On Arguing About God

At the conclusion of an argument between the dramatist Girish Chandra Ghosh and Swami Vivekananda on the nature of God Sri Ramakrishna observes:

"As long as a man argues about God, he has not realized Him. You two were arguing. I didn't like it.

"How long does one hear noise and uproar in a house where a big feast is being given? So long as the guests are not seated for the meal. As soon as food is served and people begin to eat, three quarters of the noise disappears. (All laugh.) When the dessert is served there is still less noise. But when the guests eat the last course, buttermilk, then one hears nothing but the sound 'soop, sup'. When the meal is over, the guests retire to sleep and all is quiet.

"The nearer you approach to God, the less you reason and argue. When you attain Him, then all sounds — all reasoning and disputing — come to an end. Then you go into samadhi — sleep —, into communion with God in silence."

- WITH THE DEVOTEES IN CALCUTTA, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna