Daily Reading 51. Swamiji on dry periods in sadhana, the astral body, and not displeasing the Guru.

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

Question: What is the best way to overcome a dry period in sadhana?
Swamiji: It is a natural thing. Do not be afraid of it or of how long it takes. Do not wait. Just as you force a child to go to school, if the mind does not want to do sadhana, you must force it. How? By joining the sadhus [holy ones] and reading the scriptures. Gradually the mind will do sadhana. It is most important to do this.To discipline the mind is the important thing.

[Mother/Saint Teresa of Calcutta experienced decades of being in a spiritual desert. But she simply soldiered on in the service of the Lord. For details, click HERE.]

Question: Why do they say you must read the Gita Dhyanam [the ‘Invocation’ to the Bhagavad Gita] after reading the Bhagavad Gita?
Swamiji: Because some things in the Bhagavad Gita may not inspire you but the Dhyanam will. All human beings are motivated and to motivate you, you must know why you are doing it. So it tells you what you will gain by reading it. This is motivation. For beginners it is necessary to read it.

Question: What is the astral body?
Swamiji: It is the soul. At the time of death the astral body leaves the body and goes. It is the mind and psychic body.
Question: How long do you stay out of the body after death? Swamiji: You can return immediately, or millions of years later. It depends on your desires. When the mind is in the gross body it takes one or two hours [or more] to [physically] go somewhere. But in dream the mind can go to London for example, in two seconds flat. And what I like is that it costs nothing, it is dream money.

Question: Can the guru monitor a chela’s [disciple’s] movements through all these?
Swamiji: Yes he can.

Question: Does the guru sustain us on that side [when our of the body]? Swamiji: The guru is on all sides. It is the most sacred relationship under the sun – the guru-student relationship. It is said that if God is angry with you, you can please the guru and it will be okay. But if the guru is angry with you even God cannot help you. The guru is so great because he reveals God to you. You cannot make the guru unhappy and be happy yourself. If a person has faith he will accept what the guru [spiritual Preceptor] says. If he has no faith he will not accept what the guru says. A chela [disciple] must not think he is great. No. The guru is great.

Question: Must the chela always stick with the guru? Swamiji: As a Hindu, once you marry you have no right to look at another woman. Even if your wife is mad, you must live an austere life. So similarly, once you accept the guru you have no right to criticise him.

It’s like you get a murti [religious statue/image] and put it in your shrine and worship it. Now suddenly you want to criticise it. Rather find out how to realise God through the guru. After
installing him as the guru you have no right to find fault.

We have to have a guru. He is like a pair of crutches which we use till we can walk again ourselves. Even if you are cured you must not throw the crutches away. You must look after them in case you need them again. Only guru’s grace can tell you how long it will be, how far it is. The Pure mind is Satchidananda [Existence, Knowledge, Bliss Absolute]. As long as we do wrong and think we are clever, we must have a guru.

Question: Must the guru be responsible for what he does?
Swamiji: Yes. One hundred percent. You must see the austere life of the guru. Test him like a coin is tested. You must watch the guru very carefully. It is not a blind thing. You must be awake. Watch him with woman [lust] and gold [money].

Hindus never believe in conversion. A Hindu has an Ishta Devata [personal Deity].

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.