Swami Shivapadananda

Swami Shivapadananda on Holy Mother Sarada Devi

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

Day 506

   

Sri Sarada Devi's [pictured] life was simple, apparently non-active but super-active at the same time. Her last words are very, very important. She said, 'My child, if you want to be happy in this world never find fault with others. If you have to find fault, find it with yourself.'

This one last teaching is applicable to all three stages of life.

Firstly, it is applicable to the ordinary man who does not believe in God. If he gets into the habit of finding fault with others then sooner or later the others will start finding fault with him. So if you want to be happy, even in an ordinary life, stop finding fault with others.

It is applicable, if we go a little higher, to the devotee level. How can one devotee find fault with another devotee if both are devotees? No matter whether he is a Christian devotee, a Moslem devotee, a Hindu devotee or a Buddhist devotee, all are devoted to the highest that their mind can think of or see in their particular Ideal. Did not Sri Ramakrishna preach harmony of religion? So do not criticise. Recognise that the other person is also praying to the same thing: Satchitananda.

The highest stage is that if I have realised the Self, I, the Self, appear as all this, I see myself in all this. The Self is in me and the Self is in all beings.

When they asked the Holy Mother, 'What will happen to the other gods and goddesses [devas]?" Sri Sarada Devi said, "Nothing is wrong, they are all a part of Me.' She saw herself in them. The One has become many, so the many must be true too. The many becomes the One.

Holy Mother's words are a great teaching.

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 Ramakrishna’s incarnation

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.

Day 469

   

When God incarnates, when God comes to this Earth, He brings his chosen ones through whom He does His own work. The main thing is to accomplish the work.

Sri Ramakrishna once described how in a vision he saw himself as a small child, going upwards. He found that that indivisible Satchitananda had become that child. He went higher and higher, going through many stages and there he found seven [sapta] Rishis seated. He looked at one of the Rishis and went to play on his lap and asked him to come down to Earth [as an Incarnation - Avatar]. The Rishi however was reluctant to come down. When this small child asked the Rishi once more to come down, the Rishi looked at the child, nodded and came down. I want you to imagine this at the back of your mind. How can an adult refuse a baby's guileless, innocent request? Later on Sri Ramakrishna said that the little child was himself and the Rishi was  Swami Vivekananda. [pictured]

Swami Vivekananda was rightly born in a lawyer's house. His father fought many cases and like attracts like, talking attracts talking, explanation attracts explanation. His father, Vishvanath [Datta], explained the laws of this world to his son; and Swami Vivekananda himself was later to know the laws of the Universe? Does not the seed grow in the soil that is conducive to its growth? I am sure that as a lawyer the father must have explained the law and many other things to him. Swami Vivekananda always liked to enquire into the truth of the matter, just as lawyers like to enquire into the truth of the evidence. A lot of lawyers enquire only into a portion of the evidence but make it appear true. In this case it was just the opposite. Whatever Vishvanath did he enquired into the whole truth of the matter and Swami Vivekananda learned this characteristic from him.

There are currently available, over 100 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.

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

 

Swami Shivapadananda on Sri Ramakrishna’s purpose

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha's notes, written at Swamiji's feet.

Day 414

Ramakrishna did not want a 'bread-winning education.' He wanted that Knowledge, knowing which you know everything else. Master [Sri Ramakrishna] had the knowledge of who we really are, and how we can live in peace with ourselves and with the whole Universe.

Scholars think they are the greatest and that they will reduce the world to dust and dirt with their theories. Philosophers think the same, as do theologians, and atheists.

Like other Incarnations [Avatars], this son of the world came to deliver this message that is very, very old, but is new to us today. Sri Ramakrishna's message to the world is very, very simple; but to explain this message he spoke in parables. His whole message is: "Know your Creator - know from whence you come, your purpose in the world and where you are going."

When a man has no answer to these questions, he is puzzled. Even a child can get the highest benefit from this message. God must be for the literate, for the illiterate, for the rich, for the poor, for the learned and for the unlearned. This fits Sri Ramakrishna to the T [i.e. perfectly].

You must lead a life going towards God.

