GOSPEL OF RAMAKRISHNA
was inside. So one of them climbed to the top of the wall and as he looked in, he shouted with amazement and joy, "Ha! ha! ha!" and with- out giving any information to his fellow- travellers, he jumped inside. The others did likewise. Whoever climbs to the top of the Parable of the four travelers. wall jumps inside with extreme joy and never comes back to give the news of what he has found. Such is the realm of the Absolute. The great souls who have realized the Absolute have not come back, be- cause after attaining the highest knowledge of Brahman, one absolutely loses the sense of "I." The mind ceases to be active, and all sense-con- sciousness vanishes. This state is called Brah- ma-Jnana or Divine wisdom. A devotee: Revered Sir, did not the perfected soul Sukadeva attain to Brahma-Jnana, the Knowledge of the Absolute ? Ramakrishna: Some say that Sukadeva saw the ocean of the Absolute Brahman and touched its waters, but he did not go into the water; therefore he was able to come back and teach mankind. Others believe that he attained to the Absolute Brahman and then returned to help humanity. Devotee: Does sectarianism exist after the
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