The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 6/Conversations and Dialogues/V
V
(Translated from Bengali)
(From the Diary of a Disciple)
(The disciple is Sharatchandra Chakravarty, who published his records in a Bengali book, Swami-Shishya-Samvâda, in two parts. The present series of "Conversations and Dialogues" is a revised translation from this book. Five dialogues of this series have already appeared in the Complete Works,Volume 5)
[Place: Alambazar Math. Year: 1897, May.]
It was the 19th Vaishâkha (April-May) of the year 1303 B.S. Swamiji had
agreed to initiate the disciple today. So, early in the morning, he reached
the Alambazar Math. Seeing the disciple Swamiji jocosely said, "Well, you
are to be 'sacrificed' today, are you not?"
After this remark to the disciple, Swamiji with a smile resumed his talk
with others about American subjects. And in due relevancy came along such
topics also as how one-pointed in devotion one has to be in order to build
up a spiritual life, how firm faith and strong devotion to the Guru have to
be kept up, how deep reliance has to be placed on the words of the Guru, and
how even one's life has to be laid down for his sake. Then putting some
questions to the disciple, Swamiji began to test his heart: "Well, are you
ready to do my bidding to your utmost, whatever it be and whenever it may
come? If I ask you to plunge into the Ganga or to jump from the roof of a
house, meaning it all for your good, could you do even that without any
hesitations Just think of it even now; otherwise don't rush forward on the
spur of the moment to accept me as your Guru." And the disciple nodded
assent to all questions of the kind.
Swamiji then continued: "The real Guru is he who leads you beyond this Mâyâ of endless birth and death — who graciously destroys all the griefs and maladies of the soul. The disciple of old used to repair to the hermitage of the Guru, fuel in hand; and the Guru, after ascertaining his competence, would teach him the Vedas after initiation, fastening round his waist the threefold filament of Munja, a kind of grass, as the emblem of his vow to keep his body, mind, and speech in control. With the help of this girdle, the disciples used to tie up their Kaupinas. Later on, the custom of wearing the sacred thread superseded this girdle of Munja grass."
Disciple: Would you, then, say, sir, that the use of the holy thread we have
adopted is not really a Vedic custom?
Swamiji: Nowhere is there mention of thread being so used in the Vedas. The
modern author of Smritis, Raghunandana Bhattacharya, also puts it thus: "At
this stage,[1] the sacrificial girdle should be put on." Neither in
Gobhila's Grihya-Sutras do we find any mention of the girdle made of thread.
In the Shâstras, this first Vedic Samskâra (purification ceremony) before
the Guru has been called the Upanayana; but see, to what a sad pass our
country has been brought! Straying away from the true path of the Shastras,
the country has been overwhelmed with usages and observances originating in
particular localities, or popular opinion, or with the womenfolk! That's why
I ask you to proceed along the path of the Shastras as in olden times. Have
faith within yourselves and thereby bring it back into the country. Plant in
your heart the faith of Nachiketâ. Even go up to the world of Yama like him.
Yes, if to know the secrets of the Atman, to liberate your soul, to reach
the true solution of the mystery of birth and death, you have to go to the
very jaws of death and realise the truth thereby, well, go there with an
undaunted heart. It is fear alone that is death. You have to go beyond all
fear. So from this day be fearless. Off at once, to lay down your life for
your own liberation and for the good of others. What good is it carrying
along a load of bones and flesh! Initiated into the Mantra of extreme
self-sacrifice for the sake of God, go, lay down for others this body of
flesh and bones like the Muni Dadhichi! Those alone, say the Shastras, are
the real Gurus, who have studied the Vedas and the Vedanta, who are knowers
of the Brahman, who are able to lead others beyond to fearlessness; when
such are at hand, get yourself initiated, "no speculation in such a case".
Do you know what has become of this principle now? — "like the blind leading
the blind"!
* * *
The initiation ceremony was duly gone through in the chapel. After this Swamiji spoke out: "Give me the Guru-dakshinâ."[2] The disciple replied, "Oh, what shall I give?" On this Swamiji suggested, "Well, fetch any fruit from the store-room." So the disciple ran to the store-room and came back into the chapel with ten or twelve lichis. These Swamiji took from his hand and ate them one by one, saying, "Now, your Guru-dakshina is made."
A member of the Math, Brahmachâri (now Swami) Shuddhananda, also had his
initiation from Swamiji on this occasion.
Swamiji then had his dinner and went to take a short rest.
