Swami Shivapadananda on friendship attitude
SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
612
Late one night at Dakshineswar, when the kitchen was closed, a group of Sri Ramakrishna's devotees arrived. Whilst others were running hither and thither saying, 'What to cook? What to cook?' Holy Mother [Sri Sarada Devi] said, 'Go to the kitchen. Pick up all the cabbage that I have cleaned today plus the leavings that I put there, and bring them to me.' They brought it all to her and she prepared such a delicious curry out of it that the disciples were completely contented. What a mother she was. How simple she was and how she provided for her children.
[Spoken at a Yoga Camp]
Do not make any friends in this Yoga Camp. Push aside your friends. They are all full of mayas [states of delusion/illusion]. Out with them. If you want friends go to social gatherings. If you want to gossip about the newspaper, go and sit in a park. If you want to smile and joke, you have enough time at home. But here at the Yoga Camp you have to be serious about getting mad about God.
I do not say: 'Don't make friends; create enemies.' I would never say that. I mean do not crave for that friendship now. Do not crave for company. Your only friend in a Camp, in spiritual sadhana [practice], is God and God alone. Look for Him.
Of course you may utter a kind word to your fellow sadhakas [spiritual aspirants]. Utter it not because you want him to do you a favour, not because you want him to like you, but utter it because that is the nature of God and you are trying to express the nature of God. And perchance if he likes you, do not think he likes you, rather think, 'He is liking God.' And when you are attracted to another person here and you say, 'I want to make friends with him,' rather say to your mind, 'No, not that man, but inside him is God with whom I want to make friends; and that God is not absent in me so why not find It in me first?'
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 Puri, Swami Shivapadananda
Click Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna to read online…
Reference websites (please mouse-over
the name to connect): Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of SA, Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa,
Ramakrishna Dham, Swami Shivapadananda 2