Swami Shivapadananda

Sacrifice of name and fame

Pictured: Impression of Lord Shiva bearing the Descent of Mother Ganga [river Ganges] as the goddess Parvati, the sage Bhagiratha, and the bull Nandi look on . (artwork circa 1740)

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 963

I was dwelling a little bit on the Rishis [sage seer-saints]. The Rishis of yore, you know there was no light, no electricity, no hot water geyser, it was cold in the mountains, no wood to burn a proper fire. They slept in caves – in little corners. The smaller the place the less their concern with material things. The bigger the place, the more likely the concern for material things. They knew the secret of lightening the burden of the mind. So they only had those things which were bare necessities for life - to live uncomfortably, but comfortably. They did not become slaves to the senses. As far as possible they tried to get their senses and mind under control because that is the only way to reach God. There is no other way. What is the way? To get your senses and mind under control. So, they suffered hardships.

Some of these Rishis, you won't believe it, they went quarter way [only a short distance]  in spiritual life and they died. But in that quarter they were very clever. They did not die with a secret - they passed it on to the chelas [disciples]. And wherever the Rishi stopped, the chela took it up. That is the secret that is given. That is actually the secret that is given in the mythology [traditional wisdom as Swamiji often referred to it] called 'When Ganga [the river Ganges] came to earth'. You know Bhagiratha's great grandfathers tried before him [The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva: Section III]. So wherever they left the sadhana [spiritual practice] he took it up from there. Now that means that thousands of lives were sacrificed – thousands of lives were sacrificed – before Mother Ganga's blessing came to this earth.

That is why the relationship between Guru [spiritual preceptor] and chela is so sacred – because it's based on sacrifice [tapasya]. What is it based on? Sacrifice. You don't live for personal gain or one person - you live for the whole universe. And whatever you get, can you tell me who discovered fire? [silence from the devotees] See – it's not even known who discovered fire. Who first started cooking? [no response again] You see how beautiful these people were? They were sacrificing. They sacrificed the acknowledgement. They had no name, nobody put 'first man that discovered fire....xyz.' Nobody recorded, 'first one who discovered how to cook, Mrs. So and so.' Can you see how selfless they were? They are gone, for good. Lost to the world. But we are still enjoying it [the fruits of their discovery].

So Bhagiratha and his great sisters sacrificed their life – life after life they sacrificed – only to get what? Purity, in the hearts of devotees. So that purity can reveal God. Which purity is known as Ganga. Purity is Ganga. The stream of purity flows and all germs die. When the stream of purity comes, hell becomes heaven. Put cold water on heated iron, what happens to the iron? [devotee answers, 'it cools']. It cools. So purity is that coolness by which the most sinful place will become heaven.

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. 

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

 

Sacrificing the lower self

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

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

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

741

   

Swamiji teaches the renunciates

When we read this book 'The Teachings of Buddha' we can ignore the word Buddha and put the word, 'Enlightened Being' in its place. Call it Christ if you like. Call it Allah if you like. Call it Mohammed if you like. Call it Sri Ramakrishna if you like. Call it Guru if you like. Call it what you like.

When we read "homeless brothers" we are those homeless brothers and sisters at the present moment. We have no home to call our own, we have no ashrams [monasteries] to call our own. By God's grace God has provided us with an area of two feet by two feet just to sit in, that's all. For the time being we will take that as ours. For the time being we will call it God's privilege given to us to occupy this space.

This is very important what I am saying. Eighty percent of the time we don't take seriously what we are told, with the result that we don't put it into practice. And because we don't put it into practice our troubles begin. From that point of view we say our guru's word is a mantra [sacred syllable or word]. A mantra is supposed to control the mind. You have to submit to it consciously, not unconsciously. Allow the mantra to sacrifice the lower part of yourself, the lower self, so that it can take on the image of the Higher Self, or become the Higher Self.

A piece of wood sacrifices itself. It become a fire. Think about it. And the fire sacrifices itself to become ashes. All lessons you learn and put into practice are called japa yoga [meditative repetition]. Japa is not only a means of repeating God's name, it is the practical practising of yoga. The Bhagavad Gita says it is the greatest sacrifice. This sacrifice calls for nothing less than sacrificing your little whims and fancies, your little lower self, in the fire of the Higher Self. When doing a havan [ritual fire-worship] you take ghee [clarified butter] and put it in the fire, you put wood in it, and you put havan samagari [mixture of prescribed ingredients] in it. Similarly, when you do japa[ meditative repetition of one of God's many names], you are actually sacrificing your breath, your individual breath, your individual lower self to the higher Universal Self, paramatman. That is the greatest sacrifice. There is no other sacrifice.

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

Inspiration

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

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

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

715

   

Occupy your life in such a way that it will have God and God-thought only. Like this the world would be a place of mirth - not birth and death.

The shanti [peace] hymn is a very beautiful hymn. It was written by Master's [Sri Ramakrishna's] direct disciples – they who saw the truth thereof in Sri Ramakrishna. Side by side with singing it, you should read up the meanings of these verses so you will know that it is not parrot-like to recite it but man-like.

If you talk on a subject that can inspire you then it can inspire the world. If someone says to me, 'Swamiji I liked the talk,' then I reply, 'But I like it more than you. That is why I spoke about it to you - otherwise why would I speak to you about something if I do not like it?'

If you love God's children (especially those who have devoted their whole lives to God) yours is not to see to what degree they have done this but to see the very fact that they have given their lives to God. Get hold of the books on the lives of saints and sages. By loving the saints and sages you will love God automatically. Saints and sages do not know any caste, colour or creed whatsoever.

Devotee: At Easter why do they call it Good Friday?

Swamiji: Because on this day the Lord [Jesus Christ] sacrificed himself for the billions of sadhakas [spiritual aspirants/practitioners] throughout the world. He gave his life as a ransom, having so much faith and trust in you, his children. That is why it is 'good' for us because he trusted us on the day he was crucified. He gave his life as a sacrifice for his many devotees.

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