Swami Shivapadananda on understanding one’s true nature

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY

READINGS

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

Day 276

A candle brings light to others. Hanuman is a perfect bhakta, jnani,
raja yogi, and karma yogi. In the lowest form, the body, he thinks of himself
as the servant of God. In Jnana Yoga you give the mind to God. In Bhakti Yoga
you give the emotions to God. Hanuman is the gateway to Sri Rama. Hanuman is a
perfect brahmachari [controller of his senses, celibate]. To give yourself in
thought, word and deed to God is the only way. All power, all faith, all
devotion removes obstacles and gives purity.

Sri Rama asked Hanuman, ‘How do you think of me?’ Hanuman replied, “If I
think of you as my master, then I am your servant. If I think of you as the
Jivatman [individual soul], then I am a spark of That. If I think of you as the
atman [universal soul], I see you as myself.” Hanuman is karma which is good
and bad. If you do bad, he lets you have it. If you do good he helps you.

The world is within me, a cylinder with holes for the eyes and so on,
and the jiva just looks out, not the Self.

Devotee: I feel like I want to stop the clock. Swamiji: It’s all a
dream, wake up. There is no clock, so wake up. Obey the guru. Never rest till
the Master’s [Sri Ramakrishna’s] work is done.

Vishnu stands with chakra [discus or spinning wheel], gada, padam [flower] and shanku. Shanku [conch shell] is OM or Omkara, the sound of Brahman. This indicates:
Out of this I created the whole world, liberation. Padam is a flower. This indicates: I am love. Chakra [spinning
wheel/discus], with this I cut your karma asunder. Gada [the club] indicates:
But to make you pay for your karma I use Shiva, the gada. So watch out.

Control the mind and it will be a blessing.