Form-Formless

Compendious Devotion

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This story is very interesting.

Why do we worship? Why do we pray? Why do we do pooja? Why do we offer Namaz? Why do we recite Quran, Gita? Why do we perform all these external affairs? Who should do this? And when should we do this?

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One day, Totapuri Ji was sanyaasi, went to Dakshineshwar. He practiced an ordinance, he always stayed a site for only three days, and then left it. He came from Kaashi.

In Dakshineshwar, he saw Gadadhar Ji. He was no other than later called, Ramakrishna Paramhansa Ji. Seeing the boy with a majestic future as a spiritual giant, he thought that he should be given Vedanta Diksha. He went to Gadadhar Ji and asked him if he wished to learn Vedanta from him. Gadadhar Ji said that he had to ask His Mother, for Her consent. Totapuri Ji thought that the boy had immense respect for His Mother, and had gone to His ‘biological’ Mother, for permission. Gadadhar Ji went to Maa Kali and asked Her if he should take the Diksha. She appeared before him, in chinmaya form, and told him that Totapuri Ji had visited Dakshineshwar, for that purpose itself. He returned back and told Totapuri Ji that his Mother had permitted him to take Diksha. The practice began.

Totapuri Ji asked Gadadhar Ji to sit and focus his attention at his eyebrow center. And, he asked him to delete all the thoughts, to focus on the ‘Light’. Whenever Gadadhar Ji focussed his attention, he always saw Maa Kaali in front of him. He asked his Guru that he always saw the form of Maa Kaali, and said that he could not foster over the Light. Totapuri Ji picked up a piece of glass, lying on the floor, and pierced it at Gadadhar’s eyebrow center. Then, he forced him to stream his focus, and asked him to cut the form of Mother into two halves, with his knowledge.

The form was not left anymore, he killed it. Gadadhar Ji united with the Divine Oneness, and slipped into Nirvikalpa Samadhi (The state in which nothing is left, except pure energy). He remained in that state for three days and three nights, uninterrupted, with no heart beat, and respiration. Totapuri Ji was shocked and thought that he had performed rigid tapasya for forty years, and attained the State. He was dumbfound seeing the young boy, achieving that within minutes. Gadadhar Ji remained in that state for even longer, but Totapuri Ji began reciting OM in his ears, and massaged his feet. Soon, the boy came back to the normal consciousness, and woke up. This was the moment when Totapuri Ji gave the Name “Ramakrishna” to Gadadhari Ji.

Then, Totapuri Ji stayed with Ramakrishna Ji for six months. The man didn’t stayed for an hour, more than three days, stayed with Ramakrishna Ji for six months. Despite being in Divine proximity of Ramakrishna Ji, he didn’t believe in Shakti.

Totapuri Ji used to perform a ritual of lighting dhuni (fire). A man was passing by the banks of the Ganga. He lit his cigar from the hot cinders of the alter. Seeing the act, Totapuri Ji became furious and could not bear the insult. He began howling, shaking his hands in revenge. Ramakrishna Ji came and held his hand tightly. He said that as he had attained the state of Eternal knowledge, he could see his Inner Self within the form of the prankster as well. He was the same as Totapuri Ji himself. Ramakrishna Ji said that that was wrong on his part to be angry on the children of ‘Mother’. Totapuri Ji realized his mistake and held the blazing cinders in his hands, and promised never to be furious again.

One day, Totapuri Ji had severe pain in his stomach. Dysentery agonized him inside out. Watery bowels weakened him. He thought that that was the time to renounce his physical body. He thought that the main purpose of life was to attain enlightenment. He began pacing across the width of the Ganga and moved to and fro between the banks. The grand depth of the river was no match to his powers, the waters appeared levelled till his knees. He returned after those sacraments and lit a dhuni (fire). After hours of penance, he was left hopeless, and asked for some solutions. Ramakrishna Ji came and told him that as he was not believing His Mother, She punished him for the faithlessness. He asked Totapuri Ji to come with him to Mother.

Totapuri Ji went with him, and placed his steps over the cool floor of Mother’s abode. And, both of them saw the real chinmaya form of Mother before themselves. The sight brought tears in Totapuri Ji’s eyes, the premaashru. The Guru and Shishya hugged each other. He stayed with Ramakrishna Ji for six months, and conversed with Mother, as Thakur Ji used to.

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Moral: Whatever we are doing, we should be aware that we are not the doer, God is the doer.