[True meaning of Gita.] Take the sacred book of Bhagavad Gita. What does it teach? If you wish to know it repeat the name "Gita" ten times in quick succession--"Gi-ta, gi-ta, gi-," etc. It will sound like "tagi, tagi," which has the same meaning as the Sanskrit word "Tyagi," that is, one who has renounced everything of the world for the sake of the Lord. One truth which Bhagavad Gita teaches is this: "O Jiva, giving up attachment to objects and pleasures of the world, struggle to realize God." The mind of a man (whether a saint or a householder) must be free from all attachment to the world. Then and then alone the heart will be purified and the Absolute will be realized.

Chaitanya Deva [**] (God Incarnate of Nuddea),

when travelling on a pilgrimage in the Deccan (Southern India), saw in one place a man reading aloud the texts of the Gita. At a little distance another man, with unrestrainable tears running down his cheeks, was listening. Chaitanya Deva asked him whether he understood the meaning of the texts. The poor man replied: "My Lord, I do not understand one word of what the Pandit is reading." Chaitanya Deva questioned him: "Why are you weeping, then?" The devotee answered: "I see the chariot of Arjuna, and the Blessed Lord Krishna is speaking before him. This Divine vision brings tears of love to my eyes."

Sri Ramakrishna continued: You may ask why does a Vijnani prefer to have Bhakti (love and devotion)? The answer is--Because it is difficult for one to be free from the sense of "I." In the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi, [**] it may vanish for the time being, but it comes back again; while for ordinary individuals it is almost impossible to eliminate this sense of "I, me and mine." However many times you may cut

[Sense of "I."] off the branches of the Aswatthwa tree, so long as the root is alive new branches will sprout; similarly you may try to get rid of the sense of "I, "but so long as the root is alive it will sprout up again and again. Even after acquiring Brahma-Jnana the emancipated soul is forced back to the plane of this "Aham" sense of "I."

If you dream of a tiger you will tremble in every limb and your heart will throb violently. When you wake up you may realize that it was a mere dream, but still your heart will go on palpitating all the same. Similarly the sense of "I" remains even after the realization of the Absolute.

Thus, if the sense of "I" is the cause of all troubles and it is impossible to he free from it, let it stay on as "I," the servant of the Lord.