यथोदकं शुद्धे शुद्धमासिक्तं तादृगेव भवति ।
एवं मुनेर्विजानत आत्मा भवति गौतम ॥ १५॥
इति काठकोपनिषदि द्वितीयाध्याये प्रथमा वल्ली ॥
yathodakaṃ śuddhe śuddhamāsiktaṃ tādṛgeva bhavati .
evaṃ munervijānata ātmā bhavati gautama .. 15..
iti kāṭhakopaniṣadi dvitīyādhyāye prathamā vallī ..
As pure water poured into pure water becomes one with it, so also, O Gautama, does the Self of the sage who knows.
Commentary:
Suppose water is poured on water. If heavy rain pours on a lake or on the ocean, what happens? Water becomes water. It does not move hither and thither. Like merges in like, and friends unite in a communion of inseparability of substance and character. Milk poured on milk, or water poured on water, is the example of concentratedness and communion where the parts are completely inseparable, and they stand not merely united as two parts, but as one indivisible being; so does the Atman become.
“You asked me what happens to the Atman. This happens to the Atman. It stands united with that from where it came, of which it is a part, from which it is inseparable, and which is itself basically, essentially eternal. Hey Gautama!” Nachiketas Gautama is the rishi whose descendent was Vajasravasa, the father of Nachiketas. Therefore, Nachiketas is also called Gautama by descent. “O Gautama Nachiketas, listen to me. The Atman, the soul, becomes one with its original universal nature in the case of a saint and sage who has realised it. This is the answer to your question, the third boon that you wanted me to grant. Here it is. Take it!” says Yama. Here we conclude this section.
It was 1:02 a.m., 16 August 1886. Suddenly a thrill passed through the Master’s body, making his hair stand on end. His eyes became fixed on the tip of his nose. His face was lit up with a smile. In a clear voice the Master repeated the name of Kali, his beloved Deity, three times, and then entered into mahasamadhi. When Holy Mother heard the crying upstairs, she rushed up the steps and cried out: “O Mother Kali! What have I done that you have departed, leaving me alone in the world?” (Many years later Holy Mother said to a disciple that she always looked upon the Master as Mother Kali.) Seeing her weeping, Baburam and Jogin went to her and Golap-ma took her to her room. Afterwards she remained silent. (Source: Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play)
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One day Sri Sarada Devi asked Sri Ramakrishna as she was massaging his feet, “How do you regard me?” He replied by pointing to himself and saying: “The Mother who is worshipped in the temple, and the mother who gave birth to this [pointing to his body] and is now living in the nahabat—the same mother is now stroking my feet. Really and truly I always regard you as the embodiment of the blissful Mother of the Universe.” (Source: Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play) (Note: Sri Ramakrishna also worshipped Sri Sarada Devi as Mother Kali)
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“Names and forms are nothing but the manifestations of the power of Prakriti. Sita said to Hanuman: ‘My child, in one form I am Sita, in another form I am Rama. In one form I am Indra, in another I am Indrani. In one form I am Brahma, in another, Brahmani. In one form I am Rudra, in another, Rudrani.’3 Whatever names and forms you see are nothing but the manifestations of the power of Chitsakti. Everything is the power of Chitsakti — even meditation and he who meditates. As long as I feel that I am meditating, I am within the jurisdiction of Prakriti. (To M.) Try to assimilate what I have said. One should hear what the Vedas and the Puranas say, and carry it out in life. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)