Three steps to Divine Knowledge
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[now a Centre of the international Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission]
DAILY READINGS
Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.
Day 971
You will be liberated [achieve moksha] if you have understanding, faith [shraddha] and love [bhakti]. Love, you must remember this about love….why do we have satsangs [spiritual or religious services]? The answer is given: to purify the mind [manas]. What to do? To purify the mind. How do you know your mind has been purified? You will start getting more and more love to know God, to see God to realise God. That desire will increase, slowly. You will become restless [develop vairāgya, dispassion]. But this kind of restlessness will be different – not restless for cars, money, wife and children. But inside this will become restless.
In the Yoga Vashishtha [a Hindu scripture], the description of Rama Bhagawan [Lord Rama], Sri Ramachandra, is given thus; that each day Rama became more and more withdrawn. He stopped eating food, he appeared to be in a pensive mood and he began to grow weaker in his body.[King] Dasaratha, his father became concerned and went to Vashishthaji [one of the sapta, seven Rishis, Sage-Seer-Saints] and asked, 'What is wrong with Rama? There is something wrong, please tell me. Has somebody told him something bad? Has he any doubt about me, or his mother's told him something? Why is he worried? Why is he growing thin? Why is he not eating?' [Swamiji chuckles] You know what Vashishthaji says? 'There's nothing wrong with him.' 'But we see him not eating food – there must be something wrong – if a man is not eating food, then something must be wrong. What is worrying him?' The same reply, 'Nothing is worrying him. This world has got no taste for him anymore. He's searching within, now, for who he is. For whence he has come – and what his real purpose is.'
Then Vashishtha Bhagawan goes to Rama and gives him, not bhakti [divine love, devotion] – but he gave him gyana [or jnana, divine wisdom, knowledge]. Bhakti was already intense in him. Rama wanted to know what the truth is. And because of this he was seized with an inner restlessness. He wants to know the truth. And the love of the truth kept on pulling him away – and this world became distasteful.
Swamiji to devotee: Like today you asked me, 'Swamiji what is worrying you?' Didn't you ask? Why? Because you found that I was going inside [introspecting]. But it was you thinking that I'm worrying about something outside [external]. Both people look like that, the man who's going outside and the man who's going inside – exactly the same. So just like that Rama became very restless, intensely in love with the truth and wanted to know the truth. Intense longing – and then Vashishtha gives him this knowledge. What did he give him? Knowledge. When loves comes, then knowledge is sure to come. And what is knowledge? – God Himself. And he [Vashishtha] sings, he gives him [Lord Rama] this mantra [sacred word, phrase or one of the many names attributed to God], he gives him this lesson, he imparts the knowledge.
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, 150 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.
For more about the Holy Trinity, and also the founding Swamis of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, please mouse over their names below:
Sri Ramakrishna Sri Sarada Devi Swami Vivekananda
Swami Nischalananda Swami Shivapadananda
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - read online
Reference websites – please mouse over the name and click to connect:
Ramakrishna Math and Mission Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa Ramakrishna Dham