Swami Shivapadananda

Disturbing someone else's faith

 

Over the Christmas period (2009) on social media like Twitter, some self-proclaimed 'atheists' were mocking the idea of Jesus' virgin birth, the date on which it's celebrated, and casting doubt that Jesus lived at all. The birthday of Jesus is lovingly celebrated with much fanfare at the Ramakrishna Math and Mission Headquarters, Belur, near Kolkata in India - as it is in Ramakrishna movement centres around the world.

Swami Shivapadananda used to say to those of us who were fortunate enough to be in his circle of teaching: 'You have no right to disturb the faith of another person.' It's one thing to share information about one's particular path and discuss or even debate issues. But such discussion should always be from the perspective of respect for where the other person is and the path they follow. It's not our business to 'convert' people from anything, to anything.

Let us always remember the core teaching of Sri Ramakrishna: 'Religions are like rivers. They all flow into that one ocean called God.' God's grace and the universal divine intelligence are in charge of what path they walk and how they reach the destination. As Swami Vivekananda famously said: 'We don't move from untruth to truth - but from truth to higher truth.' The truth never changes of course, but our perspective and understanding of it changes as we grow in spirituality.

Let us always embrace the teaching of universality of religions as taught by Sri Ramakrishna. All religions are worthy. The sincere seeker can find the goal by following any one of them. This was proved by Sri Ramakrishna himself. May we be loving, uplifting and inspiring messengers of that good news.

May we remember a life lived for others

On this day set aside to commemorate the 'birth' of the Incarnation of God, Jesus Christ, may we remember the true significance of His appearance in a human body. May we see beyond the food and festivities to the deeper message of 'I and my Father are one'. May we seek and find, that One-ness. That Yoga, or union. May we remember who we really are.

 

Christmas

 

Daily posts will resume 6th January 2010

Dear Readers - may you have a safe and blessed end of year or holiday season and find peace and fulfilment in 2010. We'll be back with daily readings from 6th January 2010 again. God Bless!

 

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  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

 
 

God and Reasoning

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

706

They say that God's ways are mysterious; and man may think he has solved the mystery of the Universal Controller, has understood the magical power of God. But we see in the story of Narada's life how he became when he thought he had solved the mysteries of God. Therefore I plead to you do not think that your reason can reason out God. God is not only beyond reason, He even permeates reason.

They say that God has taken all names and forms.

In a dream you dream that there is a motor car, a driver, a robot [traffic light], a sun and a moon, you dream that there is a road and a policeman, but when you wake up you find that the policeman was you, the road was you, the sun that gives heat was you, the water that gave coolness was you, the robot that changed its colour was you. Nothing else but your own mind manifested as these names. Similarly, God manifested this whole universe with his yogamaya. It is a kind of power that no one can find and nobody can control except God himself. God has become everything.

In the Hindu religion they say there are ten avatars [Incarnations] to show us how God has become everything. In one avatar He took the form of a fish, but He left it to us to infer who took the form of the water? Who took the form of the sea birds? Who took the form of the storm?

In Sri Ramakrishna's time only a few knew that He was God Himself.

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  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

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  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

 

Gopala Ma and Baby Krishna

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

705

Gopala Ma [a direct disciple of Master's - Sri Ramakrishna] was a worshipper of Baby Krishna. She did not worship a married Krishna who had sixteen thousand and eight wives (sixteen thousand and eight means that he had a multitude of powers and controlled them).

When God takes the form of a child He has to behave like a child. He does not put his powers into operation. Therefore all-powerful was Gopala Ma.

Sometimes when baby Krishna was naughty she whacked him. Can you imagine whacking God's buttocks? Can you imagine when God is hungry you put Him to your breast and feed Him? What a gifted mother that is. Think about it. Think about the love. Think how when God is naughty you cry because you become powerless with his naughtiness.

Gopala Ma worshipped baby Krishna, she became the guardian. A mother who is a real mother is full of love tainted with extreme care. These two things Gopala Ma had. A real mother will give the child everything but she will take care that the child does not go wrong in any way or that somebody does not hurt the child. She will protect that child.

If your child, who is crawling, goes out of your sight for one second, where does your mind go? Your mind runs to the child. Thus by that kind of innocent concentration on God you can realise God. After all, what is meditation? Unbroken or continuous thought of God is called meditation and samadhi [superconsciousness]. When you do not think the thinking itself becomes continuous; and in continuous thought is samadhi. Thus Gopala Ma realised God by continuously taking care of God - as Baby Krishna - and serving him lovingly. It was not blind love but it was a caring love, a protective love, a serving love.

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  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

 

Sannyasa mind

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[Second President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

704

Swami Vivekananda said that in a sannyasi's life, no matter in which country he is, he must remember three things: Firstly, he must practise brahmacharya. Brahmacharya does not refer to only one sense, it is mind and sense control.     

Secondly, meditation. He said that a sannyasi must do his sadhana [spiritual practise], study the scriptures and at the same time practise according to the scriptures and the instructions of the guru. Thirdly, a sannyasi should be a man of poverty, a man who will not own anything in his name. He said that the sannyasi should not even sign a cheque. Nowadays modern sannyasis are signing cheques.

