Mr. Viswas had been sitting in the
room a long time; he now left. He had once been wealthy but had squandered
everything in an immoral life. Finally he had become indifferent to his wife
and children. Referring to Mr. Viswas, the Master said: "He is an
unfortunate wretch. A householder has his duties to discharge, his debts to
pay: his debt to the gods, his debt to his ancestors, his debt to the rishis,
and his debt to wife and children. If a wife is chaste, then her husband should
support her; he should also bring up their children until they are of age. Only
a monk must not save; the bird and the monk do not provide for the morrow. But
even a bird provides when it has young. It brings food in its bill for its
chicks."
BALARAM: "Mr. Viswas now wants to cultivate the company of holy people."
MASTER (with a smile): "A monk's kamandalu goes to the four principal holy places* with him, but it still tastes bitter. Likewise, it is said that the Malaya breeze turns all trees into sandal-wood. But there are a few exceptions, such as the cotton-tree, the aswattha, and the hog plum.
"Some frequent the company of holy men in order to smoke hemp. Many monks smoke it, and these householders stay with them, prepare the hemp, and partake of the prasad."
BALARAM: "Mr. Viswas now wants to cultivate the company of holy people."
MASTER (with a smile): "A monk's kamandalu goes to the four principal holy places* with him, but it still tastes bitter. Likewise, it is said that the Malaya breeze turns all trees into sandal-wood. But there are a few exceptions, such as the cotton-tree, the aswattha, and the hog plum.
"Some frequent the company of holy men in order to smoke hemp. Many monks smoke it, and these householders stay with them, prepare the hemp, and partake of the prasad."
Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

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