Swami Shivapadananda

Faith and grace

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

Transcribed from the recordings made by Mother Radha

Day 1045

 

There was a poor and innocent couple. A wife and husband. They were told," If you take a guru, you will realise God". So these poor people asked, "but where can we get a guru? Where must we go? Where can we get enlightenment?" The people said, "go and look". So they did. The man was looking and the woman searched, both of them looking, looking, looking. But they couldn't find a guru. So somebody said, "Well, your sin won't go away unless you get initiated. You must get initiated [into spiritual life] and then only will your sin go." But the poor man said, "How can I? I have no guru?" The person said, "tomorrow morning, the first person you see – take him as a guru."

This man was a simple man. He wanted a guru. So the next morning the wife and husband started walking in the lane. Suddenly, what did they find? A thief. He had a big bundle of goods and he was running. So they grabbed and held onto the thief's feet. [devotees are chucking] The thief shouted, "the police are coming!" They said, "no, we want initiation from you!" He begged them, "you just leave me, the police are coming! – you just leave me!" And there was chaos between this thief and this poor, innocent couple. The thief is now desperate to get away. He asks, "what do you want from me?" The man answers, "we want God". The thief says, "close your eyes and sit here. Just close your eyes and sit here – both of you. You'll get God." "We'll get God? You're sure?," asked the couple. "yes, you will get God." What happened now? Whilst the thief said this and then ran away, the police still caught him and put him in jail.

Meanwhile the couple did not move from there. They said, "we must sit and God will come." And it appears that they went through so much trouble but they did not move from that place. And Vishnu bhagawan, as usual, he was strangled by Mother Lakshmi. Because she's full of love and?...compassion. To strangle a worldly man, take away his material wealth. But to strangle God, display compassion. Display?...compassion. Mother is the personification of compassion. So it goes for all the other female deities. So she says to Vishnu, "Vishnu, please, that man is suffering and you cannot do this. Go and give him your darshan [reveal yourself to him]. So Lord Vishnu appears there and he says, "Look, I am here." The poor man says, "who are you?" The Lord replies, "I am God." The man says, "no, never mind that you say you're God, I want my guru to tell me. Otherwise we're not going to move from here." [devotees laughing merrily] Who must tell me? [devotees answer, 'the guru'] "That's the only one I have faith in – his word is gold - I want my guru to tell me." The Lord says, "look, I am…." "No," said the man, "if you're the Lord, then I am telling you that I want my guru to tell me that." Now the Lord doesn't know what to do. He leaves it for a few days. Then he goes in a dream to the King and says, "a certain man, free him please. He may have stolen something but he has won my grace. If you don't free him then some ill-luck will befall you."

The man is released and Lord Vishnu meets him at the prison door. No sooner he consciously looks at Lord Vishnu, he becomes changed, transformed inside. The Lord takes him to the two people, he wakes them up. "Oh, gurudev, gurudev," they say, "gurudev, a person was here and he says he's God. [Swamiji chuckling] The thief-guru says, "This one here?" "Yes,' they say. "Yes, yes, he's God," he answers. And they prostrate to the Lord. That is the faith where a devotee can even save the guru who is a sinner, as in this case, you see.

But then, what is the criterion for getting the highest bliss? It's faith. What?...faith. It is tremendous faith. And faith is one of the things that is grace - and grace is one of the things that is faith. Now when we look back, forget the gurus, sometime or other we have to see the guru and find fault with him as a man – as a human being. But how many of us really have faith in our deities? How many of us? Think about it. How many? Alright – if you have no deity – you know that some people say, "oh, Krishna is not God and Shiva is not God, Christ is not God…" Alright, even if that man says they're not God, he believes there is a God. Whatever the concept is that he may have of God. But how many of them really believe in that God? And yet they call that God, 'almighty'. They call him almighty and on the other hand they go and do things that show exactly through their actions that they haven't got trust in God. They haven't got that faith in God. They haven't got the trust and faith in God.

Now, faith is acquired. It is a growth. It doesn't just come like that. Some people get it like that [Swamiji makes a noise demonstrating immediacy] and they say, "I've got it." But no, there was hard work put into it – unknown to him or herself. And one of the things I've found a blessing, is that which enquires in your mind and keeps pushing you onwards. It's a blessing. Because it activates you to go?...higher and?...higher.

Like this, we find there are a lot of stories told, to illustrate the faithful disciple. But there are other things that show if the disciple has no faith, the guru will somehow plant the faith. He will plant the faith. Therefore I said, "faith is grace and grace is faith". That's why I put it 'upside-down'.

