Daily Messages - 2020

Messages from Swami Dayatmananda

1 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the most auspicious Kalpataru as well as the Birthday of Swami Saradanandaji Maharaj)

May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all on this most auspicious day.

A Letter from Swami Saradananda about Meditation

My dear,

Accept my blessings.

The general rule is after taking your seat for Japa and meditation, perform one pranayama and at the end of your Japa, perform another pranayama and offer your japa to the Lord. In the evening too, do likewise.

Pranayama is to be practised on an empty stomach; that is before taking any food. You may do Japa with a full stomach, but do not then practise pranayama.

If you do pranayama at least 4 hours after taking food, it will not be harmful.

During pranayama you must think that the mantra mingling with the breath, is rousing the kundalini from the muladhara centre (located at the base of the spinal column), and is uniting with the luminous Paramatman in the sahasrara centre in the head.

Whatever I have instructed you [at the time of initiation], go through all those steps first in the proper sequence, and then perform pranayama and japa. If you practise in this manner for a few days, you yourself will be able to experience everything.

Meditate on the holy form of the Guru in the white lotus of twelve petals, situated above the eyebrows. At that time you should chant the meditation stanza on the Guru.

The Lord, taking a resplendent form resembling the person from whom one receives initiation, resides in the lotus as the Guru.

When you engage yourself in Japa, meditation, worship, etc., then first utter this mediation-stanza, thinking of him and reciting 'Akhanda- mandalakaram, etc...' You should offer your salutations.

Do in their proper order, whatever steps I have been telling you for so long.

Face to face: that is to say, if you are sitting facing east, think in this way: the Ishta or Guru is sitting facing west.

The thousand-petalled lotus has many tints; it is not all of one colour...Know that all these 'lotuses' are located within the spinal column [and head].

All the spiritual disciplines are verily based on yoga. In this respect, don't create doubts in the mind by looking into books. You will understand by yourself what is to be done next.

It is best to do Japa mentally, that is, without moving the tongue, lips or anything.

During Japa, the repetition should be accompanied by thinking on the divine form.

Accept my blessings.

Ever your well-wisher,

Sri Saradananda

Guru-Stotram from the Viswasara Tantra:

Akhanda Mandala-Karam,

Vyaptam Yena Chara-charam.

Tatpadam Dharshitam Yena,

Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah.

'Salutation to the Guru who has made it possible to realize Him, by whom this entire universe of movable and immovable objects is pervaded.'

2 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

SELF-EFFORT AND DIVINE GRACE

"Sit for meditation in the morning and the evening. Keep your head cool and practise meditation and prayer. It is very difficult to do so. It is rather easy to dig the earth with a spade."

Looking at the picture of the Master, she said, "You will achieve nothing without His grace.

"Devotees who come nowadays simply keep on saying 'Show us God'. They have no spiritual practice, no prayer, no austerity and past sins must be many. These have to be removed step by step, and then only God can be seen. The moon in the sky is covered with clouds; the wind will blow away the clouds, and then only can you see the moon. Do the clouds scatter away all of a sudden? Exactly the same here. The Karmas get exhausted slowly. When God is realized, He illumines the soul internally one knows this internally.

"My child, you have been extremely fortunate in getting this human birth. Have intense devotion to God. One must work hard. Can one achieve anything without effort? You must devote some time for prayer even in the midst of the busiest hours of the day. I used to be very busy during my days at Dakshineswar; yet I did my prayer and meditation.

"Prayer and meditation, or pilgrimage, or even earning money, all these should be done during the earlier part of one's life. In old age one's physical and mental strength are weakened. Is that the time for any struggle? Look at our boys here now, they have turned their minds to God in their youth. This is right, this is the proper time.

My son, your prayers and meditations must be accomplished now, in your youth. Do you think you will be able to do anything later? Whatever you may want to do, this is the time for it.

Disciple: "It is my desire to spend some time in spiritual exercises in the solitude of a garden.

Mother: "Quite right. This is the proper time to do so. This is just the proper age for you to undergo these disciplines. You must practise them, but be careful about your food. Swami Yogananda practised great austerity and as a result suffered much and passed away early in life.

"The room may contain different kinds of food-stuff, but one must cook them. He who cooks earlier gets his meal earlier too. Some eat in the morning, some others in the evening, and there are yet others who fast because they are too lazy to cook. The more intensely a person practises spiritual disciplines, the more quickly he attains God.

But even if he does not practise any spiritual disciplines, he will attain Him in the end-surely he will. Only, he who spends his time idly, without practising prayer and meditation, will take a long time to attain Him.

"Everything, no doubt, happens by God's will, yet man must work because God expresses His will through man's action. Do not relax your spiritual practices.

3 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

SELF-EFFORT AND DIVINE GRACE

Disciple: "Mother, how can I have a perfectly pure heart and love for God?”

Mother: "All in good time. Now that you have taken refuge with the Master, everything will come to pass. You must pray to the Master.

Advice to a discouraged aspirant: "You must not think in this way. Are visions everyday things? The Master used to say, 'You may cast your line daily, but can you catch a large fish every day? If you wait intently day after day with all your paraphernalia, you may catch a fish someday, or you may not. But don't give up waiting.' Pray longer. Cling to what you have found. Say to yourself, 'Even if I have no one else, I have a Mother.' “

Disciple: "Mother, why do I not see the Master?”

Mother: "Continue to pray without losing heart. Everything will happen in time. See how quite a number of munis and rishis could not find Him even after ages of searching, and you want to have Him for the mere asking!

Is God-vision such an easy thing? But fortunately the Master has chalked out an easier path this time; therefore it will be possible for all to realize God.

When a disciple complained about making no spiritual progress, the Mother said to him, "Suppose you are asleep in Calcutta and someone is removing you with your couch to Banaras. Will you at that time know that you are on your way to Banaras? When you wake up you will be surprised to see where you have come.

Mother: "One has to sit by the riverside and call on Him. He will ferry across at the proper time.

Disciple: "If everything occurs at the proper time, then where is the place for His grace?”

Mother: "Even so, don't you have to throw your line and wait for the fish when you go angling?”

Disciple: "If God is our own, why then should one sit and wait?"

Mother: "That is true. It may happen even out of season.

"God-realization can be had at any time by the grace of God, but there is a difference between it and what comes in the fullness of time.

"Can the mango which ripens out of season be as sweet as the one which ripens in the month of Jyeshta, that is, the proper season? Men are trying to get fruits out of season. But these are not as sweet as those found in the proper season. This is also true of the effort that lead to God-realization. Perhaps you practise some Japa and austerities in this life; in the next life you may intensify the spiritual mood and in the following life you advance further.

4 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

SELF-EFFORT AND DIVINE GRACE

Disciple: "Mother, I have practised austerities and Japa so much, but I have not achieved anything.

Mother: "God is not like fish or vegetables that you can buy Him for a price.

"There is no such rule that the grace of God will fall on one simply because one is practising austerities. In olden days the rishis practised austerities for thousands of years with their feet up and head down and a lighted fire burning under them. Even then, only some received the grace of God.

"Do you know, my child, what it is like? It is just like a candy in the hand of a child. Some people beg the child to part with it. But he does not care to give it to them. Still he easily hands it over to another whom he likes. A man performs severe austerity and spiritual practices throughout his life to realize God, but he does not succeed, whereas another man gets his realization practically without any effort. It depends upon the grace of God. He bestows His grace upon anyone He likes. Grace is the important thing.

Mother: "God is like a child, you know. He denies some who seek and of Himself gives to some who do not. Perhaps such people had highly evolved souls from their previous lives. That is why they receive His grace.

Disciple: "Then distinctions are made even in the matter of grace?”

Mother: "Certainly, it is all according to one's Karma. Once the bonds of Karma are sundered, one realizes God."

5 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

SELF-EFFORT AND DIVINE GRACE

Disciple: "Mother, I admit that spiritual exercise, exhaustion of past Karma, and proper time - all these are factors in the attainment of spiritual knowledge. But if God is our own, why should He not show Himself out of His grace?”

Mother: "That is right. But who has this faith that He is his own? All take up religion as a matter of form. How many really want God?

"Be sincere in your practice, words and deeds. You will feel blessed! His blessings are always showered on all creatures on the earth. It is needless to ask for it. Practise meditation sincerely and you will understand His infinite grace. God wants sincerity, truthfulness and love. Outward, verbal effusions do not touch Him.

"How many are there who truly want to realize God? Where is that earnestness? They, no doubt, profess great devotion and longing, but they feel satisfied when they get even a tiny bit of enjoyment. They say, 'Ah, how kind is God!'

"If you don't call upon God, indeed, many people never even remember Him, what does it matter to Him? It is your own misfortune. Such is the Maya of God, He keeps them ignorant of Him saying, 'They are happy enough, let them be so!'

"Whatever you yearn for, that you will get.

"My child, this world is like a deep marshy place. Once a man gets entangled there, it becomes very difficult for him to come out. Repeat the Name of God. If you do so, He will cut away your bondage someday. Can anyone get liberation, my child, unless He Himself removes the shackles? Have deep faith in God. Look upon the Master as your refuge, even as children regard their parents.

"You may say that you have done so much of Japa or so much of work; but nothing will avail. Nobody can achieve anything unless Mahamaya clears the way. Oh, my children, take refuge, just take refuge. Then alone she will clear the way out of Her mercy. Once in summer at Kamarpukur, a heavy shower had filled up the fields, and water overflowed from the ponds. The Master was wading through water when proceeding by the side of the sweeper colony. As the cat-fish came out of the ponds, the people around began to beat and catch them.

One of the fish kept swimming near about the Master's feet. So he said, 'Don't you kill this one. See how it seeks my protection and plays round. It will be so good if one of you carries it to the Haldar's pond.' Then he himself took it up and released it in the pond. Returning home he said, 'Ah, if anyone seeks protection in this way, one is saved.'

"Repeat the Name of God in the innermost core of your heart, and in all sincerity take refuge in the Master. Do not bother to know how your mind is reacting to things around. And do not waste time in calculating and worrying whether or not you are progressing in the path of spirituality. It is Ahamkara to judges progress for oneself. Have faith in the grace of your Guru and Ishta.

6 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

SELF-EFFORT AND DIVINE GRACE

Disciple: "There are devotees who surrender themselves to God but do not practise austerities. Will they attain to this state (of realization)?”

Mother: "That they surrender themselves to God, that they live placing implicit trust in Him, is their spiritual discipline. Naren said, 'Let me have millions of births, what do I fear?' It is true. Does a man of knowledge gets ever fear rebirth? He does not commit any sin. It is the ignorant person who is always seized with fear. He alone gets entangled. He becomes polluted by sin. For millions of births he suffers from endless miseries, he undergoes infinite pains, and at last he craves for God.

"People suffer endless miseries on account of their egoism and at last they say, 'Not I, not I; it is Thou, O God! It is Thou!'

Devotee: "Man cannot do anything by his individual effort. God is doing everything through him.

Mother: "Yes, that is true. But is one conscious of this always? Blinded by egoism, people think themselves to be independent agents in regard to action. They do not depend on God. He protects one who relies on Him.

"As you pray and meditate you will find the Master actually speaking to you, fulfilling all your desires immediately, and your mind will be filled with such deep peace. You will realize that He who is in me, is in you too and in the humblest of men only then humility will be born in your mind.

Is it ever possible for a man to free himself unaided from the clutches of Maya? It was for this that the Master performed spiritual austerities to the utmost extent and gave the results thereof for the redemption of mankind.

"The Master used to say, 'The way is extremely difficult, like the sharp edges of a razor.' "Just surrender yourself to Him; you will then feel His grace.

7 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

THE IDEAL OF RENUNCIATION

"You are a living god. Who is able to renounce all for God's sake? Even the injunctions of Destiny are cancelled if one takes refuge in God. Destiny strikes off with her own hand what she has written about such a person.

"Will a man who has strong desires for worldly pleasures listen to me if I ask him to renounce them? But if a fortunate soul has realized the world to be the sport of Maya and God alone to be real, shall I not help him a little? Is there any end to the suffering in the world?”

"Don't marry, don't enter the world.

What do you lose if you don't marry? You are free wherever you may be.

"An unmarried person who leads a pure life will advance towards Him with rapid strides, whether he prays to Him or not. The others, being tied hand and foot, find it difficult to extricate themselves from the bondage of worldliness, even though they try to think of God.

"What is there in the worldly life? What an inordinate attachment people have for it. See how out of one so many come out, and how one's attention and energies are all dissipated. Is it possible for a person placed under such conditions to attain to spiritual greatness? Have you not seen crabs? The mother crab peeps out of her hole again and again, and then goes down. It struggles hard repeatedly to free itself, but fails. And why? Because of her attraction for her numerous progeny living in the hole. This attraction drags her into the hole in spite of all her efforts. Such is the case of those who are immersed in worldly life.

The mother of a monk requested Holy Mother to ask her son to go back to worldly life. Mother replied, "It is a rare good fortune to be the mother of a monk. People cannot give up attachment even to a brass pot. Is it an easy thing to renounce the world? Why should you worry?”

07/01/2020, 18:00 - +41 76 643 31 84 added +91 91002 45402

8 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

THE IDEAL OF RENUNCIATION

About a boy who wanted to embrace monastic life and was being encouraged by Swami Shivananda to do so, Mother said, "One needs good fortune, indeed, to accept the ideal of renunciation taught by the Master. Tarak (Swami Shivananda) is right. How few can be rescued from the world once they are entangled in it! The boy has real strength of mind."

A woman devotee requested Holy Mother to order her daughter to marry. Mother replied, "Is it not misery to remain in lifelong slavery to another and always dance to his tune? Though there is some risk in being a celibate, still, if one is not inclined to lead a married life, one should not be forced into it and subjected to lifelong worldliness. Those girls that are drawn to the ideal of complete renunciation should be encouraged to lead a celibate life.

When someone criticized Holy Mother for giving a disciple the ochre robe, she replied, "Look here, child, they are children of light. They live on this earth as pure as flowers. Can you tell me anything happier than this? You have seen for yourself what kind of happiness worldly life can give. What have you learned from me all these days! Why so much attraction for worldly life? Why so much animal propensity? What sort of happiness do you derive from it? Can you not even conceive in dream a pure ideal of life? Can't you live with your husband even now as brother and sister? Why this desire to lead a piggish life? This misery of the world has been gnawing into my bones.

"He has done very well to become a Sadhu. What is there in this cage of flesh and bones? What is after all in this body? Why should one become enmeshed in this Maya? It will ultimately come to an end after a few days. Then when it is burnt, there will remain only a seer and a half of ash. Banku has become a Sannyasin, he has taken to the path of God. He has done well, he has done well indeed!

"People find opportunities according to their fate and Karma. The fact is, if one's time to go beyond the world is ripe, one will break all bonds and come; nobody can stop him. Lack of money, awaiting somebody's approval, fear of having to go back, these are nothing.

"You see, my dear, many people seek God only after disappointment in other spheres. But he, who from childhood can place at the Master's feet his heart as pure as a flower, is blessed indeed!”

10 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

THE IDEAL OF RENUNCIATION

"The other day X said to me, 'Mother, we are always to be alert. We always tremble with fear lest we should think any impure thought.'

That is very true. A monk is like a bleached cloth. One does not notice the spots in a black cloth so much, but even a drop of ink looks so prominent on white linen.

The monk's life is always beset with dangers. The whole world is engrossed in lust and gold. The monk must always practise renunciation and dispassion. Therefore Sri Ramakrishna used to say, 'A monk must always be alert and careful.'

"Sri Ramakrishna used to say, 'O Sadhu, beware!' Sadhus should always be alert. The path of a Sadhu is always slippery. When one is on slippery ground, one should walk tiptoe. Is it a joke to become a Sannyasin? If one had so desired, one could have married and lived the life of a householder. Now that you have given up such intentions, the mind should not be allowed to think of these things. What has once been spat out, is not eaten again. The ochre robe of a Sadhu protects him as the collar of a dog protects it from danger. No one molests a dog with a collar, as it belongs to someone or other. All gates are open to a Sadhu. He has admission everywhere.

Devotee: "Mother, I am overtaken by fear on seeing how even high spiritual persons meet with a fall.”

Mother: "If you are constantly in touch with objects of enjoyment, you are likely to succumb to their influence.

“At Jayrambati when a young man was initiated into Brahmacharya, he asked, "How long will I have to fulfill vows?"

Mother answered him at once with a firm voice, "As long as there is life in your body.

"Faith and firmness are the basic things; if faith and firmness are there, then you have it all.

"Forgetting your personality, try to understand your identity [with God].

"It is extremely bad for a monk to possess money. There is nothing impossible for the round pieces, even to the extent of endangering life.

To a disciple who had been busy with accounts the whole day, Mother said, "Can anyone who has renounced the world relish these things? Once there was a mistake in the accounts relating to the salary of the Master. I asked him to talk to the manager of the Temple about it. But he said, 'What a shame! Shall I bother myself about accounts?'

"Once he said to me, 'He who utters the Name of God never suffers from any misery. Why do you worry?' These are his very words. Renunciation was his ornament.

"What is there in wealth, my dear? The Master could not bear even to touch money. His hand would twist away. He would say, 'The world itself is unreal. Look here, if I believed that this world is real I would gild the whole of Kamarpukur with real gold before I go. But I know all that is unreal and God alone is real.'

"Only people who have renounced the world can resist the temptation of wealth.

"My dear child, even the tinklings of the coins produce greed in the minds of the needy, such is the power of money.

"Money always taints the mind. Such is the fascination of money that if you involve yourself too much in it, you will feel attracted to it. You may think that you are above money and that you will never feel any attraction for it, as you have once renounced it. You may further think that at any moment you may leave it behind. No, my child, never harbour this thought in your mind. Through a tiny little loop-hole it will enter into your mind and then strangle you gradually quite undetected. You will never know it. Sri Ramakrishna could never bear the touch of money. Always remember his words. Money is at the root of all the disasters you see in the world. Money may lure one's mind into other temptations. Beware!”

11 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

THE IDEAL OF RENUNCIATION

"A monk must not lower the ideal of renunciation. Even if a wooden image of a woman lies upside down in the road, he must not turn it over, even with his foot, to look at it.

"A monk should be above attachment and jealousy. He must be the same under all circumstances. Sri Ramakrishna used to say to Hriday, 'You must bear with me and I must bear with you; then everything will go on well. Otherwise we shall have to summon the manager to make up our differences.'

"A monk must sever all the chains of Maya. Golden chains are as much of a bond as iron chains. A monk must have no attachments.

"A monk should not visit his home. Meeting his people revives old memories. He must forget these, nay his very body. Then only he can have a vision of God.

"Who is one's father or one's mother? God is all.

"A monk once came to the Panchavati. In the beginning he had no attachments. But alas, in the end he began to store away things like a mouse - utensils, pitchers, grain, and everything. The Master noticed it and said one day, 'Poor thing. This will be the end of him!' He was about to be entangled in the snare of Maya. The Master advised him strongly about renunciation and asked him to leave the place. Then he went away.”

Mother scolded a Swami because he was showing undue love for the ashrama: "You have renounced the world to repeat God's Name. But now you are involved in activities. The ashrama has become your second world. People come to the monastery, giving up their families, but they become so attached to the monastery that they do not want to give it up. 'A man eager to keep away from acid food builds a home under a tamarind tree!'

"Whenever you go on some work, make it a point to return as soon as it is finished. In this life you will find that in digging for earthworms we often go deeper and bring out snakes.

To a woman disciple who was to lead an exclusive spiritual life: "Never be intimate with any man not even your own father or brother. What to speak of others then! Let me again repeat, don't be intimate with any man, even if God comes to you in that form.

To a woman in an ochre robe, who said she had not been initiated, Mother said, "Without initiation, and without any spiritual realization, you have put on this sacred robe. This is not proper for you. The robe you have put on is very holy. I was about to salute you with folded hands. All will bow down at your feet. You must acquire the power to assimilate the honour.

Disciple: "Mother, the monastic life begets terrible vanity.”

Mother: "Yes, that is true. A monk may become very vain. He may think, 'See, he does not respect me. He does not bow down before me,' and so on.

(Pointing to her own white cloth), One should rather live thus (meaning possessed of inner renunciation). Is it possible, my child, to get rid of vanity- vanity of beauty, vanity of virtue, vanity of knowledge and vanity of a holy life?”

Disciple: "Mother, all your children are learned, but these beings (referring to the inmates of the Koalpara Ashrama) are your illiterate children. Sarat Maharaj has written books and. .. your other children are giving lectures. So much is being done to spread Sri Ramakrishna's ideas.”

Mother: "What do you mean? Our Master did not know much of reading and writing. The real thing is devotion to God. Through you, much work will be done in this part of the country. The Master was born on earth this time to liberate all, the rich and the poor, the learned and the illiterate. The Malaya breeze is blowing here. He who will unfurl his sail and take refuge in the Master will be blessed indeed. Why should you be worried? You are my own people. But remember this, that an educated Sadhu is like an elephant whose tusks are covered with gold.”

12 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

We see, then, that this human being is composed first of this external covering, the body; second, the finer body, consisting of mind, intellect, and egoism. Behind them is the real Self of man.

We have seen that all the qualities and powers of the gross body are borrowed from the mind; and the mind, the finer body, borrows its powers and luminosity from the soul, standing behind.

We believe that every being is divine, is God. Every soul is a sun covered over with clouds of ignorance; the difference between soul and soul is owing to the difference in density of these layers of clouds.

We know neither the subconscious, nor the superconscious. We know the conscious only. If a man stands up and says, "I am a sinner," he makes an untrue statement because he does not know himself. He is the most ignorant of men; of himself he knows only one part, because his knowledge covers only a part of the ground he is on.

The mistake is that we cling to the body when it is the spirit that is really immortal.

He who says he is the body is a born idolater. We are spirit, spirit that has no form or shape, spirit that is infinite, and not matter.

Some people are so afraid of losing their individuality. Wouldn't it be better for the pig to lose his pig-individuality if he can become God? Yes. But the poor pig does not think so at the time. Which state is my individuality? When I was a baby sprawling on the floor trying to swallow my thumb? Was that the individuality I should be sorry to lose? Fifty years hence I shall look upon this present state and laugh, just as I [now] look upon the baby state. Which of these individualities shall I keep?

Mother, father, child, wife, body, wealth—everything I can lose except my Self . . . bliss in the Self. All desire is contained in the Self. . . . This is individuality which never changes, and this is perfect.

This Very Soul is the Self in All. In this external world, which is full of finite things, it is impossible to see and find the Infinite. The Infinite must be sought in that alone which is infinite, and the only thing infinite about us is that which is within us, our own soul. Neither the body, nor the mind, not even our thoughts, nor the world we see around us, are infinite.

13 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS.

"Those who belong to a very high plane of existence alone can take to the monastic life and free themselves from all bondages. Again there are some who are born to have a little taste of this worldly life. I say that one should see through worldly enjoyments. Let X marry and finish all enjoyments in this life; otherwise there is no knowing when he may fall a victim to some unfulfilled desire. But you may be sure of this, that so long as he remains under the Master's protection he can never slip.

When a young man, out of temporary dispassion, expressed unwillingness to marry, Mother said, "How is that? God has created all things in pairs: two eyes, two ears, two legs and likewise, man and woman.”

To someone hesitant about marriage, Mother said, "Why can't one lead a good life if one is married? The mind alone is everything. Did not the Master marry me?”

One disciple said to Mother that he had tried to lead an unmarried life, but now found it impossible to remain a celibate. Mother gave him assurance and said, "Don't be afraid to marry. Sri Ramakrishna had many householder disciples. Go and marry. Don't worry.”

To sincere lay disciples who envied monastic life, Mother would say, "Is the ochre robe everything? You will realize God without it. What is the need of taking the ochre robe?”

Disciple: "The Master said that those who would accept him as their spiritual ideal would not be born again. Again Swamiji said that no liberation is possible without being initiated into Sanyasa. What, then, will be the way out for the householders ?”

Mother: "Yes, what the Master said is true and what Swamiji said is also equally true. The householders have no need of external renunciation. They will spontaneously get internal renunciation. But some people need external renunciation. Why should you be afraid? Surrender yourself to the Master and always remember that he stands behind.

"Spiritual progress becomes easier if husband and wife agree in their views regarding spiritual practices.

Disciple: "The scriptures declare that in the service of her husband a woman may find divine beatitude and union with the Divine. If a woman tries to lead a life of self-control by pleading and reasoning with her husband somewhat against his wishes, is that a sin?”

Mother: "If it is for the sake of God, then it is no sin. One must control the senses.

"Sri Ramakrishna used to say, 'One must practise self-control after the birth of one or two children.'”

Regarding family people who wanted to renounce worldly life, Mother said, "If you really want to give up, first make suitable arrangements for the subsistence of your dependents.”

Regarding earning money and accumulating it, Mother said, "You have your wife and children. You should lay by something for them. What you have to consider, my boy, is that if you put by something, there will be some provision for your family and the future. Besides, you will be able to serve the holy men too. If you have nothing, what will you give to the holy men, my dear?

"My child, whatever a person may be, if he comes in the garb of a Sannyasin, you do 'Sadhu Seva' (service to holy people) by offering him something or serving him in some way.

Regarding a devotee who wanted to purchase Mother an expensive cloth, she said, "If he will brook no disappointment and wants to spend the money, let him buy a piece of land whereby the Sadhus and the devotees will be served.

"The rich should serve God and His devotees with money, and the poor worship God by repeating His Name.

14 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS.

To a young householder devotee who had spoken somewhat disrespectfully to a Sannyasin, Mother said, "Be careful about these three things: first, a house situated on the bank of a river; at any time the river may destroy that house and sweep it away in its current.

“Second, a snake; you must be very careful when you see one, for there is no knowing when it will come and bite you. Third, a Sadhu; you don't know that one word or one thought of his may injure a householder.

“Whenever you see a Sadhu, you should show him respect. You should not show him disrespect by retorting or slighting remarks.

To householders concerning their duties in the world, Mother said, "The household is the Lord's, and so in whatever work He has placed you, you should, depending entirely upon Him, do your best to perform it well. If sorrows and troubles assail you, call on the Master and he will show you the way.

Love and Compassion

"I tell you one thing if you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.

"To err is human. One must not take that into account. It is harmful for oneself. One gets into the habit of finding fault. ... Do not look for faults in others, or your own eyes will become faulty.

"I can no longer find fault in anyone, my son. ... Formerly people's faults appeared to my eyes also. Then with tears I prayed to the Master, 'Master, I can no longer bear finding faults.' Then only this defect left me. Even if you commit so much as a little fault after doing a thousand good to somebody, he will be at once offended. People only look for faults. One should look for merits as well.

"I cannot see others' faults. I am simply not made that way. There are enough people always ready to criticize others. Surely the world will not come to an end if I refrain from doing so.

"Man finds fault in others after bringing down his own mind to that level. Does anything ever happen to another if you enumerate his faults? It only injures you. This has been my attitude. Hence I cannot see anybody's fault. If a man does a trifle for me, I try to remember him even for that. To see the faults of others! One should never do it. I never do so. Forgiveness is Tapasya.”

16 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother)

THE IDEAL OF RENUNCIATION

The cat, following its own nature, often stole food and the Mother would remark, "To steal is its dharma. Who is there always to feed it lovingly”? One day a monastic attendant treated the cat roughly and dashed it against the earth. The Mother looked very sad. She said to the monk, "Scold the cat, but do not beat it. Please feed it regularly and see that it does not go to any other house to steal food. Do not beat the cat. I dwell inside the cat too.

"My son, work to remove the sufferings of the world.

"The purpose of one's life is fulfilled only when one is able to give joy to another.

Disciple: "Those who are obtain your blessings are fortunate indeed. What will happen to people in the future”?

Mother: "What do you mean? Why won't they too succeed? God exists everywhere and at all times. The Master is always there. They will succeed through his grace. Are not people realizing God in other countries?

To someone who asked if there is any truth in image worship, Mother said, "From time out of mind, innumerable people have worshipped images and thus attained spiritual knowledge. Can you deny this fact?

“The Master never cherished dogmatic views. Brahman is everywhere. Prophets and Incarnations are born to show benighted humanity their way. They give different instructions to suit different temperaments. There are many ways to realize truth. So all these instructions have their relative value. For instance, many birds are perched on the branches of a tree. They are of different colours: white, black, red, yellow, and so on. Their sounds, too, are different. But when they sing we say that the sounds are made by the birds. We do not designate one particular sound only as the sound of the birds, and refuse to acknowledge gets the other sounds as such.

"All teachers are one. The same power of God works through them all.

"Naren once said, 'Mother, everything is taking flight nowadays. I see everything flyaway.' I said (here Mother laughed), 'Well, see that you don't put me to flight as well.' And Naren said, 'But Mother, if I put you to flight, where shall I stand? Knowledge which sets at naught the lotus feet of the Guru is ignorance. Where can knowledge gets stand if it denies the sacred feet of the Guru?’

"You should not doubt the words of your own teacher. One must have reverence for one's Guru. One's chance of salvation lies in one's reverence for him. Observe how the disciples of the Master revere him. Out of this reverence for him they revere not only all the members of his family, but even the cats from his home-district!”

17 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is Tithi-Puja of Swami Vivekananda. May Swamiji bless us all with Self-knowledge)

The Master’s wonderful vision about Narendra

“One day I saw that, through Samadhi, my mind was going up by a luminous path. Going beyond the gross world studded with the sun, the moon and stars, it entered first of all into the subtle world of ideas. The more it began to ascend to higher and higher strata of that realm, the more did I see beautiful ideal forms of deities existing on both sides of the path. It came gradually to the last extremity of that region.

I saw a fence made of light there separating the realm of the divisible from that of the indivisible. Leaping over that fence, the mind entered by degrees the realm of the indivisible.

I saw that there was no more any person or thing there having a form. As if afraid to enter there, even the gods and goddesses possessing heavenly bodies exercised their authority over realms far below.

But the very next moment I saw seven wise Rishis having bodies consisting of divine Light only, seated there in Samadhi. I felt that, in virtue and knowledge, love and renunciation, they had excelled even the gods and goddesses, not to speak of human beings.

Astonished, I was pondering over their greatness when I saw before me that a part of the homogeneous mass of Light of the “Abode” of the indivisible, devoid of the slightest tinge of difference, became solidified and converted into the form of a divine Child.

Coming down to one of those Rishis, and throwing Its soft and delicate arms round his neck It embraced him and, afterwards, calling him with Its ambrosial words sweeter than the music of the Vina, made great efforts to wake him up from Samadhi.

The Rishi woke up at the delicate and loving touch and looked on at that wonderful child with half-shut eyes, free from winking. Seeing the state of his bright face, full of delight, I thought that the Child was the treasure of his heart—their familiarity was of eternity.

The extraordinary divine Child then expressed infinite joy and said to him, ‘I am going, you must come with me.’

The Rishi said nothing at that request but his loving eyes expressed his hearty assent.

Afterwards, looking on the child with loving eyes for some time, he entered again into Samadhi.

Astonished, I then saw that a part of the mind and body of that Rishi, converted into the form of bright light, came down to the earth along the reverse path.

Hardly had I seen Narendra for the first time when I knew that he was that Rishi.”

Asked about the child, Sri Ramakrishna said that it was himself.

18 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

There is no such thing as good and bad, they are not two different things; the same thing is good or bad, and the difference is only in degree. The very thing I call pleasurable today, tomorrow under better circumstances I may call pain. The fire that warms us can also consume us; it is not the fault of the fire. Thus, the Soul being pure and perfect, the man who does evil is giving the lie unto himself, he does not know the nature of himself.

Even in the murderer the pure Soul is there; It dies not. It was his mistake; he could not manifest It; he had covered It up. Nor in the man who thinks that he is killed is the Soul killed; It is eternal.

After every happiness comes misery; they may be far apart or near. The more advanced the soul, the more quickly does one follow the other. What we want is neither happiness nor misery. Both make us forget our true nature; both are chains—one iron, one gold; behind both is the Atman, who knows neither happiness nor misery.

These are states, and states must ever change; but the nature of the Soul is bliss, peace, unchanging. We have not to get it, we have it; only wash away the dross and see it.

Stand upon the Self, then only can we truly love the world. Take a very, very high stand; knowing our universal nature, we must look with perfect calmness upon all the panorama of the world. But as a man sees his own face in a mirror, perfect, distinct, and clear, so is the Truth shining in the soul of man.

The highest heaven, therefore, is in our own souls; the greatest temple of worship is the human soul. The whole universe is one. There is only one Self in the universe, only One Existence, and that One Existence, when it passes through the forms of time, space, and causation, is called by different names, buddhi, fine matter, gross matter, all mental and physical forms.

Everything in the universe is that One, appearing in various forms. When a little part of it comes, as it were, into this network of time, space, and causation it takes forms; take off the network, and it is all one. Therefore in the Advaita philosophy, the whole universe is all one in the Self which is called Brahman. That Self when it appears behind the universe is called God. The same Self when it appears behind this little universe, the body, is the soul.

This very soul, therefore, is the Self in man. And in the midst of the depths of misery and degradation, the Soul sends a ray of light, and man wakes up and finds that what is really his, he can never lose.

No, we can never lose what is really ours. Who can lose his being? Who can lose his very existence? If I am good, it is the existence first, and then that becomes colored with the quality of goodness. If I am evil, it is the existence first, and that becomes colored with the quality of badness. That existence is first, last, and always; it is never lost, but ever present.

19 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Therefore, there is hope for all. None can die; none can be degraded forever. Life is but a playground, however gross the play may be. However we may receive blows, and however knocked about we may be, the Soul is there and is never injured. We are that Infinite.

If I am God, I am beyond the tendencies of the senses and will not do evil. Morality, of course, is not the goal of man but the means through which this freedom is attained.

You, as body, mind, or soul, are a dream, but what you really are, is Existence, Knowledge, Bliss. You are the God of this universe. You are creating the whole universe and drawing it in.

All that is real in me is He; all that is real in Him is I. The gulf between God and man is thus bridged. Thus we find how, by knowing God, we find the kingdom of heaven within us.

There is one thing to be remembered that the assertion—I am God—cannot be made with regard to the sense-world. God is neither knowable nor unknowable, but something infinitely higher than either. He is one with us; and that which is one with us is neither khowable nor unknowable, as our own self. You cannot know your own self; you cannot move it out and make it an object to look at, because you are that and cannot separate yourself from it.

Neither is it unknowable, for what is better known than yourself? It is really the center of our knowledge. In exactly the same sense, God is neither unknowable nor known, but infinitely higher than both; for He is our real Self. I have divided myself into God and me; I become the worshiped and I worship myself.

Why not? God is I. Why not worship my Self? The universal God—He is also my Self. It is all fun. There is no other purpose. You Are Infinite. God is true. The universe is a dream. Blessed am I that I know this moment that I shall be free all eternity.

I know that I am worshiping only myself; that no nature, no delusion, had any hold on me. Vanish nature from me, vanish [these] gods; vanish worship . . . vanish superstitions, for I know myself. I am the Infinite.

All these—Mrs. So-and-so, Mr. So-and-so, responsibility, happiness, misery—have vanished. I am the Infinite. How can there be death for me, or birth? Whom shall I fear? I am the One. Shall I be afraid of myself? Who is to be afraid of whom? I am the one Existence. Nothing else exists. I am everything.

You are infinite. Where can you go? The sun, the moon, and the whole universe are but drops in your transcendent nature. How can you be born or die? I never was born, never will be born. I never had father or mother, friends or foes, for I am Existence, Knowledge, Bliss Absolute.

Perfection is always infinite. We are this infinite already, and we are trying to manifest that infinity. You and I, and all beings, are trying to manifest it.

The Bottom of the Lake

The bottom of a lake we cannot see, because its surface is covered with ripples. It is only possible for us to catch a glimpse of the bottom, when the ripples have subsided, and the water is calm. If the water is muddy or is agitated all the time, the bottom will not be seen. If it is clear, and there are no waves, we shall see the bottom.

The bottom of the lake is our own true Self. You are the omniscient, omnipresent being of the universe. But of such beings can there be many? Can there be a hundred thousand million omnipresent beings? Certainly not. Then what becomes of us all? You are only one; there is only one such Self, and that One Self is you.

While we recognize a God, it is really only the Self that we have separated from ourselves and worship as outside of us; but all the time it is our own true Self, the one and only God.

20 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

The Self—the Atman—is by Its own nature pure. It is the same, the one Existence of the universe that is reflecting Itself from the lowest worm to the highest and most perfect being.

The whole of this universe is one Unity, one Existence, physically, mentally, morally and spiritually. We are looking upon this one Existence in different forms and creating all these images upon It.

Picture the Self to be the rider and this body the chariot, the intellect to be the charioteer, mind the reins, and the senses the horses. He whose horses are well broken, and whose reins are strong and kept well in the hands of the charioteer the intellect reaches the goal which is the state of Him, the Omnipresent. But the man whose horses the senses are not controlled, nor the reins the mind well-managed, goes to destruction.

This Atman in all beings does not manifest Himself to the eyes or the senses, but those whose minds have become purified and refined realize Him. He who realizes Him, frees himself from the jaws of death.

Shaping One's Destiny

If it be true that we are working out our own destiny here within this short space of time, if it be true that everything must have a cause as we see it now, it must also be true that that which we are now is the effect of the whole of our past; therefore, no other person is necessary to shape the destiny of mankind but man himself.

Knowledge can only be got in one way, the way of experience; there is no other way to know. If we have not experienced it in this life, we must have experienced it in other lives.

Neither you, nor I, nor anyone present, has come out of zero, nor will go back to zero. We have been existing eternally, and will exist, and there is no power under the sun or above the sun which can undo your or my existence or send us back to zero.

Now this idea of reincarnation is not only not a frightening idea, but is most essential for the moral well-being of the human race. No other theory except that of reincarnation accounts for the wide divergence that we find between man and man in their powers to acquire knowledge.

21 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Like fire in a piece of flint, knowledge exists in the mind; suggestion is the friction which brings it out. So with all our feelings and actions—our tears and our smiles, our joys and our griefs, our weeping and our laughter, our curses and our blessings, our praises and our blames—every one of these we may find, if we calmly study our own selves, to have been brought out from within ourselves by so many blows. The result is what we are.

All these blows taken together are called karma—work, action. — All search is vain, until we begin to perceive that knowledge is within ourselves, that no one can help us, that we must help ourselves.

So what directs the soul when the body dies? The resultant, the sum total of all the works it has done, of the thoughts it has thought.

If it is true that you cannot do good without doing evil, and whenever you try to create happiness there will always be misery, people will ask you, "What is the use of doing good?" The answer is, in the first place, that we must work for lessening misery, for that is the only way to make ourselves happy. Every one of us finds it out sooner or later in our lives. The bright ones find it out a little earlier, and the dull ones a little later. The dull ones pay very dearly for the discovery and the bright ones less dearly.

In the second place, we must do our part, because that is the only way of getting out of this life of contradiction. Both the forces of good and evil mil keep the universe alive for us, until we awake from our dreams and give up this building of mud pies. That lesson we shall have to learn, and it will take a long, long time to learn it.

The evils that are in the world are caused by none else but ourselves. We have caused all this evil; and just as we constantly see misery resulting from evil actions, so can we also see that much of the existing misery in the world is the effect of the past wickedness of man. Man alone, therefore, according to this theory, is responsible. God is not to blame.

The two conjoint facts of perception we can never get rid of are happiness and unhappiness—things which bring us pain also bring pleasure. Our world is made up of these two. We cannot get rid of them; with every pulsation of life they are present.

The world is busy trying to reconcile these opposites, sages are busy trying to find the solution of this commingling of the opposites. Opposition to a righteous work initiated with moral courage will only awaken the moral power of the initiators the more. That which meets with no obstruction, no opposition, only takes men to the path of moral death.

Struggle is the sign of life. Can any permanent happiness be given to the world? In the ocean we cannot raise a wave without causing a hollow somewhere else. The sum total of the good things in the world has been the same throughout in its relation to man's need and greed. It cannot be increased or decreased.

A Nation's Well-Being

All growth, progress, well-being, or degradation is but relative.

22 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Each nation is a type, physically and mentally. Each is constantly receiving ideas from others only to work them into its type, that is, along the national line. The time has not come for the destruction of types. All education from any source is compatible with the ideals in every country; only they must be nationalized, i.e., fall in line with the rest of the type manifestation.

There is a common platform, a common ground of understanding, a common humanity, which must be the basis of our work. We ought to find out that complete and perfect human nature which is working only in parts, here and there. It has not been given to one man to have everything in perfection. You have a part to play; I, in my humble way, another; here is one who plays a little part; there, another. The perfection is the combination of all these parts.

Just as with individuals, so with parts. Each race has a part to play; each race has one side of human nature to develop. And we have to take all these together; and, possibly in the distant future, some race will arise in which all these marvellous individual race perfections, attained by the different races, will come together and form a new race, the like of which the world has not yet dreamed.

In each nation, man or woman represents an ideal consciously or unconsciously being worked out. The individual is the external expression of an ideal to be embodied. The collection of such individuals is the nation, which also represents a great ideal; toward that it is moving.

And, therefore, it is rightly assumed that to understand a nation you must first understand its ideal, for each nation refuses to be judged by any other standard than its own.

I am thoroughly convinced that no individual or nation can live by holding itself apart from the community of others, and whenever such an attempt has been made under false ideas of greatness, policy, or holiness—the result has always been disastrous to the secluding one.

A nation may conquer the waves, control the elements, develop the utilitarian problems of life seemingly to the utmost limits, and yet not realize that in the individual, the highest type of civilization is found in him who has learned to conquer self. Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern.

Society has to pay homage to Truth or die. Societies should be moulded upon truth, and truth has not to adjust itself to society.

23/01/2020, 02:10 - +41 76 643 31 84 added Chitra Rini Suhit Uk

23 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

In the Course of Human Events

This is the bane of human nature, the curse upon mankind, the root of all misery—this inequality. This is the source of all bondage, physical, mental, and spiritual.

Meddle not with so-called social reform, for there cannot be any reform without spiritual reform first.

The difficulty is not that one body of men are naturally more intelligent than another, but whether this body of men, because they have the advantage of intelligence, should take away even physical enjoyment from those who do not possess that advantage. The fight is to destroy that privilege.

A redistribution of pain and pleasure is better than always the same persons having pains and pleasures. The sum total of good and evil in the world remains ever the same. The yoke will be lifted from shoulder to shoulder by new systems, that is all.

If in this hell of a world one can bring a little joy and peace even for a day into the heart of a single person, that much alone is true; this I have learnt after suffering all my life; all else is mere moonshine.

The day will come when men will study history from a different light and find that competition is neither the cause nor the effect, simply a thing on the way, not necessary to evolution at all.

The life of the married man is quite as great as that of the celibate who has devoted himself to religious work. The scavenger in the street is quite as great and glorious as the king on his throne. Take him off his throne, make him do the work of the scavenger, and see how he fares. Take up the scavenger and see how he will rule. It is useless to say that the man who lives out of the world is a greater man than he who lives in the world; it is much more difficult to live in the world and worship God than to give it up and live a free and easy life.

It is the patient upbuilding of character, the intense- struggle to realize the truth, which alone will tell in the future of humanity.

Our principle should be love, and not compassion. The application of the word compassion even to jiva seems to me to be rash and vain. For us, it is not to pity but to serve. Ours is not the feeling of compassion but of love, and the feeling of Self in all.

Perfect sincerity, holiness, gigantic intellect, and an all-conquering will. Let only a handful of men work with these, and the whole world will be revolutionized.

24 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

We see, then, that this human being is composed first of this external covering, the body; second, the finer body, consisting of mind, intellect, and egoism. Behind them is the real Self of man. We have seen that all the qualities and powers of the gross body are borrowed from the mind; and the mind, the finer body, borrows its powers and luminosity from the soul, standing behind.

We believe that every being is divine, is God. Every soul is a sun covered over with clouds of ignorance; the difference between soul and soul is owing to the difference in density of these layers of clouds.

We know neither the subconscious, nor the superconscious. We know the conscious only. If a man stands up and says, "I am a sinner," he makes an untrue statement because he does not know himself. He is the most ignorant of men; of himself he knows only one part, because his knowledge covers only a part of the ground he is on.

The mistake is that we cling to the body when it is the spirit that is really immortal.

He who says he is the body is a born idolater. We are spirit, spirit that has no form or shape, spirit that is infinite, and not matter.

Some people are so afraid of losing their individuality. Wouldn't it be better for the pig to lose his pig-individuality if he can become God? Yes. But the poor pig does not think so at the time.

Which state is my individuality? When I was a baby sprawling on the floor trying to swallow my thumb? Was that the individuality I should be sorry to lose? Fifty years hence I shall look upon this present state and laugh, just as I [now] look upon the baby state. Which of these individualities shall I keep?

Mother, father, child, wife, body, wealth--everything I can lose except my Self, bliss in the Self. All desire is contained in the Self. This is individuality which never changes, and this is perfect.

This Very Soul Is the Self in All.

In this external world, which is full of finite things, it is impossible to see and find the Infinite. The Infinite must be sought in that alone which is infinite, and the only thing infinite about us is that which is within us, our own soul. Neither the body, nor the mind, not even our thoughts, nor the world we see around us, are infinite. The Seer, He to whom they all belong, the Soul of man, He who is awake in the internal man, alone is infinite, and to seek for the Infinite cause of this whole universe we must go there. In the Infinite Soul alone we can find it.

The Soul is not composed of any materials. It is unity indivisible. Therefore it must be indestructible. For the same reason it must also be without any beginning. So the Soul is without any beginning and end.

25 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Vivekananda)

Freedom

He whom the sages have been seeking in all these places is in our own hearts; the voice that you heard was right, says the Vedanta, but the direction you gave to the voice was wrong. The ideal of freedom that you perceived was correct, but you projected it outside yourself, and that was your mistake. Bring it nearer and nearer, until you find that it was all the time within you, it was the Self of your own self. That freedom was your own nature, and this maya never bound you.

The people of old knew that fire lived in the flint and in dry wood, but friction was necessary to call it out. So this fire of freedom and purity is the nature of every soul, and not a quality, because qualities can be acquired and therefore can be lost. The soul is one with Freedom, and the soul is one with Existence, and the soul is one with Knowledge.

The Sat-Chit-Ananda—Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute—is the nature, the birthright of the Soul, and all the manifestations that we see are Its expressions, dimly or brightly manifesting Itself.

God is self-evident, impersonal, omniscient, the Knower and Master of nature, the Lord of all. He is behind all worship and it is being done according to Him, whether we know it or not.

I go one step further. That at which all marvel, that which we call evil, is His worship too. This too is a part of freedom.

you are king for twenty thousand years? So long as you have a body, so long as you are a slave to happiness, so long as time works on you, space works on you, you are a slave.

The idea, therefore, is to be free of external and internal nature. Nature must fall at your feet, and you must trample on it and be free and glorious by going beyond. No more is there life; therefore no more is there death. No more enjoyment; therefore no more misery. It is bliss unspeakable, indestructible, beyond everything. What we call happiness and good here are but particles of that eternal Bliss. And this eternal Bliss is our goal.

In perfect concentration the soul becomes actually free from the bonds of the gross body and knows itself as it is.

Desire, ignorance, and inequality—this is the trinity of bondage.

The human soul has sojourned in lower and higher forms, migrating from one to another, according to the samskaras or impressions, but it is only in the highest form as man that it attains to freedom.

Every action of man is worship, because the idea is to attain to freedom, and all action; directly or indirectly, tends to that. Only those actions that deter are to be avoided. The whole universe is worshiping, consciously or unconsciously; only it does not know that even while it is cursing, it is in another form worshiping the same God it is cursing, because those who are cursing are also struggling for freedom.

The going from birth to death, this traveling, is what is called samsara in Sanskrit, the round of birth and death literally. All creation, passing through this round, will sooner or later become free.

26 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the birth day of Maharaj. May Maharaj bless us all with Bhakti and Jnana.)

The passing away of Maharaj (Swami Brahmanandaji)

(Swami Prabhavanandaji narrates)

I have already described how Sri Ramakrishna saw Rakhal dancing with Sri Krishna on a mystic lotus shortly before the boy's first visit to Dakshineswar. Only a few intimate disciples knew of this vision, and Sri Ramakrishna had warned them never to reveal it to Maharaj, explaining that if he realized his true nature as the Eternal Companion of Krishna, he would leave his mortal body. The secret had therefore been very carefully guarded.

In March 1922, Maharaj went to Calcutta to stay for a while at the home of Balaram. Balaram himself had already passed away, but his whole family were sincere devotees of Ramakrishna, and his beautiful guesthouse was always at the disposal of all the swamis and disciples of the Order.

It is now regarded as a place of pilgrimage, sanctified by the presence of so many holy men.

While Maharaj was staying at the guesthouse, Ramlal Dada came to visit him.

Ramlal Dada was a pure soul and a devotee of a very high order. During Ramakrishna's lifetime, he had been one of the Master's personal attendants and had served him with great devotion. Whenever he and Maharaj were together, their talk naturally turned to the early days. They would laugh and joke together, for they stimulated each other's sense of fun.

One day Maharaj asked Ramlal Dada to sing for him the songs he used to sing to Ramakrishna. It was arranged that many disciples and devotees should be present to hear the singing.

Ramlal Dada began to sing songs about Krishna and the shepherds and shepherdesses of Brindaban. At first, everyone was very gay as Ramlal mimicked the gestures of the shepherdesses, making his audience laugh.

Suddenly, Maharaj, who had also been enjoying the fun, became serious.

Ramlal Dada was singing: “Come back, O Krishna, come back to Brindaban. Come and reign in the hearts of your beloved shepherds and shepherdesses. Do not forget that you are a shepherd yourself.”

At that moment Maharaj seemed transported to a realm beyond this earth. The joking and laughter stopped. The atmosphere became calm and serene. It may be that at this moment Maharaj got a partial glimpse of his true nature and knew himself to be God's Eternal Companion. The events that followed seem to point to some such revelation.

27 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

The passing away of Maharaj (Swami Brahmanandaji)

(Swami Prabhavanandaji narrates)

A few days later, at midnight, Nirvanananda, a disciple and personal attendant of Maharaj, saw his master sitting on his bed in a very earnest mood. The disciple stood silently before him, waiting for him to speak.

Maharaj looked at him, and said: “I woke suddenly and saw Sri Ramakrishna standing just there.” He pointed to a spot in front of a couch, adding: “He didn't speak to me. He stood there silently for a while and then disappeared. I don't understand it.”

After a few moments Maharaj continued in a low, earnest voice: “I can't give my mind to the things of this world any longer. It wants to take complete refuge in him and him alone.”

Shortly after this, the birthday of Sri Ramakrishna was celebrated. Maharaj stayed at the Belur Math for the occasion; then he returned to Balaram's house in Calcutta. Two days later he had a slight attack of cholera, but recovered within a week. This illness which left him feeble was followed by diabetes, which took a serious turn. Many doctors came to treat him, one of whom wore the religious mark on his forehead.

“Doctor,” said Maharaj, “the Lord Shiva, whose symbol you wear on your forehead, is the only Reality. Everything else is unreal.”

A devotee asked: “Maharaj, are you suffering very greatly?”

“Please try to realize,” Maharaj answered, “that in my condition I have to bear all physical suffering patiently and without complaint.”

But as he said this, his face lighted up with a divine radiance. The pain seemed to have melted away. He lost external consciousness and became absorbed in meditation.

About nine o'clock that same evening, he placed his hand on Nirvanananda, and said:

“Do not grieve. You have served me well. You shall be merged in God and reach knowledge of Brahman. I give you my blessing that you may attain this.”

Then he called all the disciples and devotees who were present to his side. For each he had a blessing and an affectionate word.

“Ah, my children,” he said tenderly, “never forget God and you will realize the highest good. Do not sorrow. I shall be with you always.”

