Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa Dev: Divine Insights by Guru Baba Shyama Khyapa

"You are the Wish-Fulfilling Tree (Kalpataru), you are God, Ramakrishna, you are equal to Brahman. Please accept my salutations at your holy feet, Accept my salutations at your holy feet. This world is filled with thorns, Day and night, I hear only the cries of distress. You are the Supreme Being, you are God, You are the North Star of my life."

Alright?

"Your form is ever-present before me, Thakur, I perform your worship and Arati. You have given the voice, so I sang, I only drink your nectar-like words. In life, I want to keep singing your nectar-like name, In life and in death."

I heard this as a song. I can't sing very well, so I recited it in the form of a poem.

When the temple was being built—and as far as I know, this idol was carved by Muslims—as the idol was being carved here, Rani Rashmoni was looking for a good priest who would perform the worship and rituals. She knew that to perform that worship, a "lost" or "renounced" person was needed. Later, when she asked him—Ramakrishna was then in a trans-like state, having already received the title of Paramahamsa—many people reported to her: "Mother, worship cannot happen like this. He eats, he makes Mother eat, he does this and that." He would claim Mother was eating rice, or a cat came and ate Mother's offerings, or ants were eating. He would say, "Don't kill them, they are Mother. Don't kill, don't kill." He had become one with Mother.

At that time, Rani Rashmoni said only one thing: "A renounced person cannot worship without being totally detached." He was that detached person. And most importantly, as a seeker, he didn't have that gravity or seriousness; he was like a child. Because he used to say one thing: "Unless one becomes a six-month-old child, one cannot get Mother; Mother doesn't give milk. Unless one is a six-month-old child, Mother doesn't give milk to the son." The strength of a son is in his crying. So, he used to cry. His only way to reach Mother was through crying. He used to cry to get Mother.

Ramakrishna used to say, "Be a six-month-old child, then Mother will give milk; otherwise, she won't." That means one has to be simple and straightforward. No matter how big you become, your heart must be like a six-month-old child's; only then will Mother give milk. He used to say this. And he had no ego. He was always humble, extremely humble. Whoever came or whomever he spoke with, he always spoke very gently, like a child. He spoke with everyone like a child. In that state, Rani Rashmoni selected him and even provided a salary.

To understand this, you have to go a bit back to Krishnananda Agambagish. You must have heard his name; he was the founder of Agam Tantra and Nigim Tantra. When he initiated Ram Prasad, he first told him, "Ram Prasad, you have a task." Ram Prasad asked, "Tell me, Gurudev, what work must I do?" He said, "In a few days, someone will come to the banks of the Ganges to practice spiritual seekers. You clear the path for him."

That person was none other than Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Dev. Krishnananda Agambagish was a visionary. He realized that someone would come to the banks of the Ganges for spiritual practice. So, he gave the responsibility to Ram Prasad: "Ram Prasad, you keep his path clear so that he can come and practice." Ram Prasad also told his Guru, "Alright, Gurudev, I will do this." This is an old story.

Then, gradually, he grew up. The Dakshineshwar temple and Mother's temple were established; many things happened. People from outside came and established it; he was with them. Great scholars from Varanasi had come; Rashmoni had brought them. At that time, establishing a temple on the banks of the Ganges in such a beautiful environment was a big deal. Anyway, he was there, and then he took the responsibility for Mother. After giving him the responsibility, Rashmoni felt very relieved. She felt, "I have found a worthy person to whom I can hand over this responsibility." He also accepted it, saying, "Mother, don't worry, I will serve Mother as long as I can." Along with that, RamaKrishna was also established.

Whether you call her Yogini Maa or Bhairabi Maa, she performed many spiritual rituals with him. Because of this, Sarada Maa was a bit displeased: "What is all this with women? What is this with women? Thakur is doing all this with women?" But he was the complete Brahman, so he needed that. In our case too, we have had a Yogini Maa. Everyone gets one. A Yogini Maa is always there because she provides strength to the seeker.

