Talks Excerpt 493. Swamiji says a sadhaka never prays to God for health or wealth.

From Mother Radha’s recordings of Swamiji.

With children the householder [Grihasthi] must understand that they have to be a psychologist. If the child is going to break a glass do not tell the child, ‘Don’t break it.’Rather say, ‘Ah, here’s a chocolate, come and take it,’ or ‘Bring that book for me.’ [Diversion tactics]. You have made the child do the positive thing and avoided the negative thing. Use psychology.

Do you know what psychology is? It is that which deals with the mind. And what is the mind? Use your mind. Most of you are using your hands.

Our great Rishis gave children the virtues of truthfulness, non-violence [ahimsa], and mind and sense-control by presenting these ideals. The Hindu [Sanatani], especially, knows that memory is the greatest instrument with which to remember God, to realise God. Memory.

You have forgotten that you are gods. You think you are ‘sheep’ but meanwhile you are Brahman.

How do you train the child’s memory? You tell the children stories, and next day you ask them to repeat them back to you. Unknown to the child, it is being trained in memory. The father or mother can also put a few questions to the child to build his intellect, his discriminating powers.

A sadhaka never prays to God for health or wealth.

The brahmachari or student must learn the Gayatri mantra:

ॐ भूर् भुवः स्वः
तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्॥ [1]

Om Bhūr Bhuvaḥ Swaḥ
Tat Savitur Vareṇyaṃ
Bhargo Devasya Dhīmahi
Dhiyo Yo Naḥ Prachodayāt

The mantra translates to: ‘We meditate upon the glorious splendor of the divine Sun, the Creator; May He illuminate our minds and guide our intellects along the path of righteousness.‘

Like this the child is straight away taught Om. His first science is Om – the physical and the non-physical – with form and without form. Om has projected Itself into bhur (Earth), bhuvah (Intermediary) and svah (Heaven).

You are praying to the Most High who has created the Earth, the intermediary and the heavens. You meditate on the splendour of That which is Self-effulgent. Strength, power and light are given by Him. He who gives that light, who gives that strength, is the Self-effulgent Being. No one gives to Him. He IS.

You teach the child to say, ‘Direct my mind towards Him’, or, ‘May He compel me to meditate on Him.’ Here, you are actually asking Him: ‘May He take me away from the unrealities and take me to the Reality, from the changeable to the unchangeable, to Himself.’

That is a Hindu thought and a Hindu prayer.

The free-to-read or download, 396-page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography is available by clicking HERE. If you’d prefer the PDF version, 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.