The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, San Francisco

“Suppose at the Name of the Lord your hair stands on end or tears of joy start from your eyes; verily I say unto you the term is over for your ‘work for the Lord.’” – Sri Ramakrishna (1836 – 1886).

These are the first words of the great Hindu saint Sri Ramakrishna chronicled by his future disciple, Mahendranath Gupta (M.) in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. It is an extraordinary document of spirituality, which makes spirituality simple to practice for a person in any situation in life. You practice spirituality while continuing to carry out the duties and responsibilities of life, but those duties are not the end of life. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna takes you where you stand and lifts you up one step at a time without stopping until you reach the highest heights of spirituality.

“Sandhya ends in Gayatri; Gayatri, in the simple symbol Om.”- Sri Ramakrishna

The drama of his banter, songs, preaching, ecstasy, worship, and love is vividly and minutely recorded by M. in the setting of Dakshineswar Temple and surrounding areas. Great monks, students, businessmen, meditators, and seekers of truth came to him and nobody went away empty-handed.

"Here the Gods are ministered unto from day to day -- from morning till night. Here too holy men and the poor are daily fed out of the offerings made to the Deity." – Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 19, 2014.

The sign of a devotee is transcendental joy. He cannot be judged by the ordinary standards of the secular world.
“The first sign of knowledge is a peaceful nature, and the second is absence of egotism. You have both. There are other indications of a jnani. He shows intense dispassion in the presence of a sadhu, is a lion when at work, for instance when he lectures, and is full of wit before his wife.” (All laugh) “But the nature of the vijnani is quite different, as was the case with Chaitanyadeva. He acts like a child or a madman or an inert thing or a ghoul. While in the mood of a child, he sometimes shows childlike guilelessness, sometimes the frivolity of adolescence, and sometimes, while instructing others, the strength of a young man.” - Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
According to the Sanskrit devotional classic, Bhagavata Purana, the highest devotee sees God in all beings and all beings in God.
“There are two types of paramahamsas, the jnani and premi. The jnani is self-centered. He feels it is enough to have knowledge for his own sake. The premi, like Sukadeva, after attaining his own realization teaches men. Some eat mangos and wipe off the traces from their mouths.” – Sri Ramakrishna in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 20, 2014.

You don’t say you have faith in something when you know it to be a fact because you experience it and rely on it every day. Similarly, all the doubts about God can only be resolved when you have direct experience of God - when you have realized God.
“Another devotee wrote the name of Rama on a leaf and handed it to a man who wanted to cross the sea, saying, 'Fear not, my friend; have faith and walk across the deep. But mind you do not show any want of faith: for then you will be drowned.' The man had tied up the leaf within the folds of his cloth. He went his way, walking on the sea. As he went, he was seized with a desire to look at the writing. He brought out the leaf and read and the name of Rama (God) written large upon it. At this, he thought to himself, 'Only the name of Rama! Is that all?' And on the instant with loss of faith, down he went under the water!” – Sri Ramakrishna in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 21, 2014.

From the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
-“The Ever-Free, like Narada, the Holy Sage, are those who abide in the world for the sake of others – in order to teach the Truth to others.”
-“The Worldly are they who are attached to the little things of this world – money, honours, titles, sense pleasures and power. They forget God and never give a thought to Him.”
-“The Seekers After Liberation do their best to avoid the world, made up as it is of ‘Lust and Gold.’ But it is given to only a few amongst them to find what they seek, namely, Liberation.”
-“The Liberated are those who are not attached to either ‘Lust’ or to ‘Gold.’ Holy men are examples of these. In their minds there is not a trace of attachment to the things of this world. They meditate always on the Hallowed Feet of the Lord.”

This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 22, 2014.

How does a worldly person spend his life?

-“The bound souls never think of God. If they get any leisure they indulge in idle gossip and foolish talk, or they engage in fruitless work. If you ask one of them the reason, he answers, ‘Oh, I cannot keep still; so I am making a hedge.’ When time hangs heavy on their hands they perhaps start playing cards.” There was deep silence in the room. – Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

What is the meaning of complete renunciation?

-A husband and wife renounced the world and jointly undertook a pilgrimage to various holy shrines. Once as they were walking along the road, the husband being a little ahead of the wife saw a piece of diamond on the road. Immediately he began to scratch the ground to hide the diamond in it, thinking that if his wife saw it perhaps she might be moved by avarice and thus lose the merit of her renunciation. While he was scratching the ground the wife came up and asked him what he was doing. He gave, in an apologetic tone, an evasive reply. She, however, finding not the diamond and reading his thoughts remarked, ‘why have you left the world if you still feel the distinction between the diamond and the dust?’ – Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

How does a man come to Vairagya (dispassion for worldly enjoyment)?

-A wife once said to her husband, "Dear, I am very anxious about my brother. For the past one week, he has been thinking of becoming an ascetic and he is making preparations for it. He is trying to reduce gradually all his desires and wants." The husband replied, "Dear, be not at all anxious about your brother. He will never be a mendicant. No one can become a sannyasin in that way. You cannot renounce things in installments." "How does one become a sannyasin, then?" asked his wife. "It is done in this way." So saying he tore into pieces his flowing dress, took a piece of it, tied it around his body and told his wife that she and all others are now mothers and sisters and brothers for him. He left the house, nevermore to return. – Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 23, 2014.

From the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
-"At one time there was a drought in a certain part of the country. The farmers began to cut long channels to bring water to their fields. One farmer was stubbornly determined. He took a vow that he would not stop digging until the channel connected his field with the river. He set to work. The time came for his bath, and his wife sent their daughter to him with oil. 'Father,' said the girl, 'it is already late. Rub your body with oil and take your bath.' 'Go away!' thundered the farmer. 'I have too much to do now.' It was past midday, and the farmer was still at work in his field. He didn't even think of his bath. Then his wife came and said: 'Why haven't you taken your bath? The food is getting cold. You overdo everything. You can finish the rest tomorrow or even today after dinner.' The farmer scolded her furiously and ran at her, spade in hand, crying: 'What? Have you no sense? There's no rain. The crops are dying. What will the children eat? You'll all starve to death. I have taken a vow not to think of bath and food today before I bring water to my field.' The wife saw his state of mind and ran away in fear. Through a whole day's back-breaking labour the farmer managed by evening to connect his field with the river. Then he sat down and watched the water flowing into his field with a murmuring sound. His mind was filled with peace and joy. He went home, called his wife, and said to her, 'Now give me some oil and prepare me a smoke.' With serene mind he finished his bath and meal, and retired to bed, where he snored to his heart's content. The determination he showed is an example of strong renunciation.
-"Now, there was another farmer who was also digging a channel to bring water to his field. His wife, too, came to the field and said to him: 'It's very late. Come home. It isn't necessary to overdo things.' The farmer didn't protest much, but put aside his spade and said to his wife, 'Well, I'll go home since you ask me to.' (All laugh) That man never succeeded in irrigating his field. This is a case of mild renunciation. "As without strong determination the farmer cannot bring water to his field, so also without intense yearning a man cannot realize God."

This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 24, 2014.