Swami Shivapadananda

Devotion

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[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 815

   

The secret in meditation is not to see your Deity [Ishta Deva] like a dull and dead thing - that's where the mistake comes in. You must always give your Deity a halo.

 I don't know how many of you have a tawa [an iron pan for cooking rotis – the flat, circular Indian bread that accompanies meals] at home? When you wave it up and down fast, after it has been on an open fire for a long time, you know how the sparks fly? Now in the beginning I didn't know about giving the Deity a halo or seeing It [as] Self-effulgent. At that time when I was asleep I'd see Mother Durga and I would always see these sparks in my dreams and I'd think, "What is this?" When I asked my guru [Sri Swami Nischalananda Puri] about this he said, "You fool, you're meditating on your Deity just as an ordinary picture - see that light in It. That light is trying to show you there is a movement in It and It is Self-effulgent." Then I used to look at this in my meditation.

Devotee: Why do they say that Bheemdev [Bhima in the Mahabharata Hindu scriptural epic] was greater than Arjuna [the close disciple of Lord Krishna]?

Swamiji: Bheemdev was a real ruffian, he didn't care to do anything. One day Arjuna, full of pride, asked Sri Krishna, "Who do you think is the best worshipper of Lord Shiva?" (This also gives you something to think about; though he was Sri Krishna's devotee, he worshipped Lord Shiva. See the interplay of it?) Sri Krishna said, "I don't know, let's go and see." When they went up Mount Kailas [said to be the earthly abode of Lord Shiva - pictured at top of posting] they found Lord Shiva covered with big trees of Vilwa leaves [pictured].  On the other side Arjuna saw a few leaves on a big Shivalingam. Arjuna said, "Who did this?"Sri Krishna said, "You see that one there with a few leaves? You did that." "And all these big trees on Lord Shiva who did this?" Sri Krishna said, "Bheemdev did this." Arjuna said, "But how's that? Bheem doesn't pray, we don't see him pray. He doesn't even enter the shrine." Sri Krishna replied, "He does. Every day mentally he uproots a tree and offers it on Lord Shiva. So he does not only offer the leaves upside down, he offers the whole tree upside down on the Lord."

This shows that mental prayer [manasic puja], when sincerely performed, is superior to physical prayer. That is in the Mahabharata.

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

 

Swami Shivapadananda presiding at a Hanuman Jhanda ceremony

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

604

[At a Hanuman Jhanda (flag-planting and raising) ceremony – it appears to have taken place at the Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa in KwaZulu Natal South Africa, or at one of its branches. From the context, it seems that there were five monastic disciples present]

After reciting the Hanuman Chalisa (the poem-prayer-adoration of Hanuman) Swamiji said:]

O Hanumanji, how must I boast with you, about you? Because of bhakti [divine love or devotion] you gave up your human form; you preferred a monkey's form. But these people here are giving up bhakti; they prefer a nice form, a beautiful form. That is the difference between you and them.

[After Hanumanji's Arati Swamiji said:]

At home in your own shrine, do not feel ashamed. Just go ahead and say whatever comes into your heart, with whatever kind of praise comes into your heart, as long as it is uplifting. The poets have written these words in the Hanuman arati [ceremonial waving and offering of lamps/lights] but they have not necessarily said what your heart wants to say. You can say your own prayer. Hanumanji does not care to hear the same things over and over: Om jay Jagadisha hare etc. By now he knows that he is Jagadisha, Lord of the universe. You tell him what you want to tell him.

[Swamiji prays to Hanumanji after the Jhanda Ceremony:]

'You are the Lord of the whole universe. Even in a dream you did not think of getting married. O Lord, even in dream state you are always serving your Atman called Sri Rama. Lord, may this jhanda that we are putting here today bring that same purity to these Ramakrishna ashrams [monasteries].

'Wherever the ashram is may all people come there. May you somehow impel them to be truthful brahmacharis [male celibates, monastic novices or renunciates] and brahmacharinis [the female equivalent]. May you, like ten thousand thunderbolts, protect the sadhus [holy men and women] as you promised. May you always be the destroyer of asuras [demons] and adharmas [unrighteous acts], and ever be the beloved of Sri Rama [the great Hindu Avatar or incarnation].

