SWAMI SATYARUPANANDA

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

The Role of Kathamrita or The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna in Daily Life

SWAMI SATYARUPANANDA

ou know perhaps Bengali is not my mother tongue. I learnt a little Bengali only to read Kathamrita in original. When I first got the book, maybe 50 years ago, or more than that, a friend of mine said to me: Why dont you read the book in original Bengali, Sri Ramakrishnas own language? As I pleaded my inability to read Bengali well, he said, I shall teach you how to read; then you will be able to follow. I agreed and he kept his promise. A little while ago, Swami Divyananda, my brother-monk, referred to my close association with Swami Bodhatmananda. He was the Principal of our Training Centre at Belur Math, a disciple of Swami Shivanandaji Maharaj, and himself a monk of a very high stature. Every night, before going to bed, we found him reading Kathamrita. We saw the same thing every evening when we returned from the temple after the vespers. He was an erudite Sanskrit scholar and had vast knowledge of the scriptures. He was then 72 or 73. Let me narrate an incident that took place possibly on a Sunday. On that day in the morning we saw him reading Kathamrita. There was a brahmachari amongst us who, by nature, was a bit restless. He went forward and asked, Maharaj, we find you reading Kathamrita all the time. It seems you have learnt by heart all the words printed there. What more there is to read about? The swami replied: Look my boy, I have been reading
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Kathamrita for the past 50 years and now I feel I am understanding a little of it. We were completely nonplussed by his reply. We said, Maharaj, you are a disciple of Mahapurush Maharaj and has been studying Kathamrita for the past 50 years. If you say you are now beginning to understand it a little, what will be our lot? Are we to plunge in the Ganga and get drowned? Another incident. Swami Shantananda, a disciple of the Holy Mother, was then very old. Sometimes he would sit on a chair, sometimes lie on bed. A friend of mine was assigned the duty of going to him every day and read from Kathamrita. One day he said to me in exasperation, What a problem! He perhaps dozes on his bed and I have to go on reading. He realized his mistake but thought Maharaj might not have noticed it as the latter was on his bed. But as ill luck would have it, as soon as the error was committed, Maharaj caught him and asked: Hello, what have you read? That is not the exact text. It must be otherwiselike this. My friend naturally felt very nervous. He opened the book and found to his dismay Maharaj was right. Let me tell you another incident that will also reveal the profundity and depth of Kathamrita. The incident had taken place about 50 years ago when a very senior monk of our Order advised a young brahmachari: Look, when you read Kathamrita, read carefully so that you understand it. Accordingly, the
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brahmachari continued his reading. He finished Kathamrita in Bengali, The Gospel in English and Vachanamrita in Hindi and asked himselfWhat is there to be so careful? One can easily understand Kathamrita. Be that as it may, many years had passed thereafter and that old swami had also passed away. The brahmachari had also received his sannysa. Then suddenly one day he questioned himself: Why did that old venerable monk ask me to read Kathamrita very carefully? He became desperate to know the answer. But the old swami, as I said, had already passed away. Now, who could give him the right answer? He felt sad. However, one day he went to Swami Vireswaranandaji Maharaj and described his problem hoping that he could possibly solve the riddle. Revered Vireswaranandaji smiled and asked: Did the swami ask you to read Kathamrita as a piece of literature? The young monk fumbled and said, Maharaj, that too I have failed to understand. That is why I have come to you to know what that old swami actually meant to say. Then Vireswaranandaji clarified: You see, human life is beset with problems. You also have some. Try to find out and understand what your problem is. Suppose you lack concentration during japa, or you miss your mark when rendering service whatever may be the case, try to pinpoint your problem. When you can do that, with that understanding and attitude you open Kathamrita and go on reading. Rest assured that somewhere you will find the right answer, the appropriate light that will change your life. I knew the sannyasin who gave you the advice too well. Vireswaranandaji was true literally. There is a song that says, O Sri Ramakrishna, you are very much present in your utterances and I salute
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them, for you and your message are nondifferent. If we approach Kathamrita with this kind of attitude we will invariably find solutions to problems that we encounter in our daily life.
What is there in Kathamrita?

