cunning." Do you not see that whenever God has taken a human form, this great virtue of guilelessness has never failed to come to view? Look at Dasaratha, the father of Rama, and Nanda Ghosh, the father of Sri Krishna. They were both free from guile. (To a young disciple) Like men of the world, you have accepted a position, but you are working for your mother. Otherwise I should have said: "For shame! For shame! You must serve only the Lord." (To Mani Mullik) This young man is open and guileless to a degree; only nowadays he occasionally tells untruths, that is all. The other day he said that he would come to see me, but he did not. (To Mahendra) You went to see Bhagavan Das; how did you like him?

Mahendra: Yes, Revered Sir, I went to see him. The great Vaishnava sage has become very old. He was lying down when I saw him; a disciple put some food into his mouth. He can hear only when addressed in loud tones. After hearing Thy name, he said to me: "You need not fear anything. Ramakrishna is a

[paragraph continues] Divine Manifestation. To worship His name is to worship God."

Here Mahima came in and the Bhagavan exclaimed: This is a visit quite unexpected! We expect at most a shallop in this poor river of ours, yet here comes a ship! But then it is the rainy season!

The conversation next turned on the spiritual aspect of feasts and the Bhagavan said to Mahima: Why is it that people are fed at a feast? Do you not think that it is the same as offering a sacrifice to God who is the Living Fire in all creatures? But bad men, not God-fearing, guilty of adultery and fornication, should on no account be entertained at a feast. Their sins are so great that several cubits of earth beneath the place where they eat become polluted.

iii

Protap Chunder Mozoomdar, [**] a member of the Brahmo-Samaj, entered and saluted Sri

[paragraph continues] Ramakrishna. The Bhagavan, as usual, returned his salutation with His well-known modesty, bowing very low. Mozoomdar said: Revered Sir, I have recently been to Darjeeling.

Sri Ramakrishna: But you do not appear to be much the better for the change. What is the matter with you?

Mozoomdar: The same complaint to which Keshab Chunder Sen succumbed.

[Egotism rises from ignorance.] A certain Mahratta lady was then spoken of. Mozoomdar said that she had been to England and had embraced Christianity. He asked the Bhagavan whether He had ever heard of the woman. The Bhagavan replied: No, but from what I hear from you, I should think she must be a person who wishes to make a name for herself. Egotism of this kind is not good. Those who seek for fame are under a delusion. "I do this or that," this sense arises from ignorance. But "O Lord, Thou art doing everything" is true

knowledge. God is the real Actor, others are actors in name only.