Discussion with devotees
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[now a Centre of the international Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission]
DAILY READINGS
Transcribed from the recordings made by Mother Radha
Day 1033
Swamiji chatting with close devotees and responding to their questions.
Significance of spiritual symbols:
There is a significance to each symbol – what are they?
Devotee: Thunderbolt.
Swamiji: Thunderbolt – you know what that stands for? It's power, almighty power.
Devotee: Flag.
Swamiji: Flag, flag of victory. It means he's victorious always. He's got immense strength.
Devotee: Goad.
Swamiji: Goad. Oh yes. That's inspiration. [devotee chuckles in amazed disbelief]. Helping people along. Goad him along. You know what the teacher does…he urges the student along. He motivates him, in other words.
Another devotee: But didn't they use the goad to move lazy animals along?
Swamiji: [half teasing] Well, you know that Christ dealt with sheep, Krishna dealt with cows – and you know who the cows and sheep are…Pashupati…if God is the Lord of animals, you mean to say he's not ours too? Anyone bound to sensuality is animal [in nature]. You can take it that all of us are bound to sensuality in certain degrees. So to that extent we are?…animals.
Krishna takes one across the sea of Samsara [cycle of birth and rebirth]. If it wasn't for my Krishna, who's going to row your souls across? The Mother [Sakti] worshippers say, 'Hey, My Mother – she is the queen of the whole universe. She doesn't have to go and do that. Your Krishna is doing that for her. [all laughing] You see, your deity is just taking us across. But my Mother, she's queen of the universe and your Krishna is working [for her] now. [Swamiji chuckling]
Someone asks about Lord Vishnu represented as resting
Why do you think Vishnu is resting, resting? I can give a similar answer [Swamiji chuckling heartily] There's nothing else for him to do. The others are doing his work. That's what. Number two: if you take Vishnu Bhagawan that's all the time resting, that is the only part in the whole of creation that is the witness. That is always in itself…always…the Atman [universal soul]. So Vishnu, according to the Bhagavad Gita, is the seed [Purusha,universal spirit] of everything. And the seed itself is just quiet. It's Prakriti [Nature] that does the growing. Like the invisible guest and the silent witness. 'Rest' there is actually what we refer to as not being agitated by any activity, whatsoever.
On showing respect for everyone's beliefs/path
Sometimes you'll find when I go to other organisations I praise their deity even at the expense of Ramakrishna or Vishnu. We need them to see all as Atman, because they are attached to personality. If through that they get the highest devotion and they reach [a state of] sattwica [harmony, equilibrium], then they will get the whole same vision as Ramakrishna had or the same vision as Arjuna had. You know, there's a wonderful thing that happened in the Mahabharata. He first praised devotion to duty. And through that when you've reached a sattwic state then he started giving all the other things. In the end he realised the Atman. You must remember this, Arjuna was a realised man, he's not an ordinary man. And to this day people don't think like that. They think Arjuna is an insignificant being. When you talk about Arjuna, you have to talk about God himself. Didn't he say, in the 10th chapter, 'amongst the Pandavas, I am You.' You're talking about a realised man.
1) Care should be taken by the reader to understand and take Swamiji's words in these postings, in context. Every teaching or instruction that he gave was specific to the people who were with Swamiji at the time.
2) Mouse-over the words highlighted in red in the posting for further explanation or links.
There are currently available, 150 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.
For more about the Holy Trinity, and also the founding Swamis of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, please mouse over their names below:
Sri Ramakrishna Sri Sarada Devi Swami Vivekananda
Swami Nischalananda Swami Shivapadananda
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - read online
Reference websites – please mouse over the name and click to connect:
Ramakrishna Math and Mission Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa Ramakrishna Dham