Let me first of all see what is there in Kathamrita. Of course I shall present my own perception which, with my limited understanding, I have over the years tried to form. As far as my understanding goes, Kathamrita, in short, means discourse on God. The essence of all the five volumes is this divine discourse. In the first place, you will notice in this discourse that there are a few cardinal notes, some principal tunes that Sri Ramakrishna plays in Kathamrita. The first isGod exists. Thakur tells Narendra and innumerable others this truth. You may argue: What is so new about it? It is there in the scriptures. Many great saints for ages have also declared this truth. You are right if you say that. But we must not fail to note here that what Sri Ramakrishna says in this connection is unique, something unheard of before. What is that? He says, God can be seen. One can also talk to Him if one wants. This assurance you find in Kathamrita. Then, you get in Kathamrita this immortal message of Sri Ramakrishna God-realization is the goal of human life. He stresses this again and again. In the third place, as a means to achieve that goal, Sri Ramakrishna prescribes Yato mat, tato path, which is one of the most universal and liberal ideals witnessed by the world of religion. The quintessence of this teaching is, one can realize God by following any religion of ones choice. But he says repeatedly that no matter what path you choose, the most
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essential things are purity of mind and renunciation. After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, some monastic members debated about the purpose of his advent. Some argued that he came to preach harmony among religions. Some said, no, he came for the well-being of people. When no consensus could be reached, they sought a verdict from the Holy Mother and she said that Thakur came this time to demonstrate what renunciation is. Indeed, Sri Ramakrishna states categorically that purity and renunciation are the sine qua non of spiritual life. Both are absolutely necessary. Fourthly, sincere love. Sri Ramakrishna says in Kathamrita that we have to love God and call upon Him with all our heart. If it is done, no other tapasy or austerities are needed; we will then surely enjoy the grace of God. But if this intense love of God is absent, if the spirit of renunciation and purity are missing, the vision of God cannot be obtained.
Bhumik or role

There is another significant word in the title of this lecture and that is role or bhumik. What does bhumik mean? In the case of a book, it means Introduction where the writer hints succinctly what he has written in the book. In the case of a film, or a drama, the word suggests a rolethe role of a king, or a general, or a beggar etcone is supposed to play. But these two meanings do not apply to our case. There is yet a third connotation that is more significant and deeper than the preceding two. What is that connotation? It is influence or impact. That is to say, to what extent the thoughts and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna as recorded in Kathamrita have influenced my life? We must introspect and find out the answer from
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within our heart. The answer will reveal how far we have submitted ourselves to the teachings of the Master. Let me give an example of the great war described in the Mahbhrata. The war took place between the Kauravas and the Pndavas. What role did Sri Krishna play in the war? On the Kaurava side there were Dhritarshtra, Bhishma, Duryodhana and many formidable warriors, but Sri Krishnas thoughts, advice and divine personality did not make any impression on them. But if you look at the Pndavas you will find the base or foundation of whatever happened in their lives was the teaching and counsel of Sri Krishna. Each word of Sri Krishna was a command to them. Never did they argue with Him, never did they disobey Him. Thus Sri Krishna had played a crucial role in the Mahbhrata. If we remove Him from the great epic there would remain nothing valuable. Similarly, Sri Ramakrishna has appeared in this age to give humanity an eternal and imperishable footing. He says, the goal of our life is God-realization. This is his message, his principal gospel. The question ishave we accepted this message individually or collectively? As an individual, have I accepted the truth that God-realization is the goal of my life? Whether I can achieve the goal or not is a different issue; but have I embraced the ideal? If I have accepted it truly, then I must practise the ideal come what may. And if I do that, Kathamrita has a great role to play in my life. But it would not have any such significance if I make an easy compromise with the world and think I am a householder, I have so much work to do; if Gods grace dawns on me, I shall achieve the goal, otherwise not, or in some future life, if at all!
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I like to believe, however, that most of you have accepted the command of Sri Ramakrishna. Otherwise you would not have assembled here in such a large number. Moreover, many of you have got initiation from the Ramakrishna Math. So it is not the major issue if we have so far succeeded or not; the real issue is whether we are trying our utmost to reach the goal. I had the privilege of having the holy company of Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj for many years during my long stay at Belur Math. When the authorities decided to send me to a new centre outside West Bengal, I got very much upset. This happens to those who have a long stint at the headquarters; they do not want to leave it; they become morose when they are asked to do so. So I was and I went to Bhuteshanandaji. He said, Look, always watch your mind and try to depend on Thakur in all circumstances.
The example of a balance