Once more he became absorbed in his transcendental vision. After some time had passed, he continued in a sweet, tender voice:

“I am floating, I am floating on the leaf of faith and knowledge on the ocean of Brahman.” Then suddenly he exclaimed: “Ah! The feet of Sri Ramakrishna—I know them! Viveka, my brother Vivekananda! Premananda! Yogananda . . .”

Thus, with his divine sight, he recognized the brother-disciples who had already passed away. He was living in that transcendental realm where he had lived throughout his life; but now he no longer concealed the fact. He began to describe his visions.

“Ah,” he murmured softly, “the blissful ocean of Brahman! Om! Salutations to the Supreme Brahman! Om! Salutations to the Supreme Atman!”

While speaking of his divine experiences, his throat became dry. A disciple offered him a drink, saying: “Maharaj, please drink this water. It has lemon in it.”

“The mind doesn't want to come down from Brahman,” said Maharaj slowly. “Pour Brahman into Brahman,” and like a child he opened his mouth for the water to be poured into it.

Then he turned to Swami Saradananda and said: “Brother, Sri Ramakrishna is real. His divine incarnation is real.”

(To be continued)

28 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

The passing away of Maharaj (Swami Brahmanandaji)

(Continued)

After this Maharaj was silent for a while. He was deeply absorbed in meditation, and his face wore an expression of great sweetness. The minds of those who were present were so uplifted that they felt no grief — only joy and silent calm. All sense of the world and of death was lost.

Suddenly, out of the silence, the voice of Maharaj was heard: “Ah, that inexpressible light! Ramakrishna, the Krishna of my Ramakrishna ... I am the shepherd boy. Put anklets on my feet, I want to dance with my Krishna. I want to hold his hand — the little boy Krishna ... Ah, Krishna, my Krishna, you have come! Krishna ... Krishna ... Can't you see him? Haven't you eyes to see? Oh, how beautiful! My Krishna . on the lotus . eternal . the Sweet One!

“My play is over now. Look! The child Krishna is caressing me. He is calling me to come away with him! I am coming . . .”

The tenderness and heavenly compassion that filled his heart were expressed in every word he uttered.

The whole atmosphere of the large hall where he was lying seemed to vibrate with this emotion. No one can describe the extraordinary sense of holiness which was created by his presence. Everyone knew that the fateful hour was approaching, and that Maharaj was taking his final leave.

During the early hours of the morning, he remained silent for some time and fell into a slumber. At seven o'clock he awoke, and was again possessed by this high spiritual mood. He called the few disciples who had just arrived but who had not been present the previous night. To each he gave his blessing, bestowing comfort and fearlessness.

Two more days passed, and another night came on. By this time his life was despaired of, and gloom fell upon all. His physical condition grew worse and worse, and the doctors were amazed that he had not passed into a coma days before, as is usual with this kind of illness.

But so great was the power and spirituality of his mind, so completely was it freed from the meshes of physical matter, that it remained completely unaffected by the condition of his suffering body. He maintained perfect consciousness right up to the last moment of his life.

As that last evening faded into night, his chest suddenly heaved. It was as if a great wave of breath passed up the body to the throat. His half-closed eyes opened, and he gazed into the distance, his eyes shining with a brilliance and unspeakable beauty.

Thus it was that, on April 10, 1922, the life left his body.

“Do not grieve. I shall be with you always.”

Those were his last words to his disciples. After his passing away, we all had the feeling that Maharaj was intensely present within us. He was closer to us than ever before. As long as Maharaj was in the physical body there was a barrier. Afterward, the barrier was gone.

More than forty years have passed since that day, and every disciple can bear witness to the fact that Maharaj still lives, protects, and guides him onward toward the goal.

When I was about to leave India and take up my duties in the United States, Swami Shivananda said to me: “Never forget that you have seen the Son of God. You have seen God.”

29 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the birthday celebration of Swami Trigunatitanandaji Maharaj. May he bless us all with devotion and knowledge.)

How do we become divine?

Even before attempting to answer this question, let us first ask ourselves:

“_Are we satisfied with our present condition?_”

If our reply is “no,” only then can we proceed to answer the first question.

For if satisfied with our life, we shall certainly have no wish to struggle toward divinity. Only by having this prerequisite, as it were, of dissatisfaction with our present lot will we seek a higher and nobler level of existence.

By stating that man wants to become divine we appear to be suggesting that man is one thing and God another.

It is not that. When we speak about _becoming God_ we are referring to the realization of our real nature, which is Godhood; that is what is really involved in this quest for God. It is not that we are one thing and we want something else.

The truth of the matter is that we _are_ God, but we have forgotten that we are. We need to recall our divine nature. It is as though we did something years past, something we have forgotten. But when we sit quietly, trying to think of it — at once it comes back to us.

For some inexplicable reason, our real nature has been forgotten, and it is this nature, this state we want to remember, that is the process of becoming divine.

Initially, it is important that we thoroughly understand this world. In order to do this, we must study it closely. For instance, sit down in a corner of any park. You will observe many persons walking about, apparently quite content and happy. Some are picnicking, others playing; all are engaged in a variety of activities.

But there is one thing they share in common — forgetfulness. They have forgotten the real thing, while engaging themselves in the unreal. They have forgotten their own real natures. They believe this world to be a place of happiness; that this body and mind are sources of satisfaction; that this ego is the doer and the enjoyer.

If you have ever loved the world with your whole heart and deeply studied its nature, you have discovered it to be full of bitterness. Outside, the world shines, but within it is poison.

And our divine nature, our divine Mother, our divine Father is this very moment calling us away. “Hurry up! Hurry up! You are in a foreign country. The world is not yours, nor is your body, your ego, nor your mind. You belong elsewhere.”

If you sit quietly, by yourself, something will call to you. Something will softly sound within you. You will find a voice urging you: “Come home, come home.” We are to be pitied if we do not listen to this Voice. For if we do not, it will take us longer, more time to return home.

Q—The Bible mentions that no man has ever known God. Will you comment on that, Swami?

A—Let us examine the meaning of that expression — “No man has known God.” It is really so, because man means, generally speaking, the body, the mind and the little ego taken together; and so long as we identify ourselves with these things, we cannot be expected to know God. No man can know God.

It is the divine nature in man that knows him, not the human nature of man, which is mortal and transitory. But if you can evolve the divine nature within yourself, then by that nature you can know God; and when you evolve that divine nature, you are no longer a man, but a divine person. It is that divine person which can know God.

God alone can know God. He himself can know him, nobody else. Unless you become God, you cannot know God.

Q—Do you mean to say that the divine in us is exactly identical with God?

A—Yes, exactly identical.

Q—There is really no difference?

A— No difference. It is forgetfulness, it is the illusion, it is maya, that makes us think differently.

Q—Are we really free agents in life or is there a power which draws us onward in spite of ourselves?

A—In a sense, we are our own agents working towards that goal. Every person, in some way or other, is advancing towards that. Some will arrive later, some sooner. That is the only difference.

Q—But is not the attraction irresistible?

A—Yes, irresistible to some, but not to all. If you notice that there is an attraction which you cannot resist, you will attempt to satisfy the needs of that attraction. And some day you may succeed. On the other hand, if you try again and again to resist that attraction, then a day will come when you will be successful.

You know, human power is greater than any force in the world. Man can overcome even the laws of nature. If we try to get rid of our attachment to the world, we can succeed. Do not give up the fight, do not give up. Struggle. Be sure that some day will come when you will be crowned with success. That is the law. Our repeated attempts and untiring perseverance will never go in vain.

(Reprinted from Vedanta and the West, issue 189)

29/01/2020, 14:38 - +91 94508 26425 changed to +91 83750 79936

30 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmananda)

Q:- Maharaj, I am practising ]apam and meditation, but I have not yet acquired any taste for these. Somehow or other I am struggling on. What must I do?

The Swami :- Is it possible to have that taste in the beginning? No. Struggle hard to attain it. Concentrate all your energies on its achievement, and never for a moment pay heed to other matters. Apply yourself whole-heartedly to it and to it alone.

Onward, onward! Never be satisfied with your present state of mind. Try to create within yourself a burning dissatisfaction. Say to yourself "What progress am I making? Not a bit."

Sri Ramakrishna used to say to the Divine Mother "Mother, another day is gone and I have not seen Thee!"

Every night before you go to bed, think for a while how much time you have spent in doing good deeds, how much again in doing useless things; how much time you have utilised in meditation and how much you have wasted in idleness. Make your mind strong through Tapasya (austerity) and Brahmacharya (continence) .

In rich men's houses they keep a Darwan (porter) whose duty is to prevent thieves, cows, sheep, etc., from entering the compound. The mind is man's Darwan. The stronger the mind becomes, the better.

Mind has also been compared to a restive horse. Such a horse generally takes the rider along the wrong path. Only he who can hold a tight rein and check the horse can go the right way. Struggle, struggle on! What are you doing? Is everything achieved by the mere wearing of the Gerua cloth (ochre-coloured cloth of the Sannyasin) or by renunciation of hearth and home? What have you realised? Time is flying. Do not waste a single moment. You will be able to work hard only another three or four years at the most.

Afterwards both body and mind will become weak and infirm and you will not be able to do anything. What can be achieved without diligence?

Perhaps you are thinking: "Let us first of all have yearning, faith and devotion; then we shall do our Sadhana (spiritual practices)." Is that possible? Can we see the day without the break of dawn? When the Lord comes, love, devotion and faith follow Him as His retinue.

Can anything be achieved without Tapasya? Brahma at first heard "Tapas (meditate). Do you not see what a severe Tapasya even the Avataras (Incarnations of God) had to perform? Has anybody gained anything without labour? Buddha, Sankara and others— what tremendous austerities they practised in their lives! What burning renunciation they possessed! What severe Sadhana they performed!

Real faith cannot be had in the beginning. First realisation, then faith. But at first the Sadhaka (aspirant) has to pin his faith, " blind faith" it may be, to the precepts of his Guru (spiritual teacher) or of some great soul; then only can he advance toward the goal.

31 January 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmananda)

Do you not know the parable of the oyster as told by Sri Ramakrishna? The oyster floats about on the surface of the sea with its shell wide open, just for a little drop of the Swati-rain (rain falling when the star Swati or Arcturus is in the ascendant) .

As soon as it gets a rain drop, it dives down to the ocean-bed and there forms a fine pearl. Like the oyster, you too should be up and doing and then dive deep into the ocean of meditation.

You have no self-reliance. Personal exertion is an indispensable factor for success in the spiritual life. Do something for a period of at least four years. Then if you do not make any tangible progress, come and take me to task.

Japam and meditation are impossible unless you transcend the limitations of Rajas (excessive activity) and Tamas (inertia or lethargy). Afterwards, you have to rise even above Sattwa and attain the high spiritual plane from where there is no return.

How difficult is the attainment of a human birth! Yet it is only in this human birth that God-realisation is possible. Strive hard in this life and reach that state from which you will not have to come back.

The mind is to be raised, step by step, from the gross state to the subtle, then to the causal state, still further to the Great Cause (Mahakarana) and finally to Samadhi (highest illumination). Resign yourself fully to the Lord. He is everything.

There is nothing besides. ‘Verily all this is Brahman.’ Everything is His and His only. Never be calculating. Is self-surrender possible in a day? When that is achieved, everything is achieved. One must struggle hard for it.

Life is eternal. The span of man's life is at most a hundred years. Give up the pleasures of these hundred years, if you want to enjoy eternal life and, with it, eternal bliss.

The Swami :- Are your religious practices going well?

S:- No, Maharaj. With all my efforts I see no spiritual unfoldment; hence I find no peace of mind. Evidently we are born with evil Samskaras (impressions) and these stand in the way of our spiritual progress.

The Swami :- My boy, you should not think thus. Practise Japam at dead of night. If you cannot do it at that time, do it during the early hours of the morning. Perform Purascharana. (Usually it implies regular Japam or the repetition of the name of the Deity a prescribed number of times, followed by Homa and other ceremonies. Additional Japam is also permissible in place of these ceremonies.)

Do not waste your valuable time any more. Lose yourself in prayer and meditation. All inner truths will come by themselves, if you practise Sadhana for some time.

The spiritual aspirant should not take much food at night. At first take three-fourths of your usual diet. Then reduce the quantity to half. In the beginning you may feel some weakness of the body. But the body will be all right after some time, and will remain active and in perfect condition.

(The Swami then referred to the days when he practised Sadhana in the company of his brother disciples and said: “We used to take only a single meal during the whole day and night.")

The Swami :- A Sadhaka should first learn about the spiritual path from some great soul, then follow it methodically. If he does it haphazard, he cannot achieve much success. Again if he gives it up, he will have to put forth double the usual effort to gain the desired result. But no endeavour is lost. Lust, anger, greed, gradually go away from him who leads the spiritual life.

1 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmananda)

Your mind is now covered over by Rajas (activity) and Tamas (inertia). It must be made pure and subtle, and raised to the state of Sattwa (illumination). Then you will find pleasure in religious practices and will also feel inclined to devote more and more time to them. Later on, when the mind attains perfect purity, you will naturally devote yourself to spiritual culture. The mind is at present on the gross plane. Consequently it leans toward gross things. But when it becomes awakened, it inclines naturally toward the spiritual. When it grows subtler, its capacity also increases and the aspirant is able to understand within a short time the truths about God.

When you sit in meditation, first think of a blissful Divine form. This will have a soothing effect on your nerves and mind. Otherwise meditation will become dry and tedious. Think of the form of your Ishtam (Ideal) as smiling and full of bliss.

While away your time no longer. Now the senses are strong and must be kept under control. This is no doubt a troublesome task. But practise Sadhana continuously for seven or eight years, then you will enjoy the fruits of your practices, the peace and bliss thereof.

Many women devotees have attained spiritual illumination. Should you not also strive for it? But women have greater faith than men. That is why they succeed in a comparatively short time.

Believe me, the Lord is always with you. If you practise a little, He will extend His helping hand to you. It is He who is protecting us all from miseries and troubles. How unbounded is His grace! How can I describe it to you? You have been only hearing of all these spiritual things. Now realise them. You have done enough study and reasoning. Now do some spiritual practice.

First take up that aspect of God which appeals to you most. Follow your own path of Sadhana. When you realise God through it, you will feel the joy of realising Him also in other aspects and through other paths.

One should meditate on the form of the Ishtam along with Japam. Otherwise Japam does not become effective. If you cannot think of the whole form, think only of a part. Begin your meditation on the "lotus feet" of the Deity. Continue to do it even if you fail in the beginning. Why should you stop until you succeed? Succeed you must. Practice will make everything easy.

Is meditation an easy affair? Remember, it is next only to Samy. Then, through your Sadhana, self-surrender and everything will come from within.

2 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmananda)

K:-. Maharaj, you spoke to us of the practice of Puja (worship), meditation, continence and study of the Scriptures. What does Puja mean?

The Swami :- Puja means both external and mental worship. In external worship certain accessories such as flowers, incense, and water are necessary. It is difficult to get these things always. So mental worship is more convenient for you.

After worshipping the Ishtam (Chosen Ideal) mentally with Padya (water for washing the feet) , flowers and incense, which are offered in external worship, practise meditation and mental Japam.

In purely mental Japam the Mantram (name of the Deity) is to be repeated without moving the lips. But in ordinary Japam one has to utter the Mantram and there is therefore movement of the lips. In meditation you should think of the form of your Ishtam as effulgent. Imagine that everything is shining through its lustre. Think of this effulgence as non-material and possessed with intelligence.

This kind of meditation will later on develop into meditation on the formless and infinite aspect of God. In the beginning the aspirant has to take the help of imagination; later on, when he develops his spiritual sense, he will feel the presence of the Divine.

Next, when he gets the highest spiritual vision, he will come face to face with Truth. He is, then, transported into a different realm altogether, of which this world of matter appears to be a mere shadow and, as such, something unreal. The mind is then lost in Savikalpa Samadhi (superconscious vision with thought).

Next comes Nirvikalpa Samadhi (superconscious vision without thought). There is then the realisation of that which is beyond thought and speech. In this state there is nothing to be seen; nothing to be heard. Everything is lost in the Infinite. When one attains to this state, one can bring down the mind only with great effort to the world of phenomena, which appear to be unreal.

Some persons attaining to this state look upon the body as an obstacle in the way of unbroken spiritual experience, and cast it off in Samadhi. It is like the breaking of an earthen jar.

Sri Ramakrishna used to give a beautiful illustration to explain the highest state of spiritual realisation. Suppose there are nine pots full of water, the sun reflected in each one. You break the pots one after another until only one is left, with the sun reflected in it; finally even this last pot is broken. Then whatever _is_, is there. It can neither be seen nor described.

K:- Maharaj, some think of the Ishtam as the all-pervading Spirit. Is this not also a form of meditation?

The Swami :- Yes, quite so. Everyone has to practise this meditation but only after making some progress in spiritual life; not in the beginning.

The presence of the Ishtam is to be realised everywhere. He who is personal and with form is also impersonal and without form. He dwells in every being. He pervades land and water, hills and dales, sky and stars, everything.

K:- Maharaj, the Scriptures speak of service to the Guru as a necessary means to spiritual realisation. How far is this true?

The Swami :- It is necessary at the preliminary stage. But afterwards one's mind itself plays the part of the Guru. The Guru should not be looked upon as an ordinary human being. His physical body is the temple in which resides the Lord. If the Guru is served with this idea in mind, one comes to acquire love and devotion for him, which can then be directed toward the Lord.

3 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmananda)

Worship and Meditation

There are Sadhakas (aspirants) who meditate upon the Guru in the Sahasrara (thousand-petalled lotus in the brain), and next they merge the form of the Guru into that of the Ishtam.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say very clearly: "The Guru appears before the disciple in his spiritual vision; then pointing out the Ishtam to him he says, 'Look, there is your Ishtam, and loses himself in it." Really the Guru is not different from the Ishtam.

There are so many practices in the spiritual life. How can I tell you about all of them? Follow the spiritual path in right earnest. When the mind becomes pure through religious practices you will understand all the truths of the spiritual world. Remember, there is no end to them; they are countless. The spiritual aspirant remains wholly absorbed in them.

Q: If the Sadhaka gets a little taste of Ananda (Divine bliss), he is very much encouraged to proceed on his spiritual path. Is this not so?

The Swami : True. But in the higher spiritual state there is neither bliss nor sorrow, pain nor pleasure, existence nor non-existence. The Ananda that you speak of is only a help during the period of Sadhana. The boat stands in need of a favourable wind so long as it has not reached its destination.

But when it has once reached it there is no need for wind, whether favourable or unfavourable.

Ananda helps the aspirant in his onward course like the favourable wind.

Knowledge, the object known and the knower, all three lose themselves in the Absolute; so much only have the Scriptures been able to say. But what takes place after this, none has the power to describe. One has to realise it for oneself through spiritual practice.

How wonderful is Infinite Existence where there is neither want nor fear. The very thought of it elevates the soul.

There are some spiritual men who realise the Absolute (Nitya) as distinct from the Relative (Lila, Divine Sport). Others look upon both of these as one and the same.

There is yet another state of spiritual experience, which is beyond both Absolute and Relative.

THE KUNDALINI (CONVERSATION AT BENARES)

Q: Maharaj, how can the Kundalini be awakened?

The Swami: Through the practice of ]apam (repetition of the Lord's name) , Dhyana (meditation) and other spiritual exercises. According to some Yogis there are special forms of meditation and practices which awaken it, but I believe it can be best done through ]apam and Dhyana. The practice of Japam is especially suited to our present age.

Kundalini is described in the Tantras as a coiled serpent sleeping in the human body. It is the spiritual power latent in all beings. With its awakening begins the real religious life of the aspirant.

According to the Yogis there exists in the spinal column a hollow canal called Sushumna with seven lotuses or centres. These centres begin with the Muladhara or the centre at the base of the spinal column, and end in the Sahasrara or the thousand-petalled lotus in the brain.

As the Kundalini rises higher and higher, wonderful psychic powers and spiritual visions come to the Yogi. When it reaches the Sahasrara the Yogi attains the highest spiritual illumination.

4 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmananda)

Q: Does meditation mean thinking of the form of the Deity?

The Swami : It implies thinking of the Divine, both with form and without form.

Q: Maharaj, is it the Guru who decides whether one is fit for meditation on God with form or without form?

The Swami : Yes. But the pure mind itself plays the part of the Guru. At times the mind is inclined to think of the form. At other times the formless aspect of God appeals. The outer Guru cannot be had always. As the aspirant goes on with his spiritual practices, his power of comprehension also increases. Then his mind can act as a guide.

The

Yogavasishtha-Ramayana says that mental energy is wasted through various distractions. A part of it is drawn to the body, another part to the senses, still another part to the objects of sense. The mind is tied to many things. Snap all the bonds. Collect the scattered forces of the mind and make them flow in a particular direction. This is the task of the spiritual life.

Concentrate the whole mind and direct it to spiritual practices until the goal is reached. Strive, Be up and doing. You are young now. This is the time to practise spiritual exercises. You will not be able to do anything when you grow old. In the beginning it is necessary to do some spiritual exercises as part of the daily routine. Whether the mind likes it or not, these must be followed regularly.

Begin your spiritual life in right earnest. If you can concentrate all the distracted powers of the mind, you will find that this will generate a tremendous energy. Do it through Japam or through meditation or through discrimination.

Know that all these means are equally effective. Take up any one and merge yourself in Sadhana. Do not question anymore. First do something; then come and ask questions, if you have any.

Q: Maharaj, is it true that the Kundalini awakens by the grace of the Guru?

The Swami : Through the grace of the Guru not only can the Kundalini be roused, but everything else can be had, even the knowledge of Brahman. But this grace cannot be attained easily. One has to strive one's utmost to get it.

Ask the mind in your calm moments if you have done any spiritual practice. It will tell you that you have done absolutely nothing.

Practise some spiritual discipline. Begin now. Devote yourself to this and this alone. Do not pay heed to anything else. Plunge into the very depth of your soul.

5 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmananda)

WORK AND WORSHIP (CONVERSATION AT BENARES)

The Swami : How are you getting on with your spiritual practices?

S: Maharaj, I do not find enough time for them. There is too much work to do.

The Swami : It is a mistake to think that Sadhana (spiritual exercises) cannot be practised for want of time. The real cause is the restlessness of the mind.

Work and worship must go hand in hand. It is very good if one can devote oneself solely to spiritual practices. But how many can do it? Two types of men can sit still doing nothing. One is the idiot, who is too dull to be active. The other is the saint who has gone beyond all activity. As the Gita says, "Without performing work none can reach worklessness." One can attain knowledge merely through the discipline of work. As we see, even those who give up work and lead a retired life have to spend a good deal of their time in putting up thatches, cooking food and doing other things.

Instead of working for yourself, work for the sake of the Lord. Know that all the work you have to do is Sri Ramakrishna's and Swami Vivekananda's. If you can work with this idea, your work will not bind you. On the other hand, it will improve you in every way, spiritually, morally, intellectually and also physically. Offer your body and soul at the feet of these great teachers.

Give yourself up wholly to them; be their servant and tell them, "I give you my body, soul and all I have. Do with them what you will; I am ready to serve you to the best of my power. If you can do this, the responsibility of your spiritual welfare rests with them. You need not bother about yourself any more. But you should resign yourself in the right spirit. You should not do it with a doubting heart "_taking the name of God and at the Work and Worship time keeping your clothes untouched by water._"

We led a wandering life for five or six years and then set ourselves to work. Swamiji (Swami Vivekananda) called me aside one day and said, "There is nothing in a wandering life. Work for the sake of the Lord.' We did various kinds of work, but I do not think it did us any harm. Rather, it did us great good. But we had strong faith in Swamiji's words. I tell you, you must have infinite faith in these two great souls.

• ”_This reference is to Sri Ramakrishna's parable of the milkmaid and the Brahmin priest. A milk-maid used to supply milk to a Brahmin priest living on the other side of a river. Owing to the irregularities of boat service, she could not deliver the milk punctually every day.

Once being rebuked for her delay the poor woman said, "What can I do, Sir? I have to wait a long time for the boatman."

The priest said, "Woman! people cross the ocean of life by uttering the name of God, and canst thou not cross this little river?"

The simple-hearted woman believed the priest. And from the next day she began to cross the river uttering God's name. One day the priest asked her why she was never late as before. The woman replied, "I cross the river by uttering the name of the Lord as you bade me do." The priest could not believe this, and wanted to see himself how the woman crossed the river. The woman took him with her and began to walk over the water repeating the name of the Lord. But looking behind, she saw the priest following timidly, holding up his clothes.

"How is it, Sir," she said, "you are uttering the name of the Lord, but at the same time you are trying to keep your clothes untouched by water? You do not fully rely on the Lord_." Complete resignation and absolute faith in God are at the root of all miracles.

6 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmanandaji)

WORK AND WORSHIP (CONVERSATION AT BENARES)

Devote yourself for Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji, and work for their cause. Do not be afraid. Keep your faith firm. Hereafter many will try to shake your faith by saying, "The work you have taken up has nothing to do with Sri Ramakrishna or Swamiji". But pay no heed to them. Even if the whole world stands against you, never give up what you have once believed to be true.

S : It is very difficult to devote oneself exclusively to spiritual practices. I tried but could not continue for a long time.

The Swami : Why do you think that you cannot do it, because you failed once or twice? One has to try again and again. Sri Ramakrishna used to say "The new-born calf tries to stand up, but falls down many times. It does not stop. It tries again and again. And then at last, it not only stands up, but also learns to run."

The mind gets good training if one takes up some regular work at the beginning of the spiritual life. Then the trained mind can be applied to meditation and other spiritual practices. The mind that is allowed to drift will drift at the time of spiritual practices also.

To the spiritually advanced man there comes a time when he wants to devote himself solely to meditation and prayer. At that time work falls off from him by itself. This takes place when the mind awakens spiritually. Otherwise, even if one takes to a life of exclusive spiritual practice by sheer effort of the will, one can go on only for a few days. Then comes monotony. Some even go mad by persisting. Others follow the spiritual path in a haphazard way, and keep their mind busy with other things as well.

Great strength can be acquired through the practice of Brahmacharya (continence and service). A true Brahmachari can do the work of twenty-five men. In olden days, besides the practice of continence, Brahmacharya included ]apam (repetition of the Lord's name) , meditation, study of the Scriptures, pilgrimage, association with holy men, and even more.

All men cannot know what is good for them. For that reason one should keep the company of holy men. Here I give you full freedom. Let me see how long you can follow the right path. Not long, not more than a few days.

All troubles arise because the mind is not properly trained. There is no enemy more harmful than idle gossip. It ruins one completely.

Unless one spends some time in solitude, one cannot understand the workings of the mind and realise the Truth. It is very difficult to grow spiritually along any particular line in the midst of tumult and confusion.

I give freedom to all. I want everybody to advance along his own line. But when I find that he is not able to do so, I come to his help.

It is good in every way to stay at a particular place and take up some form of service. You will feel uneasy if you stay here for a long time without doing any work useful to the institution. But if you render some form of service every day, you will feel right in both mind and body.

During the days of our active life, we used to be in high spirits and keep excellent health too. I think we used to feel much better then than now when we do not do any regular work. I am telling you my innermost thoughts, what I actually feel.

I have now retired from active work. I speak of myself just by way of illustration. Some people think they, too, should do like me and be less active. Never entertain such a thought.

Eternal life is before you. What if you devote a few lives to the cause of Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji? Even if it is a mistake to do so, let a few lives be spent in vain. But I tell you, it is not going to be so. Through the grace of Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji, you will see to what great spiritual heights you will soar.

Do not lead an easy-going life any more. If you -do, you will not be able to practise spiritual exercises properly. Any work that you take up, do with your whole heart. This is the secret of work, as Swamiji used to say. Set yourself to work. You are now required to conduct a magazine. Do it by all means. It is nothing to you, it is very easy for you.

Before you begin to work, remember the Lord and offer your salutations to Him. Do the same at intervals in the course of the work, and also after you finish it. Spend all your time in thinking of the life, teachings and commandments of Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji. Know in your heart of hearts that the work you do is for their sake.

7 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of Swami Brahmananda)

HAPPINESS (CONVERSATION AT BENARES)

The Swami : Do you know why I ask you seriously, all of you, to devote yourselves heart and soul to the Lord? When we were of your age, Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) used to push us and make us do our spiritual practices. In boyhood the mind remains plastic like clay. It receives an indelible impression from whatever it comes in contact with. So long as clay remains soft, you can give it any shape you like. But when the clay is burned, this cannot be done. Your mind now is like unburnt clay. It can be moulded in any way you want. It is still pure and untainted, so it can be directed very easily toward God. If the mind is kept wholly occupied with thoughts of the Lord from this time on, no foreign thought can disturb it. If the mind be now firmly fixed on the Divine, you need have no anxiety about your spiritual progress.

The mind is like a packet of mustard seeds. If the seeds are once scattered, it is very difficult to gather them up. So I ask you to mould your mind before its energy becomes scattered. When you grow old and the energy of your mind has been frittered away, you will have to make very strenuous efforts to concentrate it; you will experience tremendous difficulty when you try to focus it on a particular object.

Do you not see how impressionable is the mind of a little boy? You are now like him. If you want to mould yourselves, strive for it earnestly from your sixteenth to your thirtieth year. After that there is less chance of achieving illumination. Up to the thirtieth year the body and the mind remain fresh. That is the time when the mind can be given a definite shape.

But you must labour hard and devote yourselves heart and soul to your ideal of life. Whatever impression the mind may receive during youth will last throughout life. If therefore you have determined to lead a holy life in order to realise God, strive your utmost from today. Your health is all right now. The mind also is plastic. This is the time for spiritual practices. Mould your mind through constant struggle. If this period of your life goes by, it will be more difficult to do anything afterwards.

If you can leave a strong stamp on the mind during this period, if you can make God the be-all and end-all of your existence, if you can devote yourselves sincerely to realise Him, you will be free from all sorrow and pain. No misery, no unhappiness will be able to throw you off your balance. You will become the inheritor of everlasting bliss and joy divine.

What does man want? He wants happiness.

How he runs after it! What plans he makes! What strenuous efforts he puts forth! But does he get it? After many attempts, after many a plan, he is baffled. He plans again and again, but to no purpose. In this way his whole life ebbs away.

He has not the good fortune to enjoy peace and happiness at all. He toils hard like an ordinary labourer and in return reaps sorrow and pain.

Then he departs from this world. Thus he lives and dies in vain. Nothing better can be expected by one who runs after empty pleasures, forgetting the goal of life.

If you wish to attain real happiness, you must sacrifice all worldly pleasures, all attachment for fleeting joys, and direct the whole energy of your mind toward God. The more you advance toward Him, the greater the bliss you will realise. The more your mind becomes attached to the world and to sense-enjoyments, the more will you suffer.

Do you know the nature of the ordinary man? He seeks only pleasure, joy and diversion. And he makes this mistake from the very beginning.

Ninety-nine per cent of those who seek happiness do not know what it really is. They grasp at whatever they find near at hand and believe they have got the thing they seek. Then when they are disappointed, they take up something else; and when again they fail, they bemoan their lot. But see the folly of it; they are disappointed again and again; still they will not change their course, they will not take up the right path. They pass their lives receiving blow after blow and bewailing their destiny. Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) used to compare them to a camel. The camel will not take good grass even when close by. It knows well that thorny grass makes the mouth bleed, but still it insists on eating it. In the same way man suffers because of wrong thoughts and wrong desires.

You are very young boys. Your mind has not yet received any evil impression from the outside world. If you can struggle hard from now on, you will be able to escape life's sorrows and miseries.

Whatever the riches you may possess, whatever your chances of living a happy and prosperous life, however wide your circle of friends and well-wishers, you will not have real happiness. All these things last for a few moments, or at the most an hour; they do not last longer. Then comes a reaction of misery. Thus reaction follows action.

If one is to attain true and eternal happiness, one must aspire after that joy which brings no reaction in its train. Wherein lies that true and eternal happiness? It lies in realising God. This divine enjoyment alone brings no reaction; all other kinds of enjoyments you can name are followed by reaction.

And you must know that wherever there is reaction, there is sorrow and suffering.

Never forget the ideal of human life. This life is not given us to while away in eating, drinking and sleeping like an animal, in idle gossip and such things.

When you have been born as a human being, spurn all worldly enjoyments. Firmly resolve to realise God and attain infinite bliss. Flinch not, even if you die in the attempt.

Why have you come away from your hearth and home in the name of Sri Ramakrishna? Is it not to realise Him, to get rid of the sorrows and sufferings of the world and attain everlasting peace and happiness?

Sincerely struggle, then, toward the ideal of life, so long as you have strength of body and mind. By no means relax your efforts, saying that you will realise the ideal later or that it will be possible only through the Lord's grace. It is idlers alone that talk in this way. I do not want you to idle away your time.

If you are not in earnest, speak out clearly. Say, "I have a desire to enjoy worldly pleasures. I have not a sincere longing to realise Truth to attain God. Let your speech and your thought be one.

When are you going to do spiritual practices? The best part of life, as I told you, is from the sixteenth to the thirtieth year. Do you hope that after wasting these valuable years in useless pursuits, you will be able to take up spiritual practices in old age? Know that is cheating, deceiving oneself.

Do not cheat yourselves.

9 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the birthday of Revered Swami Adbhutanandaji Maharaj.

May he bless us all with Bhakti and Shraddha.)

Swami Adbhutananda

A Devotee : ‘Maharaj, sadhus preach renunciation of lust and gold, but how is it possible for householders like us to give up such desires? The cravings are, as it were, besieging our minds. There is no possibility of giving battle to them there. How can we fight them? The desires will defeat and drive away whatever we shall confront them with and will never allow it to secure a foothold in the mind. You ask us to repeat the Divine Name, but we find that we do not feel inclined to do so thanks to the pull of desires. You ask us to discriminate; even here we find that the cravings surge up in all their restless fury by paralyzing our discrimination. Now please tell us how could you manage to create the urge for Divine Name and discrimination in the mind in the midst of these cravings?

Swami Adbhutananda : ‘You make the same eternal complaint—how can we repeat the Divine Name? Know that the Divine Name plants itself in the mind through repetition. The mind is running restlessly intoxicated by desires. The cravings are leading it by a rope through its nose. What can be more mischievous than they?

This is what Arjuna told Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna admitted that the mind is wicked, but added, “O Arjuna! Cultivate detachment towards the cravings and be always practising. By constant practice the mind will gradually quiet down”.

The more the mind runs after worldly objects, the more should you reason that the objects are fleeting, existing today and disappearing tomorrow. Be content with just what you have of these fleeting things. Why should you have more? There will be no room for the Eternal if you overburden yourself with fleeting objects. The Eternal is not created by the adding of fleeting objects.

The Eternal is One; It is the Brahman. Know everything else except Brahman to be unreal. Teach your mind in this way. You will find that discrimination has awakened after repeated efforts like this.

‘Do you know the story of the pearl necklace which Sri Ramachandra presented to Hanuman in his court? Hanuman turned over the beads scrutinizingly and even cut open one with his teeth. As soon as he saw that the name of Rama was not found in it he threw it away at once.

Lakshmana became angry at this and said, “He is a monkey after all; what does he know about the worth of pearls? He has spoiled such a beautiful pearl necklace by cutting it with his teeth”.

Noticing Lakshmana’s anger Ramachandra told him, “Why not ask him why he has done so?”

On being queried Hanuman replied, “I was seeing whether or not it contained the name of Rama!”

This is the way one should discriminate between things. To keep alive the spirit of discrimination is the hardest tapasya (austerity). One who knows how to discriminate is ever battling with impulses. Wake up the spirit of renunciation and discrimination; then alone will you be able to fight your desires. How will you check them unless the discrimination between what is true and what is false develops.

First of all clean the dirt that is entering the house of the mind through the windows outside.

Discriminate and hang up the notice of “No admission” in front of the windows, i.e., the senses. Hand over all the dirt that will enter within, disobeying the notice, to the policeman i.e., viveka. With the help of the policeman viveka, the mind will be battling with the mind. Thus the field of the mind will be cleared, and you will be able to install God there. Until you can install God there, you will not be able to conquer your desires.

You doubtless know that the seed of desire is in the mind. That seed is being watered by the sense-organs within and the objects outside. This watering is producing a luxuriant crop. All that crop must be cut down and the seeds destroyed. After that you have to sow the seed of God’s name there. Then alone the Divine Name will bear a crop. Now there is the crop of desires. So the Master used to say, “Where there is lust, there is no Rama, and where Rama is, there is no lust.”

A Devotee : ‘Maharaj, I have a little doubt. Are you advising us to repeat the Divine Name after controlling the senses first’?

The Swami : ‘That can also be done. But the Divine Name has such a power that it can burn up the seed of desire. The Master used to say, “Repulse the attack of lust by wearing the armour of Name.”

A Devotee : ‘Maharaj, how can Name conquer lust?

Swami : ‘Lust cannot come near the Name. The Divine Name has such a pull that once the mind yields to it, lust does not find an opportunity to arise. For Name is true and real. Falsehood cannot find a hold in the mind which is meditating on Truth’.

A Devotee : ‘This may be possible in the waking state. But desires continue their attacks even when a person is asleep. How can he save himself from such attacks? How can the mind save itself from desires in the dream and in sleep?’

The Swami : ‘The Divine Name can save the mind even from such attacks. _I tell you truly that if you can repeat the Name properly, its power will be active even in sleep. One who knows how to repeat the Name goes on doing so in sleep, or in the waking state_. As physical functions like breathing go on even in sleep, even so the activity of the Name continues in the mind. It does not allow dreams to arise in the mind, and even if they begin to arise, the Name saves the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) by waking him up. Thus the power of the Divine Name continues to save the sadhakas day and night.

‘You will not understand the meaning of such simple statements! Desires have made a permanent home in the mind. Sometimes they float on the surface of the mind, and sometimes they lie so submerged that a person is not even aware if ever such desires existed in him.

The more you approach Him, the more will you perceive the knots of lust and desires. The more the body and the mind will get purified, the more the submerged dirt, the hidden dispositions acquired in thousands of incarnations before, will come to the top. And coming out, they will be fighting with the Divine Name. The heat of the Divine Name which brings them to the surface—the same heat will force them to abandon the fortress of the mind. How can they cope with the power of the Divine Name?

(Reprinted from Prabuddha Bharata, September 1948)

10 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Reminiscences of Swami Adbhutanandaji)

Girish Babu arrived one night with Kalipada Ghosh. Kalipada was a terrible drunkard. He refused to give money to his family, spending it for wine instead. But his wife was very pure. I heard that many years earlier she had come to the Master, seeking some kind of medicine that would change her husband's tendencies. The Master sent her to Holy Mother. Holy Mother sent her back to the Master. He again sent her to Holy Mother, and this exchange went on three times. At last, Holy Mother wrote the Master's name on a bel leaf that had been offered to the Lord and gave it to Kalipada's wife, telling her to chant the Lord's name.

Kalipada's wife chanted the Lord's name for twelve years. When the Master first met Kalipada, he remarked, "This man has come here after tormenting his wife for twelve years." Kalipada was startled, but said nothing.

Then the Master asked him, "What do you want?”

Kalipada asked shamelessly, "Can you give me a little wine?”

The Master smiled. "Yes. I can. But the wine I have is so intoxicating that you will not be able to bear it.”

Kalipada took him literally and said: "Is it real British wine? Please give me a little to soak my throat.”

"No, it is not British wine." said the Master, still smiling. "It is completely homemade. This wine cannot be given to just anyone, for not everyone can stand it. If a person tastes this wine even once. British wine will seem insipid to him ever after. Are you ready to drink my wine instead of the other?”

For a moment Kalipada was thoughtful, and then I heard him say. "Please give me that wine which will make me intoxicated my entire life."

The Master touched him. and Kalipada started to weep. We tried to calm him, but he went on weeping in spite of our attempts.

Once the Master was going somewhere by boat with Kalipada. While they were on the boat, he wrote a mantra on Kalipada's tongue. Later Kalipada became a great devotee and did a great deal to serve the Master. Just see! If the wife is pure and loving, she will even practice austerities for the welfare of her husband. It was because of his wife that Kalipada was saved.

11 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Direct Disciples)

ON CRITICISM.

(By Swami Brahmananda)

Play with God, sing his glory, enjoy the fun! Why should you criticize others? Associate with everybody freely. Be happy with them. Do not indulge in gossip. Only a wicked-hearted man busies himself finding fault with others.

(By Swami Shivananda)

It is true that one feels bad if one has to deal with worldly people all the time. One thing I would specially advise you: whenever you talk with a person, never indulge in criticisms of others nor listen to them If you hear any criticism, keep quiet without taking part in it. Mind this particularly: gossip, active or passive, tarnishes the mind and lowers it very much. It is a handicap to devotion for God.

(By Swami Premananda)

To be disturbed in mind by petty incidents is not worthy of selfless workers. You are spiritual aspirants, chosen devotees of Sri Ramakrishna. Do not pay any heed to the criticisms of others.

(By Swami Adbhutananda)

If you want to live a happy, contented life, stop criticizing others. Do not find fault with others. It is better to pass the time sleeping than gossiping and criticizing. Keep away from places where you find such talk going on. Try to see the good qualities in others. This is the way to get rid of the habit of fault-finding. Evil qualities pollute the mind of a person who searches for the lapses and shortcomings of others.

(By Swami Akhandananda)

If a fool criticizes a superior person, wise people take no notice of it at all. If someone comes and shouts, `Krishna is a lewd fellow!', have we got either to lend our ears to him or to be all up to contradict him? He that has realized the mystery of spiritual persons is all right let others understand it in time. At Alwar I went into a house for a night's halt. During the talk after dinner, someone started to belittle Swamiji Vivekananda. I protested and left the house then and there.

ON DEATH

(By Swami Brahmananda)

This life may end at any moment. No one knows when. Equip yourself for the journey with spiritual treasures. To arrive empty-handed at an unknown place involves much suffering and sorrow Birth is inevitably followed by death. At death you go to an unknown place, so you must prepare yourself for the journey.

(By Swami Shivananda)

Birth and death are just a matter of course. Nobody can stop them. God alone is immutable and immortal, pure, enlightened and free by nature.

[To the question: "Does everyone have to be in a disembodied state after death?"]

Not necessarily. Why should devotees of the Lord who have genuine devotion have to be in the disembodied state? They become one with God and obtain liberation.

Real joy or peace is very rare in this world, and this round of birth and death that is ours, no one can check. Man has no hand in it. God alone is responsible for the creation, maintenance and dissolution of this world, and it is by His will that all beings are born into it. He keeps them as long as He wants, and He takes them away whenever He wishes. We should know for certain that God is the Lord of birth, maintenance and death. It is He who sends souls here to become parents, wives, children, friends and relatives, and He keeps them entangled in some relationship or other, taking them back whenever He wishes.

Once you can realize him, your worldly bondage will be cut asunder for ever; you will not have to undergo the round of birth and death any more.

[Concerning the suicide of a woman devotee:]

I heard that she killed herself with opium. She did so, because she could no longer bear the pain she was suffering from her disease. In any case, her soul will reach the Master, for she was devoted to him. She had great reverence for the monks of this monastery, as also for us. Her Prarabdha accumulated results of past works had that fruit in store for her, and hence she had to do so. But her future course will certainly be good, though, in such a case, the soul has to remain for some time under a cover of something like darkness.

Men can be saved only if they take note of all this and think of the transitoriness of worldly things They rather remain merged in Maya. It is good to think of death now and again. One can hardly enumerate the infinite ways in which the ephemeral nature of the world becomes revealed before people's very eyes. Still, they are not awakened.

12 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Direct Disciples)

ON FOOD

(By Swami Shivananda)

Hunger is ‘Roga’, a kind of ailment. Just as medicine relieves sickness, so does food alleviate hunger. One should bear this in mind when eating. Shankara was a great illumined soul. That is why he gave this advice. The Atman is free from hunger and such other limitations. It is pure intelligence, unaffected by anything. Hunger, thirst and so on are characteristics of the body and not of the Atman.

[To the question: Should I be very strict about food and such other things?"]

A: No, my daughter; you need not be very strict about these matters, Only use your discrimination a little more when following the usual routine. You may well avoid those things that excite the nerves too much. Food is not meant for the mere gratification of the sense of taste; it is meant for the maintenance of the body. And the maintenance of the body is meant for God-realization. It is better to avoid those kinds of food that create mental disturbance and prevent the mind from concentrating on God.

Our one object is to realize God. Unless our body is kept in good health, we cannot concentrate our mind on our Ishta Devata. So, we should take such food as suits our constitution.

(By Swami Turiyananda)

A man who has controlled all other senses except the palate is not to be considered a master of his senses. When the hankering of the palate is controlled, everything else is controlled. When the palate is controlled the sex impulse is also controlled. Unless the senses are brought under control there cannot be any spiritual progress.

The external world is made of tongue and sex, eating and procreating. What else keeps the world going? Hunger is a dog. Give it a crust to keep it quiet and then earnestly engage in meditation.

(By Swami Adbhutananda)

What is wrong with eating meat and fish? So long as your mind wants them, eat them; when you don't feel like eating them, don't.

The main thing in spiritual life is to have love, devotion, and faith in God. He is our close relative He lives in the hearts of all beings. One does not incur sin for taking something for maintaining the body. Eating meat or fish cannot harm a person who has steadfast love for God.

He commits theft who takes food without offering it to Him.

13 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Direct Disciples)

FORBEARANCE

(By Swami Shivananda)

You know, when pots that are together are moved, friction is inevitable. Do not take it seriously. Misunderstandings are bound to occur sometimes and they are straightened out eventually. It takes two hands to clap.

(By Swami Premananda)

Patience and forbearance should be our guides in life. Have infinite patience. To live in the world we need to cultivate these two qualifies patience and forbearance.

If you want to be a holy man, learn to bear and forbear. If you want to be good and happy in this world, have patience and forbearance. Infinite patience, unlimited forbearance, and forgiveness --these alone bring peace and happiness.

(By Swami Ramakrishnananda)

You are, indeed a very bad lover of God if you cannot bear some worldly troubles for His sake!

FORM / FORMLESSNESS

(By Swami Brahmananda)

God is with form and is also formless and He is also beyond form and formlessness. What does Vedanta mean by saying that Brahman is true and the world is false? That the world as we see it now is false. The world vanishes in Samadhi.

The one Godhead has many spiritual forms. All these forms are real. A seer can see them and talk to them.

He is infinite and formless, and yet he is also with form. it is beyond the power of the mind to understand the devious ways through which God leads man to himself.

The presence of God must be realized everywhere. He who is personal and has form is also impersonal and without form. He dwells in all beings. He pervades land and water, hills and valley, sky and stars _ he pervades all things.

Know for certain that God can be reached, that his spiritual form can be seen and that it is possible to talk to him.

(By Swami Shivananda)

It is very difficult to meditate on the formless. The Vedas prescribe Akasha as a symbol of the formless God. Other symbols like the ocean etc., may also be taken but Akasha is better. He resides in the heart of man as consciousness.

But then one has to start with some form. There is no question of inferiority or superiority in this - it is a question of temperament. Whatever form appeals to one is the best for him. Form melts into the formless, and again the formless takes a form. God is both with form and without form, and again beyond both.

If one persists in thinking of Him as having forms, eventually He reveals His real Self to him. The Reality is not exhausted in the world of phenomena. Gross is this world; beyond that is the subtle, the causal and the supercausal (Mahakarana); beyond all these is the transcendental.

One may also have the ocean or a vast field as His symbol. Ether is, however, by far the best symbol. `He is smaller than the smallest atom, greater than the greatest thing.' He is again radiantly present in the hearts of all beings. In the preliminary stages of meditation one has necessarily to think of Him as having forms.

The question of one viewpoint being higher than another should not arise; it is temperamental difference that accounts for various viewpoints. Each viewpoint is great to the person who holds it.

When the mind becomes free from impressions and desires, it cannot, strictly speaking, be called mind any longer, it becomes synonymous with the one Universal Intelligence, the Supreme Energy or Brahman - give it any name you please. To suit the temperamental needs of aspirants, the one Universal Intelligence assumes a crystallized form of consciousness.

(By Swami Turiyananda)

It is the intensity of spiritual feelings that counts. Whether you believe in His form or formlessness it does not matter.

He who rejects everything and gets lost in the formless Brahman is one-sided. The Jnani is afraid of rebirth lest he be caught in the meshes of Ignorance. But an expert player is not afraid of anything.

(By Swami Trigunatitananda)

Infinite are His forms and infinite His qualifies.

(By Swami Adbhutananda)

You will find that during meditation your Chosen Ideal will appear to you in many forms. That is his divine play. Since all forms are contained within him, why are you making distinctions between them?

Although God is formless, he takes form according to our mental conception of him. It is because the formless Satchidananda dwells in our hearts that we can meditate on one of God's blissful forms. God appears in whatever form the devotee meditates on him.

What shall I tell you when you have already wasted a good fifty years of your life debating whether God is or is not, whether He has form or is formless? When will you undertake Japa and meditation?

14 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Direct Disciples)

FORM / FORMLESSNESS

(By Swami Saradananda)

If you like God with form, that will also lead you to the goal. If you like God without form, well and good; stick to it and you will progress. If you doubt His very existence, then better put the question to Him thus: `I do not know whether you exist or not, whether you are formless or with form. Do you make known to me your real nature.

[To the question: `What are we to do if any other image than that of the Ishta Chosen Deity appears during the meditation?"]

Think then that your Ishta has appeared in that form. Thus the form will slowly disappear and the Ishta will reappear.

["Should we do so whatever be the form that appears?"]

No. Do this only when the form of a saint appears.

["What about an ordinary form?"]

Drive that resolutely away, and try to reinstall the image of the Ishta with all your might. How can you meditate on a shoe-maker's shop if it suddenly comes and distracts your mind?

(By Swami Vijnanananda)

Many are His names and endless are His manifestations. As the devotee looks upon Him, so does He manifest Himself to Him. To some, therefore, He reveals Himself as Kali, to some as Rama, to some as Krishna or Shiva, and so on.

The Bible describes God in all His three forms, with attributes, without attributes, and as incarnate.

15 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Direct Disciples)

ON FREEDOM

(By Swami Brahmananda)

By steadfastness alone the mind becomes absorbed in God. Unless absorption is achieved, freedom from the temptations of the world is not possible.

(By Swami Shivananda)

The way out is to know Him. He is purity, knowledge and Freedom itself.

All that I know is that a man will become free if he but takes the name of Sri Ramakrishna, the Incarnation for this age. Anyone who takes shelter in him will surely be saved by him.

One will attain freedom in this age by merely calling on the Master.

The greatest freedom lies in implicit obedience. One attains this freedom by obeying the commands of one's elder without questioning.

When the mind becomes free from impressions and desires, it cannot, strictly speaking, be called mind any longer - it becomes synonymous with the one Universal Intelligence, the Supreme Energy or Brahman _ give it any name you please.

What are called space, time and causation in English are desha, kala and nimitta in our language. Brahman is beyond these categories. Freedom means going beyond them.

One does not go anywhere by attaining freedom - where can one go? It represents a state of consciousness in which there is an end of all limitations. To go beyond the world is to have the knowledge that Brahman is both immanent and transcendent. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman - in essence the embodied soul does not have any separate existence. Freedom is not achieving something external; it is Self- knowledge attained by the renunciation of phenomena.

[To the question: "Can I continue to be pure and spiritual, irrespective of my actions, good or bad?"]

Certainly not. Your good actions contribute to make you more and more spiritual, while the bad ones go to drag you down to samsara and prevent your freeing the soul from the bondage of birth and death; to obtain that freedom is and ought to be the one aim of your having taken birth as a human being.

