Namaste Ankur ji,

Your beautiful and relevant quotations are much appreciated. 'Leaving it all in the Master's hands' is the ideal solution for life's ups and downs.

You wrote: "Ramakrishna Paramahansa, one of India's great saints, died of cancer of the throat. When he was asked how he would explain this, he gave the obvious answer. Where there is form, there is pain, there is suffering. Ramakrishna's inner self was totally at peace; it was his external self that was being ravaged."

Comment: Sri Ramakrishna also said: 'Disease is the tax which the soul pays for the body, as the tenant pays house-rent for the use of the house.'

RE: "'Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?'"

Comment: Here is a relevant quote from "In The Company Of The Holy Mother":
"After Thakur's passing, Sarada was about to take off her ornaments and put on the white garment of a Hindu widow, Sri Ramakrishna appeared before her, took hold of her hands, and said, "Why are you behaving like a widow? Am I dead? I have just moved from one room to another."

-also- "The Self which is free from sin, free from old age, from death and from grief, from hunger and thirst, which desires nothing but what it ought to desire, and imagines nothing but what it ought to imagine, that it is which we must search out, that it is which we must try to understand. He who has searched out that Self and understands it, obtains all worlds and all desires." Chandogya Upanishad 8.7.1

Additional Comment: We often dream of departed loved ones, conversing with them, spending time with them etc. So what is reality? The dream world or the waking world?

Sri Ramakrishna said: "“A son was born to a peasant late in life. He raised the boy with great care. The boy grew up in time. One day the peasant was working in the field when somebody came to him and said, ‘Your boy is seriously ill. He might not survive.’ When the man reached home, his boy was dead. His wife was weeping bitterly but the eyes of the peasant remained dry. She complained to a neighbour sadly, ‘He has lost such a nice son, but there is not a tear in his eye!’ After a long time, the peasant said to his wife, ‘You know why I am not crying? I had a dream last night. I saw that I had become a king and the father of seven sons. I also saw in the dream that the boys were people of great quality. As they grew, they acquired knowledge and religion. Then the dream ended. I say to myself: Should I cry for your one son – or those seven sons?’ Jnanis believe that the state of dream is as true as the wakeful state."

"“The Lord indeed is the doer. Everything happens according to His will.”"

Om Tat Sat
=============

Thank you, respected web admin. The quotes are pertinent indeed and how beautiful too if one thinks of them. Mulling over them is like sqeezing oil out of mustard seeds. "I have just moved from one room to another." How true. And "Jnanis believe that the state of dream is as true as the wakeful state." Or conversely equally unreal. But I like Swami Turiyananda's defination in this regard. "The world is true. Brahman is true. The truth of this world rests upon (or depends for its existence) on the truth of Brahman."
Regards.

Location: Guwahati, Assam, India

Dear Ankur ji,

RE: "And "Jnanis believe that the state of dream is as true as the wakeful state." Or conversely equally unreal"

Comment: Very well said.

Sri Ramaksirhna said this about TRUTH:

"It is said that truthfulness alone constitutes
the spiritual discipline of the Kaliyuga.
If a man clings tenaciously to truth
he ultimately realizes God."

"If a man clings tenaciously to truth he ultimately realizes God.
Without this regard for truth he gradually loses everything.

If by chance I say that I will go to the pine- grove,
I must go there even if there is no further need of it,
lest I lose my attachment to truth.

After my vision of the Divine Mother, I prayed to Her,
taking a flower in my hand:

'Mother, here is Thy knowledge and here is Thy ignorance.
Take them both and give me only pure love.
Here is Thy holiness and here is Thy unholiness.
Take them both, Mother, and give me pure love.
Here is Thy good and here is Thy evil.
Take them both, Mother, and give me pure love.
Here is Thy righteousness and here is Thy unrighteousness.
Take them both, Mother, and give me pure love'.
I mentioned all these, but I could not say:
'Mother, here is Thy truth and here is Thy falsehood. Take them both'.

I gave up everything at Her Feet,
but could not bring myself to give up truth".


-also-

RE: "The truth of this world rests upon (or depends for its existence) on the truth of Brahman." - Swami Turiyananda

Sri Ramaksishne said:

"The Primordial Power is ever at play.
She is creating, preserving, and destroying in play, as it were.
This Power is called kAli. kAli is verily Brahman,
and Brahman is verily kAli. It is one and the same Reality."