Sri Ramakrishna says the same thing in his example of a balance that has two needles, the upper and the lower. The upper needle is God and mind is the lower needle. Always try so that the lower needle does not move away from the upper one. The meeting of the two is yoga. The moment the mind moves away from God, the upper needle, all kinds of suffering and misery will take entry in our life and we become miserable. However much do we plan, we would not have abiding peace. Maybe I will have money, earn a degree, get a post I desired so much, but the end is invariably sorrow. How do I know if my mind, the lower needle, is united with God, the upper needle? My own mind will know and none else. And this is never possible unless we keep a strict vigil on our mind and
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remember constantly that we have embraced Sri Ramakrishnas ideal of God-realization as the goal of life. The moment one is engaged in evil thought, evil action or behave dishonestly, the mind moves away from the line of the upper needle. Then begins the degradation of the individual. Therefore if we read Kathamrita regularly we would stay alert and avert the slide. I give you an example. Once, when I was working at Belur Math, a decision was taken that a certain property gifted to Math by someone had to be sold. As per our rules, advertisement was given in newspapers. One day a person came to us and said, Are you going to sell the house? Yes, we said. What price do you expect? We said, as far as I remember, Rs 10 lakhs. Look Maharaj, he said, one gentleman I know is ready to give you 20 or even 30 lakhs. If you permit, I may bring him here. He has seen the advertisement but feels hesitant to come to you. Why? we asked. The sum and substance of what he said then is this: The intending buyer will give you 20 lakhs as donation for which you have to give a receipt. The receipt will entitle him to enjoy tax exemption. And the rest 10 lakhs he will offer you as the price of the house. But at the time of registration the sale value has to be shown as Rs 5 lakhs. The proposal apparently looked nice. But according to our Math and Mission regulations, the sale of any property has to be approved at a meeting of the Trustees. The monk who then handled such issues approached a senior swami and requested him to refer the matter to Prabhu Maharaj (Swami Vireswarananda). But as the swami declined to do so, the onus fell on me. Although I felt helpless I had to go to Prabhu Maharaj and narrate the whole
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story. No sooner had I finished, Maharajs facial expression changed altogether. We were very close to him and saw him for many years. So we knew by heart the meaning of that stern expression. He asked, Have you read the life of Sri Ramakrishna? Yes, Maharaj, I replied. Do you read Kathamrita? Yes, Maharaj, a bit, I said. Then how could you think that Thakur, who couldnt drink a glass of water touched by a dishonest fellow, would accept this money? Dont you feel ashamed to say such a thing? I think you read neither Kathamrita nor Lilaprasanga. I made pranam to him and wanted to say something. But he was intelligence incarnate. He read my mind and said, Ok, you dont have to say anything; they (the senior swamis) will tell everything to the intending buyer. I left the place and thought within myselfwhy such a mistake was going to occur? The answer I got was that the lower needle moved away from the upper needle. Therefore I think, if we do not read Kathamrita and do not think about the pure, incomparable life of Sri Ramakrishna, we shall not be able to understand that we are slowly straying off the ideal. And if we fail to understand this, then Kathamrita does not play any role in our life. Simply parroting that God-realization is the goal of my life does not serve the purpose. What are we supposed to do then? The answer can be found in several hints that Kathamrita gives us. The first suggestion is that we have to have a state of mind that Sri M. had. I may have the knowledge of Bengali, Hindi, English or many other languages in which Kathamrita is available today. I may read it in any language I know. But reading Kathamrita is one thing and the yearning to wage a struggle to transform ones life accordingly is another.
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If we want to bring changes in our life, we must have the kind of attitude Sri M. had when he first saw Sri Ramakrishna.
M. visits Sri Ramakrishna

M. was then about 27. He had no peace of mind because of problems in the family. One day he came to the house of his sister and with a restless mind wandered through the beautiful gardens in the neighbourhood. His friend, Sidhu, who accompanied him said at one point: Rani Rasmani has built a temple nearby. There is also a beautiful garden. Do you like to visit the place? M. agreed and came to Dakshineswar. Sidhu told M. that a Paramahamsa lived there. So M. entered the room of Sri Ramakrishna and saw him for the first time. What did he find? Let me read from The Gospel.
And there they found him seated on a wooden couch, facing the East. With a smile on his face he was talking of God. The room was full of people, all seated on the floor, drinking in his words in deep silence.

