SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
592
Swamiji speaking at a Yoga retreat
Gurudev [Swami Nischalananda Puri - Swamiji's Guru] often told us, 'If you do not know starvation, you do not know suffering.' We actually have a golden spoon in our mouths. Gurudev said, 'When you are scratching in the dirt bins [as he had done in India], walking on the streets looking for a piece of bread, then you will know what starvation is.'
Think of the thousands of people in Africa who are suffering and dying. How often have you seen their faces on TV? Does your heart not go out to them? I am sure if Swami Vivekananda [lead disciple of Sri Ramakrishna] were here he would say, 'Leave this Camp, leave all this praying, go and serve them for they are the living gods waiting for your service, waiting for your worship.' How many of us think to give, give, give? How many of us live a life of selfishness and only cater for ourselves and our children?
When Sri Ramakrishna went on pilgrimage with Mathur Babu he saw thousands of people suffering on the streets of Calcutta, Benares and other places. At one starving village he got off the train, sat on the platform and said to Mathur, 'Mathur, feed them and give them two rupees each.' Mathur, being a miser and the son-in-law of Rani Rasmani [the builder of the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar] said, 'Baba, where will I get so much money to feed these people? How can I look after these people?' Master said, 'Just give as much as you can. Come.' Mathur respectfully refused.
Then Master put down his shawl and sat there and said, 'I shall never move from here, Mathur, until you feed these people. I will not go on pilgrimage. What is pilgrimage to me when my people are dying of starvation, disease and all kind of doubts?'
In the sadhu's [holy man's] life pilgrimage is very significant but Mathur knew that if Master said something he would keep to his word, so he was forced to summon his people from Calcutta to bring money, clothing and other things. Only when these had been distributed amongst the poor did Master get up and go on his pilgrimage.
Are we doing that? Are we providing for some poor man somewhere? What is the use of you and me sitting and calling upon God, when God Himself is starving in the poor and inviting our worship in a particular way? Master himself said, 'Serve them first, then your children will be blessed, you will be blessed and God Himself will come to seek your blessing.'
If our hearts are not yet melting then we are far from the truth. There is something wrong. Our hearts are paralysed if we cannot feel for others.
The Yoga Camp itself is an embodiment of your Deity. Let that Deity now go out and serve the poor, the miserable.
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 (please mouse-over
the name to connect): Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of SA, Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa,
Ramakrishna Dham, Swami Shivapadananda 2
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.