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, 150 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order. 

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

Developing faith

 

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 852

   

To build faith, first think of something special happening to you. I always think about the sixpence [South African sixpenny silver coin in those days] that [the Divine] Mother gave me [Swamiji found it under a stone when he was desperate to see a movie]. I was very poor but the Divine Mother looked after me. First comes faith, then something happens. You cannot explain it, and because of faith you believe it is so. Sri Ramakrishna saw a hibiscus flower on Kali and said: 'It is going to fall' and it did. That faith he banked on many times - and he believed in the Mother that is present. It sounds so simple, but please remember it.

The devotee [chela, disciple, sishya] is the son of the guru. When it is your son, what part of him you do not know, physical, emotional, mental? This openness exists between guru and disciple, wishing for their highest welfare. The guru should not give to the devotee until there is a longing for it, a great yearning and the devotee asks - then only the guru imparts. The child must solve its problems itself. An experienced teacher throws hints to the child.

The cavity of the heart is the Being of everyone. The bija [seed] mantra [sacred syllable, word or one of the many names attributed to God] of being is 'I'. In the space of your heart is the Being of the Universe. Your heart and my heart are used to reach God's heart.

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

   

 

Behaviour and faith

 
 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.

Day 798

   

Gurudev [Swamiji's revered Guru Sri Swami Nischalananda Puri - pictured] told us never to tell a person anything until he has asked a question. He also said that when you go to a holy man you mustn't start speaking to him. You just prostrate and sit down or, not to disturb his concentration, you stand there. He's not a fool, he will speak to you. Remember this.

Devotee: What must we do if our faith in God is shaken?

Swamiji: If you have practised spiritual discipline [sadhana] and associated with holy people (holy people means people who believe in God without any doubt whatsoever) then your faith will not be shaken. But if you've been doing it superficially then naturally your faith will be shaken.

All of us, at some time or other, must have had certain experiences that show us that, though we ourselves could not do certain things, something higher than us must have accomplished these things for us. And you must bring to mind [remember] these occurrences to bring back your faith. Gurudev used to tell us that we should have no conditions to believing in God.

Whether you are rich or poor, whether you are healthy or unhealthy, whether you are blamed or not blamed, under all these circumstances you should still know that it is God's grace that you are here. He who has given you this body will ultimately lead you by your hand to the required goal. The problem comes only when you put a condition on God. God is not that weak that he is influenced by your few words.

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

 

 

Faith

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

659

   

Arjuna, in the beginning, did not have faith in himself. He said, 'I will not fight these people, I will not murder these people.' Then the Lord said, 'You are a fool. Wake up Arjuna. You are a baby, start walking now. Wake up. Have confidence in yourself, you can do it.'

When Arjuna stood up and took the bow and arrow in his hand he saw Sri Krishna's true form, then he saw that God was working through him. He had to take the initial step himself - and that itself was God's grace though he did not know it.

In the beginning you cannot just say, 'God is doing it.' In the beginning you have to say, 'I am doing it.' But later on you will notice that some things that have happened in your life you could have done, and some things you could not have done by yourself. Then you will know that God is doing those things and not you.

Therefore our faith cometh from above, from God, and has great power. But doubting is an earthly spirit and proceedeth from the evil one and hath no strength. Have faith in God. Therefore I say unto you: What things so ever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Jesus the Christ said this; first you must believe that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. If you have no belief then that prayer will not come about. If you have faith that God will give, He will give.

There are steps to faith. First you believe in a thing. Then you reason it out. And then you find it happening. When you get this knowledge then later on you have the faith that it must happen.

So I say to you if you have no faith, say to those who have faith, 'Please reveal to me what faith is and how I can get faith.'

 You need to sit and talk a little more to get faith. 

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 faith in Sri Ramakrishna’s words

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

580

Pictured: Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886)

   

[Swamiji reads from a book on Latu Maharaj – later Swami Adbhutananda, a monastic disciple of Sri Ramakrishna]

In 1893 Latu Maharaj came to know of Swami Vivekananda's departure for America. He said about it later, 'I heard it from the lips of Holy Mother [Sri Sarada Devi] that brother Loren [Latu appeared to have an unusual speech pattern - and this is now he pronouned 'Naren' - which was the short form of Swami Vivekananda's pre-monastic name] had left for America. I felt a great longing to hear about him. After the Master [Sri Ramakrishna] passed away some were saying, 'What nonsense is this about Narendra having such a bright future?' But I never believed in their words. I would tell them to their faces, 'What the Master has said will come true to the last syllable. Loren will one day surpass us all. You will live to see it. How little faith you have in the words of the Master. Can his words be anything but true? '

Swamiji: Do you see how much faith he had in Master's words? You must remember, when you read The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, that whatever is said there, it is his word. You should have the same faith that Latu Maharaj had at that particular time.

