At an international conference I asked the audience,How long should i

speak?.They said,Sir,you are such a learned person,please do speak as

long as you can and as long as you like,but we are leaving after half an
hour.So,a speaker should be extremely careful and I always feel,one of
the most important tasks of the speaker is to keep the audience
awake.There needs to be a little watching of the faces,that of the students
in particular,to see if they are awake.In order to do that,cracking jokes is
necessary,and a slew of jokes are there in the Ramakrishna Kathamrita or
the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.The theme of the two day seminar,as you all
know,is interfaith harmony.Sri Ramakrishna once said,it is recorded in the
gospel or the Kathamrita, , ,.The person
who has been able to harmonise,can be only called a real human
being.Harmonisation is such an important task in human life. And nature
is full of harmony.Revered Swami Tapasyananadaji,who was the vice
president of the Ramakrsihna Math and Mission,once toold us that God
could be infinite.What is the definition of God?He said that the definition
of God is,God is that supreme,absolute and infinite entity,where all
contradiction meet and lose their contradictoriness.That means,the idea
of contradiction exists only in human mind.So,I begin with this,just by
giving you an Idea of the Samanway Bhava of Sri Ramakrishna.He
said,look at nature,for example,nature always livess in harmony.There is
no contadiction in nature per se.What nature does,is always to
Harmonise.The simplest example of that,as we just now mentioned,is the
human body.The human body consists of hundreds of components,leave
alone the numerous cells that comprise the body,because we don't see
the cells per se.Leave alone the human body,the tongue,the teeth,the
liver,the stomach,the pancreas,the intestine,the legs,all these components
of the human body harmoniously function to make my life possible,easy
and joyful.I always used to wonder when I was I child,how is it possible
that the tongue is able to move betwwn the teeth so easily withou the
teeth hurting the tongue.Tjhe tongue is a very soft organ,and the teeth
are extremely hard,but the tongue is,moving so swiftly betwwn the
mouth,you will see that even then very rarely does the teeth hurt the
tongue.The tongue and the teeth having contradictory characterstics per
se,co-operate with each other so that I can chew and digest my food,so
that I can speak.This is one of the simplest example of how co-operation
and harmony function.Nature is made in such a way that there is ample
co-operaation and harmony in all that we do.Another simple
example,when you look out through the window,you see the Grass,the
plants,and the various greenery.All of us know that these plants gibve us
the oxygen by which we can live and breathe,and they in turn,take away
the Carbon-Di-Oxide in the air which we exhale.Casrbon-Di-Oxide and
Oxygen have contadictory properties.Carbon-Di-Oxide kills man,Oxygen
rejuvenaates man.But man first plants system as awkardish.This means,if
you take the copmponents of a large system
individually,fragmentedly,disconnectedly,then you will feel this harmony
and contradiction.But if you take the whole thing as a system,then when
each one is co-operating harmoniously withn the other,there is no
disharmony.This is known as systems approach in modern management.In
the systems approach,you look at thw whole of natur as one holistic
system.Just as the human body is functioning,so is the nature
functioning.Humans,the nature,the animal kingdom,the plant kingdom,all
of them taken as a whole function harmoniously.Therefore,what is
requiresd for the harmony is this holistic vision,a total vision,and non-
fragmented vision.The Bhagvad Gita,for example in the 18th chapter,there
is a very beautiful insight,in what is known as Satwik Gyana,Rajasik
Gyan,and the Tamasik Gyana.Gita,18th chapter,20th verse,says Gyanam
Abvaya Ikshwate.That Gyana by which you can see the undifferentiated
unbroken entity.And that Gyana by which you see division is the
Rajasik,and that Gyana by which you focus on a particular component as if
it was the whole,is the Tamasik Gyana.
