Negating prarabdha karma
[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 922
[Pravrajika] Atmaprana [the first sannyasini – nun – of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa,pictured left]: Are any people not attracted to God?
Swamiji: No. All are attracted. The plan of nature is to take man there. That's the plan. But there is a condition. The condition is purity of mind. When that doesn't happen you won't realize it fully. And when that doesn't happen your thirst won't be quenched.
Atmaprana: How can people who have done some sadhana [spiritual practice] then feel repelled by spiritual life?
Swamiji: Swami Nisreyasananda [head of the Ramakrishna Mission in Zimbabwe, pictured above] told me one beautiful thing when I was bitterly complaining about X. I said, 'Twelve years of my sadhana I gave him and look what he does to me. He goes and gets married. Now he even has a child.' Swami Nisreyasananda laughed at me. He said. 'There's nothing wrong with that. What you put there will never be wasted. Spirituality is never wasted. His prarabdha karma [the debt, obligations, agreements that have to be worked out in this birth] has caught up with him. After his duties are completed he'll come back. That is sweet itself. So why to worry? Who knows? Maybe the soul that has to go through his child has to impart certain things to him. Maybe he has to give something too. How can he do it when he is here in this ashram [monastery, hermitage, spiritual service centre]? His spirituality will be intact. Gold, when it is buried for thousands of years and dug up, is not like other metals. It's still gold. It doesn't wear off.'
I thought, 'Beautiful'. That made me love X [again]. Straight away it had an effect.
Atmaprana: Is there anything we can do about our prarabdha karma, Swamiji?
Swamiji: Just love God. I told you – start 'doing'. If prarabdha is the actions of the past fructifying now, then surely the intense activity of now will become the prarabdha of tomorrow. Just install that One. Just install It. That's what I am doing. I'm just installing It. If I do this then the prarabdha will find it is trying to force itself through very hard ground, and it won't push through. It will die a natural death.
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