After the siesta, he came and sat in the hall of the upper storey. The
disciple finding this opportunity asked, "Sir, how and whence came the ideas
of virtue and vice?"
Swamiji: It is from the idea of the manifold that these have evolved. The
more a man advances towards oneness, the more ideas of "I" and "you"
subside, ideas from which all these pairs of opposites such as virtue and
vice have originated. When the idea that So-and-so is different from me
comes to the mind, all other ideas of distinction begin to manifest, while
with the complete realisation of oneness, no more grief or illusion remains
for man, "तत्र को मोहः कः शोकः एकवमनुपश्यतः—For him who sees oneness, where
is there any grief or any delusion?" Sin may be said to be the feeling of
every kind of weakness. From this weakness spring jealousy, malice, and so
forth. Hence weakness is sin. The Self within is always shining forth
resplendent. Turning away from that people say "I", "I", "I", with their
attention held up by this material body, this queer cage of flesh and bones.
This is the root of all weakness. From that habit only, the relative outlook
on life has emerged in this world. The absolute Truth lies beyond that
duality.
Disciple: Well, is then all this relative experience not true ?
Swamiji: As long as the idea of "I" remains, it is true. And the instant the
realisation of "I" as the Atman comes, this world of relative existence
becomes false. What people speak of as sin is the result of weakness — is
but another form of the egoistic idea, "I am the body". When the mind gets
steadfast in the truth, "I am the Self", then you go beyond merit and
demerit, virtue and vice. Shri Ramakrishna used to say, "When the 'I' dies,
all trouble is at an end."
Disciple: Sir, this "I" has a most tenacious life. It is very difficult to
kill it.
Swamiji: Yes, in one sense, it is very difficult, but in another sense, it
is quite easy. Can you tell me where this "I" exists? How can you speak of
anything being killed, which never exists at all? Man only remains
hypnotised with the false idea of an ego. When this ghost is off from us,
all dreams vanish, and then it is found that the one Self only exists from
the highest Being to a blade of grass. This will have to be known, to be
realised. All practice or worship is only for taking off this veil. When
that will go, you will find that the Sun of Absolute Knowledge is shining in
Its own lustre. For the Atman only is self-luminous and has to be realised
by Itself. How can that, which can be experienced only by itself be known
with the help of any other thing? Hence the Shruti says, says, "
विज्ञातारमरे केन विजानीयात्—Well, through what means is that to be known
which is the Knower?" Whatever you know, you know through the
instrumentality of your mind. But mind is something material. It is active
only because there is the pure Self behind it. So, how can you know that
Self through your mind? But this only becomes known, after all, that the
mind cannot reach the pure Self, no, nor even the intellect. Our relative
knowledge ends just there. Then, when the mind is free from activity or
functioning, it vanishes, and the Self is revealed. This state has been
described by the commentator Shankara as अपरोक्षानुभूतिः or
supersensuous perception.
Disciple: But, sir, the mind itself is the "I". If that mind is gone, then
the "I" also cannot remain.
Swamiji: Yes, the state that comes then is the real nature of the ego. The "I" that remains then is omnipresent, all-pervading, the Self of all. Just as the Ghatâkâsha, when the jar is broken, becomes the Mahâkâsha,[3] for with the destruction of the jar the enclosed space is not destroyed. The puny "I" which you were thinking of as confined in the body, becomes spread out and is thus realised in the form of the all pervading "I" or the Self. Hence what matters it to the real "I" or the Self, whether the mind remains or is destroyed? What I say you will realise in course of time. " कालेनात्मनि विन्दति—It is realised within oneself in due time." As you go on with Shravana and Manana (proper hearing and proper thinking), you will fully understand it in due time and then you will go beyond mind. Then there will be no room for any such question.
Hearing all this, the disciple remained quiet on his seat, and Swamiji, as
he gently smoked, continued: "How many Shastras have been written to explain
this simple thing, and yet men fail to understand it! How they are vesting
this precious human life on the fleeting pleasures of some silver coins and
the frail beauty of women! Wonderful is the influence of Mahâmâyâ (Divine
Illusion)! Mother! Oh Mother!"
- ↑ Referring, that is to say, to some steps in the Vedic ceremony of a Brahmin's initiation.
- ↑ The special gift which a disciple has to make to his Guru as the symbol of the mutual relation being consummated.
- ↑ Ghatâkâsha and Mahâkâsha are technical terms in Vedanta, meaning the space enclosed by the jar and the omnipresent. The two are one and the same, only the former is limited by the Upâdhi (adjunct) of the Ghata or jar.