Daily Reading 71. Swamiji speaks on the significance of photographs of Sri Ramakrishna.

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

Question: Is Maya [or ‘partial truth’ as Swamiji described it to us] illusion or Brahman?
Swamiji: I asked my guru [Swami Nischalananda Puri], ‘What is Maya?’ He said, ‘It is the power of God. What God fails to do, Maya does.’ Maya is God’s natural thing. Gurudev [Swami Nischalananda] said, ‘See everything, but do not become involved in it – it is subjective. Witness only the Self.’ When it is ‘something else’ you are already involved in it. Being involved or uninvolved will end one day. If you think there is a problem, witness it. Do not worry about Maya. It binds you and frees you.

On Master [Sri Ramakrishna]: His photograph [where he is in samadhi [superconsciousness] is the nearest thing to his image. It is the first photograph of an Incarnation that has been preserved. This is very, very important. If a person is conscious of Consciousness itself and a photo is taken, one must get realisation from meditating on that image. The photo is very important.  There are only a few photos of Master. One is where Master is standing – this is samadhi with form [savikalpa samadhi]. In another one, Master is sitting. This is nirvikalpa samadhi – formless [and non-dual].  

Question: When you cannot visualise Master should you look at his photo?
Swamiji: That is how you start meditating. With open eyes looking at the photo. Then close the eyes and see the image inside [yourself]. Keep doing this, it builds concentration.

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.