Preaching - Sri Ramakrishna

Bankim: “Sir, why don’t you preach?”

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Preaching! It comes from pride. Man is an imperfect creature. Only the one, who has created the moon and the sun and is lighting up the world, can preach. Is it an ordinary thing? Until He manifests Himself and commands you, preaching is not possible. Why? Unless there is God’s command, people go on talking nonsense. Some listen to you for a couple of days but forget – it’s only a short-lived fancy and nothing else. As long as you talk people will say: “Oh, how nicely he speaks”. But when you stop, there’s nothing left.

As long as fire is under the milk pot, the milk will boil and make a gurgling sound. Pull out the firewood and the milk is as it was before. Only it’s deflated.

A person should add to his power by spiritual effort. Without it, preaching is not possible. “You have no place to sleep and you call out: “O Shankara, come here and lie down and sleep with me!” (laughter)”.

Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna
("Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita" word to word translation by Sri Dharm Pal Gupta, V5, Appendix II, Ch. II, “Sri Ramakrishna and Bankim”, 6 December 1884)