The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

X years earlier, you had given this book a try... but tossed it aside, annoyed, after the statement (as you recall it): "bhakti-yoga is for sentimental people".
In 2020, you do no longer mind this derogatory assessment - actually, you take above statement as a compliment.
As such, you do want to give the book another try... but plan to

• ignore his mayavadi angles (they are confusing and pretentious: "I am Brahman / Jezus / Mohammed / " blablabla), and 
• simply focus on his statements on bhakti-yoga, which are pleasantly accurate: "The devotee of God wants to eat sugar, not to become sugar." :)

Volume1, Chapter 3 - VISIT TO VIDYASAGAR:

"In the Kaliyuga, man, being totally dependent on food for life, cannot altogether shake off the idea that he is the body. In this state of mind it is not proper for him to say, 'I am He.' When a man does all sorts of worldly things, he should not say, 'I am Brahman.' Those who cannot give up attachment to worldly things, and who find no means to shake off the feeling of 'I', should rather cherish the idea, 'I am God's servant; I am His devotee.' One can also realize God by following the path of devotion."

Volume 1, Chapter 4 - ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS:

There is a special manifestation of God's power in a man who has any outstanding gift, such as proficiency in music.

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You may say that there are many errors and superstitions in another religion.  I should reply: Suppose there are.  Every religion has errors.  Everyone thinks that his watch alone gives the correct time.  It is enough to have yearning for God.  It is enough to love Him and feel attracted to Him: Don't you know that God is the Inner Guide? He sees the longing of our heart and the yearning of our soul.  Suppose a man has several sons.  The older boys address him distinctly as 'Baba' or 'Papa', but the babies can at best call him 'Ba' or 'Pa'.  Now, will the father be angry with those who address him in this indistinct way? The father knows that they too are calling him, only they cannot pronounce his name well.  All children are the same to the father.  Likewise, the devotees call on God alone, though by different names.  They call on one Person only.  God is one, but His names are many.

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The blossom drops off when the fruit appears.  One doesn't have to do one's duty after the attainment of God, nor does one feel like doing it then.

    If a drunkard takes too much liquor he cannot retain consciousness.  If he takes only two or three glasses, he can go on with his work.  As you advance nearer and nearer to God, He will reduce your activities little by little.  Have no fear. 

Finish the few duties you have at hand, and then you will have peace.  When the mistress of the house goes to bathe after finishing her cooking and other household duties, she won't come back, however you may shout after her.

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One must propitiate the Divine Mother, the Primal Energy, in order to obtain God's grace.  

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There is no use in merely making a noise if you want to establish the Deity in the shrine of your heart, if you want to realize God.  First of all purify the mind.  In the pure heart God takes His seat.  One cannot bring the holy image into the temple if the droppings of bats are all around.  The eleven bats are our eleven organs: five of action, five of perception, and the mind. 

First of all invoke the Deity, and then give lectures to your heart's content.  First of all dive deep.  Plunge to the bottom and gather up the gems.  Then you may do other things.  But nobody wants to plunge.  People are without spiritual discipline and prayer, without renunciation and dispassion.  They learn a few words and immediately start to deliver lectures.

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Maya is nothing but 'woman and gold'.  A man living in its midst gradually loses his spiritual alertness.  He thinks all is well with him.  The scavenger carries a tub of night-soil on his head, and in course of time loses his repulsion to it.  One gradually acquires love of God through the practice of chanting God's name and glories.  (To M.) One should not be ashamed of chanting God's holy name.  As the saying   goes, 'One does not succeed so long as one has these three: shame, hatred, and fear.'

