Reminiscence of Swami Turiyananda:
"Be a devotee, but don't be a fool!" One must be alert at all times. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: "Look at me! The Divine Mother has placed me in such a state that I can hardly keep clothes on my body, yet I am not forgetful." The Master told us, "He who is careless is foolish." Sri Ramakrishna used to scold anyone who was careless. Carelessness is a defect of character. The Master was never slow in his actions, but at the same time he did not like to hurry or bustle. To be a human being is to be alert, conscious. If one must lose consciousness, he should do so with full consciousness [in samadhi] like Sri Ramakrishna. The Master used to lose external consciousness in ecstasy when someone would sing a devotional song. But even a slight mistake in the music would cause him pain, bringing him back to ordinary consciousness. |