Swamiji explaining how there is nowhere, that God is not.
One is forced to see through those sentences [clearly a completed reading, now under discussion], the omniscient [all-knowing] power of God. How is it, that at that time, when the Rakshasas were there, Lord Krishna already gave the boon of his coming [incarnation]? So he knew – he can see the future, according to this, because he had already given them the boon that he would incarnate there as four brothers, with 'part manifestations'. [In Hinduism, different degrees of incarnation are recognised, depending on their purpose, and the circumstances under which they're incarnating. Sri Ramakrishna manifested with the full sixteen powers [siddhis, characteristics or attributes] of the Maha Avatar. Other Incarnations have not manifested the full suite of powers. Master, Sri Ramakrishna, was like a tidal wave of spirituality, here to revolutionise our access to the Divine. Incarnations are also not limited to just one body. Mind-boggling though it may sound 😉 – we're dealing with the highest Supreme Consciousness here, remember – they can manifest and be in multiple places at the same time.]
Says Swamiji: Now, whether you're praying to Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrughna or Rama, you're actually praying to the same [entity]. In the Bhagavad Gita, of Sri Krishna Bhagavan, it states that – no matter which deity you worship, in actuality, you are worshipping ME! [The totality of the Divine]. Though 'unauthorised'.
If you pray to Lakshmana, you're thinking that he will answer your prayer. Lakshmana the body can never fulfil any prayers. Rama, as Rama the body, can never fulfil any prayers. But only the Eternal Spirit that is so-called Rama, or the Eternal Spirit who hides himself behind Maya, called 'the body', you only see the body, but you cannot see the spirit. So the body is Maya – he hides himself in that Maya, acts through that Maya, which we worship. But meanwhile we're thinking, 'Oh I thought of Swamiji, and everything came right.'
Swamiji [using self-effacing humour] says, Swamiji doesn't know what's happening next door – how can everything come right? But there must be something beyond them, who is working, who knows. He fulfils the prayers, he answers the questions. Although through ignorance [as yet, not fully-developed understanding], they worship other deities, they are actually worshipping 'IT'.
Like ordinary people get attached to a murti and think that if that murti goes away from them, 'No prayers of mine will be answered.' (Swamiji chuckles) But he who answered through the murti will answer you. Swamiji clarifies: It doesn't mean a murti has no spiritual value, because it has this value of uplifting your mind and concentrating it.
'No!' Ramakrishna said, 'It's not a clay image, it is an image of consciousness.' Swamiji says: Later, in deep Vedanta, you will see that your consciousness goes there, and you worship your [own] consciousness as stone (Swamiji chuckles). Because he [God] is conscious there. A dead body cannot say that's it's Krishna, because there's no consciousness. I don't know if you see the clarity of what I'm saying? It's your consciousness that goes there, which is God in you, in that form.
From that point of view, the purity, the sattvic part in you, is your deity. Which is Satchidananda – Existence, Knowledge, Bliss.
Swamiji goes on to further explain how Consciousness is not somewhere else. If we perceive it that way, it is we who projected it there.
This recording is mind-expanding, when it comes to our concept of 'God'. Please give yourself the benefit of listening to the rest of it.
Click on the link below to listen. Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Duration: 08:49
The original audio recordings of these posts were made by close Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and Swami Shivapadananda devotee, Mother Radha. The audio editing and noise reduction of the original 1970s-onwards tapes, has been lovingly engineered, over many years, by her son and our dear gurubhai, Brother Tim. May Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji bless them both.
Admin tip: Underlined words or words in colour, are links. If you click on them, they'll take you to an explanation of the particular word or term. [All words in these posts are Swamiji speaking. Admin comments are in a smaller, green font, and square bracketed, like this statement.]
Dear reader, if you spot typos or or other errors, please feel free to email the site admin on info@imbizo.com with your suggested correction/s.
Links to our Guruparampara (spiritual lineage) organisations, which will broaden your knowledge base: Ramakrishna Math and Mission and our alma maters, the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and the Sri Sarada Devi Ashram in Durban.
Picture borrowed from the Church of Christ, Buffalo, Wyoming, USA