Daily Reading 45. Swamiji shares a hilarious moment of Guru-Chela interaction.

From Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Swamiji: I heard this as a film song, but I thought of my Guru [Swami Nischalananda Puri] when I looked at his face and as he walked. He was so slim. Of course I’m a little padded [plump]…he was so slim… and he walked, and I thought ‘that tree and he can be synonymous’ [because Gurudev walked so upright].

And when he looked at me in the eyes, a serene kind of vibration use to pass through me. Just like a father saying to the son [Swamiji sings in western operatic style] ‘What am I living for, if not for y-o-u..?’ [devotees fall about with laughter, Swamiji himself laughing heartily].

Ah, it was beautiful, I used to love it. Every time Gurudev [the term used at the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa in referring to Swami Nischalananda] looked at me, that thing used to go through my mind and I would smile. Beautiful! So nice!

C’mon [Swamiji encourages the devotees to sing the line with him, and they do all sing] ‘What am I living for, if not for yoooo?‘ Swamiji sings the line again, directed at the devotees. [More laughter and palpable joy].

You don’t know. You don’t know what is inside. You must feel it. You have to feel what I am saying. A real devotee lives like that. He lives only for his Lord. Hanuman [the great devotee of Lord Rama] lived only for Lord Rama. I’m sure if Hanuman knew English he would have sung it to Rama. And Rama would have sung it to Hanuman. [devotees laughing merrily at the idea].

Of course, the modern Radhas sing it to their Krishnas too. [more gales of merriment, Swamiji laughing too] Think about it.

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.