About Meditation-Part IV

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Sri Ramakrishna used to be joking, laughing, etc., but he was always aware of the fact that this is all unreal. He was seeing but not seeing; hearing but not hearing, etc. The Upanishadic sayings actually demonstrated in his life. Sri Ramakrishna was a unique personality unprecedented in the scriptures or history of the world.. People usually do not attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi more than once in life.

They only go on doing meditation, but Sri Ramakrishna was absorbed in it continuously for six months, and would enter into it every now and then. In the case of ordinary people who attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi once or so, they are still liable to be confused by the Divine Mother Maya could bring them down. But in the case of Sri Ramakrishna, he was one with the Mother, saturated with Her, and though he was calling on Her, he was one with Her, saw Her in all and everything, and hence there was no question of falling or being twisted by Maya or Mother.

Is there an empty space between the two teeth in the upper row of Sri Ramakrishna's teeth.

It is a wrong conception prevailing among many people. Fortunately, I have Sri Ramakrishna's picture with upper portion (of teeth) fairly enlarged, and therefore, I could see well. It is not empty space but a dark shadow over that space.In Frank Dorak's painting, it is only the eyes that are a very correct representation. The painter wanted to have a clear idea of the eyes of Sri Ramakrishna. That night when he was asleep a light appeared, and slowly the figure of Sri Ramakrishna was seen. The painter closed and opened his eyes frequently, and marked the eyes well, then woke up, and correctly drew the eyes of Sri Ramakrishna in his oil painting.

It is mentioned in the book 'At the Holy Mother's Feet' that the Master would come again after 100 years whereas elsewhere I remember to have read that he would come after 200 years.

The period of 100 years whether it is from the time when this statement was made or from the time of passing away of the Master, is not known definitely. Holy Mother was told by the Master that the latter would come back again in the northwestern part of Bengal (not NW of India as mentioned elsewhere), and would be having long beard and flowing hair, would be having no hearth or home, would be going from place to place with eternal sankirtan going on; the Holy Mother (coming back again) would be following the Master carrying His kamandalu, etc. He will not
belong to any Order; he will not have any home or organization.

Some people give different interpretations to the biblical account of Adam and Eve. What is the correct interpretation?

Different explanations can be given by different persons. But the Christian explanation is that the tree of 'forbidden fruit' represents knowledge (good and evil). Originally Adam and Eve had absolute faith in God, and hence were happy, but on eating the fruit of knowledge (of good and evil), their absolute faith in God was contaminated by knowledge. Faith is the greatest thing. Faith can enter into the inner portals of the palace, whereas jnana can go only up to the outer court. Of course, without bhakti, there can be no faith.

About the author

Swami Satswarupananda

A disciple of Holy Mother, the Swami was an editor of Prabuddha Bharata. These are the answers given by Swami Satswarupananda to the questions posed by Sri M. Padmanabham in 1960's at Hyderabad.

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