Focus monkey-mind on God
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
779
Hanumanji [the so-called 'monkey' god – and great devotee of Lord Rama] was a monkey – not a monkey's body – but a monkey's mind he had. Did you see a monkey sitting still? Never will you get a monkey sitting still. Unless you make it drink and sleep. [Laughter] You'll never get a monkey sitting still. But then you see, how wonderful Hanumanji is – He says, 'Why I must look at Rama. When I'm restless, I must look at Him. Any work, I must do for him. Him and Him [alone].' Put activity into action, but for who? For God. So don't worry – you are all in that category. You can never stop without action – you want action. Three days, if you don't do action, you'll die. So you've got that – Hanumanji's quality. But the only thing you haven't got is that you must serve God. You forgot that part of it.
So if you can only serve God, you'll get moksha [liberation from the cycle of birth and re-birth]. Hanumanji got it. On the other side [hand] you get Rishis [Sage-Seer Saints] who have completed this business of acting in the past births. Somebody told me the four stages of life are: Brahmacharya [student phase], Grihastha [married phase], Vanaprastha lit: wandering in forest, contemplative phase] and Sannyasa [renunciation phase]. Don't you think [you might well ask] that I'm going against the scriptures [meaning Swamiji himself as a sannyasi – i.e. not having married]? I say if you knew my last birth, you'll tell me. I must have got more fed-up [tired] than you. Right, now we cannot judge the man like that. That man must have been be born through all those activities [and creation of desires].
Now he has withdrawn from that state [of studying or marriage] – he has left – and now he's continuing [in another phase]. How come now that you say he's wasting his time? It's like saying the father has retired and the son who is about twenty five years old is saying, 'My father is wasting time'. But he's full – his finished his duty. In the complete sense I'm talking about. Because the greatest thing [Swami] Vivekananda said – the greatest, and strongest – is thought. Do you know this whole world is thought? This whole world is thought.
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, over 100 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.
Click HERE for the second website on Swamiji's life and teachings.
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