[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 956
Devotee: What is the difference between the cosmic deity and the personal deity [Ishta Deva]?
Swamiji: The personal deity is the form of a human being, right? Cosmic is the whole universe. It is also pulsating with consciousness. In other words, God has taken the form of the universe – including yourself.
Devotee: That's Ishwar.
Swamiji: Ishwara. Now, absolute will be beyond thought. Krishna Bhagawan shows that. You find that he said to Arjuna [his disciple], 'Look!' – and you see the whole world in Krishna Bhagawan. Vishwaroop.
'Vishwa' means universe, cosmic. Then beyond that [manifested, visible universe] he says there is another state, which permeates all this. The absolute state [Brahman]. I meditate, you are God. Behind this I also see that you are included in the cosmic, then behind that I see formless and nameless and thoughtless [i.e. beyond thought]. That's the three stages of meditation.
Pure stream meets a pure river and the pure river enters the ocean. The personal deity is a little stream, a pure stream, it enters the cosmic river and the cosmic river merges with the absolute – the ocean.
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