In that sense, when Bhairabi Maa came and saw him in Dakshineshwar, she saw Rama at one moment and Krishna the next. Two names in one string. She saw Rama once and Krishna once. She thought to herself, "To whom have I come? For whom will I perform rituals? For whom? He is Ramakrishna himself." On one side Rama, on the other side Krishna—Ramakrishna. She gave him that recognition. He received the title of Paramahamsa much later.

Anyway, we don't know exactly what conversation they had. But Totapuri was undoubtedly a great seeker, and they had many debates, no doubt. However, Totapuri reached a conclusion: "Yes, he is the Supreme Brahman." He realized then that he had attained Brahmanhood. After that, Totapuri didn't argue much with Ramakrishna.

There is another person named Govinda Rai. These three names are found as his gurus: Govinda Rai, Bhairabi Maa, and Totapuri. Now, who actually initiated him is a difficult question to answer. Those who are born with Brahmanhood don't really need initiation. Still, people come to give initiation. How that initiation happened is hard to say. This was about Ramakrishna's gurus.

So, one night, there was a heavy storm and rain—terrible weather. Suddenly, Vivekananda had arrived by then. He saw Ramakrishna running. Vivekananda suspected, "What’s the matter? Where is he going?" He followed him without saying anything. It was nearby. He saw Gopala's Maa lying on her bed. Ramakrishna met her and closed her eyes. She passed away. Vivekananda saw this himself. He had gone with him, hiding behind so that Gurudev wouldn't scold him.

When he was being very mischievous once, he was brought to Ramakrishna. They met in their childhood. His mother said, "Father, he is very naughty. He doesn't listen to anything. There’s no telling where he goes. He fights with friends and is very stubborn." Ramakrishna realized it even then. He said, "Mother, do one thing: whenever he gets angry like this, chant Shiva's name in his ear." He told Noren's mother, "Chant Shiva's name, and he will calm down." This is what he told Noren's mother. He used to be very naughty and was brought for that reason; boys like that are brought to us too. So, he said this: "When he misbehaves, you just chant Shiva-Shiva-Shiva in his ear, and he will calm down." And that’s exactly what happened later.

At that time, his family was struggling; they didn't have enough to eat, and a court case was ongoing. During this time, he had a significant introduction to Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna said, "Go and tell Mother!" So, with some resentment, he went in and asked for "Knowledge and Renunciation" (Gyan and Vairagya). He didn't ask for money. Ramakrishna said, "Couldn't you ask? It’s not for you. You couldn't ask, it’s not for you." He spoke like a child: "I sent you, told you to ask Mother, and you didn't? Should I tell her?" He loved him in that way.

Once, someone came to meet Ramakrishna in a boat and tried to hand him a bag of Jalebis. He said, "No, no, no, give it to Sarada, give it to Sarada." It was given to her. The matter ended. At night, he asked Sarada, "Hey, where is that Jalebi or Amriti that was brought? Give me some to eat." He was like that.

And it was seen that while living in the room next to Mother Sarada, he would often get up at night to see her. Back then, Mother didn't wear a blouse. When she slept, her clothes might get disarrayed. Ramakrishna tried many times to touch her, but he could never do it; he would pull back. Finally, he thought, "This is not possible. If I worship Sarada as Mother Jagadhatri, then this feeling will go away. The lust will be gone." One has to conquer lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, and envy. One must conquer all.

Then he suddenly declared one morning that he would worship Sarada Maa as Jagadhatri. Accordingly, he started calling Sarada "Mother" after worshipping her as Jagadhatri. This can be called a characteristic of a seeker. This is a great characteristic of seekers. Anyway, after that, this thing never happened again. Mother Sarada received respect.

Now, he (Subodh) was a wealthy person, a son of a landlord family, but very stubborn. He felt heartbroken. Subodh Mukherjee then started looking for Swami Purnananda in Pune. He was the Guru of Mother Sarada, Swami Purnananda. So, searching and searching, he became frantic. He looked everywhere. But he thought, "Since Ramakrishna has told me, he must be there. I will find him sooner or later." He sat patiently and searched all day. At that time, he desperately needed initiation. And since Ramakrishna had said Swami Purnananda was his Guru, he kept searching.

