Page:The Gospel of Râmakrishna.djvu/76

 Ramakrishna: Very few can get rid of the sense of "I" through Samadhi. It generally clings to us. We may discriminate a thousand times, but the sense of "I" is bound to return again and again. You may cut the branches of a fig-tree to-day, but to-morrow you will see that new twigs are sprouting. If this sense of "I" will not leave, then let it stay as the servant of God. "0 God! Thou art my Lord, I am Thy servant!" Think in this way: "I am His servant, I am His Bhakta, devotee." There is no harm in this kind of "I." Sweet things cause dyspepsia and acidity, but crystallized sugar-candy is harmless. The path of wisdom is very difficult. It cannot be followed so long as the sense of "I" is connected with the body. In this age the consciousness of the body and the sense of "I" cannot be overcome easily. But in the path of devotion, through prayer and the repetition of His Holy Name with extreme longing, God can be reached without fail. Devotee: Bhagavan, dost Thou teach us to renounce the worldly "I" and not the sense of the servant "I"? Ramakrishna: Yes, the servant "I" or "I am the servant of God," "I am His devotee,"