MY MASTER

SWAMIJI'S TIMES  -    J K SIVAN

SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA 

                                                             

                  MY  MASTER 

I do not understand how people declare themselves to be believers in God, and at  the same time think that God has handed over to a little body of men all truth, and

that they are the guardians of the rest of humanity. Do not try to disturb the faith of any man. If you can give him something better, if you can get hold of a man 

where he stands and give him a push upwards,  do so, but do not destroy what he  has. The only true teacher is he who can convert himself as it were, into a thousand

persons at a moment's notice. The only  true teacher is he who can immediately come down to the level of the student, and transfer his soul to the student's soul and

see throug'h the student's eyes and hear  through his ears and understand through his mind. Such a teacher can really teach and none else. All these negative, breaking-down, destructive teachers that are in  the world can never do any good.

In the presence of my Master I found out that man could be perfect, even in this body. Those lips never cursed anyone, never even criticised anyone. Those eyes were beyond  the possibility of seeing evil, that mind had  lost the power of thinking evil. He saw  nothing but good. That tremendous  purity, that tremendous renunciation is  the one secret of spirituality. " Neither  through wealth, nor through progeny, but  through renunciation alone, is immortality  to be reached," say the Vedas. " Sell all

that thou hast and give to the poor, and follow me," says the Christ.

So all great saints and prophets have expressed it, and have carried it out in their lives. How can great spirituality come  without that renunciation? Renunciation

is the background of all religious thought  wherever it be, and you will always find that as this idea of renunciation, lessens, the  more will the senses creep into the field of  religion, and spirituality will decrease in the same ratio. 

That man was the embodiment of renunciation. In our country it is necessary for a man who becomes a Sannyasin to give up all worldly wealth and position, and

this my Master carried out literally. There were many who would have felt themselves  blest, if he would only have accepted a present  from their hands, who would gladly have given him thousands if he would have  taken them, but these were the only men  from whom he would turn away. He was a triumphant example, a living realization of the complete conquest of lust and desire for money. He was beyond all ideas of  either, and such men are necessary for this  century. Such renunciation is necessary in  these days when men have begun to think that they cannot live a month without what they call their " necessities," and which they are increasing in geometrical ratio. It is necessary in a time like this that a man  shall arise to demonstrate to the sceptics of  the world that there yet breathes a man who does not care a straw for all the gold or all the fame that is in the universe. Yet there  are such men.