Stick with your own Ishta Deva
[Lord Rama worshiping the Lingam, symbol of Lord Shiva]
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[now a Centre of the international Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission]
DAILY READINGS
Day 1013
Swamiji continuing the discussion on the Ishta Deva [Personal Deity or Chosen ideal]:
If in your last birth if you worshipped a particular deity and this birth if you made a mistake, it's a funny kind of thing [unusual]. Because the Bhagavad Gita makes it very, very clear. The last thought [dominant pattern – not just single thought, Swamiji verified] that you have in your mind at death – that you will start off with the next time around. Man can make a mistake but nature never makes a mistake.
I'll give you an example. Vivekanandaji Maharaj in birth after birth worshipped Sri Rama. And then one day [in his pre-monastic life] he was worshipping Sri Rama and he heard that Rama had two children. 'Ooh!,' he said, 'What? He had two children? The fellow is sensual.' I'm telling you this very plainly, now. 'Sensual, this fellow.' How can God be sensual? He's above sensuality. 'Hey, two children!' [Swamiji chuckling] He went to the Ganga [river Ganges], took Rama's photo [dropped it into the river] and said, 'Out!' – and Rama was gone. It takes a great heart to do that, I want you to know. I want you to remember this. No superstition attached. He was a real scientist. If it's not good, out! And he drowned his Rama – he died [devotees chuckle uncertainly]
[Swamiji continues chuckling] And then he took Shiva and began worshiping him. I don't know what he would have thought when he realised that Shiva had an animal child – Ganesha [in the form of an elephant]. [All laughing] Even worse than Rama! Why are you worshiping Shiva? Well he would say, 'He's the king of yogis.' Mahadeva. [meaning] Great god of gods. If he's god of gods he must be Rama's god, too. This is the right bet. [Swamiji continues chuckling]. I shall worship him.
Then he came to Sri Ramakrishna and Ramakrishna said to him, 'Hey – you'd better forget all this and worship Rama,' and then he started worshipping Rama again, though he used to say 'Shiva AUM, Shiva AUM.'
The Ramayana gives you a secret'. Who does Shiva worship? [devotees answer] 'Rama.' And who does Rama worship? [devotees answer] 'Shiva'. It is said that He's a Shiva Avatara [incarnation], why? Because he's the greatest devotee of Rama. You've got the idea? Why is Vivekananda a Shiva Avatar? Because he's the greatest devotee of Rama. And Shiva is the dispeller of?…darkness, inauspiciousness. When he [Vivekananda] came, he brought knowledge to east, west, south and all, alike. The point here is that he took his real deity that came in his mind [Rama] and later on started liking another deity because he forgot one small thing: that he loved Rama, whilst he loved an aspect in the other deity, called Shiva. Some feature he loved in Shiva. What did he love in Shiva? That he had no children. He was above lust. Vivekananda thought that Rama was in lust. So the guru [spiritual preceptor] told him, 'Go back to Rama or no spiritual progress for you.' That's what Ramakrishna said. 'Back to your deity!'
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