The Universality of Sri Ramakrishna
SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
615
Master's [Sri Ramakrishna's] Name does not only take you to Vishnuloka [the realm of Lord Vishnu] or Shivaloka [realm of Lord Shiva] or Shaktiloka [the realm of the Divine Mother]. Nay. It takes you to all the lokas and yet it withdraws and shows you: 'Look, I am all the lokas.' That is why you find all the deities being absorbed in Him.
Master is the heart of [Maha] Kali. Kali is only the outer manifestation of that heart.
When a kirtan [religious song] is sung slowly, with love and devotion, it makes a calming impression on your mind. The kirtans that are fast should be sung at the times when you are lethargic – when you are feeling sleepy. The mantra [sacred sound or syllable or one of God's many names] after all, makes you do whatever you want to do.
Sing a fast kirtan at the beginning of your satsang [religious or prayer service] , then later come to calmer songs. Another thing is, do not end your satsang with a fast kirtan. If you do, then when the people are leaving you will see how they shake hands and how very happy they feel – but that lasts only as far as the door. The effect of it will wear off.
In my life, by my guru's grace, I paid attention only to his words. The association with my guru was not long but his words still associate me with him, and therefore my life has been blessed.
I hope that the speakers in these classes at the Yoga Camp do not think that they are giving lectures. They should rather think that they are worshipping their Deity; offering it to their Deity. And if their Deity has taken an apparently ignorant form (i.e. in our forms as we are seated) it is just to give training to the lecturer because he is more ignorant than the rest of us. So God tries to uplift the lecturer's intelligence in that way.
1) Care should be taken by the reader to
understand and take Swamiji's words in these postings, in context. Every
teaching or instruction that he gave was specific to the people who were with
Swamiji at the time. 2) Mouse-over the words highlighted in red in the
posting for further explanation or links.
There are currently available, over 100 different CDs
or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email
timhoare@webmail.co.za to order. Click HERE for the second website on Swamiji's life and
teachings.
Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Nischalananda Puri, Swami Shivapadananda
Click Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna to read online…
Reference websites (please mouse-over
the name to connect): Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of SA, Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa,
Ramakrishna Dham, Swami Shivapadananda 2