of the water in the cake. The noise will continue until the cake is properly fried. The unfried cake may be compared to the disciple, and the boiling butter to the Guru, the spiritual teacher. The sound of teaching is heard so long as the disciple is not perfectly enlightened.

[Non-attachment.] Sri Ramakrishna continued: So long as the individual soul has the slightest attachment to the world of senses and desires it cannot attain to Brahma-Jnana. He is a Jnani who relinquishes all worldly desires and sense-pleasures by saying, "not this, not this," and then realizes the Supreme Brahman in Samadhi.

A Jnani knows that all phenomena of the universe which are subject to evolution, whether physical or mental, are within the realm of Maya; they are unreal and transitory like the objects of vision in a dream. Therefore as one climbs the stairway step by step until the roof is reached, so he rises above them step by step, saying "not this," until he reaches the Absolute Brahman, which is the roof of the phenomenal universe.

A Jnani goes so far as to realize that Brahman is the Absolute Reality and all phenomena unreal. A Vijnani, however, goes farther and

[All phenomena unreal.] realizes more. He sees that the roof and the steps are all made of the same substance. Few can stay long on the roof (the realm of the Absolute). All those who reach this state of Samadhi must return to lower planes, just as no one can sing on "Si," the highest note of the gamut, for a long time. The sense of "I" drags one down. But when a Vijnani returns from Samadhi to a lower plane of consciousness and perceives the world of relativity, he sees the Brahman everywhere, and that the same Absolute Being appears as Jiva and all the phenomena of the universe. He realizes, "I am Brahman," "I am He."

[Jnana-Yoga and Bhakti-Yoga.] There are various paths which lead to the realization of the Absolute Brahman. The path of a Jnani is as good as that of a Bhakta. Jnana-Yoga is true; so is Bhakti-Yoga. There is another path of Bhakti mixed with Jnana which is equally true. So long as the sense of "I, me, mine" remains in the devotee, the path of Bhakti is easier for him.

A Vijnani, however, realizes the Absolute Brahman as the unchangeable Reality of the universe, firm and immutable like the Mount Sumeru. It is beyond all activity of Maya.

[paragraph continues] He also sees that the world has evolved out of the three Gunas (Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas) of the Prakriti or Cosmic energy.