Daily Reading 89. Swamiji again affirms that your Ishta Devata is the ‘full package’. Lord Krishna’s authenticity and the battle of Kurukshetra are firmly resolved.
Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.
If you meditate on your Ishta Devata [chosen Ideal or Deity], it is the Self of all Selves; and you will become the Self of all Selves. If you love the guru with all your heart and soul, you will be prepared to go to hell for him. For example in the Bhagavad Gita it tells how Radha took the water, after washing her feet in it, and put it on Krishna’s head – they had said she would go to hell for doing that. [For the full story, please click HERE.]
Question: The whole world is God’s projection. Some people say that Krishna did not exist.
Swamiji: But I say, ‘Can’t he [God] project himself? The battle of Kurukshetra really took place. But you may say that the battle took place within – but what battle is not within? The battle rages within. Krishna existed and the battle took place – at the same time it is spiritual, so it is inside.
Sri Ramakrishna asked Trailangaswami [*see footnote], ‘What is the world?’ He put up two fingers. Master [Sri Ramakrishna] then asked, ‘What is God?’ He put up one finger. This means, He [God] is one without a second, so It is unique; you cannot find two of It. The tusk of God is only one: OM [or AUM] .
[*Footnote: Sri Ramakrishna met Trailangaswami, who had taken a vow of mauna or silence [and was reputed to be hundreds of years old] on one of two pilgrimages. He described the Yogi as a Paramahamsa and ‘veritable image of Shiva‘.]
On concentration: Concentration is when you take all your attention and put it on one thing. How to develop concentration? Whatever you do, do it perfectly.
On self-confidence: Why do we lack self-confidence? From fear of the world. We are afraid to contradict. We think, ‘He is better than me.’ Trace that thought. You will see that we are afraid to contradict. You must feel, ‘Yes, I can do all these things.’ Whatever you say, say truthful things so no one will contradict you. I used to say, ‘Ma, you are the only one who speaks. I am no one. You speak through me.’ Always think, ‘God speaks through me.’
In meditation you may fear to lose consciousness. Why? A God-man’s senses are not working in deep meditation. He walks without feet. He hears without ears. In deep concentration, deep thought, you do not hear the car go past, because you are absorbed in what you are doing. Meditation is above thought. A deep thought leads to meditation. As long as the mind is functioning, it is not meditation. Go above the mind.
Sometimes it is better to pray aloud and sometimes it is better to pray silently.
Tell the truth. Do not tell lies.
You need to understand the scriptures, so read them in a language you can understand.
If you dream of yearning for God, it is a very good dream. You are getting pure. Never mind what the world says, do what will increase that yearning.
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.