Your first duty is to become God-conscious. Swamiji Vivekananda said, 'Each soul is potentially divine,' and the purpose of all the religions in the world is to manifest that divinity in us. Today, are we manifesting divinity or not? Or have we gone back to the animal kingdom where the fittest survive?

Swami Shivapadananda on Avatars [Incarnations]

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Day 250

It is not for nothing that Sri Ramakrishna is known as the embodiment of all the deities of the past, present and the future.

You may not understand the term ‘the future’ but in our scriptures, in the Devi Mahatmyam and the Bhagavatam, it already describes which Avatars [Incarnations] God will take in the future, what form the Lord will come in.

So in the future, God Himself will have to come. What I am trying to say is, do not under-estimate Sri Ramakrishna.

Towards the end of his physical life Sri Ramakrishna was suffering from cancer. God in human form suffers too, Christ suffered too. If Christ did not suffer, then we would not know how to suffer. He suffered and taught us how to become above suffering. How? By relying on God Himself. That is what the Lord taught us. And Sri Ramakrishna is like that too.

One day when Master was suffering from cancer, he could hardly speak and he was dozing. For a few moments the Master went off to sleep, so the devotees, who were looking after him, decided to go off and have a little rest in the garden. They sat under the trees here and there and chatted.

The Holy Mother [Sri Sarada Devi] also went out of Master’s room. She waited a half hour or so and decided to go and see if Master was awake or if he needed anything. When she entered his room, she found the sick Ramakrishna walking fast from the back door and getting back on his bed. She was very surprised and said, “Just now you were very sick, you could not walk, you could not drink anything. What were you doing outside?” Master said to her, “Ssh, ssh, don’t tell anybody about it. Do you see where the boys are seated? There was a big snake there, and the snake would have harmed my children (the sannyasin [monastic] devotees) and I just went to chase it away.”

[Pictured: Sri Ramakrishna Temple at Belur Math]

 

Swami Shivapadananda on the transforming power of an Incarnation

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Day 200

Christmas talk continued:

Sri Ramakrishna, the Incarnation, said, “The ordinary guru gives you information - but a guru like Jesus Christ transforms your life.” The transformation takes place within and you will manifest the highest quality. Sri Ramakrishna would just touch somebody and say, “Ma, Ma [his name for the Divine Mother], wake up,” and they would be transformed. They would have a vision of God.

Girish [Chandra Ghosh, pictured, a householder devotee of Sri Ramakrishna’s - click on 'continue reading' below this posting for more information] loved woman and gold [lust and money] but his whole life was transformed just by Sri Ramakrishna saying, “Wake up Ma.”

Bande, Sithala, Kali [gods and goddesses] and others are still there in the astral.
Question from devotee: In the astral body? Swamiji: Yes. Where is your mind? [i.e. where do you think it's located?] Answer from devotee: I do not know. Swamiji: [touches his body in different places and says] Here, here, here. So they are in the astral - what is called hiranyagarbha, cosmic mind.

If you worship Sri Ramakrishna now, you have worshipped him and Rama and Krishna before, in different incarnations. It is the same Incarnation that is in Sri Ramakrishna now.

The secret of sadhana [spiritual practice] is the sincerity and purity and love with which you do it. You must do sadhana and also read the words of Master [Sri Ramakrishna, contained largely in 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna]. Chew his words over. There is no fruit without a tree - for example it is no good reading Swami Vivekananda etc. without reading their source. If you chew it over, this is your real sadhana. This will revolutionise you.

 

Swami Shivapadananda on the Avatar (Incarnation)

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Day 123

The ordinary guru is for you and me. An Avatar is for the whole universe, regardless of dharma [path, religion or belief system]. An Avatar comes to show humanity. Sri Ramakrishna came and liberated all dharmas - not my or your dharma only.

Avatars also have great spiritual power. Sri Ramakrishna touched Vivekananda’s chest and said, “Wake up, Ma [Divine Mother - female aspect of the Universe] [Jaago ma].” With this Vivekananda got into an ecstatic mood and saw his Ishta Devata [chosen Ideal or Deity]. Jesus Christ said, “Behold!” and straight away they saw It. Sri Krishna said, I embody myself with My maya.