Sanskrit shloka(07.14),As if it is the whole,you concentrate on the small
part and see that as the whole.All problems of terrorism,all problems of
intolerance arise from the fact that I look at a very small part of
everything,I believe in a very small part of philosophy,and equate that
with the whole,completely ignoring and not looking at the other
components in which this particular belief is situated.the situational
appearance of a particular component,the contextuality and the
relationship of this component with the higher system is important to
understand. Sanskrit Shloka(08.16) and its explaination.Look at the
language of the Bhagvad Gita.The person who looks at he small
component imagines that is the whole is deeply attached with it most
illogically and imagines that is the thing that everyone of the human
race,they should follow the same doctrine as I follow.But nature has suc
variety,and nobody can enumerate this variety.We always talk about
toleration.We should tolerate other faiths also.Swami Vivekananda
famously said that It is not only toleration but universal
acceptance.Beautiful translations have been made in the Sanskrit,Hindi
and Bengali languages. ,If you
accept other religions as true,you not only condescendingly allow them to
lve,but live and let live. you are a fool,you are wrong,but still I am
allowing you to live.No,I know you also have the same kind of
doctrine,only see it in a particular way.Truth is multi faceted.Truth has
infinite expressions.What is absolute and infinite is something that cannot
be comprehended by the human mind Shloka.You cannot talk of what is
absolute.the simplest example to explain the above statement which even
a child can understand, ?,
?Can any of you tell me? , , You
cannot give an answer for the simplest of questions.How does Ghee taste
like?because it is something which is to be experienced and not talked
about.So,Sri Ramakrishna said,these experiences are something which
have to be felt within the depth of our being and when we talk it
out,when we express it,when you manifest it,you are neccesarily
conditioned by the language,conditioned by expression,conditioned by
semantics.The word Pratikula can be interpreted,you see,in so many
ways.Just like Swami Vivekananda quotes St Paul in his inspiring
talks,where he says, the letter killeths.The word is not the thing.You
see,the word God may mean someone who thinks of his people.The
moment you condition it with the words,you condition it with the
language,you immediately have the constraint of trying to express the
inexpressible through expression.The inexpressibility of that which is
inexpressible but human mind wants to express and share the joy of
experiencing it.Now,there comes the fallacy. So Sri Ramakrishna solved it
so beautifully by saying, What you say is true,but do not think that alone
is true.Belief in ones own religion is absolutely fine.You should have what
is called the Ishwta Nistha. I believe this is true.I believe Allah is the only
God.I believe Sri Krishna alone can redeem me.I believe Christ is the only
savior.So,nobody is disputing this.but,do not think that belief alone is
true.Somebody was defining self-confidence and arrogance.Self
confidence says, I can do this.Arrogance says, I alone can do this.. If
you say , I alone have understood God,God smiles and says, How much
of me have you understood?.
Sri Ramakrishna once again uses a beautiful example,
, ,
, ,
, Such a
simple example and so telling, a plain picture ,just imagine a small ant,the
arrogance of the ant which says that I can take the whole sugar mountain
at one time in my mouth and put it in my small hole.Sri Ramakrishna
therefore says,
,, ,
So you be satisfied with experiencing the
bliss of God,the bliss of infinite,and the joy of understanding the vast and
immeasurable,and your life becomes blessed.And bless who work in their
own way.Why there are a large number of men and women,I always
thought,you say,my religion,your religion,thatss because they dont
think from gods point of view.My point of view,I believe in Ramakrishna,
You believe in Ramakrishna, No, Oh,then you are gone,you are
doomed to eternal hell.So,I have my belief and I say that is the belief
everyone should have.Now,look at Gods point of view.just talk to god for
a moment,wherever he is.Of course he is listening from somewhere.He
may be her and I may say something which is unreasonable. ,
?God says, , ,
? , ,
,,
, ?We decide what God should be.
?
