Swami Shivapadananda on Isa Upanishad essence
SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.
Day 439
In his book Swami Yatiswarananda says: What is written in the scriptures, you must follow, not just read it. You must be lovable to God, then you will be lovable to all. If the mind is restless or not, you must do meditation. It produces harmony in the body and leads to an increase in spiritual themes.
Swamiji: This is a very great passage.
You must regard God to be your all in all. Then your heart is filled with the luminous Infinite Spirit merging in your body. Imagine it, and the mind and the whole world is in it. Imagination is the open gateway to meditation. Then I can say: 'My mind has put on a pure mental body and physical body.'
Repeat the name [mantra] and meditate on the luminous form. Then think your Ishta Devata [personal deity] is Infinite Spirit shining everywhere. Just follow this. It is practical. It is a direct instruction of the Master [Sri Ramakrishna] to us.
In the Isa Upanishad we read:
Isa vasyam idagung sarvam
yat kim ca jagatyam jagat.
By this thought you should live: that it all belongs to God.
Tena tyak tena bhunjithah,
ma gridahah kasya svid dhanam.
By this way renounce all short-sightedness, all limited things and, with the eye of your mind, see God permeating everything, covering everything.
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.
Reference websites: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa, Sri Ramakrishna Dham