Daily Reading 106. Swamiji mentions the first person to identify Sri Ramakrishna (then in his boyhood) as an Avatar. And discusses forbearance.

Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘He who forbears survives and becomes great. O mind, be happy, float in bliss. In Brahman there is no disease, no death. In severe illness be cheerful and die in the lap of God.‘

Question: Each of his [Master’s] disciples answered differently when asked about Sri Ramakrishna’s illness. One said he was testing them, another said it was the touch of impure people. One said that he was so great and was in Nirvikalpa Samadhi [non-dual superconsciousness] all the time, and another said that it was all his lilas [divine play]. Which is right, Swamiji?
Swamiji: All are correct, depending on the different disciples. This applies to other things too.
Question: How is it they are all correct?
Swamiji: God is only One, all are seeing the Divine [but from different perspectives].

The first devotee to realise that Sri Ramakrishna is an Avatar [incarnation of God] was Srinivasan, an old man in the forest. When Sri Ramakrishna was very young, Srinivasan worshipped him and said, ‘When you play your divine lila I will not be there to see it.’ Later in Master’s life the great pandits of that time had many meetings and arguments, then concluded that Sri Ramakrishna was an Avatar [incarnation of God].

Many people symbolise the Deity. Like in the Ramayana [the Hindu scriptural epic] we read that Ravana took Sita away. But really it is the impure mind that takes us away from the pure mind. And to have a pure mind you need 3 things:
1. Only say what you can do. If you cannot do, do not say.
2. Keep good company.
3. Read holy books.

If I cannot reach the heights of brahmacharya [celibacy, ‘unbroken awareness of God’ as Swamiji described it to us], like Hanumanji at least let me be like *Lakshman [Lord Rama’s brother].

[*Lakshman left his kingdom and spent 14 years in the forest to serve and protect Rama and Sita. He famously stayed awake for the entire 14-year exile by asking Nidra Devi (the goddess of sleep) to transfer his need for sleep to his wife, Urmila.]

Christ was ever awake in the name of God. He who touches God never gets tired. It is like touching fresh air, and saying you will get the disease of fresh air. You are wrong. Sri Ramakrishna, for six months at a stretch never slept, and he used to wake the devotees at night and make them meditate. Real brahmacharis do not sleep – and it is not insomnia.

Look at yourself for faults and not at the ‘faults’ of others. Analyse your own mind and find faults in yourself, then make an effort to become above those faults. Even if you do not reach perfection, you must try.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagvad Gita [a Hindu scriptural epic]: ‘O Arjuna [his disciple], if you fight, even if you lose in battle, you will get heaven here and hereafter.’

Live a perfect life and leave a perfect path for others to follow – though this is not for someone to praise you. Sri Ramakrishna finished all the sadhana [spiritual practices] and tapasya [self-denial, austerity]. Become a fruit [benefit/resource] to the world so that they will salivate [yearn] to follow you.

Did you ever know concentration like Sri Ramakrishna’s? Think: I am Satchidananda [existence, knowledge, bliss, absolute]. Concentrate on this day and night. It is not hypnotism, it is de-hypnotism. It is not dullness of mind, it is the enlightening of the mind. The difference is very, very important. Black magic is hypnotism. De-hypnotise yourself from that and become a normal man, fearless. You are sure to be cured.

Underlined words are hypertext links to clarification, explanation or other sources. Just tap on them.

The free-to-read or download, 396-page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography, ‘A Life Lived For Others‘, is available by clicking HERE. If you’d prefer the PDF version, please click HERE.

For our gurubhai Atmaprakash Kramer’s beautiful pictorial ‘memoir’ booklet of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, Avoca Ashram, please click HERE.

There’s also a Facebook site for Swamiji’s posts now. They feature newer readings published more recently. Click HERE to view.

These recordings or the excerpts from them, were made from the early 1970s onward, by Mother Radha, a close devotee of Swamiji’s and edited for uploading here by our gurubhai and her son, Brother Tim. Please be mindful that what Swamiji was saying may have been specific to those with him at the time.