Then, mark M.s reaction and his expression!

M. stood there speechless and looked on. It was as if he were standing where all the holy places met and as if Shukadeva himself were speaking the word of God, or as if Sri Chaitanya were singing the name and glories of the Lord in Puri with Ramananda, Swarup, and the other devotees.

This is one kind of mental attitude. If we read Kathamrita with such reverential feelings, our life will be blessed. The moment M. heard that there lived a Paramahamsa, he went straight to Sri Ramakrishnas room and first saw him the garden, temples and other things he saw
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later. The Paramahamsa was his first priority. M. looked around him with wonder and said to himself: What a beautiful place! What a charming man! How beautiful his words are! I have no wish to move from this spot. During this first visit M. only saw Sri Ramakrishna and hardly exchanged a few words. But even then he felt a magnetic attraction. We need to feel this kind of attraction for Kathamrita where Sri Ramakrishnas palpable presence can be felt. If we read Kathamrita we would naturally be drawn to Sri Ramakrishna. With this kind of feeling M. then thought, Let me see the place first; then Ill come back here and sit down. Watch the attitude of M.. Even now we also have that kind of notion; if a monk has got great academic credentials we feel naturally attracted to him, otherwise we tend to dismiss him as being of no value. So M., after seeing different deities in the temples, came back and asked Brinde, the maid standing outside the Masters room, Does he read many books? Brinde replied, Books? Oh, dear no! Theyre all on his tongue. This amazed M., who thought: Is it possible to attain knowledge without reading books! Then he went into Sri Ramakrishnas room and had a very brief exchange of words. M. then said to Sri Ramakrishna: Perhaps you want to perform your evening worship. In that case may we take our leave? Sri Ramakrishna in an ecstatic mood replied, Noevening worship? No, it is not exactly that. Even then M. saluted Sri Ramakrishna, who said, Come again.
On his way home M. began to wonder: Who is this serene-looking man who is drawing me back to him? Is it possible for a man to be great without being a scholar? How wonderful it is! I should like to see

him again. He himself said, Come again. I shall go tomorrow or the day after.

There lies the hint. We have to read Kathamrita every day, again and again, over and over again. Having read once I put it inside a covered shelf so that it does not gather dust. Now I shall go to Belur Math, visit the Institute of Culture and other places and after two months, when I return to our centre, I shall open Kathamrita again. Meanwhile, during these two months I shall go on reading a number of newspapers, periodicals, and keep all sorts of information of the world! If you read Kathamrita seriously, this wont do. Kathamrita is not a thing which you can afford to throw away after a cursory reading. We must ask ourselves if we feel the way M. felt. Do we feel intensely restless when we skip reading Kathamrita one day? Do we feel the urge that we must read at least two lines by any means? Kathamrita creates definitely such an urge. Once we feel the attraction, our mind would never want to leave it. It will always increase our yearning for God. One who reads it diligently is surely advancing towards God. Suppose, for arguments sake, you say you have not been able so far to develop a longing for God although you love to do it, is there any way? M. also raised this question when he met Sri Ramakrishna the second time. He thought, I guess, here is a great saint; maybe he will tell me something that can solve the problems of my life. So he humbly asked: How, sir, may we fix our minds on God? This is a universal question. Everyone in this world who are trying to live a higher and nobler life have this question. The answer Sri Ramakrishna gives applies to all humanity irrespective of caste, creed, religion and country. He says:
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Repeat Gods name and sing His glories, and keep holy company; and now and then visit Gods devotees and holy men. The mind cannot dwell on God if it is immersed day and night in worldliness; it is most necessary to go into solitude now and then and think of God.

My second problem I cannot say on behalf of others, but I must admit this is my second problem in spiritual life. Often friends and brothermonks ask me: Maharaj, how are your studies going on? And I reply, Dont ask this question, brother. So much work! How to find time for private study? Then, Thakur says, Repeat Gods name and sing His glories all the time. If somebody asks if I am doing that, I shall perhaps reply, Look, brother, we are the monks of the Ramakrishna Order. Whatever we do is Lords work, Mothers work. So, what is there in repeating Gods name separately? No, when I say that I am entirely wrong. Holy company Then Thakur talks about the necessity of holy company. But what sort of holy company we usually keep? Thakur says, one must visit Gods devotees and holy men now and then. But in reality we find devotees do come to the monks all the time and discuss worldly matters. Someone says, Will you please help in getting my son admitted to a Mission school? Someone wants admission into a hospital. Someone seeks a letter of recommendation from a well-known monk so that his daughter or son gets a job in some reputed firm. Is this keeping holy company as recommended in Kathamrita? If such things continue both sadhus as well as devotees will fall wide of the mark. Kathamrita reminds us therefore, howsoever busy we may be, we have to 62

