Extracts from the book “The Gospel of Sri
Ramakrishna” by ‘M’ahendranath Gupta (conversations between Sri Ramakrishna,
the Master, and his disciples / devotees)
Parable of the wood-cutter
"Go forward. A wood-cutter once entered a forest to gather
wood. A brahmachari said to him, 'Go
forward.' He obeyed the injunction and discovered some sandal-wood trees. After a few days he reflected, 'The holy man
asked me to go forward. He didn't tell
me to stop here.' So he went forward and found a silver-mine. After a few days he went still farther and
discovered a gold-mine, and next, mines of diamonds and precious stones. With these he became immensely rich.
"Through selfless work, love of God
grows in the heart. Then, through His
grace one realizes Him in course of time.
God can be seen. One can talk to
him as I am talking to you."
Parable of the snake
"Listen to a story. Some cowherd
boys used to tend their cows in a meadow where a terrible poisonous snake
lived. Everyone was on the alert for fear of it. One day a
brahmachari was going along the meadow. The boys ran to him and said:
'Revered sir, please don't go that way. A venomous snake lives over
there.' 'What of it, my good children?' said the brahmachari. 'I am not
afraid of the snake. I know some mantras.' So saying, he continued on his
way along the meadow. But the cowherd boys, being afraid, did not
accompany him. In the mean time the snake moved swiftly toward him with
upraised hood. As soon as it came near, he recited a mantra, and the
snake lay at his feet like an earthworm. The brahmachari said: 'Look
here. Why do you go about doing harm? Come, I will give you a holy
word. By repeating it you will learn to love God. Ultimately you
will realize Him and so get rid of your violent nature.' Saying this, he taught
the snake a holy word and initiated him into spiritual life. The snake
bowed before the teacher and said, 'Revered sir, how shall I practise spiritual
discipline?' 'Repeat that sacred word', said the teacher, 'and do no harm to
anybody'. As he was about to depart, the brahmachari said, 'I shall see
you again.'
"Some days passed and the cowherd boys
noticed that the snake would not bite. They threw stones at it.
Still it showed no anger; it behaved as if it were an earthworm. One day
one of the boys came close to it, caught it by the tail, and, whirling it round
and round, dashed it again and again on the ground and threw it away. The
snake vomited blood and became unconscious. It was stunned. It
could not move. So, thinking it dead, the boys went their way.
"Late at night the snake regained
consciousness. Slowly and with great difficulty it dragged itself into
its hole; its bones were broken and it could scarcely move. Many days
passed. The snake became a mere skeleton covered with a skin. Now
and then, at night, it would come out in search of food. For fear of the
boys it would not leave its hole during the day-time. Since receiving the
sacred word from the teacher, it had given up doing harm to others. It
maintained its life on dirt, leaves, or the fruit that dropped from the
trees.
"About a year later the brahmachari
came that way again and asked after the snake. The cowherd boys told him
that it was dead. But he couldn't believe them. He knew that the
snake would not die before attaining the fruit of the holy word with which it
had been initiated. He found his way to the place and, searching here and
there, called it by the name he had given it. Hearing the teacher's
voice, it came out of its hole and bowed before him with great reverence.
'How are you?' asked the brahmachari. 'I am well, sir', replied the
snake. 'But', the teacher asked, 'why are you so thin?' The snake
replied: 'Revered sir, you ordered me not to harm any body. So I have
been living only on leaves and fruit. Perhaps that has made me thinner.'
"The snake had developed the quality
of sattva; it could not be angry with anyone. It had totally forgotten
that the cowherd boys had almost killed it.
"The brahmachari said: 'It can't be
mere want of food that has reduced you to this state. There must be some
other reason. Think a little.' Then the snake remembered that the boys
had dashed it against the ground. It said: 'Yes, revered sir, now I
remember. The boys one day dashed me violently against the ground.
They are ignorant, after all. They didn't realize what a great change had
come over my mind. How could they know I wouldn't bite or harm anyone?'
The brahmachari exclaimed: 'What a shame! You are such a fool! You don't know
how to protect yourself. I asked you not to bite, but I didn't forbid you
to hiss. Why didn't you scare them by hissing?'
"So you must hiss at wicked
people. You must frighten them lest they should do you harm. But
never inject your venom into them. One must not injure others.
"In this creation of God there is a
variety of things: men, animals, trees, plants. Among the animals some
are good, some bad. There are ferocious animals like the tiger.
Some trees bear fruit sweet as nectar, and others bear fruit that is
poisonous. Likewise, among human beings, there are the good and the
wicked, the holy and the unholy. There are some who are devoted to God,
and others who are attached to the world. "
