Daily Reading 40. Swamiji speaks on self-discipline, Incarnations of God and pilgrimage.
Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.
An excerpt from Meditation and Spiritual Life, by Swami Yatiswarananda: In spiritual life you need to follow a definite routine.
Swamiji: But when there are rules and regulations, you will say that you are ‘not free’.
Reading: You must be conscious and alert, wide-awake. If you do not like this you will have to whip your mind. Read with concentration, with a definite purpose. When you get up from reading, is the mind better? Sit again. Never allow the mind to sleep. All is habit. You must have the habit that will wake
you up in time for meditation. Spiritual food is necessary for the mind. After meditation, sit and reflect. Joy comes from meditation. It protects the mind from the sudden onslaught of worldly thoughts. You must consciously minimise the tension of the nerves – not through sleep, but through self-surrender. Then the mind becomes passive. Consciously minimise the tension of the nerves and this leads to peace.
Relax before meditating. Never read worldly fiction on going to bed. To sleep you must have holy thoughts. Think that your mind is getting merged in divine light. Fill it with divine thoughts. Worldly thoughts have a bad effect. In the evening peacefully dwell on the Divine Form, the Divine Name – this gradually transforms the mind.
Last thing at night and first thing in the morning look at a picture of the Lord. If you wake at night, do Japa without strain. Japa and sleep must not be connected. Before going to bed do 108 [one mala] or 1008 times japa. Never stop until you reach the number you say. When you stop, think about God and his lilas [literally: divine play/s]. Think you are sleeping in God’s lap, otherwise when you do japa you will fall asleep. Do not excite the senses before sleep.
Swamiji: [Sri] Ramakrishna said: ‘I have made the mould, now you must shape yourself in it.’
Swamiji Talks at a Meeting: It is heartening to see so many people gathered here today on this hallowed ground, created by my Gurudev, Swami Nischalananda [Puri]. They are here to give us their blessings, hidden in packets of love. Created by them in times that we were together. And times that we were doing Master’s [Sri Ramakrishna’s] work and serving Him. We forget the good things done to us. But God, in His divine nature, remembers the least good done to Him. I pray that Sri Ramakrishna gives us his nature to remember the good, the kindness, of today.
The greatest incarnations appear in India. The greatest number of incarnations and the super evil souls – Kamsa, Ravana [characters from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana]. No matter how great the evil that is manifested, always the revealed Light is Divine. Swami Vivekananda said: ‘The light of the soul in all beings, is potentially divine.’ It is up to us to reveal this divinity. He impacted on India in a special way. He came to destroy: the evil of today; the misunderstanding of science; and the demon of ego. Science is put there to show us what a man is capable of, to make man humble. But now they are denying the very power that is the revealed manifestation of nature. It is easy to destroy people with a gun; it is difficult to do it in argument. And it is more difficult to put people on the right path to spiritual knowledge.
The scriptures are there to show us that God exists, and to reveal God’s power. How can God’s power be shown to educated men and women – teachers etc – who travel on the vehicle of the ego?
How did that young Brahmin boy in Dakshineshwar [Sri Ramakrishna in later years] – that divine corner of the earth – without education, show that the greatest secular knowledge can be defeated by humble devotion to God? He destroyed the ego. And the egoistic man was humbled by his simple parables and way of life. He only had a short stay on earth, but he created instruments to destroy evil in the world – instruments like Swami Vivekananda and Swami Abhedananda [both direct monastic disciples]. These two started in the most materialistic country in the world, America.
If materialism is destroyed and poverty comes, it is because the highest degree of materialism is replaced by ignorance.
Multiplication equals expansion. Division leads to hatred and competition. So man reduces himself to a beast. When you take religion out of life, the fittest survive, like beasts. But not if a man sacrifices his life, gives shelter to all and serves eternally. India gave us the innocent, guileless Sri Ramakrishna.
When we go to India we must pray like this: ‘O Lord, this ego is not fully ripe because it cannot comprehend You completely. So I come to your feet. Where there are many Incarnations and a great number of devotees, there is the greatest thought of Thee. May thought of Thee drown me, drown the ego and reveal Nature Divine.’
So I return to this Fatherland of mine on pilgrimage. [Swamiji was to soon be on his way to India]. Sri Ramakrishna was innocent because the Divine Mother spoke through Him. He did not even know what he said [ie. what came through him, because he was in a superconscious state – samadhi]. I say: Whatever the bitterness we have in our hearts, may we get rid of it on pilgrimage. In the human body, in man and woman, consciousness dwells, a saint dwells. A human being is the Taj Mahal of spirituality, one of the wonders of the world.
Worship jiva [individual soul] and so you will worship Shiva [in this case symbolic of the Universal soul]. Swami Vivekananda says: ‘Service to man is worship to God.’ If you hate your brother and love God in the shrine, you are a buddhoo [fool]. Jesus Christ said: Leave your gift on the altar and make
peace with your brother first.
An ordinary saint can give you education – not perfection. He can fulfill certain desires only. But a Self-realised soul like Master [Sri Ramakrishna] says, ‘Whatever you desire I will give you.’
Spirituality can give you love of God, or knowledge of God, and karma yoga [the yoga of selfless service as worship] is in between. Sri Ramakrishna says: Do not ask God for anything except love and knowledge. Pray thus: ‘Give me love to love God, knowledge to know God.’ This is highlighted in the Ramakrishna Gospel. Ask God for love alone.
A man will suffer because of God, but the day he realises God, his karma is burnt. Jesus the Christ said: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all else shall be added unto it. That is to say, love of God and knowledge of God will be added.
An Avatar includes all Avatars. Knowledge of God includes all knowledge, love of God includes all love. The Avatar is not worth worshipping unless he gives knowledge of God, love of God. That is what made Sri Ramakrishna an Avatar. And because of this I know he will give me love of God and knowledge of God. In Master’s arati the words: ‘Khandana bhava bandana’ translate to, ‘Breaker of the world’s chain’ or, ‘O destroyer of worldly bondage.’
Sri Ramakrishna’s spark was in the cave [Vasishtha Guha on the river Ganges.] Swami Purushottamananda Puri [the Guru of Swamiji’s Guru – lovingly referred to by Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa devotees as ‘Guruji’.] Sri Ramakrishna is the Avatar of this age. Scientific knowledge makes men think how great the scientist is, not how great God is.
Underlined words are hypertext links to clarification, explanation or other sources. Just tap on them.
The free-to-read or download, 396-page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography, ‘A Life Lived For Others‘, is available by clicking HERE. If you’d prefer the PDF version, please click HERE.
For our gurubhai Atmaprakash Kramer’s beautiful pictorial ‘memoir’ booklet of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, Avoca Ashram, please click HERE.
There’s also a Facebook site for Swamiji’s posts now. They feature newer readings published more recently. Click HERE to view.
These recordings or the excerpts from them, were made from the early 1970s onward, by Mother Radha, a close devotee of Swamiji’s and edited for uploading here by our gurubhai and her son, Brother Tim. Please be mindful that what Swamiji was saying may have been specific to those with him at the time.