Kathamrita Volume II - Swami Vivekananda

matters. A widowed aunt says, ‘Mother, theycan’t celebrate Durga Puja without me. I evenhave to mould the image. I have to organizeeverything whenever there is a marriage in thefamily. Only then is it conducted properly. Ihave to arrange the flowerbed for the bride andthe groom, and even supervise the catechugarden.’Mani — How can we blame them for it? Howelse will they pass the time?Sri Ramakrishna (smiling) —People have ashrine on the roof of the house where theyworship Narayana. Women prepare flowerofferings and grind sandal paste in the shrine,but they don’t talk a word about God. They talkabout such things as what is to be cookedtoday, whether they could get the right stuff inthe market, such-and-such a dish was tastyyesterday, that boy is a cousin, what job onehas, and ‘Don’t ask how I am doing. My Hariis not here.’“Imagine, they talk of all these worldly thingsin the shrine even at the time of worship!”Mani — Sir, generally speaking, that is so. Asyou say, he who has love for God doesn’t haveto perform worship and sandhya [12] for long.Chapter IV