Swamiji shares a thrilling story about his Guru. And talks about visiting saints like Swami Venkatesananda and Swami Nishreyasananda. Disc 142 track 6.

To listen to Swamiji speaking, please fully open the post and then click on the link below.

Swamiji: One day we came here [to the shrine] – it was Divine Mother’s birthday. And you know, Gurudev [Swami Nischalananda Puri] was a Rudra sometimes – you don’t know him, but you should ask people who were near him. Something piqued [seemed to upset] him. He was in his [upstairs] room with the door closed. All the people are gathered in here [the shrine at the Avoca ashram].

A Mr Kantilal came here with two lovely fruits. Beautiful ones. [Even] now my mouth waters, when I think about it. They were peaches. Lovely ones. He kept one here [on the altar] for Swami Vivekananda [in front of the picture of Swami Vivekananda] and one he kept there [somewhere else on the altar]. I don’t know what happened. The next thing I remember I can see that I’d ate all that was kept there, and suddenly I hear from the back some mantras [in this case shouting or cursing]. ‘You ate the thing! I brought it for Gurudev. Who do you think you are? Who are you to eat this? You think you’re a great guru?’ Says Swamiji: Kantilal is still living; you can ask him about that.

So I’m very embarrassed about this now. How did this happen? And then eating it too, right from the altar – this is a very serious thing to do – this I know. [You can hear Mother Radha giving a chuckle]. But just then, as he’s [Kantilal] scolding me, and I’m saying, ‘Sorry. I don’t know what happened to me. I don‘t know what came into my head’, just then Gurudev comes in and says, ‘How was the fruit?’ Congregation thoroughly enjoys the scenario.

Says Swamiji: Now you see, these things I cannot explain, and I know many things you yourself cannot explain. But there is this giving of signs [from the spiritual preceptor] that says, ‘Look – I am with you’. And I know that Gurudev is with us. I know it is through his grace and his power that this body is able to carry out whatever little thing in this world, needs to be carried out. And I pray that he does not make me in any way betray his trust that he placed in me. I pray to him that I do not become guru-[inaudible]. The day you can tell [say] that this fellow is a good swami, is a good chela [disciple] is the day you find this body in the morgue. Otherwise, before that, I am afraid if you say, ‘he’s good’. Because I myself keep praying, ‘Lord, Lord, don’t let me let you down. Whatever a man thinks, let me leave [this life] serving you.’ And may you have the same inspiration that you have, in serving your guru.

Swamiji referring to words of a song he’d composed in honour of his Guru. ‘Guru hamare, Nischalananda.’ The director [?] here is? The director of whom? Nischalananda. And Bhagavan Hamare – is [Sri] Ramakrishna. The goal is that to me, is Sri Ramakrishna himself. Because my Ishta Devata was Shiva, so I said, Guru sharanam, Shiva sharanam, the Guru’s feet are verily Shiva’s feet. May his blessing be upon all his children and devotees.

The conversation switches to beloved monks, who in Swamiji’s day, used to visit us at the Ramakrishna Centre in Durban, and share their love and wisdom with us.

Swamiji: The other person I think of very much these day is Swami Venkatesanandaji Maharaj [The then head of the Divine Life Society [DLS] ashram in Mauritius. Whenever he was here [in South Africa], he used to come here [to the Ramakrishna Centre].

And I’m beginning to think that one day I’ll have to think about Swami Nishreyasandanaji [indistinct]. [Swami Nishreyasananda was a disciple of Swami Shivananda Mahapurush, the 2nd President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, and ended his mortal life in South Africa, as head of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society in then Salisbury, Rhodesia – now Harare, Zimbabwe.]

[We had an unforgettable experience in the shrine at the Avoca ashram with our Swami Shivapadananda and Swami Nishreyasananda. Swamiji asked the then ninety-year-old monk if he minded sitting and being worshipped as a living murti. Bless him, he indulged us. And so we all went up, prostrated one at a time, and offered flowers, water and even fragrance to our grand old grandpa monk, who sat in a deeply indrawn state. How much we loved him. It was a profoundly moving satsang and experience.]

Swamiji continues: These are great people that come into our lives, influence us, push us up – and they pass on. Unsung, unheard-of. Pray, that all his grace will bless us today.…. May all the Swamis, may all the holy people, whoever came in the past, whoever is coming now, or whoever will come in the future, bless us, is my prayer.

We are innocent. We can make a lot of mistakes. O holy ones, protect us and guide us. Give us peace. Give us purity of heart. Give us understanding that you exist in everything, all names and  forms. Hari OM Tat Sat.

[The topic continues on the Guru – but refers specifically to Lord Krishna].

Says Swamiji: Krishna is one of the greatest avataras [Incarnations]. He is a complete avatara of God. Swamiji quotes from the scriptures. Being the greatest, Krishna is a complete avatara, but Krishna Bhagavan still went to a guru. He had a need for a guru. And he himself says in the Bhagavad Gita, that he who wants to learn ‘the science of the Self’, must go to the guru, to the holy one, to the teacher – and how to do that? Serve him and ask him questions. Serve him and ask him?…questions. Not only go to the guru like an academic person and ask questions like you [might normally] do – he’s not a paid government man. He’s a free man. He’s an independent man. He gives to whom he feels like, and he takes from whom he feels like. He’s not bound by your whims and fancies and neither by your laws [rules] and regulations. That’s why you must go to the guru and serve him first. Then ask him questions – and he shall teach you.

Swamiji reading from the Hindi scripture again: Ask the Guru questions and the guru will give you the answers. He is the manifestation of all the dharmas [spiritual paths] and yet he’s above all of them. That Guru I’m talking about. Swamiji repeats it yet again [this is very significant, because when the wise ones repeat like this several times – Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi – silent most of the time – was known to do this when there was an extremely important point to be made, so it would deeply imprint in the chela’s mind]. Serve him. Service to the guru is a real worship. Not [just] these other [purely ritualistic] things where you burn camphor and all that. That is a part of it. But the greatest part of worship of the guru is service to the guru. And what you’re serving, too. Not only pressing his hands and legs and all those things we see, that is alright, but how to serve the guru, is to ask the guru questions, [and] learn how to put it into practise. All those things that you learn.

More reading in Hindi… No matter what you do, when the guru tells  you something and you don’t listen you can come and press his leg, pull his beard or nose but that is not seva [service]. That is bluff. What it is? Bluff!

[Regretfully the rest of the clip is indistinct… something about water and no ship can go there?] So who is telling this? Krishna Bhagavan could….  and then the clip fizzles out.

The free-to-read, 396 page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography is available by clicking HERE.

These recordings were made from the 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 an individual or a group of people with him, at the time.