Extracts
from the book “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna” by ‘M’ahendranath Gupta
(conversations between Sri Ramakrishna, the Master, and his disciples /
devotees)
Master and philanthropy
"It is God alone who does
everything. You may say that in that case man may commit sin. But
that is not true. If a man is firmly convinced that God alone is the Doer
and that he himself is nothing, then he will never make a false step.”
Charity and
attachment
Doing good
to others
Sri Ramakrishna Web Site – belurmath.org
Master and philanthropy
"God can be
realized when a man acquires sattva. Householders engage in philanthropic
work, such as charity, mostly with a motive. That is not good. But actions
without motives are good. Yet it is very difficult to leave motives out of
one's actions.”
"When
you realize God, will you pray to Him, 'O God, please grant that I may dig
reservoirs, build roads, and found hospitals and dispensaries'? After the
realization of God all such desires are left behind.”
"Then
mustn't one perform acts of compassion, such as charity to the poor? I do not
forbid it. If a man has money, he should give it to remove the sorrows and
sufferings that come to his notice. In such an event the wise man says,
'Give the poor something.' But inwardly he feels: 'What can I do? God alone is
the Doer. I am nothing.'”
"The
great souls, deeply affected by the sufferings of men, show them the way to
God. Sankaracharya kept the 'ego of Knowledge' in order to teach
mankind. The gift of knowledge and devotion is far superior to the gift of
food. Therefore Chaitanyadeva distributed bhakti to all, including the
outcaste. Happiness and suffering are the inevitable characteristics of
the body. You have come to eat mangoes. Fulfil that desire. The
one thing needful is jnāna and bhakti. God alone is Substance; all else is
illusory.”
"It is God alone who does
everything. You may say that in that case man may commit sin. But
that is not true. If a man is firmly convinced that God alone is the Doer
and that he himself is nothing, then he will never make a false step.”
Charity and
attachment
"The activities
that Vidyasagar is engaged in are good. Charity is very noble. There
is a great deal of difference between daya, compassion, and maya,
attachment. Daya is good, but not maya. Maya is love for one's
relatives-one's wife, children, brother, sister, nephew, father, and
mother. But daya is the same love for all created beings without any
distinction."
M:
"Is daya also a bondage?"
Doing good
to others
"You people
speak of doing good to the world. Is the world such a small thing? And who
are you, pray, to do good to the world? First realize God, see Him by means of
spiritual discipline. If He imparts power, then you can do good to others;
otherwise not."
A BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "Then, sirs, we must
give up our activities until we realize God?"
MASTER: "No. Why should you? You
must engage in such activities as contemplation, singing His praises, and other
daily devotions."
BRAHMO: "But what about our worldly
duties-duties associated with our earning money, and so on?"
MASTER: "Yes, you can perform them too,
but only as much as you need for your livelihood. At the same time, you
must pray to God in solitude, with tears in your eyes, that you may be able to
perform those duties in an unselfish manner. You should say to Him: 'O
God, make my worldly duties fewer and fewer; otherwise, O Lord, I find that I
forget Thee when I am involved in too many activities. I may think I am
doing unselfish work, but it turns out to be selfish.' People who carry to
excess the giving of alms, or the distributing of food among the poor, fall victims
to the desire of acquiring name and fame.”
"Sambhu
Mallick once talked about establishing hospitals, dispensaries, and schools,
making roads, digging public reservoirs, and so forth. I said to him:
'Don't go out of your way to look for such works. Undertake only those
works that present themselves to you and are of pressing necessity-and those
also in a spirit of detachment.' It is not good to become involved in many
activities. That makes one forget God. Coming to the Kalighat temple,
some, perhaps, spend their whole time in giving alms to the poor. They
have no time to see the Mother in the inner shrine! (Laughter.) First of all
manage somehow to see the image of the Divine Mother, oven by pushing through
the crowd. Then you may or may not give alms, as you wish. You may
give to the poor to your heart's content, if you feel that way. Work is
only a means to the realization of God. Therefore I said to Sambhu,
'Suppose God appears before you; then will you ask Him to build hospitals and
dispensaries for you?' (Laughter.) A lover of God never says that. He
will rather say: 'O Lord, give me a place at Thy Lotus Feet. Keep me
always in Thy company. Give me sincere and pure love for Thee.'’
