Swami Shivapadananda on karma
SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
585
The Divine Mother and Sri Krishna are not two different things. It is One called by various names. Here She is known as male, there She is known as female.
Devotee: All this depends on the attitude of the mind?
Swamiji: Yes, it is definitely the attitude of the mind. Nothing else. If you see good things, you are happy. If you see bad things you are depressed.
Devotee: Swamiji was talking about God coming in different forms . . .
Swamiji: I am not saying this. The Lord is saying it Himself in the Bhagavad Gita. [laughter]
Devotee: When we look at the situation in this country today . . .
Swamiji: There is individual karma, there is group karma, there is national karma and there is international karma. We are caught in one of these karmas.
Devotee: Somebody came to our house the other day and begged for water. My wife's response, due to a recent incident in the neighbourhood, was to tell that person, 'No. If you do not go away I'll call the police.' How do you respond to a situation where . . . ?
Swamiji: She responded from where she was. They responded from where they were. You must respond from where you are. There is not one straight-forward pattern of response. Each one will respond from where he or she is. Given the same incident each one will respond differently. It may have been dharmic to say to him, 'Go away.'
Devotee: That poor fellow may have only wanted water for his car.
Swamiji: It is all right. She acted from where she was. Do not worry about her. M.Y.O.B. Mind your own business. [laughter]
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.
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