Swami Shivapadananda on the role of the Guru

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha’s
notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Day 306

 

Be aware. You must watch the guru’s actions as well as hearing his
words. Then you will understand. No action, or thought, or word can be
recalled. In one second of unawareness, of sleeping, all your divinity can be
lost. The whole is lost, not just one part of it.

One angry word can break a friendship. Desire acts initially, submit to
God’s will and there is no going back. Watch more and more. If you do not react
then you must act and be a witness to that acting.

The ultimate goal of man is to see God in all. If you cannot do this,
then see Him first in this one, then in that one, and so on.

Go inside your heart and pray to the guru. Everything that comes from
the guru is Prasad [sacramental food], whether it is a pat or a kick. We all
want the pats. But look at the kicks. Are they right?

Om [the mantra] is God with form (example, Krishna) and the formless God (e.g. peace) and beyond both. The mantra takes you from
one to the other, until you merge, merge, merge into That.

The power of the guru awakens you when he gives you a mantra. This
awakening is on three levels, verbal, mental and inside.

Meditation must be there all the time. Begin with the Ishtam [personal
Deity]. Let it develop into the formless, then back to the form, in a circle.
Eventually they both merge in the One.

Click on 'Continue reading' below to find out about CDs of Swamiji speaking live

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.