Reminiscences of Sargachhi

Question: यद्यदाचरतत श्रेष्ठसतत्तदरेवरेतरो जनिः। ‘Whatever a superior person does, others do the same thing!’ (Gita 3:21) – What does this statement mean?

SRIMAT SWAMI SUHITANANDA JI

Maharaj: The natural tendency of people is to blindly imitate eminent men. In the Bhagavad Gita there is a beautiful harmony of Jnana, Bhakti, Yoga, and Karma; we find the same in Sri Ramakrishna. On the surface, his talks appear to be based on devotion, but what flights of Yoga and Jnana are there! The more you attain Jnana, the more you know the truth about Him; and seeing Him in all beings you’ll feel attracted to Him. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Yogi; he would enter into the state of samadhi every other moment. And what have people done! They have made him wear a kanthi (necklace of beads worn by devout Vaishnavas). When the mass dictates the culture, degradation follows invariably.

Wherever there is a degradation of religion, He incarnates. But He doesn’t appear among those who do not have an excellent character. People without a great character follow the laws of nature – their intellect will not be developed enough to break those laws. The more the intellect is cultivated, the more the physical vitality diminishes and health deteriorates. As religion was widely disseminated among the common people of India, everybody, irrespective of their age and gender, had the opportunity to hear about practical wisdom, morality, etc. Thus, it became an organised society.