Sayings & Parables of Sri RamaKrishna Paramahamdsa1. You see many stars in the sky at night, but not when the sun rises. Can you therefore say that there

are no stars in the heavens during the day? O man, because you cannot find God in the days of your

ignorance, say not that there is no God.

2. He is born in vain, who having attained the human birth, so difficult to get, does not attempt to

Realize God in this very life.

3. Know the One, and you will know the all. Ciphers placed after the figure 1 get the value of hundreds

and of thousands, but they become valueless if you wipe out that figure. The many ciphers have value

only because of the One. First the One and then the many. First God, and then the Jivas and the Jagat

(creatures and the world).

4. First gain God, and then gain wealth; but do not try to do the contrary. If, after acquiring spirituality,

you lead a worldly life, you will never lose your peace of mind.

5. A new -comer to a city should first secure a comfortable room for his rest at night, and after keeping

his luggage there, he may freely go about the city for sight-seeing. Otherwise he may have to suffer

much in the darkness of night to get a place for rest. Similarly, after securing his eternal resting place

in God, a new-comer to this world can fearlessly move about doing his daily work. Otherwise, when the

dark and dreadful night of death comes over him, he will have to encounter great difficulties and

sufferings.

6. At the doors of large granaries are placed traps containing fried rice (Moori) to catch mice. The mice,

attracted by the flavour of the fried rice, forget the more solid pleasures of tasting the rice inside the

granary, and fall into the trap. They are caught therein and killed. Just so is the case with the soul. It stands

on the threshold of Divine bliss, which is like millions of the highest worldly pleasures solidified into one;

but instead of striving for that bliss, it allows itself to be enticed by the petty pleasures of the world and

falls into the trap of Maya, the great illusion, and dies therein.

7. Will all men see God? No man will have to fast for the whole day; some get their food at 9 a.m.,

some at noon, others at, 2 p.m., and others again in the evening or at sunset. Similarly, at one time or

another, 'in this very life or after many more lives, all will, and must, see God.

8. Little children play with dolls in the outer room just as they like, without any care or fear or restraint;

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smothered by eating indiscriminately from all hands. But if it is strong, no food will affect you."

55. Iron must be heated again and again and hammered a hundred times before it becomes good steel.

Then only it becomes fit to be made into a sharp sword, and can be bent in any way you like. So man

must be heated several times in the furnace of tribulations and hammered with the persecutions of the

world before he becomes pure and humble, and fit to enter the presence of God.

56. The Master once said to Keshab Chandra Sen while the latter was ill, "You are suffering; but your

illness has a deep meaning. In this body you have gone through various stages of spiritual development;

the body is now suffering from the reaction. When the spiritual waves arise, the consciousness of the

body vanishes, but it tells upon the body in the end. When a big steamer plies on the Ganges, the waves

dash against the shore for sometime after the steamer has passed. The larger the boat, the bigger the

waves; and sometimes they even break down the banks. If an elephant enters a small hut, the hut

shakes and falls down. So also the experience of spiritual ecstasy shakes and sometimes shatters the

body of the devotee. Do you know the consequence of this? If a house catches fire, many things are

burnt. Similarly, the fire of Divine wisdom burns all passions, anger and other evils, and in the end

destroys the consciousness of 'I, me and mine'. The body then suffers a severe shock and is shattered.

You may think that everything is finished, but as long as there is the least vestige of the ego, He will not

make you free. If you are admitted as a patient in a hospital you will not be discharged unless you are

perfectly cured."

57. To become great one must be humble. The nest of the sky-lark is on the earth below, but it soars

high into the sky. High ground is not fit for cultivation; low ground is necessary, so that water may stand

on it.

58. Till one becomes simple like a child, one cannot get divine illumination. Forget all the worldly

knowledge that you have acquired and become as ignorant of it as a child; then you will get the

knowledge of the Truth.

59. The Master used to say; "People become generous and simple-minded only in consequence of

much penance. God can never be attained except with a simple mind. It is to the simple-minded that He

reveals His own nature." But to safeguard people from developing into simpletons in the name of

simplicity and truthfulness, the Master would also sound a note of warning: "You are to be a devotee

but not a simpleton on that account," or again, "Always you must discriminate in your mind between the

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metropolis. He asked a man on the road, "Which is the shortest route to Calcutta?" The man said,

"Follow this road." Proceeding some distance, he met another man and asked him, "Is this the shortest

road to Calcutta?" The man replied, "Oh no! You must retrace your steps and take the road to your left."

The man did so. Going along that new road for some distance, he met a third man who pointed out

another road to Calcutta. Thus Dr. Doubtful made no progress, but spent the whole day in changing

roads. One who really wishes to reach Calcutta must stick to a single road pointed out by an honest

man; so also those who want to reach God must follow steadily one particular guide.

72.Jnana never comes without renunciation of lust and possessions. With the dawn of renunciation is

destroyed all ignorance, all Avidya. Many things can be burnt by Means of a lens held in such a

manner that the rays of the sun fall on it directly, but you can not use it so in the shade of a room. Even

so with the mind. You must take it out of the dark cell of this world and expose it to the full blaze of self

-effulgent Divinity. Then alone true renunciation will come, and with it all ignorance will be destroyed.

73. Do you know what kind of Love is required for gaining the Lord? Just as a dog with a bruised head

runs restlessly, so must one become distressed for His sake.

74. Jesus Christ was one day walking along the seashore when a devotee approached him and asked

him, "Lord, how can one attain God?" Jesus directly walked into the sea with the enquirer and immersed

him in the water. After a short time he released him, and raising him by the arm, asked him, "How did

you feel?"

desperate." Upon this Jesus said, "You shall see the Father when your heart pants for Him as it has

panted for a breath of air just now.

75. A Guru is like the mighty Ganges. Men throw all filth and refuse into the Ganges, but the holiness of

that river is not diminished thereby. So is the Guru above all petty insult and censure.

76. At a game of chess the on-lookers can tell what the correct move is, better than the players

themselves. Men of the world think that they are very clever, but they are attached to the things of the

world-money, honours, sense-pleasures, etc. As they are actually engaged in the play, it is hard for them

to hit upon the right move. Holy men who have given up the world are not attached to worldly objects.

They are like the on-lookers at a game of chess. They see things in their true light and can judge better

than the men of the world. Hence, in living the holy life, one must put faith only in the words of those

who meditate upon God and who have realised Him. If you seek legal advice, will you not consult

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