Suddenly one day, he was sitting on the banks of the Ganges, at the Sonagachi ghat. He was sitting with his head in his hands. He used to wear a dhoti and shirt back then. Some women were making noise while bathing in the Ganges. One woman was looking at him. Everyone else was bathing. When that lady came up with a pot of water on her hip, she looked at him and said, "Hey, why are you sitting here so dejected?" He said, "I am looking for someone. Can you tell me where he lives?" She said, "Tell me the name." He said, "Swami Purnananda." She said, "You can't go to him. It’s impossible."

Then he grabbed her feet. "Ramakrishna Dev told me that he is my Guru." She said, "You can never go there. It’s impossible." Then he held her feet and begged, "Please let me meet him once." Anyway, then out of compassion, that lady took him to the Sonagachi brothel. Back then, it was an old house. He lived in a small attic on the fourth floor. He lived in a tiny room. Whenever anyone went there, he would shout, "Have you brought my wine? My throat is dry. Give me wine, give me wine!" He would scream; it had become like a disease. Anyway, that lady used to keep some wine for him from whatever money she earned, for Swami Purnananda.

So, she introduced him to everything—food and all. Now he went there. He saw him once and said, "Hey Subodh, you’ve come?" Only these words; he said nothing else. "You’ve come, Subodh?" Subodh was shocked. How does he know my name is Subodh Mukherjee? After that, he didn't say anything else. Two or three days passed like this. But he saw that he was a heavy drunkard. "I’ll take initiation from him?" Then again he thought, "Ramakrishna has said it. He didn't say it just like that." So, he kept coming. But the wine... he saw it.

Suddenly one day, in that drunken state, he said, "Hey Subodh, listen, I am not your Guru. You go to Tarapith. Bama Dev... Father Bama is there. Go! He is your Guru. I am telling you, he is your Guru." He felt very bad because he had no money to go to Tarapith. So, as he was returning, that lady stood in his way. She said, "You must go. Since he has said it, he is an enlightened soul. Listen to me. Since he said Bama Dev is your Guru, you go to Tarapith." He said, "I don't have money; it's not possible for me." She said, "I am selling these two earrings from my ears to give you the money." He said, "No, no, I won't take a sex worker's money for initiation. I won't go." She said, "Look, this is not my 'sex worker' money. This is a gift from my mother. My mother gave me these earrings when I was a child. There is no stain on this. You can take it freely. I am telling you, believe me. You must go to Tarapith to Father Bama." And she forcibly took him to a jeweler, sold them, and gave him some money. She said, "This will be enough."

So, he went to Tarapith. When Father Bama saw him, he said, "Hey Subodh, you’ve come?" He was amazed. How did everyone know his name? He had just met him. He said, "Go to Mother's temple. Clean Mother's room in the morning. I will initiate you in the evening. I will initiate you in the evening." So, he stayed at Mother's place. In the evening, he went to Father Bama's room, the cremation ground. Father Bama was playing with an apple and taking bites. He said, "Are you very hungry? You haven't eaten since morning." He didn't speak; he kept his head down. He said, "Here, eat this, eat this!" His half-eaten apple. He didn't eat it out of disgust. He refused to take it. "Alright, then you won't get initiation. Go back to Mother's room."

Next day again, Father went for a bath. Father Bama. At that time, he went to his house, his room. Nandu and others were there, sitting and talking. Suddenly, seeing him, they asked, "Where are you from? What’s the matter?" He said, "I am from Kolkata. Look, what can I say? Swami Purnananda sent me, Ramakrishna sent me to Swami Purnananda..." But they didn't understand anything. They hadn't heard of Ramakrishna or Swami Purnananda. They were saying, "Oh yes, it happens. Drunkards, drunkards." Just then, Father was entering after his bath. He heard and said, "What did you say? Swami Purnananda is a drunkard? He is an enlightened soul!" He grabbed his collar. "Will you ever say it again? You will leave this Tarapith today! You are speaking ill of an enlightened soul? He had attained enlightenment! He had performed intense penance in his previous life. But he had a desire to drink wine. So, in this life, Mother let him indulge in wine. What do you know?" He gave him a push and said, "Go away! Go back to your home and establish Mother Tara on the banks of the Ganges. You will get everything. Go away!" So, Subodh Mukherjee found Mother; he had a vision of Mother Tara by the grace of Father Bama.

