GOSPEL OF RAMAKRISHNA
you do care very much. Go beyond knowledge True knowl-edge and ignorance. and ignorance, then you will realize edge and God. Knowledge of diversity is ig- ignorance. The egotism bred of erudi- tion proceeds from ignorance. That knowledge by which we know that God exists everywhere is true knowledge. But to know Him inti- mately is realization (Vijnana). Suppose your foot is pierced with a thorn, you require a second thorn to take it out. When the first thorn is taken out Realization. you throw both away. So in order to get rid of the thorn of ignorance you must bring the thorn of knowledge. Then you must throw away both ignorance and knowledge to attain to the complete realization of God, the Absolute, for the Absolute is above and beyond knowledge as well as ignorance. Lakshman once said to his Divine Brother: "O Rama, is it not strange that a God-knowing man like Vashishta Deva should have wept for the loss of his sons and would not be comforted?" Thereupon Rama replied: "He who has knowl- Knowledge is relative. edge has also some ignorance. He who has knowledge of one object has also the knowledge of many objects. He who has the knowledge of light has also the
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