Page:The Gospel of Râmakrishna.djvu/166

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

GOSPEL OF RAMAKRISHNA

yet people will say that he is usually to be seen in some particular drawing-room. The heart of the devotee is the Lord's drawing-room. If one wishes to meet the Lord, one would better seek an audience in the drawing-room. The same Being whom the followers of non-dualistic (Advaita) Vedanta call Brahman, the Various as-pects of the Brahman. Absolute, is called Atman (Self) by the Yogis, and Bhagavan, or the Personal God with Divine attributes, by the devotees, or Bhaktas (lovers of God). The high-caste Brahmin is always the same person; but when he worships the Lord, he is called a priest; and when the same man is employed in the kitchen, he is called a cook.

The follower of monistic (Advaita) Vedanta, who seeks to realize the Absolute Brahman, discriminates, saying: "Not this, not Discrimina-tion of an Advaitin. this." That is, the Absolute is not this not that, not any finite object. not the individual soul, not the external world. When, as the result of this kind of reasoning, the heart ceases to be moved by desires; when, in fact, the mind is merged in superconsciousness, then Brahma-jnana is reached. One who has truly attained to this Brahma-jnana realizes that Brahman the Absolute alone is real, and the

146