[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 877
Swamiji talking at a school. Has reference also today 876
Now among these great trees, there is one I want to touch on today. His name is Paramahamsa Ramakrishna.
Sri Ramakrishna was born in India, in the north [Bengal]. I am not going into detail but I am going to give it to you in a nutshell. He was born in a village called Kamarpukur. He was an ordinary boy, just like you and I. He had two eyes, two hands, two feet. He was going to school like you and me. Whilst he was going to school his mind was always centred around the stories his mother and father told him from the Mahabharata, from the Ramayana and from all the other scriptures. He used to think how Krishna played in this world; he used to think how Christ walked about in this world; he used to think how Muhammad went and did his preaching.
Thus you find him in a mango [tree] grove where he used to play truant from school. There he imitated the great bhaktas, the great devotees – among them some who were known as the gopis [cowherds] and Krishna. On the days like this, his mind always centred around these divine personalities.
He grew up to the age of six or seven. One day he saw a dark cloud and in contrast to that, white cranes [large birds] flying. He looked at this and can you imagine the beauty that he perceived in his mind. Straight away, when he looked at this he thought of the beauty of God, he got into a trance [superconscious spiritual state, samadhi].
But what I want you to remember is that he was an ordinary man like you and me. He was not something that fell from the sky, of just came one day and said, 'Lo, I am here'. Nay. He has five fingers, like you and me. He was scolded like you and me. But nevertheless he was always playing, playing with the things which are divine symbols. He used to play with a doll of Krishna, a doll of Rama, a doll of Shiva. Thus he used to play the game of worship. Like this he grew up.
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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