A sannyasi can dress up anyhow he likes. He may be in the West, he may put on trousers. You will find the Ramakrishna [movement] swamis [Hindu monks] doing this; they will sit at any kind of table, but examine them very carefully and you will see they never forget: meditation, study, prayer, brahmacharya and above all the vow of poverty.

Everyone is great in his own heart. Everyone has God seated there.

No matter how much a holy man is advanced, still your Atman [spirit, soul] is holier than him.

Gopala Ma [a disciple of Master's] was a worshipper of Baby Krishna. She did not worship a married Krishna who had sixteen thousand and eight wives (sixteen thousand and eight means that he had a multitude of powers and controlled them). [To be continued]

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  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

 

Men and renunciation

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

703

Parents should not obstruct their sons either if they are going towards God. It is better than standing on the corner, smoking cigarettes and dagga [marijuana], it is better than going to the movies. If the child's mind is coming towards God, offer it to God. But every child that comes here should first see that he finishes his matric [final grade of secondary school], goes to the university and then comes and renounces when he has some equipment in him, some instrument, some weapon in him, to work with the public.

We do not want lazy children. A lazy man is not good for God nor is he good for mankind, and above all he is not good for himself. A lazy man should not renounce. A lazy man should go and work, get married and have a wife - if possible wives - [Swamiji teasing] and children. [laughter] Only a man who is not lazy, one who works so much for himself that later on he can work selflessly for others, must renounce.

I think that in Kaliyuga [this epoch/era/age] a man should try to renounce at about fifty. He should get away from his wife and children and try to become strong and independent. Do not hate your wife; do not hate your children; love them, but try to get detached.

Today people who are sixty or seventy want to remarry. This is a funny kind of a thing. They already have false teeth but they still want to eat bones. This kind of a life is not good. Ultimately renounce for God.

Never ever, not even in dream, forget your gurustan [the place where the guru (spiritual preceptor) came from]. Some of us have great gurustans. Never forget it. Uplift it always. Never talk ill about any holy man from any religion. All holy men are doing holy work to uplift their own minds and the minds of others towards God.

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  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

   

 

Renunciation

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[2nd President and Spiritual Head, The Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

702

[Pictured: Pravrajika Atmaprana (formerly Rosemary Oosthuizen and 'Sri'), the first female renunciate 

of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

Those people who stay nearby the ashrams [service monasteries] should get in the habit of going there every week. Go and ask the swamis [Hindu monks] or brahmacharis [students/monastic postulants/aspirants] what is to be done and offer your help. In that way you will be improving the ashram and yourself. Do not come here only because there is a yoga camp. Yoga is to be practised every second of your life, not once a year or once in six months.

Those young girls and boys that want to lead a spiritual life must renounce, they must come. Do not fear. But before coming here read the life of Sri Sarada Devi, read the life of great sannyasis and sannyasinis [Hindu nuns]; then read the life of Sri Rama and Mother Sita; read the life of Raja Janaka and his family. Then weigh yourself up and see where you fit in. If your mind says, 'Truly I have love for God and I want to give my whole life to God,' then come. With open arms I welcome you. I am not yet out of the body. I will be the first one to say to you, 'Come my child, sit in the ashram and become a sadhu [holy man/person].'

Parents must see that the children are inspired and that their minds are going towards God. Parents should at no time try to take them away from God. This is to commit the greatest sin. You should actually encourage them.

Once someone told Sri Sarada Devi [the nun-wife-consort of Sri Ramakrishna], 'Why don't you tell some of these girls to go home and get married?' Sri Sarada Devi was very disappointed. She said, 'What? Don't you see what is happening with you yourself at home? Aren't you having trouble everyday with your husband? Here these girls are loving God. Must I tell them, "Leave God and go home"?' By these words she made it clear that she allowed renunciation for women.

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  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

 

Converting

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

701

A yoga camp is a spiritual platform, a platform to kill the ego in yourself, to become selfless. You cannot teach anybody; you can only practise what God has taught you through the great Rishis [Seer-Sage-Saints], through the great saints and sages.

Come to the camp with the idea: 'I have come here to become Mister Nobody, because God is everybody and I have come here to become nought.' And when you become nought the 'One' will be added to you and you will have a value. If you put five noughts with no 'one' before it the five noughts have no value. But if you put five noughts and put a 'one' before it, it gives you a hundred thousand.

Do not criticize any saints or sages. Always do what is right. Have mind and sense control and love to God's lotus feet.

Sri Ramakrishna was the first great saint in history to say, 'All religions are true, whether flowing crooked or straight, all take you to that one ocean called Satchidananda' Knowing this, knowing his teachings, believing in Him, hate nobody, criticise nobody, rather help everybody to march the same path.

Do not think that if you get converted to another religion you will be saved. You will be worse off because once you get converted you will have to start understanding from scratch. If you cannot understand the religion in which you were born, how can you understand something new? If you can keep God here, you will keep God there too.

Do not think that you are converting for God. Maybe you are converting for name, fame and position in society.

We believe that all religions are true and that God is in every religion; so practise your own religion. If you are a Christian, become a better Christian. If you are a Hindu, become a better Hindu. If you are a Muslim, become a better Muslim and so on. If you do this, your life will be a blessing.

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  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