Daily Reading 166. Swamiji gives advice on what to do if you ‘hate’ anyone.

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

God is more manifest [evident] in some – Avatars [Incarnations] are an example of this. It depends on their purity and stillness.

Be hard on yourself. Do away with all desires and desire only God. ‘O God, you are the solver of all problems, this is my problem, please solve it.’ This is how I made fast progress.

The heart has two occupants – the Indweller and the ego. So in meditation, imitate [role-model] the guru, then concentrate. Bring the mind back [to God’s feet or the mantra] all the time [when it wanders]. Laugh at it. Then go on to deep meditation. There is such peace you will not want to come out of it.

When I lower my eyes and go inside [into a meditative state/samadhi], you should try to tune in at that time. Question [yourself] within, ‘From whence [where] did I come? What is my goal?’

The Rasa Lila is the secret love of God for His devotee. God loves all, but has a special sweetness and love for His devotee, the one who has purity of heart and mind, and faith. Krishna incarnates to taste the separation from Radha.

There is no death, all is within you. Crucify the ego. Burn the passions before they burn you, and be quick. How? By taking God’s name.

If you hate a man, what to do? Go and worship him, even mentally.

Sankalpa is the root of desire. [Upanishads: Sankalpa is identified as a primary faculty of the mind, specifically, the capacity for mental formatting, conceptualisation, and imagination.] It is first found in the imagination, then turns into desire. If you stop thinking, the sankalpa dies a natural death. This is not easy, as the mind runs outside always. If I have a desire to go to Delhi, I already go there, inside myself, I bathe in the Ganga [river Ganges] and so on. The result is no sankalpa, only peace, stillness, bliss.

The guru tests you to show you your ego. He can do nothing else. Leave your attachment. ‘Mine’ causes pain because I think I may or will lose it. You cannot run from the world. When you want it, it is all taken from you, friends, money and so on. When you do not want it any more, it is all yours. Be strong in the world first, then with faith turn to God. His grace gives you strength to get close to Him.

Through faith all food becomes Prasad, all acts become prasad. If your faith is great enough, nothing can harm you. Offer all to God.

It is only you that keeps you from God. He wants you to come to Him. Do not accept or reject. When you call him sincerely, He will reveal Himself to you in the form He wants. Open the heart and mind. See Him as any deity [aspect or representation of God], any time.

We pray: ‘Come Lord, reveal Thyself,’ because we do not know who He is. Only God knows who God is. If you give all to God, there is no love or hate left.

There are three veils [obstructions] on the path of a pilgrim [devotee, seeker]: One is covetousness [jealousy, desire, wanting]. Thus do not rejoice at all in the gifts [talent, wealth, pleasures] of the two worlds. Second is wrath [anger]. Thus there must be no sorrow at the poverty of the two worlds. Third is meanness of spirit [small-mindedness]. Thus do not be beguiled [deluded, taken in] by praise or favour. Be high-minded. Seek only God. Realise the Truth. Open up.

The Lord in me listens to the Lord in the other person. This is worship. You cannot be better than others. You cannot understand till enlightenment, then you will see His radiance.

Make the guru’s load light. Expect nothing, sacrifice all for him, now.

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. 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.