Swami Shivapadananda

Swami Shivapadananda on the power of Rama's name

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 434

One look of Rama's awakened Hanuman. So on the rocks he wrote "Jay Sri Rama," and they became consciousness personified. In the sea they formed a bridge. Rama's name is so great that what Rama failed to do, his name did it.

Hanuman crossed the ocean and destroyed Ravana. Then he brought Mother Sita back on the bridge that others had completed.

It was Hanuman who revealed the power of Rama. 

Everyone knows that Mother Sita is pure. We must see how her husband was uplifted by this. Thus we too must become worthy children of a worthy  [Divine] Mother. Will you sacrifice like this? No. We are not prepared to suffer. Blessed is he who suffers. He will leave the world a better place than how he found it.

Krishna offered Kunthi a boon. She asked: 'Always give me suffering, Lord' 'Why?' asked the Lord. 'Because trials and tribulations make me think of you, Lord.'

The more troubles human beings have, the more they think of God. So remember: When you are happy, do not forget God, and when you are unhappy, do not forget God. When you give up your breath, take God's name. Then it is bhakti, bhakti, bhakti love or devotion]. Bhakti is the greatest jewel in the three worlds.

Krishna asked a gopi [cowherd devotee]: 'What do you want?' 'Bhakti, she replied.' 'No, ask me anything else but not bhakti.' 'Why?' asked the gopi. Krishna explained: 'You see, bhakti has such power that I become your slave. Look at Radha, she has bhakti. Every time she opens her eyes I must be at her beck and call.' 

Swami Shivapadananda on total truthfulness

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 433

   

One thing Sri Ramakrishna stressed was: "In this Yuga you must speak the truth." He could not tolerate anything that is not the truth. Thus if you stole, you must tell the judge.

Swamiji Vivekananda said that only the strong can realise God, not the weak. You must become perfect in this world. All worldly work must be done as sadhana and step by step spirituality. Every work, every thought must make you go towards God. You must be serious-hearted, you must be sincere in what you do. Do not do wrong and make an excuse.

Sri Sarada Devi said the guru is like a lighted lamp that lights other lamps and yet never becomes less itself. The big light is God; guru is the small light in flesh.

The great gurus burned themselves [through austerity], revealed God in themselves, revealed the Spirit in themselves.

He who worships Hanuman [the exemplar of utter devotion to God], never comes to harm. When Hanuman takes pity, i.e. showers his grace on somebody, he will not leave them till he marks them with Sri Rama.

Hanuman says: 'I don't want to become one with Rama, I want to be Rama's servant. Rama is Eternal and I want to be Rama's Eternal Servant.'

Whatever Hanuman does, he does for Rama and Rama alone. His love is so very great that the nooses of the deities cannot bind him.

He who digs a hole for others, is in it first. 

Swami Shivapadananda on Rani Rasmani

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 432

   

It was a fisherwoman, Rani Rasmani, who built the Temple [pictured] at Dakshineswar and brought the Highest there. She built the Temple for Mother Kali. (You cannot become an ocean of nectar if you do not understand this.)

The best pundits failed to find a priest to officiate at the Temple - Rani Rasmani was of the sudra caste so they could not easily get a Brahmin priest for the Temple.

In a dream God said, "Why not donate the Temple to some high priest, then we will all come here?" So that is what she did and people came and worshipped. This is how Sri Ramakrishna became the Temple priest – and he worshipped all the gods and goddesses.

Master gave the spiritual answers out of his own experience, his own heart, so the answers uplifted and benefited all. Sri Ramakrishna opened the door to the western world through Swami Vivekananda.

The Upanishads were not previously given to the low classes in India. But Swami Vivekananda brought them out and gave them to all the people of India and the people of the world.

Sri Ramakrishna followed the qualities of sattva, and he was sattvic.

This Ramakrishna, in this yuga, manifested Himself. 

Swami Shivapadananda on inferiority complex

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 431

   

Of all holy days Guru Purnima is the highest. No other day is equal to the day of the guru. Just as the gurus [teachers] of this world bring the kingdom of human beings to you, the guru of the Spirit brings the Kingdom of God to you.

Vedvyasa was the son of a fisherwoman - but he brought the highest principles to man.

By tasting the fruit of the guru, you will know the Tree.

