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stayed in a boat on the Ganges. Vivekanand crossed the river and reached the boat. He pushed the door that was already open and found the Maharishi in meditation. He caught him by his neck and shook him. The Maharishi opened his eyes and was startled to see a youth, drenched from top to toe, standing before him. "Tell me if God is!" he demanded of the Rishi. Many had asked the question before but never this way! What was this way of asking about God, at this untimely hour and in this drenched condition! The Maharishi was unnerved. He hesitated a little, then said, "Sit down son, calm yourself and then we shall talk."
"There is nothing to say now. Your hesitation has given the answer." So saying, Vivekananda leapt back into the water and was gone. In vain the Maharishi called out to him -- but he did not return.
The same youth, after two months, approached Ramakrishna and asked him in the same manner: "Does God exist?"
"There is nothing except God. Do you want to know? If so, say so," came the reply. Do not worry whether God is or is not. Whether you want to know is all that matters, was the meaning behind his words.
It was now Vivekananda's turn to be taken aback! He writes in his diary: "Till then I had taken my mentors by surprise. It had never occurred to me whether I was ready to search for God; but with this man, it was different. Those whom I had asked so far had only words and so were not sure of themselves. Ramakrishna had experience and not words."
Where there is experience, there is no hesitation, and no doubt. But such knowledge comes always from within; it liberates and is indubious. But the within must be emptied of all spurious knowledge before the eye can turn inwards; for he who clutches stones and fills his treasure-chest with rubble can never hope to gather precious gems.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon him to know that what he has amassed and held onto so far is worthless, and needs to be thrown away to make space for the genuine treasure. What is important is to be able to discern the rubble and rock so that the diamonds may be known. It is very necessary to know what is nor knowledge in the quest for
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