Sri Ramakrishna Math : The Vedanta Kesari, Editorial: Saving Faith

Once, in the course of conversation with Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda (then Narendranath) referred to the faith of the devotees of God with form as `blind faith'. Sri Ramakrishna at once corrected Naren saying, `Well, can you explain to me what you mean by "blind faith"? All faith is indeed blind. But then, has faith any eyes at all? Speak either of "faith" or of "knowledge".'¹ Faith is preceded by ideas. Ideas undergo changes until they form into faith. Appreciating the truth in this explanation, as it were, Swamiji later observed, `Well, "blind faith" is objectionable, no doubt, but analyzing it, we find that behind it is a very great truth.'² This background truth gives faith a dimension which we shall discuss.

Faith is the test of a devotee's belief in the existence of God. He does not harbour any doubt in this respect. It is the touchstone for all his endeavours and experiences. The word samshaya or doubt indicates that a doubter cannot doubt the very existence of the thing in question³; he does perceive the thing, but does not, due to distance or poor visibility or a mote in the eye, know what it is. Faith is concerned with the existence part of the thing, and doubt with the other part, i.e., our uncertainty about the nature of the thing.

The Sanskrit word shraddha is loosely translated as `faith'. Shraddha means a firm belief in the reality of a thing. In every sphere of life we have to make a beginning with shraddha. The more one is convinced about the goal, the more will be his yearning to achieve it. Swamiji interpreted shraddha as `strong faith in God and the consequent eagerness to reach Him.' Nachiketa had been filled with shraddha before he found out an easy solution to a complicated problem. He was able to differentiate the absolute existence from the relative which included his own body. Nachiketa, then a small boy, observed that his father was performing, as a part of a yajna, the meritorious deed of gifting cows to brahmins. Painfully he noticed those cows were too old to bear calves, or to yield milk! He knew that by this act his father would incur sin instead of merit. He also knew that he himself was the most precious of the earthly possessions of his father. So, to compensate for the demerits, he decided to offer himself. Such is our glorious heritage. He did not choose the path of conflict or quarrel. He simply dedicated himself. Well, is it not an act of passive submission to cowardice? Certainly not. Because his shraddha generated in him such fortitude that he dared even to face the King of Death in the latter's citadel.

Shraddha is called indirect knowledge, paroksha jnana. Na paroksha-matirbhramah indirect knowledge is not falsesays the scripture.⁴ In this respect a beautiful analogy has been drawn by Vidyaranya Swami thus: Suppose there is a lamp inside a house; similarly there is a gem in another. The lights emanated from both were visible from a distance as two gleams. Thinking the gleams were caused by two gems, one man approached one gleam while another the other. Each of them was eager to get a gem. But reaching their respective goals one got the gem and the other found the lamp and not a gem. Mistaking the gleam of a lamp for that of a gem is called Visamvadi Bhramah, `misleading error' (an error leading to a hopeless goal), and mistaking the gleam of a gem for a gem is called a `leading' or `informative' error (Samvadi Bhramah). Faith is compared to Samvadi Bhramah. Fruitless is not our faith in God, because our own existence presupposes His existence. Voltaire once remarked, `If God did not exist, men in their own interest would have invented Him.' By indirect knowledge the misconception that God does not exist is rendered null and void. It brings about fruitful result albeit this knowledge itself is indirect. Sri Ramakrishna cites the example of a kitten. Mew is not a word with any literary meaning. Yet the mother cat understands it all the same. And what a tangible significance it has for the kittenit finds its mother! `A child calls its father as pa; does not the father know that it is calling him?' Sri Ramakrishna meaningfully asks. Ah! if only we had the faith of a child!

In Christian tradition and scriptures faith and belief are two important words. Christ says, `If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.'⁴ Again he said, `If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed...'⁵ In a disastrous moment when our intellect with all its laurels collapses and gives in to emotions, faith comes out as the knight in shining armour. As we shall see afterwards, Christ and for that matter all the Men of God, did never mean mere belief by faith; it is something apart. Once `a man losing his wife and children in fire came to a river and thought: In its cool depths lay forgetfulness. It would require only a moment of struggle for his spirit to leave his body and be reunited with his wife and little children. ... But deep within his mind was a long-established faith and a love of God as his father. The struggle was intense. He dropped finally to his knees, and the tears that had not yet come from dry eyes now poured out in a flood.'⁶

In the Vedas also, faith or shraddha has been given a prominent place. It was deified by the wise of yore. They sang:

Shraddham pratarhavamahe
shraddham madhyandim pari
Shraddham suryasya nimrochi
shraddhe shraddhapayeha mam.

