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GOSPEL OF RAMAKRISHNA

One should also practise discrimination. One should discriminate between the Real and the unreal, between matter and spirit. It is thus that one will shake off one's love for the things of the world and attachment to sensual pleasures, wealth, fame, power. Turning to Bijoy, who had come in, the Bhagavan continued: Shivanath, the leader of the Brahmo Samaj, has great cares, he has to edit a newspaper and do various other works In attending to worldly affairs, one naturally loses peace of mind and is overwhelmed with worries Avadhuta and a kite. and anxieties. It is said in the Bhagavat that Avadhuta [1] made twenty- four Gurus. The kite was one of them. In a certain place some fishermen were catching fish, a kite swooped down and snatched a fish. See- ing the kite with the fish in its claw, hundreds of crows flew after him and began to caw, making a great noise. In whatever direction the kite flew, the crows followed. When he flew to the

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  1. "Avadhuta" is a Sanskrit title which is given to one who has become the absolute master of nature and who has realized God. Such a great soul was Dattatreya. In the Puranas he is called the Avadhuta. He was also the author of the "Avadhuta Gita," a famous work on the Advaita Vedanta.