[Latu Maharaj goes on] 'Then at long last when Swami Vivekananda's activities in America were published in the newspapers, oh, how can I describe my joy?'

One day Surendra Babu [a disciple of the Master] felt piqued at the Master and said to him, 'Why should you go to beg money of others in order to meet the expenses of this place? I should have been informed.' The Master consoled him saying, 'Are you not giving enough already? You are our reserve stock.' Surendra went downstairs. The Master sent Kedar [another disciple] after him to be sure that he was all right and to pacify him.

Swamiji: Here was a disciple of the Master, who was actually forcing him to take things from him, and who became angry when the Master did not accept those gifts. Usually one of two things happens: A disciple hides a gift and does not give it to the guru out of miserliness, or on the other hand if the guru refuses to take the gift he will get worried. The disciple may say, 'The guru did not accept it. Don't you think sin will come on me? Did I do anything wrong?' But neither of these two attitudes touched the disciple in question. He got angry.

Question: Should a person work for money?

Swamiji: Because money is part of artha [righteous wealth] you must work for it. But do not work as if it is 'my money'. It is God's prasad  [sacramental food or blessing] given to you. But you must make good use of it. Use it to uplift others, not to plunder others.

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 doing all in God’s name

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

561

[Pictured: The steps at Mayer Ghat, where the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi used to take her bath in the river Ganga.]

   

Whatever you do in this world, you have to do it in the Name of God - whether it is worldly or spiritual. It becomes spiritual when you are dealing with immortal things, it becomes worldly when you are dealing with mortal things.

Some people get bored and ask, 'Why should I go on praying? Why should I do this or do that for God?' This kind of thought is strangling them and they cannot enjoy the happiness that God has put there for them to enjoy. The only prerequisite is this: Enjoy it in His name. That is all. Have a wife, but have her in His name. Have your children, but have them in His name. Have friends, but have them in His name. This has a mystical power that attracts that which will do you good.

Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: 'O Arjuna come to Me, worship Me, prostrate to Me, serve Me and I shall give you what you have not, and I shall look after the things that you already have.' Thus, do it all in His name - that is all the Lord asks of you. And yet we find it so difficult. Sri Krishna says that He will look after the things we already have, He will become a guard so that the worldly vultures will not snatch those things away from us.

What other promise do you need? Have you no faith in your scriptures? You have no faith in your scriptures because you have no faith in yourself. Swami Vivekananda said, 'The old religion says that he who has no faith in God is an atheist. But I say to you that he who has no faith in himself is an atheist.'

You doubt your every step. You are afraid, and you do more and more unrighteous things to prop up whatever you are doing. You tell ten thousand lies to cover one lie.

God is telling you: 'In My name. In My name. In My name. That is all. In My name.'

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.

 

Swami Shivapadananda on the guilelessness of Hanumanji

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

Day 542

Sindoor in the form in which God displayed it in the story of Sri Rama's life is actually guilelessness. Guilelessness as far as duality goes, guilelessness as far as lust goes, guilelessness as far as attaching your body to someone else's body goes.

An incident from the Ramayana shows us this. One evening at the assemblage of Sri Rama, the Rishis [Sage-Seers-Saints] took leave of Sri Rama, the devotees took leave of Sri Rama and Sri Rama himself took leave to go and retire. Now when Sri Rama and Mother Sita were going to their bedroom Hanumanji also followed. (Hanumanji, you must remember, is like the first shadow, the brother and the servant of Sri Rama. Sri Rama's other brothers were the second, third, fourth and fifth shadows.) So Sri Rama told him, 'Brother, Hanumanji, I am going to retire now with Mother Sita. Please take leave and retire to your kutir [quarters/room/small hut].' Hanumanji said, 'But Lord, I do not want to go.' So Sri Rama said, 'It is late now, you must go and rest.' Hanumanji replied, 'But I want to come and serve you.'

Sri Rama thought, 'Well anyway, he will listen to my instructions.' Again he turned to go but after a few steps he looked back and found Hanumanji still following. So he said, 'Hanumanji, please go and have a rest.' And again Hanumanji replied, 'But I want to be with you.'

