Swami Shivapadananda

Be careful what you wish for!

 

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

Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.

Day 983

God is the wish-fulfilling tree. 'Wish-fulfilling tree' means that God gives anything to everybody – whatever they want. But the fruit [result, fulfillment, implications] means the taste of it is your business [responsibility]. I'll give you an example. If I'm sitting here and I say, 'Krishna Bhagawan, I want an apple,' God comes as an apple, I take it, 'Mmm, apple.' God came as apple – I'm eating the apple. Krishna Bhagawan I like chillies. What happened? Enjoyment but the other side burns [on excretion].

God comes in whatever desire you want. But the result is yours. So watch. Just watch what kind of desire you have in you. God is a beautiful thing – a wish-fulfilling tree. If I say Kali, God will come as Kali. And whatever Mother Kali does, I'll have to do. I say Christ, he comes as Christ. I say Ramakrishna, he comes as Ramakrishna – broad-minded, wide, embracing the whole world. So what do you want? Think about what I am saying. You may not understand what Swamiji says, but that's wish-fulfilling, my Lord is that. You desire a beautiful girl, he'll come as a beautiful girl. After that, with all the children, working, troubles and so on – that's your business. Think of a sannyasi [Hindu monk or nun, sannyasini] he'll come as sannyasi, blissful, calm, serene.

If you want to steal - go and steal. God will provide an opportunity. He'll make some loophole somewhere. Go and steal. He doesn't care, he comes in that form. He gives you all that. Go and steal but when you get caught, then that's your business [karma]. You see – you desire one thing but you don't think about what you desire, indirectly, with it. Suppose I have a desire to steal a golden bracelet. Actually, along with that I have desired jail, I desired a hiding [punishment], I desired disapproval, all that - the side-effects. I'm only looking at the main wish but the other things involved are also indirect desires.

You've already desired [many things]. What have you already desired? Children, working hard, sweating, money – you have desired all of this already. You know, this is called a bonus. [devotees chuckle]. You say to God, give me pure love, you're actually saying to God come in the form of pure love to me. I don't want you to come in any other form because this is what I want. And whatever you ask God for, he will fulfill.

Think about your other births. Think about what you desired from seven years of age in this birth. You are paying for all of that now. You have desired God in all these different forms. He can't stop coming now - he's already taking that form - you'll have to see him! What I am telling you is very logical. God knows what he is doing. Think about it.

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

Living together vs. marriage and taking drugs

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

738

   

Today I see the modern style of not getting married is in fashion. You just live together and enjoy yourself. That is not moral. You are using somebody for the sake of using them. It is like animals. But we have evolved. Let us not be like animals, because this characteristic is the most potent creative power given to man.

Visitor: I disagree with you in that aspect, Swamiji. I think you can enter into a relationship by living together for a while.

Swamiji: No, son. Never. Otherwise why would your scriptures say you must make a marriage vow?

Visitor: What are the spiritual merits of taking drugs and why are drugs mentioned in the scriptures.

Swamiji: After seeing God a man becomes a saint, he never wants to injure anybody, he is selfless, he is not selfish. But do drug addicts care two hoots about killing you? Do they care two hoots to steal from you? If the drug craving comes on them do you think they will leave you alone? They will steal anything from you, even if you yourself are starving. I have seen this. One drug addict knocked his father flat because the father asked, 'What happened to the money that was here? You took it.' He just knocked his father down.

Our scriptures do say that our yogis took drugs. But it is misunderstood. It's like saying to you, 'Do you know that the doctors give alcohol?' And you saying, 'Well, because the doctors prescribe it I must start drinking it.' There is no sense in that. The doctors do give you alcohol - pharmaceutical alcohol. There is no getting away from that, but it is mixed with medicine and has medicinal value.

So the yogis did take drugs - ganja [marijuana] and other things - but they took them as prescribed by the guru. The guru brought them up to a certain height of vibration and purity, and from there, when they were given the drug, these people were elevated. After that they didn't need it. When they came down they didn't need ganja and other things.

Some people will probably say, 'But after coming down they took it again.' Never.

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  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

 

 

Swami Shivapadananda on desire

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

607

   

[Swamiji continues speaking on the Ramayana]

At another time, Punjikastala (who later became Hanumanji's mother, Anjani) was the attendant of Lord Brahma. One day she became very lustful on seeing the maid in the flower garden; and when she returned from there she started throwing lustful looks at Brahma and kissed him. Brahma became very annoyed because Brahma is Brahmadev who believes in brahmacharya [sense control or celibacy]. Lord Brahma was very disappointed with his servant and he cursed her saying, 'Go down to Earth because you have lustful feelings. In the realms of the gods lust is not supposed to manifest. Go to the place where you can satisfy your lustful feelings. Go to Earth where you will be born in the tribe of the Vanaras [an Aboriginal people].' And then she pleaded, 'Lord I made a mistake. What can I do?' Then he said out of love, 'Do not worry. There is a great work to be accomplished through you. After you have given birth to a child you will come back to heaven. Your curse will be destroyed.' So because of her foolishness she came down to Earth.

Now this may seem very awkward that she was cursed; but even here on Earth if you do the wrong thing on the roads the police will arrest you and put you in jail, in confinement. Similarly the confinement of the body with all its different senses was given to Punjikastala.

So she was born as Anjani and was married to Kesari, a member of the Vanara tribe, but she had no children. Now an important part of Indian culture and religion is that the partners in marriage want to have a child, they have this desire. If they fail to have a child they go directly to God Himself for help. So they started worshipping Lord Shiva. They started doing tapasya [austerities] and after many years Lord Shiva manifested in the kingdom of Dasaratha. And when a special yajna [ritual worship ceremony] was being performed the fire, agni [the name of the god of fire], manifested and gave out payasam, sweet rice. Dasaratha took the sweet rice and gave each of his wives a little.

Now at this time there was a kite [a bird] that was also cursed. (The whole of the Ramayana is full of curses or destiny. In doing the wrong thing you will be corrected. If you had not done the wrong thing you would not have taken birth, you would be in God, with God Himself). [To be continued]

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