Daily Reading 129. Swamiji says his blessing is always with you. And that what you think, you become.

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

Devotee: May your blessing always be on us, Swamiji.
Swamiji: It will, it will be like the Ganges flowing. Whenever you want it, just dip into it.

If I am born in a thief’s house, they will teach me to thieve. If I am born in a holy man’s house, they will teach me to pray. If I am born in a good environment, naturally I will grow up to be good.

Sri Ramakrishna taught us that in this yuga [era/age/cycle] a non-scholarly person can reach the state that the Rishis of yore [long, long ago] reached, the state that great saints and sages reached.

Peace and Brahman [the ONE indivisible consciousness] are synonymous [the same]. Truth [satya] and Brahman are synonymous – and they lead to peace [shanti], physical, subtle and causal. Think of OM [the Pranava] as infinite, Absolute Satchidananda [Existence, Knowledge, Bliss absolute]. You can say OM and yet think of your Deity. It is Brahman with form or without form. If you take a symbol then meditate on the symbol. It is difficult suddenly to leave a symbol. OM is the dearest name of the Divine Self. In God, nothing is absent.

Swami Nikhilananda [a direct disciple of the Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi] said, ‘Anyone can meditate, but not [all] with a steadfast mind.’ OM is the essence of all the Vedas. This is very, very important.

When you set up your Deity [on a shrine or in your heart], if there are two [pictures, images or murtis], then the one on your right is the most important – or in the middle you have the highest [if three images].

The senses are very, very strong when you are young. This is a very important part in the Shanti [peace] Mantra.

When you meditate on Krishna you become Krishna, you have Krishna’s qualities. What you think you become. When you meditate on Shiva you become Shiva, you have Shiva’s qualities – and so on.

You must gear your life to live in the world, doing dharmic [righteous] action which leads to wealth [artha] – earned by dharmic methods], which leads to [dharmic] pleasures [kama]. In the end you will be given power, dispassion [vairagya], detachment – which will give you moksha [liberation from the cycle of birth and death – samsara].

Even if you do not know the whole mantra [sacred sound syllable, phrase, word, or one of the many names attributed to God] sit down and say, ‘Lord, help me to think of You.’ You must have faith, great faith in God. First meditate on OM as the fulfiller of all desires – that means Brahman Itself. Then on OM as the Infinite – so is Brahman Infinite.

Question: Why not meditate on OM alone?
Swamiji: It is difficult to leave everything and meditate only on OM. If you meditate on Hanuman [the great devotee of Lord Rama], meditate on him as Infinite.

The more japa [repetition of a mantra] you do the better for me.

When I say, ‘Close your eyes in meditation,’ it means closing all your senses.

In Nirvikalpa Samadhi [non-dual superconsciousness] there is no space at all.

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.