[Pictured: The Manikarnika (cremation) Ghat in Kasi/Varanasi/Benares]
[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 970
You know what Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa came here to do? He came to put a stamp on the old [traditional] beliefs and validate them. That's what he came to do. When men lost faith, he came with his own rubber stamp to validate it. He put the stamp of spirituality on it. It is said that if you die in Kasi [also known as Benares or Varanasi] you will get liberation [moksha]. What will you get? Liberation [from the cycle of samsara, birth and re-birth].
Sri Ramakrishna, while on a boat on pilgrimage in this holy city of Kasi got into a state of higher consciousness [samadhi, superconsciousness]. Later on when he came down from this consciousness, this samadhi, do you know what he said? He said, 'Aah, I saw that where they burn the dead people's bodies [at the burning ghat, cremation area], there is Shiva Bhagawan uttering Ramnaam [the name of Lord Rama],'….Shiva Bhagawan uttering Ramnaam. 'On the other side I saw Mother Kali - Bhavatarini Kali [redeemer of the universe, Bhavatarini meaning literally: She who takes Her devotees across the ocean of existence] '. There are different aspects of Mother Kali. Bhavatarini Kali is the creative aspect of God, not a destructive aspect. 'Bhavatarini Kali Ma was untying the knots of karma'. She was untying the knots of karma. Master [Sri Ramakrishna] didn't say burning the knots of karma. He didn't say destroying the knots of karma – he said untying them. And thus we find that the souls were? - liberated. You see, Master saw it. In that state he saw it. Later some of the disciple-devotees asked him, 'But how is that possible?' How is that possible that a man goes to Kasi and he dies and is liberated?
Swamiji: Now I am adding this... Imagine a man travels 300 miles, thousands of miles, a long distance from America or South Africa in faith, just to die in Kasi. We have to ask this question. Even if you say he lived a bad and dirty life, the very fact that in his last days he travelled just to go and die there - there must be some sort of faith [shraddha]. And faith cannot be put into degrees – it is faith. Just remember that. No matter how evil you know the man to be, that faith is a saving grace. How is that?
[Swamiji chuckling]…Master added to this explanation – 'it's not in the scriptures'. This is the greatness of Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna went beyond the scriptures. Somebody asked him about that. 'How is it that is not in the scriptures?'
There was another incident [in Master's life] about the [Krishna] statue breaking - how is it that too is not in the scriptures? Master thought nicely - I don't think he thought like you and I think - he got into a higher state and then he said, 'You know, it just happened right now [i.e. it's a religious/spiritual precedent]. How can you expect it to be in the newspaper?' [Swamiji and devotees laughing]. If the Daily News [a Durban, South Africa newspaper] is out already, it's only got news that happened before it was printed. So if this only happened now, how can it be in the paper?
Nobody had put this question before about what you must do with a broken religious statue. Traditionally, the moment a statue broke, they immersed it in the Ganges [Ganga]. They asked Master the question and this was his answer. He said, 'Repair it. Put it back in the temple.'
So [getting back to the issue of Lord Shiva at the ghat] they asked Ramakrishna, 'How is it that those people got liberation?' He said, 'You know what? When they are about to die, the form of Shiva comes. They actually see Lord Shiva. When they look at Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva says, 'You see, this is me, Maya [God's deluding, illusory power - in this instance meaning the body is impermanent]. My body and your body, what you see now, it has taken form. Now look at it - and he takes away the form. And when he takes away the form, that devotee's mind, instead of travelling to lower levels, goes to higher levels - to the absolute level. They have the darshan [not so much vision as a merging with] of Brahman [the one universal consciousness]. What do they have the darshan of? - Brahman. Nowhere in the scriptures is that found. For the first time, Ramakrishna tells how it actually happens.
This is believable - because many people, when you find they're dying on the bed, they say, 'Ah look! My grandfather has come.' I have heard that many times. [some devotees make sounds of agreement]. 'Look how my grandfather has come and look how he's sitting there. Wait, he's calling me.' We think they are delirious and we have a dilemma. Who is there [in that state of consciousness/perception] to say they are delirious?
So just like that Ramakrishna looks at Lord Shiva and says, 'Ah, Shiva Bhagawan!,' and Shiva communes with him on an inner level and says, this body, my body, made out of Maya - look, my body is your body - [also] made out of Maya. No sooner that happens than a flood of light comes in giving consciousness, understanding and liberation - there and then.
Devotees would say to Mother Sarada Devi [the nun-wife of Sri Ramakrishna], 'Ma, they say whoever takes mantra from Sri Ramakrishna or from you and they repeat the mantra, they'll be saved. But how is it that they are still suffering?' Mother said, you know what? At the time of death when the devotee is leaving his body, He [Master] will come. And just as Lord Shiva gave his vision [in Kasi], Master will do a similar thing. He will take you to the formless state.'
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