(By Swami Premananda)

When the idea of bondage comes in the mind, then there is bondage; otherwise, who can bind you? You are always free.

In the Bhagavad Gita Sri Krishna urges us to perform work without attachment, to attain freedom even in this life. This is neither a myth nor the fabrication of a morbid brain. We have actually seen such lives with our own eyes. We also must attain the same freedom, in this very life. We must attain it even if it means total sacrifice. Otherwise, all our talk of devotion and religion will remain confined to speech and unrealised in actual life.

Unless we attain freedom, we will not get pure devotion.

All bondage is in the mind. All freedom is also in the mind.

16 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Direct Disciples)

ON FREEDOM

(By Swami Turiyananda)

Freedom can be realized in two ways, by identifying oneself with Him and by living in eternal self-surrender to Him. There can be no freedom of will away from Him.

Nothing succeeds unless He wills it Reliance on one's apparent self leads to ruin. To presume to be all-knowing is extremely harmful. Self-reliance or self-confidence means faith in the Higher Self. To persist in remaining what one already is or in holding on to one's pre-conceived Opinions at any cost, such self-importance is bad.

Mukti is nothing but giving up seeking advantage.

The Jiva is bound. Like a tethered cow he is free to a certain extent only, not fully. But he is emancipated if he utilizes that limited freedom in a proper way.

Do not identify yourself with any Samskara at all, and you shall feel free.

There is no freedom, no respite until you have done your duties. That which you have given up without performing, will be waiting for you only to appear again. Face the brute! You can't save yourself by flight.

In trying to help the world, you help yourself - you realize your Freedom.

It is in the human body that the gates to Freedom open. So every man should be on his guard to make a good use of his life. Enjoyment is possible in other bodies also, but freedom is not.

Be a lion, be a lion, break the cage and be free. Take one big jump and the work is done.

Brahman alone is real, everything else is unreal and the human soul is that Brahman. The lion, shut up in a bullrush cage, thinks he is caught, and escape impossible. He does not know that one blow from his mighty paw would demolish the cage and set him free.

We are bound by the delusion of ignorance. Tear away the delusion and be free. All power is within you, for you are the Atman. With the sword of knowledge, sever the veil of Maya, and assert your divine nature.

Bondage and freedom are both in the mind. Atman is beyond mind.

17 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Teachings of the Direct Disciples)

FREEDOM

(By Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Be wholly surrendered. The moment you can give up everything and know your own nothingness, at that moment God-vision will come and you will be free.

What keeps us from seeing God? Selfishness, egotism, ambition, vanity, pride. The more we can minimise these, the sooner will we come to the goal. If we can get rid of them altogether, then freedom is ours. The more we try to fix our minds on God, the more quickly shall we forget ourselves and the more quickly shall we reach freedom. The best way to do this is not to think of ourselves in any way, and try to keep our minds on the presence of God.

Surrender yourself completely to the Lord, then freedom will be yours. A smile will always play on your lips; your face will be shining, and your mind will be calm and peaceful.

The whole universe exists for a man between the two ends of the nerves - this outer end on the surface of the skin, and the inner end in the spinal column. One lane of the network leads me out through the channel of the eyes, another takes me out through the ears, another through the tongue, so this universe of forms and sounds, tastes and touch comes into existence. We are as it were caught in this net of the nervous system.

We have entangled ourselves and we seem to love to entangle ourselves. Such is the perversity of our nature. But only when we extricate ourselves from this labyrinth of nerves can we hope to be free. Days.

What keeps us from seeing God? Our egotism. The more you can minimize that, the nearer you will approach the goal. If you can throw it away altogether, then freedom is yours.

Do your duty for God's sake; know that all belongs to God, and you will reach freedom and wisdom in time.

It is in the mind that man is bound and in the mind he becomes free.

Politics is the freedom of the senses, while religion is the freedom from the senses.

(By Swami Saradananda)

All souls are ever free, and that is why all minds ever hanker for freedom. A true leader is he who never hampers that craving for attaining freedom, his only concern being to see to it that when the person concerned gets liberty, he does not misuse it also.

Kill the self and you will be free.

(By Swami Akhandananda)

There is no happiness here, no peace. How can there be? This is not our place- this narrowness, selfishness. We want freedom from all these. That is real happiness, that is real satisfaction.

(By Swami Vijnanananda)

You cannot have contentment so long as you are subject to worldly desires. Once they disappear, you are free.

I say he only is free who has gained mastery over his passions; and one who is a slave to them is bound in chains.

18 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

AUSTERITY

(Swami Shivananda)

It is not possible for everyone to practise hard austerities, but then through prayer everything is attained.

Yes, spiritual exercises are very necessary, and so also are austerities. The only means of keeping the course of one's life directed towards God is spiritual effort. But why should one think that this spiritual struggle and austerity can have only one form? Look here, for instance: what suffering you undergo, and what a fight you have to wage against adverse Circumstances, to carry on God's work. This too is a kind of austerity and spiritual struggle. The one idea that you always have to keep burning in your heart is that whatever you do is for His sake, for His service - nothing for yourselves.

Being indifferent to praise and blame, honour and dishonour; and happiness and sorrow, and with the mind fixed on God alone, being immersed in meditation and prayer _ this is what is called austerity. Mere self-mortification on the bodily plane is not austerity.

(Swami Premananda)

Austerity means making the lips correspond with the heart.

Man achieves greatness, large-heartedness, and guilelessness by the tapasya [Practice of austerity] of many births and only through the grace of God.

(Swami Turiyananda)

Even if a single organ remains uncontrolled, all austerities, all efforts after spirituality become useless even as when there is a single hole in a pitcher, all the water escapes through that.

If the Lord is ever present inside and outside, then with what object should you undergo austerities? And if He be not inside and outside, of what avail are these austerities?'

(Swami Adbhutananda)

You will have to discriminate between the real and the unreal. To keep one's discrimination alert is a great austerity.

(Swami Abhedananda)

If you desire to have firm and unshakeable faith and devotion to the Lord, you should take to Tapasya, hard austerities. Tapasya does not mean aimless wandering hither and thither, it really means regular steadfast Japa, meditation, and self-control.

(Swami Saradananda)

The more you practice austerities and meditation, the more you will enjoy the blessings of God. Without practice nothing can be achieved.

(Swami Akhandananda)

It is not an easy task you have taken up. How much of renunciation and service and Tapasya austerity is involved in this work! This is real Sadhana. In the morning you come here after a bare meal. Others enjoy a full meal at noon - this is renunciation. Then you have to stay seated in this small room - this is Tapasya.

Then again from the books sold here, people are getting the ideas of our Master and Swamiji. It is through your hands that they are reaching the people. This is a great service to the Master. Do you think that only the service done in the shrine is service to him?

20 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

BLISS.

(Swami Premananda)

There within the heart of every man the ground has to be consecrated, for it has been defiled by the profanity of worldly desires and pleasures. There on that consecrated ground let the temple of Divine Communion be raised and the overflowing bliss of the Supreme Good reign. Infinite Bliss from within, that is the idea. Let the devotee be flooded over by this Bliss from within.

When the narrow little `I' goes, the Real will manifest itself and you will know bliss.

If you can but gain pure love, you will know bliss and peace.

(Swami Turiyananda)

If you feel miserable for want of Him, know that He is very near to you - you will soon have His vision, you will soon attain infinite bliss.

Realization! - Ah, how wonderful it is! The mere thought of the Lord fills one with joy who can measure the bliss of seeing Him face to face?

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Ah, you see, that bliss cannot be compared with any joy you may find in this world. It is inexpressible. Worldly happiness is the product of Maya. Maya operates within the three states - waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. But beyond those three is another realm, turiya, which is extremely difficult to reach. The bliss of that realm is free from Maya. You know how sweet is the joy within Maya. Ordinary people are enchanted by it. They do not even think for a moment how immensely sweeter is God whose Maya is so sweet!.

Nothing in this world is valuable except bliss. Do you know why people want money, property, wife, children? Because they think they will get physical and mental happiness from them. So they are ready to work day and night for them. If they would divert that energy toward God, they could get the permanent genuine bliss of Satchidananda instead of the happiness of the world.

Maya herself is acting as the operator. She loves to raise waves of desire in the mind and does not like to still them. But God takes charge of the soul which is not bound by Maya. When God guides a man, an uninterrupted current of happiness, peace, and bliss flows in his mind and no other waves of thought can be raised there. He becomes one with that unfathomable, waveless, ocean of Satchidananda)

The idea of `mine' produces misery, while the knowledge of the real `I' the higher Self brings bliss.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Ananda or bliss is the best definition of God.

Inside the body there is desire and greed; inside the mind there is doubt; inside the world there is change, there is death. Go beyond these and you will find peace and bliss. Until you go beyond them, you can never realise what peace and bliss mean.

When you have altogether resigned yourselves at the feet of the Lord, you have known the secret of a peaceful blissful life.

God is infinite bliss and all other happiness is finite and perishable. Hence nowhere but in Him can true happiness be found, a happiness that has no break.

If you want to have real bliss, give up vain fretting and fuming. Instead of criticizing others, criticize your own self and try to eradicate whatever evil there is in you. Thus becoming pure and spotless, at last be perfect even as the Father in heaven is perfect.

(Swami Saradananda)

As the mind becomes more and more indrawn, more and more concentrated, the wild roamings of the mind will cease and you will experience inner joy and ineffable bliss.

'The name of your Ishta is Brahman,' say the scriptures. Bliss will come only by taking the name.

Do japa and meditate as much as possible; do not give that up. By practice, a taste for repeating the Lord's name will come and you will know peace and bliss.

(Swami Akhandananda)

There is no happiness here, no peace. How can there be? This is not our place - this narrowness, selfishness. We want freedom from all these. That is real happiness, that is real satisfaction. That is peace and bliss.

As renunciation has no limits, so bliss is also without any limit. Bliss comes out of renunciation. The more the renunciation, the more the bliss.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

Let us make our minds pure, the rest will be easy; and we shall attain spiritual bliss comparable to nothing else in life. Our worldly pleasures are but a speck of dust, when weighed against that great mountain of joy.

21 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

BODY

(Swami Brahmananda)

Give your body and mind to worldly enjoyments, and the world will destroy them both. Devote them to God and his service, and you will enjoy bodily health, peace of mind, and spiritual joy. It is good to laugh every day. It relaxes the body and the mind.

God is greatly manifest in the human body. Try to understand this truth. The body is the temple of God, and one should practice worship and meditation within it . Though temples may serve as aids to the beginner, they are but symbols of God's greatest of all temples, the human heart.

To nourish the body, mind, and brain, and to secure their fullest development, continence is essential.

The body and mind are closely related. When the body is disturbed, the mind also becomes disturbed. Therefore, particular care must be given to the diet in order to keep the body healthy.

Consider the body as the temple and see the Lord installed therein.

The mind is intimately related to the body. If the stomach is upset, you can never have good meditation. Hence it is that there are so many restrictions about food. `The stomach should be half filled with food and a quarter with water, the other quarter being left vacant for passage of air'.

(Swami Shivananda)

One must have regular physical exercise every day. Our scriptures say. A good physique is the first requisite of spirituality. For spiritual advancement one must first make the body strong.

Unless the body is sufficiently strong, it would not be able to stand the reaction of a deep spiritual experience. A mental derangement or a total physical breakdown may result.

Pain and anguish belong to the body. He who dwells within the body is not affected by them: He is Bliss itself. He dwells within everybody.

My child, the body is short-lived but the Spirit is eternal, and the relationship with the Spirit is also eternal. However much you may try, this body cannot last always. Man suffers so much by ignorantly identifying himself with the body. Do you know the way out? The way out is to know Him. He is He is the Indwelling Spirit of all. By knowing Him, man goes beyond pain and sorrow.

The body has to die one day or another; not a single body is immortal. It is as sure as anything that this body made of the different elements will again disintegrate into them. Hence take refuge in the Lord who is the eternal Truth, the everlasting, unchanging, conscious Self of every being.

You may well avoid those things [foods] that excite the nerves too much. Food is not meant for the mere gratification of the sense of taste. It is meant for the maintenance of the body and the maintenance of the body is meant for God-realization.

This body will have to follow the natural six changes - namely, be born, exist, grow, be transformed, get worn out, and die. So, what is the sense in worrying about it?

Unless our body is kept in equilibrium, we cannot concentrate our mind on our Ishta Devata. So, we should take such food as suits our constitution.

(Swami Premananda)

Pay some special attention to the body. Regularity in bathing, eating, and so on is desirable. It is necessary to be regular about sleep.

To see the lila of the Lord in a human body is a very exalted state.

He who has received initiation has his body purified.

The root cause of all desire is the ego and our identity with the physical body.

Remember your body is not made for personal pleasure or enjoyment. It is for the purpose of spreading the devotion, knowledge, ecstasy, and rapturous revelations that were expressed through Sri Ramakrishna.

22 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna & Sivaratri

The Pynes of Kamarpukur were the devotees of both Siva and Vishnu. On the one hand, the aged master of the Pyne family used to take the name of Hari thrice a day as prescribed, and on the other, he installed Siva and observed the vow of Sivaratri every year.

At that time a dramatic performance was arranged so that it might help devotees keep vigil at night.

Once on the occasion of the Sivaratri, there was an arrangement

of dramatic performance. The troupe belonged to the neighbouring village; they were to play a few scenes indicative of Siva's greatness and the play was to begin about half an hour after dusk.

At dusk it was learnt that the boy of the troupe who was to play Siva's role was seriously ill. No one else could be found to play that

part. The proprietor gave up all hopes and proposed with humility that the performance be postponed.

What was to be done? How could the vigil be kept during the night? The elderly people sat together for consultation. They sent word to the proprietor asking him whether he could conduct the drama that night if a person could be found to play the part of Siva. A reply came in the affirmative.

The village council consulted again as to who might be asked to act as Siva. Although Gadai was young, he knew many songs of Siva and he had the appropriate looks for playing the part. So it was settled that he should be requested. As regards the speaking of a few words while playing that part, it would be managed by the proprietor somehow. Gadadhar was approached and when he saw that all were eager, he agreed. The play as arranged began about half an hour after nightfall.

Dharmadas Laha, the landlord of the village, was great friends with the Master's father. So, his eldest son Gayavishnu and the Master also became friends. When Gayavishnu came to know that his friend would act as Siva, he and his friends began to dress him accordingly.

The Master put on the dress of Siva, sat in the green-room and was thinking of Siva when he was called to appear on the stage. One of his friends came to lead him there.

Called by his friend, the Master rose and without looking in any direction, in a preoccupied state of mind, approached the stage with a sedate and slow step, and stood there motionless. The audience felt a vague indescribable divine emotion and were filled with joy and wonder when they saw the Master in that dress, bedecked with ashes and matted hair, with a calm and dignified gait and in a fixed and motionless posture. They felt particularly charmed to witness that heavenly, indrawn and fixed gaze and that gentle smile on his lips.

As the villagers are wont to do, they suddenly cried out the name of Hari. Some of the women uttered the auspicious sound of ”ulu” and some blew conchshells. Afterwards, in order to restore order in the audience, the proprietor began reciting hymns to Siva even before the noise subsided. Although the audience became a little calm, they made signs to and nudged one another whispering in low tones, “Bravo, how beautiful Gadai looks! We never thought the lad would act the part of Siva so well; it will be very good if we can secure the boy somehow and form a Yatra troupe of our own”; and so on and so forth.

But Gadadhar was all the while standing in that same posture. Moreover, incessant streams of tears were flowing down his cheeks. Some time passed this way, but Gadadhar did not speak or move. Then the proprietor and one or two elderly men of the village went to the boy and saw that his hands and feet were insensitive and that he had no external consciousness at all.

The noise then doubled. Some cried out, “Water, water. Sprinkle water over his eyes and face.” Some said, “Fan him”, some others, ”An ecstatic influence of Siva has come on him; utter His name”, while some others murmured, ”The boy has spoilt the whole amusement; it is certain that the play cannot continue now.”

At last, the audience dispersed when the boy could not be brought to consciousness by any means. Some people carried Gadadhar home on their shoulders. That ecstasy, we are told, did not come to an end that night in spite of much effort, and there was much agitation in the house. He regained normal state the next day after sunrise.'

Some say that he was in that ecstatic state continuously for three days.

23 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

BODY

(Swami Turiyananda)

If you feel that all pain and suffering are of the body, not your own, and that you are separate from the body, only then are you right.

Please know that one's own body too is included in one's `world'.

Yes, one is bound to admit that when one feels oneself as body, one must consider oneself as the servant of the Lord.

It is in the human body that the gates to Freedom open. So every man should be on his guard to make a good use of his life. Enjoyment is possible in other bodies also, but freedom is not.

Attachment to the body is the last and strongest bondage.

The great elements, egoism, intellect, and also the unmanifested, the ten senses, desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the body, consciousness, fortitude - these, briefly described, constitute the Kshetra lit., field and its modifications. The Kshetrajna, the soul alone is real, and its reality makes the Kshetra - the body, mind, etc., appear as real.

[To the question, "Is it not our duty to keep our body healthy?"]

Yes, but from the highest standpoint body itself is the great disease. We want to go beyond the idea of body and to realize that we are the Atman. It is the love for our body that stands in the way to our realization of that higher state where we can say: `I am not this body, I am the Atman, the body is an illusion.' As long as we love the body we cannot realise the Self and we shall be born again and again. But when we love the Atman then we become indifferent towards the body and when all love for the body goes, liberation will come very soon.

After all, whatever the Divine Mother wishes, that alone will be done. Let the body undergo whatever it has to undergo.

(Swami Trigunatitananda)

Such distinctions as Brahmin, Shudra, etc. belong to the body, and never to the soul. A man becomes perfect in proportion as he rises above the ideas of body, etc.

(Swami Abhedananda)

Then think of your body, remember it is the instrument of the soul. We must keep it strong and healthy and make it a useful instrument; we must master the body so that through it we can express our divine nature.

24 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

BODY

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Those who can resist the demands of the body, can afford to wage an incessant war against Maya and come out victorious. But they are very few. For the others, they can only take refuge at God's feet.

You have been worshipping this god of your body for so many lives, it is not easy to begin to worship the true God all at once. If you would raise your Self, you must crucify the body and conquer the senses.

Man is not three and a half cubits body. Desire concretised is body.

This outer body of yours is only an instrument and cannot limit you unless you give it the power. You have actually need of nothing; you are already complete. But you have forgotten it. You have thrown away the real jewel and are making much of the pebble in the street.

The body is the first tool for the practice of virtue.

When man asserts himself in man he commits all sorts of atrocities. When God asserts Himself in man he becomes good, pure and virtuous. It is true, every soul as long as it is in a body, has a little bit of selfishness. Selfishness lingers as long as the body-idea persists. If there were no selfishness there would be no body; for, when selfishness is taken away what remains is only God.

(Swami Saradananda)

As a general rule, when the body becomes weak, the mind is weakened also. A weak mind is unfit for meditation.

Unless the body and the mind are pure it is not possible to go through spiritual practices. It is the food offered to God that builds a pure body and mind . Food builds the body and the mind and the nature of the food also affects them.

(Swami Akhandananda)

`The Self cannot be attained by the weak. `Understand? A healthy, strong body alone can have healthy thoughts.

You are so careful about your body; but when you are asleep, you are not aware even if a dog passes water on you. This is all that an ordinary man is!

[To the question, "How is the condition of your body?"]

Oh, the body is the first consideration. Then comes the practice of religion and spirituality. The body must be well and fit. That is the root of the four great purposes of life, namely, performance of duties, earning of wealth, fulfilment of desire, and lastly attainment of liberation. But do you know about the unburned and burnt clay pots in a potter's house? Until the shape of a golden ornament is completed, the mould is necessary.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

The body is made up of five Bhutas the word meaning both ghosts and the constituent material elements, and as one would call on Rama to get rid of the fear of ghosts, so also one must take refuge in Rama to be saved from the lures of these elements.

Your body is built through the food you take, and if that is not clean and pure, how can you expect mental perfection?

Likewise, there have been spiritual interpretations of ratha-yatra and snana-yatra the Lord's Car Festival and the Festival of Bathing. Whoever sees God inside the chariot of the body derives the joy of the Car Festival. In the Katha Upanishad, also, it is written that the body is the chariot and the soul is the charioteer. The `Festival of Bathing' means dipping oneself in the water of noble and sacred thoughts.

There are three particular regions of the body which are good for the purpose of meditation: the heart, the spot between the eyebrows, and the nerve centre in the brain sahasrara.

25 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the birthday of Sri Ramakrishna. May Sri Ramakrishna bless us all with devotion and knowledge.)

Kshudiram’s desire to make a pilgrimage to Gaya

Time passed on and it was now A.D. 1835. Feeling once again a strong urge to go on a pilgrimage, Kshudiram decided to go to Gaya to perform rites for the satisfaction of the spirits of his forefathers. He was now sixty, still that did not prevent him from proceeding on foot to the holy abode of Vishnu.

Hriday, the son of Kshudiram’s niece Hemangini, told us of a strange event which made him undertake this journey to Gaya.

Hriday’s story regarding it

(Once, on receiving the news that his daughter Katyayani was seriously ill, Kshudiram went to Anur to see her. She was then about twenty-five years old. Watching her gestures and manner of talk, he felt convinced that she was possessed by a spirit.

Then, concentrating his mind on God he thus addressed it, “God or demigod; Whatever you be, why do you harass my daughter? Leave her at once and go your way.”

At this, the spirit got frightened and said in a pleading voice through Katyayani: “I will leave your daughter’s body immediately if you promise to offer a worship for me at Gaya and thus bring to an end my present miserable condition. I make a solemn promise that the moment you leave your home to do this, she will be free from all troubles.”

Moved by the suffering of the spirit, Kshudiram at once said: “I will go to Gaya, the abode of Vishnu, as soon as I can, and do as you wish. But it will make me very happy if I get some proof that you have actually obtained deliverance after the worship has been offered.”

The spirit replied: “I assure you that as proof of my deliverance I will break down the largest branch of yonder Nim tree, while going away.”

According to Hriday it was this incident that made Kshudiram go to Gaya. As some time afterwards, the branch of the Nim tree suddenly broke, there was no longer any doubt that the spirit had obtained deliverance. The affliction also left Katyayani.

We cannot vouch for the truth of Hriday’s story; but there is no doubt that it was about this time that Kshudiram went to Gaya.Kshudiram’s divine dream at Gaya)

Sometime during the winter of 1835, Kshudiram visited Varanasi (Banaras) and Gaya. It was the beginning of Chaitra (middle of March) when he reached Gaya after paying obeisance to Visvanatha (the Lord of the universe) at Varanasi.

He came to Gaya at this time of the year probably because he knew that the spirits of his ancestors would have immense satisfaction if worship was offered at that holy place during spring, in the month of Chaitra.

He lived there for about a month, performed all the ceremonies according to the scriptures and at last offered worship at the lotus feet of Gadadhar (Vishnu).

Because of his great faith Kshudiram experienced unspeakable peace and satisfaction on thus performing the prescribed obsequial rites in honour of his ancestors. Having fulfilled to the best of his capacity his obligation to his forefathers, he was now free from all anxiety.

When the thought came to him that the divine Lord had made it possible for an unworthy person like him to accomplish all this, his grateful heart overflowed with a feeling of humility and love such as he had never experienced before. Peace and joy were with him all that day and at night also.

Scarcely had he fallen asleep one night when he had a dream. He saw himself in the holy temple, in the act of offering worship to his forefathers, at the divine feet of Gadadhar. He even saw his ancestors in luminous celestial bodies, joyfully accepting the Pindas and blessing him. He could not control his emotion at seeing them after what seemed a very long time.

With tears in his eyes, and a heart overflowing, with devotion, he bowed down to them and touched their feet.

The very next moment he found that the temple was filled with a divine light as never seen by him before. His forefathers were standing in the temple on both sides in a reverential attitude with their hands folded, worshipping a wonderful divine Being seated happily on a beautiful throne.

He had a luminous body, green like the colour of new Durva grass. Looking at Kshudiram with benign, affectionate eyes, He beckoned him.

Hardly conscious of what he was doing Kshudiram drew near and full of devotion prostrated himself at His feet in worship, and uttered hymns in praise. Pleased by his worship that divine Being addressed him thus, in a sweet voice, “Kshudiram, your extraordinary devotion has made me very happy; I bless you and I will be born as your son and will receive your loving care.”

On hearing these words—strange even for a dream—Kshudiram’s joy knew no bounds. But the very next moment the thought struck him how being so poor, he could possibly feed and give proper shelter to such an exalted Being. This made him exceedingly sad and in a voice choked with tears, he said, “No, no, Lord, I am not worthy of such good fortune. Is it not enough that Thou hast blessed me by graciously revealing Thyself and wishing to be born as my son? If Thou wert really to be born as my son, what service can a poor man like me render?”

Hearing these words full of pathos, that celestial Being seemed to become even more gracious than before, and said, “Do not fear, Kshudiram, I will relish whatever you give me to eat. Let my desire be fulfilled.”

Kshudiram had not the heart to say “No.” Conflicting emotions like joy and sorrow assailed him with so much force that he could hardly contain himself, and lost consciousness. This broke his dream.

26 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON BONDAGE

(Swami Shivananda)

The Gita lays stress on personal effort. 'The self must be raised by the self, let no one weaken this self. For this self is the friend of oneself and this self alone is the enemy of oneself.' One has to liberate oneself from bondage, one should never be despondent.

God is the very Self of all creatures. Once you can realize him, your worldly bondage will be cut asunder forever; you will not have to undergo the round of birth and death any more.

Is Samadhi such an easy thing? When that most excellent and unequalled Parabrahman, the Supreme Reality is beheld as Self, all the bondages of the heart of the seer, such as inherited ignorance, etc., are rent asunder, all doubts get resolved and the store of accumulated Karma wears out.

(Swami Premananda)

Do you know of what this net of Maya is comprised? Sense objects, lust, gold, name, fame, ego, vanity, selfishness, and so on. With all these, Maya binds the mind of man. Come out of this net, and the mind will run straight to God. All bondage is in the mind. All freedom is also in the mind.

The Lord does his own work. You be the instrument. If the idea that `I am the doer' gets hold of a person, it will be the cause of bondage; and no permanent good ever comes out of such deeds.

Don't think of the work you do as a task at all; try to do it in an unselfish way, not seeking for the results. That will break bondage. The self-same medicine will give different results, according to the type of ingredients taken with it. Thus work is in one sense a bondage; yet if it can be done in a detached way, in a spirit of dedication to God, that same work will give you devotion and liberation. Confusion will arise and bondage results if you keep your eye on name, fame, or some other worldly objective.

Everyone is good; only the little ego is bad. Shun this and you will be freed from all bondages.

Nobody seeks any remedy until he knows he is sick. When a man feels that he is diseased, then he calls for a doctor and follows his advice. If you feel that life in the world is a terrible bondage, and that the world is an abode of misery, there will come distaste for worldly enjoyments and your love for God will increase. You will then be interested in taking the remedy, which is to think of your Chosen Ideal and to repeat his name.

To love the devotees of the Lord brings no attachment, it creates no bondage.

Attachment is bondage; yet again, attachment opens the door to liberation to one who becomes attached to God, the guru or to illumined souls.

Many people think of work as the cause of bondage, but any yoga may be the cause of bondage if it is not followed correctly.

27 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON BONDAGE

(Swami Turiyananda)

When the idea of bondage comes in the mind, then there is bondage; otherwise, who can bind you? You are always free.

Animals have no conscience, hence they have no merit or demerit. They have obviously got intelligence, but there it ends. Only men can do fresh work, because they have got a conscience. They only have got the idea of bondage, which other creatures have not.

Only when there is the idea of bondage, can there be any real effort for liberation. Don't you see how a prisoner struggles for release? It is only when there is the idea that the world is a bondage, that a man can strive for liberation. His failure to understand this takes him through the endless cycles of births and deaths.

You may love all the beings in the world and be not at all under bondage, but the moment you allow your love to be centred on any special object, you are bound. If you can get rid of these then only can you attain to peace and liberation.

Attachment to the body is the last and strongest bondage. The parental affection of monkeys is very great. The mother carries the dead body of her young one even after the flesh has dropped off and the skeleton alone is left. But even they, as all other animals, forget everything about their young ones when their own life is at stake.

The common man takes to those activities which tend to perpetuate the bond of attachment.

The individual is bound. Like a tethered cow he is free to a certain extent only, not fully. But he is emancipated if he utilizes that limited freedom in a proper way. He does not do it, but rather abuses it in various ways.

Brahman alone is real, everything else is unreal and the human soul is that Brahman. The lion shut up in a bulrush cage thinks he is caught, and escape impossible. He does not know that one blow from his mighty paw would demolish the cage and set him free. We are bound by the delusion of ignorance. Tear away the delusion and be free.

Bondage and freedom are both in the mind. Atman is beyond mind.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Even the result of a good action turns into a bondage if it is done with ego.

(Swami Abhedananda)

That you are feeling the bondage of the world and finding no peace is in itself a means of progress in the spiritual world.

(Swami Akhandananda)

A king asked a Sannyasi, `How can the bondage of worldly life be got rid of?' The Sannyasi took the king to the hall of the palace and told him, `Catch hold of the pillar' The king did as he was asked. Then the Sannyasi said `Let go the pillar' The king acted accordingly and the Sannyasi remarked, `Thus will the bondage go.'

28 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

BRAHMACHARYA

(Swami Premananda)

Brahmacharya means performing the ritualistic worship, doing japa, meditating, and studying, with faith and reverence.

For a householder to neglect his duty, for a Brahmachari to give up his vows, for a monk to be restless with passions, these are hypocrisies.

BRAHMAN

(Swami Brahmananda)

Don't you realize that sound is Brahman? Music is `sound-Brahman'. This truth is experienced, if one meditates.

What does Vedanta mean by saying that Brahman is true and the world false? That the world as we see it now is false. The world vanishes in Samadhi, but you feel that you are experiencing a great joy.

(Swami Shivananda)

That mind in which there are no mentations or desires cannot be called mind. Then there exists only an all-pervading consciousness, power, or Brahman - whatever you may call it.

When the mind becomes free from impressions and desires, it cannot strictly speaking be called mind any longer it becomes synonymous with the one Universal Intelligence, the Supreme Energy or Brahman - give it any name you please.

What are called space, time and causation in English are desha, kala and nimitta in our language. Brahman is beyond these categories.

These trees, plants, flowers, devotees, myself, and everything belong to Him. Their existence depends on His existence. Apart from Him nothing exists. He is Existence Absolute. In Him exists this manifoldness particularized by names and forms as various objects such as Hari, Rama, the sun, the moon, etc. Because He exists, these depending on Him exist. He is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute (Sat-Chit-Ananda).

(Swami Turiyananda)

Taken as a whole, it is Brahman that comes to be true. Knowledge is, so long as ignorance is. In fact, when ignorance goes away, knowledge also vanishes with it. Knowledge is simply a means to an end and not the end itself. It is Brahman alone that exists.

When we say that Brahman is Absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, we do not mean that Brahman is actually that, but that that is the nearest approximation. Brahman is not untruth; it is not ignorance; it is not misery. To explain this, Brahman is described as Absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. But, truly speaking, Brahman is beyond the reach of words and thought.

29 February 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

BRAHMAN

(Swami Adbhutananda)

[To the question by Biharilal Sarkar: "Maharaj, the scriptures say that Brahman is seated in the heart of man. What does that mean?"]

It is just a figure of speech. Words cannot really encompass the truth of Brahman, although the scriptures have tried to describe it in that way. Brahman is everywhere. There is no in or out, high or low, east or west with him. He is one, inherent in everything. He is all-pervading, limitless, eternal. Various attempts have been made to describe Brahman, but what is beyond thought cannot really be expressed in language. He is in everything and, again, is beyond everything.

The Reality is one, and that is Brahman. Brahman alone is real and everything else is unreal. Impress these thoughts again and again upon the mind, and gradually true discrimination will arise.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

God's will power is the cause of nature and God Himself is the source of His will power. It is beyond the capacity of human intelligence to ascertain the First Cause of God without the knowledge of Brahman, the self-existent, beginningless One without a second.

(Swami Saradananda)

Brahman and Brahman's power are non-different, like fire and its power of combustion. The scriptures speak of this Brahman as the Cosmic Person Virat and the power associated with Him as the Mother of the universe. That is why the presiding deity of Gayatri is sometimes spoken of as the Cosmic person, and sometimes as the Mother of the universe. That is why there is no contradiction in imagining either way.

(Swami Akhandananda)

Ascertaining the real nature of Brahman? It is like the smile of a man having naturally exposed teeth. He seems to be smiling always - even when not really smiling. Brahman is always self-evident It does not wait for anyone to ascertain It. Like the sun It is shining. Why is It not seen then? Because your eyes are blindfolded: because there is the cloud of Maya before you.

These aspects are common to all things. Everything has existence; everything expresses itself; and everything is dear to someone or other (Asti-Bhati-Priya). Existence, Consciousness and Bliss - this is Brahman.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

Brahman is like a motionless snake. Shakti is like a snake in motion and that is the kundalini.

1 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

BUDDHA

(Swami Brahmananda)

Think of Buddha. What determination he had! After years of searching he finally sat himself down under a tree, determined to realize God then and there or die in the attempt.

Like the Buddha, one should be bold. See what a mighty renunciation he had! To realize God he gave up all his royal comforts without a thought. What a severe course of discipline he underwent! Then, when in spite of everything he could not realize God, he took his bath in the sacred Nirajana, a rivulet at Buddha Gaya, and sat down with this resolve: `Let this body go; until I have attained illumination, I will not rise.' And the illumination came!

(Swami Shivananda)

Have you not read in the life of Buddha what kind of terrors Buddha himself was faced with in the form of Mara? But Buddha remained in his seat with unflinching determination and he made the resolve: `May my body shrivel up on this very seat; may my skin, bones and flesh be reduced to nothing; but my body shall not move away from here without attaining that enlightenment which seldom comes to a man during innumerable births. What a strong resolution it was! At long last Mother became propitious. She opened the door of nirvana, and Buddha had his wish fulfilled. He became Buddha, the enlightened One.

(Swami Premananda)

In his own life, Buddha exemplified dispassion. He asked for nothing for himself, not even liberation. All his struggles were for the good of mankind. Out of dispassion springs knowledge.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Those who believe that Buddha was an atheist are very wrong. His silence about God or Soul was that of a mystic. He was a Jnani and taught the Aryan faith. His religion can certainly lead an aspirant to God-vision. So we Hindus worship him as an Incarnation of God.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

From Buddha's life and discourses, we find that action follows thought; as you think, so you act.

2 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

[To the question: "Maharaj, we do not see God. How can we love Him without seeing him? How can we love a Being who is unseen and whose very existence is doubtful?"]

Act according to the instructions of the Guru. If you can strictly follow what the Guru has prescribed for the realization of God, everything will be smooth at last.

[To the question: "Do Pranayama, Asana, etc. help to remove the tendencies of the mind?]"

Nothing particular can be achieved through them. One may derive some benefit. The more you will love God, the more will the mind come under your control.

(By Swami Akhandananda)

The more you can think of others as yourself, the more loving your heart becomes, and the more is Self-knowledge revealed.

Without heart, everything else counts for nought. Unless the heart expands, nothing else will avail. Merely to continue sitting with the eyes shut will produce no fruit, it will not bring about God-realization. One's heart must feel for others; one must identify oneself with the happiness and sorrows of others; then only will God be realized.

Learn to love Him, call on Him earnestly with the love of a lover. You have none other. Just think, 'He alone exists, He has become all.'

The Master would ask us, 'Did you call on Him with tears today?' If we answered 'yes', he would be very pleased. Again he would ask, 'From which corner-outer or inner - of the eyes did the tears trickle down?' And then he would proceed to explain that tears coming from the corners near the nose are tears of repentance and those from the outer eyes are tears of love.

Another day I was thinking: I love them (the orphans in the ashrama) so much, yet they leave me and go away as if they cared nothing for me. They do not look back even once. They have no affection for me!' But then the Master made it clear to me: 'No other affection can touch you. You care for them encircled by the light of my love. Can worldly love and affection touch you in any way?' Then I understood everything and the mind became calm and I came to the conclusion that it matters little whether they remain or go. We shall have to get along with each other for the destined number of days.

By serving, the heart is purified; by serving, the heart expands; by such service one can see oneself in all. This self-realization alone brings in the love for all. Nowadays even a schoolboy talks of universal love. Mark here, universal love comes only after knowledge of the Self.

After self-realization, you will see that everything is good. Then you can really love all.

(By Swami Vijnanananda)

Thirdly, God is love. As He loves everyone, so should we love all created beings.

The function of the heart is love and devotion, and that of the brain is to discriminate between good and bad. This love and this discrimination have to be combined for the purpose of God-realization.

As you think, so you act. As thoughts of love help in expanding the self, so do thoughts of anger and jealousy lead to its contraction.

3 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CAREFULNESS

(Swami Turiyananda)

There was a hunter who had been walking all day in the forest but had not been able to get any quarry. Dejected and tired he rested under a tree. His hunting companion, a hawk, was sitting dose beside him. The hunter was very thirsty but no water could be found.

Then he noticed that water was slowly dropping down from the tree. Delighted, he put down his cup to catch the precious water. Dip, dip, it fell down into the cup, drop by drop At last the cup was filled and greedily the hunter stretched out his hand to take it. But just before his hand reached the cup, the hawk with a swift movement upset it. The water was lost.

The hunter terribly annoyed scolded the hawk and replaced the cup. Again the cup was slowly filling up and when it was filled, the hunter, happy to get a drink of fresh water at last, once more stretched out his hand to take it. But the hawk upset the cup as before.

The hunter was now beside himself with rage and he killed his hawk with one terrible blow. He placed the cup again, certain of getting water this time.

And while he was waiting for the cup to fill up he looked up to see where the water came from. And what did he see? A large snake was hanging down from a branch high up in the tree. Its mouth was wide open and from its mouth drop by drop poison was falling into the cup. This was what he had taken to be water. The hawk had twice saved his life. And he had killed her. With unspeakable regret the hunter buried his old friend who had served him many years and at last had saved his life. So you see, do not throw away what may be your best friend. Consider carefully.

CHANTING.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

You recite `Ram, Ram' the name of Rama. Do you know what `rum' is? It is an intoxicating drink. You cannot know what it is like unless you drink it. You cannot know the glory of God's name unless you chant it.

03/03/2020, 16:14 - +91 83750 79936 changed to +91 83682 06659

03/03/2020, 17:49 - +91 83682 06659 changed to +91 83750 79936

4 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CHARITY

(Swami Brahmananda)

Do you think that there is any fixed catalogued price of so much austerity, so much japam, so much charity, etc., for God-realization? None can force realization of Him! But, if you don't keep up a regular spiritual struggle, you will not be able to hold It when It comes.

(Swami Shivananda)

Every man should do some selfless deed. All, by nature work, to support themselves and their families. By something good I mean activity done without any attachment. If you can help a poor man by giving him food, or educate a needy boy by providing his board and lodging according to your means, that will be sufficient. In cases that are beyond your means you can engage in such good deeds in cooperation with friends of yours. Many activities of this nature you will find close at hand. If you wish to do them, you can easily do so.

With the practice of meditation peace of mind will grow, and then alone will you be in a position to undertake humanitarian activities in the right spirit. Meditation on God will obliterate the ego, and He will then be all in all. Only when your mind reaches this state, will you be able to do genuine philanthropic work.

(Swami Premananda)

If God, the dispenser of the universe, is not generous, people's wants can never be satisfied by man's charity alone.

(Swami Turiyananda)

What will it avail if one makes charity with money stolen from others? To live long on the charity of others is as good as death. It is useless for a slanderer to repeat the name of God. This is why Jesus said, `Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar; and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift.

We are all in the world, and where can we go, leaving it aside? But doing good to the world is not an end in itself. The world will remain as it is. As Sri Ramakrishna used to say, it is but a dog's tail, which won't straighten up. In trying to help the world, you help yourself you realize your Freedom.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

If the desire to do charitable works arises in the mind of a rich man, it shows that his heart has started to feel for the poor God tests a man by making him wealthy, and that is a hard test to pass. Tests devised by men are easy to pass, but divine tests are very difficult. God may give plenty of riches to one man, but so delude him by Maya that he will never in his life desire to be charitable. Again, God may give a generous heart to another person, but not give him much money. Blessed indeed are they who are rich and yet feel for the poor.

Control lust and greed. Practice japam and be charitable. If you can do this, you will find the Lord showering his grace upon you.

To do good to others is, after all, only a social activity; it has nothing to do with God-realization. Moreover, philanthropic works may bring good to others, but what about you? Can you explain to me what benefit working for others will bring you?

Every action brings a corresponding result. A man will get social merit through his philanthropic activities, but if his ego is involved in those activities, he will not get any spiritual merit. Even the result of a good action turns into a bondage if it is done with ego.

5 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CHASTITY

(Swami Brahmananda)

Look, if a person practices chastity properly, he can do the work of twenty-five men. Work never tires him out. He no longer requires so much sleep; four or five hours are plenty - more sleep is a disease.

(Swami Turiyananda)

If the youth are convinced of the utility of chastity and the evils of its opposite, they may afterwards marry and turn out decent citizens. Those who are spiritually bent are free from temptation, for chastity is the bed-rock of spirituality. Unless one is chaste, the mind is never steady. The best element in our body is preserved by chastity. If there is no chastity the mind becomes unsteady. Then the image of the Chosen Deity, Ishta, is no more clearly reflected in it.

Through the power of Ojas the knowledge of Brahman unfolds itself. The knowledge already exists, we have only to unfold it. If you can maintain your chastity for twelve years, the mind gets steady, with the result that the knowledge unfolds itself.

(Swami Saradananda)

Of all disciplines chastity is the foremost. It is fundamental; all other disciplines will follow naturally if one practices this primary virtue.

CHILDREN

(Swami Shivananda)

[To the question: "Maharaj, please bless our child so that he may become good and upright."]

You yourself should first try to be good and upright. Then the child will be good and upright.

(Swami Turiyananda)

Can one give up the householder's life though it is no more appealing, when there are wife and children? What then will be their fate? It is selfishness, pure and simple. To be in the world and maintain the family, to fulfil one's duties this also is certainly religion.

It won't be good for you to leave the world. You have got children; go on doing your duty by them - do it unselfishly. To say that you are renouncing the world with the object of calling upon God, would be utterly false. Of course one should devote time to spiritual practices, and this is the time.

6 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

COMPANY OF THE HOLY

(Swami Brahmananda)

The holy company you keep, the spiritual talk you hear all make an impression on your mind. A bumble-bee hiding in a fragrant flower offered in the worship touches the feet of the Lord. Similarly, by the grace and association of a holy man, one surpasses even the gods and attains liberation.

Once the mind tastes sweetness in the thought of God there is nothing to fear. Seek the association of the holy so that you may acquire that taste.

Keep association with the holy. Go to one who knows the path, learn about the path, and walk on the path. Then alone you will reach your destination someday. Then alone will arise faith and devotion.

If one can really surrender oneself to God, then everything becomes easy; but it is not so easy to do this. Without divine grace it is not possible to take refuge in God. And in order to feel this grace one must associate with holy men, read sacred books, and pray earnestly.

You have seen a holy man, you have bowed to him, you have touched his feet. What more questions can there be?

Practice continence, japam, and meditation, and seek the company of the holy.

Not all men know what is best for them; therefore they should seek the society of holy men. Unless a man spends some time in solitude or in the company of the holy, he cannot understand his own mind. It is very difficult to grow spiritually in the midst of tumult and confusion.

Do you know why you should seek the society of holy men? Their experiences are a great help to a spiritual aspirant. When you visit a strange place, if you have the help of a reliable guide you will quickly see all that is worth seeing there; also he will save you from the dangers and difficulties into which a stranger is likely to fall. Similarly, from the company of advanced souls you will gather many valuable hints, and your efforts will be simplified.

[To the question: `Maharaj, how does devotion to God grow?"]

Keep the company of the holy; listen to their teachings and mould your life after their pattern. But without continence and the practice of meditation you cannot grasp the spirit of the enlightened ones; nor can you understand the scriptures. Blessed is he who finds association with an enlightened soul.

No! Merely to keep the company of the holy is not enough. You must open your heart and ask them to solve your doubts. You must carefully observe their lives and imitate their example. It is a lazy man's attitude to think that all one need do is to associate with the holy. Needless to say, association is also very important. For in their company doubts are removed and pure thoughts are awakened. No scriptures or books can create such pure impressions or transform a man's life as much as contact with an enlightened soul.

True solitude lies beyond the mind and intellect. Therefore, it is better for a beginner to live in the company of holy men.

When your mind becomes purified by the influence of holy men and when you practice spiritual disciplines, yearning for God will grow. One benefit of the society of holy men is that you can observe their character. You cannot be as impressed by reading books as by observing holy men.

7 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

COMPANY OF THE HOLY

(Swami Shivananda)

Come to the monastery now and then. Many monks live here; you should associate with them. Even the sight of holy men generates thoughts about God in one's heart.

And then, there is such a thing as the companionship of the good; it saves men. It is absolutely necessary to live in the company of holy men.

You may associate with holy men and study the scriptures; but unless you practise spiritual disciplines, nothing will avail.

As far as possible keep holy company, avoiding the association of worldly people.

Look here, the Lord Himself says that holy association is unique - without any parallel. On account of holy association one attains the most covetable state of desirelessness. It destroys attachments at their very roots and brings one very close to God. How much spiritual discipline can man perform with his limited capacity?

Holy company is so effective that it generates love of God. Who is genuinely holy? Only he in whose heart is installed the Lord. One is blessed with the company and grace of a truly holy man as a result of good deeds performed in many lives. Holy association can change the course of one's entire life and bring about results that last for a very long time.

We know it from our own experience. For instance, we would spend an hour or two with the Master - sometimes there would be very little talk or exchange of words. The effect of his association lasted for days. We remained in a state of spiritual intoxication, as it were, absorbed in the thought of God. One is bound to have one's spiritual impulses roused if one comes in contact with an illumined soul.

How do we know whether a person has truly realized God or not? Herein is the test: the presence of a man of God will evoke spiritual thoughts and emotions.

In the Vaishnava literature there is a beautiful passage the import of which is: `Know him to be a man of God - the foremost of devotees - by meeting whom one spontaneously feels like repeating the name of the Lord.' Just as one approaching fire feels the heat, in the same way one is filled with the thoughts of God by meeting a man of God. Just as the insect finds itself lodged upon the altar because of its association with flowers, similarly the company of the holy one redeems sinners.

It is not that in this world one needs holy company only in adversity, trial and tribulation; those who are in affluent circumstances, brought up in the lap of luxury, need holy company all the more. Even such people, infatuated by sense pleasures, may lose their interest in the so called evanescent things of this world, if they luckily happen to be in holy company. As a result, they too may be directed towards God and be finally blessed by attaining Him, the source of abiding joy.

But the most essential thing at the start is the company of holy men who have themselves made sufficient progress in this direction.

You must always bear in mind the most essential things that will enable you to realise God, viz., spending your time in the company of men who have realized God or are in the right track in that direction. Along with it study of the lives of great Bhaktas, and above all, Abhyasa, constant practice and Vairagya, non-attachment to thoughts other than those of your Ishta Devata will advance spiritual progress.

8 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

COMPANY OF THE HOLY

(Swami Premananda)

God Himself blesses one with the power of meditation who thinks of Him. He it is, again who ordains holy company, pure mind, and sound intellect.

Through His grace man finds holy association, his mind becomes purified and he becomes endowed with right understanding.

Be like the fish playing happily in the ocean and not like the fish in the narrow ditch. Let your consciousness expand into the infinite and limitless. Live in the society of the holy, chant the Lord's name, and go beyond all limits.

What do you understand of holy association? You have to watch their lives, see their purity, their devotion, love and compassion, and imitate these things in your own lives.

By imitating the holy, devotion increases and the heart becomes purified. The association of the holy is the only remedy for worldliness, for a holy man is the living manifestation of God.

Craving for sense objects is like the green algae that obscures the clear water of a pond; association of the holy is like the stick used to remove it, that the water may shine through.

(Swami Turiyananda)

To make oneself fit, association with monks and occasional retirement into solitude are necessary.

With whatever evil tendencies one may come, one is sure to improve in holy company. As when you go to an perfume shop, the scent will enter your nostrils, whether you want it or not. Well, people are not often inclined to associate with holy persons, and few have the capacity to do so.

Sri Ramakrishna would be talking and the devotees listening, but their companions would whisper, `Well, let us go, how long will you be listening?'

Holy association is bound to produce good effects, for life alone can communicate life. Nothing but a round body can give a round shadow. Life can give much more than writing can.

Association is the root cause of everything. `From association grows attachment,' says the Gita. There is a saying: `Tell me what company he keeps and I will tell you what he is.'

Association with holy people purifies the mind. But they must be really holy men. The outward garb alone does not make a man holy. He is really a holy man, who has made God his own.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

If you always think of a holy person, you will become holy and pure; if you think of a thief, you will become a thief. Pure character is formed by close association with the holy.

Real yearning for God is the result of associating with the holy, and a person gets the opportunity for holy company only as a result of many good actions. At first it is hard to realize the value of holy company, but one eventually comes to understand its effect.

This wicked mind cannot rest for a second. It is on a run in all directions. One must keep a vigilant watch over its workings, over where it goes. For this the company of holy men is very important, and prayer and meditation.

9 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

COMPANY OF THE HOLY

(Swami Abhedananda)

Bad thoughts gain strength by association. Hence, associate with the good and give up evil company.

(Swami Saradananda)

Instead of sitting idly, waiting for an illumined soul to become your guru, make an effort to do these three things which are necessary for spiritual life: contemplate God, study the scriptures, and associate with the holy.

(Swami Akhandananda)

Faith and conviction of mind will grow according to your surroundings. That is why the company of holy men, Sadhu sanga, is necessary. Sadhus always feel: Brahman alone is real and all else unreal.

The company of Sadhus is very necessary. We have sought to come in contact with Sadhus wherever possible. Without Sadhu sanga, holy company, how can any good come to you?

Swamiji used to say: From Sadhu sanga come the words of God - discussion about God incarnate and His life and divine sports - His teachings; from Sadhu sanga comes the feeling of compassion, that is, love and consideration for all; similarly comes the feeling of humility, that God is so great and I am so little. Lastly comes the spirit of doing good to others; but the source of all is Sadhu sanga. It is from Sadhu sanga that the first spiritual awakening takes place.

In the worldly life, people are all absorbed in the desire for enjoyment. How will this desire be burnt? Some heat is necessary first to dry up the mind soaked with thoughts of enjoyment. Sadhus give you that heat.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

It is a fact that the company of holy men makes the heart pure forever. It is said that the sage Durvasa once went to visit hell where condemned souls were suffering all sorts of tortures as punishment for their sins. As soon as the sage made his appearance there, they were relieved of their agonies and began to sing the glories of God. Hell seemed to have been transformed into heaven; the reason was that the sage's purity of life had such innate power in it as to deliver those tortured souls from their sins, and save them from the agonies of hell. People very often are saved if they live in the proximity of spiritually developed souls.

Once, on a Dussera day, we were staying with Swamiji in Nilambar Mukherji's garden-house at Belur. It was the monastery then. Swamiji was in those days on a very high spiritual plane. That day when I touched his feet in obeisance, I received a strong shock like that of electricity. Anyone going near such persons would feel as if a spiritual zone had been created round about them. Whosoever entered that zone could feel as if an electric force was entering into him from outside. He would have that experience immediately.

Great souls, wherever they are, create a spiritual zone around them; and anybody corning within that zone realizes something like an electric current passing into him. It is a very strange phenomenon impossible to explain, unless one has experienced it oneself.