'We do not know about these five people's past births but we know in this birth they have kept brahmacharya. Therefore we ask you, Lord, to accept this jhanda, this jhanda of the highest sattva [balanced, harmonious] quality, this jhanda of brahmacharya, and this jhanda of the karma yogi's rajasic [energy and activity-driven] qualities, to do God's work. Tamas [slothfulness] was not in you. May tamas go where tamas is needed. May these five people that are holding you get bhakti to your lotus feet. Hanumanji, these are brahmacharis who are offering you a jhanda here if you will accept it.'

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 Puri, Swami Shivapadananda

Click Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna to read online...

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

 

Swami Shivapadananda on sanctity and respect

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

590

   

Nowadays the orthodox way of giving herbs and other concoctions does not work. By the time you go and fetch the herbs the patient may die. What he needs is a genuine injection and that injection is what Master [Sri Ramakrishna] gives.

When a man has a heart attack you do not go and get a pill to put in his mouth. No. Straight away the doctor will take an injection and inject it so the man's heart may start beating again. When it starts beating normally then let him swallow any other medicines he likes.

It is very important that when you say, 'Ramakrishna' you say it with devotion. I even find the young ones talking about Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda and Mother Sarada [Devi] without any respect. I mean by this that they do not feel the presence of that Deity, they do not feel the personality. There must be a kind of devotion behind your words when you take Master's name.

When real devotees of Master utter his name, they actually get goose-bumps. They actually feel this and you can see their faces change. The name itself changes their whole personality and that is how we must take God's name. Do not take it as you would take a five year old's name, without any respect. Rather not take the name at all. Just think about the name if you cannot take it with respect.

If you start telling people about your spiritual experiences and telling them what mantra to use, without first getting the spiritual fruit, without doing enough japa, without practising austerities, you will have your downfall. It is because the kundalini shakti in you will come lower than normal.

It happened in the case of Swami Vivekananda when he touched his gurubhai [brother disciple] Swami Abhedananda. Swami Abhedananda got into samadhi [superconsciousness]. But Master said that Swami Vivekananda had harmed him. One would think that if someone got into samadhi then no harm would befall them, but here it harmed Swami Abhedananda.

An electrical wire will take a certain amount of voltage, but if you put a little extra voltage on it, you can burn the wire out. So do not start becoming chota gurus [little gurus]. 

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.

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

Swami Shivapadananda on asking God for the right things

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

560

[Pictured: Newly constructed memorial archway leading to the bathing Ghat (steps) where Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi used to take her bath in the river Ganga.]

   

Swamiji speaking about the great bhaktas [devotees] in the scriptures:

Prahlada, after a hard struggle, met Narasimha Baba the avatar [Incarnation]  of Lord Vishnu. Prahlada could have asked for anything in this world but he asked the Lord for bhakti [divine love, devotion] and the Lord happily granted him this boon. The scriptures say that after getting bhakti he ruled the earthly kingdom for many years. He was able to give happiness to his subjects, for he dealt with them as spirit and not as material matter. What I want you to see is that Prahlada did not ask Narasimha Baba to give him his father's kingdom, wealth, or name and fame; he asked the Lord to give him bhakti. After Prahlada had obtained bhakti the Lord found it difficult to keep him out of his sight even for a second. He had found God, and because he had found God he enjoyed worldly happiness too.

Today, the twenty fifth of December, is a great day. A day on which we find that another Incarnation of God manifested himself: Lord Jesus the Christ. He himself said to his people: 'Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and God, then everything else shall be added unto you.' Did not Prahlada do the same thing? He first sought God and loved God. After having loved God the worldly things were nothing to him, they were mere shadows of the spirit. Then he enjoyed ruling the kingdom justly, dharmically [righteously].

A bhakta, a jnani [follower of the knowledge path in Yoga], behaves like Prahlada but a worldly man behaves otherwise. A worldly man would probably go to a king and ask him for puny little things, little favours, thus losing the greatest opportunity of owning the whole kingdom, the whole universe.

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.