Vedanta Society of New York---Sri Ramakrishna on "Samadhi"

--The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta,
by Swami Prabhavananda, p. xi

Sri Ramakrishna was standing still, surrounded by a few devotees, and Narendra was singing. When M. looked at Sri Ramakrishna, he was struck with wonder; for the Master stood motionless, and with eyes transfixed. He seemed not even to breath. A devotee told M. that the Master was in samadhi. M. had never before seen or heard of such a thing. Slient with wonder, he thought: "Is it possible for a man to be so oblivious of the outer world in the conciousness of God? How deep his faith and devotion must be to bring about such a state!"

Narendra was singing ... The Master shuddered when this last line was sung ... Now and then his lips parted in a smile. Was he seeing the peerless beauty of God, "that shames the splendour of a million moons"? Was this the vision of God, the Essence of Spirit? How much austerity and discipline how much faith and devotion, must be necessary for such a vision!

The song went on...

Again that bewitching smile. The body motionless as before, the eyes half shut, as if beholding a strange inner vision...

The sight of the samadhi, and the divine bliss he had witnessed, left an indelible impression on M.'s mind He returned home deeply moved.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 89
Translated by: Swami Nikihilananda
Forward by: Aldous Huxley
Published in 1942 by:
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center
17 East 94th Street
NEW YORK, NY 10128, USA

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A Devotee: "What is the vision of God like?"
Master:Haven't you seen a theatrical performance? The people are engaged in conversation, when suddenly the curtain goes up. Then the entire mind of the audience is directed to the play. The people don't look at other things any longer. Samadhi is to go to within oneself like that. When the curtain is rung down people look around again. Just so, when the curtain of maya falls, the mind becomes externalized."
--Ibid, p. 431

Master: Through worship and austerity, a jiva can at the utmost attain samadhi; but he cannot come down from that state. On the other hand, an Incarnation of God can come down from samadhi. A jiva is like an officer of the king; he can go as far as the outer court of the seven-storey palace. But the king's son has access to all the seven floors; he can also go outside. . . In samadhi man becomes one with God and gets rid of his egotism. True knowledge is impossible without samadhi."
--Ibid, p. 767

Master: "What Brahman is cannot be described... No one has ever been able to say what Brahman is...

"Men often think they have understood Brahman fully. Once an ant went to hill of sugar. One grain filled its stomach. Taking another grain in its mouth it started homeward. On its way it thought, 'Next time I shall carry home the whole hill.' That is the way shallow minds think. They don't know that Brahman is beyond one's word and thought... In samadhi one attains the Knowledge of Brahman --- one realizes Brahman. In that state reasoning stops altogether, and man becomes mute. He has no power to describe the nature of Brahman.
--Ibid, p. 103