Talks 732 and 733. Swamiji gives fascinating answers to devotee questions, using Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Sri Ramakrishna as examples of perfect truthfulness.
From Mother Radha’s recordings of Swamiji.
Excerpt 732: [Holy Mother] Sri Sarada Devi’s life was one of simplicity and therefore her teachings are self-explanatory. You do not have to reason.
Just follow the rules. When you have grown in spirituality, I will not have to tell you how you should dress when you come to the shrine; and how to behave in the shrine. Then you will not need the fences [guidelines] which Sri Ramakrishna said were necessary to protect a growing plant or tree from being trampled.
You must please the Lord with more determination, discrimination and by being virtuous. At the same time, you must train yourself to be moral. It requires some effort. The virtues are: love of truth, simple living, control of the senses and desires, reading of scriptures, tolerance, endurance and equanimity.
If you want to know how a person’s mind works, open his wardrobe. If it is neat and tidy, then his mind too, is not cluttered. [This is something Swamiji regularly did, if checking on residents in the ashram dormitory, or their quarters at the ashram. He even did ‘the closet check’ in the homes of some close sadhakas.]
When we are devoted to God, all our activities become acts of worship to God. As we withdraw from the world we must grow in Universal love – love of the Self.
Watch your mind. Don’t let it trick you. When we see something (or think something) we must ask ourselves: Is this the truth? Is it righteous? If the answer is No, then reject it.
Advaita Vedanta teaches us the highest truth. It says, we are divine because God is in us. But we have forgotten it, so we make mistakes and undergo difficulties.
It is good to read about it; to practise it is better; and to realise it is the best. Then you will know that the world is nothing but a projection of God and His power.
We are blessed to be Master’s [Sri Ramakrishna’s] children. Master did all the sadhana; the tapasya or austerities. Now we must enjoy the fruit by trying to practise a little of what Master taught.
Excerpt 733: Devotee: How is it possible that Sri Sarada Devi, aged just two or three, pointed to Sri Ramakrishna when asked, ‘Who here would you like to marry?’ Swamiji: Subconsciously she knew or God acted through Her, spontaneously. She was pure, right from birth, and acted as God made her act. A jivanmukta is always truthful. He or she is liberated even though living in a body.
Swami Vivekananda said, ‘The day Sri Ramakrishna was born was the beginning of the Satya Yuga.’ He did not say, ‘The day Sri Ramakrishna was born the Kali Yuga ended.’
The [Ishta] Deity looks after us, birth after birth. We need complete self-surrender and faith in our own Deity who accompanies us in every birth.
Man’s question is: ‘How do I know who my Deity is?’ Your mind automatically gravitates to one Deity. When you listen to talks and practise sadhana regularly, you will see which deity your mind is attracted to.
You must follow the instructions of your guru – not what you think is right.
Never tell lies, as it is detrimental to your progress. Even in dream you must control your mind. What you do playfully comes out in dreams.
Sri Ramakrishna kept to truth, and never deviated. He used to tell his disciples that they must never lie, even in fun or while joking.
The world is full of the pairs of opposites – heat and cold; pleasure and pain; happiness and misery. Be above these and try to keep the mind on God. Repeat your mantra as often as possible, and you are sure to progress.
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 booklet, ‘Memories of my ashram days‘ at the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, Avoca Ashram, please click HERE.
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 an individual or a group of people with him, at the time.