord of Goloka, cursed Narada, saying that he would be thrown into hell. At this Narada was greatly disturbed in mind ;♦ and he prayed to the Lord, singing songs of devotion, and begging Him to show where hell is and how one can go there. Vishnu then drew the map of the universe on the ground with a piece of chalk, representing the exact position of heaven and hell. Then Narada said, pointing to the part marked 'hell', Is it like this? This is hell then ! " So saying he rolled himself on the spot and exclaimed he had undergone all the sufferings of hell. Vishnu smilingly asked, " How is that ?" and Narada replied, " Why, Lord, are not heaven and hell Thy creation ? When Thou didst draw the map of the universe Thyself and point out to me the hell in the plan, then that place became a real hell; and as I rolled myself there, my sufferings were intense. So I do say that I have undergone the punishments of hell." Narada said all this sincerely and so Vishnu was satisfied with the explanation.

1094. Pride once entered into the heart of Arjuna, the beloved friend of Sri Krishna. Arjuna thought that none equalled him in love and devotion to his Lord and friend. The omniscient Lord, Sri Krishna, reading the heart of His friend, took him one day for a walk. They had not proceeded far when Arjuna saw a strange Brahmin eating dry grass as food, but nevertheless had a sword dangling at his side. Arjuna at once knew him to be a holy and pious devotee of Vishnu, one whose highest religious duty was to injure no being. As even grass has life, he would not eat it green but sustained his life by eating it dry and lifeless. Yet he carried a sword. Arjuna, wondering at the incongruity, turned towards the» Lord and said, " How is this ? Here is a man who has renounced all ideas of injuring any living being, down to the meanest blade of grass; yet he carries with him a sword, the symbol of death and hatred ! ' The Lord said, " You better ask the man yourself." Arjuna then went up to the Brahmin and said, " Sir, you injure no living being, and you live upon dry grass. Why then do you carry this sharp sword ? "

The Brahmin: It is to punish four persons if I chance to meet them.

Arjuna : Who are they ?

The Brahmin: The first is the wretch Narada.

Arjuna: Why, what has he done ?

The Brahmin: Why. look at the audacity of that fellow ; he is perpetually keeping my Lord awake with his songs and music. He has no consideration whatsoever for the comfort of the Lord. Day and night, in and out of season, he disturbs the peace of the Lord by his prayers and praises.

Arjuna : Who is the second person ?

The Brahmin: The imprudent Draupadi.

Arjuna : What is her fault ?

The Brahmin : Look at the inconsiderate audacity of the woman; she was so rash as to call my beloved Lord just at the moment He was going to dine. He had to give up His dinner and go to the Kamyaka Vana to save the Pandavas from the curse of Durvasas. And her presumption went so far that she even caused my beloved Lord to eat the impure remnant of her own food.

Arjuna : Who is the third ?

The Brahmin : It is the heartless Prahlada. He was so Cruel that he did not hesitate for a moment to ask my Lord to enter the boiling cauldron of oil, to be trodden under the heavy feet of elephants, and to break through an adamantine pillar.

Arjuna: Who is the fourth ?

The Brahmin: The wretch Arjuna.

Arjuna; Why, what fault has he committed ?

The Brahmin: Look at his felony. He made my beloved Lord take the mean office of a charioteer of his car in the great war of Kurukshetra.

Arjuna was amazed at the depth of the poor Brahmin s devotion and love, and from that moment his pride vanished, and he gave up thinking that he was the best devotee of the Lord.

In a certain village there lived a very pious weaver. Every one loved and trusted him. The weaver used to go to the market to sell his cloths. If a customer asked the price of a piece of cloth, he would say : " By the will of Rama, the thread costs one rupee ; by the will of Rama, the labour costs four annas; by the will of Rama, the profit is two annas ; by the will of Rama the price of the cloth as it stands is one rupee and six annas. People used to have such confidence in him that they would immediately pay the price and take the cloth. The man was a true devotee. At night after supper he would sit for a long time and meditate on God and repeat His holy name'.

Once it was late in the night. The weaver had not yet gone to sleep. He was sitting alone in the courtyard near the entrance, smoking. A gang of robbers was passing that way. They wanted a porter, and seeing this man, they dragged him away with them. Then they broke into a house and stole a great many things, some of which they piled on the poor weaver's head. At this moment the watchman came. The robbers at once ran away, but the poor weaver was caught with his load. He had to spend that night in confinement. Next morning he was brought before the magistrate. The people of the village, hearing what had happened, came to see the weaver. They unanimously declared, Your Honour, this man is incapable of stealing anything." The magistrate then asked the weaver to describe what had occurred. The weaver said: " Your Honour, by the will of Rama, I was sitting in the courtyard. By the will of Rama, it was very late in the night. By the will of Rama, I was meditating upon God and repeating His holy name . By the will of Rama, a band of robbers passed that way. By the will of Rama, they dragged me away with them. By the will of Rama, they broke into a house. By the will of Rama, they piled a load on my head. By the will of Rama, I was caught. Then by the will of Rama, I was kept in prison, and this morning I am brought before your Honour.' The magistrate, seeing the innocence and spirituality of the man, ordered him to be acquitted. Coming out, the weaver said to his friends, ' By the will of Rama, I have been released."

Whether you live in the world or renounce it, everything depends upon the will of Rama. Throwing your whole responsibility upon God, do your work inthe world.

1096. A thief entered the palace of a king at the dead of night and overheard the king saying to the queen, " I shall give my daughter in marriage to one of those Sadhus (holy men) who are dwelling on the bank of the river." The thief thought within himself, " Well, here is good luck for me. I will go and sit among the Sadhus to-morrow in the disguise of a Sadhu, and perchance I may succeed in getting the king's daughter." The next day he did so. When the king's officers came soliciting the Sadhus to marry the king's daughter, none of them consented to it. At last they came to the thief in the guise of a Sadhu, and made the same proposal to him. The thief kept quiet. The officers went back and told the king that there was a young Sadhu who might be influenced to marry the princess, and that there was no other who would consent. The king then went to the Sadhu in person and earnestly untreated him to honour him by accepting the hand of his daughter. But the heart of the thief was changed at the king's visit. He thought within himself, ' I have only assumed the garb of a Sadhu, and behold ! the king himself comes to me and is all entreaties. Who can say what better things may not be in store for me if I become a real Sadhu! These thoughts so strongly affected him that, instead of marrying under false pretences, he began to mend his ways from that very day, and exerted himself to become a true Sadhu. He did not marry at all, and ultimately became one of the most pious ascetics of his day. The counterfeiting of a good thing sometimes leads to unexpected good results.