Swami Brahmananda also was a reservoir of spiritual power. One day, when he was sitting in deep meditation, his body had become stiff. I was sitting close to him and felt my nerves also getting stiff and taut. This is a wonderful play of energy, one's power involuntarily acting on another.

09/03/2020, 09:24 - Bhujangarao Rupa changed their phone number to a new number. Tap to message or add the new number.

10 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON CONCENTRATION

(Swami Brahmananda)

Initiation into a Mantra helps concentration of mind, otherwise your mind will change and fluctuate; today you will like the Kali-form, tomorrow the Hari-form, and next day perhaps the formless aspect of God. And thus your mind will not be concentrated on any one.

In order to have meditation and concentration, you must practise in solitude; the more you will try, the more you will achieve.

With the aid of a mantram it is easier to practice concentration of the mind on one Chosen Ideal of God. Without the mantram the mind wanders from one conception of God to another, and never succeeds in concentrating upon any. And without achieving perfect concentration nothing can be accomplished in the spiritual life. Therefore the aid of a guru is very necessary. He helps the disciple to choose his own particular Ideal, according to his temperament, and then gives the mantram best suited to the attainment of concentration on that Ideal.

The taste for spiritual life cannot be had all at once. No! One has to struggle hard for it. All our energies must be concentrated toward that one achievement; they must not be wasted in any other direction.

Concentrate the whole mind and direct it toward God until he becomes revealed.

Learn to perform all duties, great or small, with a concentrated mind. He who can concentrate his mind in action can also concentrate when practicing meditation.

All mental, physical, and spiritual energies must be concentrated. Then only can you reach God.

Through gradual practice the mind has to be concentrated upon God. Keep a sharp eye on the mind and see that no undesirable thoughts or distractions enter in. Whenever they try to crowd in, turn the mind toward God and pray earnestly. Through such practice the mind is brought under control and becomes purified.

Before you begin your meditation, read devotional scriptures. This will help you to concentrate the mind on God.

Wake up early in the morning. Wash yourself and choose a firm seat. Command your mind in this way. `Mind, keep still! Let no distractions enter!' With the strength of the intelligent will keep the mind under control. Soon it will become concentrated. Then no distractions will arise.

Is it easy to meditate? If you happen to eat a little too much, you cannot concentrate your mind.

Practice is the means of concentrating the mind.

(Swami Shivananda)

The best form of japa is to repeat the Lord's name mentally. When one repeats the name over the rosary or on the fingers one keeps track of the number of times to a certain extent and cannot give undivided attention to the japa. It stands in the way of concentration.

It is a bit difficult to have concentration in the initial stages. Meditation becomes more natural when one gets real love for God as a result of His grace and one's constant prayer and japa.

It is good to have a fixed seat for one's meditation and japa, for that creates an atmosphere and helps the mind to become concentrated quickly.

Unless our body is kept in equilibrium, we cannot concentrate our mind on our Ishta Devata.

11 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON CONCENTRATION

(Swami Premananda)

Soon you will be blessed with concentration of mind, you need have no anxiety on that score. God Himself blesses one with the power of meditation who thinks of Him.

Through God's grace, when your mind becomes concentrated, Samadhi is attained.

In the world the mind is scattered on Various things, on Kama, lust and, Kanchana, gold. It is the function of Avidya, ignorance not to allow the mind to be concentrated. But our task is to concentrate it. Spiritual discipline is nothing but the bringing together of the scattered mind.

(Swami Turiyananda)

There are several obstructions to concentration: Laya, Vikshepa, Kashaya, Rasavada. Laya is the mind being overcome by Tamas inertia - the mind falls asleep and loses consciousness. Most aspirants are held down by Laya. Vikshepa is the scattering of the mind on multifarious objects. Kashaya is finding meditation distasteful - one feels disinclined to meditate. But one must still persist. Rasavada is the mind being fascinated by the vision of divine forms and refusing to ascend higher.

One may have any amount of Samadhi and Dhyana, spiritual concentration and meditation, but one must never forget to love Him.

If there is concentration on any single object, there the idea of God manifests itself. Lust, anger, fear, affection - any of these may bring about concentration. Lust as in the case of the Gopis; anger - as with Kamsa; fear - as in the case of Shishupala; affection - as with Mother Yasoda; and so on.

Lust, anger, fear, affection, amity, and friendship - those who always cherish any of these feelings towards God, assuredly attain Him. But can such things happen unless the mind is absolutely pure? Never think of it!

The author of the Yoga-Sutras says, `By carefully persisting in practice, for long and without intermission, the concentration becomes steady.' We must attain to a steady concentration. The young plant needs to be hedged round, but when the tree is big, it requires protection no more.

Nothing drops from the skies all of a sudden. Why don't all have concentration? Because they don't fulfil the conditions necessary for it, viz. absolute continence. This is known as strength. What can you expect of one who lacks this strength? .

One can explain a thing if only one has a clear grasp of it, which is the outcome of concentration. By concentrating on a subject, its inner secrets are revealed.

The mind can be concentrated in many ways, through meditation, singing, reading, etc.

If you can't give proper attention to little things, how are you going to concentrate on great matters? Remember, a person may be drawn to the absolute Brahman, but he can still keep his attention on detail!

Because you are able to control your mind and concentrate, success comes to you. In the same manner, if one can call on God with all one's mind and with all one's heart, one will surely realize him. Just as you are giving your entire attention to your work as a physician, give it to God. You will see the results: you will get his vision at once.

The Master used to say, One should turn the corner! That is to say, one should canalize the same energy in a different direction. Take your mind from your profession of doctoring, and call on the Lord. That is extreme dispassion. In your mundane work you enjoy success. If you can turn your mental current to another plane, you will attain success there in the same way. Surely you will reach your goal.

12 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON CONCENTRATION

(Swami Adbhutananda)

One must concentrate on God. If you cannot concentrate sufficiently on your studies, how can you expect to be able to call on God?

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

The first personal pronoun is at the root of all our miseries. Hence our primary duty should be to get rid of it somehow or other. This can be done by the service of the great, by good works without caring for results, by concentration or discrimination.

(Swami Saradananda)

Repeat the mantra with unwavering devotion. Seed has been sown. Now you must water it with unfailing faith. You may use your beads as a help in concentration. The need for not letting the beads `go hungry', is for the purpose of getting into the habit and lessening the distraction of the mind while counting them. All this is necessary to create yearning for God.

What is known as the destruction of the mind in Vedantic literature is not a state of vacuum. It is a state of deep concentration. The mind is to be made absolutely one-pointed through meditation on God.

Perfect peace will not come until the mind is fully concentrated.

You have written that at the time of meditation you find it difficult to think of the lotus. While meditating on your Chosen Ideal if you are able to visualize the form, it does not matter whether you visualize the lotus or not. Again, if you cannot bring before your vision the luminous form of your guru, think of him as you have seen him with your eyes. All these devices have been prescribed in the scriptures only as aids to the concentration of the mind.

It is only a strong person with sufficient will power who can concentrate and fix his mind on God.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

The greatest need is to concentrate on Him when we are dying.

The best time for meditation is midnight. You can then achieve results very soon. Nature is in a quiet mood then and the concentration is easier.

Every day you should regularly practise meditation. That helps you to concentrate your mind.

One should try to help others as far as possible, but without beating one's drum. For the rest of the time, one should be all by oneself. In this way concentration of mind will be gradually achieved.

Everybody complains that he cannot concentrate his mind on God, because it is assailed by all sorts of thoughts. why not put up a `No admittance" notice and refuse to let those thoughts crowd into the mind?

Don't give up japa and meditation simply because you cannot concentrate your mind properly.

My only advice to you all is to forsake idleness. An idle brain is the devil's workshop. You must do everything with concentration and diligence.

13 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the Jayanti of Swami Yogananda. May he bless us all)

At the time when Shri Ramakrishna was attracting devotees—old and young—to the temple-garden at Dakshineswar, a young man in his teens, belonging to a neighbouring family, used to visit the garden of Rani Rasmani. He had read of Shri Ramakrishna in the literature of the Brahmo Samaj; but his aristocracy and rural prejudice stood in the way of any personal acquaintance. One day he had a desire for a flower. A man was passing by. The boy took him for a gardener and asked him to pluck the flower for him. The man obliged. Another day the boy saw many people seated in a room in front of that gardener and listening to his discourse. Was this then the Ramakrishna of whom Keshab wrote so eloquently?

The name of the boy was Yogindra Nath Chaudhury. The Master was delighted to know that the boy was the son of Nabin Chandra Chaudhury, his old acquaintance. The Chaudhurys were once very aristocratic and prosperous, but Yogin's parents had become poor. His father was a very orthodox Brahmin and performed many religious festivals. Shri Ramakrishna, during the period of his spiritual striving, had sometimes attended these festivals, and was thus known to the family.

Yogin was born in the year 1861. From his boyhood he was of a contemplative temperament. Even while at play with his companions, he would suddenly grow pensive, stop play and look listlessly at the azure sky. He would feel that he did not belong to this earth, that he had come from somewhere in some other plane of existence and that those who were near about him were not really his kith and kin.

Yogin was about sixteen or seventeen when he met Shri Ramakrishna for the first time. Yogin was very soft-natured. It was difficult for him to hurt even an insect. But sometimes too much gentleness becomes a source of trouble rather than a virtue. Shri Ramakrishna noticed this unreasonable softness in the character of Yogin, and he wanted to set this right. He once noticed that there were some cockroaches in his bundle of clothes and asked Yogin to take the bundle outside the room and kill them. Yogin took the clothes outside the room. But as he was too gentle to kill the insects, he simply threw them away, hoping that the Master would not follow up the matter. But strangely enough he did inquire whether the cockroaches had been killed. When the answer was in the negative, Shri Ramakrishna gave him a mild reproof, for not obeying his words in toto.

A similar incident happened on another day. Yogin was going from Calcutta to Dakshineswar by a country boat in which there were other passengers as well. One of them began to criticise Shri Ramakrishna as being a hypocrite and so on. Yogin felt hurt at such remarks, but did not utter even a word of protest. The Master needed no defence from Yogin: he was big enough to be above the reach of any cynicism of fools—Yogin thought. When after coming to Dakshineswar he narrated the incident to Shri Ramakrishna, thinking that the Master would approve of his goodness in not opposing the passengers. The reaction was just the opposite. He took him to task for pocketing the blasphemy heaped upon the Guru. “A disciple should never hear criticisms hurled against his Guru”, said he. “If he cannot protest, he should leave the spot forthwith.”

Once Yogin went to the market to make some purchases for the Master. The cunning shopkeeper feigned to be very religious-minded and Yogin took him to be such. But when he returned to Dakshineswar, he found that the shopkeeper had cheated him. This called for a sharp rebuke from the Master. “A man may aspire to be religious; but that is no reason why he should be a fool”, said Shri Ramakrishna by way of correcting him.

Though Yogin trusted a man easily and had the simplicity of a child, he was not a simpleton. Rather he had a keen discriminating mind and was critical in his outlook. But his critical attitude once led him into a quandary. One night he slept in the same room with the Master, but when he woke up in the dead of night he missed him and saw that the door was open.

At first he felt curious, then he became suspicious as to where he could have gone at such an unearthly hour. He came outside, but Shri Ramakrishna could not be seen. Did he then go to his wife who was staying at the concert-house just opposite?—Yogin thought. Then Shri Ramakrishna was not what he himself professed to be!

Yogin wanted to probe into the mystery, and stood near the concert-house to see if he came out of the room. After some time Shri Ramakrishna came from the Panchavati side and was surprised to see Yogin standing near the concert-house. Yogin was stupefied and felt ashamed of himself for his suspicion. A more sinful act could, never be conceived of to suspect even in thought the purity of a saint like Shri Ramakrishna!

The Master understood the whole situation and said encouragingly, “Yes, one should observe a Sadhu by day as well as at night.” With these words he returned to his room, followed mutely by Yogin.

14 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTEMPLATION

(Swami Brahmananda)

The way of steadying and purifying the mind is to retire into solitude, control all cravings, and engage yourself in contemplation and meditation. The more you occupy the mind with holy thoughts, the greater will be your spiritual unfoldment.

Yes, you must work. But I insist that you devote yourselves to spiritual practices and meditation. Even though I may not ask you to work, your nature will force you to work. It is difficult to engage the mind in contemplation of God; but you are monks, therefore work must not be the sole purpose of your lives.

It is good to rise early in the morning. The time best suited for contemplation is when night passes into day, and day passes into night. It is then that the sushumna becomes active, and one breathes through both nostrils.

As a general rule, we breathe through only one nostril at a time. This causes restlessness of the mind. Spiritual aspirants should observe when they are breathing through both nostrils; the sushumna is active then. Those times are the most helpful to contemplation, and we should take advantage of them.

You must spend your time in worship of God, in service to holy men, and in contemplation. This is the only way to mould your character.

The most suitable hours for prayer and contemplation are those at the junction of day and night, and at midnight. Daytime has many distractions. At night, nature takes on a quiet aspect, so that night-time is best for the practice of contemplation.

The more you devote yourself to the contemplation of God, the more fruitful your life will become.

Lose yourself day and night in his contemplation, in singing his praises and glory; only then will you be blessed with his vision.

[To the question: "Isn't it difficult to live a purely contemplative life?"]

Do not give up because it seems hard. Try again and again. Through practice it becomes easy.

15 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTEMPLATION.

(Swami Shivananda)

Practise constant recollection and contemplation of God. One has to form the habit. Remember and think of Him continually, while walking, eating, lying down and even when you are actively busy. Let it be as if an undercurrent is all the time flowing. If you practise in this manner for a while, remembrance and contemplation of Him will soon become established within you; you will be repeating His name even while asleep.

(Swami Abhedananda)

Repeat the great truth: `I am Brahman', and contemplate on the soul which is the witness, the inspirer, the absolute, the one without any attribute.

(Swami Saradananda)

You must dwell on God uninterruptedly and be absorbed in the contemplation of His true nature.

When the mind is idle, all kinds of negative thoughts arise and create trouble. There is an old saying that an idle brain is the devil's workshop. It is true. The mind abhors a vacuum. It needs to be filled. However, it is necessary to devote some time to silence and contemplation.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

Contemplation on Him should enable us to gain lordliness over our passions and become masters of our souls.

A question that arises in my mind is, where shall we be after giving up this mortal frame? I asked Mahapurush Maharaj who told me that we would be in the Ramakrishna world where we would be keeping company with the Master. But I have decided not to go anywhere. To contemplate on the Master all the time and not to forget him even for an instant is to be in his company. That is Ramakrishna world - to think of him all the time with heart and soul, never losing him even for a moment.

16 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTENTMENT

(Swami Brahmananda)

Contentment with the external conditions, yes, but never be contented with your state of spiritual growth. Become dissatisfied. Try to move ever onward in your search. Do not stop until you have found the diamond mine!

Like a fallen leaf tossed to and fro by the wind, the one-pointed man is content to remain wherever the Lord places him. He has no will or desire of his own. He can live in the world and at the same time dive into the ocean of knowledge and bliss.

(Swami Shivananda)

There's no contentment in the non-Self; true contentment comes from knowledge of the Self. And one has to seek that contentment within oneself. Peace is within, it is not outside.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Contentment is an obstacle to spiritual progress.

It is true, people do practice Sadhana to find peace. But if the aspirant forgets God after finding some peace, how can he make any further progress? If there is no dissatisfaction, longing for God does not come.

The door to the spiritual path does not open unless the aspirant is filled with peace externally and internally. But once the door to the spiritual realm opens, discontentment again begins. However, this is a mysterious kind of discontentment which I cannot explain to you. In this state the aspirant can neither sit idle nor can he progress quickly.

Spiritual disciplines and austerity are necessary to understand this.

Be satisfied with whatever you need for your daily living and don't desire more. Too many worldly belongings displace the thought of the Reality from the mind.

Believers remain satisfied. They depend on the Lord and enjoy contentment. One should avoid the company of the non-believer. They themselves suffer and pass on their discontent to others.

(Swami Abhedananda)

Unless one has inner peace and contentment, one will find restlessness and suffering wherever one goes.

17 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTENTMENT

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Do not be content with the little things of this world. This Universe is like a baby's toy. Throw it away. Claim your eternal heritage. This little span of life is not yours; your life has no beginning, no end.

You want me to advise you how to get rid of the entanglements of this world, in answer to which let me remind you that what has been brought about by myriads of births cannot be done away with in a day.

Yes. You are right. We should escape the snare of samsara even from this moment. For, who knows when death will snatch us away from the loving embrace of our family; but that does not mean we should make a sudden resolution in the course of our lives. The best way to success is to remain pleased in whatever state Sri Ramakrishna has been pleased to place you, keeping your mind always turned toward Him, as a child always turns towards his parent for help. Stay peacefully where the Lord has been pleased to keep you. Read and ponder upon the sayings of Sri Ramakrishna.

Be contented with whatever comes to you knowing that all things proceed from Sri Krishna directly. Do not forget to pray to Him incessantly. Always confide yourselves to His care. Be calm and serene.

Contentment is the only watchword that can ensure us a safe passage through adverse circumstances. God is good, God does all. Therefore, He can do nothing but good. This is what all religions teach; abide by it and peace of mind will naturally follow.

(Swami Saradananda)

The Lord is making you His own. He will not allow even the slightest ego to remain within you. The sufferings and difficulties you are undergoing are intended to make you realize that you have no independent will of your own. It is all given over to the Lord. Therefore, be contented with what He does and wherever He keeps you.

Never be contented until the goal is reached.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

One should not ask for anything from God, but remain satisfied with whatever He is pleased to give. Real welfare lies in using things properly, wrong use of things brings misfortune.

You should be satisfied with whatever you can secure to keeping the body fit, and then, go on working selflessly for God.

There is a Hindi couplet which says that jewels, elephants, and houses, indeed, all wealth is just valueless compared to contentment.

You cannot have contentment so long as you are subject to worldly desires. Once they disappear, you are free.

Purity, Truthfulness, and honesty should make the cornerstone of your life. And there should be faith. With these a man will have contentment in life, whatever circumstances he may happen to be in. Contentment in all circumstances is the mark of religious life.

18 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTINENCE

(Swami Brahmananda)

[To the question: "Is it ever possible to attain Samadhi after a short time?"]

Yes, if a man has lived an absolutely continent life. Make your mind strong through the observance of continence and the practice of meditation.

Great strength can be acquired through the practice of continence. A true celibate can do the work of twenty-five men. Practice continence, japam, and meditation, and seek the company of the holy.

Perfect continence is the sole condition of success in spiritual life, but it is difficult, even impossible, to practice absolute purity without love and faith in God.

The world is full of temptations which arouse passions; every day you will see ninety-nine percent of the people rushing in mad pursuit after sensual pleasures. Your mind is in constant danger of becoming contaminated; therefore, you must engage your mind in thinking good thoughts, studying good books, and discussing uplifting subjects. You must spend your time in worship of God, in service to holy men, and in contemplation. This is the only way to mould your character.

First of all, be firm in your vow of chastity Everything else will follow. You cannot live a continent life unless you devote yourself to God, and without continence realization of God is impossible. Unless you realize God you will not find happiness, and without happiness life is vain.

Learn to speak the truth always, and observe continence.

Without perfect chastity no one can hold fast to high spiritual ideals. To nourish the body, mind, and brain, and to secure their fullest development, continence is essential. In a chaste man a special spiritual nerve is developed. With its aid, his memory, his capacity for spiritual understanding, and his faith in God increase. He is able to experience spiritual truths which lie beyond the reach of the senses. That is the reason why religious teachers stress the ideal of chastity.

But without continence and the practice of meditation you cannot grasp the spirit of the enlightened ones; nor can you understand the scriptures.

Practice chastity. If one remains continent for twelve years, he attains the highest.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the power of the mind becomes strengthened by the practice of continence. A man so strengthened is not overcome by lust and anger. Passions seem trivial to it.

It has been declared in our scriptures that he who practices continence for twelve years can easily attain God. This is the most difficult task. I can tell you from my own experience that it is not possible to meditate properly unless you keep continent.

The craving of lust is very subtle, and extremely difficult to control. That is why a spiritual aspirant must always be careful in associating with the opposite sex.

Through continence a special power is stored up in the brain. If a man becomes established in continence, he will begin to see the expression of God everywhere. But, remember, it is not possible to practice continence without devoting yourself to the practice of japam.

19 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON CONTINENCE

(Swami Shivananda)

Whatever line of work a person may undertake, the secret of success is continence.

One must practise absolute continence if one desires to have this higher knowledge. As a result of prolonged continence, practised heart and soul in all the planes of existence, the body and mind become fit for leading a divine life.

For reaching the state of Brahmanhood, the brain develops a new nerve and all the cells in the body become transformed. One must observe absolute continence.

If there be unbroken Brahmacharya continence, Samadhi can be attained with little effort.

(Swami Turiyananda)

Continence is essential for Divine realization. If one can maintain Brahmacharya for twenty-eight years, one will realize Bhakti, Jnana, everything.

`From continence comes strength.'

For the accumulation of spiritual power absolute continence is needed.

Nothing drops from the skies all of a sudden. Why don't all have concentration? Because they don't fulfil the conditions necessary for it, viz. absolute continence. This is known as strength.

(Swami Trigunatitananda)

It is not in India alone that continence has been given such a dominant and absolutely necessary position in the domain of religion; all countries and all religions sing its praise in the same way. They all speak of the same kind of continence here and elsewhere.

Sri Ramakrishna would say, 'He who can give up his wife, can also renounce the world', that is to say, if one has succeeded in discarding his hankerings for sense-enjoyment, one has no other object left that has to be given up afresh.

20 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTROL OF MIND & SENSES.

(Swami Brahmananda)

[To the question: "Maharaj, I cannot control my mind. Many distracting thoughts arise. What shall I do? Will I be able to practice any spiritual disciplines? How can I worship and meditate?"]

Pray to the Lord. Practice with regularity. Gradually, the mind will become inclined to worship and meditation.

In the beginning the mind will refuse to come under control, but force it, urge it, entreat it in order to fix it on meditation.

Man's mind is forever restless. It remains distracted for many reasons. Association with the holy will bring it under control.

Wake up early in the morning. Wash yourself and choose a firm seat. Command your mind in this way: `Mind, keep still! Let no distractions enter!' With the strength of the intelligent will, keep the mind under control. Soon it will become concentrated. Then no distractions will arise.

Man can train horses and elephants and bring them under control; can't he learn to train his own mind?

Mould your minds now; when once the mind is moulded there is nothing to fear. When you can bring the mind under control you will have achieved much. Whip it whenever it tries to run away.

Struggle! Struggle hard to control the outgoing mind and fix it on God. When you can do this, you will realize what joy is in spiritual life, what fun.

First of all, the mind, which is the ruler of the senses, must be controlled. After that the mind and the intellect must be merged in the Atman.

Who are your enemies? Your own senses. But if you can control them they will become your friends.

The tendency of the lower mind is downward, toward worldliness. This tendency must, somehow, be controlled. Hold the reins tightly. As the exert trainer controls and trains the elephant, so must you learn to train and control your mind. Be its master. Let it not control you. Teach it to give up all craving for fleshly enjoyments. When the mind is once freed from craving it becomes your slave.

Keep a sharp eye on the mind and see that no undesirable thoughts or distractions enter it. Whenever they try to crowd in, turn the mind toward God and pray earnestly. Through such practice the mind is brought under control and becomes purified.

It is as impossible to conquer lust or control the mind by the mere study of books as it is to walk on air.

Meditation, in the primary stage, is like waging a war with the mind. With effort the restless mind has to be brought under control and placed at the feet of the Lord. But in the beginning, take care that you do not overtax your brain. Go slowly, then gradually intensify your effort.

Unless you meditate, you cannot control the mind, and unless the mind is controlled, you cannot meditate. But if you think `First let me control the mind and then I shall meditate, you will never succeed. You must steady your mind and meditate at the same time.

It is good to devote a little time each day to God. The only way to control the mind and find peace is to chant the name of God and meditate on him.

In the beginning the mind will refuse to come under control, but force it, urge it, entreat it in order to fix it on meditation. Faith and regularity are very important; nobody can succeed in anything without them.

The mind deludes us in many ways. We must control it and direct it along the right path.

Meditation is possible, if you can keep lust, anger, and all other passions under control.

21 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTROL OF MIND & SENSES.

(Swami Shivananda)

The rascal mind causes all the trouble. You must control this mind or it will take you here and there. However, sincere efforts will bring self-control. When disciplined, this wicked mind behaves right; it functions as the guru, repeats His name, guides the aspirant along righteous ways and gives him inspiration in noble undertakings.

Practise self-control constantly, pray sincerely to the Lord and discriminate between the real and the unreal. My child, self-control cannot be accomplished in a day.

The fact that sometimes you lose control over your mind signifies that a big wave will come and you will have great peace.

Of course you have my blessings. But you will have to exert yourself too. You have children. From now on practise a little self-control and change the course of your life. You have had enough of enjoyment, now stop. Of course, force alone will not help; but if you struggle sincerely, in time he will make your body and mind pure.

Brahmacharya does not mean the mere control of food. The real Brahmacharya is the control of all the sense-organs. Unless one can do that, the realization of divine bliss is a far cry. Is it possible to get the bliss of Brahman unless one can forsake the pleasures of this trifling body.

Self-control will come as a matter of course if one repeats God's name constantly, and is earnest in spiritual endeavours. The name of God has such intrinsic power that all the internal and external organs become naturally subdued by it.

If one but takes to meditation and japa and prays to Him constantly, one's mental tendencies get the proper direction, and one's senses come under control. It requires quite a lot of self-control and intense spiritual struggle.

Even a restless mind can be trained gradually and made to concentrate on God. Do not begin meditating or making japa as soon as you sit down on your seat. First, start with a calm prayer to the Master. The Master is Samadhi incarnate. If you can pray to him sincerely and think of him, the mind will become concentrated.

(Swami Premananda)

Rules and regulations can govern behaviour; but they cannot control the mind.

Those who are guileless and devoted to truth, self-controlled, and lovers of God, are the living gods, the rishis and siddhas; even though they wear human bodies.

God dwells in all. He is within your heart. Pray to him, weep before him, and you will find energy and strength. Your mind will come under control.

As you grow older, it will become impossible for you to control your mind.

Through the faithful practice of discrimination and spiritual disciplines the mind gradually comes under control. Yet to try to force the mind under control all at once may prove disastrous. It must be done gradually and with patience. The angler has to sit patiently and wait. Cling to the pillar of patience whenever the mind is drawn toward the whirlpool of delusion. Even when a large fish swallows the bait and is caught on the hook, the angler still plays awhile before drawing his catch to the bank. To land it forcibly might break the line.

22 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTROL OF MIND & SENSES.

(Swami Turiyananda)

A devotee from America had written to me about controlling the mind. In reply I wrote to him that whenever he sat for meditation, he should think that there was hanging in front of his chest, the notice `No Admission,' indicating that nothing except the thought of his `Ishta', Chosen Deity should enter there. This way, disturbing thoughts can gradually be eliminated. The devotee later acknowledged that he was much benefited by this advice. Yes, that is how you have to emancipate yourself - there is nobody other than yourself, who is your emancipator.

A man who has controlled all other senses except the palate is not to be considered a master of his senses. When the hankering of the palate is controlled, everything else is controlled. When the palate is controlled the sex impulse is also controlled. Unless the senses are brought under control there cannot be any spiritual progress.

Even if a single organ remains uncontrolled, all austerities, all efforts after spirituality become useless even as when there is a single hole in a pitcher, all the water escapes through that.

Control of the senses is not to be brought about by a violent effort. Only by realizing Him is it perfectly achieved. But at first one must struggle for this end. Afterwards it becomes quite natural. Still one should not be overconfident. Just as the intelligent hunter catches a deer and ties it up, so after succeeding in controlling the organs one should be alert, and continue to hold the mind and organs in check.

If you perfectly control your senses from now, you will be blessed with His vision.

Books on yoga say that all power is in us. We must control the mind through proper discipline, then only will its power be manifested.

First you have to prepare the mind. After that, any subject to which you may apply it will stand explained. The method of controlling the mind is by seriously watching it for some length of time. It can be done both by love and by discipline, according to circumstances. The mind should be under your control - it must not be allowed to ride on you, for then the tables will be turned.

Control the mind, be not controlled by it.

With unflagging perseverance the mind must be again and again brought back to the Atman. Of course, repeated and incessant efforts are necessary, but the mind at last will come under your control and remain calmly fixed on the Atman.

Be up and doing. Once the mind is brought under control, there is no more fear. It is the mind which creates all troubles.

[To the question: "If we mix with people, everything becomes upset."]

Avoid company so long as the mind is not under control. And when the habit has once been formed, there is no harm in mixing with people.

One should have great determination. We must control the mind and not allow the mind to control us. Here is my towel. With this I shall rub the body at my pleasure; similarly, we ought to be able to use the mind according to our will. We should ride the horse and not allow the horse to ride us. Let there be no reversal of the right process. The horse before the cart and not the cart before the horse.

Swami Vivekananda would say, `The mind must be made like a lump of earth; wherever I shall throw it, it must stick.'.

Yes, as a race you English and Americans are very materialistic, but I have met with exceptions. And activity is not bad. I like your energy, you are all up and doing. I see no idleness anywhere. Only that energy should be controlled. It should go inward also, activity in inactivity.

If you are able to control your mind and concentrate, success comes to you.

23 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTROL OF MIND & SENSES.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Even if you cannot control your mind and you become disgusted, please don't leave your seat; for if you get up from meditation with that attitude of disgust, you will be in a bad mood all day, and you will feel like beating one person, scolding another and speaking harshly to a third.

Do you know what the mind does? It conjures up enticing pictures with the imagination. Imagination is man's worse enemy, his greatest tempter, for it creates beautiful visions of sense pleasures and nearly destroys man's conscience. Thus is man drawn to sense objects. Therefore, if you want to control the desire for worldly things, first control the imagination and do not be deluded by sense enjoyments.

Imagination can be controlled by withdrawing the mind from the object, although that will not still the mind. Sri Ramakrishna said that three things are necessary in the process of perception: the object of perception, the sense organ, and the mind. Perception of the object is not possible if one of these three is missing.

So if you can eliminate one of them, the mind will not be able to cognize. It is hard to eliminate the objects of perception. They come and go. We have to encounter them always. How can one live and avoid sense objects? So long as you can avoid the sense objects, your self-control may be intact; but as soon as you come near them again, you will find yourself deluded by their attraction. So instead, try to withdraw either the sense organ or the mind from the object. Then automatically the object will not be perceived.

By practicing truthfulness for twelve years the body and mind become controlled and one is unable to say anything that is untrue or absurd.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

If you would raise your Self, you must crucify the body and conquer the senses.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

When we have control over our passions, we shall succeed; we shall ourselves then feel that we are advancing towards God.

When the mind is completely under your control, it will have nothing to exist on except noble thoughts.

After the dissolution of the mortal frame, the soul takes a subtle form and more intensely reaps the harvest of previous deeds. If one can control one's senses and transcend the bounds of time and space, one is in a position to summon the souls of dead persons, and get a response from them. They also respond as people respond to us when we call them.

God pervades everything. But, of course, it is a joyful experience. He is inside and outside. When you realize that He is within you, the senses get controlled once for all; and it is for this that you have renounced everything, do you understand?

If you want to control your passions, you have to meditate constantly on the Master and the Holy Mother, and all degrading thoughts will at once cease to trouble you.

The mind after all is yours, and you say it is not under your control! Does that sound reasonable? Why should you allow the mind to rise above you and rule you? There is a saying: Although the guru, Krishna, and the Vaishnava, all, were kind to me, unkindness on the part of one set everything to nought' The unkind one was the mind, it ruined everything.

When the mind is overcome with evil thoughts, it becomes dejected and inactive like a mouse in the grip of a cat. But why should you suffer it to be like that? In such situations you should summon up within you the strength of a lion and shake off all evil thoughts. It is no excuse to say that your mind is not under your control. Why would you let your mind take the upperhand?

God is both inside and outside you. When you realize that He is within you, your passions will be under control.

24 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

CONTROL OF MIND & SENSES.

(Swami Saradananda)

You are to calm your mind by single-minded devotion to God and by reflecting on the ultimate Reality as the foundation of all existence.

You have asked why in spite of your sincere efforts the mind is so unruly that it refuses to come under control and you are not able to fix it on God. The reason is that the mind is not yet pure. Have you not heard that Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the image of the moon is not clearly reflected in a pool that is agitated and muddy? When the water is steady and transparent the image is visible; then the image is not broken up into fragments. Remember that the same is true of the mind.

But do not give up the spiritual struggle It is hard to control the mind; but it must and can be done, there is no other way. The more you think of the Lord, the more other thoughts decrease. There must be a continuous flow of one thought - the thought of God - during the period of wakefulness. Then, at the time of meditation or in sleep, unbecoming thoughts will not find any peephole to enter.

To attain peace one has to practice control of the senses and the mind.

Conflicting desires arise in the mind. Because of those desires the mind is constantly lashed into waves. As long as these waves form, the mind is restless. In order to control these waves which give rise to thoughts of a worldly and distracting nature, one must live a life of self-discipline.

The mind has tremendous potentialities. It is the storehouse of infinite energy. Through control and inner check we can unfold these potentialities and gradually develop the power to work toward good.

To control the mind, to focus your attention to a point on God is an uphill task. It cannot be done in a day. It needs vigilant care and persistent effort. Until you have fully grasped the truth of the statement, `The world is unsubstantial and illusory as a dream,' the restlessness of the mind is bound to recur.

If evil thoughts appear be indifferent to them. They come due to the impressions of previous lives and it is good that they rise to the conscious plane; it will be easier for you to control them.

The means for bringing the fickle mind under control are dispassion and practice – Vairagya and Abhyasa. This statement is in the Gita. There is no other way.

[To the question: `Do Pranayama, Asana, etc. help to remove the tendencies of the mind?"]

Nothing particular can be achieved through them. One may derive some benefit. The more you will love God, the more will the mind come under your control.

25 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON CRAVING

(Swami Brahmananda)

The way of steadying and purifying the mind is to retire into solitude, control all cravings, and engage yourself in contemplation and meditation.

Rare indeed is he who has attained unalloyed bliss! Only that man who is free from all cravings can find unending joy.

It is easy to practice austerity by not allowing the mind to come into contact with sense-objects, but it is hard to get rid of the mental craving itself. And of all cravings the subtle desire of the organ of taste is the most difficult to overcome. A man loses this craving only when he is in a high spiritual state.

We must pray; we must cry unto God that he may awaken in us longing for him and that our cravings for enjoyment may be wiped out.

Cravings - such as for woman and gold, for name and fame - arise again and may lead one farther away from God. Unless you beware of this thief in the form of cravings he will steal all the goodness in you, and you will drown in the bottomless ocean of worldliness. But, on the other hand, there is the ocean of divine grace - if anyone will sincerely call on Him but once. The Master used to say: `If you move one step toward Him, He comes down ten steps towards you.

When a man has renounced all worldly cravings and regards God as his own, God is very near Such a man binds God to him with the fetters of love.

Is it easy to renounce bodily cravings? Only if one has God's grace and has practiced severe spiritual disciplines in past lives, can he have the strength to renounce the world in this life.

Teach your mind to give up all craving for fleshly enjoyments. When the mind is once freed from craving it becomes your slave.

As you sit down to meditate, think of the cravings of the mind as mere dreams. See them as unreal. They can never attach themselves to the mind.

If you have the craving for fleshly enjoyments or the slightest desire for name and fame you cannot reach God. As Nag Mahashaya used to say, `It is like trying to row an anchored boat.'.

Real austerity is based upon these three principles: First, take refuge in the truth. Truth is the pillar to which you must always hold while performing any action. Second, conquer lust. Third, renounce all cravings. Observe these three principles. That is real austerity, and the greatest of these is to conquer lust.

The more intensely you analyse yourself the more you will understand the condition of your own mind, and you will be able to eliminate the subtler cravings.

26/03/2020, 00:53 - +1 (343) 777-6653 left

26 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON CRAVING

(Swami Shivananda)

God sees one's mind. He becomes gracious where He sees sincere craving. There is no injustice in His domain.

(Swami Premananda)

If a pitcher has a hole in the bottom, water poured into it will flow out. No water can be kept in it. The holes in a spiritual aspirant are worldly cravings.

The materials by which such holes can be repaired and kept closed are: hearing the truth of God, meditating on him, chanting his name, reading sacred books, ritual worship, prayer, and so on. At every step you will be tested. Be careful, very very careful.

Craving for sense objects is like the green algae that obscures the clear water of a pond; association of the holy is like the stick used to remove it, that the water may shine through. However, cravings are never entirely uprooted until the Atman is realized.

(Swami Turiyananda)

Well, the whole trouble is due to these - the palate and the sexual instinct. In the Himalayas there are lots of solitary places suited for spiritual practices, but why can't monks live there? Owing to the urge of the tongue. The craving for delicacies drives them out of those places.

A man who has controlled all other senses except the palate is not to be considered a master of his senses. When the hankering of the palate is controlled, everything else is controlled.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Dissatisfaction and craving for worldly enjoyments are signs of a diseased mind.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Evolution means wanting something more. It implies a craving. A craving for more of God makes us evolve spiritually, a craving for outer things or earthly powers brings material evolution. The same craving is in the ant, in the angel, in man and in the Siddhas Seers.

(Swami Saradananda)

A true leader is he who never hampers that craving for attaining freedom, his only concern being to see to it that when the person concerned gets liberty, he does not misuse it.

Those who lead an unregulated life and think impure thoughts lose their powers and strength of mind. They are at the mercy of passing desires and the feverish cravings of the senses and are slaves.

As it is natural for the body to crave food and rest, so it is natural for the mind to crave the objects of the senses. Sri Ramakrishna used to say the sin of the mind is no sin. Free your mind of all anxieties on that score.

27 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON CREATION

(Swami Shivananda)

Creation, preservation and dissolution - She is the doer of all these. On one side She is destroying with the sword; on the other side She is granting boons and bidding men ‘Be fearless!' This is all the sport of God.

Creation goes on eternally like a current; there is no break in it.

(Swami Premananda)

Creation is infinite; manifestations are also infinite.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Creation, preservation and destruction are done by Maya in the presence of God and not by God, just as the hair grows in the body not at the wish and instance of the man but in his presence.

God has created both good and evil, but He is beyond both. He has created the two parties and set them warring against each other, while He looks on as the witness. All this warring of good and bad, pleasure and pain, is merely the play of God; this creation is His laugh.

We are taking the play to be the real thing and the Player to be unreal; whereas the Player or God is the one reality and the play of creation is absolutely unreal.

In the West they have found out evolution, while here in India we have found out revolution, the (Samsara chakra) or wheel of creation. We have discovered that everything moves in rotation. In the week we have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and again Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. The months begin January, February, March and again January, February, March. The seasons rotate. The sun rises and sets again. Everything in the heavens is revolving. Thus throughout Nature we find rotation or motion in a circle. The evolution theory cannot be final; even granted that evolution should go on throughout eternity, still the result would be finite and compared to infinity it would be infinitesimally small. In one day you claim this body as yours for sixteen hours, and for eight hours, when you are asleep, you do not claim it as your own. In the same way when the Creative Principle becomes dormant or sleeps, that is the dissolution of the universe; and when It wakes up, that is creation. As many days and nights make up your life, so many creations and dissolutions make up the life of the universe. The rotation is endless.

In order to ascertain the true existence of God, one has but to study attentively the marvellous secrets of creation. The existence of God can be easily understood by the chain of cause and effect. No effect is possible without a precedent cause. As long as creation is there, there must be the Creator. There cannot be any doubt about it.

In nature, we find things not progressing but going in a circle. In creation it is never evolution but always revolution.

(Swami Akhandananda)

The worldly life is partly God's creation - for instance, this life and the parents; and partly human creation, such as marriage and children. What are these after all? If you cannot delay the death of your beloved for a moment, or if he or she cannot hold back your death for a day, who is he or she to you? Or who are you to them? This is discrimination.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

This universe - the entire creation and all living beings - has been there from the beginning of time. Nothing new is happening; the same process has been going on in different ages, just like a lump of day being made into a particular image and then broken and made into another image. This is how the process of creation has been going on; nothing new, only a repetition.

28 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON CRITICISM

(Swami Brahmananda)

Play with God, sing his glory, enjoy the fun! Why should you criticize others? Associate with everybody freely. Be happy with them. Do not indulge in gossip. _Only a wicked-hearted man busies himself finding fault with others_.

(Swami Shivananda)

It is true that one feels bad if one has to deal with worldly people all the time. One thing I would specially advise you: whenever you talk with a person, never indulge in criticisms of others nor listen to them. If you hear any criticism, keep quiet without taking part in it. Mind this particularly. _Gossip, active or passive, tarnishes the mind and lowers it very much. It is a handicap to devotion for God_.

(Swami Premananda)

To be disturbed in mind by petty incidents is not worthy of selfless workers. You are spiritual aspirants, chosen devotees of Sri Ramakrishna. Do not pay any heed to the criticisms of others.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

If you want to live a happy, contented life, stop criticizing others. Do not find fault with others. It is better to pass the time sleeping than gossiping and criticizing. Keep away from places where you find such talk going on. Try to see the good qualities in others. This is the way to get rid of the habit of fault-finding. Evil qualities pollute the mind of a person who searches for the lapses and shortcomings of others.

(Swami Akhandananda)

If a fool criticizes a superior person, wise people take no notice of it at all. If someone comes and shouts, `_Krishna is a lewd fellow_!', have we got either to lend our ears to him or to be all up to contradict him? He that has realized the mystery of spiritual persons is all right, let others understand it in time.

At Alwar I went into a house for a night's halt. During the talk after dinner, someone started to belittle Swami Vivekananda. I protested and left the house then and there. It was about eleven o'clock.

29 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DEATH

(During World War I, the Mother was in Jayrambati. One day she asked someone to read the news of the war to her. She listened for ten minutes and learned about the massive destruction in Europe. Suddenly her mood changed. She began to laugh "Ho-Ho-Ho" in a soft voice. Then she started to laugh loudly "Ha -Ha-Ha -Ha", and that roar of laughter shook the cottage. Golap-ma and Yogin-ma were present. They prayed to her with folded hands: "Mother, restrain, restrain yourself." Gradually the Mother became normal again.)

(Swami Brahmananda)

This life may end at any moment. No one knows when. Equip yourself for the journey with spiritual treasures. To arrive empty-handed at an unknown place involves much suffering and sorrow. Birth is inevitably followed by death. At death you go to an unknown place, so you must prepare yourself for the journey. Always be ready for the great call.

(Swami Shivananda)

Birth and death are just a matter of course. Nobody can stop them. God alone is immutable and immortal - pure, enlightened and free by nature.

[To the question: "Does everyone have to be in a disembodied state after death?"]

Not necessarily. Why should devotees of the Lord who have genuine devotion have to be in the disembodied state? They become one with God and obtain liberation.

Real joy or peace is very rare in this world, and this round of birth and death that is ours, no one can check. Man has no hand in it. God alone is responsible for the creation, maintenance and dissolution of this world, and it is by His will that all beings are born into it. He keeps them as long as He wants, and He takes them away whenever He wishes. We should know for certain that God is the Lord of birth, maintenance and death. It is He who sends souls here to become parents, wives, children, friends and relatives, and He keeps them entangled in some relationship or other, taking them back whenever He wishes.

Once you can realize him, your worldly bondage will be cut asunder for ever; you will not have to undergo the round of birth and death any more.

[Concerning the suicide of a woman devotee:]

I heard that she killed herself with opium. She did so, because she could no longer bear the pain she was suffering from her disease. In any case, her soul will reach the Master, for she was devoted to him. She had great reverence for the monks of this monastery, as also for us. Her Prarabdha, the accumulated results of past works, had that fruit in store for her, and hence she had to do so. But her future course will certainly be good, though, in such a case, the soul has to remain for some time under a cover of something like darkness.

Men can be saved only if they take note of all this for a while and think of the transitoriness of worldly things. They rather remain merged in Maya. It is good to think of death now and again. One can hardly enumerate the infinite ways in which the ephemeral nature of the world becomes revealed before people's very eyes. Still, they are not awakened.

Besides, nobody has any control over birth and death - all these happen according to the will of God. He alone knows how long He will keep anyone in this world. All bodies die; there's no exception to this rule.

In the Gita the Lord says: Anyone born must surely die, and anyone dead must surely be reborn. So you must not lament for something that is inevitable.' Death being inevitable for anyone coming to this earth, He forbids us to lament.

None in this world is really your own whom you think to be so. Only God is truly your own. He keeps company in life and death; He is the Soul of one's soul. The relationship with Him is eternal.

Those who have resigned themselves at the feet of the Lord have nothing to worry about. He will certainly take care of them, gathering them in His arms, if not in this life, at least at the dying moment.

But our relationship with the Lord is eternal; it is not destroyed with the death of the body.

It is good to think of death at times. In how many ways is the evanescence of everything driven home to man, and yet he does not wake up!

Even now we hear about the extraordinary deaths of some devotees. Such persons have superconscious visions and experiences at the moment of their death. They pass on repeating the name of the Master and are united with him in his divine realm. His devotees are bound to do well and to reach higher planes of consciousness after death.

Is there death at any time to the Sadgurus who are persons possessing the knowledge of the Absolute? They only cast away this physical sheath, but they are alive and are present always, in the subtle body, and do good to the devotees who resort to them.

30 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DEATH

(Swami Premananda)

There is nothing more certain in this world than death. In order that we may transcend death, the scriptures advise us to keep the company of the holy. But it is not enough to listen to advice. We must practice it. Do not ever doubt that those who have even once in their lives taken the name of Sri Ramakrishna will come to him. You are regularly engaged in the service of the Lord; you need have no fear. Know that you belong to the Lord, and that the Lord is your eternal treasure. It is natural that your mother will grieve at her son's death. But by the grace of the Lord, who is the ocean of mercy, she will find relief. He is the pillar, and if a man holds on to him he becomes immortal.

Never give any thought to the idea that you are bound souls. You are free! Chant the name of the Lord and even the king of death will be afraid to approach you.

Practice meditation and japa with your whole heart, even the terror of death will fly away.

Attain Him even in this very life. There is no other way to cross this vast desert of worldliness, the abode of suffering and death.

But you must not infer from this that you are to sin now and take the name of the Mother at the moment of death. Unless you repeat Her name even from now with great faith and strength of mind, you will not even remember it at the moment of death.

(Swami Turiyananda)

At the time of death an outer power struggles with the inner power. These two powers are not different. They are like concentric circles, the bigger one trying to destroy the other. Once when I was at the point of death at Puri, I perceived this distinctly; as if I had one foot outside the door and another inside. I could see both sides. Death is no more terrible when there is no attachment. One must keep out attachment. All the trouble is due to love being centred on specific objects.

[Referring to a toe-nail which had come off of itself:]

Thus is the body left behind, and the soul flies off, though, of course, not unperceived - the mind, the ego feels its departure.

`The great elements, egoism, intellect, and also the unmanifested, the ten senses, desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the body, consciousness, fortitude - these, briefly described, constitute the Kshetra lit. the field and its modifications.' The Kshetrajna, the soul alone is real, and its reality makes the Kshetra - the body, mind, etc., - appear as real.

You have already died, why do you think of yourself? Have you not given everything over to Mother? Why then think of yourself again?

At the time of death, there is a battle between the prana and an outer force. But do not imagine that they are two different forces. They are like two concentric circles, the inner one trying to break the outer one.

31 March 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DEATH

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

The souls, not being free and not knowing to guide themselves, on account of the limited nature of their minds, should be guided by God, their omnipotent and omniscient Master, if they want to get rid of death and countless woes.

According to the Hindu scriptures death is desirable in one's own ancestral Dharma; for the Dharma that is not one's own is fraught with fear.

Inside the world there is change, there is death. Go beyond this and you will find peace and bliss.

(Swami Saradananda)

Forgetfulness of the Ishta is as good as death.

If She does not come now, She will surely appear before you at the time of your death and free you from all the cares of the world.

[Thus they are seen, Prince, and appear unceasingly, dissolving with the dark, and with the day returning back to the new birth, new death; all helpless, they do what they must.]

Here the Lord is speaking of the worker who dies in the period of smoke, night, at the dark half of the month, and the six months of southward course of the sun. He will go to the `lunar light,' chandraloka and after staying for some time, he will come back into the world to be reborn. From this we can understand that the worker who has not been able to work unselfishly, and consequently could not attain illumination through karma yoga, will die in the period mentioned above and will return for rebirth. There are two paths for the journey of the soul after death, which are known in the scriptures as `the path of the bright ones' and `the path of the fathers.'

By the former, the yogi goes to Brahmaloka, remains absorbed in contemplation of Brahman; and attains final liberation at the end of the cycle. An embodied being does not have the right to choose at the last moment which path he is to take. This is decided by the Lord, who has the sole prerogative in this regard.

But the Lord is not whimsical. He decides through the law of karma. The cumulative effect of the karmas of the individual's entire life will be the guiding factor in forming the Lord's decision to shape the destiny of the soul for its sojourn through the path of light or the path of darkness.

But the karma yogi who has worked with the attitude of seeing `inaction in action' will attain knowledge that will cut all his bonds and make him free. By the grace of the Lord he will know that his soul will not go to any place but will enter into the realm of bliss when the flame of life is extinguished.

In the twentieth sloka of the eighth chapter, Sri Krishna says that the karma yogi who dies at the time of the `smoky' night, `Krishnapaksha, dakshinayana, will live in the chandraloka for some time and then will come back to the world. This means that the karma yogi who could not always work without attachment, and so did not attain success in his path, will die at the time of the `smoky' night etc., and will come back to the world. Although the Jiva has not the power to decide to go to the devayana or pitriyana, still his course is determined by the work he has done throughout his whole life, and the karma yogi who was successful in his karma yoga and obtained pure knowledge of God will know through God's grace which course he will have when the body dies.

1 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DEATH

(Swami Vijnanananda)

The most remarkable phenomenon is that all men, all animals, desire to live forever. This shows the immortality of all created things. Yes, it is really so. The One that is within us is without beginning and without end, without birth or death. There is nothing like death there.

One who knows the uses of time and lives it properly in all respects will gain victory over tune, i.e., over life and death.

After death, worldly desires continue in a subtle form. Death only destroys the gross body, but the senses, the mind and intelligence remain in a subtle form. In that subtle body, enjoyments are still more acute. Even in the causal state, the `mind' exists in the form of `seed.' In the supra-mental state only, one attains perfect illumination. It is not enough, therefore, to try for physical development only; what is wanted is all-round advancement - physical, mental and spiritual.

The One that is within us all, is without beginning and without end, without birth or death. There is nothing like death there. As you discard an old shirt, so does He discard the body when it becomes inefficient, and enters another.

The man who has lost his character is really dead. Compared to this moral death, death in a physical sense is of little consequence. One who has lost one's moral anchorage will suffer for it in many, many lives to come.

After the dissolution of the mortal frame, the soul takes a subtle form and more intensely reaps the harvest of previous deeds.

Your thoughts at the time of death will determine your destination after death. There is a story that, on the eve of a pious Christian's death, heavenly angels placed before him a picture of Jesus Christ; but, at the suggestion of Satan, he turned to the other side and looked at the picture of his sweetheart. The result was that he went to hell; it was the effect of surrendering to the allurements of Satan.

The Kundalini or life-giving energy, which lies coiled up at the bottom of the spine, has to be activated into moving up once or twice to the brain. One who succeeds in doing this, conquers Time, and thus knows the past, present, and future. He triumphs over death and becomes one with eternity.