Who is the greatest yogi in Hinduism? Ravana. He spoke to Yama, the Lord of Death. He spoke to the Sun and it would stand still. Power corrupts. Patanjali said: Yogic powers are not spiritual, they are obstacles on the path of God-realization.

Sri Ramakrishna said to Vivekananda, “I have the eight siddhis [psychic powers] and I want to give them to you.” Swami Vivekananda said, “Will they give me God-realization?” Master said, “No, but they will help you in the world.” Hearing this Swami Vivekananda wasn’t interested. Siddhis have concentration but not purity. A high desire is for God; a low desire is for the world.

If you use the Gayatri mantra in a certain way, at a certain time it leads to powers. If you use it in a certain way, at a certain time it leads to God-realization.

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.

Besides these daily readings Mother Radha recorded many hours of our beloved Swamiji speaking. There are currently 40 different CDs available in sets of 10 for R200 per set. This price includes postage. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.

Swami Shivapadananda on the impact of Ramakrishna

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Day 119

In meditation take your Ishta Devata [chosen Ideal/Deity], put it in your own heart and worship it. If the blessing of God comes on us we will be changed people. When this does not happen then something is wrong with us.

Sri Ramakrishna is a great tidal wave that purifies everything. Sri Ramakrishna came and uplifted the life of the world by uplifting the spiritual life of Hindus and at the same time by uplifting Christianity, Islam etc. All dharma is true as long as you follow that dharma. We are fish swimming in the ocean of our own dharma. Krishna said, “All paths lead to Me [God].”

An Incarnation has not come for this or that individual but for the good of the whole world, to give knowledge to the whole universe. When there is spiritual language of the heart there is discrimination of the unreality from the Reality. Touch the philosopher’s stone and everything turns to gold. But when God touches anything it turns to Soul.

In man’s body the spine manufactures ojas [vital force]. In animal bodies it is not like that.

Swami Saradananda Maharaj [a direct monastic disciple of Sri Ramakrishna] said, “Everything I have written in ‘The Great Master’ I have experienced. Do you think we learned to plant grass with Sri Ramakrishna?”

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.

Besides these daily readings Mother Radha recorded many hours of our beloved Swamiji speaking. There are currently 40 different CDs available in sets of 10 for R200 per set. This price includes postage. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.

Swami Shivapadananda on recording the lives of Incarnations

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Day 76

Swamiji speaking on the birthday anniversary celebration of Sri Ramakrishna

The Incarnation embodies in Itself the grace of God - in the form of His teachings. He has taken birth in this age, as Sri Ramakrishna. Master cures the diseases of the mind. That is something divine and people start to worship it. Sri Ramakrishna indicated that Bhagavan [God], bhakta [the devotee], Bhagavatam [scripture] are the same.

Tulsidas [the recorder of the epic Hindu Ramayana] depicted Rama as Divine. Before that people thought he was just a great man. There is no mistake in these histories. The Rishi [sage] wrote and edited it himself and his sons recited it in front of Sri Rama. If there was a mistake Sri Rama would have called it lies. But it is written and it is correct.

Sri Ramakrishna became his own author. He would call ‘M’ [Mahendranath Gupta - pictured, the recorder of ‘The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’] and ask, “What did I say yesterday?” Then he would say, “No, no, I said this . . .” and he would correct it. This led to the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. It is necessary for God to go on writing His own history because man will project his own personality. The writer is not separate from God. He must be God to understand the secrets of His mind. So first we worship the Rishi [sage/saint] and then God. First we worship the light and then we worship the object of the light.

The song says: Give me purity of body, mind and soul. Give me understanding to understand the knowledge you left behind. Give me bhakti, devotion. This cannot stand on its own, it must have faith behind it. Man has no knowledge of God, he worships God only.

People are still trying to recognise Sri Ramakrishna, to analyse Sri Ramakrishna, but he makes us feel inside what he is. Man gets attracted to an Aspect of God because he cannot be attracted to the Absolute. May you be blessed. It is the guru’s grace that has dawned on you in the form of this birthday.

Posted by Clive Simpkins