Daily Reading 116. Swamiji explains how we can worship the same Avatar in different births.

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

A Christmas talk: If you worship the Deity in one Incarnation [in your rebirth], you may be born in a different place, a different religion but have the same Deity. Two of Master’s [Sri Ramakrishna’s] disciples, Swami Ramakrishnananda and Swami Saradananda, were known to have been disciples of Jesus Christ in Christ’s lifetime. They were attracted to Sri Ramakrishna because before they had worshipped him as Christ.

After Master’s passing, when the disciples of Master took their [monastic] vows and resolved to renounce, they found that it was Christmas eve. This is so important to us. They were so cheerful in heart, it seems that the grace of the Lord followed us even on the day of the renunciation of the pleasure of the senses – taking sannyas.

Master’s disciples also had a vision through the son of Mother Mary [Jesus]. There was a painting of Mary and child; and out of the picture came a vision. Sri Ramakrishna also saw the form of the baby Jesus.

I did not see Mother Kali with lolling tongue, in flesh and bone, but in the astral world they do exist. Like this, he too, Lord Jesus Christ, walks the face of the earth. The visions of Sri Ramakrishna that you doubt, and that which the scholars call ‘myth’, they saw it somehow. They exist in the astral world up to now.

Sri Ramakrishna loka [plane of existence] is an omnipresent [everywhere] loka. You exist in Sri Ramakrishna, and Sri Ramakrishna exists everywhere, and in everything. If you worship the form of Sri Ramakrishna, the teaching of Sri Ramakrishna, then your realisation must be from the tiniest ant to the highest God. Only then will you know what Sri Ramakrishna is.

We do not want you to convert anything. The Ishta Devata [personal or chosen Deity or Ideal] is an aspect of Brahman [the One, indivisible consciousness].

Once Swami Vivekananda said, ‘It is possible to worship Allah and Rama in the same family – but they must not discuss it with each other.’ It is more intimate than the husband and wife, therefore it must not be discussed with anybody, because it leads to a feeling of inferiority and superiority.

How serene Jesus Christ was, how full of compassion he was, how soft was his body. His walk and bearing inspired awe. Even nature listened to him – the tempests on the sea calmed when he spoke to them. That means the tempest without and the tempest within, that means your mind. The tempest without, is only controlled when the tempest within is controlled. He is like the Ganga [river] flowing on holy ground.  

He went to the unholy ones to make them whole. His presence forced peace to descend into the hearts of men. Besides nature, Jesus loved sheep, he carried them, he played with them – like Krishna played with the cows, and their udders were always full of milk awaiting Krishna’s touch. This was natural yearning.

Did he [Jesus] not demonstrate the nature of man? Therefore he is called the ‘Son of man.’ They must sacrifice their evil qualities and grow into [spiritual] Man. In the nature of the animal, the fittest survive. The God-man’s nature is to [self-] sacrifice – to give, give, give till he can give no more. He knows that the day he stops sacrificing, death comes into his life [He no longer has purpose].The sun gives light. The day it stops giving light, the death of the sun has begun. Did Jesus Christ not sacrifice himself for you and me? He is not conscious of ‘I’ (like us) but of ‘Thou’. So as the son of God, will you give up your life for your father and mother? Will you give up your life for dharma [righteousness, what is right]? Or can you take another’s life to save your life?

The Avatars [incarnations of God] are instruments. They are ever-sacrificing their all, bringing people to God. Who is his greatest friend? His disciple [chela]. Does he marry and have children? No. His disciples are his children. Who to marry but himself [the Divine Self]? He wants to be One, he does not want to be two.

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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.