Swami Shivapadananda Puri speaking about death, what we (don’t) take with us, and gossip.
This is a brief clip. Just over five minutes.
Swamiji starts with a startling statement: You have come to this world for only two days. (Emphasising the brief duration of a human lifespan in the greater scheme of things). Millionaires leave this earth, with all their money left behind. With their wives and friends here. The poor man, the beggar, also leaves this world with his little wealth or whatever he's got here. All the things from here will be left here. Only one thing will go with you. Your dharma (good deeds), and that which you call adharma (unrighteousness). Let us, when leaving here, go with dharma only.
Sri Ramakrishna's religion is? Become perfect. Don't mind other people's business. You know what the greatest mantra is in the Ramakrishna Centre? We discovered a new mantra in this 20th century. MYOB. [Meaning: Mind Your Own Business]. That's the new mantra in the Ramakrishna Centre. Anyone who comes to complain, I look at him and say, go and repeat morning and evening, one hundred and eight times (a full mala or prayer rosary) MYOB. You may think I'm joking, but the people who came with me, they'll tell you. Swamiji chuckles – some of them are victims of that too. And some people come in secret and tell me about the other fellow. Saying, please don't tell him (or her) Swamiji, please.
Swamiji having fun: He says, 'I can promise not to tell that particular person. But I can stand up and tell the entire congregation.' The audience enjoys the joke. Swamiji quotes our dear late gurubhai, Mr D P Soni – a stalwart founding member of the Ramakrishna Centre (and father of Pravrajika Ishtaprana Mataji – the present head of the Sri Sarada Devi ashram). Whenever someone would come with a complaint, he'd say, 'Can you put it in black and white?' In other words, make it a written complaint. Says Swamiji: That complaint never arrived. But I thought, make it a little more dramatic. Tell the public, I'm not telling the individual, I'm telling you all (the congregation).
The outcome is that they stopped coming to Swamiji with gossip.
Click on the link to enjoy. Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Duration 05:06
The original audio recordings of these posts, were made by close Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and Swami Shivapadananda devotee, Mother Radha Hoare. The audio editing and noise reduction of the original 1970s tapes has been lovingly crafted, over many years, by our gurubhai Tim Hoare. We thank them both.