1) A father's son was bitten by a snake but remained calm, realizing there is no distinction between a man and snake.
2) Sankaracharya was offended when an outcaste touched him but realized his true self is not the body upon reflection.
3) A guru left his disciple with a woman to teach him that sensual desires do not fulfill, only knowledge of the true self.
1) A father's son was bitten by a snake but remained calm, realizing there is no distinction between a man and snake.
2) Sankaracharya was offended when an outcaste touched him but realized his true self is not the body upon reflection.
3) A guru left his disciple with a woman to teach him that sensual desires do not fulfill, only knowledge of the true self.
1) A father's son was bitten by a snake but remained calm, realizing there is no distinction between a man and snake.
2) Sankaracharya was offended when an outcaste touched him but realized his true self is not the body upon reflection.
3) A guru left his disciple with a woman to teach him that sensual desires do not fulfill, only knowledge of the true self.
1) A father's son was bitten by a snake but remained calm, realizing there is no distinction between a man and snake.
2) Sankaracharya was offended when an outcaste touched him but realized his true self is not the body upon reflection.
3) A guru left his disciple with a woman to teach him that sensual desires do not fulfill, only knowledge of the true self.
:/ '. with him. In the meantime, a young cohra came out _p�· ?, '. raf..hole and bit the son. Seeing that, the father was terribly ·,,-frightened and began to ca)! all the people around. But , the son sat quiet, and that ptizzled the father still more. • When he asked the son why he was sitting quiet, the son 11 laughed and _was heard to explain, "Which is the snake
·, and w!Tmfl ha; 1I bitten?" He had realised the Unity, and
'. hence he c�mld not m,le any distinction between a man and ll e , • a snake. 1115. An outcaste was carrying baskets if meat from a !.laughter-house. On the way he mel Sankaracharya who was returning afteit his hath in the sacred Ganges. It chanced that the oulcaste touched the person of the holy man. Sankara was offended and cried out, " You have touched me, sirrah I " The outcaste replied, " Sir, neither have. I. touched you, nor have you touched me ! Please reason- with me and say whether your true Self is the body or the mind or the intellect : tell me what you truly are. You know that the true Self is not attached to any of the tliree Gunas of Nature, Sattva, Rajas and Titrnas." T�n Sankara was abashed and had the true awakening. l fl 16. Once a Sadhu placed his disciple in a magni ficent garden with the intention of imparting9 to him tht>.. knowledge of the real Self and went away. After a fe� <lays he came back and asked the disciple, " 90 yo��teel afiy want, my boy? " On being answered i� the affirmative, "he left with him a fair woman named Shyama, and advised him to take fish and.._me:t fre�. .After a considerable · tilne he t!ame ag<'¥1 '1,d asked the same question.as bC,:\lre. r Tl.is time the clisci1�le rep� '•No, I have no want,\iank> ,�88 Sayings of S1:i Ramakrishna · y<w." The Sadhu then called both the disciple and Shyama to him and pointing to Shyama' s hands, asked �he disciple, "Can you tell me wh(lt these are?" "Why, these are Shyama' s hands," replied the disciple. He out the same question several times, pointing to Shyama· s eyes, nose and other parts of the body, and the disciple gaye appropriate answers. Presently the idea struc_k the disciple, " I am .'alking of everything as Shyama' s ' this ' and Shyama' s • that '. What then is this Shyama? " B;wildered, he· asked his 'iuru the question, " But who is this Shyama to whom belong these eyes, ears and the rest?" The Sa-lhu said, " If you wish to know who this �hyama is, come with me, and I will enlighten you... So saying, he revealed to him the secret. 1117. A certain father had two sons. When they were old enough, they were admitted to the first stage .of life (Brahmacharya), and placed under the care of a religious preceptor to study the Vedas. After a long time the boys returned home, having finished their studies. Their father r a�ed them if they had read the Vedanta. On the;r rep1ying in the affirmative, he asked, "Well, tell me what is Brahman." The elder son, quoting the Vedas and other , scriptures,"' replied : " 0 Father, It i.s beyond words and t�1ought. It is so and so. I know it all." And to support wh�6 he Sf,id, he again quoted Vedantic texts. " So you ha"e known Brahman I " said the father, " ybu rriay go about your business." , Then he asked the younger• son the same question..., But the: !-.oY remained silent ; 'not a v:·,�rd ca:ne out of his mouth, nor di:a l:e make any attempt to ;peak. At this the father repiar�ed : " Yes, my boy, Realisation o/ the n1:vinc 883/ you are right. Nothing can be predicated of the Absclute' an;ll the Unconditioned. No sooner do you ·talk of It than you state the Infinite in terms of the finite, the Absolute in terms of t�t relative, the Unconditioned in terms of the conditioned. Your silence is more eloquent than the recita tion of a. hundred verses and the quoting of a hundred authoritic; �- 1118. A ' learned bralunin once went to a wise king and 1
· said, " I am well-versed, 0 king, in the holy scriptures. I
intend lo teach you the Bhagavata." The king, who was the wiser of the two, knew well that a man who had really studied the Bhagav'ata would seek to know his own Self rather than go to a king's court for wealth and honour. So the king replied, " I see, 0 Brahmin, that you yourself have not mastered that book thoroughly. I promise to make you my tutor, but first learn the scripture well." The Brahmin went his way, thinking, "How foolish it is of the king to say that I have not mastered the Bhagavata, seeing that I have been reading the book over and over all these ' , ' years." However, he went through the book care• fullr once more and appeared again before the king. The king told him the same thing again and sent; him away. The Brahmin was-, sorely vexed, but thought that thert must be some meaning in the behaviour of the king. , rte went home, shut himself up in his room and app'.ied himself �ore than ever to the study of the b00k. By and hy 1 hi1den meanings began to flash into his mind and the vanity •of running after the � �hies of '\ridies and honour, kings and courts, wealtit !ind fame, appeared to his•tmdo!1ded ' vi�ion. From that, day 'forw�rd he gave himself up
