Sl. No. 17 - Sermon - (My God is a reality. Can my soul be satisfied by just imagining Him?)

Dhaka - East Bengal Brahmomandir
Sunday, 28th Bhadra, 1293–Bengali Calender, [1887 A.D.]

Once I was looking in different directions from the spot where the bridge over the river Ganga has been built in Kolkata city. Being close to Howrah, innumerable carts, vehicles, people were moving over it. There were steamers, boats on both sides of the Ganga. I was thinking with amazement that so many vehicles, people were plying in such a short time, so many businesses were running all at once. Some were shouting with an offer of lifting utensils from wells, some offered food for sale. Thus different people had different things to offer. Each one of these men had some or the other expertise which I can learn from them while sitting at their feet. Each one of them is superior to me in some way or the other. I cannot do what they can. How small is the earth compared to the universe.

And compared to the earth India is but a small country, and in its comparison, Kolkata is a small city and even this spot is a very small one in comparison with Kolkata. It looks like nothing in comparison with the universe. My mind cannot conceive whatever is happening in this insignificant spot during this short period of time, forget about understanding the universe! Alas! how small I am! What is surprising is that being so small I was thinking of myself to be so big; I now find this to be my ignorance. How little is the knowledge that I have in me to learn various subjects. I am unable to learn whatever is happening in this spot within this short period. Yet I consider myself wise and learned. When I understood that each one of so many people had some or the other expertise that I could learn from them, then it appeared in my mind that dharma is a serious matter—the entire universe is nothing compared to the Master of the three worlds, the Endless. What do I, the smallest entity, know about Him? As I think, I find that I have just learnt a few words. By introspection I find that though I utter the words “Satyam, Jnyanam, Anantam” (Truth, Knowledge, Eternity) and although these get attached to my heart, yet these characteristics are flowing from outside to inside instead of coming from the heart. Thus I cannot utter many matters of the Upanishads from the core of my heart. Thus I find that whatever I am speaking on dharma, none of these are words of my own. These are just what I have heard, read and got out of my impressions. I just have only one attraction at the core of my heart which is – “I and the world have one creator. My heart draws me towards Him, it wants to know Him.” I have not learnt this lesson from anywhere, this attraction is a matter of my heart. It is because of this attraction that worship and adoration of the Supreme Lord goes on throughout the world—prayers are being offered to Him. The worldly matters have snatched away this attraction to God from my heart; it is just the ego in me that is not allowing me to realise the hollowness of my heart.

Since that day I have understood that I am unworthy, nothing. Since that day I felt, what sermon can a person like me deliver? But I cannot help expressing the matters stored in my heart and thus say, I do not deliver sermons. Why do I mention this? Because I find that though at times I talk of dharma, leave alone the essence of dharma, not even a seed of dharma has germinated in my heart. It is necessary to examine that when we are asked, “Are all these that you say, based on your own experiences?” Can I then say, “Yes, these are my direct experiences?” I just say verbally that God is omnipresent, but this is not felt practically. I cannot say from the core of my heart like Prahlad, “My God does exist in this pillar of quartz glass.” Why will the Supreme Lord, the God who manifested Himself before Prahlad, not reveal Himself to me? Though I am very small, He is definitely pulling me towards Himself. Everyone should examine whether this attraction exists in one’s heart. To which direction is this attraction moving? —towards wife, son, wealth and property, fame or prestige? Irrespective of the counsellor delivering thousands of sermons, nothing can take me to the path of dharma if I do not feel the pull towards that Wisdom and Bliss, the Truth and Beauty. Only this pull alone can save.

An almost dried up river with still some current in it will definitely reach the ocean someday; but without any current at all someday it will turn into a closed water bowl containing mud and herbs. Similarly if I have that little attraction to God, inspite of my heart being dry, then it is certain that one day I will unite with Him. In the absence of that attraction, the heart will become narrower and narrower and will advance towards groupism. Worship will turn into jugglary of words. Work will become the result of greed and fame. Even if you do not speak, but if you have that pull for Him, if you can call Him from the core of your heart, the very next moment you will find the plant of dharma has grown and it will blossom with flowers and fruits. In the absence of this pull in your heart, you will achieve nothing by hopping from community to community.

Without the pull in the heart, even the name of the Lord fails to make the heart succulent. The heart further dries up irrespective of your calling Him ‘Lord of the soul’, ‘Friend of the destitute’. Your heart will melt away on hearing someone taking His name even on the street, if you have the attraction for Him. The Supreme Lord has given this attraction Himself to all human hearts. When this attraction does not flow towards other matters, it will automatically flow towards Him, then other elements will also co-operate. The stream of the Ganga moves towards the ocean with force, but instead of moving towards the ocean had the stream flown into the tributaries, then it would have dried up soon. Yet since it moves towards the ocean, its tributaries flow with greater force—penetrating hills and other things on their way. In the same manner if the hearts of the human beings also flow towards wife and children instead of flowing towards the Supreme Lord, then their hearts too become dry. But the moment his heart moves towards God then his wife and children extend cooperation and make him move faster by imparting greater force to him. He then overcomes various obstacles and reaches Him.

We shall not get carried away by anything external. We shall not wait to see if sweet words are used during prayers—or whether the song of prayer was perfect. We shall just see whether our heart has that attraction for him. This is because none of the external matters will be of help at the time of my death—the only companion will be the thing related to my soul. Will it do just to call Him “My Lord”? My God is a reality. Can my soul be satisfied by just imagining Him? If we imagine having taken food and drink, does it satiate our hunger and thirst? Similarly what is the use of imagining the true God? Who is as unfortunate as me if I cannot have the direct vision of Him, and then tell others? I have spent many days like this—the mind’s attraction has scattered all around because of bad habits nurtured over the years. You all please bless me so that I may collect together my scattered mind and start proceeding towards God. You all please give me that current so that I may move towards the ocean with force.

I can no longer waste time uselessly, I want that essence, the true God. I want that refuge of the poor, that friend of the destitute—the Lord of my soul. Let everything else become pure in contact with Him. May I be blessed by surrendering my soul to the Absolute Lord—all that is Truth, Beauty and Goodness.

Oh the refuge of the poor, friend of the destitute, have mercy, have mercy, have mercy. Lift me up quickly, Fill me with Your current, day and night. I know nothing—I know nothing.