Look at Gods
point of View.God says, I want every human being elevated to divini-
ty,for which I will adopt any technique which will be suitable for human
beings.So,you say, Oh God,this fellow here does not understand your di-
vine being,infinite being.He is worshipping this stone,this
tree,worshipping snakes,what will happen to him?Then God says, If
that felloew is Genuine,or sincere,then and also says that I cant under-
stand God through anything but the stone ,then I appear in the stone and
accept his worship.Do you have any problem there. No,No,you should
not appear in the stone .I will appear,so what,you cant dictate it to
me.So,remember,we cant dictate what God should be,where he should
appear.All the religions say,across religions,God is omnipresent,God is
omniscient,and God is omnipotent. ,

,
,

So,God is Omnipotent,
,
?If you
say,god cant appear in any form,then you are
taking away his omnipotence,and if you say,he
cant appear in this image,then you are taking
away his omnipresence.And if you say,God has no
capacity to enter this,then you are taking away
his omniscience.You dont villitate the
fundamental principles of all religions by
saying,God can be this and not that.There was once
a jocular fight between a Hindu and a
Christian.The Chistian said, God is not in the
images,God is ther high up in the heaven,he is the
Parampita,the great father,and he cant be the
mother.Thats the problem.In one of our American
centres during Durgapuja,the title was announced,

God is the mother.Immediately there were phone calls, Swami,God

cant be the mother,he is the father!!So you tell god you cant be the
mother you have to be the father. He says, I can be the mother,I can be
the father. Twameba Mata..He can be nothing also.So,Sri Ramkrishna
says, , , -
!That means,the fundamental fallacy of the human
mind is to limit God and say he can be this and not that.Does he have any
right to limit God.God says he will himself decide what he happens to
be.So, a Christian told a hindu, God is not in these images,but you are
worshipping the stone,worshipping the tree,.The Hindu said, Oh!is it
so!But sir,your god is full of holes Why?. God is omnipresent,present
everywhere,but he is not in the images,there are holes there.So,he is
aholy God,full of holes,wherever the images are there,the holes can be
found.So,how ridiculous is your perception.God can be here,can be
there,can be everywhere or can be nowhere.He will decide what he
wants to do.So,if we tell God, Oh God, suppose you dont believe in
God,some of you may not believe in God,I am hardcore scien-
tist,microbiologist,behavioural scientist,everything happens through cells
and other internal things and it is a chemical reaction.You tell god,this
boy,microbiology student,does not believe in you,dont digest his
food.Because you dont believe in God,and God is Digesting the food,
Aham Vaishnavya.(20.10).He is digesting your food,you dont believe
in God,suddenly you have terrible stomach pain, Oh!God!, You dont
believe in me,so I will not digest your food.Does God say that?I am not
saying this,it is from the Bible.Masala is mine,God says,he sends his rain
upon both believers and non-believers.He is absolutely impartial. San-
skrit Shloka(20.38).Bhagvad Gita,9th chapter, I have no partiali-
ty,whoever approaches me in whatever way,I approach him.This is the
fundamental doctrine which Swami Vivekananda spoke about in Chicago
parliament of Religions,quoting this verse, Sanskrit Shloka(20.58).All the
paths and bypaths,even the path called atheism is also a path by which
you realize you need not believe in God in order to survive.Dont you be-
lieve in the laws of nature.Suppose you ave one bundle of candles,before
you go to bed,and why you have candles?.Oh,tomorrow at 6.30 you have
a very important engagement.The sun is supposed to rise at 5.30,but you
know,work culture,
,
, You laugh because
you believe that natures lws are inviolatble.A person who believes in the
inviolability of natures laws is called a scientist.A person who believes in
that supreme being,the consciousness which runs nature is called a reli-
gious person,thats all.You believe in something.If you believe in noth-
ing,then you ant survive.All of you are sitting here.Are you sure that the
roof above will not collapse on you.It could,and it happens very often in
Calcutta.But you have faith that nothings going to happen.Once I told the
students,you go for a shave in the saloon.Most of the
boys,nowadays,they dont shave like ourselves,but some of our friends
who have a beard,they shave.So,they said, Yes Maharaj,we go.So when
you go to the saloon you tell the barber, !
,Suppose he just put his knife on your neck and slices,you
are finished.How do you believe that he will not kill you?
,,
However,you have full faith
that he will not kill you. ,
, !Our
whole life is based on faith.Our whole life is based on depending on
somebody and feeling that person is true.
? ?
? Does that prove you have given
the money?Whatever. ,
?So,the smallest transaction of daily life
depends upon mutual faith.Without the faith,and without the feeling that
something is permananent among the entire world of impermanan-
ece,you cannot survive.

