Swami Shivapadananda on Ekalavya’s example
SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.
Day 476
The story of Ekalavya continued
Imagine if God came to you and asked you, "What do you really want?" You would say, "God I want to realise You." What if, just as God said, "Here you are, take it," your guru came and said, "I want guru dakshina, I want to make you ignorant?" Think about it. You would say, "No, no, no, I want God-realisation that is why I did all this hard work." Do you see the point?
But Ekalavya was blissful that his guru's grace was on him. What is merely shooting an arrow? He had shot Arjuna's heart through [Arjuna was jealous of his archery skill] , he had shot his guru's heart through [with love and obedience]. He still reigns supreme – more supreme even than Arjuna, his gurubhai [fellow-disiciple of the same Guru].
This is why I say that God can teach you even through nature. You do not have to turn to a guru if you have intense yearning for God. But you do not have this intense yearning so you have to learn how to increase it. This is where satsang [company of the holy] comes in and for satsang your guru is the best. You may know five thousand realised souls but the best satsang is still your guru.
Sri Ramakrishna cried and cried to God and had the realisation of the Divine Mother. She Herself became the first guru of Sri Ramakrishna. She taught him many things, even to learning about other religions and proving that they also are paths to God, that all religions are true, that all religions will take you to the Supreme Goal.
However all religions are not the same. That is what Swami Vivekananda learned. When he was in America he said that religions are like rivers that start high up in the mountains and, flowing crooked or straight, sooner or later enter the ocean called God. He said 'rivers', he did not say 'the same river'. Look at the subtlety of that. Here, Swami Vivekananda was the Rishi [Sage-Saint]. If you want to understand Sri Ramakrishna I beg you to study Swami Vivekananda's life and through Swami Vivekananda's eyes, you will see what Sri Ramakrishna is.
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.
Reference websites: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa, Ramakrishna Dham