Om MahaKali Om
===============

Respected web admin,
the Ramakrishna quote is beautiful. I once took upon myself to try to observe the vow of Truthfulness. I failed. People have often praised me for being honest. But I know I am only selectively honest! Really, it wiil make one an angel if one successfully observes any one of the vows mentioned by Patanjali in his Yamas and Niyamas. But how difficult in practice. Rama is called the embodiment of Truth. That was his speciality just as Renunciation is the speciality of Sri Ramakrishna in the Holy Mother's words. I think she said about Sri Ramakrishna that she had nowhere seen such a natural renunciation as of Sri Ramakrishna. Perhaps that is also the special requirement of this age, when we need to renounce at least mentally or try to do so, in order to attain peace. Whatever we do, the path of Good is fraught with great obstacles. But practicing, practicing, the dull mind becomes sharp, just as repeated rubbing by even a rope leaves marks on a stone! These are delightful quotes remembered from a young age. If only the remembrance entered the heart and we put up a struggle before we die. Then we would not be ashamed to face our beloved divine parents, otherwise the end will come, the messengers of Yama will come to take us, the soul will give witness, who will bail us then?
Regards and love,
Ankur

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Dear Ankur ji,

RE: "And "Jnanis believe that the state of dream is as true as the wakeful state." Or conversely equally unreal"

Comment: Very well said.

Sri Ramaksirhna said this about TRUTH:

"It is said that truthfulness alone constitutes
the spiritual discipline of the Kaliyuga.
If a man clings tenaciously to truth
he ultimately realizes God."

"If a man clings tenaciously to truth he ultimately realizes God.
Without this regard for truth he gradually loses everything.

If by chance I say that I will go to the pine- grove,
I must go there even if there is no further need of it,
lest I lose my attachment to truth.

After my vision of the Divine Mother, I prayed to Her,
taking a flower in my hand:

'Mother, here is Thy knowledge and here is Thy ignorance.
Take them both and give me only pure love.
Here is Thy holiness and here is Thy unholiness.
Take them both, Mother, and give me pure love.
Here is Thy good and here is Thy evil.
Take them both, Mother, and give me pure love.
Here is Thy righteousness and here is Thy unrighteousness.
Take them both, Mother, and give me pure love'.
I mentioned all these, but I could not say:
'Mother, here is Thy truth and here is Thy falsehood. Take them both'.

I gave up everything at Her Feet,
but could not bring myself to give up truth".


-also-

RE: "The truth of this world rests upon (or depends for its existence) on the truth of Brahman." - Swami Turiyananda

Sri Ramaksishne said:

"The Primordial Power is ever at play.
She is creating, preserving, and destroying in play, as it were.
This Power is called kAli. kAli is verily Brahman,
and Brahman is verily kAli. It is one and the same Reality."

Om MahaKali Om
===============

Location: Guwahati, Assam, India

Dear Ankur ji,

You wrote: "....the end will come, the messengers of Yama will come to take us, the soul will give witness, who will bail us then?"

Comment: When we have surrendered our souls at the feet of the Fearless Ones [The Holy Trio], what fear is there for us from the god of death?

And, of course, we have the promise of the Holy Mother:

In her relationship with her disciples, Holy Mother was not a hard disciplinarian. She won their hearts through her love, which was showered with equal measure upon the virtuous and the wicked. To those who repented their sinful conduct, she gave reassurance.

To such a one she once said, "Do not fear my child. Always remember that the Master is behind you. I am also with you. As long as you remember me, your mother, why should you be frightened? The Master said to me, 'In the end I shall cetainly liberate those who come to you'."

On another occasion she said, "Suppose one of my children has smeared himself with dirt. It is I, and no one else, who shall have to wash him clean and take him in my arms. To make mistakes is man's very nature; but few of those who criticize know how to correct them."

Repeatedly, Holy Mother said, "I am the mother of the wicked as I am the mother of the virtuous."

To reassure her disciples, she used to say, "Never fear. Whenever you are in distress, just say to yourself, 'I have a mother'."

On Renunciation:

You wrote: "....we need to renounce at least mentally or try to do so, in order to attain peace.

Comment: So very true.

Sri Ramakrishna said: "For you people what is required is renunciation in the mind. Live in your family without attachment.’’

"It is different with tyagis (those who have renounced the world). Taking their mind from ‘lust and greed,’ they give it to the Lord and only sip the sweetness of Hari’s name. A genuine man of renunciation doesn’t like anything but the Lord. When he hears worldly talk, he gets up and leaves. He only listens to Godly matters. The genuine renouncer talks of nothing but the Lord.

"The bee sits only on flowers, for it drinks honey. It likes no other thing."


Om Tat Sat
===========

Thank you, web admin. I have nothing to add or comment on these quotes.
Only personally I am still diffident. Why? Because the road that I seem to be following promises no good in the end. Yes, if repentance comes, I fully believe and trust in Holy Mother's assurances. But till then I live not in acceptance of my present self. God, Guru and Sri Fhanindra alone knows what plans they have, if any, for me. Yes, his company is redemptive. That I feel sometimes and that is my hope.
Regards.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Dear Ankur ji,

You wrote: "....the end will come, the messengers of Yama will come to take us, the soul will give witness, who will bail us then?"

