When will God reveal himself to you?
[Pictured: The River Ganges (Ganga) at Dakshineswar]
[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 917
You must always remember that calling upon God is a [pre] condition for him to come [manifest]. Everything has conditions attached. If it's God it has God-conditions attached. The condition that God wants you to call him with – is intense yearning. You must feel for him like you do not feel for anything [or anyone] else. Once Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was seated at the river Ganges [Ganga] and someone came and asked him, 'Lord, when will I realise God? When will I know God? When will I see God?' Ramakrishna thought 'now I must give this fellow a practical demonstration. So he said, 'wait, before I answer you, come with me. Let's have a little swim.'
So he took him to the river [Swamiji chuckles] and before swimming he stood there, held the man's head and pushed him down under the water – and held him there. [Swamiji still chuckling] Ramakrishna looked very skinny but he was very tough, very strong. He held the man there. The man was struggling for breath and trying to throw Sri Ramakrishna off, feeling that he was going to die. Sri Ramakrishna then let him go.
He was so angry with Sri Ramakrishna. He said, 'You! – I came to ask you a question – what are you doing?' Master said, 'what was the question?' The mean repeated, 'when will I realise God?' Sri Ramakrishna said, 'tell me, how did you feel under the water?' The man replied, 'I thought I would die! I couldn't breathe, I thought if I'm not going to get even a little breath, I will die!' Master said to him, 'you will realise God when you feel like that for God. When you feel that you cannot live without God and when you feel on a particular day that without him this whole world is useless, then and then only will God reveal himself to you.'
Otherwise God is always there. God is everywhere. God is in your heart, God is here, God is in the kitchen, God is in the room, he is everywhere [omnipresent]. But why does he not reveal himself – meaning make himself known? Because we do not yearn for him – intensely. So what is the condition? Intense yearning. You must yearn intensely Ramakrishna said. You must feel that 'God, without you I cannot stay [on earth].'
[Addressing the children] Supposing your daddy and mummy said, 'Don't go to bioscope [movies] ever again. How would you feel? It would be very painful, not so? You will feel like your world has come to an end. But you don't feel like this for God. Why? Now we go to satsang [religious prayer service] to create this kind of feeling [yearning]. Swamiji repeats: to create this kind of feeling. That is why we come to satsang. Our prayer is 'God, give me this feeling of yearning. Of intense wanting. Wanting who? – You. We always get the feeling of wanting but we want health, we want name, position, we want fame – but give us this and when you have this, then I needn't tell you what will happen.
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.
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