DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
692
It is very important that you should not change your ishta devata [chosen ideal or deity]. You can let all other ishta devatas be absorbed in your ishta devata but you should not change your ishta devata.
Master [Sri Ramakrishna], in a very childlike way, expressed this in parables. He said that if a man is digging a hole trying to find water and somebody says, 'Not there, dig a hole here,' he will leave the first hole after digging ten feet and dig somewhere else. But then if somebody says, 'No, not there, you will find water here,' he moves again and digs another ten feet there. And again if somebody says, 'No, no, dig here, you will find water,' he moves and digs another ten feet there. Sri Ramakrishna said that if he had dug in only one place he would have found water.
Devotee: But if you said the ishta devata is the soul . . . ?
Swamiji: Yes, how are you going to change your soul? The real nature of the soul is Satchidananda and your ishta devata is Satchidananda. It is an avatar [incarnation/manifestation] of Ishwara.
In relation to the world, Parabrahman becomes Ishwara; in relation to the devotee, individually, it becomes the ishta devata.
In popular religion Ishwara is worshipped in concrete form as Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh [Shiva]. And yet all three are one. So in your relation to it, it becomes your ishta devata.
Devotee: If it is Satchidananda you are going to say that it has a specific form . . .
Swamiji: You like that form because you meditate on that form. The restless bird of your mind settles longer and more lovingly on that particular tree called ishta devata, therefore you take that ishta devata. Otherwise it will keep flying about and thus it will not hatch any eggs - called Realisation.
No matter if we have five hundred scriptures, who cares? Take one and study it. After all you can only study one at a time. We are in a better position with so many scriptures.
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 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