Volume 1, Chapter 5 - THE MASTER AND KESHAB

I tell you the truth: there is nothing wrong in your being in the world. But you must direct your mind toward God; otherwise you will not succeed.
Do your duty with one hand and with the other hold to God. After the duty is over, you will hold to God with both hands.
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Even if one lives in the world, one must go into solitude now and then. It will be of great help to a man if he goes away from his family, lives alone, and weeps for God even for three days. Even if he thinks of God for one day in solitude, when he has the leisure, that too will do him good. People shed a whole jug of tears for wife and children. But who cries for the Lord? Now and then one must go into solitude and practise spiritual discipline to realize God. Living in the world and entangled in many of its duties, the aspirant, during the first stage of spiritual life, finds many obstacles in the path of concentration. While the trees on the foot-path are young, they must be fenced around; otherwise they will be destroyed by cattle. The fence is necessary when the tree is young, but it can be taken away when the trunk is thick and strong. Then the tree won't be hurt even if an elephant is tied to it.
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Whether you accept Radha and Krishna, or not, please do accept their attraction for each other. Try to create that same yearning in your heart for God. Yearning is all you need in order to realize Him.
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There is only one Guru, and that is Satchidananda. He alone is the Teacher. My attitude toward God is that of a child toward its mother. One can get human gurus by the million. All want to be teachers. But who cares to be a disciple?
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In the Kaliyuga the best way is bhaktiyoga, the path of devotion — singing the praises of the Lord, and prayer. The path of devotion alone is the religion for this age. (To the Brahmo devotees) Yours also is the path of devotion. Blessed you are indeed that you chant the name of Hari and sing the Divine Mother's glories. I like your attitude. You don't call the world a dream, like the non-dualists. You are not Brahmajnanis like them; you are bhaktas, lovers of God. That you speak of Him as a Person is also good. You are devotees. You will certainly realize Him if you call on Him with sincerity and earnestness.

Volume 1, Chapter 6 - THE MASTER WITH THE BRAHMO DEVOTEES (I)

t is possible for a man to see the forms of God, or to think of Him as a Person, only so long as he is conscious that he is a devotee. From the standpoint of discrimination this 'ego of a devotee' keeps him a little away from God.

"Do you know why images of Krishna or Kali are three and a half cubits high? Because of distance. Again, on account of distance the sun appears to be small. But if you go near it you will find the sun so big that you won't be able to comprehend it. Why have images of Krishna and Kali a dark-blue colour? That too is on account of distance, like the water of a lake, which appears green, blue, or black from a distance. Go near, take the water in the palm of your hand, and you will find that it has no colour. The sky also appears blue from a distance. Go near and you will see that it has no colour at all.

"Therefore I say that in the light of Vedantic reasoning Brahman has no attributes. The real nature of Brahman cannot be described. But so long as your individuality is real, the world also is real, and equally real are the different forms of God and the feeling that God is a Person.

"Yours is the path of bhakti. That is very good; it is an easy path. Who can fully know the infinite God? and what need is there of knowing the infinite? Having attained this rare human birth, my supreme need is to develop love for the Lotus Feet of God.

"If a jug of water is enough to remove my thirst, why should I measure the quantity of water in a lake? I become drunk on even half a bottle of wine — what is the use of my calculating the quantity of liquor in the tavern? What need is there of knowing the Infinite?
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Bhakti is the one essential thing.  Who can ever know God through reasoning? I want love of God.  What do I care about knowing His infinite glories? One bottle of wine makes me drunk.  What do I care about knowing how many gallons there are in the grog-shop? One jar of water is enough to quench my thirst.  I don't need to know the amount of water there is on earth."
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You asked about caste distinctions.  There is only one way to remove them, and that is by love of God.  Lovers of God have no caste.  Through this divine love the untouchable becomes pure, the pariah no longer remains a pariah.  Chaitanya embraced all, including the pariahs.
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Speaking of householders entangled in worldliness, the Master said: "They are like the silk-worm.  They can come out of the cocoon of their worldly life if they wish.  But they can't bear to; for they themselves have built the cocoon with great love and care.  So they die there.  Or they are like the fish in a trap.  They can come out of it by the way they entered, but they sport inside the trap with other fish and hear the sweet sound of the murmuring water and forget everything else.  They don't even make an effort to free themselves from the trap.  The lisping of children is the murmur of the water; and the other fish are relatives and friends.  Only one or two make good their escape by running away.  They are the liberated souls.
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Volume 1, Chapter 7 - THE MASTER AND VIJAY GOSWAMI

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BOOK:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gospel_of_Sri_Ramakrishna
https://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/gospel/gospel.htm
https://shop.advaitaashrama.org/product/the-gospel-of-sri-ramakrishna-royal/
AUDIO-book:
https://soundcloud.com/ramakrishnamath/sets/gospel-of-sri-ramakrishna-english-audio-book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-moMFsEgbHs&
CONTEXT
http://www.vedanta-nl.org/menu.htm