Songs of Ramprasad

[Jagannath Chatterjee]

Dear Friends,

The following song of Ramprasad portrays the helpless anguish of a sadhak
while he embarks on the road "as sharp as a rajors edge".

O Mother, how long will you make me go about
Like the bull with blinkers on
Round and round the oil press?
Tying me down to the trunk of this world
You are incessantly making me go round and round.

Due to what offence, may I ask,
Have you made me a slave to the six oil-men?
Births countless of beasts and birds and so forth
   I have seen through,

Yet the cessation of this suffering is not in sight.
The word "Mother" is soaked in affection,
The way of the world is that
When the child weeps the Mother takes it upon her lap.

Am I outside the world?
Countless sinners got delivered
By just chanting "Durga, Durga, Durga"
O Mother for just once, remove the blinkers
                               from my eyes
So that I may behold Your fearless feet.
Wicked sons there are, ever so many,
                  But never a wicked Mother
(Keep Prasad, your wicked son, bent at your feet)
O Mother, Ramprasad hopes to stay at Your feet
                                      in the end.


This song not only brings out the anguish of a devotee but also brings into
focus the tremendous advantages of seeking the favours of the Divine
Mother. A Mother is bound to take a son into her lap whenever he cries in
earnest for her. Again the priceless gem " Wicked sons are many, but never
a wicked mother".

I am tempted to cite an example in the life of the Divine Mother incarnate,
Sarada Devi, consort of Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna could never
partake of any food served by a person with serious flaws in his/her
character. One day as Sri Sarada Devi was carrying the plate of rice to Sri
Ramakrishna's room, a lady devotee begged of her to allow her the
privillege of carrying the plate saying, "Mother please let me carry the
food to the Master". Sri Sarada Devi obliged. When the food was served Sri
Ramakrishna was unable to eat and cried out in anguish. He berated the Holy
Mother for having allowed this lady to bring food to him. Mother Sarada
replied (and mind you she was an extremely obidient person), "What could I
do, she addressed me as Mother, how could I refuse?". Sri Ramakrishna was
highly pleased at this reply and saw in this statement the flowering of the
Mother power of the universe. He then partook of the food, but not without
difficulty.

Regards
Jagannath

>From  Fri Dec 27 22:14:56 2002
Message-Id: <FRI.27.DEC.2002.221456.0800.>
Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2002 22:14:56 -0800
Reply-To: sanjay1297 at yahoo.com
To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
From: Sanjay Verma <sanjay1297 at YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Songs of Ramprasad
In-Reply-To: <20021228050229.9E8AD8013 at mail.braincells.com>
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Greetings Embodiments of Love!
Thank you for this ongoing Vendata-community of beautiful readers and contributors. Happy holidays to each of you!
I can't help but to wonder why the "mother power" of the universe is different than the "father power"? I would maintain that in this particular type of "maternal" compassion, there is no difference (i.e., both the masculine deities and the feminine deities exhibit protective compassion). For example, in the Ramayana, Sri Rama says (with respect to the Rakshasas that come to him, having fled from Ravana), I cannot forsake anyone who comes to me for refuge. Likewise, in the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says, "Those who exclusively meditate on Me and elaborately worship Me, who apply themselves incessantly (to meditation), I bring prosperity and security." [9:22] (Not sure if this is the best example from the BG, as there are numerous examples of Sri Krishna inviting his devotees to come to Him for refuge; however this is the first that came to mind.)
I am familiar with the male-female duality in divinity in many traditions: Virgin Mary and Jesus; Shiva-Shakti; Yin-Yang; etc. Yet, I wonder, what is the need to separate Divinity into masculine and feminine energies? If Divinity is the totality of the Universe, then male and female ought to be merely 2 *aspects* of the same energy, not 2 separate energies, right? I'm just thinking aloud -- not really expecting anyone to respond.
May peace be with you,
Sanjay


_______________________________________

The journey of a thousand miles begins
with a single step.--Chinese Proverb

_______________________________________


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<P>Greetings Embodiments of Love!
<P>Thank you for this ongoing Vendata-community of beautiful readers and contributors. Happy holidays to each of you!
<P>I can't help but to wonder why the "mother power" of the universe is different than the "father power"? I would maintain that in this particular type of "maternal" compassion, there is no difference (i.e., both the masculine deities and the feminine deities exhibit protective compassion). For example, in the Ramayana, Sri Rama says (with respect to the Rakshasas that come to him, having fled from Ravana), I cannot forsake anyone who comes to me for refuge. Likewise, in the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says, "Those who exclusively meditate on Me and elaborately worship Me, who apply themselves incessantly (to meditation), I bring prosperity and security." [9:22] (Not sure if this is the best example from the BG, as there are numerous examples of Sri Krishna inviting his devotees to come to Him for refuge; however this is the first that came to mind.)
<P>I am familiar with the male-female duality in divinity in many traditions: Virgin Mary and Jesus; Shiva-Shakti; Yin-Yang; etc. Yet, I wonder, what is the need to separate Divinity into masculine and feminine energies? If Divinity is the totality of the Universe, then male and female ought to be merely 2 *aspects* of the same energy, not 2 separate energies, right? I'm just thinking aloud -- not really expecting anyone to respond.
<P>May peace be with you,<BR>Sanjay</P><BR><BR>_______________________________________<br><br>The journey of a thousand miles begins<br>with a single step.--Chinese Proverb<br><br>_______________________________________<p><br><hr size=1>Do you Yahoo!?<br>
<a href="http://rd.yahoo.com/mail/mailsig/*http://mailplus.yahoo.com">Yahoo! Mail Plus</a> - Powerful. Affordable. <a href="http://rd.yahoo.com/mail/mailsig/*http://mailplus.yahoo.com">Sign up now</a>
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