Swamiji explains who and what the Guru is.
Swamiji speaking about this being the 'Time of the Guru'. He says don't say, 'real Guru' – don't qualify it or give it an adjective. The Guru disperses the darkness – of what? All the worlds, because he is the only light. So much so, they praise the Guru – they say the Guru is greater than God. The 'God' there must be taken as God with form. [So, still in the realm of Dualism].
[Swamiji always used to ask a little boy who came to the ashram in Avoca, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' And the dear little chap would answer very seriously each time, 'A Swami.' This delightful script never changed. One day, Swamiji threw in a curve ball and asked him, 'Who is greater? God or the Guru?' The little man answered unhesitatingly, 'God.' No – said Swamiji – the Guru. The youngster pushed back firmly and insisted that God was greater. Swamiji played the game with him for a little while, and then explained, 'The Guru is greater than God, because the Guru introduces you to God.' Then there was silence. Even in that very young mind, this must have resonated deeply and later played a role. That little boy is today a Swami of the Ramakrishna Order.]
In this recording, Swamiji expands on the topic of the Guru, in the most edifying and thrilling way. It's crystal clear sound, and I pray that you'll gift yourself the privilege of listening to it.
To do so, please click on the link below. Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Duration: 11:03
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-onwards tapes, has been lovingly engineered, over many years, by her son and our dear gurubhai, Brother Tim. May Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji bless them both.
Admin tip: Underlined words are links. If you click on them, they'll take you to an explanation of the particular word or term. [In these overviews, Admin comments are typically in a smaller green font, and square bracketed, like this statement.]
Dear reader, if you spot typos or or other errors, please feel free to email the site admin on info@imbizo.com with your suggested correction/s.
Context: As always, care should be taken to remember that what Swamiji was saying, may have been very specific to the needs of people with him at the time. Please bear this in mind.
Links to our Guruparampara (spiritual lineage) organisations, which will broaden your knowledge base: Ramakrishna Math and Mission and our alma maters, the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and the Sri Sarada Devi Ashram in Durban. The Ramakrishna Centre of Johannesburg is also active in Gauteng province in South Africa.
There are various publications [The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna etc.] which you can download at no charge, from the Ramakrishna Centre of SA website page, HERE.