[Pictured: A sadhaka practising pranayama or yoga breathing]
[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 951
Some people get agitated when their system heats up through doing too much pranayama [yoga breathing]. So they start doing even more pranayama to remove the heat. [Swamiji chuckles] They think it's like Homoeopathy – all the disease is coming out. So they do more pranayama and get even more heated. And in a while they'll get burnt.
You may think this is not important or not dangerous. It's very dangerous. I'll tell you how dangerous it is. How many of you understand electricity? [Swamiji asks devotees – one raises hand]. Now – if I tell you to fix something on that [electrical] distribution board, that thing won't waste time for two seconds if you touch it in the wrong way. So a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. [Swamiji chuckling again] You may find yourself jumping, huh? That's how dangerous it is. But that [distribution board] is nothing compared to how dangerous it [inappropriate pranayama practice] is, because if you destroy that board you can replace it. But if you destroy these nerves [spiritual nadis or pathways] it may ruin this whole birth. These nerves were composed by God to give us the highest realisation. You can destroy them by your carelessness in two seconds [Swamiji clicks his fingers to demonstrate]. [Swamiji once also cautioned against people using so-called 'recreational' drugs for exactly the same reason. Swamiji's analogy was putting a very high voltage through wires not designed to carry such power. They would burn out]
That's why many sadhakas [spiritual aspirants or practitioners] break [damage, burn out their nervous systems] their health. Why does their health break? Because they're thinking, 'Oh to do spirituality and sadhana [spiritual practice] is the greatest,' and they go off their head [become mentally ill or deranged]. Because side by side with spirituality you must watch how the body is reacting to that [practice]. When the body reacts excessively, then take it a little easy. Make it stronger [build up the body] and then go on.
But you're thinking that spirituality is such a divine thing that you can just carry on [doing excessive practice] and you go off your head. I've seen many people go off their head. [The great Swami Vivekananda, spiritual heir to Sri Ramakrishna described this as a risk in intense sadhana]. And then they blame the guru [spiritual preceptor].
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:
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