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
Day 1005
Swamiji speaking to devotees at a Yoga spiritual retreat camp:
This day we are privileged to gather here in the name of God. It is out of great sacrifice [tapasya] that one gathers in the name of God. But after gathering in the name of God, if one does not make use of the time and opportunity, then it is a waste of time, a waste of energy, a waste of lifespan. As I said this morning, that it is Gurudev's [Sri Swami Nischalananda Puri, Swamiji's beloved guru] initiation of things like this that have inspired us today, to gather in the name of Sri Ramakrishna – but that is not enough. You must ask the question, and ask the question to yourself; have you really made use of the time? Have you really made use of the facilities and the talks given in this day's camp? If the answer is 'yes,' you have nothing to regret. If the answer is 'no,' then you are still playful, you have still taken things for granted. Then I think that you should be very sorry – you should be very?...sorry!
Age has caught up with us. We are like a big clock. Every second ticked. Every second ticked means we are swallowed in time. Who knows when it will swallow us up completely? I was once noticed that a snake dashed and caught hold of a little mouse. I was stunned. I looked at it – it swallowed the mouse, spat it out, swallowed it again – the poor mouse kicked and kicked about and thrashed its tail - but slowly, slowly, the snake swallowed it. The snake then slowly crawled away. So wonderful it was, in that it made me think, 'ah, Shivapadananda, this is how you're being swallowed'. You're struggling against all odds in this world, and struggling against things that come against you. But if you don't look out, ultimately, the snake of time will let you thrash your tail, until it swallows you up. Until it swallows you?...up.
We are all being swallowed. You are all – every second that is ticked off, you're dying. Don't think that the body going to live forever, but the secret is this: to quickly realise that this thing is being done to you. What is being done to you? The snake of time is swallowing you up. Swallowing what? And when you separate what it is swallowing, from the real you [the soul, atman], then you will become immortal. Because it can only swallow that which is not permanent, that which is perishable, time can only affect that. Time can only affect…that. But that which gives life even to the snake of time - cannot be swallowed.
Shiva Bhagawan was seated and Santa Kumar and other great Rishis [sage seer saints], entered the abode and Yama [Hindu lord of death] was seated there. The Rishis, being Paramahamsas in their own right - Paramahamsa is a [God-] realised soul - came there, greeted nobody, not even Shiva, and sat down. Nobody greeted Yama. Yama got very angry. He said, 'What! You didn't greet me? You didn't show any respect to me?' He went and swallowed up a Rishi. The Rishi changed his form and emerged as a mosquito. He swallow it up again [Swamiji chuckling], the Rishi changed the form yet again and came out as a spirit. And so this went on for a long time.
Shiva smiled and Yama got even angrier. 'What are you smiling about? I'm having a rough time here, what are you smiling at?' Lord Shiva said, 'Look Yama, all your tactics will not work against these pure ones. Because they have realised that they never die. Once you swallow one form they'll take another form. They only change the form. They themselves never change.
The Bhagavad Gita tells you that this body is like a worn-out cloth. It's you doing the discarding. But meanwhile you think you are being discarded. The snake of time - Yama - can never swallow 'that'. Find out who it is. The quicker you find out, the better for you.
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.
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