"The authority of the Vedas extends to all places, times, and persons; in other words, their application is not confined to any particular place or time or person.  The Vedas are the only expounder of the universal religion."

"The person in whom this supersensory power is manifested is called a rishi or a saint, and the transcendent truths he realizes by this power are called the Vedas."
-- Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play


My new friend gave me a print out of the opening letter written by Vivekananda in His Divine Play which bracketed everything nicely for me.  The point I was trying to get across with Sri Ramakrishna is this:

There is a time when Sri Ramakrishna is unable to speak much due to the pain of cancer in his throat.  M. describes the scene by writing that he "indicates" or "signs" to his disciples, but it is difficult to understand exactly what Ramakrishna is intimating; only by the disciples' response does the reader get a hint.  M. could have gone into detail with description about how He raised his hand or motioned with his eyes, but he doesn't bother trying to describe it too much.  I've run into this myself with writing, to explain a look in the eye and how that meaning was conveyed would need more than an entire book!  So he leaves it to the reader to interpret based on the disciples interaction. (M. takes a more scientific/objective and detached view to the disciples after the Master's passing).

M. wrote pieces of the Gospel in the present tense and by doing so, illustrated how Sri Ramakrishna, or the Presence within rather, is the living Word.

In the twinkling of an eye Sri Ramakrishan goes into deep samadhi.  An amazing transformation takes place in the Master before the very eyes of the devotees.  His face shines with a heavenly light.  His two hands are raised in the posture of granting boons and giving assurance to the devotees; it is the posture one sees in images of the Divine Mother.  His body is motionless; he has no consciousness of the outer world.  He sits facing the north.  Is the Divine Mother of the Universe manifesting Herself through his person?  Speechless with wonder, the devotees look intently at Sri Ramakrishna, who appears to them to be the embodiment of the Divine Mother Herself.

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna; ch. 48, November 6 1885

By using present tense, M. illustrates that the Word can not be expressed in words.  It is living and there for us to observe, but we can not assign any meaning to it with words alone, we must experience it.

I thought the Vedas were just stories pertaining to the Hindu religion, but this definition of the Vedas as the constant flowing Presence sat with me favorably.  This would mean that the Vedas, like the Logos can speak through us as it is Truth.  There is the common example of the pot or vessel in water.  The pot represents our "I" consciousness, a distinction between within and without, but if we remove the pot, we still have water.  Swami Sarvadevananda said during a lecture once that the Vedas shift from vessel to vessel, as it is destroyed over time or needs to change to keep with the current.  This solidified the understanding for me that Sri Ramakrishna was a vessel for the Vedas for that period in history, like many others over time.  So it's really the vessel that changes and these words coming from Logos through me in my own writing practice are the living Word. 

I am the Guru as I am the vessel.  This Presence within, animating my body, is the Word.

Girish was given the refreshments on a tray.  Sri Ramakrishna took a grain and Girish accepted the rest as prasad.  He sat in front of the Master and began to eat.  He needed water to drink.  There was an earthen jug in the southeast corner of the room.  It was the month of April and the day was hot.  Sri Ramakrishna said, "There is some nice water here."

The Master was so ill that he had not enough strength even to stand up.  And what did the disciples see to their utter amazement?  They saw him leave the bed, completely naked, and move toward the jug!  He himself was going to pour the water into a tumbler.  The devotees were almost frozen with fear.  The Master poured the water into a glass.  He poured a drop or two into his hand to see whether it was cool.  He found that it was not very cool; but since nothing better could be found, he reluctantly gave it to Girish.

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (translation by Swami Nikhilananda)