Sayings of Ramakrishna 136

There are three kinds of dolls: the first made of salt, the second made of cloth, and the third made of stone. 

If these dolls are immersed in water, the first will get dissolved and lose its form, the second will absorb a large quantity of water but retain its form, while the third will be impervious to the water. 

The first doll represents the man who merges his self in the Universal and All-pervading Self and becomes one with it, that is the "Mukta Purusha"; the second represents a true lover or Bhakta, who is full of Divine bliss and knowledge; and the third represents a worldly man, who will not absorb the least drop of true knowledge. 

IMAGES: Maia Walczak