The greatest need is to concentrate on Him when we are dying. Then, all those whom we thought of as our near and dear ones in our lives, forsake us. We very often find that, for want of purity of heart and concentration on God, get terribly afraid on the eve of death; some cry out in fear at the sight of hideous apparitions of the messengers of death. But the glory of God's name saves us from these fears and also delivers us for all the tines from the clutches of death.

If any person, at the time of his death, can fix his mind on any of these great souls, he is sure to fare well in the other world.

At the time of death, a man loses his wits, he becomes enveloped in a sort of mental darkness. If only once he can utter the name of God at that time, he may be saved as God takes charge of him.

Unless one has acquired the habit of constantly thinking of God by long practice, everything becomes confused on account of the pangs of death, and one cannot think of God even once. So what is necessary is constantly meditate on Him and pray to Him.

Generally, after death, men go to pitriloka - the world of their departed forefathers. When a man leaves his mortal frame, the angels of death come and carry his subtle body to a region according to his previous karmas, actions, where he is welcomed by the denizens of that region. He passes his time pleasantly until, again, in accordance with his karma, he comes down after a long time and is born again somewhere in the form of paddy, wheat, etc. If he is not born in congenial surroundings, he casts off the mortal coil and is born again in a more congenial environment.

Confinement in a physical frame also diminishes the strength of the mind. After giving up the mortal body, the mind gets great strength. Beings born in stellar regions also are reborn on earth. Pure souls can know and understand all this.

You have to remember God and call on Him constantly, so that at the time you leave this world He may occupy your thoughts.

Otherwise, if at that time you think of horses and elephants, you will be reborn in the form of these animals, like King Bharata, who was born as a deer. [He had a pet fawn and while dying, he was thinking of it.]

Death is a painful thing because from birth to death life throbs in this body. Therefore if one gets too much attached to this body it becomes very painful when one has to give it up. Just see, if you possess a thing even for a few days, you get attached to it; and hence it is no wonder that one should feel so painful to give up this body which one has cherished from birth.

Death only destroys the gross body, but the senses, mind, and intelligence all remain in a subtle form.

The name you take or the thoughts you have at the time of your death will determine your destination after death.

We very often notice that people are in the grip of a terrible fright at the time of death; this happens because their minds are not absorbed in holy thoughts and are not centred on God. The glory of God's name not only saves us from all these fears but also delivers us for all time from the clutches of death.

2 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

DEJECTION

(Swami Shivananda)

Certainly, it won't do to be dejected like that. You must have faith and patience. You have to be persistently up and doing. What will you gain by dejection and moaning just because you cannot achieve anything with a little effort?

(Swami Turiyananda)

[Once I (a devotee) felt a little dejected and the Swami noticing it, said:]

When we were living at the old Math, many years ago, it happened once that I was very sad. I could not make any progress for some time and everything looked dark to me. I was walking up and down on the flat roof of the Math. It was evening and the moon was hidden by clouds. Sleep was impossible for me, I was so unhappy. Then suddenly from behind the clouds the moon emerged and everything looked bright and beautiful.

As soon as I saw that, I thought: `See, the moon was there all the time but I could not see it. So the Atman is also ever present, shining in its own glory, but I did not see it. The cloud of ignorance stood between the Atman and my intellect overshadowing my mind.' And at once I felt strong again, my doubts all gone.

[On another occasion the Swami told me how many years ago when he was travelling on foot as a Sannyasi, in India, the thought was tormenting him, that he was living a useless, vagabond life.]

Everyone is doing something in this world, but what am I doing, [he thought]; it became very painful, and I could not shake off this thought. I thought of myself as an insignificant, useless creature. I was utterly dejected and threw myself down under a tree.

There I fell asleep and I had a dream. I saw myself lying on the ground and then to my surprise I saw that my body began to expand in all directions. It went on expanding and expanding, there was no end to it. At last it seemed to cover the whole world. Then it occurred to me: See how great you are; you are covering the whole world. Why do you think your life is useless? A grain of Truth will cover the whole world of delusion. Get up, be strong and realise the Truth. That is the greatest life. I awoke and jumped up and all my doubts had vanished.

(Swami Trigunatitananda)

Never think, `I can't have it, I am weak.' Whenever any dejection sets in remember that saying of the Lord in the Gita, `Yield not to unmanliness!'.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Be always of good cheer. Never allow sorrow or dejection to take possession of your soul which is ever free and blissful.

(Swami Saradananda)

Constantly brooding about things over which you now have no control will cause more harm than good. This will surely jeopardize your spiritual life. Dirt cannot be washed by dirt. Even charcoal loses its blackness when it comes in contact with fire.

3 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

DEJECTION

(Swami Trigunatitananda)

Never think, `I can't have it, I am weak.' Whenever any dejection sets in remember that saying of the Lord in the Gita, `Yield not to unmanliness!'.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Be always of good cheer. Never allow sorrow or dejection to take possession of your soul which is ever free and blissful.

(Swami Akhandananda)

Never think `I cannot do this, I am weak' Whenever you are in dejection always remember what the Lord has declared in the Gita:

'Do not be under the spell of unmanliness; it does not befit you. Shake off this mean faint-heartedness and get up, Hero.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

When the mind is overcome with evil thoughts, it becomes dejected and inactive like a mouse in the grip of a cat. But why should you suffersituations like that, you should summon up within you the strength of a hero and shake off all evil thoughts. This is the only way out.

Never give way to despair or dejection. Without perseverance nothing great can be achieved.

4 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and The Evangelist)

M: (to all present) So long as you have the pride that you have renounced, it is not the right renunciation. Later on, when you feel that you cannot do it, then you develop the feeling of taking refuge in Him.

"One tries and gives up little by little. Then after one sees that the mind has not been able to get rid of attachment, the sadhaka takes refuge in Him. He weeps and says, ‘Remove this attachment from my mind.’

"Is external renunciation something insignificant? The external renunciation comes only when the mind is rid of all attachments.

"At the right time God makes one do so, man does nothing, though he may say that he is doing it. He doesn’t let one understand. However, some do understand by His grace. Renunciation comes only when God brings it."

M: (to Buddhiram) Please listen. Here is a beautiful story:

There was a king and a queen. She was a Brahmajnani, a knower of Brahman. She would often tell the Raja that God is eternal while the world is perishable. That God is to be accepted and the world should be renounced.

Hearing this daily the Raja developed dispassion and one day he suddenly disappeared. So, the Rani had to manage the state herself. Since, the Rani was a Brahmajnani, she did not have to put special effort in working the state-craft. She could easily see to whom it was necessary to entrust the work. By putting the right person at the right place, she ran the state in a very efficient manner and in between she began to look for the place where the Raja was carrying out tapasya.

"The work of the state went on nicely in the hands of an appropriate minister. The Rani would sit in a room and carry out japa and dhyana. Everybody was aware that she was a tapasvini, that she was always carrying out tapasya.

Sometimes, she would not come out of her inner palace for three or four days. The responsibility was that of the ministers, they did everything. In other words, she arranged that the state work should go on automatically and people had come to know that the Rani was in tapasya.

"One day she suddenly went out. She told the people in the palace not to tell it to anybody and she reached the Raja. The Raja was carrying out tapasya on a hill - this news she had got earlier. She went to him in the guise of a Brahmin boy. The Raja could not recognise her. The disguised Rani said to the Raja, ‘You have attained nothing, your tapasya is all in vain.’

The Raja said, ‘What are you saying? I was a Raja. I had wife, son, everything. I gave up all. How could you say that I have gained nothing?’

The Brahmin boy said, ‘Carry out your tapasya for another six months. I will then come and tell you how much you have gained.’

The Raja did so. When the Rani came again, she said the same again, ‘You have gained nothing. Carry out more tapasya.’

The Raja wondered why he said that he had not gained anything. After thinking over it, he decided that because he was living in a hut, so possibly because of that he said so. Thinking in this way, he vacated the hut and took shelter under a tree. Seated there, he carried out tapasya for another six months.

The Rani came again. The Raja asked, ‘Master, have I attained now?’

The Rani replied, ‘No, not even now.’

The Raja thought that because he had a seat she had said so. He now left the seat also and carried out tapasya again for six months. Again the Rani came and said, ‘No, you have not gained yet.’

The Raja was disappointed. He asked what he should do then.

The Rani said in a serene manner, ‘Continue your tapasya, you will yourself will know it.’

At last, by the grace of God, the Raja understood that he should give up all egotism and surrender himself to God. With that he became a knower of Brahman.

5 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and The Evangelist)

M. is holding Bhagavad Gita in his hand. He is explaining the characteristics of a man of steady wisdom to Buddhiram in Bengali.

M.: (to Buddhiram)

Yada samharate chayam kurmo anganiva sarvashah, Indriyanindriyarthebhyo

tasya prajna pratisthita.

[When, like a tortoise, which withdraws its limbs into his shell, an aspirant can also withdraw all his senses from sense objects, his wisdom is then perfect.] (Gita 2:58)]

M.: "What is a man of steady wisdom like? He is like a tortoise, (to Gadadhar) isn’t it?"

Gadadhar: The tortoise, once it withdraws its limbs into shell, it does not bring them out again.

M.: (together with Gadadhar) Does not bring them out again. Cut it into a thousand pieces but it does not bring its limbs out of its shell. Similarly, the man of steady wisdom would not let his senses go into sensory objects. In doing so, the body may endure or perish, he doesn’t care. Such a firm determination! Even if his whole world perishes, he would not let the mind go into sensory objects. The man of steady wisdom will force his mind in this way to withdraw itself.

How a spiritual aspirant falls

M.: (to Buddhiram) These are the steps to man’s fall. Listen to them now:

Dhyayato vishayan pumsah samgasteshupjayate,

Samgat sanjayate kamah kamat krodhobhijayate.

Krodhat bhavati sammohah

sammohat smritivibhramah,

Smritibhramshad buddhinashah

buddhinashat pranashyati.

[Brooding on objects of senses, man develops attachment to them; from attachment comes desire and from desire arises anger.

From anger comes delusion, from delusion, confusion of memory, and thereby, the ruin of reason and man perishes with this ruin of reason.(Gita 2:62,63)] "

(Counting on his fingers) 1. Brooding on sensory objects 2. Attachment 3. Desire 4. Anger 5. Delusion 6. Loss of memory 7. The ruin of reason. Please count them on your fingers." Buddhiram repeats them.

M.: (to the devotees) Thakur used to say:

‘Brooding over sense objects i.e. brooding over ‘kama & Kanchana.’ Except for thinking on God, all are brooding on these. Only that thought which helps in attaining God alone is real.

"Suppose a man wants to eat a mango. He will always be thinking of the mango. By doing so, he develops an attachment for the mango, he feels affection, love and attraction for it. If there is some obstacle in his getting the mango, if there is any delay, he feels angry. Thereafter, comes moha, the loss of discrimination between the good and the bad. After this, he forgets the words of the Guru and that of the scripture; then, he has only one thought - that of the mango. The memory of the mango keeps pressing on his mind, intellect and consciousness. The memory of the words of the Guru are lost. He forgets the Guru. Thereafter, his right reason vanishes. When the discrimination of what is real and what is not disappears completely, the man falls.

"Acting in this manner, the senses take one to the objects of senses. He who can forcefully keep this mind within, on God alone, is the real man. His wisdom is steady. Where will this man withdraw his mind into? Into the lotus feet of Sri Bhagavan, in the meditation of the Self.

The mind is always going outward. Such is the nature of the mind. Paranchi khani vyatrinat swyambhuh [Brahma has made all doors of the senses outward facing. (Kathopanishad, 2nd valli)]. This mind has to be slowly turned inward."

M.: (to Antevasi) Thakur used to say, ‘When a person has even a little love for the Lord, the mind becomes steady in no time. You don’t have to fight with it.’ There are these two paths, one of yama, niyama etc., and the second that of fixing the mind in God, joining the mind to Him. The latter is the direct path, the former is artificially pressing the nose and so on.

"Thakur used to say, ‘When you have devotion for God, when you love Him, your desire, anger etc., perish just like that.’

He used to say, ‘Just as a lion eats up goats etc., so quickly, when you develop love for Him, it (love) eats up desire, anger etc.’ "There are different ways to steady the mind.

This is Bhakti Yoga, the path of love, the easiest path.

06/04/2020, 01:26 - Abhilash Volunteer, Ulsoor left

6 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

DELUSION

(Swami Premananda)

And egoism - it is truly hellish! It is this egoism that has kept the whole world under delusion. Only with the greatest austerity can one be completely freed from ego.

(Swami Turiyananda)

It is very difficult to understand the intricacies of the mind without being an advanced aspirant. How many are the ways in which the mind is deluding us! If anyone points out our delusions, we find excuses for them! We do not understand how many kinds of self-love are in us.

Brahman alone is real, everything else is unreal and the human soul is that Brahman. The lion shut up in a cage thinks he is caught and escape impossible. He does not know that one blow from his mighty paw would demolish the cage and set him free. We are bound by the delusion of ignorance.

Tear away the delusion and be free. All power is within you, for you are the Atman. With the sword of knowledge, sever the veil of Maya, and assert your divine nature.

But we have to be careful. Maya is so powerful that we are so easily caught and deluded.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

On a moonless night one man cannot recognize another, however close they may be standing; similarly, man cannot see his innermost Self due to the dark covering of delusion.

DEPENDENCE ON GOD

(Swami Shivananda)

Your dependence on the Master and Swamiji and your faith in them is at the root of all success. Don't you ever forget it. Always pray that you remain His servant always, and that you may go on doing the work as service to the Master.

The Lord is spreading His own message amongst so many people, making you His instrument. For this consider yourself thankful, and may He never let any other idea enter your mind. Always remember Him and contemplate Him.

No fear! Don't be frightened! If you are dependent on God, then you will see that He is with you. Even in the midst of the fire of name and fame, He will always protect you.

Never expect anything from anybody, neither now nor in the future. If you have to ask anything, then ask it of God only.

(Swami Premananda)

A devotee must depend entirely on the Lord. He must accept the Lord's will, whatever that may be. `Whatever condition you may place me in, O Mother, - whether under a tree, with ashes to adorn my body, or on a royal throne, adorned with silver, gold and diamonds - it is for my good, provided I do not forget thee.'

7 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

A Devotee: Is external renunciation useless?

M. I have already spoken, but still, it has a little value. The real thing is the mind should be pure. It is full of trash. What use is mere external renunciation? The mind is full of desires, all desires for women and gold. It is full of ego and pride. When pride gets dissolved, one understands that it is all in the hands of another power.

Man is helpless, that’s why one gives up pride. It is a hydra-headed monster, it cannot easily be got rid of. One is helpless before this great enemy. It is then that one feels humble. Giving oneself up to Him, one should say, ‘I cannot do it. Please make me renounce.’ It is in the state of helplessness that one cries piercing one’s inside.

It was this kind of crying that Thakur took recourse to saying, ‘Mother, let me have your darshan.’ And he saw the Mother while crying. He cried like a child, what is called crying a bucket full of tears. He himself went by this path. So he gave the same straight path to the devotees. In this Kali Yuga bereft of manliness and strength, this is the only easy path. And this is Thakur’s gift to this Yuga, this crying full of yearning.

"One takes a step ahead by practising external renunciation. Then, the internal renunciation too can come, there is a possibility. When does one rid oneself of internal pride? When one sees that in spite of one’s best efforts, one is helpless, when one knows that one’s power is no match to it, when all efforts cruelly come to naught, when some invincible power upsets all one’s plans, then alone, one surrenders oneself to that power. He then says, ‘Do what you wish, I cannot do it, I surrender to you.’ This is the path of bhakti.

"It is the same with the way of jnana. What an effort Buddha made! How much he did! The ego simply refuses to come under one’s control. This is called avidya. He just used to take a grain daily. Then the Mother said, ‘This wouldn’t do. One does not attain the knowledge of Self by giving up the body. Eat, take to the middle path.’ In other words, one should neither be an epicure nor a dry renouncer. Thakur used to say, ‘On seeing people making an effort, the Mother makes someone tell what is to be done. Sometimes She does it Herself.’

"The Mother has two kinds of sons. One type is that which asks the Mother for everything. They are happy with their Mother’s love. If the Mother is angry, they cry out of fear of Her. They want to see Her happy. And the other type is that of naughty boys. They say nothing with their own mouth but inwardly they have love for Her, they are proud of Her. Thakur used to say, ‘There is the nature of a kitten and also that of a young monkey.’

"The Gita also means the same when it says sarvadharmaan parityajya [Renounce all dharmas (Gita:18-66)]. It means that one should collect one’s mind and bring it to one spot. And that spot is mamekam [on Me (God)]. In this state, one tries to see Him everywhere, in men, beasts and the whole world. This is the state of a sadhaka (aspirant). The same is hinted at in the Vedas, in the mantras, ishavasyamidam sarvam [Everything in the universe abides in the Supreme Being].

"Later on, by His grace, when one sees His form, this mood of ishavasyam [abiding in the Lord] becomes natural. The Mother then lifts the veil of ignorance. In that state, one sees that the Mother Herself is living in different forms. Idam sarvam i.e. to say this snare of the universe. This is a form of the Mother.

(For Thakur) Rati’s mother was a form of the Mother of the universe, as also the girl assisting the masons and also the cat. Thakur used to see the Mother outside as well as inside. Having become stable in this state of bhava, Thakur said, ‘The rishis are also frightened.’

8 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

"First of all, one has to take up a bhava (spiritual mood). This happens by faith in the words of the Guru, in the words of the scriptures. Later on, one feels His direct presence. Then the bhava becomes stable."

"And this is not the end of it. Thakur used to say, ‘And the Mother is also so much else.’ Even so, when one attains this state, this problem of birth and death is solved The jiva becomes Shiva."

"Thakur used to see Mother in numberless bhavas, daily in a new bhava, always in a new form. He used to say, ‘There is no end to Her.’ He used to refer to it by calling it the state of the most perfected among the perfected. The Vedas call it turiyaatita [the state beyond turiya (fourth)]."

M. (to Buddhiram) Haven’t you heard Thakur’s fable of the elephant and the ascetic? An ascetic having undergone a lot of tapasya gained some powers. He became proud that he was the owner of yogic powers.

One day Narada Muni was passing close to that ashram. Peeping inside the ashram and offering namaskar he said, ‘Is your tapasya going on well? How far it has gone?’ The ascetic having returned the namaskar said very confidently, ‘Yes Sir, it has gone quiet far. I can kill that elephant just by saying it. And I can also revive it.’

Narada feigning surprise said, ‘Very good, so you have attained a lot. I can see it. Well, I ask you one more thing, have you attained God? What you have attained is magic.’

"Do you know what it is like? In the words of Thakur, it is like taking a low caste paramour. There was a brahmin child widow. The whole of her life she preserved her chastity but later in life she look a low caste man as her paramour."

9 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

M. "When you ask for the hospital and dispensary and other such things, you cannot attain Him. Why? You don’t really want all that?"

M. thinks for a while. Then he resumes.

M. (to all present, seriously) You should pray to Him, ‘Grant me Your darshan, grant me Your darshan’ and not just do japa and dhyana. And in between, one should sing in a lonely spot. You should say the same in your song.

An Young Man: Will it happen just by saying, grant me darshan even if it does not come from within!

M. Yes, it will happen just by that. When one speaks from the mouth, it gradually goes in. From mouth, it goes to the mind. Thereafter, it enters within, within the heart.

"The thing is this: first the word i.e. listening. Then meditation on it, i.e. deep thinking on it. After that, nididhyanasana [deep meditation]. At the time of thinking also, there is danger. Next, when the principle is realised, one has to keep meditating on it, one should live feeling one with the thought. In this state, the head and heart become one.

Thakur used to say, ‘Make the mind and speech one.’ Then word, thought and realisation become almost one. Why almost? Because even then, there is no direct realisation. Therefore, I say almost. Then, all these three ultimately come to one point. Then, one is in the direct presence of God.

"While singing, head and heart very quickly become one. That is why, Thakur used to say that one should sing in a lonely spot. One becomes a changed man in a moment. Even if it is momentary, it is good. When one has tasted it, one tries to keep on holding it. Then one doesn’t like anything else. One does everything but the mind remains attached to that joy. This is followed by making the moment permanent. If one can hold on to this joy in every condition, one has indeed gone quite far.

"Thakur said to a bhakta (To M.), ‘There is unmana samadhi. In it, the whole mind concentrates itself suddenly in Him.’

"By weeping secretly in a solitary corner, one becomes accustomed. Once, one is accustomed, the mind suddenly rises and can be fixed in Him even amidst a thousand tasks.

"Thakur left no problem unsolved. He has left instructions for men of all states from those who live in household, to those who are perfected by spiritual practice, and those spiritually perfected among the perfected.

Who has the time for thinking over these things? Those who are very fortunate only enjoy this matchless wealth."

10 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

FIRE AND THE SHOWER OF PEACE, BOTH ARE HERE

Morton School, room on the fourth level.

4th November, 1924

It is a little cold. M. has a muffler round his head and he has covered himself with a shawl. M. is talking to Antevasi on spiritual matters.

M. (to the devotees) What can a man not do if he wills? He can even gain Brahmajnana (the knowledge of Brahman), not to speak of worldly matters. One must have the will. Why are these English men enjoying the world? Because, they have a great desire of it. That’s why, it is so. One must have strong desire. Effort comes only after it.

"He who desires to see God can go very far. His grace comes only when man has a strong desire. When one calls yearningly, the Mother comes and lifts one in Her arms, so said Thakur.

"One must have firm determination. There are many who are soft like rice meshed in curd. They have no strength in their work. That is to say, they lack strong desire."

M. is thinks for a while, then he resumes his talk.

M. (laughing) Those people have the desire, so they finish the work of a year in one month.

"Some of the bhaktas did not have the opportunity to study. They had to take up some work during their early years. Now they have the desire to study. They read the Gita, Upanishads and so on."

M. (to the bhaktas) Let us offer namaz for a while. "One should meditate quietly, nothing to be said. No word! No movement! One has to unite with Him sitting motionless.

"Once the Holy Mother was meditating when somebody came and called her in loud voice. Her meditation was interrupted and she began to cry bitterly. Hearing it, Thakur came running from his room. The Mother was in Nahabat. Then she regained her composure.

People were told that one should never call out a person when he is meditating. No sound must be produced.

"Why does one sit shutting the eyes during meditation? So that the sight may not fall on other things. It makes the mind restless. One should make a firm determination before dhyana that one would not open the eyes for any reason.

"Is it a small matter to meditate, my brother? The canal meets the Ganga. There, it is the same water in both. By this yoga, the animal-man becomes a God. You see, all these three subsist in man: animal-man, man and God.

"Animality, that is to say low thinking – only eating, sporting, behaving like a creature. Humanness, that is to say, in which thoughts arise, high or low. He can establish his divinity by hearing the word of shastras and the Guru. Divine that is to say I am the son of God, amritasya putrah [the son of Immortality], to establish oneself on this feeling. It may be short lived but it comes only during meditation. When one is in His presence, this divine feeling gets well established.

11 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

FIRE OF THE WORLD AND THE SHOWER OF PEACE, BOTH ARE HERE

"One should daily meditate a little. As one does so, this feeling awakens in the mind the feeling of divinity. I am the son of God, thinking in this way, one becomes so in the end. Only a little remains. So long as one is not in His presence, one should put one’s trust in the Guru’s words. Guru’s words means the words of the avatara. Doing so, the faith firms up to a great extent. One has a little inkling of one’s divinity. In that state lust, anger etc. get reduced, jealousy and malice subside. Knowing His presence in all, one develops love for all. That’s why Thakur used to say, ‘In dhyana, it is like the fish of a pond falling into the sea.’ "

This gentle reprimand of M. worked like a divine word. The bhaktas shut their eyes and sat there peacefully, feeling ashamed, just like the school boys afraid of the teacher’s ruler. M. meditates for an hour along with the devotees.

Now they read in the Gita the marks of a man of firm determination in Chapter 2:

Dukhesvanudvignamanah

sukheshu vigatasprihah,

Veetaragabhayakrodhah sthitadheermuniruchyate.

[He, whose mind is not perturbed by adversity, who does not crave for happiness, who is free from attachment, fear and anger is the Muni of constant wisdom. (Gita 2:56)]

M. (to the devotees) For example, Thakur. Unaware of grief and happiness, of respect and disrespect! How could he be otherwise? He always lived in the Self. He who can see God within and without has this state. Thakur had this same state, not for a day but all the twenty-four hours throughout life.

"Is that all? No. He had had all the states higher than this. (For him) God was not only within and without, but he knew himself to be God. This latter came along with the former.

"As a bhakta, he used to see God within and without. In divine mood, he used to see himself as God. Both these experiences, he had together. Except for avatara, no creature has this state.

"This is the ideal unperturbed in grief, no desire for enjoyment."

12 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

FIRE OF THE WORLD AND THE SHOWER OF PEACE, BOTH ARE HERE

M. (to a devotee) You see, everything is possible if you will it. If you will, you can know the Gita and the Upanishads, the essence that lies therein.

"Have you heard the name of Vidyasagar Mahashay? He was very poor. His father used to write out accounts at six rupees a month.

Vidyasagar Mahashay was studying in a school. He had to cook his own meals. He had four or five brothers living with him. He used to cook for all of them. And in between, he would find time to study. He was always a scholarship holder."

M. (to the bhaktas) All his good work, all effort, concerned worldly people. On the other hand, Buddhiram is doing all for God. What a difference! That is why that sadhu is called a Mahatma.

M. again reads the Gita.

M. (to all present) The purpose of all this is to fix the mind in God. Sadhan and bhajan are just to serve this purpose. They who have no other wish, they who have only this effort to make are called Mahatmas, great souls. They are the greatest who join their mind to Him or try to do so.

If the goal is not God, one is not a Mahatma.

"One does not become a Mahatma by service to humanity. Even so, if one serves the God within man, one succeeds.

"Only those who are Mahatmas have a steady intellect, have a firm intellect, it does not shake. It sometimes goes a little this way and that way but then gets fixed in God."

"Their food, conduct and behaviour, everything are of a different type. They do everything uniting themselves with God. When they see that an action is taking their mind elsewhere, they immediately give it up. They give up even their parents, near and dear ones, riches — everything.

"There is the world on one side and God on the other. When one see Him, concentration of the mind is naturally attained. But before this, one has to practice for a long time.

13 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

"There is a lot of difference between an ordinary spiritually perfected man who has had darshan of the Self and an avatara. The avatara always lives in this mood. It is a natural state with him. He is God in disguise, Satchidananda coming as a man.

"One has to bring together the whole mind and fix it in God.

"Thakur said to a bhakta (M.) with his own mouth, ‘If the whole mind gathers here (in Thakur), what remains there to be done?’ This bhakta used to keep looking at him with his whole mind.

"And he also said, ‘Thinking on me is enough.’ He said to the same person, ‘Verily I say, he who thinks of me will gain my wealth like the son inheriting the wealth of his father.’ His wealth consists in realisation of Brahman and samadhi.

"Who can say this except God? Who has such a broad breast?

"All the characteristics of a man of steady wisdom given in the Gita were visible in Thakur. And still more have been seen. Thakur’s life is a living commentary on the Gita. The Gita is Sri Krishna’s personal life."

M. (to Antevasi) Where is Simhavahini? Can you find it out by tomorrow morning? Is she in Kashi Mullick’s house or in Matisheel’s house? If you take a morning walk you can find out.

Thakur had the darshan of the Mother in Yadu Mullick’s house. She had been there for a long time. Since Thakur saw Her, offered Her his pranams and prayed to Her, the Mother has been awakened. Please go and immediately bring the news of Her. And please offer Her pranam. We shall also go later on to offer our pranam.

"This is called bhakti. Whatever is done by the avatara or whatever he has asked to do should be done by the bhaktas. These are what one must live with, what else? Swami Vivekananda said, ‘Train the hand by moving it on the traced letters.’

"Men talk ‘bhakti, bhakti.’ When told how it is gained, they do not want to do that! Determination is needed. What cannot be achieved with determination?

14 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

"Thakur used to say, ‘I used to roam about like a mad man to see where they had installed a god, where Bhagavata was being read, where the Gita was being read and such other places.

"In the beginning, one has to all do this. When one does so, the mind is able to relieve itself of regret. One does not feel bad later on in old age. Doesn’t the mind then say: What have I done for Him? That brings a great grief to the mind. That is repentance. So one should do all this when one is still young. Later on, one has to sit at one spot and ponder over. One should live with what one has seen or heard.

"One should spend one’s youth, one’s life in this way. This is the best use of life."

It is six in the morning. Antevasi goes out in search of Singhavahini. He is accompanied by Jiten Mukherjee. On reaching Kashi Mullick’s house, they are told that Mother Singhavahini is residing now in the Matisheel’s house.

The Mother is present in the Durga Mandap at Matisheel’s. She is covered over with gold, decorated with various kind of ornaments. The bhaktas return after having had Her darshan offering Her pranams by lying on the ground full of devotion and as desired by M.

It is about 9 a.m. The Morton School.

M. is anxious for the news of Singhavahini. He is waiting for the bhaktas. His state is like that of the mother and father for their child or that of the children for their parents.

No sooner does he see the devotees, he makes them sit beside himself on the bench and hear them in detail. What was the Mother wearing, which were the ornaments on Her body? Which flowers were put around Her neck in the garland, and so on.

He asks, "Did you feel a joy on seeing Her? Did you pray for jnana and bhakti? You should do so. What you pray by mouth in the beginning later comes out from within. When you go to the temple, singing hymns are necessary. You should also sit down there and perform japa and dhyana. You should also take charanamrita (sacramental water). You should examine everything in detail so that it leaves its mark on the mind. If you do so, you can relive the same darshan and meditation while sitting far from there.

"Saying that these are superstitions and laughing them away will not do. If you want peace of mind in every condition, you will have to do all this. By doing it again and again, bhakti is born in the mind. In other words, one develops a relationship of love with God. And this is all what saves. Just as worldly life is a burning fire, there is arrangement of abundant showers of peace of God. The story of the Lord, places of pilgrimage, sadhus, shrines and so on, they all constitute showers of peace.

15 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

"He who has created the fire of the world, has also arranged the means of gaining peace."

The devotees see that, though M.’s body is in the Morton School, his mind is fixed on the Lord. It is roaming about in places of pilgrimage, in tapasya, in shrines and in the company of sadhus.

M. is silent for a while. Then he resumes his talk.

M. (to himself) Why do I go to the Brahmo Samaj? Not for instruction. I go there because there is a connection between it and Thakur. Keshab Babu only elaborated his (Thakur’s) words. And this is what the teachers there propagate. I go there just to hear them and also to hear a group of songs which sing of Thakur’s different states.

"These people could not understand Thakur’s state, only Keshab Babu did. He used to deliver his sermons on those very states. Then Trailokya Sanyal, a devotee of Keshab, would compose songs on them. I go there to listen to these songs. All the songs express the different moods of Thakur, as if his moods have taken the form of songs. "Wherever there is a connection with Thakur, they become very interesting.

"It is like the water of the Ganga clean at some places, muddy at others and full of pebbles at some places, but it is the same water. It is the same with his (Thakur’s) sayings. One has to see how they emerge from different channels. It is all very interesting.

"Vivekananda has said it in one way. From Keshab Babu they come out in another way and it comes out from Shivanath Shastri and Vijay Krishna Goswami in different ways. Thus, it comes out of so many people. All very interesting!"

M. : Thakur had infinite moods. He was a sea of bhavas. The devotees only express his bhavas. The bhaktas express the bhava which He wishes Himself to be expressed. Their methods are, of course, different.

M. (to the devotees) Wherever Keshab Babu talks of his own ideas, there is confusion. If one knows what Thakur has said, one can always catch what are Thakur’s ideas and what are those of the speaker, whosoever may be speaking. Wherever he has tried to strike a parallelism between Thakur’s words and his own, he has created confusion. So, it is possible to catch it.

"As for me, I can remember nothing else. It enters through one ear and goes out of the other. I can only remember Thakur’s words. And I long to hear them from their mouths. So, I go there. I go to see how his words are working in different receptacles.

"His sayings are like crystallized water, even a child can understand them. The texts of the shastras and what different people say are intelligible only when one dives deep into them."

16 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

Antevasi has recently returned from Kashi. He has had darshan of Vindhyachal. The myrobalans (amla) of that place are very famous. He has brought some. M. now talks about them.

M. : Please give some to the bhaktas.

Jagabandhu: What use it will it be?

M. No, it has come from such a great place. On seeing the myrobalan, one would be inspired by Vinduvasini (the goddess of Vindhyachal). When they eat it, its juice will go into the body. This juice will develop the mind. Doesn’t the basic portion of food prepare the mind? The mind will then be able to engage itself in God. First fruit, then its juice, then the mind and lastly the mood. The prasad (holy food) therefore purifies the mind. The divine mood impresses the mind without one’s knowing it.

Jagabandhu gives one piece of myrobalan to each of the bhaktas.

A Bhakta: What was Thakur’s opinion about work? He did not emphasize work so far as I find in the books.

M. Yes, he was a different person. He knew nothing else but God. He just had ‘Mother, Mother’ always on his tongue. Even a little talk on God or a song would immediately plunge him into samadhi. The whole of his later life was spent in making bhaktas.

Earlier, he was different. He was continuously in samadhi. Later on, he came down as if from the seventh level to the ground floor. Then, he lived with bhakti and bhaktas. Just a little inspiration of God and he would reach the seventh level.

"One does not see another person like him. Nobody can be compared to him. A matchless personality!

"But every bhakta has to do something. Their work is ordained - to spread His teachings to others.

Swami Vivekananda had to go abroad to the west. All this is work, to talk of Him, to attend to welfare work, to propagate and to render service. It is different for Thakur and his bhaktas. They belong to another class.

"There is work in the nature of ordinary people. What will they do without any work? So, they have been told to work selflessly. Even there, there are two classes. One class wants to take the credit as a doer. The other does not want it or cannot do it. We are talking of the latter.

"Thakur was completely free from rajas, shuddham apapa viddham- pure and sinless. He used to say, ‘This body cannot take to any rajasic work.’ So, he made the bhaktas do it.

"Thakur always would be established in the ideal, in Brahman. He used to come down only to make devotees. This was the only little work he took up. He was to get them to work for the establishment of the dharma. There is great difference between this work and that.

17 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

"An ordinary man works for himself. A class higher to him is that of those who work to realize God. There is yet another higher class who only takes to ordained work, they work at the command of the Lord.

The work of Thakur’s devotees belongs to this class. They have been given commission by Him.

To a devotee (M.) he said, ‘The Mother has told me that you have to do a little of Her work. You have to read out the Bhagavata to people.’ This devotee had asked for sannyasa. It is then that he said so to him. He would have to live in the household for Mother’s work. It is Thakur’s work. The Mother of the Universe makes him do it holding his hand, like a machine.

"What a wonder! On one hand, he says that he is an avatara. On the other, he says that he does what the Mother makes him do. He is talking and suddenly he stops and says, ‘Mother does not let me speak.’ Both these moods are there in him simultaneously, both as an avatara and Her instrument. These two ideas contradict each other. In the mood of the avatara, he is free, he is God; and in the mood of an instrument, he is a man. He has both moods, that of God and of the jiva (creature). They who manifest both of these moods together are avataras.

"We did not see Thakur separated from God even for a second. Leaving aside the world, he was merged in Brahman.

"The four states of being awake, in dream, in deep sleep, in turiya (fourth), and in turiyatita (beyond the fourth) are all to be found in the avatara together. Man sees them separate from each other. Because, he has limited intelligence. So he used to say, ‘A one seer jug cannot contain ten seers of milk.’

One cannot understand the avatara. Even so, if He makes one understand, it is possible. He made his intimate disciples understand that he was both man and God.

Sometimes they see this. Then after that, they see him as a man. Yashoda and the Gopis also saw the same at one time - they saw Lord Krishna raising the Govardhan mount and then they saw Him as a cowherd-boy (Gopal). His (Lord Krishna’s) mother also saw him the same way. Once, she saw him as man and then as Gopala merged into Lord, she saw this side and then the other.

"Sitting on the smaller cot in the evening, Thakur used to chant, ‘Brahma, Maya, Jiva Jagat.’ It appeared that he was seeing all these as one and then also as separate. And then sometimes, he would merge himself in Para Brahman.

"The devotes of Thakur saw him as a perfect man and as a Perfect God. What a wonder! What a riddle!"

18 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

It is five in the evening. M. is seated on the roof of the Morton School facing north.

M. (to Gadadhar) Please read the Veda to them. (To the devotees) Please listen to the Veda.

Gadadhar :

na va are patyuh kamaya patih priyo bhavati, atmanastu kamaya patih priyo bhavati,

na va are jayayai kamaya jaya priya bhavati, atmanastu kamaya jaya priya bhavati... etc.

M.: It is not for the love of the husband that the wife loves him, but because of herself alone. By loving him, she feels a joy. Similarly, wife, son, wealth i.e,. whatever worldly things people love, desire and want to possess is all for the love of oneself only.

"Yajnavalkya, taught this to Maitreyi. He said, ‘You have to know the Self, the Atman. When you know the Atman, you know everything.’ Atman means God, Brahman, Parmatman, Satchidananda.

Thakur used to say, ‘I am that Satchidananda. He said: One day, I saw him coming out of my body and saying I incarnate myself as an avatara in every age.’ In other words, He has come this time in the body of Sri Ramakrishna."

Doctor Bakshi and Advocate Lalit Banerjee enter.

M.: (to advocate) Please tell them what we have talked about the Veda.

A Devotee: Rishi Yajnavalkya, having formally embraced sannyasa will leave home. He asks Katyayani and Maitreyi, his two wives to share his wealth between themselves. Maitreyi was a jnani (one who has attained spiritual wisdom).

She said, "Why are you leaving us behind?" Happily he talks about the principle of Atman to her.

Says he: Whomsoever we love is for ourselves alone. Only God, the Lord is our own. When one knows the Lord, one knows all. Then one has no desire to know anything else. Reason? He is the first cause of the world. And the real wealth. When one knows it’s cause, one knows the thing.

So Thakur said, ‘You people will not have to do very much. You have only to know 'who I am and who you are.’ Thakur has hinted with this great saying that he himself is Parmatman.

M. Very nice. He has caught the essence very nicely. When one knows that Thakur is God, one knows all, one has achieved all. He said to a particular devotee (M.), ‘When the whole mind has concentrated itself here (on Thakur), what remains there to be attained?’ That bhakta (M.) would always sit staring at Thakur’s face only. Knowing God is what the Upanishad calls Atma-jnana or Brahmajnana. It is all the same thing.

19 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

M. (to devotees) : It is the twilight hour. Let us mediate on Him for a while. Thakur said, ‘At the twilight hour one should leave aside everything and meditate on Him.’

M. meditates with the bhaktas for about an hour.

It is 8 p.m. M. is sitting near the northern door in the Nava Vidhan Brahma Samaj towards the west. With him are many devotees.

Acharya Pramatha Sen is delivering a sermon from the pulpit. It is an echo of Thakur’s words: Man loves all in the world, but who loves God? One should love Him.

Coming out of the Nava Vidhan Mandir, M. enters Jhampukur. He is to go to the Kali temple of Thanthania.

Pointing towards the mansion of Raja Digamber Mitra he says, "This is Digamber Mitra’s house. Initially, Thakur used to perform puja here. And at 27, Jhampukur Lane, here, Vijay Krishna Goswami used to live. One day, Thakur went to see Vijay as he had not gone to Dakshineswar for a long time and was not well. That was the reason."

M. comes to the Bechu Chatterji Street. Pointing at the shop of muri (roasted rice) and murki (sweetened parched paddy) to the right of the road he says, "Here, Pundit Ramkumar Shastri, the elder brother of Thakur had his Sanskrit school. It is he who suggested to Rani Rasmani to donate the Dakshineswar Kali Mandir in the name of her Guru.

Rani Rasmani could not procure a priest for the temple. Not knowing what to do, she earnestly requested Ram Kumar to act as the priest of the newly built temple. Since then, the descendants of this family have been performing the duties of the priest.

Thakur used to attend this school and he used to live there (behind the houses to the east, on the left footpath of this road). Now the Hare Press is situated there in a brick built house. It was then a thatched house."

M. goes towards Thanthania. He stops at the turning of the Guru Prasad Chaudhry Lane. Showing a two storey building to the left he says, "This is the house of Rajendra Mitra. Thakur used to visit it very often. Once Keshab Sen came to this house for Thakur’s darshan.

Aha, what devotion Keshab Babu had! He washed the grapes and wiped each one before giving it to Thakur with his own hand. How much love there has to be for doing so!"

20 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

M. proceeds. He says from a distance, "There, you see Mother Kali’s temple. Thakur used to visit it regularly. He would sit there and sing to the Mother for quite long. He was seventeen or eighteen then. Yes, we have left behind a holy place.

M. has now reached Mother Kali’s temple. Sitting before the Mother, he meditates. He is surrounded on three sides with the devotees. They are all in meditation. After half an hour, M. offers pranam to the Mother, takes some charanamrita and leaves.

It is 9:30 p.m. M. reaches the courtyard of the Morton School. He is seated in the eastern section of the second level. Doctor Akshay’s house is about thirty seven yards away. The music of the community singing is resounding. One can hear only ‘Hare Krishna Hare Ram.’ M. listens. Full of emotion, he says a little later, "Please go there, you must go there. Go and join them. Such a day doesn’t come very often. Thakur used to say: Giving up hesitation, dislike and fear you should call on Him. Please go there. The devotees dance with ‘Hare Krishna Hare Ram’ in their throats.

M. is sitting in the staircase room. It is the second day of the bright fortnight.

A little while ago, he was gazing at the moon of the second day (dvitiya) from the roof. He was saying, "Thakur used to tell us that Sita said to Ravana: Ram is the moon of dvitiya and you are the full moon. Ravana was very happy to hear this. But he could not understand its significance.

The full moon means it has waxed to its maximum. Now, it will go down, the destruction will now come. And this is what happened to Ravana. And the moon of dvitiya means it will wax. It has only taken birth just recently; the splendour of Ram’s sport is about to gain more and more."

As soon as the evening lamp is brought in, M. shuts his eyes and clapping with his hands says, ‘Hari Bol, Hari Bol’ and meditates with the devotees. The meditation goes on for about an hour.

Now the reading from the Devi Bhagavata is taken up 3rd skandha, 20 to 24 adhyayas. All listen to the reading without speaking. The reading over, the conversation is resumed.

The Elder Jiten (to M.) The scripture mentions such hard tapasya. Can man do so much, such a great hardship! Is there no easier way?

M.: Meditation on him is tapasya. Whatever (bodily) tapasya one may perform, unless you meditate on Him, it is useless to inflict the body with hardship. One may go on bearing bodily hardships, but the mind remains where it was. Tell me, what use is it then? The test is whether the mind is going to God or not, whether attachment is being reduced or not, whether one keeps the company of sadhus and whether faith is increasing or not.

21 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

"If there is no control over the body, there too is danger. One cannot be sure where the bodily enjoyments may throw one. One cannot be sure of this. Therefore, a little hardship on the body is necessary.

"When you sit in an armchair and meditate on Him, it is useless. It is necessary that you monitor whether discrimination and dispassion are increasing or not. When this comes about, then a little hardship on the body, a little control over it come automatically. You should subject the body to hardship only as much as it is necessary to keep the mind on God."

The Elder Jiten: Well, many people memorise the scriptures. I hear that a person repeats the entire Gita daily sitting in a ferry steamer. Is it needed?

M.: While memorising the Gita etc., it enters the mind. When you repeat again and again, the words go into the ear; and from there into the mind. Repeating an idea daily again and again leaves an impression on the mind. This is called samskara. A struggle ensues without one’s knowing between the old ideas, thinking on sense objects and new ideas, the words of the scriptures and the Guru. Gradually, divine feelings come to the surface.

"And if you know Gita by heart, you can meditate on God sitting alone in the darkness of night. The speech borne out of repetition first goes to the ear, then, its meaning goes to the mind and results in meditation. Thus, it is said avrittih sarva shastranam bodhadapi gariyasi (Repetition is better than even understanding all of the scriptures)."

M. (laughing) But, Thakur never recited a shloka. He knew some by heart, but he would not repeat them, lest the devotees flaunt them in the same way. How many sides he guarded! Such caution is not possible for anybody but an avatara.

"Thakur used to say, ‘The shastra should be heard from the mouth of a sadhu, from those who having renounced all have taken to the path.’ And he also warned that by reading too much the mind gets attached to the reading itself. So, one should compare what one reads with what the Guru has said. The aim is not reading— it is meditation on God. One should read only as much as it is necessary for it. He used to say, ‘Sand is mixed with sugar in the shastras. Like an ant take only the sugar.’ "

22 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

The roof the Morton School, 3 p.m. M. is seated on a chair facing south. He is talking. In front of him are two teachers on a bench.

M: (to the teacher) The Paramahamsa Deva used to say: ‘The highest duty of man is to realize God. It is for this that one is born as a man.’ He used to say: ‘Money, honour and dignity, wife, son and daughter, all these are not the aim of life. The reason? They don’t last forever. Nothing temporary can give permanent happiness and joy.’ It is only in God that it is possible to gain all this. Knowing God is called dharma, true religion. The Veda says: The reality of man is that he is the child of Immortality (amritasya putrah).’

Teacher: The world is a very complex place. It is very difficult to lead a life of dharma in it.

M: So Thakur said, ‘The way for it is daily company of sadhus, regular and continuous.’ To get rid of a disease, one has to be up and doing the directions of the physician. This too is the same.

"What is the meaning of the company of sadhus? To keep company of those who have reached the edge of this complexity who, while living in the complexity and having given up the complexity, have taken up the core that is God. By sitting with them, one comes to know what is real and what is an illusion. Then one has to try to keep one’s hold on reality. Reality is that which takes one to God. Isn’t God known by the name of Existence? The true existence is God. There never is the non-existence of God. So it is called Existence.

"The real nature of man is divine. But falling into Maya, he has forgotten everything - whose child he is, where his abode is, all this - that is why there is so much pain and suffering. They, who always remember their real nature, are known as Mahatmas, great souls, sadhus. By keeping their company, we always remember that we do not belong here. Our home is in God.

Thakur used to say, ‘What is human life like? It is coming from the village to the city. One goes back after working there. As soon as the work is finished, one returns home immediately.’

"It is the same with man. Everybody will have to depart from here. One has to come back again and again to enjoy the fruits of one’s actions. When that is finished, there is no more birth. Then, one goes to God. One becomes free from the cycle of the birth and death. The son of the house comes back to his house. Everybody will have to return home, everybody will attain freedom. His very nature is freedom. Samadhi is his normal state. Having fallen into Maya, he has come to this state.

"Go, they will, all will go back home one day. Even so if one wants to go home early the way is to keep company of those who have gone to that own house. It becomes easy when you receive their love."

23 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

Belur Math, the Durga festival. It is Mahashtami today. M. has come to the Math to have darshan of the Mother and to worship Her.

Today, it is 5th October, 1924.

Mother Durga has her idol made of clay. The Mother sits facing south in the mandap with Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Kartik and Ganesha.

In front of the image a brahmachari is offering worship. And an experienced sannyasin seated beside him, is acting as the tantra-dharaka. He is directing the priest in his puja and reads the mantras etc. The whole atmosphere of the Math is filled with the fragrance of the burning incense and the music of the instruments.

It is Mahashtami today. So, there is a big crowd. The devotees are coming in groups in their best dresses. At places they are singing loudly to please the Mother. For these days, the kitchen of the Math is open to public.

Sitting in the south-eastern corner of the mandap, M. has darshan of the deity and Her puja. After a while, he goes around the Math with many devotees. He offers pranam and has darshan first in Thakur’s temple and then one by one, of Swami Vivekananda’s room, Swami Brahmananda’s shrine, the Holy Mother’s shrine and Swami Vivekananda’s shrine. Now he is again in the Holy Mother’s shrine.

Here, Miss McLeod, the unique loving brahmacharini lady from America, comes and joins M. Many sadhus and devotees have assembled already. M. sits on his haunches facing north in front of the Mother’s temple. Miss McLeod takes her seat in front of M., facing south. Some of the sadhus and devotees sit there, some stand there and have darshan of the great spiritual man.

M. talks happily on many topics with brahmacharini McLeod. All of a sudden, M. makes pranam to Miss McLeod by prostrating on the ground. Feeling much embarrassed, Miss McLeod asking his pardon in a loud pleading tone says humbly, ‘O! O! What are y doing, Mr. M? You are Sri Ramakrishna’s son.’

M. says reverentially in a calm voice, "The Mother of the universe, who is being worshipped in the image over there, the very same Mother, I am worshipping here in this human form. The same blissful Mother is flowing before us the Ganga. And here again, She is in the temple as the Holy Mother. You are the guardian-angle of us all."

A devotee thinks within himself: Why has this spiritual man offered his pranam by lying on the ground to Miss McLeod who is but a disciple? Undoubtedly, it is for our training. Not realizing her real self, we do not show proper regard to her. We cannot give her due respect. M. comes to know of it from our conduct and talk. So, perhaps, he forces us to see and teach us without speaking, ‘She is a goddess, not a human being.’

He always says to the devotees, "These ladies are none else but the love-lorn cowherdesses of Lord Krishna of Braja narrated in the Bhagavata. Only, they have taken birth some eight or ten thousand miles away. Forsaking their native land, their near and dear ones, their comfort, they have come to live in the Math inflicted with malaria for no other reason than to beg for divine love."

And he adds, "Thakur has kept them in the Math to be the guardian deity of Swamiji’s work." How much trouble the gurus have to bear for the training of their disciples! This conduct of M. is the manifestation of dharma to train by conduct, to live Vedanta.

24 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

KASHI, THE STOREHOUSE OF JNANA AND BHAKTI

Morton School. It is half past seven in the morning. M. is seated in his room on his bed.

M. Did you have darshan of Sri Vishwanath and Annapurna every day? When living in a holy place of pilgrimage, one should daily offer pranams and have darshan of the presiding deity of the place, if your health allows.

Kashi is a place of pilgrimage. Thakur had the darshan of Vishwanath and Mother Annapurna; they are awakened, and living deities. How many people have committed tyrannies but they are always there in the same form. The proof of it is that as soon as one enters, the mind becomes stable.

Thakur asked me to meditate on Him. Everything has been prepared according to one’s needs. There is a God and a Centre of pilgrimage everywhere. ‘This world is a burning fire,’ so said Thakur. That is why he has made sadhus, shrines and holy centres for the peace of the minds of the devotees.

M: Every spot on the bank of the Ganga is holy but the Kedar Ghat is even more holy. It was close to it that Thakur lived in the house of the Raja Babus. One can imagine that he would generally sit at this ghat, have the darshan of the Ganga and bathe in it.

Thakur’s meditation, darshan, talk have taken a subtle form and is present there. When the right devotee goes there, that bhava manifests itself in his heart and that fills the mind and heart of the devotee with an unknown kind of joy.

"At such places, divine inspiration gets concentrated in this way since eternity by the visit of the rishis, munis, avataras and mahapurushas. Just as the wealth of a state is in the raja’s treasure, similarly the treasure of the devotees’ dhyana, bhakti and faith gets stocked in a holy place.

"Thakur used to say: ‘In Kashi, Shiva whispers the name of Rama in the ears of the dying and Mother Annapurna breaks the bonds of birth and death of the jivas.’ He saw this with his own eyes and he entered into samadhi in the boat at Manikarnika Ghat. He said, ‘The Mother snaps the bonds of Maya quickly.’ And he said, ‘I saw the whole of Kashi as a city of gold.’

The shastras contains all this, but with the passage of time people lose their faith. So, Thakur came and revived and re-inspired all these truths for the devotees by perceiving them. Thus, all these holy places are the indestructible storehouse of Eternity.

