About Meditation - Swami Satswarupananda

Part II

Due to my weak health I cannot follow the path of karma yoga which involves austerities about food, and physical labor. Can I realize God by remaining a celibate practicing meditation regularly?

What is your conception of God-realization?

Rising above pleasure and pain?

When you say that you are unable to bear with hunger and such things, how can you aim at that? Your idea of God-realization should have been different.

Then, constant remembrance of God?

That means you are conceiving of something other than you; and this is only a preliminary step in the road to God-realization. God-realization means becoming God, knowing that the sadhaka himself is God (and becoming one with the universe, etc.) Remembrance of God is a means to achieving this. How long do you meditate per day?

About an hour-and-a-half in the morning and again the same time in the evening (more so, especially in winter).

You meditate only for three hours in a day of 24 hours, and you want God-realization!

I am afraid I may fall sick if I do more. However, I do not completely forget God during the remaining period of the day. Often, even while walking on the road, traveling in the bus, etc., I repeat the mantra, and think of God.

That is all right.

I read that a person intensely thinking of an object becomes that object.

What is mind? It is a continuous flow of thoughts. And a person is what his mind is which, in turn, is a continuous flow of thoughts. Suppose you are meditating upon Sri Ramakrishna, and your mind is thinking of him with one-pointedness, then you become Sri Ramakrishna for that period. But as soon as you come down to the normal plane, then you are what you are!

[In fact, I had asked with some hesitation whether I could become like Sri Ramakrishna if I concentrate on him!]

Swami Vivekananda said that if a man worships God as Mother, he achieves God vision in five minutes, but if as Father, it may take hundred years! Why so?

To a child, mother is the dearest. Hence, if you worship God as Mother, your devotion is easily increased, and you achieve results quickly. [Maharaj agreed with me when I added that when a person worships God as Mother, he easily conquers lust, and gets over the Maya more easily.]

I had taken a vow that I shall not marry in this life, and shall be a lifelong celibate. Some persons criticized me saying that taking vows like this indicates egotism. Is this true?

No. It does not at all indicate egotism. Do not be deceived by others. You have taken a vow for a good cause. What you have done is correct. The Vedic way of life is, in fact, a life of vows.

What is the meaning of ‘unceasing prayer’?

It means that you should set apart a part of your mind always in the thought of God.

In spite of spiritual practices, the mind wanders away! Why?

It is but the natural tendency of the mind to be attracted by the external objects of senses, but the devotee should control and withdraw the mind from objects of attraction.

What is meant by giving ‘power of attorney’ to God?

Giving power of attorney to an Incarnation of God (or God) may appear easy but is actually very difficult. It means complete surrender to Him. This can be done only after all the humanly possible efforts have been made. When a person feels that nothing more remains within his/her power to be done in respect of realizing God, then only power of attorney could be given meaningfully; otherwise it amounts to self-deception. Remember, how in spite of having a glass of water before him, Sri Girish Chandra Ghosh could not drink it, even though his throat was parching, because Sri Ramakrishna had not permitted him to do so! This is giving power of attorney. But there is a condition for taking the power of attorney.

Only Incarnations of God can take the sins of others and redeem them. They become, as it were, scapegoats for the sins of others! Apostles of Incarnations also have power to redeem, but the power is derived from Incarnations. Incarnations of God suffer for others’ sins. Sri Ramakrishna suffered at every instance—as when a person touched, he used to have burning sensation, etc., and also from throat cancer. ‘It is for the sins of others that this body is suffering so much. Or else what sins has this body committed,’ Sri Ramakrishna used to say.

Once a young man, an initiated devotee of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, went to the Mother, and unburdened the restlessness and wretched state of his mind to Her, and prayed to Her for redemption. The Mother looked at the young man in a peculiar way. The young man was disappointed when (after the peculiar look) the person was asked to go to Master Mahashay (M). The young man reported to Master Mahashay how the former was disappointed. Master Mahashay asked, ‘Did the Mother cast a peculiar glance at you?’ The young man said, ‘yes.’ Then Master Mahashay said, ‘You are blessed indeed. Don’t you know that with the one look of the Divine Mother, the devotee (Shiva) becomes drunk in the ocean of Satchidananda, and is absorbed in meditation, etc. (cf. Gospel Song).’

What is the relationship between sadhana and God’s grace?

Human beings are endowed with thinking power and intellect, and hence one has to make effort, and do spiritual practice. Then only God’s grace descends; not otherwise. As a saint has said, ‘We must make one step forward, when the Lord comes ten steps towards us.’ And the Lord wants us to go one step forward towards Him first. The question of God’s grace comes in to show that the puny effort of human being is nothing when compared to the mighty aim of realization of God. Even the little joy that one derives from spiritual sadhana is due to God’s grace only, what to speak of the Infinite Joy of God-realization. We must strive our utmost.

In the name of religion people become more selfish than even ordinary ones. They find among themselves motives of selfishness. How many people go to temples with utterly worldly desires and thereby pollute the very atmosphere! A few householders and monks raise themselves to a higher level, and pray to God while visiting these temples. The very aim of spiritual sadhana is to become more and more selfless. The small ‘I’ should be done away with; and when the small `I’ is merged in the big ‘I’, there is Infinite Bliss. Sacrifice alone can give rise to selflessness, i.e., breaking selfishness.

