[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.
Day 797
Ragu kula rit sada chale aye prana jaye para vachana najaye. Even if you stake your life, don't tell an untruth, don't practise anything which is untruth.
If you become a Hindu, that doesn't mean you are not going to suffer; just as Sita suffered. To overcome suffering is the goal of Hindus - not through an injection [i.e. pain-killers], not through some magical power, but through the natural strength given by God Himself. If a man can look suffering in the face and transcend it, the Hindu says, 'You are a great man.'
Someone told one of our people in Chatsworth [then a branch of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, now a sub-centre] that he must change to Christianity so that his cancer would be cured. His son, this poor young man (who was praying to God for so long), came to me and said, 'Swamiji, my father is so old, he's got cancer and they say that if he changes to Christianity he'll get better. I know that this is wrong because he's leaving out all the dharmas [righteous practices and duties] that he practised lifelong, now he wants to do something else.' So I went to the hospital and sat at the bedside and prayed. I took the Lord Jesus' name, I took the name of Sri Rama and Sita. Then I asked him one question, "I hear that you are going to convert?." He said, "Yes, yes, they say I'll get better." I asked him, "Tell me, are there any Christians in hospital?" He said, "Yes." "Muslims?" "Yes." "Hindus?" "Yes." "Atheists?" "Yes." I said, "Oh, then if people of all faiths are in hospitals I don't see why, if you are going to take to another religion, you'll be safe. If it were so no devotees of that religion should be in hospital. They should all be out of hospital. Isn't that so?"
So that is not it. You must go through suffering like Jesus the Christ but don't leave God Himself. Go through the suffering like Mahatma Gandhi but don't leave Sri Rama's name - that is the truth.
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