"The shastra says this: If one dies in Kashi he attains mukti (liberation). Thakur almost showed it to the devotees. Putting his foot on the chest of Hriday’s mother, he said, ‘Sister, you will die in Kashi,’ and this is what happened at last. The others did not accept it, even though they had heard it. But it turned out to be true, so they believed. She was his elder cousin. She had recognized Thakur as an avatara.

"How can man understand all this with his intellect defiled by sensory experience? It is all-wonderful. There is no other way but to put one’s faith in it, in the words of the guru, in the words of the avatara. This is the only way, the consistent position; faith and faith."

25 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

KASHI, THE STOREHOUSE OF JNANA AND BHAKTI

"The reading of the life of Buddha is going on here for several days.

The Buddha preaches to his disciples in Kushinagar. This body will not last, it is very troublesome to take it along. Just as a cart creeps along with such difficulties when one of its wheels breaks down, similarly, it is with this body it is not able to move anymore now.

"Householders build houses, states and so on. But, none of these will last. Only God will. He is there since eternity and will be there till ever. Have a relationship with Him. Consider Him as your only eternal friend, your own. Then, you will not be overwhelmed by affection or grief while you live here or while you depart. You will live in joy, you will depart in joy." M. (to all present) See what happened! Gopa came and saluted Buddha. But, Buddha could not recognize her. At the end, Gopa also embraced sannyasa. He established an independent Math for women. His seven year old son Rahul also became a Sannyasi. His stepbrother Ananda, the heir apparent also did not go back at all to home on seeing all that. The whole family embraced sannyasa.

"He, whose touch has made all these personalities, what a personality he must be! Think what he is, brother? Think a little. A tree is known by its fruit."

M. (to the Elder Jiten) Thakur said one day, ‘She (the Holy Mother) was going to her native village. She came to offer me her pranam. I wondered who she was as though she was not even my acquaintance.’ "Just see what is the state of a man who was an avatara! "Why did he speak like this? To train humanity."

M. (to the Pleader) What use are all these- money, house, family and so on? Nothing will go with us. Why then, such love for them? What will go with us are our bhakti, our faith only. Even so, one must earn. It is for this purpose that God has created the vanaprastha and sannyasa ashramas. One should sit down and practice spiritual disciplines until the mind is quietened and develop this non-worldly jnana, bhakti and faith.

"I used to hear that earlier people used to take to vanaprastha at the age of fifty. Now, one rarely hears it.

"But nothing will accompany us. All that will accompany us are God’s name and love for Him."

26 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

EVERYBODY IS SUFFERING FROM DELIRIUM

Morton School, the parlor of the second level. M. is seated on a bench. It is 8 o’clock now.

M: "What I talk is not my own. All this is his. Thakur himself sits in my throat and talks. Now how they are pressing upon your mind. They have formed a heap like a hill or like an island in the sea. Numberless insects fall into the sea and form a coral island.

"You hear so much of conversations and try to remember all — this after that and then that after it. Is it a small strain! On top of it keeping awake at nights to write! Writing daily, continuously for months, year after year. You sleep at eleven and then rise at three in the morning for meditation upon Him. (He counts) Just four hours. This is the time for sleeping that is spent in writing. How much pressure you have on your mind!. And from the mind on to the brain, and from there to the nerves.

"Aren’t you trying a little to record his words? Even to write one or two of his sayings is so difficult — all his words are so powerful, you see! Besides, you try to retain so many of these in your mind. They being like a mound press upon the mind. The pressure is transferred to your nerves. That’s why, the nerves shake. That’s why the heart palpitates.

"The same thing happened to me. Was it during Thakur’s lifetime or later on? It was during his lifetime. One day I became unconscious on the path in Badur Bagan — in front of Vidyasagar Mahashay’s house. Thereafter, a person sent me home by a coach. Yes, when Thakur heard about it he said, ‘Sleep and take milk. And stop writing for some days.’ What I have told you is Thakur’s prescription.

"When Thakur went to see Keshab Sen, he said, ‘An Elephant has entered your thatched cottage.’ You are also in the same state. Keshab Babu was then very ill."

27 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

EVERYBODY IS SUFFERING FROM DELIRIUM

M. (to the devotees) – He who knows that he is the son of such a big man- will he be attracted by anything ordinary? How can he? For he sees that his father’s riches are matchless. The whole universe indeed belongs to his father and then there is such abundance of Satchidananda. So, he is not satisfied with the lower things. Millions and millions of moons and suns are evening lamps in his father’s house. He sees this and says, ‘How many jewels there are in the dancing hall of my Chintamani (God).’

Therefore, what other people are mad after is nothing for him. He only wants jnana and bhakti — he wishes to taste the nectar of Satchidananda. Why should he accept anything else? For nothing will last. That which will last is only He, Satchidananda.

A cart is going through the Amherst Street. It is making such a dreadful noise. Turning the current of this topic, M. converses.

M. (to the devotees) – Sound? It is just this. How far can it go? "Thakur told us that there is another kind of sound which is only heard by the yogis. Its medium is neither air nor ether. It is not in this atmosphere but in chidakasha (the regions of consciousness). The yogis have the yogic ears and yogic eyes. With their ears, the yogis can hear that sound in deep night.

Thakur used to run about on the embankment of the Ganga at two or three in the morning like a mad man, hearing that sound. It is called the anahata sound. It is not produced by striking one thing on the other. That is why it is called anahata (without striking). The ordinary sound is produced by striking on the atmosphere. The other sound is produced by itself."

"Just see, what man is doing. What an intellect He has given man! One should hear and read something about it in the beginning. Then alone the intellect is sharpened. If one is cultured one can quickly catch the essence (Brahman).

"One has to sharpen of one’s intellect a little, and what else! This intellect is also an illusion. That (the work done through the intellect — worldly knowledge) too is illusory.

"So one should read and write to sharpen one’s intellect. Then one can quickly catch the essence (of Brahman). So, Thakur said, ‘He who can keep the account of salt, can also keep the account of sugar candy.’

"There is an another department too. There they want only God, nothing else. So one should not look contemptuously at anybody.

28 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(M. The Apostle and the Evangelist)

EVERYBODY IS SUFFERING FROM DELIRIUM

M. is silent for a while. He resumes.

(to the devotees) – How can we understand Him (God)? (Pointing to the sky and stars) Reason, for all these are there. See, just see what a wonder! They also have the same state as we have vis-a-vis That (God).'

M. is tired but is full of joy. It appears as if he is immersed in the sea of the love of Sri Ramakrishna. He says slowly to a devotee, "Thakur has given me such spectacles that everybody appears to be my own. Where is a stranger? Who is a stranger? All of them are He. He is the Indivisible Satchidananda. And, again, He is both the creature and the world. And it is He who comes as man in every age.

Now He has come to Dakshineswar. Who has the capacity to recognize Him? It is by his grace that he has made his real Self reveal to the devotees. The devotees are speechless on seeing him. His is a blinding light. On the one hand, he is a man, a priest and then naked. And on the other — Satchidananda. Seeing this aspect one likes nothing else. The reason, one sees him in all these. That is why, he has brought us here. All these are his different manifestations. That’s why, it looks so much as one’s own."

A devotee is thinking within himself: "Sri Ramakrishna had seen M. in the singing party of Chaitanya with his physical eyes. And then hearing him read out the Chaitanya Bhagavata he had said, "‘I have recognized who you are.’" And he had added, "‘You are a member of my inner circle, a person belonging to this place — of the some substance as father and son. You will have to do a little of the Mother’s work. You will have to narrate the Bhagavata to the people.’"

Sri Ramakrishna also said, "‘Satchidananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute) has come into this body. Christ, Chaitanya and I are one.’" And he also said, "‘Mother, you granted him a kala of Your Shakti! Well, it will be enough to do Your work (of teaching humanity).’" How many scholars have become sadhus with the help of M.! How many knowers of scriptures have got the essence!

29 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Dependence on God

(Swami Turiyananda)

One should always stick to the Lord; if one succeeds in making this a habit, then the purpose is achieved. Then only the Lord is known to be present within and without; the cycle of events in the world cannot, then, disturb one's equanimity or make one restless. Not that disturbing things do not happen, they do, but they go as they come, without being able to affect us in any way.

‘None else, He alone is my all in all' – when you will feel like this and will not rely on anything, then will you be right. Now you are depending on earthly things, on wealth, man, and learning. Even great scholars get mad by a single screw getting loose in the brain. We do not rely on God. We rely on our money; our relations, our friends. But `O king, know that He is the treasure of those who have nothing.' When nothing will intervene between you and Him, then you will realize Him. Sri Krishna had broken all the ties of the Gopis. But their sense of shame still remained. That tie also he broke at last. When the Lord sees that man is finding it hard to give up anything for Him, then He Himself takes it away. `Lord, take all things away from me, even those that I have kept hidden in my inmost heart.' `If, O man, you wish to cross the ocean of relative existence, you must give up desires for earthly things.

Nowadays the theory of Mahamaya or a Universal Force manipulating everything, appeals to me very much. I haven't got words to tell you how I like it. It is because the mind has accepted the truth of it. Swamiji also in his later days used to have great faith in Mahamaya. To be like an automaton in Her hands is easier said than done. If we submit to Her, She never fails to protect us. With the advance of age there comes a time when, instead of leaning on the theory of causation, we naturally resign ourselves to the Divine Mother.

What is wanted is dependence on God. One must surrender everything to Him.

Depend on Mother for everything. Trust in Her, and She will guide you. She will not let you go astray. I am sure of that.

Mother is kind to send pain. It is for our good. Only we are so self-loving. We don't realize it. We must depend on Her alone, and on nothing else. Certainly we must depend on her for our external wants, for everything. Our body, mind, and soul are given to Mother. On whom else then should we depend on? Let her give or let her take, it is all the same. Why should we care? When once given, how can we demand again? Blessed is he who can realize this.

30 April 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Dependence on God

(Swami Adbhutananda)

You speak about dependence on God so superficially. If you do not get any response after calling on God for a couple of days, you follow your own way according to your mood, as if you understood the situation better than he.

[To a devotee's question: Maharaj why do we not have that kind of dependence on God?]

It is because you value your intellect and ego more than God. You are not ready to wait for his command, and moreover, you lose patience in a minute.

Look, when you dive deep into the Ganga, though there are thousands of pounds of water above you, you don't feel that weight. Similarly, if you plunge into God's creation yet still hold onto him, you will not feel its burden. Then the world becomes a place of merriment.

Remember this beautiful saying of Tulasidas: `He who takes refuge in God is protected by him. A huge elephant may be swept away by the current of the river, but the small fish who lives in the river can even swim against its current' Remember that if you depend on God, he will take care of you in all circumstances.

Believers remain satisfied. They depend on the Lord and enjoy contentment. One should avoid the company of the non-believers. They themselves suffer and pass on their discontent to others.

What is the use of prayer and meditation if you have no dependence on Him? Everything else is useless if you lack in this.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Pleasure and pain are the inevitable companions of every human being. When one comes, the other departs but neither can remain long. Knowing this we must lose our wits under their influence. Depend upon God entirely and do your duty. Always abide by the will of God and take everything in the best light.

Few of us believe in God all the time. As long as we have two or three rupees in the pocket, we think we can depend on ourselves. Only when the last anna is gone and we do not know where to get another, do we begin to trust God. But the man who depends on himself is never safe, while the man who has perfect faith in God is never in danger.

(Swami Saradananda)

Depending on Him, resign yourself to His care. Let Him decide what is best for you.

If you carry on your spiritual practices with implicit faith in the Lord who is your own - you will understand everything in due time. It will gradually be revealed to you how you can cultivate absolute reliance on God while performing your duties.

Therefore give up all attempts to understand spiritual truths with your limited intellect. Have absolute faith in the Lord; rely on Him and practice spiritual disciplines.

Depend upon God and stand on your own feet. Remember the words of the Upanishads and dive deep into spiritual practice, never be contented until the goal is reached.

Peace of mind can be had by spending more time in meditation and other spiritual practices and by depending on the Lord.

When nothing is possible without His will, then what is the use of planning? It is better to depend on Him and do as He makes us do.

1 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Dependence on God

(Swami Akhandananda)

While travelling in Gujarat, once some dacoits would have killed me, if I had had any money with me. Ah, what a state of dependence upon God it was, always thinking of Him! Money makes us forget God. Dependence on God is true self-reliance. Don't you see, those who earn money cannot rely upon God in the proper spirit? The two cannot go together. It is dangerous to have your legs in two boats!

Man enters family life and gets involved in worldly affairs. But if he takes refuge in the Lord and then attends to the duties of life, he can withstand much better the storms and stresses of the world, all of which he can ignore by his dependence on God's dispensation.

DEPRESSION

(Swami Brahmananda)

In the primary stage, the aspirant should slowly but steadily increase his hours of meditation. Otherwise, if, because of a momentary enthusiasm, he suddenly tries to increase his hours of meditation, he will find the reaction difficult to bear. He will become depressed, and then he will lose the power to meditate. It is a difficult task to lift a depressed mind and turn it back to spiritual practices.

But it is natural that you feel depressed now and then.

2 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DEPRESSION

(Swami Turiyananda)

Faith saves us. Everyone feels depressed at times; but all do not show it.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Why should you be so depressed? Do you think you understand everything about human life? Know that no life goes in vain in God's realm. Once Brother Shashi gave a very apt illustration to someone like you. A man was out walking and came upon a canal. Seeing that he would have to jump over it in order to continue on his way, he took several strides backward to get a running staff for his leap. As he ran forward and jumped over the canal, he covered not only the distance he had moved backward but also the canal itself. Now, can you tell me whether his several steps backward were helpful or harmful? A man might have to take backward steps in this present life, but he will undoubtedly run forward in the next.

(Swami Saradananda)

You feel depressed because your faith is lukewarm. You must cultivate self-confidence.

When you feel depressed, you must drive away that feeling by saying, `I belong to the Lord, He is my very own. I am His child. He is holding me by the hand and will surely do what is good for me.' These thoughts will bring strength to your nerves and faith in your heart.

You should drive away all depressive thoughts, telling yourself that it is the nature of the mind to have passions and they arise due to past habit. Fix your mind on God and they will leave you alone. Bestow no thought on what is past. If negative thoughts arise, pay no attention; consider them as insignificant things, beneath your notice.

Whenever you feel miserable and spiritual life seems dry, you must drive these feelings away by thinking that you are His servant, His child, a part of Himself, and that your Chosen Ideal is always holding you by His hand. You are safe in His care, and nothing but good will come to you in the end. Remembering this you must pick up strength and banish from your heart all depressing thoughts. Despondency is the greatest obstacle in spiritual life. It saps energy and destroys your ability to struggle.

(Swami Akhandananda)

Have you read the book, ‘Up From Slavery’ - the great story of service, of educating the people? It tells of how they made their own bricks with which they built the school. In the beginning they were unable to do so; but after repeated failure they succeeded. He that is born with a mission does not stop at obstacles. He is never depressed: he will finish his work and then only rest.

3 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DESIRE

(Swami Brahmananda)

Out of thousands, perchance one desires for God. Sri Ramakrishna used to say that a man will surely attain God if he possesses in an intense degree three kinds of love - the love a chaste wife feels toward her husband, the attraction of the worldly man for the world, and the attachment the miser feels toward his hoarded wealth. This means that the mind must be one-pointed and completely free of all desires except the desire to know and love God.

Later, when the mind has attained perfect purity, you will have but one desire - to devote yourself to contemplation always. Because the mind is gross it runs after gross things, but as it becomes pure and subtle it will run after God, the pure consciousness.

Purify your mind so that no worldly desire can arise in it.

`I want to taste sugar but not become sugar' is for the man who has not yet tasted sugar. When a devotee begins to taste the sweetness of God, he will desire to achieve oneness with him.

As long as man desires the things of the world, it is not possible for him to have any earnest desire to know God. As long as a child is absorbed in his toys he forgets his mother, but as soon as he tires of them he cries for her, and is not happy till he sees her. Similarly, when a man tires of the playthings of the world his heart yearns for God, and he struggles with all his mind and will to find him.

The desire to live a pure and holy life does not come easily. But know this for a certainty. The grace of God is upon all those in whom this desire is awakened. In the world man receives nothing but repeated blows. He suffers much, and yet the desire to walk the path of God does not enter into his heart. He knows full well that every time he puts his hand in fire it will burn, yet still he does it. Not only so; he uses every inducement to encourage others to do the same and regards that man as crazy who desists.

Like a fallen leaf tossed to and fro by the wind, the one-pointed man is content to remain wherever the Lord places him. He has no will or desire of his own. He can live in the world and at the same time dive into the ocean of knowledge and bliss.

If you have the craving for fleshly enjoyments or the slightest desire for name and fame you cannot reach God. As Nag Mahashaya used to say, `It is like trying to row an anchored boat' He also used to say, `It is easy to get name and fame. But holy is he who can renounce them.

Hold on for a little while. Do not give your mind up to objects of desire. You must exercise great self-control, in everything. Objects of desire, then, will follow you like slaves. Then, through His grace, you will find you have no desire for them nor will you feel any attachment to them.

Effort must be your motto if you want to grow spiritually. Keep watch over every small desire which arises and control it.

My child, if you wish to make your life blessed, if you desire your own good, then dive deep into meditation. Do not float on the surface but repeat the name of the Lord and dive Deep.

When you are able to free yourself from these deep-seated desires, when the mind becomes tranquil, then only can you become deeply absorbed in real meditation.

During meditation think that desires for worldly things are worthless. This will leave a good impression on the mind. As you drive away the desires from your mind, good thoughts and feelings will come up.

4 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DESIRE

(Swami Shivananda)

At the base of all desires are lust and greed.

One can have that much desire as is absolutely necessary for self-preservation. The main object of self-preservation is to be able to call on the Lord whole-heartedly and to do works in His service that is all.

Renunciation means doing away with the three foremost desires [according to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the desires for progeny, wealth and popularity]. A devotee accepting the dualistic view renounces all desires except the desire for God. He alone is to be desired in life. The desire to realize Him is not really a desire at all.

Don't you know it is very hard to digest fame? Those who do not have Self-realization can hardly rise above the desire for name and fame.

As a result of good deeds performed in many incarnations and through the grace of God, one has this desire for liberation.

It will not do to have mere external renunciation; one must eradicate from one's very mind any desire for `woman and gold'.

It is only by realizing Him that one gets rid of all passions and desires, attains fullness, and becomes the Self Itself.

It is He who fulfils all desires if one but prays with earnestness. He is the ordainer of all the desired results of everybody. It is He who vouchsafes all the fruits that people want be these virtue, secular prosperity, enjoyment, or liberation.

As a result of association with the holy one reaches the state of being freed from all worldly attachments. All wants and desires are then destroyed root and branch, and one feels the nearness of God.

Eternal peace cannot come so long as passions and desires persist; and those passions and desires cannot be wholly uprooted without the grace of God.

When the mind becomes free from impressions and desires, it cannot, strictly speaking, be called mind any longer - it becomes synonymous with the one Universal Intelligence, the Supreme Energy or Brahman, give it any name you please.

It is impossible to obtain peace that is abiding so long as one is subject to desires, and one cannot wholly uproot desires without divine grace.

Dispassion depends upon past impressions, Samskaras. One gets it only when one is free from all desires and not otherwise. If any desire is left in the mind this spirit of renunciation cannot come.

Now and then a desire for enjoyment may be felt. Never mind, it is nothing; discriminate and renounce such desires.

Desire begets misery, to be without desires is bliss. Desire for enjoyment no doubt has to be given up. But then all desires are not to be given up. It is only material desires that are to be given up. But the desire to realize God, the desire for knowledge and devotion are not to be given up.

That mind in which there are no mentations or desires cannot be called mind.

5 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DESIRE

(Swami Premananda)

Surrender all desire for name and fame to the Lord. If some little name or fame comes your way, it won't harm you.

Be not self-seeking, try to be desireless, and take your refuge in the Lord, who is the doer of all good.

You are young. Your passions are naturally strong, and desires for enjoyment will arise inevitably. You need to be very careful. Think that you are the servant of the Lord, and that you are strong in the strength of the Lord. How could lust overcome you! You have to be strong and a hero, and at the same time calm and tender.

Let the strong wind of dispassion rise in your minds, that the trees of desire be uprooted. Then, even as birds fly from the shelter of trees before a strong wind, will the ignorance of selfishness, jealousy, hatred, and egoism take flight from your hearts.

So long as there remains even one desire in the heart, it is not possible to attain Samadhi.

However, the desire to know God and to love Him cannot be considered a desire in the ordinary sense. The only desire a monk should have in his heart is the desire to realize God. It is not possible, however, for the householder to strictly follow this path of desirelessness. The golden mean is his rightful path.

But as I said before - you, as monks, must uproot the very tree of desire with the strong wind of dispassion. Free your minds from all desires, and peace will reign in your hearts. To be liberated means to be desireless.

Desire, again, is of two kinds - good and evil. That desire which tightens the bonds of ignorance is evil; that which loosens the bonds is good.

Therefore, the desire to associate with the holy or to serve them, and the desire to work selflessly for the good of others are good desires.

There are desires also of a gross and subtle kind. Gross desires are the desires for wealth, pleasure, and enjoyments. Sometimes it happens that after a man has succeeded in freeing himself from these gross desires after great struggles and hard spiritual disciplines, he succumbs to the subtle desire for recognition, name, or fame. These, too, have to be overcome by the practice of spiritual discrimination. The root cause of all desire is the ego and our identity with the physical body.

It is also true that unless desires are left behind you cannot have the vision of God.

Desirelessness and the vision of God are like the two sides of the same leaf. The truth is, it is not possible to realize God unless one becomes completely desireless.

So long as there is the least desire the mind cannot be absorbed in God. Along with meditation and repetition of the Lord's name, we must reason keenly and carefully, we must search out the desires hiding in the dark nooks and corners of the mind and drive them away. This is what is called in the Gita as `saving the self by the self.'

Thus we are to conquer the mind. We shall, then, find Peace Everlasting within ourselves and become sages. Simply meditating or repeating God's names, without any effort at rooting out the desires, will be useless.

05/05/2020, 07:28 - +91 91002 45402 left

6 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DESIRE

(Swami Turiyananda)

When he was wandering about as an itinerant monk, Swamiji

(Swami Vivekananda saw on the wall of a dilapidated temple a couplet written in Hindi with charcoal. Nobody knew who had written this couplet or where the writer had got it from. But how beautiful its meaning was! It is as follows: `_Oh! desire, you are the lowliest of the lowly. You are like the tanner or the scavenger. This Atman of mine was the Brahman Itself - but coming near you, how small you have converted it into!_'

Supreme devotion cannot be had so long as there is the slightest desire in the mind. Desires keep us apart from God. But one day we shall have to eradicate all desires and call on Him. What if the body goes while calling on Him?

However great a man may be, whatever great deeds he may be doing, some day he will have to be desireless.

If you find a man's desire for sense-enjoyments is growing less and less and his love is extending over all beings, then you may know that he is progressing towards God.

It is very difficult to realize God. The slightest desire blocks the way.

How beautifully Tulasidas expressed it: `_Where Rama, the Lord is, there is no Kama, desire; and where there is Kama, there Rama is not._ Both can never co-exist like the sun and darkness.

How difficult to hold the mind forever above the world! It wants to come down. It is indeed very hard to escape the grip of desire. As Sri Ramakrishna would say, `_Even he who has no one to call his own rears up a cat and creates homely attachments_.

We have been reading these few days of the selfish prayers in the Rudradhyaya ` Do not destroy my cows. Ever turn thy benign face on me. Come putting aside thy bow and arrows. And humble my enemies and chastise them.' Well, such prayers come out of selfishness. But when one is rid of body-consciousness, one does not feel these desires.

If one realizes God, to him the world is a paradise and everything in it yields whatever he desires.

Duality is nothing. It has come only from here pointing to his heart. It vanishes, if one will only shake it off with a will. If one does not want sense-enjoyment, if one hates the approach of any thought of it in the mind, of their own accord will all desires for sense-objects fly away.

Suppose I do not like the company of a particular individual, do not talk with him, thus showing my constant dislike for him, then in a few days, he of his own accord, will stop coming to me. One succeeds in driving away the desires for sense-enjoyments, if only one makes an effort for that. It is because we cling to sense-objects that desire for them does not leave us.

Ordinarily we know only the surface waves of our mind. But through Yoga practice we learn to go deeper. By watching and studying our own minds we dive below the surface consciousness, and observe what is going on there. Many Samskaras - latent desires and tendencies - are stored up there, waiting for an opportunity to express themselves. These we can discover before they rise to the surface. This is very important, for once a thought has come to the surface it is extremely difficult to control it. But at an early stage, before it has fully developed and gathered strength, it is easy to manipulate. This is called `seeing our thoughts in seed form.'

The seed is easily destroyed, but when it germinates and grows into a big strong tree, it requires great strength and effort to hew it down. So we must crush our desires in their early, undeveloped stages. Yogis can do this. They keep down undesirable thoughts in the germ state by smothering them beneath thoughts of an opposite nature. Thus they conquer all evil tendencies hatred with love, anger with kindness and so on.

Have you seen people play chess? The players sometimes overlook a move because their minds are set on winning the game. But the looker-on will see the move, because his mind is calm, not disturbed by the desire to win. We become ambitious, and thus lose clearness of vision. Ambition sweeps us along, and all prudence is thrown to the winds. Our desires make us blind.

It is true that one cannot give up all desires; but if the mind becomes discriminating, desires cannot exert their previous power.

You read in the Yoga Vasishta, `If one moves about with discrimination as one's friend, one does not fall prey even to great temptations.' And that is actually true. If one maintains discrimination steady and strong, no illusion can ever overpower a man. If you constantly remember that the world is unreal, what can desires do? There is no harm in fulfilling small desires, but those which make one forget the Lord are dangerous. It does not matter that you have to live in the world; if you but keep remembrance of the Lord, desires cannot lead you astray.

To be born for selfish purpose i.e. to enjoy sense pleasures alone deserves censure. But certainly there is nothing wrong in a person's being reborn without any selfish desire.

7 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the Jayanti of Bhagawan Buddha. Let us, on this Thrice-Blessed day, remember his golden teachings.)

SETTING IN MOTION THE WHEEL OF TRUTH

(The First Sermon of the Buddha)

(For seven weeks immediately following the enlightenment, the Buddha spent his time in lonely retreat. At the close of this period he decided to proclaim the doctrine (dhamma), he had realized, to those five ascetics who were once struggling with him for enlightenment. Knowing that they were living at Isipatana (modern Sarnath), still steeped in the unmeaning rigours of extreme asceticism, the master left Gaya, where he attained enlightenment, for distant Varanasi, India's holy city. There at the Deer Park he taught them. This is his first sermon.)

Thus have I heard:

Then he addressed the group of five monks (bhikkhus):

'Monks, these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the household life.

(What are the two?)

There is addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable.

Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata (The Perfect One) has realized the Middle Path; it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nibbana.

And what is that Middle Path realized by the Tathagata?

It is the Noble Eightfold path, namely: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

This is the Middle Path realized by the Tathagata which gives vision, which gives knowledge, and leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, and to Nibbana.

The Noble Truth of Suffering (dukkha), monks, is this: Birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering, association with the unpleasant is suffering, dissociation from the pleasant is suffering, not to receive what one desires is suffering - in brief the five aggregates subject to grasping are suffering.

The Noble Truth of the Origin (cause) of Suffering is this: It is this craving (thirst, Tanha) which produces re-becoming (rebirth) accompanied by passionate greed, and finding fresh delight now here, and now there, namely craving for sense pleasure, craving for existence and craving for non-existence (self-annihilation).

The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering is this: It is the complete cessation of that very craving, giving it up, relinquishing it, liberating oneself from it, and detaching oneself from it.

The Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering is this: It is the Noble Eightfold Path, and nothing else, namely:

1. right understanding,

2. right thought,

3. right speech,

4. right action,

5. right livelihood,

6. right effort,

7. right mindfulness, and 8. right concentration.

8 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

The Teachings of Buddha

"This is the Noble Truth of Suffering": such was the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light that arose in me concerning things not heard before. "This suffering, as a noble truth, should be fully realized". "This suffering, as a noble truth has been fully realized".

"This is the Noble Truth of the Origin (cause) of Suffering". "This Origin of Suffering as a noble truth should be eradicated". "This Origin of suffering as a noble truth has been eradicated".

"This is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering". "This Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, should be realized". "This Cessation of suffering, as a noble truth has been realized".

"This is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the cessation of suffering". "This Path leading to the cessation of suffering, as a noble truth, should be developed". "This Path leading to the cessation of suffering, as a noble truth has been developed".

As long as my knowledge of seeing things as they really are, was not quite clear in these three aspects, in these twelve ways, concerning the Four Noble Truths, I did not claim to have realized the matchless, supreme Enlightenment.

But when my knowledge of seeing things as they really are was quite clear then I claimed to have realized the matchless, supreme Enlightenment.

And a vision of insight arose in me thus: "Unshakable is the deliverance of my heart. This is the last birth. Now there is no more re-becoming (rebirth)."

This the Blessed One said. The group of five monks was glad, and they rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One.

9 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Teachings of Buddha

The Buddha addressed the Parivrajakas on the Ashtangamarga. He said that there are eight constituents in the Ashtangamarga.

He began his discourse with the exposition of Samma Ditti (Right Views), the first and foremost element in the Ashtangmarga,

"To realise the importance of Samma Ditti," the Buddha said to the Parivrajakas:

"O, ye Parivrajakas, you must realise that the world is a dungeon, and man is a prisoner in the dungeon.

"This dungeon is full of darkness. So dark is it that scarce anything at all can rightly be seen by the prisoner. The prisoner cannot see that he is a prisoner.

"Indeed, man has not only become blind by living too long in the darkness, but he very much doubts if any such strange thing as light is said to be, can ever exist at all.

"Mind is the only instrument through which light can come to man.

"But the mind of these dungeon-dwellers is by no means a perfect instrument for the purpose.

"It lets through only a little light, just enough to show to those with sight that there is such a thing as darkness. Thus defective in its nature, such understanding as this is.

"But know ye, Parivrajakas! the case of the prisoner is not as hopeless as it appears.

"For there is in man a thing called will. When the appropriate motives arise, the will can be awakened and set in motion.

"With the coming of just enough light to see in what directions to guide the motions of the will, man may so guide them that they shall lead to liberty.

"Thus though man is bound, yet he may be free; he may at any moment begin to take the first steps that will ultimately bring him to freedom.

"This is because it is possible to train the mind in whatever directions one chooses. It is mind that makes us to be prisoners in the house of life, and it is mind that keeps us so.

"But what mind has done, that mind can undo. If it has brought man to thraldom, it can also, when rightly directed, bring him to liberty.

"This is what Samma Ditti can do."

"What is the end of Samma Ditti (Samyak Dhi)?" asked the Parivrajakas. "The end of Samma Ditti," replied the Buddha, "is the destruction of Avijja (Avidya or Nescience). It is opposed to Miccha (Mithya) Ditti.

"And Avijja means the failure to understand the noble truths, of the existence of suffering, and the removal of suffering.

"Samma Ditti requires [the] giving up of belief in the efficacy of rites and ceremonies, to have disbelief in the sanctity of the Shastras.

"Samma Ditti requires the abandonment of superstition and supernaturalism.

"Samma Ditti requires the abandonment of all doctrines which are mere speculations without any basis in fact or experience.

"Samma Ditti requires [a] free mind and free thought.

"Every man has aims, aspirations, and ambitions. Samma Sankappo (Samkalpa) teaches that such aims, aspirations, and ambitions shall be noble and praiseworthy and not ignoble and unworthy.

10 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Samma Vacca (Right Speech)

that one should speak only that which is true;

that one should not speak what is false;

that one should not speak evil of others;

that one should refrain from slander;

that one should not use angry and abusive language towards any fellow man;

that one should speak kindly and courteously to all;

that one should not indulge in pointless, foolish talk, but let his speech be sensible and to the purpose.

. "The observance of Right Speech, as I have explained, is not to be the result of fear or favour. It is not to have the slightest reference to what any superior being may think of his action, or to any loss which Right Speech may involve.

. "The norm for Right Speech is not the order of the superior or the personal benefit to the individual.

Samma Kamanto (Right Behaviour)

"Samma Kamanto teaches right behaviour. It teaches that every action should be founded on respect for the feelings and rights of others.

"What is the norm for Samma Kamanto? The norm is that course of conduct which is most in harmony with the fundamental laws of existence.

"When his [=one's] actions are in harmony with these laws, they may be taken to be in accord with Samma Kamanto.

10/05/2020, 18:46 - +44 7553 989226 left

11 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Teachings of Buddha

"Every individual has to earn his livelihood. But there are ways and ways of earning one's livelihood. Some are bad; some are good. Bad ways are those which cause injury or injustice to others. Good ways are those by which the individual earns his livelihood without causing injury or injustice to others. This is Samma Ajivo.

"Samma Vyayamo Right Endeavour is primary endeavour to remove Avijja; to reach the door that leads out of this painful prison house, to swing it open.

"Right endeavour has four purposes.

"One is to prevent states of mind which are in conflict with the Ashtangamarga.

"Second is to suppress such states of mind which may already have arisen.

"Third is to bring into existence states of mind which will help a man to fulfill the requirements of the Ashtangamarga.

"Fourth is to promote the further growth and increase of such states of mind as already may have arisen.

"Samma Satti calls for mindfulness and thoughtfulness. It means constant wakefulness of the mind. Watch and ward by the mind over the evil passions is another name for Samma Satti.

"There are, ye Parivrajakas, five fetters or hindrances which come in the way of a person trying to achieve Samma Ditti, Samma Sankappo, Samma Vacca, Samma Kamanto, Samma Ajeevo, Samma Vyayamo and Samma Satti.

"These five hindrances are covetousness, ill-will, sloth and torpor, doubt, and indecision. It is, therefore, necessary to overcome these hindrances, which are really fetters, and the means to overcome them is through Samadhi. But know ye, Parivrajakas, Samma Samadhi is not the same as Samadhi. It is quite different.

"Samadhi is mere concentration. No doubt it leads to Dhyanic states which are self-induced, holding the five hindrances in suspense.

"But these Dhyana states are temporary. Consequently the suspension of the hindrances is also temporary.

What is necessary is a permanent turn to the mind. Such a permanent turn can be achieved only by Samma Samadhi.

"Mere Samadhi is negative, inasmuch as it leads to temporary suspension of the hindrances. In it there is no training to the mind. Samma Samadhi is positive. It trains the mind to concentrate and to think of some Kusala Kamma Good Deeds and Thoughts during concentration, and thereby eliminate the tendency of the mind to be drawn towards Akusala Kamma Bad Deeds and Bad Thoughts arising from the hindrances.

"Samma Samadhi gives a habit to the mind to think of good, and always to think of good. Samma Samadhi gives the mind the necessary motive power to do good."

12 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Teachings of The Buddha

. The Buddha then explained to the Parivrajakas the Path of Virtue.

. He told them that the path of virtue meant the observance of the virtues called: Sila; Dana; Uppekha; Nekkhama; Virya; Khanti; Succa; Adhithana; Karuna; and Maitri.

. The Parivrajakas asked the Buddha to tell them what these virtues meant.

. The Buddha then proceeded to satisfy their desire.

. "Sila is moral temperament, the disposition not to do evil and the disposition to do good; to be ashamed of doing wrong. To avoid to do [=doing] evil for fear of punishment is Sila. Sila means fear of doing wrong.

. "Nekkhama is renunciation of the pleasures of the world.

. "Dana means the giving of one's possessions, blood and limbs, and even one's life, for the good of others, without expecting anything in return.

. "Virya is right endeavour. It is doing with all your might whatever you have undertaken to do, with never a thought of turning back, whatever you have undertaken to do.

. "Khanti is forbearance. Not to meet hatred by hatred is the essence of it. For hatred is not appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by forbearance.

. "Succa is truth. A person must never tell a lie. His speech must be truth and nothing but truth.

. "Adhithana is resolute determination to reach the goal.

. "Karuna is loving kindness to human beings.

. "Maitri is extending fellow feeling to all beings, not only to one who is a friend, but also to one who is a foe; not only to man, but to all living beings.

. "Upekka is detachment as distinguished from indifference. It is a state of mind where there is neither like nor dislike. Remaining unmoved by the result, and yet engaged in the pursuit of it.

. "These virtues one must practice to his utmost capacity. That is why they are called Paramitas States of Perfection.

The Buddha's First Sermon concluded

. Having explained His Dhamma and what it involved, the Buddha then asked the Parivrajakas:

. "Is not personal purity the foundation of good in the world?"

And they answered, "It is as thou sayest."

. And he continued, "Is not personal purity undermined by covetousness, passion, ignorance, the destruction of life, theft, adultery, and lying? Is it not necessary for personal purity to build up sufficient strength of character so that these evils should be kept under control? How can a man be the instrument of good if he has no personal purity in him?"

And they replied, "It is as thou sayest."

. "Again, why do men not mind enslaving or dominating others? Why do men not mind making the lives of others unhappy? Is it not because men are not righteous in their conduct towards one another?"

And they answered in the affirmative.

. "Will not the practice of the Ashtanga Marga, the path of right views, right aims, right speech, right livelihood, right means, right mindfulness, right perseverance, and right contemplation, in short, the Path of Righteousness, if followed by every one, remove all injustice and inhumanity that man does to man?"

And they said, "Yes."

. Turning to the path of virtue, he asked, "Is not Dana necessary to remove the suffering of the needy and the poor, and to promote general good? Is not Karuna necessary, to be drawn to the relief of poverty and suffering wherever it exists? Is not Nekkamma necessary to selfless work? Is not Uppekka necessary, for sustained endeavour even though there is no personal gain?

. "Is not love for man necessary?"

And they said "Yes."

. "I go further and say, "Love is not enough; what is required is Maitri. It is wider than love. It means fellowship not merely with human beings but with all living beings. It is not confined to human beings. Is not such Maitri necessary? What else can give to all living beings the same happiness which one seeks for one's own self, to keep the mind impartial, open to all, with affection for every one and hatred for none?"

. They all said "Yes."

. "The practice of these virtues must, however, be accompanied by Prajna, i.e., intelligence.

. "Is not Prajna necessary?"

The Parivrajakas gave no answer.

To force them to answer his question, the Buddha went on to say that the qualities of a good man are: "do no evil, think nothing that is evil, get his livelihood in no evil way, and say nothing, that is evil or is likely to hurt anyone."

And they said, "Yes, so it is."

. "But is doing good deeds blindly to be welcomed?" asked the Buddha: "I say, 'no'. This is not enough," said the Buddha to the Parivrajakas. "If it was enough," said the Buddha to the Parivrajakas, "then a tiny babe could be proclaimed to be always doing good. For as yet the babe does not know what a body means, much less will it do evil with its body beyond kicking about; it does not know what speech is, much less will it say anything evil beyond crying; it does not know what thought is, beyond crying with delight; it does not know what livelihood is, much less will it get its living in an evil way, beyond sucking its mother.

. "The Path of Virtue must, therefore, be subject to [the] test of Prajna, which is another name for understanding and intelligence.

. "There is also another reason why Prajna-paramita is so important and so necessary. There must be Dana. But without Prajna, Dana may have a demoralizing effect. There must be Karuna. But without Prajna, Karuna may end in supporting evil. Every act of Paramita must be tested by Prajna Paramita, which is another name for wisdom.

. "I premise that there must be knowledge and consciousness of what wrong conduct is, how it arises; similarly, there must also be knowledge and consciousness of what is right conduct and wrong conduct. Without such knowledge there cannot be real goodness, though the act may be good. That is why I say Prajna is a necessary virtue."

13 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Teachings of The Buddha

The Buddha then concluded his sermon by addressing the following admonition to the Parivrajakas.

"You are likely to call my Dhamma pessimistic, because it calls the attention of mankind to the existence of suffering. I tell you such a view of my Dhamma would be wrong.

"No doubt my Dhamma recognises the existence of suffering, but forget not that it also lays equal stress on the removal of suffering.

"My Dhamma has in it both hope and purpose.

"Its purpose is to remove Avijja, by which I mean ignorance of the existence of suffering.

"There is hope in it because it shows the way to put an end to human suffering.

"Do you agree with this or not?"

BAnd the Parivrajakas said , "Yes, we do."

The Response of the Parivrajakas

The five Parivrajakas at once realised that this was really a new Dhamma. They were so struck by this new approach to the problems of life that they were unanimous in saying, "Never in the history of the world has any founder of religion taught that the recognition of human suffering was the real basis of religion.

"Never in the history of the world had a scheme of salvation been put forth, so simple in its nature; so free from supernatural and superhuman agency; so independent of, even so antagonistic to the belief in a soul, to the belief in God and to the belief in life after death!

"Never in the history of the world had a scheme of religion been put forth which had nothing to do with revelation, and whose commands are born of the examination of the social needs of man and which are not the orders of a God!

"Never in the history of the world has salvation been conceived as the blessing of happiness to be attained by man in this life and on this earth, by righteousness born out of his own efforts!"

These were the sentiments which the Parivrajakas uttered after they had heard the Buddha's Sermon on his new Dhamma.

They felt that in him they had found a reformer, full of the most earnest moral purpose and trained in all the intellectual culture of his time, who had the originality and the courage to put forth deliberately and with a knowledge of opposing views, the doctrine of a salvation to be found here and now, in this life, in inward change of heart to be brought about by the practice of self-culture and self-control.

Their reverence for him became so unbounded that they at once surrendered to him and requested him to accept them as his disciples.

The Buddha admitted them into his order by uttering the formula "Ehi Bhikkave", come in Bhikkus. They were known as the Panchavargiya Bhikkus.

14 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DESIRE

(Swami Adbhutananda)

A thread with stray fibers cannot pass through the eye of a needle; similarly, a mind with desires cannot be absorbed in God.

Worldly desires have taken up permanent residence in the mind. Sometimes they float on the surface of the mind, and sometimes they are so hidden that it seems they do not even exist. But the closer you are to God, the more you will see the knots of desire hidden in the mind. The more our body and mind are purified, the more the dirt and dross which have accumulated during thousands of lives will be stirred up and will challenge your spirituality. The energy generated by spiritual disciplines forces the impurities to leave the mind, their fort. How can they cope against the power of the Lord's name? You see, the desires are very shrewd. They take possession not only of the mind of a person but his sense organs as well. As soon as desire is aroused in the mind, the sense organs are awakened. The eyes want to see, the ears want to hear, the tongue to taste and speak, the nose to smell, the body to feel. The hands want to work and the feet carry the person to where the object is. The other sense organs are alert, and whenever the opportunity comes they also enjoy.

Do you know what the mind does? It conjures up enticing pictures with the imagination. The imagination is man's worse enemy, his greatest tempter, for it creates beautiful pictures of sense pleasures and nearly destroys man's conscience.

Thus man is drawn to sense objects. Therefore, if you want to control the desire for worldly things, control the imagination and don't be deluded by sense enjoyments.

The nature of the mind can be changed by chanting the name of the Lord. Gradually desires and doubts cease and the mind dissolves into its causality. Then there is none to think or imagine. Waves of desire in the mind show that the mind is active; the mind becomes pure only when it becomes waveless.

Whatever you want you will get. But if you want to be spiritual, you cannot want anything else. The Master used to say, `Whatever you want from God you will receive. But if you want him only, then all your other wants will be fulfilled as well.

Be satisfied with whatever you need for your daily living and don't desire more. Too many worldly belongings displace the thought of the Reality from the mind.

He who has learned to discriminate can successfully overcome lust and greed. So, cultivate your discrimination and conscience. How can you struggle against evil tendencies if your intellect is not trained to differentiate between good and evil? First clear out the rubbish which has entered the mind through the gates of the sense organs, and then put a `NO ADMITTANCE' sign in front of each gate. Those bad thoughts which ignore the notice and still come in, you will have to hand over to the police, which is our conscience. With the help of the police you must evict the impure tendencies from the mind and then install the Lord there. This is the way to conquer lust and desire.

Desire begets wants in the mind of man. If he has no desire, he has no wants. Love for God destroys desire.

How many people want to hear about God? That desire comes through God's special grace.

Desire, freed from hankering for results, leads to the purification of the heart, and the knowledge of the Self dawns when the mind becomes pure.

If you are running temperature, everything tastes bitter, you do not like sweets. Even so, so long as you have the desire to enjoy worldly things, you can have no taste for prayer, meditation, fasts, and vigils - all these taste bitter. When this worldly fever subsides, prayer, meditation, etc. taste sweet. The mind settles quickly to them. Temptation cannot sweep you off your feet.

As long as you suffer from a sense of want, you cannot sincerely call on God. And man has no end of wants. This sense is so peculiar that the more you think of it, the intenser and wider it becomes. Therefore it is that those who want God should tread the path of renunciation.

15 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DESIRE

(Swami Abhedananda)

Man is a slave to his passion, which is the same as desires, and desires are ever associated with selfishness. Selfishness means the desire to seek for food and raiment and happiness for oneself and one's family, without any consideration as to whether one's countrymen fare ill or well. The idea of looking on others as oneself never springs in them. This selfishness itself is ignorance. That is why any mental tendency or idea that is associated with selfishness is narrow. This keeps a man confined within his own body or limited self, his mind never expands. He thinks that whatever is favourable to himself is good, and whatever is unfavourable is bad. Such people never get any peace in this world, their mind is ever aflame with peacelessness.

Desires are of two kinds - good and bad. When desires are associated with selfishness, they are bad, but when desires are motiveless or selfless, they are good. Lust, anger, and greed - these three spring from bad desires, and they harm men.

The men of realization go beyond desires. To go beyond desires means to become free from desires or hankering for results. Desires, freed from hankering for results, leads to the purification of the heart, and the knowledge of the Self dawns when the mind becomes pure. Virtue and vice arise from desires. One can have no peace so long as one is a slave to desires. Peace means the conquest of desires. And the way to the conquest of desires is through doing good to others, striving for the welfare of others.

Diverse are the desires of man, a thousand desires hide themselves behind any one of them. Thus there is no end of desires - one following the other in unending succession. That is why the enlightened ones speak of annihilating desires.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

What makes the mind impure? Desire. Free the mind of all desires, and at once it becomes pure. A man, however, who has no idea of God, can never get rid of desire. The lover of God sees that instead of bringing enjoyment, these desires are the source of all miseries. He understands that in God alone he can find the satisfaction of all desires, for He is infinite bliss, and all other pleasures are finite and perishable.

Desire concretised is body.

Desire to be desireless is harmless.

It is not easy to free the mind of desires. God alone can do it. A man who has no idea of God will never get rid of desires. He will say. `If I have no desire, what differences will there be between me and the wall? It is desire alone that gives me enjoyment. For every desire, there is satisfaction in the world. Why, then, should I give up desire?'

The man who has devotion for God, however, sees that instead of bringing enjoyment, these desires are the source of all his unhappiness. He realizes that in God alone can he find satisfaction for all desires.

If you wish to see God, the only way is to get rid of all selfish desires and make the mind single.

Mind is like a big mirror which gives a perfect reflection but which has been so thickly covered with dirt that nothing can be seen in it. The more you can rub off that dirt the more you will be able to see yourself in it. The more you can remove the least speck of dust the more you can get a perfect image of your true Self. What is that dirt that hides the image? Selfish desires.

Desire is a very dangerous thing. Sometimes we think we have killed all selfish desire; but somewhere in our mind there lingers some remnant; and as from a spark left in the corner of the hearth may become again a big fire, so out of that small remnant may spring a huge fire of desire.

[To the question, `Could not God free us from ignorance at once if He wished?":]

A: Surely; but He is so infinitely loving that He does not wish to molest us. So long as He sees that we really cling to our ignorance and our desires He does not come to free us. Only when we turn all our desires to Him, then He comes and selfishness and ignorance go away. But we must not bribe the mind, we must not pretend to be free from desires. The feeling must be absolutely sincere; no fraud or bribery.

Desires cannot be quenched by satisfaction, but by dissociation. The more one yields to them the more they will burn him. When desires are extinguished, perfection which is within our being will be revealed.

16 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DESIRE

(Swami Saradananda)

It is a pity that man does not want God from the bottom of his heart. If he really wants him, he will surely find him.

If it is the will of Mother, do you think that it will take time to grant the vision and fulfill the desire of our heart? When you belong to her, there is no question that visions and experiences will be yours some day in your life.

Conflicting desires arise in the mind. Because of these desires the mind is constantly lashed into waves. As long as these waves form, the mind is restless. In order to control these waves which give rise to thoughts of a worldly and distracting nature, one must live a life of self-discipline.

Those who lead an unregulated life and think impure thoughts lose their powers and strength of mind. They are at the mercy of passing desires and the feverish cravings of the senses and are slaves.

What should one do if in spite of these arguments the mind refuses to listen? In that case you should enjoy the object of desire once or twice, while discriminating between the real and the unreal.

Small desires, such as sweets, can be renounced in this way after enjoying them with proper discrimination. But it is dangerous to apply this same method to major desires. The moment an aspirant begins to gratify them, he becomes so involved that he cannot extricate himself.

Therefore these major desires have to be renounced and uprooted completely from the mind by realizing the danger and the defects inherent in them. If they are given free rein, they will stifle the power of discrimination.

If you ask why the Lord does not remove all desires from your mind, the answer is that He knows, but none else. Probably He knows that you will be free from the bondage of the world after some years so there is no necessity to forcibly drive them away.

Desire is like a fire which always craves new sensations. If you ignore its demand, it will burn itself out and be extinguished. Therefore, carry on your meditation without paying any notice to the intrusion of distracting thoughts.

If there is a strong attachment for God and a burning desire to realize Him, all other attractions will drop off.

(Swami Akhandananda)

Self-evolution is impossible in a narrow atmosphere of selfishness. Even with an iota of desire for sense-enjoyment, this is impossible.

If you have a desire for sense-enjoyments, then there can be no spiritual attainments. If you are really after spiritual life, then bid farewell to desires.

In worldly life, people are all absorbed in the desire for enjoyment. How will this desire be burnt away? Some heat is necessary first, to dry up the mind soaked with thoughts of enjoyment. The Sadhu gives you that heat. But then if your mind is like a flint, it is a different tale. It may remain a thousand years under water, but it will emit fire when you strike it. How many such are there? Not many.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

It is desire that is the root of all evil, and no one else is at fault.

He is all-pervading. He is within you all, and He knows everything. Confide in Him, but you must be careful not to go to Him with selfish desires.

You cannot have contentment so long as you are subject to worldly desires. Once they disappear you are free.

The most remarkable phenomenon is that all men, all animals desire to live forever. This shows the immortality of all created things. Yes, it is really so.

It is desire that is the root of all evil, and no one else is at fault. That is why a discriminating person says to God: Let your work remain with you, I am not the doer, I am but an instrument.

If you can get rid of all your desires, rebirth will not take place. We provide new impetus to our karmas in every birth, thus continuing the cycle of rebirths. But if we check it completely, that is if we rise over our desires, we will have no further rebirths.

After death, worldly desires continue to remain in a subtle form. Death only destroys the gross body, but the senses, mind, and intelligence, all remain in a subtle form. In that subtle body sense enjoyments are all the more acute. After the subtle state comes the causal state: even then the mind and other phenomena exist in the form of seed'.

In the supra-mental state only one attains perfect illumination. It is not enough, therefore, to strive for physical development only. What is needed is an all-round advancement physical, mental, and spiritual.

17 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON DESPAIR

(Swami Brahmananda)

There is no cause for despair The effect of meditation is inevitable.

(Swami Shivananda)

Know for certain that the impossible becomes possible through His grace. Never allow despair to enter your mind.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

A man can attain peace if he gives up worldly enjoyment, for such enjoyment is the source of sorrow and sufferings, disease and despair.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Let me remind you of certain passages from the Gita which console, invigorate and drive away despair from the minds of even the most dejected. When Arjuna asked Sri Bhagavan about the man who had gone astray from the true path in the midst of his progress and about such a one losing both worldly and religious concerns, the Bhagavan replied, `Oh! Dear Friend, the man who does even the least of good deeds never becomes wretched in his after-life. He takes his birth in the home of the holy and the pious and begins a life of godliness and piety.'