,
?Can you put your faith in your body,the mind?No!We used to
see Radhakrishnan,a genius and an all time great philosopher,
,forgot everything at the end.So your mind
cant be trusted,your body cant be trusted,books cant be trusted,wealth
cant be tusted,nothing can be trusted in the world,then you will become
mad.There is some permananece within this impermanence,whch has to
be trusted,believe in whatever way you like.The path you take does not
really matter.Thats why the Upanishad says,Swami Vivekananda follows
it by saying,man does not move from error to truth,but from truth to
truth,truth which is lower,a truth which is higher,Swami Mukhyananda
was a teacher in the training centre,beautifully elaborated it by say-
ing,Swamiji said, I have spoken nothing abiout the Upanishads.He says
no,these are there in the Upanishads. Satyameva Jayate nan-
ritam.(25.08).the verse begins with satya and ends with satya.it is truth
or Satya all over.You may have a conception of God which is very prelimi-
nary according to somebody else,and so called philosopher says, I think
of God as absolute,infinite,nirakara,nirguna brahman.But when he has
stomach ache,he cries to God with form.You cant cry to God without
form, Oh God!Please relieve me of this pain.That God doesnt exist at
all.So you have different conceptions of God,that are coming according to
differnet spiritual growth.That is why Sri Ramakrishna is very fond of
quoting the Shloka,which is associated with Hanumana or Anjaneya,in
which he says, Deva Bhuddhayutu Dsoyang.When I feel like the
body,then I feel I am your sevant and you are the supeme being.So many
religions in the wold belong to this category.I am his Dasa or servant,he is
the supreme being,and I am etenal subordinate to him.So many religions
believe this and it is an extraordinary path.It gives you satisfaction,it gives
you the feeling God,is protecting you,but as you move closer to God and
feel you are made of the same divine substances as himself.You are the
divinity,the Atmaswarupa,you are the Jivatma,so many religions belong to
this category,and the highest philosophical and religious life is when you
feel one with him,then there is you and me.
, Thats
all.Its gone.Think of a salt doll taking a stick and walking to measure the
ocean.The moment he enters the ocean,it is gone.
 Can anybody answer. ,

,yes
or no.That means,there are two kinds of knowing,one is knowing as an
object,other is knowing by becoming.Ultimately,therefore Swami Viveka-
nanda defines religion as being and becoming.Radhakrishnan once fa-
mously said, Religion is not doctrinal conformity,nor ceremonial pie-
ty,the participation in the system of being inside the reality.Another one
said, Religion is slf discovery and our recovery,it is souls dialogue with
itself.You turn back upon yourself and find out whats your true na-
ture,you know the infinite reality which is outside of you.So,the funda-
mental idea,is God has the capacity to receive your worship,in whatever
way,in whatever form you offer him, Yathanam prapadyateIf you
say Oh god I want to worship the Shiva linga,God enters the Shivalinga
and receives your worship.That God,whih is the infinite is manifesting in
the Shivalinga,manifesting in the Shalgram Shila,various images of Christi-
anity and manifesting in the infinite nirakara of the Muslims,and he is ac-
cepting your worship.If you say God is infinite,God is formless,then why
do you then turn in a particular direction and then say, If you worship in
this direction,you woship God.Is god not in the opposite direc-
tion.religion has its own manifestation.Religion has its own ritual.But the
moment I say this alone is right,then I am wrong,and most of the religious
doctrines and rituals are traditional,they have no real spiritual content
per se.If you enter the Gurudwara with your head not covered,then
Ah!you are insulting the scriptures!cover your head.If you enter the
church, you have to remove your hat.What will God do?God gets angry if
you dont cover your head,and God gets angry also if you cover your
head.In a Hindu temple,if you walk with shoes,then, Ah!What is
this?Take off your shoes!In a Christian church, if you dont take off your
shoes,you will b blessed by God.So what will God do?The Christian God
says,have the shoes on,the Hindu God says,remove the shoes.Which God
should we follow?So there are various rituals and small pratices,which do
not form the core of religion.Thats why Swami Viveakananda
said,Religion is free each soul is potentially divibnemanifest his divini-
