Incarnation as a Revelation of God 225

jump in and enjoy the scene, he resisted the temptation, and

coming down the ladder, spoke of the glory of the
garden to those outside of it. Brahman is like that
walled garden. Whoever sees Him forgets his own
existence and rushes headlong to Him to be absorbed in
His essence. Such are the holy men and liberated saints.
But thJ Saviours of humanity are those who see God, and
being at the same timt\ anxious to share their happiness of
Divine vision with others, refuse the opportunity of passing
into' Nirvana (state of extinction of individuality), and
willingly undergo the troubles of rebirth in the world in
order t� teach and lead struggling humanity to its goal.
726. In fireworks th�re is a type of flower-pot which
sends off one kind of flower for a while, then another kind,
and again still another, thus seeming to possess an infinite
variety of flowers, as it were. So are the Avataras.
Then there 'is another kind of flower-pot which, when light­
ed, burns a little and then goes off all at once. Similarly,
ordinary Jivas, after long practice and devotional exercises.
go into Samadhi and do not return. •
727. * Q. Why should God incarnate Himself in ti�
human {orm ?
,
A. To make manifest to mttn the perfection of
Divinity. Through these manifestations man can talk �ith
God and see His play. In the Incarnation, God !\illy enjoys,
as it '\"ere, His own transcendent sweetnes,. In the saints,
God manifests Himself onl,Y in part, like the honey in a
flower. You suck the flower, and get a little honey. In the
lncarna.tions, it tu all ' honey · ,-all sweetne,s l!lhd .all
blessednes!>!
15
226 Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna

728. Nothing is problematical to the Incarnation. He

solves the most difficult and intricate problems of life as
the simplest of things in the world, and his expositions are
such as even a child cari follow. He is the sun of Divine
lmowledge, whose light dispels the accumulated ignorance
of ages.
729. Sometimes there appears that unique c&mposite
light which may be called the luw1r-solar light, and to this
may be compared unique Incarnations like Chaitanya Deva,
who are marked alike by Bhakti (Love) and Joana
(Knowledge). It is like the sun and the moon appearing
in the finnament �t one and the same time. The �anifes­
tation of Jnana and Bhakti in one and the same person is
as unique an occurrence as the phenomenon referred
to above.
7.30.* The Lord takes the human body for the ,sake of
those pure souls who love the Lord.
7.31. Those who come with the Avataras are either
souls who are eternally free, or who are born for the
0
last time.
 CHAPTER XVI

]NANA, BHAKTI AND KARMAt

[I. 1Path of Knowledge: What is ]nana Yoga?­

Method of ]nana Yiga---Difficulties of Jnana Yoga­
ll. Path of Love: Bhakti and the conditions of its
grmvth-Bhakti and worldly love-Effects of Bhakti­
Stages and aspects of Bhakti-Prema or Parabhakti
(ecstatic Love)-Love of the Gopis-Viraha and
Mahabhava--111. Bba1di and Joana: Bhakti and
]nana the same in the end- How Bhakti leads to ]nana
-Difference in the temperaments of the ]nani and the
Bhakta-VI. Path of Work: What is Karma Yoga?
-Bhakti hs a safeguard in Karma Yoga-Work as
servic� equal to worship-Work a means and not an end
-Work and worklessness.]

Path of Knowledge

WHAT IS JNANA YOGA?

73�. Jnana Yoga is communion with• God by means

of Knowledge. The Jnani;s object is to realise Brahman,
1 These Sanskrit words may roughly be translated into English as Know­
ledge, Love and Wor\c .• and Yogas or spiritual disciplirfes oru1�ed with
them, as the ,j)Bth of KriQwledge. the palh of Love and the path of Work,