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Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna

Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna

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<strong>Tales</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Parables</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sri</strong> <strong>Ramakrishna</strong><br />

immemorial?" Now <strong>and</strong> then a kind <strong>of</strong> scepticism<br />

would creep into his soul <strong>and</strong> fill his mind with<br />

intense agony. But his inborn intuition revealed to<br />

him the evanescent nature <strong>of</strong> the objects <strong>of</strong> senseenjoyment<br />

<strong>and</strong> the presence <strong>of</strong> a deeper reality<br />

behind the phenomena. He conceived <strong>of</strong> God as<br />

our Eternal Mother who is ever ready to grant us<br />

the priceless boon <strong>of</strong> divine wisdom if we only<br />

turn our gaze from the shadowy objects <strong>of</strong> this<br />

world. For a few days he worshipped the Deity<br />

following the rituals <strong>and</strong> ceremonies <strong>of</strong> his<br />

ancestors. But his was a soul not to be satisfied<br />

with a mere mechanical observance <strong>of</strong> religion. He<br />

craved for the vision <strong>of</strong> God.<br />

Soon, before the onrush <strong>of</strong> his fervour, formalities<br />

<strong>of</strong> religion were swept away. Henceforth his<br />

worship consisted <strong>of</strong> the passionate cry <strong>and</strong> prayer<br />

<strong>of</strong> a child pained at the separation from his beloved<br />

Mother. For hours he would sing the songs<br />

composed by seers <strong>of</strong> God. Tears, then, would<br />

flow continuously from his eyes. He would weep<br />

<strong>and</strong> pray, "O Mother! Where art Thou? Reveal<br />

Thyself to me. Many devotees before me obtained<br />

Thy grace. Am I a wretch that Thou dost not come<br />

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