[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 851
Devotee: Why is Surya Narayan [the Sun] regarded as so holy, Swamiji?
Swamiji: Because it has not been touched by man. Its purity is intact. It gives light, and it gives life [through warmth]. It does not need something else to give light. You see it by its own light. Vaishnavites [devotees of Lord Vishnu] worship Surya Narayan and Saivites [devotees of Lord Shiva] worship Jyotir Linga.
Devotee: What is the difference between a jivanmukta [someone who has attained moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and re-birth, samsara, in this birth] and an Avatar [incarnation of God]?
Swamiji: A jivanmukta has finished his karma ['debts', obligations incurred in various births]. He is going up. An Avatar puts a little [voluntary] karma [in this case attachment] on himself to bring him down. A jivanmukta does not come [back to this plane of consciousness] again.
Be simple, be humble, be self restrained. This takes a man very far.
The guru's [spiritual preceptor's] feet are the only boat to cross the ocean of worldly existence [i.e. through surrender and humility].
See your [higher] Self. See your Deity [Ishta Deva]. Superimpose your Deity. The Deity is the Self of all. When you come to the Self Itself, there is no seeing, there is absorption. The Self meditates on the Self.
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.
For more about the Holy Trinity, and also the founding Swamis of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, please mouse over their names below:
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
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