RALLY ROUND RAMAKRISHNA ... 2

There is a great deal of levity people suffer from, a certain buoyancy of the spirit coming through material forms that covers up the truth within and divests men of their divinity. This divinity is not lost altogether but people immersed in the puerile pursuits of material life, lose the awareness of their depth-identity and are, thus, denied access to the treasures of consciousness thereof. This in turn leads to progressive degeneration of the human system with its consequent erosion of values and decline of culture. Civilization is the resolution of individual living gathered en masse. As men become spiritual, civilization goes on the incline and this spirituality consists in being depth-conscious. The surface frivolities of life notwithstanding, for they are as intrinsic to material life as froth and foam is to ocean, care must be taken to be conscious of the deeper dreams of life before smashing the whole cosmic dream to smithereens.

Beyond, far beyond the realm of mundane meditations, lies the empire of the Self which is our inheritance, our true abode of peace and understanding wherein lies our solace, our repose, our final fruition. But this reality is not far in the sense of spacial separation. It is here and now within us, hidden deep in the cavity of our heart, waiting to be discovered by the discerning eye in a flash of insight that Ramakrishna used to allude to. When asked about the possibility of spiritual illumination for one, he responded often this way, "If a boulder lying at the mouth of a cave has kept its interior in darkness for a thousand years, and somebody takes the pains to remove the boulder from its site, will the light from outside illumine the cave bit by bit? No, it will flood the cave all at once and in a trice all will be light."

It is, thus, pertinent to remember that depth-living in consciousness free is as important as surfing on the sea of selfish delusions, for while the latter binds in bitter bondage, the former releases us blissful free. Let us hearken to what Ramakrishna sings on this : "Dive, O dive deep within the ocean of life and forms to recover the pearls of Prema (love)." Blissful was the Master as he sang to the rapt wonderment of Narendra, Rakhal, Baburam and the rest. Blissful he still is, as he sways his legs in eager expectation of the arrival of his beloved children at his hallowed retreat in Dakshineshwar. And in bliss he waits, lantern in hand, in the depth of the Dakshineshwar dark, at the head of the gateway, readying himself to receive the one that hurries on to him.