We offer oblation to shraddha in the morning, in the afternoon, and at sunset. O Shraddha, please endow us with faith.⁷

Faith finds its expression and test in the following aspects also:

(i) Faith in the Incarnation of God: To develop unflinching faith in God is not an easy job, we know. Still more difficult is the task to have faith in the Incarnation of God. Down the ages the holy books all over the world record this experience. All the prophets, Incarnations of God, and Sons of God had to fight their way out of the one confusion i.e. how can the Divinity take up an empirical form? In the Incarnation of Sri Krishna, even those people to whom he revealed his Universal form had to struggle hard before they could accept him as the Incarnation of God. With a feeling of chagrin Sri Ramakrishna remarked, `Alas! to whom shall I say all this? Who will understand me? God becomes man, an Incarnation, and comes to earth with His devotees.' That is why in his fatal illness he had to summon all his energy to confess, `O my Naren, are you not yet convinced? He who was Rama, He who was Krishna, He himself is now Ramakrishna in this body ...'

(ii) Faith in the guru: A guru is called so because he can destroy (ru) the darkness of ignorance (gu) in the disciple. God Himself manifests in and through the guru. That is why the scriptures warn us against looking upon the guru as a mangurau manusha buddhim.⁹ Swamiji says, `The guru is the bright mask which God wears in order to come to us.'¹⁰ Again, `So long as you have faith in your Guru, nothing will be able to obstruct your way.' Shraddha has also been defined as guru-vedanta-vakyeshu-vishvasah, i.e., faith in the guru and in the words of the scriptures. Shraddha, faith also means the idea that `it is so indeed', the conviction in the form of right knowledge, with regard to the instructions of the teacher and the scriptures¹¹. It is the guru who is able to convince a doubting mind and quench the thirst of a God-seeking devotee. Narendranath approached Sri Ramakrishna with a burning question, `Sir, have you seen God?' Sri Ramakrishna replied that not only had he seen God himself, but he could show Him to Narendra also. The truth is verifiable. That is why the Kathopanishad asks, `asti iti bruvatah anyatra katham tad upalabhyate?'¹² i.e., how can It be known to anyone apart from him who speaks of It as existing?

(iii) Faith in the scriptures: The word shastra is defined as shasanat trayate iti shastra, i.e., it is called a scripture because its injunctions save its followers. `He is a lucky man who always finds delight in the words of the scriptures,' says the great Shankara. Scriptures are the only testimony to the existence of God or Brahman. He who is not well-versed in the scriptures will not be able to know the Absolute (Na avedavid manute tam Brihantam)¹³. If one meditates on the sacred texts, he is saved. One should not look upon a mantra as mere words, (mantre chakshara buddhikam).

(iv) Faith in His manifestations: Here lies the key to the celebrated saying of Sri Ramakrishna, `Service to man is service to God.' The Holy Mother points out to this aspect when she says, `Nobody is a stranger, my child. The world is your own.' Brahman has a quality called bhati or manifestation by which Its reality can be surmised. He is the abiding base for the fleeting phenomena. After a close study of human nature Swamiji observed, `I have never failed in my faith in man in any case, even taking him at his worst.' If the creation is His, then wherefrom has He created everything? Out of Himself only. `Sky, air, fire, water, earth, planets and stars, animal and plant lives, etc. etc. are all parts of His body ....'¹⁴

(v) Faith in His name: This is one of the cardinal principles of bhakti sadhana. Sri Ramakrishna tells us that a person and his name are one and the same. When one has full faith (shraddha) in the name (nama) then only is the unity realized. A devotee does not reckon God's name as mere word. It is more than a word. Sri Ramakrishna alluded to this when he admonished Vijaya Krishna Goswami saying, `One should have such faith as to be able to say, "What? I have taken the name of God; how can I be a sinner?" God is our father and mother. Tell Him, "O Lord, I have committed sins, but I won't repeat them." Chant His name and purify your body and mind. Purify your tongue by singing God's holy name.'¹⁵

(vi) Faith in sadhana (spiritual disciplines): Sadhana is based on both faith and reasoning. In both the cases the essence of the procedures undertaken is the same. Both proceed with a similar proposition and lose their necessity when the thing inferred is proved. Reasoning stops proving the inference, but faith goes a little further and ends in direct perception or realization. So far as discovery of the Truth is concerned, reasoning and faith are complementary to each other. The authenticity of both depends on their purity alone.

(vii) Faith in oneself: It is the sine qua non of all spiritual disciplines. Unless the sadhaka, an aspirant, himself is convinced that he is competent, no abiding result can be achieved. Swamiji says, `He who has no faith in himself can never have faith in God.' The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda abounds with the phrase `faith in oneself'. He was lavish in his praise of the faith of Nachiketa. Nachiketa's estimate of himself is one of self-belief. He claimed, `Among many I may rank as belonging to the highest, or at least as belonging to the middling, but never as belonging to the worst.'¹⁶ Therefore, Swamiji urged his followers saying, `Plant in your heart the faith of Nachiketa.'

