Swami Shivapadananda: Who or what are we actually loving? The body? Or God in that form?
Swamiji talks about love, and asks the question: When you love others, what do you love? Quoting Lord Krishna, 'When you love the wife, you do not love the wife's body, you love the 'Self' that dwells in that body.' When you love a child, you do not love the child's body, but you mistakenly think you love the body, you love that life, that soul or the Self, which is inside that body.
And the husband for the same reason. And every other thing that you love, even gold when you love it, you love it for the sake of the Self. Because the self is omnipresent (present everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipotent (all-powerful). [It is the attracting power in everything – animate and inanimate.]
Swamiji in his inimitable way, goes on to use the example of a husband dying. And humorously asks the women what they're going to be loving after three days. Swamiji asks, 'Who is going to cry over the jewel box, when the jewel has gone? Burn it! Otherwise, in three day' time….' The congregation laughing again, because they understand the decay implications. Swamiji teasing them about the use of perfumes and fragrances.
Swamiji says we do not love anything else but God, who is in everything. So Krishna Bhagavan wonderfully says, 'You can not get me by austerity or ritual worship.' Swamiji explains how even a parrot in a cage can be repeating at a hawan, along with the officiating pandit, 'OM swaha!' But to what effect? The rituals themselves won't get you to God. Their purpose is to purify your heart. Then, and then only you can go nearer God. You cannot get him by austerities, by scriptural studies. The only criterion is intense love, says Swamiji.
Swamiji tells the story about Swami Vivekananda listening to a brother-sannyasi's complaints about their difficult living circumstances [I'm assuming at the Baranagore monastery, shortly after Master's (Sri Ramakrishna's) passing?] Swami Vivekananda's response is a life-lesson for all of us. And it's not the one in the picture at the top of this post. 😉
Swamiji continues to lay out the requirements and characteristics that we need to advance in spiritual life. Along with examples of great ones who manifested purity at a very early age.
Please click on the link below to listen to the clip. Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Duration 12:03
The original audio recordings of these posts were made by close Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and Swami Shivapadananda devotee, Mother Radha. The audio editing and noise reduction of the original 1970s tapes has been lovingly crafted, over many years, by her son and our dear gurubhai, Brother Tim. May Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji bless them both.
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Links to broaden your knowledge: Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, Sri Sarada Devi ashram, Durban