Page:The Gospel of Râmakrishna.djvu/211

 Bhagavan: As Srimati (Radha) neared Sri Krishna, she perceived more and more the charming fragrance of His sweet per-

son. The more one approaches God, the more does one's love toward Him increase. The more the river nears the sea, the more it is subject to ebb and flow. The Ganges of knowl- edge flowing in the soul of a wise man runs only in one direction. To him the whole universe is a dream. He always lives in His own True Self (Atman). But the Ganges of love in a devo- tee's heart does not run in one direction. It has its ebb and flow. A devotee laughs, weeps, dances, sings. He wants sometimes to enjoy his Beloved, to merge into his Beloved! He swims in Him, dives, rises up in his joy as merrily as a lump of ice floats upon the water. But in fact God the Absolute and God the Creator are one and the same Being. The Ab- solute Existence-Intelligence-Bliss is the All-knowing, All-intelligent and All-blissful Mother of the Universe. The precious stone (Mani) and its brightness cannot be separated in thought, for