Page:The Gospel of Râmakrishna.djvu/328

 highest point; it is called Mahabhava. The devotee sometimes laughs, sometimes weeps like a madman. He loses all control over his body. This state is not attained by ordinary human beings who are not capable of conquer- ing the flesh. It is reached by Incarnations of God who appear in this world for the salvation of mankind. The sixth stage, Prema or ecstatic love, goes hand in hand with Mahabhava. It is the most intense love of God and is strictly the highest state of spirituality. The two marks of this stage are the forgetfulness of this world and the forgetfulness of self, which in- cludes one's own body. After delivering this sermon, the Bhagavan said to His audience that He would be glad to answer any question. But none was asked, so the Bhagavan continued: Knowledge (Jnana) cannot be communicated all at once. Its attainment must be gradual. Suppose a fever is of a severe type The doctor would not give quinine under such circumstances. He knows that such a remedy would do no good. The fever must first leave the patient, which re- quires time, and then the quinine will take effect. Sometimes the fever will go off without