Lord Ramakrishna Talks on Sadhana

Lord Ramakrishna Talks on Sadhana

Lord Ramakrishna Talks on Sadhana

(excerpt from Ramakrishna Kothamrito)



Thakur addresses the devotees of Shivapur

Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “You cannot achieve union

with God when the mind dwells on ‘lust and greed.’ The mind of

an ordinary person remains in the centres of awareness located

at the genital, anal, and naval regions.

It takes a lot of effort

in spiritual discipline for the kundalini to awaken. There are

three nerves – ida, pingala, and sushumna. And in the

sushumna are six lotuses, the lowest being the muladhara.

Then there are svadhisthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha,

and ajna. These are the six spiritual centres.

“When the kundalini awakens, after it has crossed the lotuses of

muladhara, svadhisthana, and manipura, it reaches the

anahata lotus located at the heart. It stays there. The mind is

then withdrawn from the three lower centres of anus, sex organ,

and navel; it attains a spiritual consciousness and sees a light.

The aspirant is speechless with wonder and exclaims, ‘What is

this! What is this!’

“Having pierced six centres, the kundalini reaches the lotus of

sahasrara and unites with it. When the kundalini reaches

there, the aspirant passes into samadhi.

“According to the Vedas, these centres are called bhumis or

planes. There are seven planes. The heart is the fourth, and the

lotus at anahata is twelve-petalled.

“The vishuddha centre is the fifth plane. When the mind

reaches there, the heart yearns only to talk of God and to hear

about Him. This centre is located in the throat. It has a sixteenpetalled

lotus. The person whose mind has reached this centre

feels great pain to hear any worldly talk, such as talk of ‘lust

and greed.’ When he hears such talk, he gets up and leaves the

place.

“After this comes the sixth plane, the ajna centre of two petals.

When the kundalini reaches there, one has the vision of God’s

form. But there is still a thin screen of separation. Like a

lantern, the light can’t be touched because of a glass barrier.

“Then one reaches the seventh plane, the thousand-petalled

lotus. When the kundalini reaches there, samadhi comes about.

The Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute Shiva resides at the

sahasrara. Here He unites with Shakti – it is the union of Shiva

and Shakti.

“When the mind reaches the sahasrara, one becomes absorbed

in samadhi. In this state all awareness of the external

disappears, and the person cannot preserve his body. If milk is

poured into his mouth, it runs out. If one remains in this state,

one dies in twenty-one days. A ship cannot return after it has

entered the ‘black waters.’

“But ishvarakotis,

such as incarnations of God, can come

down from this state of samadhi. Since they like to live with

devotees and enjoy love for God, they can descend from this

state. God keeps the ‘I of knowledge,’ the ‘I of devotion’ in them

to teach mankind. Their state of mind is like the swift

movement of a boat, racing up and down between the sixth and

the seventh planes.

“Some people, of their own will, retain the ‘I of knowledge’ after

attaining samadhi. But this ego is a mere appearance. It is just

like a line drawn on the surface of water.

“Hanuman, having realized God both with form and without,

retained the ‘I of a servant.’ Narada and others – Sanaka,

Sanandana, Sanatana, Sanatkumara – also retained the ‘I of a

servant’ or the ‘I of a devotee’ after attaining the knowledge of

Brahman. They are like big steamships which not only cross the

ocean but also carry others to the opposite shore.”

Is Thakur thus describing his own state?

A paramahamsa – believers in the formless God and God with form –

Thakur’s love for God after attaining knowledge of Brahman – union

of the Absolute and the phenomenal

He says:

“A paramahamsa may believe either in God with form or the

formless God. Trailanga Swami is an example of one who

believed in the formless God. They care for their own good

alone; they’re satisfied with their own realization.

“Those who believe in God with form, even after attaining the

knowledge of Brahman, live with love for God in order to teach

mankind. It is like pouring water from a full pitcher into others.

“All the spiritual practices they have performed to realize God,

they tell others about to help them. People dig wells for water

with great effort, using spades and baskets. Some of them throw

the spades and other tools into the well itself after it is dug,

thinking, What use are they now? But some put the tools on the

edge of the well so they may be of benefit to others.

“There are some who eat mangoes and then secretly wipe their

mouths. There are others who eat and also share the mangoes

with others. They work for the benefit of mankind and to enjoy

the bliss of God. ‘I want to eat sugar.’

“The gopis attained the knowledge of Brahman, but they didn’t

want the knowledge. They preferred to enjoy themselves with

God – as mother and child,

as His beloved,

or as a

handmaid of God.”