Kindness is very good. There is, how-ever, a great difference between daya (kindness) and maya. Kindness is good, maya is not good. Maya is love for one's own near and dear ones wife, son, brother, sister, brother's son, sister's son, father and mother love for these. Kindness, however, is the equal affection for all beings."???

'Guna treya vyatiriktam Sachchidananda swarupa.' [The real nature of Sachchidananda is beyond the three gunas.] Brahman is beyond the three gunas, He is beyond speech M: Is daya (kindness) also bondage? Sri Ramakrishna: That is a very distant concept.

Kindness results from sattvaguna. Sattvaguna preserves, rajoguna creates and tamoguna destroys. But Brahman is beyond all the three gunas of sattva, rajas and tamas. It is beyond prakriti (nature). "The gunas cannot really reach where Brahman abides.

They are like robbers who cannot go out in the open. They are afraid lest they should be arrested. Sattva, rajas and tamas all the three gunas are robbers. Let me tell you a story "Once a man was going through a forest when three robbers came and caught hold of him. They robbed him of all he possessed. One of the robbers said, 'Why keep this man alive now?'

Saying so, he came forward with a sword to hack him. The second robber then said, 'No brother, what use killing him? Let us tie his hands and feet and leave him here.' Then tying his hands and feet the robbers left him there and went away.

After a while one of them returned and said, 'Ah! you are suffering a lot! Let me free you from the knots.' Untying his bonds he said, 'Come with me, I will take you to the main road.' After a long time when they reached the main road, the robber said, 'Take this road. See that is your house.' This man then said to the robber, 'Sir, you have been very good to me.

Please come with me to my house.' The robber said, 'No, I cannot go there. The police will come to know of it.' "The world itself is a forest. In this forest sattva, rajas and tamas all the three gunas are robbers. They rob the jiva of his tattva jnana (spiritual knowledge). Tamoguna destroys the jiva, rajoguna binds him to the world.

But the sattvaguna saves him from rajas and tamas. By taking refuge in sattvaguna one is saved from lust, anger and such other evils of tamas. Besides, sattvaguna cuts asunder the bonds of the world also.

But even the sattvaguna is a robber, it cannot give the tattva jnana (highest knowledge). However, it puts you on the road to the Supreme Abode. Putting you on the road it says, 'Just see, this is your house.' Sattvaguna remains at a great distance from the Brahmajnana. "What Brahman is cannot be expressed by the word of mouth.

He who attains Brahman, cannot give information about Him. There is a saying, 'The ship never returns once it has reached the black waters.' "Four friends while roaming about saw a place enclosed by a wall. The wall was very high. They were very curious to see what was inside it.

One of these men climbed up the wall. As he peeped inside, he exclaimed in great wonder, 'Ha, ha, ha' and fell down. He did not give any information. Whosoever climbed, he cried, 'Ha, ha, ha' and fell in. Who would then give information?" Jada Bharat, Duttatreya and Sukadeva all Brahmajnanis "Jada Bharat and Duttatreya could give no information after having vision of Brahman. One's I-ness vanishes after samadhi on attaining Brahmajnana.

So Rama Prasad says: 'If you cannot attain (Brahmajnana) yourself, O mind, take Rama Prasad with you.' The mind must merge. After that Rama Prasad i.e. ego must merge. Only then one attains the Brahmajnana (knowledge of Brahman)."

A Bhakta: Sir, did Sukadeva not attain jnana? Sri Ramakrishna: Some say that Sukadeva only saw and touched the ocean of Brahman, he did not go down and dive deep into it. That is why he could return and impart so much instruction.

According to others, he returned after attaining Brahmajnana for instruction to mankind. He was to narrate the Bhagavata to Parikshit and also impart so much of instruction to mankind. So the Lord did not merge his 'I' altogether. His 'I of knowledge' was retained.? Excerpted from Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita

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