How to die
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
693
When you die you must die consciously, not unconsciously, otherwise next time you just take a birth. You have to be prepared and know how to die. Every day I visualise my body as it is dying, how it is getting cold, slowly I am gasping for breath, but in that thing there is no pain because this is a natural thing.
If you open the bladder of the football what happens? It makes a noise. It is making a noise but it is not feeling the pain, the air has to go out, it is natural. Beautiful. That is nature. Hindus have the secret but they are keeping it. The story about Nachiketa is beautiful. Go and read it.
Actually they say that man has not learned to take birth and he has not yet learned to die. We cannot learn how to take birth because we have already taken birth; but at least be wise enough to learn how to die in the right way. That is a yogi.
When Swami Brahmananda [a direct monastic disciple of Sri Ramakrishna] was dying he said, 'Ah, Krishna is come. I am going. Krishna is come. Once more the shepherd is calling me.' How beautiful. In his last hours Sri Ramakrishna looked up and said, 'Ah, Kali, Kali.'
The great ones know how to die. They say, 'Good-bye, good-bye.' But you say, 'Hey, hey, stay here.' [laughter] You make it worse.
What do you know about death? Death is a beautiful thing – wonderful. I praise it, I worship it. I worship death with all my life and my soul. It is a beautiful thing if you know death.
To know something other than the Real, is maya [the divine power of delusion/illusion]. We are thinking that death is something else, meanwhile it is God. Sri Krishna says very openly in the [Bhagavad] Gita, 'I am Death the all-devourer.' But when He comes in that form you are kicking Him; He laughs at you.
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.
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