Swami Shivapadananda on the compassion of the Wise Ones

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 406

 
 

Have only one thing in your heart: to save humanity. It is a natural attraction. An Incarnation [Avatar] is like a magnet, sometimes visible, sometimes invisible, but always drawing near the middle, in the form of the devotee.

After viewing with devotees, a film on Master's [Sri Ramakrishna's] life Swamiji said: What we experienced was an insight into the scriptures and into the lives of the great ones – Ramakrishna and others – and above all an insight on how to live like real human beings. A human being, on an animal level, lives selfishly. Human beings on the spiritual level sacrifice their lives and their breath to save not only the devotees, but all. For example Buddha felt for animals and Jesus Christ felt for the prostitute, Ramakrishna felt for fish, for the cow, for human beings and for spirits that were visible to him alone and not to us. He was Saviour par excellence. He came, not only to save man, but to save creation. He was the embodiment of God himself.

We too should have some feeling for animals, for trees and plants – for our real nature is one of self-sacrifice.

The saints add to the glory already obtained by human beings and get intense love for themselves – not for the body and the mind, but for something beyond. Something which saints call by different names – Atman, Self etc. If this is reflected in your daily life, from the time you open your eyes in the early morning to the time you become unconscious in the dark, then . . .

Gandhi set a good example. He would have fasted to death if necessary. He said, 'I fast for your sin.' Only a saint says that. He did not say, 'You are a sinner, I will kill you.' When you start to understand that rightly, that is what happens: silence.