Comment: When we have surrendered our souls at the feet of the Fearless Ones [The Holy Trio], what fear is there for us from the god of death?

And, of course, we have the promise of the Holy Mother:

In her relationship with her disciples, Holy Mother was not a hard disciplinarian. She won their hearts through her love, which was showered with equal measure upon the virtuous and the wicked. To those who repented their sinful conduct, she gave reassurance.

To such a one she once said, "Do not fear my child. Always remember that the Master is behind you. I am also with you. As long as you remember me, your mother, why should you be frightened? The Master said to me, 'In the end I shall cetainly liberate those who come to you'."

On another occasion she said, "Suppose one of my children has smeared himself with dirt. It is I, and no one else, who shall have to wash him clean and take him in my arms. To make mistakes is man's very nature; but few of those who criticize know how to correct them."

Repeatedly, Holy Mother said, "I am the mother of the wicked as I am the mother of the virtuous."

To reassure her disciples, she used to say, "Never fear. Whenever you are in distress, just say to yourself, 'I have a mother'."

On Renunciation:

You wrote: "....we need to renounce at least mentally or try to do so, in order to attain peace.

Comment: So very true.

Sri Ramakrishna said: "For you people what is required is renunciation in the mind. Live in your family without attachment.’’

"It is different with tyagis (those who have renounced the world). Taking their mind from ‘lust and greed,’ they give it to the Lord and only sip the sweetness of Hari’s name. A genuine man of renunciation doesn’t like anything but the Lord. When he hears worldly talk, he gets up and leaves. He only listens to Godly matters. The genuine renouncer talks of nothing but the Lord.

"The bee sits only on flowers, for it drinks honey. It likes no other thing."


Om Tat Sat
===========

Location: Guwahati

Dear Ankur ji,

You wrote: "...the road that I seem to be following promises no good in the end."

Comment: Never mind 'the road you seem to be following', bacause we can see, by your well-composed postings, that you are an intelligent person.

In other words, an intelligent person will choose carefully his 'road'.

If you see that the road you are following, is leading
you away from God, then..."abort".

The very warmest wishes,

Nahabat Web Admin

Respected web admin,
thank you.
Ankur

Location: Guwahati

Respected web admin, thank you very much indeed for the quotes and also for the quotes in the addenda to your post. Also please accept my heartfelt thanks for thinking so kindly of me and for your words of encouragement. The key lies in Sri Ramakrishna's hands. So many good wishes from so many different people I have had in life, they are all stored I feel with Sri Ramakrishna and when my soul has been cleansed of all blemishes through His gentle discipline, then the floodwaters of Grace will be opened and overflow. Let His will be done. I know not my past record in time, what grave remisses may have been committed by me, I know of some that I have committed in this life. He knows best what is good.
Thank you.
Regards.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Dear Ankur ji,

You wrote: "Yes, the Lord when He takes on an embodied form does suffer like us in order to teach us how to pray to Him and get release from suffering."

Comment: As a matter of fact, the Holy Mother also suffered much for us, as is made apparent in this excellent quote from "In The Company of The Holy Mother":

"When a householder disciple complained to Holy Mother about her seemingly inordinate attachment to her niece, she made the significant remark, "Everyone says that I am terribly attached to Radhu, but without this attachment I could not have kept my body alive after the Master's death.

"Thus it is the Master himself who has made me cling to Radhu - just to preserve ny body. When my mind becomes indifferent to her I shall leave this world."

Additional Comment: So, the suffering, which resulted from her attachment to Radhu, kept Mother's mind from soaring to the higher planes. We must remember, that the Master taught her very well 'how to meditate' and achieve samadhi.

As Sri Ramakrishna said: "He is within us, in our hearts.
Again, He is outside. The most advanced devotees say that
He Himself has become all this - the twenty-four cosmic
principles, the universe. and all living beings.
*The devotee of God wants to eat sugar, not to become sugar. "

The jnani says: "Soham Siva"
*The Bhakta says: "Hare Krishna Hare Ram"
...and the Shakta says: "Jai Ma!"

I really enjoyed reading about your experience
with near disaster in the mighty Brahmaputra.
I am sure that, the thought must have crossed your mind at the time: "God must have a big plan for me"
And so He has. I am sure that every visitor to Mother's Courtyard appreciates and honours your excellent contributions. Very useful dialogue,
I must say.
======================================

Om Shanthi Om

Location: Guwahati