Brahmin: In Benares, Dayananda had long theological discussions with the other pandits. In the end all the pandits unanimously stood on one side, while he stood alone on the other; and then the pandits drove him from the city by raising the outcry: "Dayananda's position is false and must not be accepted!" I also saw Colonel Olcott, the Theosophist. The theosophists believe in the existence of the Mahatmas, the realm of the moon, the realm of the sun and the astral realms. They believe that the astral bodies go to these places and so on. Revered Sir, what dost Thou think of Theosophy?

[Devotion to the Supreme.] Ramakrishna: Bhakti, devotion to the Supreme, is the only thing worth having. Do they seek Bhakti? Then it is good. If their aim be the realization of God, then they are all right; but by simply dwelling upon these realms and Mahatmas one cannot search after God. One should practise Sadhana (devotional exercises) to attain true Bhakti.

[paragraph continues] One should have extreme longing for realization. One should gather up all the mental activities and concentrate them upon Him. Realization of God does not come so easily; it requires a great deal of Sadhana. A man asked: "Why can I not see God?" I replied: "If you wish to catch a big fish, which lives in deep water, you will have to make many preparations to attract him. You must get the line, rod, hook and float; you must put on savory bait; then when you see bubbles in the water, you may know that he has come near. Similarly, if you wish to see God, devote yourself to the practice of true Bhakti."

[Bhakti and Jnana.] A devotee: Which is better, Bhakti or Jnana?

Ramakrishna: The highest form of Bhakti comes through extreme love for God. Three friends were walking through a forest. A tiger appeared. One of them cried out: "Brother, we shall be devoured by the tiger"; the second said: "Why shall we be devoured? Come, let us pray to the Lord." Hearing this, the third one replied: "Oh no, why trouble the Lord? Let us climb this tree." The man who said, "We shall be devoured," did not know that the Lord is the protector of all; he who wished to pray to the Lord

was a Jnani; he knew that the Lord is the Creator, Protector and Destroyer of all phenomena; but the third man, who said, "Why trouble the Lord, let us climb the tree," was a true lover of God. He had had the taste of Divine Love, the highest form of Bhakti. In one aspect of Divine Love (Prema) the lover thinks of himself as greater than the object of love; he has the constant desire to protect the Beloved and make Him happy by removing all troubles and anxieties. The Gopis had true Prema, or Divine Love.