Sl. No. 27 - Sermon - (Mother - the most important wealth)

Dhaka - East Bengal Brahmomandir.
Sunday, 27th Agrahayan, 1293 Bengali Calender [1887 A.D.]

Sita was abducted by Ravana. Rama built a bridge with boulders across the sea and rescued Sita. He had taken a vow to destroy the entire race of Ravana and that is what happened in reality. Ravana was killed along with his sons including Kumbhakarna. Vibhishana alone survived. Then Rama sent for Sita. Sita came in a veiled palanquin. Rama said “All present here are like sons, so bring Sita from the covered vehicle in front of all.” After she came, Rama said, “I have rescued you from the clutches of demons. You may now go wherever you wish.” Lakshman and Hanuman and others started crying and asked, “If you do not accept Sita then why did you take so much of trouble to destroy the entire race of Ravana and rescue her?” In the meanwhile Sita said, “Dear Lakshman, you prepare a fire, I will give a test by fire in the presence of all and prove my chastity,” These facts of Ramayana have been explained in a different way by the honourable Tulsidas. He has asked, “What is Ravana?” He is infatuation. Infatuation is forgetting the Supreme Lord and thinking of samsar as one’s own. Samsar does not mean money, house, wife and children. Samsar is attachment. Tulsidas has called this attachment samsar. He has called this samsar Lanka and Sita jivatma (soul). When the Supreme Lord rescues jivatma from illusion then that jivatma achieves wisdom and realises that God is everything and samsar is futile, but it calls for test by fire to call God one’s own. My Lord, the master of the universe is my God. I belong to Him, He belongs to me. He is life of my life, my heart’s dearest, master of all my life; my only belonging is He. He is omnipotent and is my own. I am left with no worries, no fear if once I can make Him my own. If on one hand I call Him my own and on the other hand, I become restless in the midst of a little storm or illness or become acutely perturbed by worries then I have failed to believe Him to be my own.

One is left with no worries if one knows Him as one’s own. I can become wise and religious and can give up sins and for my self-interest pray, “Oh Lord, make me good—sinless”. But it is very difficult to belong to Him to call him one’s own. Can the one who has known Him to be one’s own ; pray for anything for oneself? He cannot ask anything for his own well being. When that light of light—the Omniscient Supreme Lord notices this state of the soul, He takes tests one by one to prepare that soul better. He asks one at a time. Shall I take away this? This? If you feel pain then I am relenting. If the human soul then says. “Oh Lord, take everything. I can bear with all sacrifices for you. This is no distress for me.” In this situation he removes the desire of the jivatma one by one and then the ordeal by fire starts. Severe tests by fire like abuses, torture, oppression disease, grief will come. He takes the jeevatma as his own, when suffering from all these, the jeevatma becomes dead in the living body. One has to relinquish everything and surrender oneself completely to call Him one’s own. It is not that He will give pleasure only. He will also give pain. No one can call Him his own without undergoing these tests. We may earn salvation at ease, can become pious, but cannot call Him our own easily. I am a trifle. How can I achieve that Master of the universe with myself? He is not asking any price; I am useless; what is the value of my life? He is just showing to me, whether I want Him sincerely; but He knows everything, then why test again? This is to prepare me for Him. There are tests for salvation too; but those are easy. One has to bear with everything to call Him one’s own and to be His servant. Just as stones bear even thunderbolts and trees weather so many storms and rain, similarly one has to be as enduring as the trees.

I want nothing else but my Master. Oh Master I want only you! What does it matter if you burn me by giving me humiliation, sorrow, distress? What does it matter when someone is kicking me or torturing me? I say “Oh Master it does not matter whatever you do but make me your own.“ If I do not want to face these tests He will say, “Go wherever you wish.” Insults, beating, poverty—all these are trifling things. What value do these have? All these are but His illusions. It is also a test if my body is cut to pieces and salt applied. That is why whatever tests by fire may come, if we can take them as the Supreme Lord’s gifts and blessings, if in reality the soul achieves this state only then can we focus a little on God.

When I was a new born child, I had no strength of my own; my parents could have killed me, but He protected me by being within my parents. I had so many relatives who have disappeared after death; friends have gone. No one is my own. When I shall die, no one will accompany me, my wife, my son, nor any of my wealth will go with me. I did not know who accompanied me when I came. Shall I not be able to see or realise the helmsman of the ocean of the world, my companion forever as I depart? I have now realized and identified that Supreme being. I do have my mother, my most important wealth. You may tell me whatever you want, but I shall not react, I shall just tell my mother. I have my mother who is my shelter in this world and in the after world. Let whatever trials by fire come, let her make me her own by burning me in it. As I belong to her, I shall keep dancing and singing in this world and in the world after.