स होवाच: न वा अरे पत्युः कामाय पतिः प्रियो भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय पतिः प्रियो भवति । न वा अरे जायायै कामाय जाया प्रिया भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय जाया प्रिया भवति । न वा अरे पूत्राणां कामाय पुत्राः प्रिया भवन्ति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय पुत्राः प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे वित्तस्य कामाय वित्तं प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय वित्तं प्रियं भवति । न वा अरे ब्रह्मणः कामाय ब्रह्म प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय ब्रह्म प्रियं भवति । न वा अरे क्षत्रस्य कामाय क्षत्रं प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय क्षत्रं प्रियं भवति । न वा अरे लोकानां कामाय लोकाः प्रिया भवन्ति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय लोकाः प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे देवानां कामाय देवाः प्रिया भवन्ति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय देवाः प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे भूतानां कामाय भूतानि प्रियाणि भवन्ति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय भूतानि प्रियाणि भवन्ति । न वा अरे सर्वस्य कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति । आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यो मैत्रेयि, आत्मनो वा अरे दर्शनेन श्रवणेन मत्या विज्ञानेनेदं सर्वं विदितम् ॥ ५ ॥
sa hovāca: na vā are patyuḥ kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavati, ātmanastu kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavati | na vā are jāyāyai kāmāya jāyā priyā bhavati, ātmanastu kāmāya jāyā priyā bhavati | na vā are pūtrāṇāṃ kāmāya putrāḥ priyā bhavanti, ātmanastu kāmāya putrāḥ priyā bhavanti | na vā are vittasya kāmāya vittaṃ priyaṃ bhavati, ātmanastu kāmāya vittaṃ priyaṃ bhavati | na vā are brahmaṇaḥ kāmāya brahma priyaṃ bhavati, ātmanastu kāmāya brahma priyaṃ bhavati | na vā are kṣatrasya kāmāya kṣatraṃ priyaṃ bhavati, ātmanastu kāmāya kṣatraṃ priyaṃ bhavati | na vā are lokānāṃ kāmāya lokāḥ priyā bhavanti, ātmanastu kāmāya lokāḥ priyā bhavanti | na vā are devānāṃ kāmāya devāḥ priyā bhavanti, ātmanastu kāmāya devāḥ priyā bhavanti | na vā are bhūtānāṃ kāmāya bhūtāni priyāṇi bhavanti, ātmanastu kāmāya bhūtāni priyāṇi bhavanti | na vā are sarvasya kāmāya sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati, ātmanastu kāmāya sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati | ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyi, ātmano vā are darśanena śravaṇena matyā vijñānenedaṃ sarvaṃ viditam || 5 ||
5. He said: It is not for the sake of the husband, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the wife, my dear, that she is loved, but for one’s own sake that she is loved. It is not for the sake of the sons, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of wealth, my dear, that it is loved, but for one’s own sake that it is loved. It is not for the sake of the Brāhmaṇa, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the Kṣatriya, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the worlds, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of the gods, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of the beings, my -dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of all, my dear, that all is loved, but for one’s own sake that it is loved. The Self, my dear Maitreyī, should be realised—should be heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. By the realisation of the Self, my dear, through hearing, reflection and meditation, all this is known.
With a view to teaching renunciation as a means to immortality, Yājñavalkya creates a distaste for the wife, husband, sons, etc., so that they may be given up. He said, ‘It is not for the sake or necessity of the husband that he is loved by the wife, but it is for one’s own sake that he is loved by her.’ The particle ‘vai’ (indeed) recalls something that is well-known, signifying that this is a matter of common knowledge. Similarly it is not for the sake of the wife, etc. The rest is to be explained as before. Likewise it is not for the sake of the sons, wealth, the Brāhmaṇa, the Kṣatriya, the worlds, the gods, the beings, and all. The priority of enumeration is in the order of their closeness to us as sources of joy; for it is all the more desirable to create a distaste for them. The use of the word ‘all’ is for including everything that has and has not been mentioned. Hence it is a well-known fact that the Self alone is dear, and nothing else. It has already been said, ‘This (Self) is dearer than a son,’ etc. (I. iv. 8). The present text serves as a detailed commentary on that. Therefore our love for other objects is secondary, since they contribute to the pleasure of the Self; and our love for the Self alone is primary. Therefore ‘the Self, my dear Maitreyī, should he realised, is worthy of realisation, or should be made the object of realisation. It should first be heard of from a teacher and from the scriptures, then reflected on through reasoning, and then steadfastly meditated upon.’ Thus only is It realised—when these means, viz. hearing, reflection and meditation, have been gone through. When these three are combined, then only true realisation of the unity of Brahman is accomplished, not otherwise—by hearing alone. The different castes such as the Brāhmaṇa or the Kṣatriya, the various orders of life, and so on, upon which rites depend, and which consist of actions, their factors and their results, are objects of notions superimposed on the Self by ignorance—based on false notions like that of a snake in a rope. In order to destroy these he says, ‘By the realisation of the Self, my dear, through hearing, reflection and’meditation, all this is known.’[3]
One day Sri Ramakrishna became a kalpataru (the wish-fulfilling tree) and fulfilled the wishes of his disciples. Some asked for devotion, some knowledge, and some liberation. Seeing Sharat silent, the Master asked him: “How would you like to realize God? What divine vision do you prefer to see in meditation?” Sharat replied: “I do not want to see any particular form of God in meditation. I want to see Him in all beings. I do not like visions.” The Master said with a smile: “That is the last word in spiritual attainment. You cannot have it all at once.” “But I won’t be satisfied with anything short of that,” replied Sharat. “I shall strive my best until I am able to attain it.” At last the Master blessed him, saying, “Yes, you will attain it.”……
The following incident indicates how that blessing was fulfilled towards the end of his life: “One of the devotees who was nurtured by Swami Saradananda’s loving care one day remarked, ‘Swami, why do you love us so much?’ Swami Saradananda did not say anything. After a few days when that devotee came to Udbodhan, the swami said: ‘A few days ago I went to Belur Math and prostrated before Sri Ramakrishna. The Master appeared before me and said, “You love all because you find me in all.” That is the answer I would give today.’” (Source: God Lived with Them)
Ramakrishna’s affection for Narendra astonished everyone. If Narendra could not come to Dakshineswar for a long time, the Master cried for him or he went to see him in Calcutta. Ramakrishna knew that he would not live long in this world, so he was eager to train his foremost disciple as early as possible. One Sunday the Master went to visit him at the Brahmo Samaj Temple, where Narendra sang devotional songs during the evening service. When he arrived in the middle of the service, there was a commotion among the congregation to see the saint of Dakshineswar. The preacher was annoyed and abruptly ended his sermon, and the ushers turned out all the gaslights in order to make people leave the building — a move which resulted in a chaotic stampede to the doors in the darkness.