find some time for holy company and chant the name of God and sing His glory. We cannot fix our mind on God if we are engrossed in worldly affairs all the time. Thakur says, in the beginning we should go in solitude and practise meditation. In recent times, I have noticed, a new brand of solitude has caught our fancy. Suppose I go to the house of a devotee for some official work. His son opens the door. I ask, Hello, is your father at home? Yes, Maharaj, he is, says the child. I say, Tell him I have come. He seems a bit puzzled and says, No, Maharaj. Father has instructed me to say that he is not at home. What is he doing? I ask. The boy says, Father is at work on his computer in a closed room. I understand the devotee wants to work in peace and does not want anybody to disturb him now.
New kind of solitude

So, you see, we have now got used to this kind of solitude. But suppose, Swami Divyananda, the President of this meeting, tells devotees to go to the Ashrama temple and spend ten minutes there in silence, they will say, Maharaj, we have already offered our pranams to Thakur. This is our condition! We try to finish Thakur pranam as hurriedly as possible. If the temple is not yet open, we do not wait. We reason that Thakur is omnipresentHe is inside as well as outside. So what is the harm in doing pranam from outside? Tell me, then, what role Kathamrita plays in my life? When its teachings will find expression in our lives? Sri Ramakrishna further says in Kathamrita:
Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God. Live with allwith wife and children, father and motherand serve them. Treat them as if they were very dear

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to you, but know in your heart of hearts that they do not belong to you.

This advice frightens us. We think, Is it possible? Yes, it is and we have to do it. There is no other way. How after reading these lines can we think that Kathamrita has no part to play in our daily life? We should not imagine this even in dreams. Personally, I can say that our life is inconceivable without Kathamrita. It is the foundation of our life. Again, Sri Ramakrishna says in Kathamrita:
The world is water and the mind milk. If you pour milk into water they become one; you cannot find the pure milk anymore. But turn the milk into curd and churn it into butter. Then, when the butter is placed in water, it will float. So, practise spiritual discipline in solitude and obtain the butter of knowledge and love. Even if you keep that butter in the water of the world the two will not mix. The butter will float.

Here Sri Ramakrishna never advises us to desert the family and go to the forest. Only he wants us to understand first the frangible reality of this worldly life and then live here in a detached manner. This is churning milk into butter. If the mindmilk is kept in water, the whole thing will get spoiled. We will face disaster then. We will have to repent and lament for the rest of our life. As we go on reading such words of wisdom, can we ever doubt if Kathamrita has any role to play in our life? I firmly believe that a higher life, a truly spiritual life is impossible to lead without the light

shed by Kathamrita. It is especially indispensable for those who are devotees of Ramakrishna. One more thing I want to say before I close. That is about money or knchan as Thakur called it. He says, . . .you must practise discrimination. Woman and gold is impermanent. God is the only Eternal Substance. What does a man get with money? Food, clothes, and a dwellingplacenothing more. You cannot realize God with its help. Therefore money can never be the goal of life. That is the process of discrimination. Do you understand? Unfortunately people today say otherwise. Ask anybody, they will say, What can you not attain with the help of money? The youths and their parents often come to me and ask, Maharaj, what can you do without money these days? Therefore, their view isearn money as much as you can. Sri Ramakrishna does not say that you should not earn money or save money at all. Earn crores of rupees if you like by honest means. But do not forget that if you do so, your whole life will be spent in running after money and you cannot realize God and have fulfilment with the help of your material wealth. Therefore, this much I have understood that we must hold on to discrimination as Thakur has advised us to do, and if we read Kathamrita regularly with faith and devotion and pray to him earnestly, he will definitely show us the way amidst darkness. There is hardly any problem which cannot be solved in the light of Sri Ramakrishnas Gospel.

This article is based on the lecture delivered at the Institute in Bengali by Swami Satyarupananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Ashrama, Raipur, on 15 June 2010. The article has been translated by Swaraj Mazumdar.

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