SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.
Day 421
Money etc will leave you one day, so ask God for what man cannot give you. Even social work must be sadhana [spiritual practice]; Jiva [seemingly individual consciousness] is Shiva [indivisible consciousness] and Shiva is jiva; you must serve man as if he is God, and serve God in man. That will uplift you.
Meditation is when the mind is totally absorbed in one thought, i.e. God. Great saints go into solitude and come back with great messages. Sri Ramakrishna said: I am Kali , who sustains and preserves the whole Universe. Sri Ramakrishna is the embodiment of Kali. He came to uplift women.
You cannot understand [Divine] Mother worship without Sri Ramakrishna as the gate.
Sri Ramakrishna said that the world is smitten by Maya [illusion, delusion] - egoism, lust, greed. These can only be counteracted by keeping [with you] a picture of Sri Ramakrishna. To overcome these you meditate on Sri Ramakrishna day after day - and you will conquer these. Then you will live in peace. If you can overcome these you will be a saint in this life.
You must follow the Guru's instructions. Be obedient. That is the motto for this year [1994].
Feel that you and your Deity are uttering the mantra [sacred word or syllable or God's names] - or feel you are a devotee and you are uttering the mantra to Brahman [the undifferentiated universal consciousness] - this is a dual [dualistic] state [i.e. you are one thing, Brahman another]. Feel the deity uttering the mantra - this is the non-dual [monistic] state.
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.
Reference websites: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa, Sri Ramakrishna Dham
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