Blessed is the chela [disciple], whether man or woman, for the Atman does not discriminate between male and female, high and low. It is man alone that discriminates like that. The Atman is present equally, in everyone.

Gurudev [Swami Nischalananda Puri, Swamiji's Guru, pictured] once said to me, "You fool, Inder [Swamiji's pre-monastic name], you depress yourself and suffer from an inferiority complex. If you think superior thoughts about yourself, you will be superior. If you think you are the chosen one of God, the Atman must reveal itself to you. But you go on thinking, 'I am a sinner.' Yes, you have made a few mistakes, in as much as you became shorter in the virtues of life."

Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that you have the right to work but not to the fruits thereof. That means that if you do bad action God appears as bad action. If you do good action God appears as good action. 

Swami Shivapadananda on the compassion of the Guru

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 430

   

The guru will not hurt you. He, like the sun, has no darkness. He only has love; compassion; saving power. So first go to the guru. But we think we know everything.

Even after the guru teaches you, the ego comes up: "I did sadhana, I read books." This is the greatest mistake a disciple can make. It is the grace of God which works through the guru.

If you manifest pride, you are not pride-less. If you manifest selfishness, you are not selfless. If you manifest vices, you are not virtuous. 

In the old days the disciples [chelas, shishyas] went to live with the guru. There were more disciples and fewer gurus. Now there are no disciples and lots of gurus.

You are only with the guru when you are full of dispassion [vairagya]; when you are fed up with the world. If you and I get tired of the conditions of the world we want to commit suicide.

The bygone disciples were well taught. They would not look for someone to give them wealth. They would carry dry wood, deep in the forest, walking with a stick.

There is no need for talk between the disciple and the guru when the guru sees that the senses are under control; that the disciple, by guru's grace, has burnt up his desires for the pleasures of the world.

You cannot give the guru anything. Whatever you give the guru is your desire, it is low. It is his blessing that makes it high.

May Brahman be realised.

Swami Shivapadananda on Guru-Chela relationships

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 429

   

Sri Ramakrishna's love and compassion for humanity is incomprehensible. He came to make religion simple for us.

Tripurasundari is a name of the Divine Mother. Sundari means beautiful. The Divine Mother's words are sweet, soothing and comforting; her gentle touch removes all pain and suffering, and her compassionate glance can give one liberation.

The Ganga [River Ganges], the Yamuna and other sanctified rivers are not mere streams or rivers - as you may think them to be. They are sacred, and represent the Divine Mother Herself.

The most sacred relationship is the relationship of the guru and the disciple. When the guru and guru's grace are bestowed on the disciple, nothing can touch him; not even the gods have the power to hinder him from his spiritual endeavour. These are not empty words - pay attention to them.

It is said that the disciple may deny the guru billions of times, but the guru never denies the disciple even once. The child will deny its parents, but the parents will never deny the child.

If the child - and we are all children - disobeys its parents it hurts the feelings of the parents - and the guru has no power over that. But it is the guru that wins the kingdom of God and gives it to the disciple, like a gift.

What does the disciple give the guru? He is supposed to give selfless service and love and obedience. Obedience is the greatest prize a guru can accept. If the disciple does not give these he is becoming more indebted to the guru each day. 

Swami Shivapadananda on the nature of the Guru

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 428

During Guru Purnima Swamiji said: We doubt the other senses; but with the eyes we are doubly sure when they see something. We have seen our gurus and today we worship them. And above all, we worship God who manifests in the Rishis [Sages, Wise Ones].

Vedvyasa revealed the secrets of spirituality when he wrote the four Vedas and more. Today we adore and worship him in our own gurus.

Sri Ramakrishna is very, very, very serious about respecting the gurus, and holy people.

In samadhi [a superconscious state] Master [Sri Ramakrishna] always said, "Who is the guru? Satchidananda [Existence, Knowledge and Bliss Absolute]."

He who has realised this state is the perfect guru and he can take the disciple [chela] to that state.

The subtlest form of God is fire or light. When the vibration goes beyond the speed of light, you cannot see the light.

The tanmatras [energies behind the elements and also the five senses] first take the form of light, and then the form of fire, air, ether, water, earth.

The Mahabharata says that there are five great elements in which God took form. One prana has many names and forms. 

