How to die
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[now a Centre of the international Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission]
DAILY READINGS
Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.
Day 831
There are some [Nityasiddhas] who know they are born – these are Realised Souls. There are some who are born without knowing they are born – but later on they know who they are – they have realised It [sadhanasiddas] . And there are the Incarnations [avatars] who know before they are born [Ishwarakotis]. They consciously put this bondage [of a human body] on themselves, of course light bondage, and they take birth for our sake and they live in this world. Every time they find that the bondage wants to break away, they add another bondage [consciously create some small attachment to hold on to the body].
Sri Ramakrishna had two things like that, one was water and the other was jalebis [pictured above]. Do you know what jalebis are? A sweet that goes round and round. Those two were his 'floaters'. Because the first thing he would say when he came down from samadhi [state of spiritual superconsciousness] was 'pani' – water. Otherwise he'd say, 'Jalebi kai bo' – I want to eat jalebis. Those were two desires Sri Ramakrishna had. They were not very strong desires and he could break them at any time. Why did he have them? Compassion. Compassion for the world.
Can you imagine, if you know how to die, how beautiful it is? We are not talking about committing suicide. That's why they say that when they put Christ on the cross, he got into samadhi. They took him off the cross and so he came back to our level – and later on he left the body consciously.
There was a yogi, Ramalinga Swami, who left the body similarly. He reached a vibration where air merged into air, warmth merged into fire and water merged into water – earth merged into earth and the spirit merged into Spirit. Beautiful it is. Some try and die, but next birth they can perfect it.
It's always nice, when you're about to die – even if you're not sure of dying – to get to your place of meditation [in the mind] and cling on there. Instead of calling for your mother, father, doctor and so on, quickly get to that centre of meditation.
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