Narendra was greatly pained by the Master’s humiliation. He managed to elbow his way to Ramakrishna’s side, then he led him out through a back door, got him into a carriage and rode with him to Dakshineswar. Narendra reprimanded the Master, but Ramakrishna didn’t care a bit about the scolding or his humiliating experience with the Brahmos. Then Narendra told him severely: “It is written in the Puranas that King Bharata thought so much about his favourite deer that he himself became a deer after his death. If that’s true, you should beware of thinking about me!” The Master was simple, much like a little boy. He took these words very seriously, because Narendra was a man of truth. Ramakrishna went to the temple and returned shortly, beaming with delight and exclaimed: “You rascal, I won’t listen to you anymore. Mother says that I love you because I see the Lord in you. The day I do not see Him in you, I shall not be able to bear even the sight of you.” (Source: God Lived with Them)
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
Sri Ramakrishna was at Balaram Bose’s house in Calcutta. He was explaining the mystery of Divine Incarnation to the devotees.
MASTER: “In order to bring people spiritual knowledge, an Incarnation of God lives in the world in the company of devotees, cherishing an attitude of love for God. It is like going up and coming down the stairs after having once reached the roof. In order to reach the roof, other people should follow the path of devotion, as long as they have not attained Knowledge and become free of desire. The roof can be reached only when all desires are done away with. The shopkeeper does not go to bed before finishing his accounts. He goes to sleep only when his accounts are finished.
(To M.) “A man will certainly succeed if he will take the plunge. Success is sure for such a man.
“Well, what do you think of the worship conducted by Keshab, Shivanath, and the other Brahmo leaders?”
M: “They are satisfied, as you say, with describing the garden, but they seldom speak of seeing the Master of the garden. Describing the garden is the beginning and end of their worship.”
MASTER: “You are right. Our only duty is to seek the Master of the garden and speak to Him. The only purpose of life is to realise God.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Swami Chetanananda: “In the West, people often ask: ‘We have not seen the Master. How can we love him? How can we develop a relationship with God?’”
Swami Bhuteshananda: “The Master is your very own Self. You cannot but love him. God is the innermost essence of everyone. Do you not love yourself? ‘Verily, not for the sake of the husband, my dear, is the husband loved, but he is loved for the sake of the Self [which, in its truest nature, is one with Supreme Self]. . . . Verily, not for the sake of wealth, my dear, is wealth loved, but it is loved for the sake of the Self’.
(Source: Stories of Vedanta Monks, Vol. 1)
—–
Krishna is the Atman—your own Self. When you realise Him as your own Self, you know you can never lose him. (BG 6.30) You can lose your own personality, but you can never lose Krishna because He is the Self. He is verily your own Inner Being.
Only in such a realisation does one’s pain of separation from God vanish. The Gopis wept inconsolably when Krishna left them and went to Mathura. Later on, Krishna sent Uddhava to the Gopis and made them know that they could never be separated from Krishna because Krishna is the Self. When they discovered this, their pain of separation vanished, and they regained their poise. The Bhagavata says they were cured of the disease of longing—viraha-jvara. The pang of uncentredness must be rectified by regaining the Centre. (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Elixir of Eternal Wisdom)
kṣetrajñaṃ cāpi māṃ viddhi. “The ‘I’ within you is not you; it is Me,” says Bhagavan. The Master, whom you love with all your heart, declares, ‘You are me!’ There you fuse and become one with Him; nay, you recognise that you were always one with Him; you were always only He. And the limited ego-‘I’ vanishes; it was ever the infinite-‘I’; Brahman. The moment you recognise the kṣetrajña—the Consciousness within—as Īśvara, as Brahman, saṃsāra ceases for you. All suffering, all misery, all imagined dreams of bondage vanish instantaneously, and you are in the infinite open space of Brahman. (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Elixir of Eternal Wisdom)
Swami Chetanananda: “Swami Turiyananda said that according to the Yogavasishtha Ramayana, dissolution of the mind, cessation of desires, and realization of Truth—all happen at the same time. How is that?”
Swami Bhuteshananda: “’It is the Self that should be realized — heard of, reflected on, and meditated upon’ (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2:4:5). Contemplation and meditation are the means. All the desires that are obstacles in the path of God-realization are burnt up through deep contemplation and meditation. Then liberation comes naturally. When one meditates on the Atman, the three types of desires—desire for progeny, wealth, and name and fame—are destroyed. Then Knowledge dawns. Not that those three occur in a sequence; they are different facets of the same thing. Light comes, darkness disappears.” (Source: Stories of Vedanta Monks, Vol. 1)
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