God is infinite and therefore full of apparently contradictory qualities. First of all, let us look at the word “infinite.” It means NOT FINITE. This is really beyond human understanding. If you divide any number by zero, the answer is infinite. A number huge beyond huge. But this is an infinitesimal aspect of infinite. “Larger than the largest. Smaller than the smallest.”
She created the universe out of Herself. “Look how vast Her womb is,” Sri Ramakrishna says. But on the other hand, he also says, “There is none more intimate and affectionate than She.” Sri Ramakrishna discourages us from thinking about God’s incredible vastness. God’s external grandeur doesn’t foster Bhakti. He likens this to counting the leaves in a mango orchard rather than eating the mangos, the reason that we are here. What need is there, he says, of knowing the amount of liquor in the grog shop when a glass is enough to make one intoxicated?
She is so sweet and so close – so infinitely delectable. If only we had 100% faith in this, how could we not be mad with desire to possess Her? We must do spiritual practice to acquire this faith. Let us get going.
For previous posts go to bill davis of ramakrishna.