Hence, if even for a second you do feel or think a good thought, it is sure to be of great gain to you. Never give way to despair, for it is the Lord Himself that consoles every son of man, promising `Oh! Arjuna! declare it before all men that My devotee never meets with misfortune or destruction.

(Swami Saradananda)

Do not despair if at the beginning you do not get any result from your spiritual practices and worship. If you keep up the practice with patience and resolution, you will get its result at the right time, there is no doubt about it. Later on, if you proceed still further, you will come to understand everything from within.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

The river of time is flowing on. Will it only do to be drifting with the current? You have got to cross the river, and you can get across only when you swim with the help of that current. Never give way to despair and dejection. Without perseverance nothing great can be achieved.

You should go on telling your beads morning and evening even though the mind wanders. You should never give it up. And there is no reason to despair either. In time everything will come out all right. Your mind may not settle always on your object of worship, but it must get settled for some time at least, maybe once in fifteen minutes? That should be enough.

18 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON ISHVARAKOTIS (THE EVER FREE)

(Swami Shivananda)

The ever-perfected souls are, as it were, the living emblems of God. Association with them and service rendered to them carry one to God. But it is most difficult to serve them or live with them.

(Swami Turiyananda)

Those who go to God without seeking Nirvana are Ishvarakotis belong to the divine class.

[Referring to the Adhikarika beings, i.e., those entrusted with the management of the world:]

Their case is different. They come with perfect knowledge from their very birth. It is only they who can come down again from a state of union with Brahman. For this purpose they allow some little trace of desire to remain in their mind.

Swamiji used to say that India never felt the want of the Jivanmukta, the living-free. He said that he had himself seen at least fifteen or sixteen of them; and that even in the darkest days of India, spiritual giants were born.

ON EVIL

(Swami Brahmananda)

If you do not work, evil thoughts and unnecessary cares will occupy your mind.

A man is composed of both good and evil. It is easy to see the evil in others but a holy man is he who can overlook their evil qualities and help them to become pure and holy.

Never find fault or criticize others. Such a habit is harmful to yourself. By thinking continually of the evil of others, the evil will impress itself upon your own mind and the good that is in you will be over-shadowed.

19 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON EVIL

(Swami Shivananda)

[To the question: "What would be the condition of this world if every individual man were truly spiritual?"]

Prima facie, such a question is absurd and illogical, for evil, as it is, cannot altogether disappear from this world. It will ever remain a concomitant part of good.

If evil thoughts come to your mind, don't pay any heed to them. These are the impressions of past lives in the mind and now and then they come to the conscious plane.

[To the question: "How is it that sometimes evil thoughts come to the mind?"]

That is quite natural. Pray to the Lord for strength, knowledge and dispassionateness. Pray to Him with all your heart for His grace, and devotion and faith.

(Swami Premananda)

Know for certain that in this world of relativity, there will always be good and evil, pleasure and pain, praise and blame.

Man will come to know what real happiness is. The Lord is the doer of good and by his holy name all that is evil will disappear.

Evil thoughts are to be driven away by good thoughts.

Always keep in mind that the Lord is the doer of good, and no evil can befall if one depends upon him.

(Swami Turiyananda)

With whatever evil tendencies one may come, one is sure to improve in holy company.

And as Gaudapada says, when knowledge comes, all duality vanishes. It is this dual consciousness which is at the root of all evils. Attachment and aversion are at the root of all evil. Hence the injunction to relinquish them. For, free of them, one can do with impunity whatever one likes.

The seed is easily destroyed, but when it has germinated and grown into a big strong tree, it requires great strength and effort to hew it down. So we must crush our desires in their early, undeveloped stages. Yogis can do this. They keep down undesirable thoughts in the germ state by smothering them beneath thoughts of an opposite nature. Thus they conquer all evil tendencies - hatred with love, anger with kindness and so on.

A suspicious mind sees evil everywhere, a trusting mind sees only good. A quarrelsome person constantly finds something to quarrel about; a peaceful person finds no one to quarrel with. I find so many people here with fixed notions. They have one set idea that colours everything. They cannot get away from it. Everything is explained according to that one idea.

Some persons always want to argue. They often have little brain, cannot see a point, still they must argue.

Then there are over sensitive persons. They are always on the defensive. Whatever general statement you make, they take as being directed towards them, to attack them. All these are causes for evil. But the evil is not in the world, it is in the persons. It is all a matter of misunderstanding. If we understand each other better there would be less evil.

[To the question: "Why is there so much evil in the world?"]

Tulasidas says, `to the good the world is full of good, but to the bad the world is full of evil.' The world is neither good nor bad. What I call good, you perhaps call bad, and the reverse. Where is the standard? The standard is in our own attitude towards life. Each one has his own standard. And with increased experience and insight, the standard changes. The pity is that we still recognize evil.

When we become perfectly

good ourselves, the whole world will appear good. We see only the reflection of our own minds. See the Lord always in everything, and you will see no evil.

20 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON EXPERIENCE

(Swami Vijnanananda)

Religion is not a matter of discursive reasoning or scholarship; it is a matter of experience. What the sages have said are all based on their own experience and not on hearsay.

ON FAITH

(Swami Brahmananda)

If a man has faith in the words of his guru and follows them, then all his doubts and troubles vanish. If a man has faith in the words of his guru, God will meet all his wants. Holding him by the hand, He will lead him on the right path..

In the beginning the mind will refuse to come under control, but force it, urge it, entreat it in order to fix it on meditation. Faith and regularity are very important; nobody can succeed in anything without them.

Keep association with the holy. Go to one who knows the path, learn about the path, and walk on the path. Then alone you will reach your destination someday. Then alone will arise faith and devotion.

One must have faith that the one Brahman is in man, woman, in all creatures; and with that faith one must learn to serve Shiva in the form of Jiva.

Practice any spiritual discipline with faith and devotion; in the end it will lead you to the same goal.

Be simple and guileless. Without simplicity and childlike faith nobody can realize him.

To have faith in Him, to be devoted to Him, to praise His glories - these are the only duties in life.

Ignorance must be overcome in this very life. This will not be easy unless you can devote yourself wholeheartedly to the work of the spirit. Faith is the one thing needed, intense faith! Let not doubts get hold of your mind.

Keep your mind fixed on God. It is not always easy to keep the mind steady in God while working; the ego creeps in. But never be discouraged by your failures. Repeated failure is inevitable in the beginning, but keep your faith and redouble your efforts. Try hard to live up to your ideal.

21 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Phalaharini Kali Puja

(Today is the auspicious day of Phalaharini Kali Puja. On this auspicious night Sri Ramakrishna worshipped Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi as the Divine Mother herself.

This is the day when Sri Ramakrishna awakened in her the divine motherhood; after the worship was over, he bowed down at her feet, offered all the spiritual treasures that he accumulated through his superhuman spiritual sadhana and sang hymns in praise of her. He chanted particularly the hymn 'Sarva Mangala Mangalye' from the Sacred book Chandi.

That is the reason why in the Ramakrishna order, every evening at the time of Vespers the devotees sing ecstatically the same hymn every single day.

Ever since that day Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi has become the Mother of the Ramakrishna order including all the monks, and devotees that were, are, and that will come in future.

Every devotee firmly believes that Holy Mother hears their prayers, protects them from all calamities and in the end bestows upon them liberation out of her boundless compassion.

The description of that sacred event is taken from the book, 'Sri Ramakrishna The Great Master, by Swami Saradananda.' It is being reproduced below.)

What the Master said about the extraordinary nature of the Holy Mother

Thus months rolled on and more than a year passed away. Still, the self-control of the wonderful Master and of his equally wonderful holy spouse, did not give way. Not even for a moment by way of inadvertence did their minds consider physical union to be pleasing and desirable. Remembering what happened at that time, the Master said to us now and again, 'Had she (the Holy Mother) not been so pure and had she, losing herself, assailed me, who knows if my self-control would not have broken down and body-consciousness arisen? I had importunately asked the divine Mother after my marriage to keep her mind absolutely free from lust. Having lived with her at that time, I knew that the divine Mother had really heard and granted that prayer.'

The Master's resolve after he successfully stood the test

When, even at the end of a year, body-consciousness never arose in him for a moment and he could not look upon or think of the Holy Mother as any other than a part of the universal Mother or as Brahman, the Master became convinced that the divine Mother had made him successfully stand the test and by Her grace, his mind was now established in the divine state in an easy and natural way. He now felt in his heart of hearts that his Sadhana, by the grace of the Mother, had been perfectly completed and that his mind was so much absorbed in Her lotus feet that there was no possibility of any desire contrary to Her will arising in it knowingly or unknowingly.

Ordained by the divine Mother, an extraordinary desire arose in his heart now, which he carried into practice without the slightest hesitation. We shall now tell the reader in a connected way what we heard about it now and then from the Master and the Holy Mother.

The preparations for the worship of Shodasi

A little more than half of the month of Jyaishtha, B.E. 1280 (A.D. May 25, 1873) had elapsed. It was the new-moon day, the holy occasion for the worship of the Phalaharini Kali Devi. It was the day of a special festival at the Dakshineswar temple. The Master had made special preparations on that day with a view to worshipping the Mother of the universe. These preparations, however, had not been made in the temple, but, privately, in his own room at his desire.

A wooden seat painted with Alimpana, the pigment of rice powder, for the Devi to sit on at the time of worship, had been placed to the right of the worshipper. The sun had set. The new-moon night veiled in deep darkness had alighted on the earth. Hriday, the Master's nephew, had to perform a special worship of the Devi in the temple. He had, therefore, helped as much as possible in the preparations of the Master's worship and had gone away to the temple. Having finished the nocturnal service and worship of Radha-Govinda, the first priest, Dinu, came to help the Master in the preparations. It was 9 p.m. when all the preparations for the mystery-worship of the Devi were completed.

In the meantime, the Master had sent word to the Holy Mother to be present during the worship. She came to the room and the Master started the worship.

The Master sprinkled consecrated water on the Holy Mother and worshipped her

The articles of worship were purified by the Mantras and all the rites preliminary to the worship were finished. The Master beckoned to the Holy Mother to sit on the wooden seat decorated with Alimpana. While witnessing the worship, the Holy Mother had already entered into a divine semiconscious state.

Not clearly conscious, therefore, of what she was doing, she, like one charmed with Mantras, sat facing north to the right of the Master, who was seated with his face to the east. According to scriptural injunctions the Master sprinkled the Holy Mother repeatedly with the water purified by Mantras from the pitcher placed before him. He then uttered the Mantra in her hearing and then recited the prayer:

"O Lady, O Mother Tripurasundari, who art the controller of all powers, open the door to perfection; purify her (the Holy Mother's) body and mind, manifest Thyself in her and be beneficent."

He went into Samadhi at the end of the worship. He offered Japa, worship, etc., at the feet of the Devi

Afterwards the Master performed the Nyasa of the Mantras in the Holy Mother's person according to the injunctions of the Sastras, and worshipped her with the sixteen articles, as the Devi Herself. He then offered food and put a part of it to her mouth with his own hand.

The Holy Mother lost normal consciousness and went into Samadhi. The Master too uttering Mantras in the semiconscious state, entered into complete Samadhi. The worshipper in Samadhi became perfectly identified and united with the Devi in Samadhi.

A long time passed. The second quarter of the night had long passed. The Master, happy only in the Self, now showed a little sign of regaining normal consciousness. Returning to the semiconscious state again, he offered himself to the Devi. He now gave away forever at the lotus feet of the Devi all the results of his Sadhanas, his rosary etc., along with his self, and saluted her uttering the Mantras:

'O Thou, auspiciousness of all auspicious things, O doer of all actions, O refuge, O three-eyed One, O Thou fair-complexioned spouse of Siva, O Narayani, I bow down to Thee, I bow down to Thee.'

The worship was at an end. The Maste's Sadhana reached its culmination with the worship of the Ruler of the universe, the divine Mother in the body of a woman, the embodiment of spiritual knowledge itself; the god-man attained perfection in all respects.

22 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

With unwavering faith in the words of the guru, the disciple must regularly practice repetition of the mantram and meditation on its meaning. Thus will he find peace of heart.

You may think: `let us have yearning, faith and devotion first, then we shall begin our spiritual practices.' But is that possible? Can we see the day before the break of dawn? When the Lord comes, love, devotion, and faith follow him as his retinue.

Real faith cannot be had at the beginning. First realization, then faith. At first the spiritual aspirant must pin his faith blind faith, it may be - in the words of his guru or some great soul; only then can he advance toward the goal.

Women generally have greater results in less time because their faith is greater.

But this resignation should be inspired by the right spirit and faith. No doubt must enter your heart; it is no use `taking the name of God to cross the river and at the same time raising your cloth to keep it dry'.

Have intense faith in God and in his name; know that they are not different; He dwells in the hearts of his devotees. Call on him earnestly.

Have intense faith in the words of the guru, and follow his precepts faithfully. Thus will the impurities of the mind be washed away and the light of knowledge dawn.

Enlightenment comes quickly to one who has faith in the guru. But one must learn to see God in the guru. The guru must never be regarded as man.

Faith! Without faith none can attain God. He who has true faith has certainly reached God. If you have faith in one penny it has value, but if you have no faith even in a gold piece, it has no value for you. He who has faith in God is freed from doubts. Without renunciation there can be no faith nor devotion.

Faith, intense faith, is what is needed. He who has faith has everything. He who has no faith in God doubts everything. He who has faith in God overcomes all doubts.

Without dispassion toward the world, faith and love do not grow.

Have intense faith in the power of God's name and meditate on him.

First, have faith in God, know that he is. Be firmly convinced that to realize him is the only purpose of life. By knowing him man reaches eternal life and infinite happiness, and all the problems of his life are solved.

In a chaste man a special spiritual nerve is developed. With its aid, his memory, his capacity for spiritual understanding, and his faith in God increase.

Have tremendous faith in yourself. Say to yourself, `I can know God' - With this faith forge ahead and you will reach him. Then your life will be blessed.

True devotion, faith and knowledge, are the results of long persistence in spiritual practices.

23 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON FAITH

(Swami Shivananda)

To have devotion and faith in God is a rare achievement.

Without devotion and faith, worship is meaningless. It is faith and devotion that make the earthen image living and conscious.

It is very difficult for an average person to stand the actions and reactions of this world. A genuine devotee, because of his faith in God, is never overwhelmed by these.

One must have faith in the guru - the faith of a child.

What is essential is to have faith in and devotion to His lotus feet; when that is there, everything is achieved.

One has to tread steadily the path indicated by a perfect guru. This is a difficult path, my son. One must need to have steadfastness, faith, and above all untiring diligence. As a man can never get water if he goes on shifting his site for a well as soon as he strikes hard ground, so also an aspirant can never succeed in his spiritual quest if he cannot continue in the same path with perseverance.

If you are ready to live with this blind faith, I am also ready to teach you whatever I know without any reserve. Otherwise, you can depart and have your logic-chopping to your heart's content; and then come when the time arrives. This is not fanaticism; this is a felt truth. We know it for certain that the Master is none other than the eternal supreme Brahman Itself. One must have this faith. You are a good boy; you are intelligent, as well as learned; you are energetic and enthusiastic, too. You have read much, and you may read more. But along with all that, you have to get your mind fixed. Develop a love for God in your heart, be earnest, and call on Him. Then you will find that everything will be fulfilled in time.

There is only one way out, and that is faith. If one has the sincerest faith that the Master is the incarnation for this age, that he is none other than God Himself, and that one has been blessed by one of his sons, then one need have nothing more to worry - one has already reached the goal of life. One must have full faith in his being the Incarnation of God. It is the Master himself who sits in my heart as the guru and blesses the devotees.

There is only one way out, and that is faith.

You must have faith and patience. You have to be persistently up and doing. What will you gain by dejection and moaning just because you cannot achieve anything with a little effort?

Your dependence on the Master and Swamiji and your faith in them is at the root of this success. Don't you ever forget it.

24 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON GRACE

(Swami Brahmananda)

By the grace and association of a holy man, one surpasses even the gods and attains liberation.

It is only through divine grace that a man can withdraw his mind from the external world and keep it fixed on God's holy feet.

The sins of many births can be wiped out in a moment by one glance from the gracious eye of God.

What worries are there if one has received His grace? From the Lord's infinite storehouse of knowledge will come a continuous supply.

He is gracious. He reveals His grace to him who seeks it with a sincere heart. As we pray to Him, He gives us dispassion, longing for Him, and right understanding. Out of thousands, perchance one desires for God.

Nothing can be achieved without God's grace. Take refuge in him, and he will open the gate of infinite knowledge. Do your duties in the world while taking refuge in the Lord.

Through His grace the knot of the heart, which is ignorance, is loosed, all doubts are dissolved, all evil effects of deeds are destroyed, when He who is both personal and impersonal is realized.

Only he knows God on whom His grace descends. Never forget that the ideal is to know Him. Know Him, and the door to infinite wisdom opens. Then is it that one really feels: 'God is my own; I belong to him.'

Without divine grace it is not possible to take refuge in God. And in order to feel this grace one must associate with holy men, read sacred books, and pray earnestly.

But, on the other hand, there is the ocean of divine grace - if anyone will sincerely call on Him but once. The Master used to say: `If you move one step toward Him, He comes down ten steps toward you'.

You cannot buy God. His vision comes only through his grace. Does this mean that you should not practice spiritual disciplines? Certainly you must practice, otherwise passions will create havoc in you.

Yearn for his grace.

Believe me, the Lord is always with you. Practice even a little, and he will extend his hand to help you. He will protect you from all miseries and unhappiness. How unbounded is his grace! How can I make you understand?

Through the grace of the guru everything can be had, even the knowledge of Brahman, but this grace is not easily obtained. You must work hard for it.

25 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE

(Swami Brahmananda)

The most important aim in spiritual life is the attainment of God's grace. The breeze of grace is always blowing; unfurl your sails. Give up worldly enjoyments and completely resign yourself to the Lord. You cannot love God and the world at the same time. If you want God, shun temporal pleasures.

Ask yourself: "What is it I want? Do I want this fleeting life of transient pleasures, or do I want the eternal bliss of everlasting life?"

Is it easy to renounce bodily cravings? Only if one has God's grace and has practiced severe spiritual disciplines in past lives, can he have the strength to renounce the world in this life.

Blessed are those who have received the grace of an illumined guru. The guru shows the way to the other shore, and removes all the obstacles.

That disciple who has the grace of the guru knows the path. Let him follow it diligently.

Yes! Through his grace I see him. Anyone can see him if he has his grace. But how many are there who love him? How many yearn to see him?

Unless the heart is purified, God's grace is not revealed.

The mud of the mind is washed away if one thinks of the Lord and meditates on him and prays to him with a yearning heart. At once the magnet of God attracts the needle of man's mind to him, and the moment the mind becomes pure, the divine grace begins to flow. Through this divine grace God is revealed.

Sri Ramakrishna used to use the illustration of the policeman's bull's-eye lantern. With its aid the policeman can see everyone, yet himself remain hidden. If anyone wants to see the policeman, he must ask him to turn the light upon himself.

So it is with God's grace. God is the Light of Knowledge, and in order to obtain his grace and see him, you must pray earnestly to him to turn that light upon himself Then only can you see him.

The desire to live a pure and holy life does not come easily. But know this for a certainty. The grace of God is upon all those in whom this desire is awakened.

He alone has known God's grace who has overcome this world.

Since you have taken refuge in Sri Ramakrishna, be certain that you have his grace. Unfortunate indeed is he who, having this grace, fails to recognize it.

26 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE

(Swami Brahmananda)

Try patiently to dive deep in meditation; in due course you are certain to receive God's grace. If you wish to meet an important man, you must seek him through his ministers.

Similarly, to obtain the Lord's grace, you must seek the help of godly men and undergo many spiritual disciplines.

When the time comes, the Lord will reveal His grace to you.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say: 'Until the time is ripe the mother bird does not break open the egg.

God's grace is supreme; without it nothing is achieved. Pray to him unceasingly for his grace. Prayer is efficacious. He lovingly hears your prayers.

Objects of desire! They will follow you like slaves. Then, through His grace, you will find you have no desire for them - nor will you feel any attachment to them.

Another thing I want you to remember: through the grace of the Lord you have come to understand that the goal of human life is to realize God.

The Lord's grace shines upon all. Strive a little and your eyes will open to his grace.

What worries are there if one has received His grace? From the Lord's infinite storehouse of knowledge will come a continuous supply.

Through his grace mountain-high obstacles are blown away as easily as a heap of ashes.

ON GOSSIP

(Swami Brahmananda)

Associate with everybody freely. Be happy with them. Do not indulge in gossip.

(Swami Shivananda)

Calumny, gossip and things of that nature are very bad. They drag the mind down.

Gossip, active or passive, tarnishes the mind and lowers it very much. It is a handicap to devotion for God.

(Swami Turiyananda)

And don't spend your time in idle gossip. Gossip breeds mischief. If you talk, talk of the Lord.

27 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Swami Premananda)

Call forth faith - faith in the Guru's words, faith in holy men's teachings, faith in the scriptures, then only you can have results. Mere namby-pamby attitude will be of no avail.

Devotion and faith are unique. Man is always intent on outward things - name, fame, honour, and so on. We want intense, maddening love for God, firm and unshakable faith, and infinite confidence.

Have firm faith in your own self. `I will surely find God, I can never fail.' This self-confidence and firm determination are needed.

Convince yourself `We are children of Sri Ramakrishna. We are free souls. Assuredly we shall realize God.' Have this firm conviction, and then alone you can overcome the furious enemies, lust and anger and greed.

Increase your faith and devotion and you will get everything.

Faith and devotion - these are the greatest treasures in life. Material prosperity oftentimes may bring ruin to an individual.

Faith and devotion transform a man into a god, a saint, a free soul.

Those who have faith in God cannot be harmed by lust and anger, though these may arise occasionally.

If one has faith in God's hallowed name, all delusion will be destroyed in him by God's power.

Have faith. You have taken the holy name of Sri Ramakrishna, you will be free, you will attain perfection in this very life - have this firm conviction. Never harbour any doubt.

God is love. Have faith and Conviction that he protects those who take refuge in him. He is ours and we belong to him.

Guard yourself against fanaticism. Never disturb the faith of another. Never say, `We belong to the sect of Sri Ramakrishna'. He is the only saviour, he is the greatest avatar; therefore, all people must worship him!'.

In order to attain wisdom of God and liberation for one's own self, one need only to receive the sacred mantra from an illumined guru and, with complete faith, become absorbed in the practice of japam and meditation.

Let us steal this treasure and make ourselves wealthy. No brute force is necessary to obtain this fortune. Strength of conviction, faith, and reverence are all that is needed.

28 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

SHRADDHA

(Swami Turiyananda)

So you have learnt to belittle the Ganga simply because you have read a few English books. But do you know how hard Swamiji had hit at this disrespectful mentality towards our sacred traditions, cultivated by those who have acquired some English education? Oh! how he would lose himself while chanting the hymn to the Ganga! And why him alone! How many of them, from Acharya Shankara downwards, have sung hymns in praise of the Ganga! Try to have some Shraddha reverence and faith.

He who truly has this faith, has already reached the goal. But is it easy to have that faith? One must beware of self-delusion. Those who have absolute trust in God will be at once purified through His grace, though they might have committed heinous sins before.

In how many ways does He help man and push him forward! At first He presents supernatural phenomena before him and thus strengthens his faith.

[On the merit of bathing and other religious performances.]

It all depends on our mental attitude, on our faith and belief.

Planning is useless, for Mother knows already what will come to pass. We plan because we don't have absolute faith. It requires great faith not to plan.

We should not judge harshly those who try to harm us. Never lose faith in Mother. Faith saves us. Everyone feels depressed at times; but all do not show it.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

All though everyone cannot see God, one should have faith in his existence, and that faith is the key to seeing God. First have faith in God and then love his children.

Have faith in your guru. Be loyal to him, even like a dog that never leaves its master, whether it is fed or not. Say, 'I am your servant and you are my Master'.

The main thing in spiritual life is to have love, devotion, and faith in God. He is our close relative. He lives in the hearts of all beings.

29 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

SHRADDHA

(Swami Abhedananda)

If you desire to have firm and unshakable faith and devotion to the Lord, you should also take to Tapasya, hard austerities. Tapasya does not mean aimless wandering hither and thither; it really means regular and steadfast Japa, meditation, and self-control.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Actually very few of us believe in God all the time. How do we know this? Because we allow anxieties and fears to arise in our minds. If we really have faith in God and in His infinite power of goodness, we can never feel fearful about anything.

When worries and perplexities rise in our mind, it shows we have ceased to believe in God and that He is caring for us. If we have real faith in God, we can never grow anxious.

Faith in God is the foundation of all life, both spiritual and physical. Blessed is the man who has faith. He is the happiest of men, because he is free from all anxiety. We are all only puppets in the hands of God. When we understand this, all pride and ambition, all vanity and egotism will go. For that reason is the man blessed who has faith, because he has realised his puppet nature.

[To the question: "How can we get such faith as Prahlada had?"]

The more you can purify yourself, the more that faith will come. Although Prahlada was put into boiling oil, although he was thrown under the feet of a mad elephant and pushed over the highest precipice, he was not hurt because of his faith. But it was not blind faith that he had. It was a faith based on realisation; and if you have the same faith, you will be more powerful than the whole universe. Nothing can put you down.

Our faith is too faltering. Few of us believe in God all the time. As long as we have three or four rupees in our pocket, we think we can depend on ourselves. Only when the last anna is gone and we do not know where to get another, do we begin to trust in God. But the man who depends on himself is never safe, while the man who has perfect faith in God is never in danger.

A plant,' says Sri Ramakrishna, `should be kept under special guard by fencing it around, lest goats make a feast over it. But, when it becomes a tree, hundreds of goats may take shelter under its spreading boughs.'

So, when a little faith and a spirit of renunciation shoot forth fortunately in one's mind, one should preserve and nurture them with special care, by keeping aloof from all worldly men; but when they are once firmly rooted within, none can shake them at all.

Whenever anxiety rises in you, you become an atheist; you do not believe in God and that He cares for you. If you have real faith you can never grow anxious..

In order to know the ultimate reality one must place implicit faith in the preceptor and scripture. Haphazard attempts will not do.

He on whom faith descends is very fortunate. He needs nothing else. He is saved and the only thing he needs is discrimination.

30 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

SHRADDHA

(Swami Saradananda)

What really comes through spiritual practice is this unswerving faith - faith in the words of the Guru, in the Lord, in the scriptures.

The Master would compare the mind to a packet of mustard seeds, `If the packet is once untied, the seeds get scattered in all directions. How difficult it is to collect them again! Some are perhaps lost for ever.' But absolute faith makes the impossible possible.

You must have faith in the enlightened souls and carry on your religious practices accordingly. Trying to understand the pros and cons of their teachings with our impure minds, occupied as they are with thoughts of the world - leads nowhere. Give up the attempt to understand everything and start your spiritual practices by relying on what the Master has taught.

You feel depressed because your faith is lukewarm. You must cultivate self-confidence. Without Shraddha, or firm faith in oneself, man is no man; he is a bundle of negatives. He accomplishes nothing. Believe that you have the power to achieve anything that your heart sets itself upon. Keep your faith firm and repeat the name of the Lord. You will know everything from within yourself.

If you carry on your spiritual practices with implicit faith in the Lord who is your own - you will understand everything in due time. It will gradually be revealed to you how you can cultivate absolute reliance on God while performing your duties.

When you feel depressed, you must drive away that feeling by saying, `I belong to the Lord, He is my very own. I am His child. He is holding me by the hand and will surely do what is good for me. These thoughts will bring strength to your nerves and faith in your heart.

Do not be too inquisitive. It is not possible to understand the deeper truths of spiritual life with an impure mind attached to sense-objects. Trying to practice religion according to the directions of such a mind only leads to a maze which goes round and round without an escape. Therefore give up all attempts to understand spiritual truths with your limited intellect. Have absolute faith in the Lord; rely on Him and practice spiritual disciplines.

Have faith in Him who never forgets His devotees, even though they forget Him. Listen to what Sri Krishna says in the Gita: 'The Lord lives in the heart of every creature. He turns them round and round upon the wheel of His Maya. Take refuge utterly in Him. By His grace you will find supreme peace, the state which is beyond all change.

Faith, strong faith, in the words of the Master - that is necessary, you must know that.

Singing the name and glory of God with other devotees helps to increase devotion and faith.

It is not necessary for you at all that all these questions be answered, nor do I have time to do that for you. Daily go on doing your japa and meditation and become pure in body, mind and speech - if you can do this you will realize the Truth or Reality. Faith, firm faith in the words of Sri Sri Thakur - know that this alone is needed.

What really counts in the spiritual domain is this faith - faith in the words of one's Guru, in the Lord, in the scriptures. `The Guru has asked me to do such and such a thing, if I act up to his instructions I am sure to attain success, it can never be otherwise.' Such burning faith in the words of the Guru is what is really required.

Have faith in Him; otherwise even thousands of explanations will be of no use.

31 May 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

SHRADDHA

(Swami Akhandananda)

The things that really count are faith and devotion.

Have faith, and realize that everything is He, and He is everything. There is nothing without Him. He has created everything out of Himself. Have faith that we have to regain our lost Self and `Stop not till the goal is reached.'

Faith and conviction of mind will grow according to your surroundings. That is why the company of holy men Sadhu sanga is necessary. They always feel: Brahman alone is real and all else unreal.

(Swami Subodhananda)

Now you pray to Him with utmost devotion and faith, and He will show you the path that leads to Him He Himself will grant everything - devotion, faith, and all that one needs.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

If you remain steadfast in your faith, entertaining no prejudice against other faiths, and hold fast to the truth in all circumstances, then the Divine Mother will come and guide you. For that, however, you have to exercise self-restraint and undergo mental training.

The Hindus know perfectly well what this training means - to be pure in body, to be non-covetous, and not to accept gifts from anyone.

We should hold fast to faith and never lose it. With all the strength of this faith, we should, in all simplicity, patiently pray to the Mother to make us pure in heart, and She will certainly grant our prayer.

What you require is hope, faith, and patience; and gradually you will reach the goal.

You must have reverential faith in the words of great souls. Really great men declare from the junction of conscious and superconscious stages that they are willing to be born a thousand times for the welfare of humanity. Once they transcend that stage, these ideas no longer exist.

Faith there is, certainly; there is nobody in the world without faith. Without it, you would not be able to take a single breath.

You better leave these debates and arguments alone. We have got a brain of very limited capacity; and for realizing God, all this hair-splitting is of no use. What you require is burning faith in Him. In order to be firmly established in that faith, you may raise one or two valid points, but nothing more. Our arguments are just like armchair discussions; they lead us nowhere. We argue about God and then go home and lie down in bed. That is not religion, and it does not contribute to peace of mind.

What is wanted is such faith, faith alone. But we must have that faith implanted in us if we want to see God, whereas divine incarnations already have it. That is the only difference. They have seen God; we too will certainly see Him, only it is a matter of time.

Belief is of three kinds: An unquestioning faith, believing from another's example, and believing after realizing the truth through one's own experience.

[To the question: "Which one is the best?"]

Any kind of faith is good. Faith is the foundation of spiritual life. If, unfortunately, there be anyone with no kind of faith in him, you have only to hold him down under the water of the Ganga, and not let him come up for a time even if he wants to. He will then believe.

[To the question: "Does that bring about faith?"]

Yes, God holds us down in this way in the ocean of the world.

You will have to subjugate your passions and hold fast to the faith that God exists everywhere.

What you require is a good deal of faith, reliance, and patience; and with all this you will gradually reach the goal. You should hold fast to faith and never lose it. You cannot find anybody in the world who does not at all cling to some sort of faith. Without faith you cannot even take a single breath.

Faith is the foundation of spiritual life. Too much of argumentation is of no avail. You have got a brain of a very limited capacity. What is needed is faith, burning faith in Him. In order to be firmly established in that faith, you may raise one or two valid points, but nothing more. Unless you have faith, arguments and discussions will only cloud the issue and create confusion.

Take the instances of Kant and other philosophers. In the end they say that one cannot be sure that God exists, although behind the creation there is something which guides it in an orderly fashion. What does all that amount to?

On the other hand, one can see God, talk with Him, and touch Him. Do they say such things? Then what is the use of their philosophy? What do we then gain by reading these works on philosophy?

Book-leaning is of no avail for God-realization. The only thing required is faith.

Purity, truthfulness, and honesty should make the cornerstone of your life. And there should be faith

What you require is a good deal of faith, patience, and reliance, and gradually you will reach the goal. Repeat His name and peace will be yours.

1 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE OF GOD

(Swami Brahmananda)

By the grace and association of a holy man, one surpasses even the gods and attains liberation.

It is only through divine grace that a man can withdraw his mind from the external world and keep it fixed on God's holy feet.

The sins of many births can be wiped out in a moment by one glance from the gracious eye of God.

What worries are there if one has received His grace? From the Lord's infinite storehouse of knowledge will come a continuous supply.

He is gracious. He reveals His grace to him who seeks it with a sincere heart. As we pray to Him, He gives us dispassion, longing for Him, and right understanding. Out of thousands, perchance one desires for God.

Nothing can be achieved without God's grace. Take refuge in him, and he will open the gate of infinite knowledge. Do your duties in the world while taking refuge in the Lord.

Through His grace the knot of the heart, which is ignorance, is loosed, all doubts are dissolved, all evil effects of deeds are destroyed, when He who is both personal and impersonal is realized.

Only he knows God on whom His grace descends. Never forget that the ideal is to know Him. Know Him, and the door to infinite wisdom opens. Then is it that one really feels: "God is my own; I belong to him.".

Without divine grace it is not possible to take refuge in God. And in order to feel this grace one must associate with holy men, read sacred books, and pray earnestly.

But, on the other hand, there is the ocean of divine grace - if anyone will sincerely call on Him but once. The Master used to say: `If you move one step toward Him, He comes down ten steps toward you.

You cannot buy God. His vision comes only through his grace. Does this mean that you should not practice spiritual disciplines? Certainly you must practice, otherwise passions will create havoc in you.

Yearn for his grace.

Believe me, the Lord is always with you. Practice even a little, and he will extend his hand to help you. He will protect you from all miseries and unhappiness. How unbounded is his grace! How can I make you understand?

Through the grace of the guru everything can be had, even the knowledge of Brahman, but this grace is not easily obtained. You must work hard for it.

The most important aim in spiritual life is the attainment of God's grace. The breeze of grace is always blowing; unfurl your sails. Give up worldly enjoyments and completely resign yourself to the Lord. You cannot love God and the world at the same time. If you want God, shun temporal pleasures. Ask yourself: "What is it I want? Do I want this fleeting life of transient pleasures, or do I want the eternal bliss of everlasting life?".

2 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Is it easy to renounce bodily cravings? Only if one has God's grace and has practiced severe spiritual disciplines in past lives, can he have the strength to renounce the world in this life.

Blessed are those who have received the grace of an illumined guru. The guru shows the way to the other shore, and removes all the obstacles.

That disciple who has the grace of the guru knows the path. Let him follow it diligently.

Yes! Through his grace I see him. Anyone can see him if he has his grace. But how many are there who love him? How many yearn to see him?

Unless the heart is purified, God's grace is not revealed.

The mud of the mind is washed away if one thinks of the Lord and meditates on him and prays to him with a yearning heart. At once the magnet of God attracts the needle of man's mind to him, and the moment the mind becomes pure, the divine grace begins to flow. Through this divine grace God is revealed.

Sri Ramakrishna used to use the illustration of the policeman's bull's-eye lantern. With its aid the policeman can see everyone, yet himself remain hidden. If anyone wants to see the policeman, he must ask him to turn the light upon himself. So it is with God's grace. God is the Light of Knowledge, and in order to obtain his grace and see him, you must pray earnestly to him to turn that light upon himself Then only can you see him.

The desire to live a pure and holy life does not come easily. But know this for a certainty. The grace of God is upon all those in whom this desire is awakened.

He alone has known God's grace who has overcome this world.

Since you have taken refuge in Sri Ramakrishna, be certain that you have his grace. Unfortunate indeed is he who, having this grace, fails to recognize it.

Try patiently to dive deep in meditation; in due course you are certain to receive God's grace. If you wish to meet an important man, you must seek him through his ministers. Similarly, to obtain the Lord's grace, you must seek the help of godly men and undergo many spiritual disciplines.

When the time comes, the Lord will reveal His grace to you. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: 'Until the time is ripe the mother bird does not break open the egg.

God's grace is supreme; without it nothing is achieved. Pray to him unceasingly for his grace. Prayer is efficacious. He lovingly hears your prayers.

Objects of desire! They will follow you like slaves. Then, through His grace, you will find you have no desire for them - nor will you feel any attachment to them.

Another thing I want you to remember: through the grace of the Lord you have come to understand that the goal of human life is to realize God.

The Lord's grace shines upon all. Strive a little and your eyes will open to his grace.

What worries are there if one has received His grace? From the Lord's infinite storehouse of knowledge will come a continuous supply.

Through his grace mountain-high obstacles are blown away as easily as a heap of ashes.

3 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FAMILY LIFE

(Swami Shivananda)

This world is neither yours nor mine. It is God's creation. Those whom you think to be yours really belong to God. You have to live in this world with this belief as the background. Wife, son, daughter, relatives, friends - all are but so many creatures of God. Whatever you have to do for them, do so with the idea that you are serving Narayana in those forms; then you won't get attached too much. And along with all this you must have your power of discrimination wide awake. The discrimination between the Real and the unreal gives rise to detachment.

You must serve all the members of your family wife, children, and other relatives but you must know in your innermost being that God alone is your nearest and dearest. Apart from Him there is none whom you can really call your own.

(Swami Turiyananda)

But can one give up the householder's life though it is no more appealing, when there are wife and children? What then will be their fate? It is selfishness, pure and simple. To be in the world and maintain the family, to fulfill one's duties this also is certainly religion.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Why should you give up your family? Doesn't one's family belong to God? Therefore, call on him who is the real head of the family. One will have to do one's duty in this world. How can you escape it?

Wherever you go, the world will follow you. Does it exist outside us? No, Family and all - everything is in our own minds. If your mind desires enjoyment, you will seek enjoyment even in the forest; and if you don't have that desire for sense objects, you will not want them even if you are surrounded by them. Whether you live in a household or in the forest, you must call on God, otherwise all is in vain.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

There is a widespread mistaken notion that religious life cannot be lived in the family. There is nothing unholy or unspiritual per se in a family life. There is a full scope for unselfishness in the matter of working for others who need one's protection, even in the householder's life. A bachelor has, no doubt, comparatively more freedom of action than a married man. He has no doubt to look to the fulfilment of his duties towards his parents, before he wishes to breath a freer atmosphere than that of the home. But a married man has, besides this, other duties to perform, viz., duties to his wife who has a claim to spiritual participation in his lot, to society, - for who else is to maintain the Brahmacharins or the Sannyasis? - and to posterity, through the bringing up of his children in such a way as to be serviceable to society. It would be impossible to have any field of service properly attended to, if all married people were to break their marital ties and straight away turned Sannyasis!

(Swami Saradananda)

Various causes such as regular study, special care of parents, marriage affairs, etc., offer obstruction, and consequently the power is increased. Power seeks channels for its manifestation, and gathers force in the midst of obstructions.

(Swami Subodhananda)

Man enters family life and gets involved in worldly affairs. But if he takes refuge in the Lord and then attends to the duties of life, he can withstand much better the storms and stresses of the world, all of which he can ignore by his dependence on God's dispensation.

4 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FASTING

(Swami Adbhutananda)

I think fasting is too difficult for you. You should take a little food.

[Devotee: "No. I don't want to take anything before performing the worship"]

Such determination is good; but if fasting takes your mind away from God, what use is it? Rather, be determined to perform the worship with devotion. Don't place a higher value on fasting. That is mere obstinacy, which is of no real benefit. If your mind is dwelling on food instead of God, how can you perform the worship with love and devotion? Devotion is impossible if the mind is disturbed.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

[To the Question: "What is the significance, Maharaj, of baths, fasting, etc., undertaken at special occasions? Have these any particular religious significance?"]

Well, though not so much for those who are constantly engaged in the contemplation of God, for ordinary people, these observances are, certainly, of great value, because on these occasions, their minds turn towards God.

5 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FATE

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

The results of actions done in this life are partly experienced here and partly in the next as fate.

Worldly people are immersed in egoism. But when they are oppressed by misery, grief, sickness, poverty and failure, when every effort, every undertaking, all care and cleverness fail, they think of fate and say it cannot be avoided.

I cannot accept that fate is irremovable. I do not believe that good and bad, virtue and vice, happiness and misery and all pairs of opposites stored in the chamber of fate are irremovable. None but the supreme self is immutable, indivisible, and indestructible in this universe.

Wherever there is disease, there is remedy. Light follows darkness. Repression is shadowed by relief. Virtue succeeds vice. This is the eternal law of nature. If one uniform Law prevails in all matters why then should fate be an exception? If there be no way to lessen the burden of miseries why then do people acquire piety? What is the necessity of doing good to others, making charity, practicing austerity, studying scriptures, going on pilgrimage, and offering prayers? What is the need of Divine incarnations if there be no escape from what is fated? What is then the significance of the title of Christ as the Saviour, of Mohammed as the Prophet, of Sri Ramakrishna as the Obliterator of Fate? Lord Sri Krishna has clearly said: `Take shelter only in Me, I shall liberate you from all sins .

The Saviour of our age has declared that penitent tears can wash off the sins of many lives.

(Swami Vivekananda has given the name of Kapala-mochana Redeemer of Fate to the Avatars. When God's grace descends even the inevitable can be averted.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

But there are two things which have to be taken into account. One is fate and the other is human effort. What the westerners call fate or destiny, we characterize as the result of our previous actions.

6 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FAULTS

(Swami Brahmananda)

Learn to acquire love and sympathy toward all. Overlook the faults of others. If you cannot help an evil man become good of what use is your spiritual life?

Never find fault or criticize others. Such a habit is harmful to yourself. By thinking continually of the evil of others, the evil will impress itself upon your own mind and the good that is in you will be over-shadowed.

Only a wicked-hearted man busies himself finding fault with others.

Never run down a fellowman or slight him. Everyone sees the fault in others. Give him your love, make him your own, and help him to overcome his weaknesses.

A man is composed of both good and evil. It is easy to see the evil in others but a holy man is he who can overlook their evil qualities and help them to become pure and holy.

(Swami Premananda)

This lesson I have learnt at the feet of the Master. When the boys do any wrong, I reason and find that they are not at fault. Whatever fault there is, is mine. I do not harbour the idea that I am good. I have come to learn. There is no end to learning.

May the Master give us right understanding - this is my prayer. By observing the faults of others we are gradually infected by them. We have not come to look at the faults of others and to correct them. But it is only to learn that we are here. Lord, You are everything. Whom should I scold? Everything is He; there is only a difference in the quantity of dust that covers the gold.

Now, the point is that one should make oneself free from selfishness. Instead of finding fault with the world, one should first find one's own fault.

Bearing with all the selfishness of the world, we must become free from the least touch of it - that is our ideal.

We have not come to this world either for fault-finding or for correcting others, we have come simply to learn. We must always ask ourselves, what we have learnt. If you can, love others, and then you will be blessed with peace and happiness.

Do not see the defects of one another; see the good, the merits only. As Sri Ramakrishna said, be like the winnowing basket that retains the good grain, while rejecting the chaff; not like a sieve that lets the good material drop through and holds back what is worthless.

We should move about freely, seeing the world as the manifestation of Rama. To hate and injure anyone is to hate and injure Rama, who pervades the whole world.

Learn to see your own faults and weaknesses. If you know that the ideal is to make the lips correspond to the heart, what are you doing to achieve that? Will you be healed of your sickness if I take the medicine for you? Find out your weaknesses, repent and promise not to repeat, but struggle to achieve purity of heart.

7 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FAULTS

(Swami Turiyananda)

Everyone wants to exhibit his good side and conceal his defects. Whoever can speak out his own faults frankly, will get rid of them. It is not easy to confess one's weaknesses. If anyone can, know that he has worth in him.

K. has told me that in those days when he was working in the hospital, he would always feel highly lifted up in spirits. Is not every man God Himself? '

'The Lord abides in every heart.' If one fails to realize this, it is one's own fault, none else's.

We are like dogs in glass houses, barking at our own reflections. We see another's sushupti, deep sleep, not our own. We should be strict with our faults and lenient with the faults of others.

If faults are to be noticed, look at your own. Being aware of the defects in others only serves to show your own defective nature.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Try to see the good qualifies in others. This is the way to get rid of the habit of fault finding. Evil qualifies pollute the mind of a person who searches for the lapses and shortcomings of others.

See your own faults. Never criticize anyone; it is a great sin. It contracts the mind and pollutes the heart. Always look for the good qualifies in others. If fault finding becomes your habit, you will always see faults in them. Everyone has both good and bad in him. Only God is free from fault and full of divine qualities.

Never talk ill of anybody, be he a devotee, a monk, or an ordinary householder, nor despise any for a wrong deed.

After all, everyone is a child of the Lord. Who knows today's sinning will not make him a saint tomorrow? Other acts do not count so much as a moment's love for the Lord.

Blessed is he who has loved Him even for a moment. Saint or sinner, the Lord loves all. It is a great sin to find fault with others. You will invariably find that it is such people as never do a good act themselves who easily see defects in others and energetically spread rumours.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

If you would help others you must look at the bright side of every one. Every man has his weaknesses. But you must overlook them and see only his good qualifies. You must give up all fault-finding. If you want to find fault, let it be with yourself.

One standing on the sea level looks at another climbing the Himalayas on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath and Badrinath. The pilgrim shall have to face ups and downs in his sacred march on the mountains. His apparent descents do not retard his progress but bring him only nearer to higher ascents till the destination is reached. On that account the on-looker from the plains should not judge him in bad light and think low of him.

The ideal of every religion is God and God alone. Hence we must not find fault with other forms of religion or with differences in external manners and customs. That which makes up the external is the shell side. It is always rough and hard, yet it has one advantage, it preserves the kernel.

Never find fault with any form of religion. Differences lie only in the external customs. That which makes up the external is the shell. It may be hard and rough and perhaps not to our liking. But it holds a valuable kernel. The kernel of every religion is God.

(Swami Akhandananda)

One should not blame anyone without knowing facts fully. One should rather find fault with oneself first.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

A public worker must be honest and above reproach. Don't find fault with others. Rather look at your own faults.

8 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FEAR

(Swami Brahmananda)

Once the mind tastes the sweetness in the thought of God there is nothing to fear.

Fear? You are coming to Sri Ramakrishna. What fear can there be? We, all of us, are his children. Don't be afraid! The Lord does not care about externals; he sees our inmost heart. There should be no fear in approaching him. You have nothing to fear.

Chant his name. For a few days it will be difficult; then he will do everything for you. Have no more fear. You will realize great bliss. You will know what fun life can be. There is nothing to fear. What fear can there be for the Lord's children?

Only God can know himself. Be a god, that you may know the infinite God. In that knowledge there is neither want nor fear. The very thought of such knowledge is uplifting.

If you chant his name, all your bonds will be broken, and you will become fearless.

Banish all fear and weakness. Never weaken your mind by thinking of past mistakes. Sin? Sin exists only in man's eye. In God's eye there is no sin. One glance of his and the sins of many, many births are wiped away.

You have come to Sri Ramakrishna. Hold on to him. You will have nothing to fear.

(Swami Shivananda)

Know for certain that those who are sincerely seeking God, the embodiment of Truth, will undoubtedly be led by Him along the right path. They have no reason to be afraid.

Once the mind becomes absorbed in His lotus feet there is no fear any more.

Why should you be afraid, my son? Continue at His door taking shelter with Him; He never disappoints a supplicant.

My daughter, the mind can be absolutely free from fear if it thinks about God.

Always remember Him and contemplate Him. No fear! Don't be frightened! If you are dependent on God, then you will see that He is protecting you. Even in the midst of the fire of name and fame, He will always protect you.

Have strength. There is no fear, you will get everything in time.

In this struggle for life there will always be hope and fear. Life without struggles is no life at all.

9 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FEAR

(Swami Premananda)

Throw away all fear and anxiety. Think, `We are the children of God', then weakness will find no loophole to creep in.

Chant the name of God as much as you can, and you will have no fear.

Do not be afraid of anything. Call on Sri Ramakrishna with all your heart and soul, and he, out of his abundant grace, will grant you devotion, courage, and strength.

If you understand in your heart of hearts that the Lord is the `doer', and you are his instrument, what can you fear?

What fear is there for the worshippers of God? Tormented by fear are those who are immersed in worldliness.

Have faith. You have taken the holy name of Sri Ramakrishna, you will be free, you will attain perfection in this very life - have this firm conviction. Never harbour any doubt. Chant the name of the Lord and fear will leave you.

Make your heart and lips the same, and the Lord, who knows the innermost thoughts of our hearts, will protect you. Fear, worries, anxieties dwell where there are hypocrisy, evil motives, and selfishness.

Dismiss vain fears. What fear can there be for those who are children of the Lord, his servants?

If you have no ill feeling in you, then there is nothing to fear.

Make your heart and lips the same and call on the Beloved Lord earnestly. All fear will vanish. You will experience ecstatic joy. Peace will reign in your heart.

You have nothing to fear for you have held on to the pillar; the Lord. You have your goal fixed.

It does not matter where you live; only do not forget the goal of life. Then you will have nothing to fear.

If you have faith in Sri Ramakrishna, you will have no fear. You will remain undaunted in the midst of dangers and difficulties. You will experience and see for yourself the truth of this.

Why should you fear? Do not be disheartened by the thought that you have not attained your goal. Considerable patience is required.

Let fear and worry remain at a distance.

Banish fear and worry. Consider yourself the child of God. If this is done, no weakness can find any way to approach us.

(Swami Turiyananda)

As long as we remain true to the Mother there is no fear that anything will go wrong. But the moment we forget Her, there will be great danger. Therefore I always ask you to think of the Mother.

The Lord will make everything straight for you all; those who have surrendered themselves to Him have no fear.

Make yourself for ever His, then there will be no more fear. He who rejects everything and gets lost in the formless Brahman is one-sided. The Jnani is afraid of rebirth lest he be caught in the meshes of Ignorance. But the expert player is not afraid of anything.

If there is concentration on any single object, there the idea of God manifests itself. Lust, anger, fear, affection - any of these may bring about concentration. Lust - as in the case of the Gopis; anger - as with Kamsa; fear - as in the case of Shishupala; affection - as with Mother Yashoda; and so on.

It is this dual consciousness which is at the root of all evils. With the destruction of duality, all fear departs.

Why should you feel responsibility? Mother alone is responsible. You have devoted your life at Her service. What have you to fear? Only be sincere, and remember Her always.

We are Mother's children, we have nothing to fear. She gives and She takes. Blessed be Her name.

They are fearless because they are unattached.

10 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FEAR

(Swami Adbhutananda)

As long as you have a body, you must experience disease, sorrow, fear; pain, and suffering. Anyone who wants to escape from all these troubles will have to hold onto God. His bliss removes all suffering.

Do not fear, for some day the grace of the Lord will come to you. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, `Before evening you will receive a leaf plate.' Have patience and wait.

He who fears and doubts cannot make any progress either in the spiritual or worldly sphere. The mind is cramped. He alone is a hero, he alone attains greatness, who moves forward to realise the truth without caring whether the world is real or not.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Actually very few of us believe in God all the time. How do we know this? Because we allow anxieties and fears to arise in our minds. If we really have faith in God and in His infinite power of goodness, we can never feel fearful about anything.