The tradition of the practice of faith could be traced back to hoary antiquity. The system of chaturashrama or four stages of life aimed at developing and practising faith in all its aspects all through. Right from the beginning of their journey in the world our Indian ancestors used to get trained in the art of faith. While rocking the cradle of their babies the Indian mothers would chant tvamasi niranjanah, you are stainless. The highest metaphysical truths like tattvamasi, aham brahmasmi etc. and the Vedas were taught to very young disciples. Householders' duties found their credibility and purpose in the practice and application of the truths they learnt. The anchorites and the monks were living examples of faith, of positive ideas. It was institutionalized, everybody had to fall in line, there was no `why' or `why not' to be asked. Because it was a property of the ancestors which was fully inherited by each member of the society.

Unfortunately, we have shifted our faith to transitory things. What can be the sure outcome of it but frustration? Surprisingly, it has not caused an anxiety that with the march of our domination over matter our values are changing. It seems we are much concerned about immediate gains. We are becoming desperate on this score. This is due to our ignorance about the permanence of our nature. We are in a hurry to enjoy fully whatever is easily available, as if we were going to be extinct soon. It takes all meaning out of our life, and leads us to restlessness. We behave as if there were no time to prepare ourselves properly, giving reasonable time, care and energy, for the goal. In fact, very few people seem to have a truly lofty, transcendental goal. Transitory goals for transitory aspirants, therefore, breed nothing but restlessness. That is why the scriptures assure us again and again saying, avinashi va are ayam atma anuchchhitti-dharmathis self is indeed immutable and indestructible, my dear.¹⁷

The story of Prahlada shows how faith culminated in the appearance of the Lord. Prahlada had no doubt that the Lord resided in the stone pillar of the palace. God did come out of the pillar in the form of Nrisimha to testify the truth in His devotee's belief. The history of saints and sages are sagas of extra-ordinary lives that were transformed under the influence of simple and unqualified faith. It imbued them with courage and vision to follow God's path and His will. Christ said assuringly, `Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.'¹⁸ When Arjuna was convinced so much as to say_karishye vachanam tava_ I shall follow your advice, he did what he was told to. An aspirant must know that faith calls for a commitment and not a consideration. Where does it lead us? We don't bother where; it is for Him to decide; therefore, let Him decide.

An inspiring story is recounted below. It puts to shame our lukewarm shraddha in our ishta, Chosen Ideal. Once a cabin boy fell head over heels into the sea from a moving ship. The accident could not be detected until the routine roll call after about two hours. The captain was informed about the tragedy. He sat with his men to chalk out a course of action to save the boy. His comrades advised him to desist from such fruitless and expensive undertaking. But the captain persisted, (others thoughtcrazily,) and finally he was able to return the ship to the probable spot. Boats were lowered, and after a little search the boy was found! He was on the verge of death and was wellnigh unconscious. The ship moved forward as the boy was being attended to with medical care. After a long time the boy regained outer consciousness. The captain, who had been sitting all the while near the boy asked him, `Can you recognize me?' The boy replied, `Yes, you are the captain.' Inquisitively he asked another question, `Can you tell me by what power you were able to keep afloat for such a long time?' Out came the gentle but firm answer which eludes even many a faithful's life-long austerities, the cabin boy's face radiating a divine lustre, `By your power captain. I know that my captain will not leave me.' The vibrant words, that startled the captain also, need no elucidation. If they can make our heart miss a beat or two, or make our hairs stand on end, then they have achieved their purpose.

1. Swami Saradananda, Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master, trans. Swami Jagadananda, Vols. 2 (Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1996), 1:431
2. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vols. 8, 7^th ed.(Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1985), 2:162
3. Cf. Shankara's commentary to the Mandukya Upanishad, 7
4. Cf. Panchadasi, 7.54
5. Cf. St. Mark, 9:23
6. Cf. St. Matthew, 17:20
7. Norman Vincent Peale, The Positive Principle Today (New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India, 1976), 33
8. Cf. The Rg Veda, 10.151.5
9. Cf. Guru Gita.
10. CW 8:117
11. Cf. The Gita (Madhusudana) 4.39
12. Cf. The Kathopanishad, 2.3.12
13. Cf. The Taittiriya Brahmana, 3.12.9
14. Cf. The Bhagavatam, 11.2.41
15. Mahendra Nath Gupta, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Vols.2, (Madras, Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1996), 1:159
16. Cf. The Kathopanishad, 1.1.5
17. Cf. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.5.15
18. Cf. St. Matthew, 7:25 & 26