यस्मिन् द्यौः पृथिवी चान्तरिक्षमोतं
मनः सह प्राणैश्च सर्वैः ।
तमेवैकं जानथ आत्मानमन्या वाचो
विमुञ्चथामृतस्यैष सेतुः ॥ ५॥
yasmin dyauḥ pṛthivī cāntarikṣamotaṃ
manaḥ saha prāṇaiśca sarvaiḥ .
tamevaikaṃ jānatha ātmānamanyā vāco
vimuñcathāmṛtasyaiṣa setuḥ .. 5..
In Him are woven heaven, earth and the space between and the mind with all the sense-organs. Know that non-dual Atman alone and give up all other talk. He is the bridge to Immortality.
Commentary:
It is that on which space itself is fixed, which is the foundation of the whole Earth. The entire space is an object in front of that subtler, larger-than-space Reality. And all things, including the mind and the pranas, are fixed on that Reality. That alone should be the goal of your life. Tam evaikaṁ jānatha ātmānam: Know it as the deepest reality of your own heart, the Atman.
Do not speak too much. Anya vāco vimuñcatha: When you speak, speak only about the Atman. Do not speak about anything else. All other words are weariness of speech. Therefore, concentrate yourself on this great ideal of your life, and mind your business, as they say. Do not engage yourself in other kinds of business in this world. This should be your only business, your only aim, and nothing else should attract your attention. Amṛtasyaiṣa setuḥ: This sadhana, this practice, if it can be carried on successfully, will be the bridge to Immortality.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
“One day, in that state of divine intoxication, I went to the bathing-ghat on the Ganges at Baranagore. There I saw Jaya Mukherji repeating the name of God; but his mind was on something else. I went up and slapped him twice on the cheeks.
“At one time Rani Rasmani was staying in the temple garden. She came to the shrine of the Divine Mother, as she frequently did when I worshipped Kali, and asked me to sing a song or two. On this occasion, while I was singing, I noticed she was sorting the flowers for worship absent-mindedly. At once I slapped her on the cheeks. She became quite embarrassed and sat there with folded hands.
“Alarmed at this state of mind myself, I said to my cousin Haladhari: ‘Just see my nature! How can I get rid of it?’ After praying to the Divine Mother for some time with great yearning, I was able to shake off this habit.
“When one gets into such a state of mind, one doesn’t enjoy any conversation but that about God. I used to weep when I heard people talk about worldly matters. When I accompanied Mathur Babu on a pilgrimage, we spent a few days in Benares at Raja Babu’s house. One day I was seated in the drawing-room with Mathur Babu, Raja Babu, and others. Hearing them talk about various worldly things, such as their business losses and so forth, I wept bitterly and said to the Divine Mother: ‘Mother, where have You brought me? I was much better off in the temple garden at Dakshineswar. Here I am in a place where I must hear about “woman and gold”. But at Dakshineswar I could avoid it.'”
…… They (Narendra and M.) were talking thus when Sri Ramakrishna came to them and asked with a smile, “Well, what are you talking about?”
NARENDRA: “I have been asking M. about the boys in the schools. The conduct of students nowadays isn’t all that it should be.”
The Master became grave and said to M. rather seriously: “This kind of conversation is not good. It isn’t desirable to indulge in any talk but talk of God. You are their senior, and you are intelligent. You should not have encouraged them to talk about such matters.”
Narendra was then about nineteen years old, and M. about twenty-eight. Thus admonished, M. felt embarrassed, and the others also fell silent. …..
…….Shortly before midnight Narendra and the other devotees lay down on a bed made on the floor of the Master’s room.
At dawn some of the devotees were up. They saw the Master, naked as a child, pacing up and down the room, repeating the names of the various gods and goddesses. His voice was sweet as nectar. Now he would look at the Ganges, now stop in front of the pictures hanging on the wall and bow down before them, chanting all the while the holy names in his sweet voice. He chanted: “Veda, Purana, Tantra; Gita, Gayatri; Bhagavata, Bhakta, Bhagavan.” Referring to the Gita, he repeated many times, “Tagi, tagi, tagi.” (This word is formed by reversing the letters of “Gita”. “Tagi” means “one who has renounced”. Renunciation is the import of this sacred book.) Now and then he would say: “O Mother, Thou art verily Brahman, and Thou art verily Sakti. Thou art Purusha and Thou art Prakriti. Thou art Virat. Thou art the Absolute, and Thou dost manifest Thyself as the Relative. Thou art verily the twenty-four cosmic principles.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
MASTER (with a smile): “Do you know my attitude? Books, scriptures, and things like that only point out the way to reach God. After finding the way, what more need is there of books and scriptures? Then comes the time for action.
“A man received a letter from home informing him that certain presents were to be sent to his relatives. The names of the articles were given in the letter. As he was about to go shopping for them, he found that the letter was missing. He began anxiously to search for it, several others joining in the search. For a long time they continued to search. When at last the letter was discovered, his joy knew no bounds. With great eagerness he opened the letter and read it. It said that he was to buy five seers of sweets, a piece of cloth, and a few other things. Then he did not need the letter any more, for it had served its purpose. Putting it aside, he went out to buy the things. How long is such a letter necessary? As long as its contents are not known. When the contents are known one proceeds to carry out the directions.