This was very awkward. Sri Rama tried again. He said, 'Please, you must go. You do not understand that Mother Sita has to go to sleep.' But Hanumanji said, 'Why must Mother Sita be here then? If Mother Sita is here I too must be here with you.' Sri Rama tried to explain: 'No. Mother Sita is all right with me. You see she has to stay with me.' 'But why? Why?' asked Hanumanji. (A very awkward question.) 'You see, we are wife and husband,' said Sri Rama. 'But how?' asked Hanumanji. Sri Rama said, 'You see, when we get married we put on sindoor and because she's got the sindoor on she must sleep here.'

On hearing this Hanumanji prostrated, took his things, and left. But fifteen minutes later he was back again knocking at the door. Sri Rama asked, 'Who's there?' 'It's your servant Hanumanji,' came the reply. When Sri Rama opened the door he could not believe his eyes. 'What is this Hanumanji?' 'Sindoor. Look, my whole body is covered with it. She has it only between the eyes and on the parting of her hair but I've got it everywhere. If she can be here with the sindoor, then I too can be with you.' [laughter]

Now Sri Rama was forced to give Hanumanji a realisation. He had to show him that he exists in Hanumanji, and that Hanumanji is not separate from him, Hanumanji is merely another body of his. So Hanumanji had this vision and understood that he was inseparable from Sri Rama. And yet he still retained his guilelessness. Hanumanji never had a wife in his life, so what did he know about 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.

   

Swami Shivapadananda about reliance on Sri Ramakrishna

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

Day 526

[Pictured: M.'s [Mahendranath Gupta, the recorder of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna's] private room on the top floor of the Morton Institute, now a shrine.]

   

When I go inwards [in meditation], whatever I require in life Sri Ramakrishna sends me. And that is why you do not find me reaching my hand out. It is not that I am ashamed, I will do that too if needs be. My own character has been shaped not to be dependent on man but to be dependent on the Ideal [Sri Ramakrishna] and on my guru [Sri Swami Nischalananda Puri] who has left the body. I rely directly on God. And it is through his grace that today we find the Ramakrishna Centre growing so mighty. With your little effort, without any pain, if you can achieve so much, can you imagine what it will be like if you put in a little more effort and take pains to disseminate the Master's [Sri Ramakrishna's] knowledge?

Look at the glorious grace of Sri Ramakrishna that has kept this institution alive. The Master has kept it so much alive that today it is growing, no matter to which corner you go. The Ramakrishna Centre of SA has six ashramas now, and devotees are still coming to say that they want ashramas in their areas. What we are running short of now is enthusiasm in the members, so that they speak about their ideal, their ideal that is sleeping in their minds. The Master himself knows how he does his work but you should spread his name. This is my prayer and when I talk about enthusiasm I mean that you must bubble with the idea of giving the Name to everyone.

Go in peace, live in peace and engulf the whole world with peace. Hari Om Tat Sat.

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.

 

Swami Shivapadananda on devotion

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.

Day 481

   

Swamiji reads from "Sri Ramakrishna and his Disciples" by Sister Devamata, and comments

Balaram's [Balaram Bose's - pictured alongside] family did not feel it fitting to drive to the Dakshineswar Temple [pictured above] in a pretentious carriage with servants and clanking harnesses. Yet to go on foot through the crowded streets of the city was contrary to the custom of Bengali ladies who never go about excepting in a palanquin or carriage. To solve the difficulty they rose at three in the morning and walked the six miles to the Temple, whilst streets and roads were still empty of traffic and people. There they would wait until after eleven at night to return home.

Swamiji: Look at the humility of Balaram Bose and his wife. Just by lifting a finger they could get a carriage. But they knew better. To go to a holy place they had to humble themselves. I want you to look at the humility, to look at the quality of these householders. Now if one of you did something like this your wives or your husbands would call you mad, silly. But there is nothing silly about it. Everything about it is holy.

Reads: The whole family caught the fire of their devotion and shared in the fervour of that spirit. I saw Balaram's mother, she was over ninety years of age, yet she still went on special occasions to  visit the widow Saradamani Devi [the nun-wife of Sri Ramakrishna - pictured, after the mahasamadhi of Sri Ramakrishna]. She was full of glowing ardour and expressed her devotion for the Master in many ways. One day she arrived at the Temple when the barber was cutting Sri Ramakrishna's hair. (In India the barber goes to his customer.) A curl fell from the shears onto Sri Ramakrishna's lap. He picked it up and laughingly gave it to her. She took it home and put it in a silver box and preserved it with great reverence.

Swamiji: She preserved the hair of the Avatar [Incarnation - Sri Ramakrishna - pictured alongside] with great reverence. I want you to look at the devotion behind it. Look at it. Look at the reverence. What did she put it in? Not in a wooden box but in a silver box. She preserved it, and most probably worshipped it.

