Daily Reading 113. Swamiji says accept a scolding from the Guru as well as His love.

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

You must take the roaring [scolding] of the Guru [spiritual Preceptor] as well as all the love. As the guru I am in the chela [disciple, follower] and he is in me.

[Swamiji, laughing] I have nothing, I am a beggar, and I stand in front of God and beg; I ask Him to give His blessing to you.

Life is a battle of negative and positive, of dharmic [righteous] and adharmic [unrighteous]. Whatever you do, do with God’s name on your lips, with God’s form [image] in your heart. May your life be full of flowers and the colours of the rainbow.

During the arti [offering of lamp-light] give the lamp to Master [Sri Ramakrishna] as if you are surrendering your soul to him.

Do the mantra [sacred words, sound syllable or one of the numerous names attributed to God] 20,000 times morning and evening. This is the key to the kingdom. Do it and come back to me after six months – not before – and either throw it in my face or I will prostrate [bow] to you. If you really do it there will not be anyone there to say you did it.

Or see God everywhere and do japa [repetition of mantra or God’s names] three times a day, in the shrine or wherever you like.

From the scriptures we learn that, ‘Everything is permeated with God’ [The very first verse of the Isha Upanishad: Īśāvāsyam idam sarvam yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat. Translation: Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and permeated by the Lord.]

Do not think anyone is going to do your sadhana [spiritual practise] for you. Take any mantra you like. Or some people use the pranava – OM.

Pursue God. If you cannot do it with devotion and love, force yourself. Love God as your own self first, then outside and everywhere. But we are not loving ourselves.

Mother can desert you, father can desert you, but the spiritual teacher [Guru] can never desert you. The guru can warn an ordinary man three times, then, if he doesn’t obey, the guru can leave him to his fate. But a special person the guru can warn him 101 times – then after that the guru leaves him to the course of his karma [prescribed destiny for that birth]. Always do good ‘till it becomes a habit – ‘till it becomes natural.

Do not say a truth that hurts, rather keep quiet.
Devotee: But sometimes you have to say something that hurts.
Swamiji: Then, as long as you know you are not saying it for your own good, it’s alright.

In some cases it is the disciples who declare their guru to be an Avatar [incarnation of God]. But in Sri Ramakrishna’s case, it was a group of leading priests [pandits] who used the scriptures to prove he was an Avatar, an Incarnation.

Swamiji [After Brother Paul, a dear devotee, died]: When God comes in the form of death, welcome him. If there is a small hole and you try to go through, it hurts. But if you know how to get through a small hole you get through quite easily. In life, you must do sadhana, then, when you die, it will stand you in good stead. Live rightly, live happily. Time will go. We think people are dying, but they are not, they are taking birth [in another dimension].

Remember that when God is happy with you He takes everything away from you. When God is unhappy with you He gives you everything.

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.