See, he had some belief in the caste system. When Girish Ghosh told him, "Father, in the next life, you will be born as my son." He said, "What? A Ghosh's son? Why would I be born in your house? Ghosh's son? I am a Brahmin!" At that time, Girish Ghosh was a bit hurt. Then he invited him to his house and since he (Ramakrishna) loved Lucchi (fried bread) and cauliflower curry, he prepared it. He gave him the food, and just as he was about to take a bite, he snatched it away. "I won't let you eat. Since you don't want to be my son—I told you to be my son in the next life—today I won't let you eat Lucchi and curry." Such incidents happened. There are many stories, it's not possible to tell all. It would take four or five days to tell his life story.

I am telling the main ones. Usually, like he said one day, "I saw Jesus in the Panchavati." He said he spoke with Jesus in the Panchavati. And when he went to a mosque, he came out and said, "Look, I haven't lost my caste." So, there are many such small incidents. And we have to do all these today. Today, looking at the picture of Mecca, many say, "You are a Hindu, why are you keeping the picture of Mecca or Muslims?" But they all took Jesus's name and he also went to the mosque. Not just temples, he went to the mosque too. And he had a meeting with Jesus; he said that too.

So, one thing is clear: he was above all this. He was far above Hindu, Muslim, and Christian divisions. And that’s what happens. At one stage, when he was in the Turiya state (the fourth state of consciousness), and after seeing his childlike state, society gave him the title of Paramahamsa. Paramahamsa is said when one reaches the Turiya state and remains in a kind of total madness. Many have received the title of Paramahamsa; Durga Prasanna also received it. Many have received it. He was also given that title; society gives it. People give it after judging and knowing one's life history.

So, he got the title of Paramahamsa. And what you were asking about Vivekananda... one day he called Vivekananda and said, "Sit, sit on my lap!" So Noren went and sat. He placed one foot on Noren's head (Brahmarandhra) and the other on the ground. He said, "Go, from today I am sold to you." That means whatever spiritual merit or power he had accumulated, he gave it all to Noren. How could Noren bear so much weight? He had a landlord's mentality; his thinking was different. He liked the Upanishads. He liked Thakur's many stories. That’s why he established Gurudev and Guruma at Belur Math. And since he had a vision of Mother at Kanyakumari, at the Vivekananda Rock, he told his disciples, "You must perform Durga Puja, and perform Kumari Puja on the day of Ashtami. This must not stop." Even today, Kumari Puja and Durga Puja continue at Vivekananda's place.

Girish Ghosh and Sri Ma were there. One thing I know: there is an idol of Radhakrishna there. Once, the leg of the Radhakrishna idol broke. There was a huge commotion everywhere—a broken idol cannot be worshipped according to our Hindu scriptures. Rani Rashmoni heard about it. She was worried. She sent word to Varanasi; scholars came, and a council of pundits gathered. They said, "No, this cannot be done. This idol cannot be kept; a new idol must be installed." She heard everything, but she had faith in Ramakrishna. She thought she would ask Ramakrishna later.

So, they gave their verdict: "Immerse the idol and bring a new one." Then Rashmoni went to Ramakrishna. He was in the temple then. She said, "Father, can I say something?" He said, "Tell me, Rani-Ma, what are you saying?" She said, "Father, Krishna's leg is broken. What should I do? They said Krishna should be immersed and a new one installed." He said, "Mother, can I ask one thing? If your son-in-law's leg broke today, would you throw your son-in-law away?" Rani Rashmoni went silent. She thought, "He is right." What the great scholars couldn't say, Ramakrishna said in one sentence: "If your son-in-law's leg broke today, could you throw him away?"