How long should one continue with sadhana?

Sri Ramakrishna used to stress upon persistence in sadhana. Some take up spiritual practice, and give it up when no results are derived after sometime; they do not persist in sadhana. One should go on doing spiritual practices persistently unmindful of the results. Only then results come in. Also, ordinary aspirants are satisfied with small achievements such as a vision, or a sound, or even a dream. One should persist in going on with spiritual sadhana until one gets the final consummation. Sri Ramakrishna showed how one could see God face to face, talk with Him, etc. One should not give up until one has actual contact with Him.

Sri Ramakrishna’s personality fascinated many; some of them saw him as an unspoiled child of the Nature. He was so childlike. Some even imitated his stammering. Many were thus enchanted to imitate his manners and personality.

The uniqueness of Sri Ramakrishna was that he became one with whatever he took up for practice. When he was doing the sadhana of being God’s maid, he did everything as a woman, and was, in fact, mistaken for a woman by Mathur Babu and others. When He was imitating Hanuman, he did everything as Hanuman would do, e.g. climbing up the tree, etc. And it is on record that during this period of sadhana Sri Ramakrishna’s spinal chord projected a little beyond the tip (like a tail). Towards the end of his sadhana as Hanuman, a serene-looking lady appeared before Sri Ramakrishna saying, ‘I lend my smile to your lips’ and merged in him. Those who had read the Ramayana found that the smile of Sri Sita Devi as described in the Ramayana corroborated with that of Sri Ramakrishna.

Sri Ramakrishna used to feel so much for others…

Yes, the uniqueness of Sri Ramakrishna was his feeling of oneness with those in sorrow. When an elderly person came after his son had died, how Sri Ramakrishna described his own feelings! Note how Holy Mother also burst into tears when she saw an old woman simply staring without weeping when her (dacoit) husband died. On seeing Holy Mother weeping, the old woman also burst into tears. Thus, the old woman was saved from collapsing. Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother became one with the feeling of the person in sorrow; not mere lip-service, but actual feeling.

Is it not advantageous spiritually to lead a monk’s life than be otherwise?

Spiritual practice is what counts, and not the mode of life; spend most of the leisure hours in spiritual practice.

How was Sri Ramakrishna’s advaitic realization?

Sri Ramakrishna used to be joking, laughing, etc., but he was always aware of the fact that this is all unreal. He was seeing but not seeing; hearing but not hearing, etc. The Upanishadic sayings actually demonstrated in his life. Sri Ramakrishna was a unique personality unprecedented in the scriptures or history of the world. People usually do not attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi more than once in life. They only go on doing meditation, but Sri Ramakrishna was absorbed in it continuously for six months, and would enter into it every now and then. In the case of ordinary people who attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi once or so, they are still liable to be confused by the Divine Mother–Maya could bring them down. But in the case of Sri Ramakrishna, he was one with the Mother, saturated with Her, and though he was calling on Her, he was one with Her, saw Her in all and everything, and hence there was no question of falling or being twisted by Maya or Mother.

Is there an empty space between the two teeth in the upper row of Sri Ramakrishna’s teeth.

It is a wrong conception prevailing among many people. Fortunately, I have Sri Ramakrishna’s picture with upper portion (of teeth) fairly enlarged, and therefore, I could see well. It is not empty space but a dark shadow over that space.

In Frank Dorak’s painting, it is only the eyes that are a very correct representation. The painter wanted to have a clear idea of the eyes of Sri Ramakrishna. That night when he was asleep a light appeared, and slowly the figure of Sri Ramakrishna was seen. The painter closed and opened his eyes frequently, and marked the eyes well, then woke up, and correctly drew the eyes of Sri Ramakrishna in his oil painting.

It is mentioned in the book ‘At the Holy Mother’s Feet’ that the Master would come again after 100 years whereas elsewhere I remember to have read that he would come after 200 years.

The period of 100 years—whether it is from the time when this statement was made or from the time of passing away of the Master, is not known definitely. Holy Mother was told by the Master that the latter would come back again in the northwestern part of Bengal (not NW of India as mentioned elsewhere), and would be having long beard and flowing hair, would be having no hearth or home, would be going from place to place with eternal sankirtan going on; the Holy Mother (coming back again) would be following the Master carrying His kamandalu, etc. He will not belong to any Order; he will not have any home or organization.

Some people give different interpretations to the biblical account of Adam and Eve. What is the correct interpretation?

Different explanations can be given by different persons. But the Christian explanation is that the tree of ‘forbidden fruit’ represents knowledge (good and evil). Originally Adam and Eve had absolute faith in God, and hence were happy, but on eating the fruit of knowledge (of good and evil), their absolute faith in God was contaminated by knowledge. Faith is the greatest thing. Faith can enter into the inner portals of the palace, whereas jnana can go only up to the outer court. Of course, without bhakti, there can be no faith.

© "The Vedanta Kesari" (April, 2004) published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. Website: www.sriramakrishnamath.org. Part I of this article appeared in Splendour, May, 2004 issue. Reprinted with permission.

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