Weeping for God

Devotees would often express their helplessness to Sri Ramakrishna about their inability to advance in spiritual life. Again and again they would ask him whether it was possible for householders to realize God. Every time Sri Ramakrishna would assure them that it is possible and would also give them invaluable suggestions. One of the disciplines advocated by Sri Ramakrishna was weeping for God in solitude with intense Vyakulata or longing. In fact, his first breakthrough in spiritual life centred largely around this discipline. Calling on God with intense Vyakulata was largely the discipline which led to his first spiritual realization. He would roll on the ground and weep uncontrollably saying that one more day had gone and yet he was not blessed with the vision of the Divine Mother. The agony became so unbearable that one day he decided to put an end to his life. He took the sword (Khadga) that was hanging from the wall and was about to cut his own throat when he was overwhelmed with a vision of the Divine Mother. He would explain the idea of weeping for God beautifully. He would say that the devotees are like needles and God is like the magnet. Devotees are not able to feel the attraction for God because of their desires and other impurities, just as the needle which is covered with dirt is not attracted by a magnet. He would say that when the devotee weeps for God, the dirt accumulated in the heart gets washed away and only then he gets attracted by God. There are two wonderful insights in this example. First of all the accumulation is something which a simple solvent like water can dissolve. This means that all our self-estimations that we are sinners and so on do not in any way stand in the way of our realizing God. Secondly, the solvent is available with the devotee himself and he need not seek it anywhere else. Thus any sincere seeker can realize God.