Suffering is Inevitable
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
753
Our gurus [spiritual teachers or preceptors] say that in this world there are five things that are inevitable – birth, death, old age, disease and attraction-repulsion. These are all inevitable. Even the gods who came into this world went through these different stages. The next question is therefore: What to do? These are natural things. Old age must come, disease must come, happiness must come, and suffering must come because our prarabdha karma [karma that must be experienced in this birth] knowingly or unknowingly catches up with us.
When one is happy one's time flies away. In the hours of happiness an hour seems like a minute, so there is no problem here because happiness eats up time. The trouble comes at the time when we are suffering. Every second seems like one year. Suffering is inevitable, like other things, but suffering is the thing that draws our attention. And it looks like time plays havoc there. If we have to suffer then we must choose for what we suffer. Must we suffer for things that will leave us in two seconds? Must we suffer for the things that are not eternally ours. Or must we suffer for that which will always be with us? That is the big question.
In India there was once a Muslim man. He was well looked after in his own society, in his own religion, but the Lord stole his heart under the name of Sri Krishna. So he started praising Sri Krishna. As this went on the Muslim people thought he was a disgrace and they reported him to the Muslim magistrate. He warned the man against this behaviour, but with no result. Again when they reported him to the magistrate the magistrate said, 'Stone him to death.' The man continued repeating God's name: 'Krishna, Krishna, Krishna.' So they stoned him. When he got into an unconscious state they thought he was dead so they threw him in the river Ganges. Somehow by God's grace he didn't drown. The cool waters made him conscious so he swam to the river bank and returned to his village. There the Muslim people who had thrown him in the river grew very fearful. Some of them said, 'Well, through some miracle he has come back to life.' And many came to prostrate to him. And others who had criticised him said, 'He has some magic power. Maybe through that power he did all this.' But when he looked at the crowd he just burst out in tears and he sang Sri Chaitanya's song: 'Hari bol, hari bol, hari hari bol.' While singing he fell into a swoon. And when they put water and other things on him to revive him he said, 'To suffer, how sweet. So sweet to suffer for your Beloved. How sweet it is.'
Suffering is inevitable. Here was a man who was suffering because he recognized the All-attractor Hari. Hari means the All-attractor. The man said, 'I don't know who He is but he is attracting me. What can I do? I am calling It Krishna and you are punishing me. I don't know who It is. I only know He is the All-attractor, Hari. They call Him Madhava Govinda, they call Him Keshava. What do I know? Nothing.'
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