Talks Excerpt 403. Swamiji gives Sri Ramakrishna’s mantra: ॐ ऐं सर्व देव-देवी स्वरूपाय श्री रामकृष्णाय नम
From Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.
The greatest gift you can give the guru is to obey. That gives him the greatest joy. The guru’s role is to explain again and again.
It is very hard to worship Mother Lakshmi. The moment you slip off the path she disappears. You do not know where she has gone and it is very hard to find her again.
Master’s mantra is: ‘Om Aim Sarva Deva Devi Swarupaya Sri Ramakrishnaya Namah‘ – I prostrate to Sri Ramakrishna who is the Consciousness of all the gods and goddesses. [Swamiji told us that this mantra was empowered by Swami Vivekananda himself. As you will know, Swami Vivekananda is one of the Sapta Rishis.]
[The ‘aim’ ऐं is pronounced as eye-m (but as one syllable) not as in I ‘aim’ an arrow at something. But like I’m going to town.] Sanskrit Script: ॐ ऐं सर्व देव-देवी स्वरूपाय श्री रामकृष्णाय नम ]
Devotee: I believe that great saints and sages just say to a river, ‘Come,’ and it will come to where they are standing. Is this so? Swamiji: Who wants to use that great power for such a petty, insignificant purpose? [Swamiji frequently cautioned against the acquisition of siddhis or psychic powers. Even one siddhi, He used to say, can mean the end of your spiritual journey in this life. Because we become trapped in egotism.]
If you do what you are asked to do for the ashram it is prasad. You must spiritualise your work, then you become humble, you give credit to God.
People used to come to Gurudev [Swamiji’s beloved Guru, Swami Nischalananda Puri] and he would just sit and look at them. There is no way to understand these saints.
Wife and husband are complementary in [acquiring] knowledge of the Truth.
Read the scriptures and see how to equalise [balance] man’s body with plants.
Scientific people stress what they like. As specialists they specialise in one thing – but that makes them more ignorant about other things. Do not stress one aspect and exclude other aspects.
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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.