DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
638
Our scriptures say that when you are praying and when you sneeze you must again do achamanam (the purification rite).
So I ask you to treat the Deity in your own shrine and in this shrine with love. Either you use psychology on God or God will use it on you. You had better be the first one.
Do the arati, feed the Deity and slowly take its blessing and then say, 'Lord you are Omnipresent, I am feeding you.' And then, if you like, get one fruit and place it there. Say, 'Lord you too are here now.'
But first learn to do it in your mind at home. You gave It a form, you gave It a figure, you gave It a life, it is your duty to supply It with food too. If It came to life Itself, then it is Its own duty to look for food. You made the pranapratishta [awakening of the Deity], you did the prayers, so it is your duty to give the food. You must sit there and give It everything.
They say that mental worship [manasika puja] is the most beautiful worship. Every day Arjuna would take vilva leaves and put them on the Shiva linga while his elder brother Bheema appeared to do nothing One day Sri Krishna wanted to humble Arjuna so they went to Lord Shiva's abode. Arjuna noticed that one Shiva linga was covered with great big trees of vilva leaves, while another had only a few leaves scattered around it. Arjuna looked at the trees that had been offered and said, 'But who did this worship?' Sri Krishna replied, 'Bheema performed this worship.' 'But he was just sitting there,' remarked Arjuna. Then Sri Krishna said, 'No he did manasika puja [mental worship].'
External worship too is important because it makes an inner impression. It brings about inner transformation.
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