Swami Shivapadananda on how Swamis and devotees should behave
SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
Day 525
[Pictured: The Morton Institute, now a primary school, where M. [Mahendranath Gupta, the recorder of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna] was headmaster and used to meet his own devotees.]
Swamis must walk gracefully when they walk; when they scold they must scold gracefully; and when they kick they must kick [meant metaphorically – as in when they scold someone] gracefully.
At home, if you do not do your morning, midday and evening prayers, if you do not practise charity and truthfulness, then you are a first class hypocrite. You must try to practise these things and try to have a character like the saints and sages of yore [old]. At least then you are fit for something.
You must try to give up all things that bring harm to others and to yourself – like taking flesh, alcohol and things like that. I am not going to tell you forcefully to leave them, but you should try to bring your mind and senses under control. If your senses still want these things, if you are still taking them, then you are weak. You have to get yourself under control first of all.
Morning and evening sadhana [spiritual practice] must be performed and the children must be made fanatics of your religion. But they must be fanatical without bringing hatred for other religions. Your ideals at home should not be forgotten and the ideals of Sri Ramakrishna, should be seen in those ideals.
Just as Hanumanji [the great brahmachari devotee of Hindu Incarnation or Avatar, Sri Ramachandra] spread the name of Lord Rama, may you spread the name of Sri Ramakrishna. If you do not talk about the Master [Sri Ramakrishna] to three or four people, or at least one person each day, then that day you have wasted. Our Master never condemned anybody, so why should you be afraid to talk about him? He is the simplest of the simple and therefore I cannot see people not taking to him.
In your behaviour try to project this Master, this ideal, so that people will know that the Master's hand has touched you and you have changed.
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.