No one however, in that devout household, could surpass Balaram Babu in loyalty and unquestioning surrender. The disciple Shashi [later Swami Ramakrishnananda - pictured below] told me that Balaram had a little casket in which he kept a picture of the Master. It was his custom to waken at four in the morning, open his casket, stand the picture up and, seated on his bed before him, spend a long time in prayer and meditation. When his life was ebbing and he was lying apparently unconscious, with closed eyes and helpless hands, exactly at four o'clock he reached for the casket, opened it, looked at the picture and soon after passed away.

Swamiji: How many of you have love for your guru [Spiritual Preceptor] like that? He was unconscious (that word must not be forgotten) but subconsciously he was awake. At four o'clock he opened that drawer, took out that picture, looked at it and passed away. In this age and in this time a young boy did the very same thing. He came and visited us in Durban [KwaZulu Natal, South Africa], went back to Ladysmith and suddenly had a heart attack. He picked up his photograph of the Master - he was suffering from excruciating pain - he held it tight and passed away. That was Ricky. It happened then, it happened now. He did not call for his mother, he did not call for his father, he did not call for his brother or sister. He knew that his eternal companion was God Himself. Nobody would expect that from Ricky. Think about it. Is it a play? Is it something so simple to do? I have experienced, by your grace, that when death comes one straight away gasps for breath, one does not even think who is near and who is far. Here a man had the time to take the casket out, open it, look at the photograph and go peacefully.

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.

 

Swami Shivapadananda on the faith of Ekalavya

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.

Day 474

   

If you are restless even the stones can reveal God to you - let alone the gurus. An example of this is given in the Mahabharata when Ekalavya went to Dronacharya to ask if he would teach him archery. But Dronacharya refused because he only taught the Kshatriyas and the Brahmins. Ekalavya was neither of these, he was an outcast, a forester and he used to shoot birds and wild pigs to eat.

I feel so sorry for Ekalavya. He is described as being a long, slender man, dark in colour - Arjuna on the other hand is described as nice and white and bright. And Arjuna, being a Kshatriya, could be taught by the guru.

Thus, Ekalavya went back to the South and there made a simple statue of Dronacharya. He prayed to it every day and practised archery.

After many years Dronacharya went to the South with his best pupil, Arjuna. He had promised Arjuna in the meantime that he would not teach archery to anybody else and therefore Arjuna would remain the best. When they came to the South - there are many versions of this story - they came across a dog barking and suddenly it was shot in the mouth by six arrows at incredible speed. When Arjuna saw this he looked at his guru and asked, "But who can do this? I thought I was the best." Just then they saw a slender, dark, old man coming out of the forest.

Ekalavya prostrated to Dronacharya and Dronacharya blessed him. Arjuna looked at his guru suspiciously and thought to himself: It looks as if he's taught somebody else. Dronacharya caught his thought and asked the stranger, "Who is your guru?" Ekalavya said, "Maharaj, you are my guru." Dronacharya was shocked to hear this and of course Arjuna's suspicions were even stronger.

Disciples have jealousies. There are no two ways about it. Gurubhais must watch themselves. Do not let this jealousy appear. The other man must be your guru personified, or your Deity [Ishta Devata] personified. Only then can you keep this jealousy down.

Arjuna looked sneeringly at his guru. Dronacharya asked Ekalavya, "When did I teach you?" He replied, "Maharaj, do you remember years ago a young boy came to you and asked you to teach him archery?" "Yes," said Dronacharya, "but I refused him." "Yes, Maharaj, you refused me but I came back here to the forest. Come and see my statue. Meet my guru." When Dronacharya saw the distorted statue he asked, "Who is this a statue of?" "You," came the reply. It did not look like him at all. "It's me?" he asked. "Yes. I prayed to you as my guru, I worshipped you and that is how I learned archery," said Ekalavya. Dronacharya thought to himself: I have to keep my promise to Arjuna. So he said, "This means I am your guru and you have to give me guru dakshina."

Here we come to the very beautiful part. I feel like crying when I think about it. I had hoped my guru would live for a little while so that I could prove to him, by his grace, that I too could be like Ekalavya. But he did not give me the opportunity.

Ekalavya then said, "Lord, I have surrendered my body, mind and soul to you, what else can I give you?" Now the most important instrument in archery is the thumb, so the guru said, "I want your thumb." Ekalavya said, "Is that all, my Lord? Take it." He cut it off and gave it to his guru. Ekalavya, prostrated and walked into the forest contented, for he had surrendered his all.

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Reference websites: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa, Ramakrishna Dham