Swami Shivapadananda on serving God in man
SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
Day 502
(Pictured: The main Dakshineswar Kali Temple complex entrance for arrivals by road)
Swamiji continues speaking on Niyama
Sri Ramakrishna said, 'After realising God, if you are a selfless soul, you will come back to have God's lilas [divine play] and sevas [service].' That is what Sri Ramakrishna called greater than Samadhi [superconsciousness].
After [God or Self] realisation: worship. Do not stay in a cave after realisation and now and then come down – that was the old style. Swami Vivekananda followed the ancient Rishis [Sage-Saints] as far as that was concerned. When Sri Ramakrishna asked him what he wanted, he answered, 'I want to enjoy bliss and now and then come down to put a morsel of food in my mouth.' Sri Ramakrishna said, 'No, come back and worship God – the One who has become many.'
After coming down, the same service is transformed into worship. For instance a man comes to you and asks for food. So you give him food. Slowly he takes off his veil and you see who it is and you say, 'Oh, it's Swamiji.' What happens then? Are you still going to give him beggar's food? No. He is the king himself. You will say, 'Oh I am sorry. Please come inside and sit down and I will serve you.' You are serving man but when God is revealed you are worshipping God. 'O Lord, please come inside and take your seat.' Hari Om Tat Sat.
The Bhagavad Gita says you cannot see God with these physical eyes. You can only see God with the eyes which are beyond the eyes, God Himself. There is another kind of vision when you realise that I am everywhere. He who sees the many in the One and the One in the many is the wise man. The sannyasi [monk] has that attitude.
After 1886 [Sri Ramakrishna's Mahasamadhi, passing on] all the people started saying, 'All religions are one – all religions lead you to God.' Before that they all said, 'That religion is wrong and that religion is right, that fellow is not good,' and so on.
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