ty by controlling nature internal and external.Do this in either work and
worship and be free,that is the whole of religion.Are you experiencing
freedom, freedom from what?.Freedom from igno-
rance,smallness,freedom from jealousy,and freedom from a narrow view
which says I am right and you are not right.If I am right you are also
right,If everybody is right,then how can so many contradictory rightness-
es be rightThe answer is special,this is not logical from your point of
view,but God has the capacity to manifest in innumerable contradictory
ways,and still remain as one,non-contradictory peson.Dont apply your
small stupid logic to God.He ha shis own way of manifestation and there-
fore to realize that he is the infinite,the vast and the abso-
lute,unrealizable to human mind,and at the same time humans realize
that each of the paths they follow is fundamentally true,constitutes the
entire jest of haromony.Now that you say that I am right and you are also
right,not ALSO ,YOU ARE RIGHT, I AM rigjht. There is an interesting joke
that Swami Swahananda always used to say,there was a professor who
used to agree with everything.Once upon a time a student told him, Sir, I
feel this is right Yes,you are right. Next day another student said,
Sir,that fellow confused you,I think what I am saying is right Yes you
are right.His wife ws looking and said,You have no principles at all, both
are right.He smiled and said, You are also right!So how can contradic-
tory things may be be true at the same time is a mystery God alone can
solve. ,
,
,
, !
,
,Master Mahashay says,his ego got a terrible blow.
How can contradictory things be true at the
same time.He says new paradigm which Sri Ramakrishna has opened,and
this is the fundamental doctrine of interfaith harmony.I will just end with
a note from Science.Many Physics students are present here,I think.There
is a famous theory called the quantum theory,all of you know.In
1900,Max Planck enunciated this theory,in which he said,particles and
waves may be apparently contradictory,because particles are highly local-
ized objects waves spread,but most of them can coexist and harmonious-
ly be present in the same entity.So Eddington, in his famous book,
. Says, is there not a particle?Yes.Is there not a wave.Yes.Then
what is it?The wavicle.Its the wave and the particle,then he funnily
says,you know what it is,on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays,they are
the particles, on Tuesdays,Thursdays and Saturdays,it is the wave,and on
Sundays it sits in the fence.So what is truth itself you do not know.And
they have found that the election beams exhibit the same properties as if
they are waves.How does this happen?In a famous lecture,the Nobel ac-
ceptance speech,Erwid Shodinger,who is the father of wave mechan-
ics,once said, In this new age,the entire paradigm has shifted.The para-
digm which says , either or,has been replaced by both and.Be careful
about this phrase.Either it is Nirakara or it is Sakara,has been replaced by
it is both Sakara and Nirakara.The earlier philosophy said Brahma
Satya,Jagat MithyaSri Ramakrishnas harmonizing principle says Brahma
Satya,Jagat Leela.the paradigm of Satya and Mithya has been replaced
by Nitya and Leela.What you see as the many,is one of the same thing as
the one.How can the one and the many be the same thing?Swami Vive-
kananda said,what Sri Ramakrishna eulogized ,he has added to his philos-
ophy that the one and the many are the one and the same thing seem dif-
fernet to different minds at different times with different atti-
tudes.So,what we call many is only manifestation of the one and what we
call one is actually the condensed name.So,we not tolerate and accept,let
us celebrate variety of God throwing his challenges to you in innumerable
ways.Swami Vivekananda tells a story about a great saint,he was clad in
Dirty clothes moving around.So the children got curious and threw stones
at him and he got hurt and used to bleed all over.Swami Vivekananda
nursed his wounds and then said, Why you allow the children to torture
you like this.The saint laughed and said, Baba Aisa Hi Khelta Hai.This is
how the Lord is playing.So,the infinite and absolute is there in innumera-
ble varieties ,men,women,in the form of a child,in the form of a donkey
,in form of a horse,in form of fishes and animals,thousands of varieties.So
look at God wearing so many masks and rejoice and be exceedingly glad
as Christ said in the Bible.