SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
601
Once somebody asked Swami Vivekananda: 'Have you realised God?' His reply was typical of him. He said, 'It is difficult enough to be a gentleman.' Gentlemanliness involves so many things: to be united with your brothers and sisters; to utter words which are sweet and pleasing to people and yet not bring harm to them; your sitting and your standing should not agitate anybody; your walking should not agitate anybody. So it is difficult enough to be a gentleman yet we foolish people think we have become God-realised.
Simplicity, purity, holiness. You must base your life on these things. Read the scriptures and see how you can be simple, not complicated.
Swami Vivekananda said to Sister Nivedita that he only wanted a few disciples who had the highest and best in life to renounce. Swami Vivekananda did not want a lazy person who could not make it at school or at work to come and take shelter at his feet.
Once one of Swami Vivekananda's friends came to him and said, 'Maharaj, [a term of respect, meaning literally 'great king'] I am so inspired with your life that I want to become a holy man, I want to renounce.' Swami Vivekananda looked down and said, 'Can you steal?' The man said, 'No.' Swami Vivekananda said, 'First go and learn to steal.'
If the man was not brave enough to steal, do you think he would be brave enough to be killed? Sannyasa [monastic renunciation] means nothing else but 'death'. If a man has thoughts like: 'What will others think of me if I say certain things?' then he can never practise truth, he can never be a renunciate. That is why Swami Vivekananda said: 'First go and learn to steal.' Do you think that a man who was afraid to go to jail if he was caught could live in the 'forest'? He could not even live in a nice jail. So his words may have been extreme but Swami Vivekananda was trying to say, 'Only the fearless, those sticking by truth, can realise God and no one else.'
Those of you who are too afraid to tell your husbands the truth, you cannot realise God. Those of you who are too afraid to tell your wives the truth cannot realise God. Tell each other the truth. There must be the understanding that your partner is always trying to help you, not run you down.
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