Swami Shivapadananda on breaking through illusion

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 427

   

The sadhaka that seeks the [higher] Self has no work – or only that work that leads to the Self – and diminishes his activities.

Tamasic [slothful, crude, unthinking] speech brings anger and hatred - it divides.

The Self does not work, because there is nothing to attain. If you want something - that leads to action.

The whole Universe comes within the category of ignorance.

'It' is nameless but we give it a name. The Self is a screen – you project through the mind on to it. If there is no screen, the picture is not right.

If any thought comes up, apply 'not this'. Thought is the basis of all objects. If we apply 'not this' it leads to the transcendent mind.

In samadhi [superconsciousness] you have become That. Whatever you see, touch, is the Self so who is there to say.

All the time in this world we deal with effects and not the cause, therefore we do not get beyond birth and death. This is subjective - look at it within. You can change your nature for good or worse.

Swami Yatiswarananda says in his book [Meditation and Spiritual Life]: Become a seeker of knowledge. Relative knowledge comes from books. The wise get knowledge of the Self from God.

Swamiji: You can never realise God through your own efforts alone – you must have the grace of God. Pray like this: I seek refuge in Thee. The moment you turn to God, your sins are forgiven.

Swami Shivapadananda on ‘dying’

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 426

   

Studying the Upanishads [Vedanta teachings] can be very dry because all superstition is stripped away. Mix them with a little superstition and they become juicy.

If you cut [slaughter] a goat you have to become a goat. I swear that anything desirable must have a result. Only when you have no desire do you go above birth. I cannot be speaking lies in front of Master [Sri Ramakrishna].

Just as a silk worm makes a cocoon and becomes a moth, so we go through a dark period, i.e. one birth to the other birth.

Devotee: What is incarnation?

Swamiji: It is like taking a child from one breast to the other - a child does not remember it. The breast is Mother Nature. It is changed and you take a different birth. So be very careful, don't get attached to family, otherwise at time of death you will think of something and next birth you will become that.

Swami Yatiswarananda says in his book [Meditation and Spiritual Life]: Repeat the Divine Name and remember the Lord. And do not ask others to bend but bend yourself. What is the remedy? We must awaken our spiritual consciousness and think we are the Atman, not the body.

The chakra [one of the seven psychic locations] point is the contact point between the subtle and the physical body.

Swamiji: This is very, very important. It is a beautiful description. It seems that the soul is immortal - the subtle body is the intermediary and the physical body is the outer. But in reality the soul is the outermost - the subtle is the intermediary and the physical is the innermost.

Be one with Satchidananda [Existence, Knowledge, Bliss Absolute] - share the love and bliss with others. Pray for light and guidance. This leads to peace through spiritual practice. 

Swami Shivapadananda on staying with the Guru mantra

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 425

Swami Yatiswarananda says in his book: Go on repeating the mantra given to you by your Guru. But desire is such that you think: "Let me leave this Deity and try another one." You will never get it like that. The mantra given you by the guru is the master key - it opens any lock. You should repeat it first for 108 times.

Swami S: You will see it for yourself that with constant japa bad thoughts do not arise. This is very, very important. Think good, good, good - and not bad, bad, bad. Some people have nothing to worry about, but they create new worries.

Book: Go on brooding over the Lord. Sorrow and suffering cannot be avoided. Gunas [tamas, sattva and rajas] are continually changing. When you are dealing with others, remember: 'I am always changing.'

Swami S: A good man is he who knows his own shortcomings. It makes him more lasting and stable.

(During an Upanishad [Vedantic philosophy] class) The highest concept is found in the Upanishads, so we should not neglect the study of the Upanishads. It is a scripture, by studying which one can and must realise Brahman.

Yogis always study and reflect on them, and meditate on them. If a man does this his mind remains pure at all times. And the Upanishads become like a sea full of bliss; and the jiva [seeming individual soul] dives into that ocean. Each time it comes out it is strong, pure and refreshed.

We do particular rites [prayers, rituals, practices] to overcome the asuras [lit: demons but also bad impressions or samskaras - impressons from past births]. If you want to be a good man, overcome the asuras, do more sadhana [spiritual practice] - otherwise you are an asura. You look like a human being but you are an asura.