“In the scriptures you will find the way to realise God. But after getting all the information about the path, you must begin to work. Only then can you attain your goal. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
“Ordinary people practise spiritual discipline and cultivate devotion to God; but they also become attached to the world and are caught in the clamour of ‘woman and gold’. They are like flies, which sit on a flower or a sweetmeat and light on filth as well.
“But the ever-perfect are like bees, which light only on flowers and sip the honey. The ever-perfect drink only the Nectar of Divine Bliss. They are never inclined to worldly pleasures. (BG 13.8-12, Mam Eva BG 7.14)
“The devotion of the ever-perfect is not like the ordinary devotion that one acquires as a result of strenuous spiritual discipline. Ritualistic devotion consists in repeating the name of God and performing worship in a prescribed manner. It is like crossing a rice-field in a roundabout way along the balk. Again, it is like reaching a near-by village by boat in a roundabout way along a winding river.
“One does not follow the injunctions of ceremonial worship when one develops raga-bhakti, when one loves God as one’s own. Then it is like crossing a rice-field after the harvest. You don’t have to walk along the balk. You can go straight across the field in any direction.
“When the country is flooded deep with water, one doesn’t have to follow the winding river. Then the fields are deep under water. You can row your boat straight to the village.
“Without this intense attachment, this passionate love, one cannot realise God.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
“One must have stern determination; then alone is spiritual practice possible. One must make a firm resolve.
“There is great power in the seed of God’s name. It destroys ignorance. A seed is tender, and the sprout soft; still it pierces the hard ground. The ground breaks and makes way for the sprout.
“The mind becomes very much distracted if one lives long in the midst of ‘woman and gold’. Therefore one must be very careful. But monks do not have much to fear. The real sannyasi lives away from ‘woman and gold’. Therefore through the practice of spiritual discipline he can always fix his mind on God.
“True sannyasis, those who are able to devote their minds constantly to God, are like bees, which light only on flowers and sip their honey. Those who live in the world, in the midst of ‘woman and gold’, may direct their attention to God; but sometimes their minds dwell also on ‘woman and gold’. They are like common flies, which light on a piece of candy, then on a sore or filth.
“Always keep your mind fixed on God. In the beginning you must struggle a little; later on you will enjoy your pension.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
“There is an ocean of difference between a real all-renouncing devotee of God and a householder devotee. A real sannyasi, a real devotee who has renounced the world, is like a bee. The bee will not light on anything but a flower. It will not drink anything but honey. But a devotee leading the worldly life is like a fly. The fly sits on a festering sore as well as on a sweet-meat. One moment he enjoys a spiritual mood, and the next moment he is beside himself with the pleasure of ‘woman and gold’.
“A devotee who has really and truly renounced all for God is like the chatak bird. It will drink only the rain-water that falls when the star Svati is in the ascendant. It will rather die of thirst than touch any other water, though all around there may lie seven oceans and rivers full to the brim with water. An all-renouncing devotee will not touch ‘woman and gold’. He will not keep ‘woman and gold’ near him lest he should feel attached.” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—-
Aswini Datta’s father, a subjudge, came to visit the Master after his retirement. The Master noticed his good nature and physical traits, and asked him to stay at Dakshineswar for three days. One day the Master’s room was full of visitors and Mr. Datta began to talk about a secular subject. At that time the Master was in samadhi. As soon as he regained outer consciousness, he heard that secular conversation. With folded hands he said humbly to Mr. Datta, “Sir, I don’t like to hear talk about anything other than God.” (Source: Sri Ramakrishna as We Saw Him)
—–
A certain person asked Sri Ramakrishna, “Kindly instruct me in one word so that I may be illumined.” To which he replied, “The Absolute is the only reality; the universe is unreal”—realise this and then sit silent. (Source: Words of the Master by Swami Brahmananda)
—–
During my youth I had read the philosophies of Kant, Hegel, and other great philosophers. One day I said to the Master: “Sir, what do you know about philosophy? Have you read the works of Kant and Hegel?” He replied: “What are you saying? Throw away all those books. Knowledge of God is not in any book. Those books are all products of ignorance.” What a great statement the Master made! Later, finding no way out, I gave up arguing. In the beginning we need faith for God-realization. — Swami Vijnanananda (Source: God Lived with Them)
Svetasvatara Upanishad 6.11-6.15
- The non-dual and resplendent Lord is hidden in all beings. All-pervading, the inmost Self of all creatures, the impeller to actions, abiding in all things, He is the Witness, the Animator and the Absolute, free from gunas.
- There is a non-dual Ruler of the actionless many; He makes the one seed manifold. Eternal happiness belongs to the wise, who perceive Him within themselves-and not to others.
- He is the Eternal among the eternal, the Conscious among the conscious and though non-dual, fulfils the desires of many. He who has known Him, the luminous Lord, the Great Cause, to be realised by Knowledge (Samkhya) and yoga, is freed from all fetters.
- The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings-much less this fire. He shining, everything shines after Him. By his light all this is lighted.
- In this universe the Swan, the Supreme Self alone exists. It is He who, as fire, abides in the water. Only by knowing Him does one pass over death, There is no other way to reach the Supreme Goal. (Svetasvatara Upanishad 6.11-6.15)
Related Articles:
- Having abandoned all duties (Dharmas) take refuge in Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins. Do not grieve. (BG 18.66)