Aloneness means singleness. When there are two, there is always fear. We think we need a companion to protect us. If we have to go out on a dark night or if we have to enter an unlighted house, we want another person with us. We say, `Let Gopalan come. I do not like to go alone.'

In reality fearlessness exists only when we are alone. When we are alone we can dance or sing or make faces, do whatever we like; but let a friend come and at once we begin to be careful about what we do. There comes a sense of constraint. We grow self-conscious.

Fear exists when there is duality, fearlessness exists when there is only One. Since we cannot be happy so long as we fear, we shall not be able to find peace until we can say, `I am alone. I need nothing'. ,

It is rank foolishness to sit down in the midst of the mire for fear of falling in the attempt to get across. Do not forget the golden precept. `Try, try, try again'. Remember Bruce of Scotland, who though defeated six times, conquered at last, the seventh time.

If by vicarious atonement, you mean self-surrender, and I think that it is its proper meaning, then there is almost no one in the world qualified for it. If I am here and if I like to be happy here, I must do that which will make me perfectly happy, free from all fears. As God, the all-powerful, and all merciful is to take care of me, I being His son, have no fears. God is both father and mother to you.

It is the greatest relief when we get rid of egotism. It is as if a heavy burden rolled off. At once all our doubts and fears, anxieties and troubles disappear..

Man is too often afraid to surrender. He thinks he will lose something; but one never loses when one gives oneself absolutely to God.

11 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

FEAR

(Swami Saradananda)

This much I can say: `He who dwells in God has nothing to fear from the world. He will be protected from all dangers and difficulties.

(Swami Akhandananda)

Always be cheerful, have a smiling face. Why fear? Why worry? Don't unnecessarily put on a grave face. Let not others think, "Oh, he is thinking something very seriously"

Why should you be afraid? Swamiji said, "Fear is the greatest sin."

Coward! Go and meet the

Swami and bow down at his feet. Don't be afraid of a Sadhu's indignation; that will do you good.

Now, if you are afraid of a man and cannot face him boldly, how will you face death? Death has no fixed time. It may come any time, may be right now.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

We are the children of the Mother; so, what have we got to fear? Let us hold fast to the truth and pray to Her, and She will surely confer on us Her blessings.

You see, God is always inside and also outside, telling us to shed fears and worries. `You can't run away from Me,' says He. `You want to play about a little. Well, go on playing. But I am ever inside you; seek and ye shall find. The moment you attain complete mastery over your passions, you will get Me within you, effulgent and blissful.

For the sake of the devotees, the Mother comes with ten arms, and says: `Shed your fears. You have made Me your sole refuge, and I am, therefore, protecting you with ten arms. Death will be powerless to come anywhere near you. It is for you that I hold a sword.

Repeat His name, my brother, repeat it as much as you can. You will have nothing to fear.

We very often notice that people are in the grip of a terrible fright at the time of death; this happens because their minds are not absorbed in holy thoughts and are not centred on God. The glory of God's name not only saves us from all these fears but also delivers us for all time from the clutches of death.

What is there to be afraid of? We are the children of the Mother. Hold fast to the way of truth and pray to her. She will certainly do what is good for you.

12 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON FOOD

(Swami Brahmananda)

It is easy to practice austerity by not allowing the mind to come into contact with sense-objects, but it is hard to get rid of the mental craving itself. And of all cravings the subtle desire of the organ of taste is the most difficult to overcome. A man loses this craving only when he is in a high spiritual state.

[To the question: "Should we avoid eating meat, since it entails killing"]

Nonsense! The Buddhists say: `Harmlessness is the highest virtue.' What does this mean? You can understand the significance of this only when you have attained Samadhi, when you have reached enlightenment and have seen God in all creatures. Until then it is mere useless talk. When you can see the same God in the ant as in yourself, then you can practice this virtue. You may talk of not killing'. But can you possibly avoid killing? What would you eat? Potatoes? Plant a potato underground, it shots forth young sprouts. Has the potato no life? Would you eat rice? Plant a paddy grain in the earth, it grows into a rice plant. You want to drink water? Examine a drop of water under a microscope and see how many millions of tiny lives are there. You must breathe to live. Yet with every breath you kill millions of creatures. Do you see any harm in that? You think you lose your religion if you take a little fish. Such arguments are foolish. The ancient Hindus held no such ideas. These are later Buddhist and Vaishnavite interpolations.

Just as a cow yields much milk when it is well fed, so when the mind is fed spiritual food it will yield greater tranquillity. Spiritual food consists of meditation, prayer, contemplation and japam.

The spiritual aspirant should eat very little food after sunset. Begin by taking three-fours of your usual amount, then reduce the quantity to one half. In the beginning you may notice it, but the body will soon adjust itself and remain healthy and active.

While undergoing intense disciplines it is good to cut down the quantity of food to a minimum. Japam and meditation are not possible on a full stomach, because the greater part of your energy will be squandered in digesting the food, and the mind will remain disturbed. That is why moderation in habits, in food, in recreation, in everything, has been so strongly enjoined by the Gita.

Thirdly, control the appetite. Take only that food which is nourishing and easily digested. Avoid food that excites or produces lethargy. Eat very little after sunset. The brain must be kept cool in order to meditate. Eat only to keep the body healthy; health is essential in the practice of spiritual disciplines.

The body and mind are closely related. When the body is disturbed, the mind also becomes disturbed. Therefore, particular care must be given to the diet in order to keep the body healthy.

Under no circumstances should an aspirant fill more than one-half of his stomach with food.

Meditation is not such an easy matter. When you have eaten too much, the mind becomes restless.

The mind is intimately related to the body. If the stomach is upset, you can never have good meditation. Hence it is that there are so many restrictions about food.

`The stomach should be filled half with food and a quarter with water, the other quarter being left vacant for passage of air'.

13 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Swami Saradananda)

You have asked me whether vegetarianism is absolutely necessary for leading a spiritual life. My answer is that no hard and fast rule can be made with regard to food. Can we live without doing harm to some form of life? Do you think plants and vegetables have no life? Our scriptures say they have; science has proven it. If you can preserve the strength and vigour of your body and mind while living on vegetarian food, you are at liberty to do so. But if, while foregoing fish and meat, your health deteriorates, you must give up such ideas and take a more moderate stand.

Whatever you eat, make it an offering to the Lord. You are to think that God resides in the body in the form of fire and that the food you eat is given as an oblation to the fire. At His command you are performing an internal sacrifice ceremony. By these thoughts the physical act of eating will be consecrated into a ritual and your scruples about injury to animals will be avoided. But to keep this attitude in the mind is not an easy matter. It needs regular practice and right-mindedness.

The object of food is to build a strong body and a fine intellect. Unless the body and the mind are pure it is not possible to go through spiritual practices. It is the food offered to God that builds a pure body and mind Food builds the body and the mind and the nature of the food also affects them.

(Swami Akhandananda)

At night you have to take a little less food and try to maintain always an attitude of prayer a current of higher thoughts.

You have not yet become paramahamsas persons with the highest knowledge, so that you can do without food or depend on chance food. As long as you do not reach that state, you have to take care of all such things.

Feeling weak after eating food is bad; feeling weak after a fast is good. This increases the mental power and self-confidence.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

Your body is built through the food you take, and if that is not clean and pure, how can you expect mental perfection? If there is something wrong at the very root, the result, too, is bound to be likewise.

For the nourishment of the body we are to give it only wholesome food avoiding unwholesome things: similarly we are to nourish the mind with noble thoughts, high ideals, and good discourses refusing to provide it with unwholesome food like evil thoughts and bad associations.

14 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON FORBEARANCE

(Swami Shivananda)

You know, when pots that are together are moved, friction is inevitable. Misunderstandings are bound to occur sometimes and they are straightened out eventually.

(Swami Premananda)

Patience and forbearance should be our guides in life.

Have infinite patience. To live in the world we need to cultivate these two qualifies patience and forbearance.

If you want to be a holy man, learn to bear and forbear. If you want to be good and happy in this world, have patience and forbearance. Infinite patience, unlimited forbearance, and forgiveness these alone bring peace and happiness.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

You are, indeed a very bad lover of God if you cannot bear some worldly troubles for His sake!

ON FORM And FORMLESSNESS.

(Swami Brahmananda)

God is with form and is also formless and He is also above form and formlessness. What does Vedanta mean by saying that Brahman is true and the world is false? That the world as we see it now is false. The world vanishes in Samadhi.

The one Godhead has many spiritual forms. All these forms are real. A seer can see them and talk to them.

He is infinite and formless, and yet he is also with form. He incarnates himself as man. Verily, it is beyond the power of the mind to understand the devious ways through which God leads man to himself.

The presence of God must be realized everywhere. He who is personal and has form is also impersonal and without form. He dwells in all beings. He pervades land and water, hills and valley, sky and stars he pervades all things.

Know for certain that God can be reached, that his spiritual form can be seen and that it is possible to talk to Him.

God has many names and many forms. He is also without form. It makes no difference by what name or in what form you worship him, but worship him.

15 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON FORM AND FORMLESS

(Swami Shivananda)

It is difficult to meditate on the formless. The Vedas as prescribe Akasha, space, as a symbol of the formless God. Other symbols like the ocean etc. may also be taken but Akasha is better. He resides in the heart of man as consciousness. But then one has to start with some form. There is no question of inferiority or superiority in this - it is a question of temperament. Whatever appeals to one is the best for him. Form melts into the formless, and again the formless takes a form. God is both with form and without form, and again beyond both.

If one persists in thinking of Him as having forms, eventually He reveals His real Self to him. The Reality is not exhausted in the world of phenomena. Gross is this world; beyond that is the subtle, the causal and the supercausal; beyond all these is the transcendental.

Meditation on the Formless is very difficult, but the Vedas speak of making ether His symbol. One may also have the ocean or a vast field as His symbol. Ether is, however, by far the best symbol. `He is smaller than the smallest atom, greater than the greatest thing.' He is again radiantly present in the hearts of all beings. In the preliminary stages of meditation one has necessarily to think of Him as having forms.

The question of one viewpoint being higher than another should not arise; it is temperamental difference that accounts for various viewpoints. Each viewpoint is great to the person who holds it. He who has forms becomes formless, and the formless manifests with forms. He is again beyond both these aspects.

When the mind becomes free from impressions and desires, it cannot, strictly speaking, be called mind any longer it becomes synonymous with the one Universal Intelligence, the Supreme Energy or Brahman - give it any name you please. To suit the temperamental needs of aspirants, the one Universal Intelligence assumes a crystallized form of consciousness.

It is absurd to speak in terms of higher or lower in reference to concepts of God having a form or not, as both viewpoints relate to God. It is the same Ganga whether it is at Kalighat, Belur, Dakshineswar; Benares, Allahabad or Hardwar.

If you meditate on God with form, He Himself will reveal to you His real nature.

It is very difficult to meditate on the formless. Form melts into the formless and again the formless takes a form. God is both with form and without form, and again beyond both. It is the same Ganges that you have at Kalighat, Dakshineswar, Benares, Allahabad, and Hardwar.

16 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON FORM AND FORMLESSNESS

(Swami Turiyananda)

It is the intensity of spiritual feelings that counts. Whether you believe in His form or formlessness it does not matter.

He who rejects everything and gets lost in the formless Brahman is one-sided. The Jnani is afraid of rebirth lest he be caught in the meshes of Ignorance. But the expert player is not afraid of anything.

(Swami Trigunatitananda)

Infinite are His forms and infinite His qualities.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

You will find that during meditation your Chosen Ideal will appear to you in many forms. That is his divine play. Since all forms are contained within him, why are you making distinctions between them?

Although God is formless, he takes form according to our mental conception of him. It is because the formless Satchidananda dwells in our hearts that we can meditate on one of God's blissful forms. God appears in whatever form the devotee meditates on him.

What shall I tell you when you have already spent good fifty years of your life only to decide whether God is or is not, whether He has form or is formless? When will you undertake Japa and meditation?

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna says, 'As water has no definite form, and assumes the form of the vessel in which it is kept, so God has no definite form.' But God is the God of all living beings and therefore you should not confine Him to human forms only. If your father dresses himself as a foreigner he does not lose your estimation and reverence on that account. Hence whatever be the form of God, because He is your God, you should love Him always.

God's forms are not allegorical. They are all real.

God comes before us in the form of the ignorant, the needy, the diseased, the destitute, the famished so that we may serve Him in these forms and thus purify ourselves.

It is the one Self at the centre and all these are emanating from that centre as radii. So God is One, yet He is manifesting Himself in many forms. From the outside standpoint He is many; from the inside standpoint He is One.

17 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON FORM AND FORMLESSNESS

(Swami Saradananda)

If you like God with form, that will also lead you to the goal. If you like God without form, well and good; stick to it and you will progress.

If you doubt His very existence, then better put the question to Him thus: `I do not know whether You exist or not, whether You are formless or with form. Do You make known to me your real nature.

[To the question: `What are we to do if any other image than that of Chosen Deity appears during the meditation?"]

Think that your Ishta only has appeared in that form. Thus the form will slowly disappear and the Ishta will reappear.

["Should we do so whatever be the form that appears?"]

No. Do this only when the form of a saint appears.

["What about an ordinary form?"]

Drive that resolutely away, and try to reinstall the image of the Ishta with all your might. How can you meditate on a shoe-maker's shop if it suddenly comes and distracts your mind?

(Swami Vijnanananda)

Many are His names and endless are His manifestations. As the devotee looks upon Him, so does He manifest Himself to Him. To some, therefore, He reveals Himself as Kali, to some as Rama, to some as Krishna or Shiva, and so on.

The Bible describes God in all His three forms, with attributes, without attributes, and as incarnate.

18 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GOAL

(Swami Premananda)

Be His, absolutely and forever. In body, mind, soul, be His. In that becoming, everything that religion means and is will be realized. By becoming His only, do you reach the goal of all human duties and responsibilities..

Forget the goal of life and you ruin yourself. Hence always keep the ideal before your eyes and struggle to reach it.

You have nothing to fear, for you have held on to the pillar, the Lord. You have your goal fixed. Seeing your example, many will try to set their feet on the path.

It does not matter where you live; only do not forget the goal of life. Then you will have nothing to fear.

Do not be disheartened by the thought that you have not attained your goal. Considerable patience is required.

Know God to be your only goal. He will grant you his vision and help you.

(Swami Turiyananda)

To maintain one's mental balance under all circumstances, to remain absolutely unmoved - that indeed is the goal!

[Referring to the book Vaijnanika Jagat by Shrijut Ramendra Sundar Trivedi:]

The author has tried to show that everything is growing according to the law of the survival of the fittest. Yes, this theory holds good in the lower stages, from amoeba to man; for up to this, self-interest is the principal thing.

But after the human stage is reached, no longer is the theory true. Now the goal is to reach God. And the more one can forget his self, the nearer he approaches God.

Any subject that appeals is a good subject for meditation. All lead to the same goal.

(Swami Trigunatitananda)

That mind which is attached to more than one thing can never reach the goal. Learn to see God in everything about you. Smear God over everything, and your mind will think of Him alone.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Heaven should never be our ideal, not only because it is too small a goal to strive for, but also because it holds no promise of further attainment. The constant pursuit of celestial pleasures crowds out all spiritual effort.

What keeps us from seeing God? Egotism. The more you can minimize that, the nearer you will approach the goal.

Although these creeds appear to be different on account of the divergence of tendencies and aptitudes, yet the goal they have in view is one. Hence it is quite evident that the goal is one. As the different radii of a circle, taken from the different points of its circumference converge to the same centre so do all apparently conflicting religions lead to one God. This is what is called realization or the state of superconsciousness. This is the goal of Jnana or the path of Wisdom.

19 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Swami Saradananda)

Make Him the goal of your life. Give your mind to God and none else.

Prophets and incarnations who have come and gone have shown us one thing, that we too can become heirs of knowledge and power like themselves - if we only have the will. If we struggle, walking the path taken by them, we too will reach that goal one day.

The goal of all these paths is the same. Each path is equally powerful.

If a worker performs his duties properly and his life embodies the spirit of detachment throughout, he will ultimately attain the highest goal.

In other words, he will see God in everything and attain pure knowledge, which will burn all the seeds of karma. He will not be born again, and his soul will merge itself into Brahman, at the dissolution of his body.

There is no need of our solving these questions, nor do I have the time. Make japa and meditate daily and remain pure in body, mind, and speech - by that alone you will achieve your life's goal.

(Swami Akhandananda)

And another idea must occupy your mind, that in this very life I must see God - I must finish my task of calling upon Him.

When that Self is realized, you will feel Its presence everywhere. This is siddhi perfection. The goal is to reach this state. It means, `Renounce everything and take refuge in Me- that is God.' No "sharanagati" is possible without renunciation of everything. With `sharanagati' the goal of spiritual life is reached.

The Jiva-consciousness has to go back to Ishvara-Consciousness, to Pure Consciousness, and has to realize its own self. This is the goal of life.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

What you require is hope, faith and patience; and gradually, you will reach the goal.

These ceremonial functions are not child's play. All our actions have the ultimate aim of attaining spiritual enlightenment or God-realization.

Whether you reach that goal through the path of selfless action or through spiritual austerities is of no consequence. But the goal of all action is to receive illumination.

20 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GOD

(Swami Brahmananda)

The one Godhead has many spiritual forms. All these forms are real. A seer can see them and talk to them.

We, the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, only know this much: never try to limit God. Infinite are his moods and aspects. He is beyond the reach of mind and intellect. And yet, if one earnestly prays to him, he becomes attainable to the pure mind.

God is the wish-yielding tree. He fulfills the heart's desire of his devotee. He is the very embodiment of compassion. He does not care about your faults. Go to him with the simplicity of a child, and he will receive you.

God is greatly manifest in the human body. Try to understand this truth.

He `_who is smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest'_ shines forth always and everywhere. He dwells within all beings, great and small; he dwells in the plants and herbs. He dwells everywhere in greater or lesser manifestation.

Who can fathom the mystery of God? He is infinite and formless, and yet he is also with form. He incarnates himself as man. Verily, it is beyond the power of the mind to understand the devious ways through which God leads man to himself.

Sometimes the path is smooth, sometimes it is thorny, and sometimes it is like an impassable mountain, but still he leads man safely to himself, if he will only take refuge in him.

We judge men by their actions, but God looks into their innermost minds. Be sure of this: God runs to him who prays with a sincere heart.

The presence of God must be realized everywhere. He who is personal and has form is also impersonal and without form. He dwells in all beings. He pervades land and water, hills and valleys, - he pervades all things.

Only God can know himself. Be a God, that you may know the infinite God.

God is. Religion is true. These truths are not preached merely to make men moral or to keep an orderly society. God truly is; he is the only Reality and he can be realized. He is true. There is no greater truth than He. Be calm, tranquil, and self-controlled.

Know for certain that God can be reached, that his spiritual form can be seen, and that it is possible to talk to him.

God looks into the heart and not into the words of a man.

God is the Light of Knowledge, and in order to obtain his grace and see him, you must pray earnestly to him to turn that light upon himself. Then only can you see him.

In God's eye there is no sin. One glance of his and the sins of many, many births are wiped away.

God should be imagined as vast and infinite. To gain an idea of the vastness within one should look at the Himalayas, or the ocean, or the sky.

God has many names and many forms. He is also without form. It makes no difference by what name or in what form you worship him, but worship him. Lose yourself in contemplation of him.

[To the question: "What is the proof of God's existence?"]

The seer says: 'I have seen him. You also can see him.

God is. Do not doubt his existence. I am telling you, my child, God is. Know for certain that he is.

When you get a real taste of Him through His grace, you will see that He is beyond both joy and sorrow.

God is with form and is also formless and He is also above form and formlessness.

21 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GOD

(Swami Shivananda)

God alone is permanent. He exists eternally and from age to age embodies Himself as man for the good of the world. That is because of His pure compassion. He is self-sufficient, pure, intelligent and free by nature. He does not have any purpose to serve in this world. Being complete in Himself, He has nothing to attain or not to attain.

God is (antaryamin), the Inner Controller, dwelling within. He judges by your heart. He sees how much devotion you have, not the amount of time you spend on meditation.

The one abiding Reality and the only Abode of peace is God.

God alone is our goal: take refuge in Him. He is our father, mother, brother, friend, companion and all. In this sorrowful world He alone is peace.

God alone is responsible for the creation, maintenance and dissolution of this world, and it is by His will that all beings are born into it. He keeps them as long as He wants, and He takes them away whenever He wishes. We should know for certain that God is the Lord of birth, maintenance and death. It is He who sends souls here to become parents, wives, children, friends, relatives, and He keeps them entangled in some relationship or other, taking them back whenever He wishes.

The only way out is to know Him. He is Purity, Knowledge and Freedom itself. He is the Indwelling Spirit of all.

No one has ever been able or will be able to know Him. How can man with his limited understanding comprehend the infinite God?

The Infinite is bliss itself. Only a portion of that infinite God has manifested itself as this universe with its suns, moons, stars, and countless spheres of existence. The rest remains unmanifest.

God is Truth itself, the Inner Controller. He dwells in every heart as Consciousness. He is the Ocean of pure mercy. Without His grace, my child, nothing is possible.

[To the question: "Maharaj, can we think of the ocean as a symbol of God?"]

Why the ocean? The ocean has an end and it does not exist everywhere. Ether (Akasha) is the symbol of God. Ether is endless; it is present in every atom. This universe is wholly pervaded by ether. Outwardly, wherever we turn our eyes in this universe we have ether. Far away - far, far away in infinity - there are countless solar systems, each of which is a thousand times larger than ours. Countless stars in the ocean of space rise like tiny bubbles, stay there and then vanish. Likewise, in God we infer the origin, existence and dissolution of infinite universes. It is God who has projected these infinite names and forms and exists interpenetrating everything as one indivisible substance.

He is the guru in everybody's heart the Guide, Master, Father, Mother, Friend, in fact everything, to a man. All beings, for whom people cry in this world, thinking they are their own, will live for a few days only; the eternal companion is He alone.

21/06/2020, 08:18 - Nivedita Sachin's Mother left

22 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GOD

(Swami Shivananda)

In reality God is not to be attained through any effort. Or to be more correct, we cannot even assert that He is attainable at all; for He is the very Self of everybody, He is the Soul of all souls.

Spiritual practices merely serve to remove the coverings of our inner vision; and when they are removed the soul knows its own reality and becomes one with the inmost Self. It is precisely because He frees creatures from the bondage of ignorance that they become blessed with a longing to realize Him: this is His grace.

It goes without saying that God can, of His own mercy, liberate all souls in the twinkle of an eye, for He is all-powerful.

As a matter of fact, however, He does not do so. He rules the whole world under the same law, and He hardly allows any exception to it unless there be some very special reason.

At the same time, His mercy is unconditional; there is no doubt about that. Had you but the slightest idea of His infinite mercy and love for His creatures, the very question as to how He can be an infinite ocean of grace could never have arisen in your mind.

That He incarnates Himself out of compassion for His creatures is the greatest proof that His love is limitless; that shows that He is an infinite ocean of kindness. He is ever full, purna; He has nothing to find or seek; and yet, out of mercy, He engages Himself in the task of saving creatures.

He has only one mood and that is mercy, love. Can anybody ever explain how merciful He is? It is a thing to be realized. The Master used to say: `If a man but tries to proceed one step towards God, He comes nearer to him by ten steps.' Such is His mercy!

God is the only guru; He is the teacher of the whole world.

God is the blissful Self of all, and He is inside every heart. He lets everyone know whatever is needed. It is He who fulfils all desires if one but prays with earnestness. He is the ordainer of all the desired results of everybody. It is He who vouchsafes all the fruits that people want - be these virtue, secular prosperity, enjoyment, or liberation.

As a matter of fact, God does become gracious when one is sincere.

There is no injustice in His domain; He is just to all. He who seeks gets Him. His compassion is on all; in fact, He is only too eager to help all. Call on Him earnestly, and He is there for you.

None in this world is really your own whom you think to be so. Only God is truly your own. He keeps company in life and death; He is the Soul of one's soul. The relationship with Him is eternal.

God graciously reveals Himself in the heart of a devotee who always meditates upon Him. Man attains God, who is existence, knowledge and bliss absolute, by constantly thinking about the true, omnipresent, all-loving, omnipotent and all-conscious Lord.

The scriptures say that when an illumined teacher initiates a disciple it is the Lord Himself who, having appeared in the Heart of the teacher, communicates power into the heart of the disciple. The teacher is God Himself.

Call upon God with great love. He is your father, mother, husband, friend and all.

Yes, I have realized God. I feel the all-pervasive presence of God. But you know, as the Upanishads say, there is no limit to the knowledge of God.

God is beyond law. Even in our own experience, the sovereign of a country is above law. He often acts contrary to the laws made by himself, when he thinks that such violations are for the good of the people of his country. If a human being like the King, can act in this manner, why cannot the same be done by God, who is all-powerful and all-merciful.

God is in the images in a special sense. When one makes sufficient progress Godwards, one will see that God is there and even accepts our offerings of food through rays of light touching what is offered.

23 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GOD

(Swami Premananda)

God Himself blesses one with the power of meditation who thinks of Him. He it is again who ordains holy company, pure mind, and sound intellect.

'Not I, not I'. 'You are everything.' God is everything. Whom to blame then? He is all. There is difference in manifestation only.

God is the inner ruler; he sees and knows everything. Pray and tell him all your wants with a guileless and sincere mind. He is more yours than you yourself. He will certainly listen to your prayers.

Purity is strength, and purity is God. He is the ocean of mercy, he is full of compassion and he is the embodiment of forgiveness. God is truth itself; hence he is at the command of one who is devoted to truth.

Be merged in God. Dive deep. God is not a mere word to be uttered. He is the Reality to be attained. Attain Him even in this very life.

God is the God of all; His grace is upon all mankind. But the so-called devotees of God fail to transcend the narrow bounds of hatred, jealousy, injury to others, and sectarian quarrels. God incarnates to break such barriers.

God sees inside us. He will be gracious if you will importune him earnestly. He is the sole refuge for us all.

He is the very life of our life, the soul of our soul.

(Swami Turiyananda)

The pure portion in you is God Himself.

Unless God saves us, there is no way out. Blessed are those who have no evil tendencies in their minds - God protects them. They alone are saved. None can escape from this by personal exertions.

Truth is God. Falsehood is Maya. One gets everything by holding on to truth.

It is God who does everything. Rightly does Tulasidas say that profit and loss, life and death, fame and slander - all are His gifts. Yes, He is the only doer. But the plan of the world is not only for Mukti, but also for Bhoga, enjoyment. Thus people plod on through joy and sorrow till they `wake up' and are emancipated. God is the motive power behind both virtue and vice. And behind all these is His beneficent will. Every action thus tends to an ultimate good.

The highest conception of God is to think that everything is He. Failing that, it is best to think that He is the real agent behind all actions and He is causing us all to act.

24 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GOD

(Swami Trigunatitananda)

Is God all-merciful? No, He is both merciful and cruel. He is softer than the flower; and yet harder than a diamond. Sometimes He is the loving mother, and sometimes most terrible - the very consort of all consuming time! Infinite are His forms and infinite His qualities. He alone knows how He would guide someone or bless somebody. All that is beyond the comprehension of man, nay, of the gods even. He can be both infinitely kind and infinitely cruel - it is all according to His will.

He cannot be guided according to our thoughts and wishes. We are His, and He will deal with us just as He pleases. Men do not understand this simple fact that it is of little consequence how one conceives of Him - as kind, cruel, or what not, but what is fraught with danger is not to call on Him at all. One must call on Him - no matter whether one does so under the idea that He is cruel or that He is gracious.

I have no need of knowing what He really is, nor can there be any end of such knowing; and what does such knowledge count for? I have come to the mango orchard to taste mangoes, what do I care about a detailed knowledge about the tree and the orchard?

God likes to play; He is both kind and cruel, and again He is beyond both - He is both with and without attributes.

Everything is possible in Him, for He is infinite, and He can become everything. He has no end, no finitude, no limit.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

God takes charge of the soul which is not bound by Maya. When God guides a man, an uninterrupted current of peace, happiness, and bliss flows in his mind and no other waves of thought can be raised there. He becomes one with that unfathomable, waveless, ocean of Satchidananda.

Maya belongs to God, but Maya is not God. So you cannot say that being guided by Maya is the same as being guided by God. Nevertheless, the ultimate purpose of Maya's guidance is certainly to take the individual soul to God.

Maya is great and that greatness is God himself.

One can hint at God's attributes in words or speak of his power, but God is not limited by these. Infinite are his glories and infinite are his powers! Who can limit God? All spiritual powers and supernatural powers together cannot reveal him. God is in everything and again he is beyond everything. Just as you have many good qualities and you can do many things, so also you have many powers which you can either show or hide; but these do not reveal your real nature. Your real nature permeates through your qualifies and powers, and again, it is beyond them. An aspirant can have a glimpse of the glory and power of God, but this does not mean he can comprehend God fully.

Look here. The name of the Lord itself is Shakti, God's power, and the named is God himself. Without worshipping Shakti, one cannot realize God.

Although God is formless, he takes form according to our mental conception of him. It is because the formless Satchidananda dwells in our hearts that we can meditate on one of God's blissful forms. God appears in whatever form the devotee meditates on him.

Have you seen the feasts in Calcutta where many people sit in rows and attendants distribute the food? Some older relatives may call out to the them, `Sir, please give two more sweets to this boy and one more to that one.' But the servers know that little boys cannot eat much and that if they eat too much they will be sick. So, in spite of the men's shouting, the servers use their own judgement in distributing food. They may even force more food on some boys, if they see that they are good eaters.

So it is with God. He distributes wealth according to the capacity of each individual. You see, God is the compassionate one. He wants to give to us lavishly. But if we get too much we shall lose our balance, so he gives to us very judiciously.

[To the question: "But can you prove that the one God resides in many?"]

Why not? but it is a subjective experience. Love cannot be explained to another. Only one who loves alone understands it and also the one who is loved. The same is the case with God. He knows and the one whom He blesses knows. For others He will ever remain an enigma.

(Swami Turiyananda, who had very deep knowledge of scriptures, was saying that God was all kind and was above any sense of hatred or partiality.]

Latu Maharaj: Nice indeed! You are defending God as if He is a child.

(Swami Turiyananda: If God is not impartial, is He then a despot like the Czar of Russia, doing whatever He likes according to His caprice?

Latu Maharaj: All right, you may defend your God if you please, but this you should not forget that He is also the power behind the despotism of a Czar.

25 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

We understand by God a being that is infinite in every way, infinitely powerful, infinitely lovely, infinitely conscious; and because He is infinite, He can never be finite.

God plays the part of a creator, that He may have the fun of creating, preserving, and destroying. That is the method He always follows when He wants to create, and this is God's relationship with Maya. God is infinitely powerful, so He has the power to put down the irresistible power of Maya.

Ananda or bliss is the best definition of God. The real ideal of every human being is Satchidananda - eternal Life, infinite Knowledge, and everlasting Bliss, for all men wish to live for ever, to be all-knowing, and to have eternal bliss. But God alone is all-life, all-knowledge, and all-happiness; therefore God is really the ideal of every living being.

Creation, preservation and destruction are done by Maya in the presence of God and not by God, just as the hair grows in the body nd.ot at xthe wish and instance of the man but in his presence.

God is the only existence that is real, all other existences are unrealities behind which God exists as the reality.

In reality all is God. It is He who actutwo parties and set them warring against each other, while He looks on as the Witness. All this warring of good and bad, pleasure and pain, is merely the play of God; this creation is His laughter.

We are taking the play to be the real thing and the Player to be unreal; whereas the Player or God is the one reality and the play of creation is absolutely unreal.

[To the question: "Can a man ever do as he likes?"]

Sometimes he thinks he is doing as he likes, but in reality God is guiding all his movements. God is the only Doer, nothing is done by man.

What are the Himalayas? Just rock piled on rock. Look at all this outside, the solar system, and what will there be? The earth in the vastness of the heavens is only a minute point. What can anything on it be? The only reality in this universe is God.

Those affairs which are displeasing to you now will all prove your great friends hereafter. God is more intelligent than any of us. He knows what is necessary for you and where to keep you. If you resent His dispensation, you really resent His infinite Love and Grace. Obedience is divine, disobedience is satanic.

God is good. God does all. Therefore, He can do nothing but good.

Know this for certain - however bad a man may be, even if the whole world forsakes him, God's love toward him is as fervent as His love towards the most pious of men. The child may grow into a murderer but the mother's love remains undiminished. God is more loving and kind than all mothers taken together. Never lose faith in his loving kindness. He is always keeping watch upon the worst of sinners.

This also is certain wherever we are placed, God never forsakes us. It is He that moves us from one station in life to another. Knowing this be happy.

But God is the God of all living beings and therefore you should not confine Him to human forms only. If your father dresses himself as a foreigner he does not lose your estimation and reverence on that account. Hence, whatever be the form of God, because He is your God, you should love him always.

In Nirvikalpa Samadhi, there is neither creation nor creator; there is no worship. Let us keep that aside, for the salt doll has lost itself in the ocean.

But so long as there is individuality, there must be the Personal God. God the creator is always personal and each manifestation of Him is as real as Himself. Worship is possible only in reference to the Personal God.

Maya is God's power; there is no difference between God and His power. Just as sugar cannot be imagined apart from sweetness, milk apart from whiteness, so God cannot be conceived apart from His Shakti. We do not pray to a powerless man, knowing such prayers to be useless. God is all-powerful and therefore we pray to Him. So, whoever prays to God worships Shakti. Everyone in the world is a Shakta, for who is there that does not worship power?

God does not dwell somewhere beyond the clouds. He is in the heart of all living beings. God comes before us in the form of the ignorant, the needy, the diseased, the destitute, the famished so that we may serve Him in these forms and thus edify ourselves.

God is both father and mother to you.

How then, can we hope to understand Truth or God? Of course we can understand Him because we are He. He is inside us. We have got ourselves so mixed up with this sense-world, that we imagine that we cannot understand Him. He is the easiest thing for us to understand. He represents our natural condition.

The West also puts its God far off up there somewhere, while the Hindu keeps Him inside. When the `I' is gone, nothing remains but God or Divinity. Let Him exist alone in his glory.

God was not discovered by Christ. He was not discovered by Buddha. Mohammed did not discover him. He is revealing Himself all the time. He has revealed Himself throughout the beginningless past and He will continue to reveal Himself throughout the endless future.

It is true that I am one from head to foot; but here I am called eyes; here I am called ears; here I am called legs or feet. Thus although I am one self, that which the legs can do the eyes cannot do; what the eyes can do the ears cannot do; what the ears can do the nose cannot do.

Therefore being one, yet I am many. It is one self that is manifesting as eyes, as ears, as nose, as legs, as hands. It is one self at the centre and all these are emanating from that centre as radii. So God is One, yet He is manifesting Himself in many forms. From the outside standpoint He is many; from the inside standpoint He is one. From the standpoint of the circumference the radii are many; from the standpoint of the centre they are one.

God is in no way a mysterious Being. He is clearer than day, than light, than the sun.

In order to ascertain the true existence of God, one has but to study attentively the marvellous secrets of creation. The existence of God can be easily understood by the chain of cause and effect. No effect is possible without a precedent cause. So long as creation is there, there must be the Creator. There cannot be any doubt about it.

[To the question: "Nature may be called the cause of creation."]

Then the cause of nature's origin should be called God.

[To the question. "If God is the cause of Nature, who is then His cause?"]

God's will power is the cause of nature and God Himself is the source of His will power. It is beyond the capacity of human intelligence to ascertain the First Cause or God without the knowledge of Brahman, the self-existent, beginningless One without a second.

Maya is that illusory and inexplicable power of God that has created this phenomenal world.

God is the abode of all good and all power. Whatever He does is always for the good of the creatures. Though parents also wish well of their children yet they are not unselfish and almighty In spite of being the embodiment of these two qualities, if He allots sorrows and sufferings to anyone then know it for certain that it is His blessing in disguise.

What we call misery is in fact His kindness. We forget God in our greed for transient pleasures. So He makes us remember Him by these little miseries. His kindness is expressed through both favourable and unfavourable circumstances. When He adorns the playhouse of life with wife, wealth, friends, fame etc., desired by us it is the pleasant kindness of God. But when he takes them away one after another, makes us shed tears and drags us forcibly towards Him it is His unpleasant kindness.

If you want an invisible guide, why not take God?

When selfishness is taken away what remains is only God.

God is the only existence that is real, all other existences are unrealities behind which God exists as Reality.

When you see a beautiful person your heart goes out to love him spontaneously. God is the most beautiful being in the whole universe, so it should not be difficult for you to love Him.

Great incarnations like Christ, Krishna, Buddha were perfectly clear mirrors which gave us a perfect reflection of God or Truth.

In this apparent battle of life, God is the infinite side and matter the finite side. The infinite is bound to gain victory over the finite, that is, spirit is bound to conquer matter.

God is infinite bliss and all other happiness is finite and perishable. Hence nowhere but in Him can true happiness be found, a happiness that has no break.

It is because we are mistaking the real for the unreal, and the unreal for the real, that all this seems so serious to us. We are taking the play to be the real thing and the player to be unreal: whereas the player or God is the one reality and the play of creation is absolutely unreal.

God is always supposed to be perceived more clearly at the point of meeting between the two opposite poles. He is neither light nor darkness, but He is beyond both. He is to be found just where they meet.

As a matter of fact all men are loving God; for every man loves eternal life, all knowledge and all blissfulness and these are God.

As the Self resides within, every man is a temple of God. Wise men of the past realized this. They built these outer temples to show man how he must go from enclosure to enclosure of his being until in the innermost shrine he will find God seated.

26 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GOD

(Swami Saradananda)

The reflection of God is always in the mind, but until the mind becomes tranquil and pure, the image of God cannot be observed. In other words, God is always present within us. But we will not be aware of that presence until the mirror of the heart is clean.

Sri Chaitanya used to say, `That is verily That.' That is to say, God's name is verily God Himself. They are inseparable.

(Swami Akhandananda)

God is the nearest to us, for He is in the heart. Men are covered with ignorance, and hence they cannot see Him. They think that He is far away. But He is the nearest to us - the Life of our life, the Mind of our mind. We breathe just because He is there.

He that wants God cannot sleep until he realizes Him. At intervals, his heart cries out, `Oh, I have not yet realized Him!' He sees darkness all around. He has no taste for anything else but God.

(Swami Subodhananda)

One can hear of good things from anybody. As a man can pick up a valuable gem even from a dirty place, similarly can one hear anything about God that appeals to him, it does not matter who the speaker is. `Even a pariah is a saint if he has devotion for God.

27 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GOD

(Swami Vijnanananda)

You are the master of your mind, and you have to keep it pure. Your responsibility ends there, the rest is God's business. He is Providence, the wish-fulfilling tree, who provides everything. He acts like a valet to provide us with whatever we want.

He is all-pervading. He is within you all, and He knows everything. Confide in Him, but you must be careful not to go to Him with selfish desires.

The very first attribute of God is lordliness. Contemplation on Him should enable us to gain lordliness over our passions and become masters of our souls. Secondly, whatever God wills is immediately done, We also have the power to translate our wishes into action. Thirdly, God is love. As He loves everyone, so should we love all created beings. One is invoking God's name properly, to the extent that one is able to acquire His attributes.

The gods and goddesses are not myths, they are real. They are the many aspects of the one Godhead. I know this because Maharaj used to see and talk to them.

God is all-pervading and all-powerful. There is nothing that cannot be granted by Him.

Whatever people want from Him, He supplies like a servant, as it were. Therefore, one should not ask for anything from Him, but remain satisfied with whatever He is pleased to give. If you ask the gods for anything, they present you with a gift which is like a double-edged sword. Real welfare lies in using things properly; wrong use of things brings misfortune.

Everything in the world is a compound of many things: it is only God who is pure and simple.

You see, God is always inside and also outside, telling us to shed fears and worries. `You can't run away from Me,' says He. `You want to play about a little. Well, go on playing. But I am ever inside you; seek and ye shall find. The moment you attain complete mastery over your passions, you will get Me within you, effulgent and blissful.

God had fulfilled every desire that arose in man's mind. He acts like a valet to provide us with whatever we want. Is He to blame or are we? It is desire that is the root of all evil, and no one else is at fault.

He is the source of everything. He is the king, and again He makes Himself the subject also. He is the Sadhu as well as the thief. It is useless for people to brag about their actions. It is only through His will that things are happening. He is free to do whatever He likes and has not to depend on any one else We are alive and invoking His blessings, only because He wills it. We will die this very moment if He so decrees.

God is Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss. Many are His names and endless are His manifestations. As the devotee looks upon Him, so does He manifest Himself to Him. To some, therefore, He reveals Himself as Kali, to some as Rama, to some as Krishna or Shiva, and soon.

[Concerning the Fourth Dimension:]

It is beyond the range of intellectual comprehension. Can it be easily known? Just see. We are told to remember God. But it is often forgotten that He cannot be comprehended by the human mind: He is beyond it. The finite cannot grasp the Infinite, the part can never contain the whole. The finite mind realizes that God is outside it: but, even then, it feels satisfied with whatever it can know about Him. But does this mean the whole knowledge of God?

God is the eternal fountainhead of life.

Great souls have all immersed themselves in that spring of immortality. No spiritual aspirant can become great without completely identifying himself with Him.

If God Himself comes down to confer on us the blessing of peace, we will turn down His offer. This is why He comes down to us as the embodiment of renunciation. He comes to relieve us of all our worldly possessions and everything that we call our own.

God pervades everything. But, of course, it is a joyful experience. He is inside and outside. When you realize that He is within you, the senses get controlled once for all.

The Bible describes God in all His three forms, with attributes, without attributes, and as incarnate. Whenever God incarnates Himself in human form, He reveals Himself as such, as men would not understand Him otherwise.

God is truth and to realise Him you have to be completely truthful.

God who creates, preserves, and destroys this universe, is all alone, because He is One. He is visible to very few people, though He is the most Supreme of all things. The greater a person is the more does he keep himself concealed and secluded.

28 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE OF GOD

(Swami Shivananda)

You cannot realize God through Tapasya, sacrifice, charity, or study of the scriptures. He alone realizes Him on whom descends His grace. But then you have on the other hand, `This Atman cannot be realized by the weak.' One who is weak and effortless cannot realize Him.

Low thoughts will come and go. Don't mind them. Through His grace, as a result of constant practice, you will get through.The one thing necessary is His grace. Without the Lord's grace no spiritual practice is possible. No one works independently.

Everyone works as directed by Him. He is the mechanic and the rest are machines. But it is very hard to remember all this. If one has this idea, then one gets beyond all good and evil. If the Mother is gracious, then everything is possible - dispassion, spiritual practice, etc.

The Lord has two powers - Vidya Shakti knowledge and Avidya Shakti ignorance. If He removes from us the influence of the latter and helps with the former, then everything goes on well. So pray, `Mother be gracious unto me.' If Her grace is there, nothing is impossible.

When once out of compassion He opens the gate and awakens the kundalini the latent spiritual power - you realize that everything is within. But nothing can be achieved without the awakening of the kundalini through His grace.

One cannot realize the unreality of the world without the grace of the Lord.

It is easy to take the vow of monasticism, but a person cannot have supreme devotion and knowledge without God's grace.

Nothing can be accomplished without His grace. Can man realize Him by spiritual practice alone? If He reveals Himself out of compassion, then alone can one realize Him, otherwise not.

He is father, mother, brother, friend, companion and all. Call upon him earnestly. He will certainly be gracious. In this sorrowful world He alone is peace. The Master used to speak of the camel's habit of eating prickly grass. The happiness of a worldly man is just like that of a camel. Without the grace of God, my child, nothing can be accomplished. It is not an easy thing to realize the unreality of the world. One cannot have that realization without the grace of God. Cry to Him and pray and you will have His grace. He is right inside. You will realize Him the moment He lifts the veil of ignorance. It is grace and grace alone that we need. There is no other way.

29 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE OF GOD

(Swami Shivananda)

The earnestness to realize Her and the lack of peace because you have not been able to do so are symptoms of Her grace. As a result of good deeds performed in many incarnations and through the grace of God, one has this desire for liberation. Be steady and hold to the ideal even as a hereditary farmer. If you do that you will certainly receive Her grace.

Once the ideal of life is determined one can advance slowly towards that ideal through the grace of God. Of course, everything depends upon God's grace.

It is very difficult to realize God and it is impossible unless one has His grace. Through His grace, light may flash in a room that has been steeped in darkness for thousands of years. He is the Ocean of Mercy.

The grace of God is ever present but one must make an effort to deserve that grace. He is ever ready to shower His grace. Take His name, worship Him, remember Him constantly and call upon Him very earnestly. You will see how gracious He is. So much grace will descend upon you that you will be overwhelmed; your life will be blessed. Nothing can be accomplished without His grace.

It is very difficult to snap the bonds of Maya without the grace of God; but it is also true that if a person sincerely prays to Him He listens to that prayer and lifts the veil.

One cannot have that pure love and knowledge without the grace of the Lord, and He graciously gives that devotion and knowledge. If one is sincerely resigned to the Lord, He certainly becomes gracious. You may wander all over the world, you may visit all the holy places, but without His grace nothing can be accomplished.

Without His grace, my child, nothing is possible. You may practise japa, meditation, pranayama, rituals, ceremonials or similar things - nothing will help you unless you have His grace. It is true, if a person wants the Lord badly, He graciously reveals Himself to him.

How much power has man? What can he do in order to be worthy of the grace of God? Nothing. Be at peace by surrendering yourself to Him. Seek refuge in Him. He will certainly accept you at His feet. It is impossible to realize Him without His grace.

He is ever eager to bestow His grace, just as a mother keeps her hands always ready to take up the child in her lap. Do try a bit, and then only will you feel how compassionate He is.

30 June 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

Never have any doubt about His grace; never allow even such a thought to cross your mind. Go on calling on Him with love; His grace will make your heart and mind full.

These are all very subtle matters. Of course, above all, one must have the grace of God. Unless the Divine Mother is gracious, there is no hope of all this. It is only when She opens the door to Knowledge of Brahman out of Her compassion that the aspirant becomes able to attain it, and not otherwise.

One can be saved only when She takes pity and allows one to escape out of Her domain of this cosmic Maya. There is no other way out. Grace, grace, grace! To a sincere soul, She does become gracious.

It is through constant devotion and meditation that God becomes gracious and reveals Himself in the heart of the devotee. What is needed is meditation - constant remembrance of Him.

Do you know what the most essential thing is, my boy? It is grace, grace. Men can see Him only when He grants His vision out of His own compassion. Spiritual practices and such other things are meant merely for turning the mind to God.

God sees one's mind. He becomes gracious where He sees sincere craving. There is no injustice in His domain.

As a matter of fact, God does become gracious when one is sincere. There is no injustice in His domain; He is just to all. He who seeks gets Him. His compassion is on all; in fact, He is only too eager to help all.

And unless God is gracious, nobody can escape out of this illusion, be he ever so learned or wise. It is only when He removes a little this covering of maya that a man can understand how great this grace is.

He reveals Himself whenever one supplicates Him with earnestness and tears in the eyes. This revelation of Himself out of pity is His grace. He is ever free and independent. Can He be under the dictates of any man's spiritual practices, that He should reveal Himself as the result of a certain amount of japa, or a certain period of meditation, or a certain measure of voluntary hardship? It cannot be so. Man can see Him, just because He condescends to reveal Himself out of His infinite mercy; this is His grace. Had He not revealed Himself out of His mercy, how could man ever have seen Him? Not only does He love His devotees, but He is a very ocean of compassion.

One cannot have true enlightenment without samadhi; that samadhi, again is dependent on His grace.

Eternal peace cannot come so long as passions and desires persist; and those passions and desires cannot be wholly uprooted without the grace of God.

He alone is the Lord of the mind - the Supreme Spirit. If He graciously turns inward the mind - which is otherwise so turbulent, like a mad elephant, this mind becomes calm and absorbed in Samadhi, reaching a state beyond all modifications.

Unless He is gracious, one does not feel like calling upon Him, having a distaste for His name and for things spiritual.

It is impossible to realize God without His grace.

He who can take refuge at His feet, and remain resigned under all conditions and circumstances to the last, will indeed obtain divine grace.

Spiritual discipline will prepare the mind for divine grace.

Know for certain that the impossible becomes possible through His grace.

One is blessed with the company and grace of a truly holy man as a result of good deeds performed in many lives.

It is impossible to obtain peace that is abiding so long as one is subject to desires, and one cannot wholly uproot desires without divine grace.

If one be not constantly engaged in selfless work, study of scriptures, worship, Japa, and meditation, it is not possible to comprehend the truth of Vedanta. if there is His grace, these things come of themselves and one feels inclined to practise all these things. Without His grace one becomes averse to His name, finds no taste for it, and all talk about God becomes unbearable. The Lord's grace is already on him in whose mind thoughts about God arise spontaneously.

1 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE

(Swami Premananda)

What is this grace of one's own mind? It is that one must desire God and struggle to realize him. He must struggle to purify his mind. Let strong renunciation and intense yearning possess you. Then only will you experience God's grace and receive peace.

God's grace does not rain from the sky. But that you are thinking of improving yourself - this is his grace.

Through God's grace, when your mind becomes concentrated, Samadhi is attained.

He who keeps his mind in God, finds His grace, and through His grace becomes absorbed in meditation. Through His grace he finds holy association, his mind becomes purified, and he becomes endowed with right understanding.

Sects and sectarianism have always existed in this world and will continue to exist. Only by the grace of God can they be removed from man's heart. How many are there who can hold lofty ideals and live exemplary lives? Man achieves greatness, large-heartedness, and guilelessness by the tapasya [practice of austerity] of many births and only through the grace of God.

If you vow to yourself that you will follow the path of righteousness, you will be able to do so by the grace of the Lord.

Hold fast to truth and divine grace is sure to flow to you through all channels. You will prosper not only in worldly affairs, but in spirituality as well.

He who wants to be spiritual must give up talk and take to practice. God's grace descends upon such a person and he is sure to prosper here and hereafter. God is the God of all; His grace is upon all mankind.

God sees inside us. He will be gracious if you will importune him earnestly. He is the sole refuge for us all. If you will call upon him continually, the impurities of your heart will gradually be removed, and you will feel his grace tangibly.

With the fire of dispassion, burn away all the impurities of the mind. Then only will you realize God and feel his grace.

Through his grace everything is possible. Many practice hard disciplines and yet do not realize his grace, while others very easily get it.

2 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE

(Swami Turiyananda)

After practicing Sadhana and Bhajan to the best of one's ability, one finds at last that there is no refuge other than His grace. Again, there is no other way to realise this fact except through proper Sadhana and Bhajan.

If you are miserable for not having realized God, the more this mood grows, the more you will earn His grace.

God is not partial. His grace is on all, the good and the evil, just as rains fall equally on all places. Whoever tills the land reaps the harvest. If anyone says that he is specially beloved of the Lord, that is his own idea and attitude. He says so from the experience of his own life. But it is not true.

Those who have absolute trust in God will be at once purified through His grace, though they might have committed heinous sins before.

`If anyone advances one step toward God, He comes nearer by ten steps.' This is no idle talk. Whoever has made even a little effort to earn his Grace has realized this.

There is a story about Shiva and Parvati. One day, at Kailas, they were playing at dice, when Shiva broke off in the midst of the game and went out. But He returned immediately, and so Parvati asked Him the reason for this sudden exit and return. Shiva answered, `Well, a devotee of Mine, having fallen among some robbers, at first took refuge in Me. But before I reached the spot, I found that he had himself taken up a stone to throw at the robbers. At this I came away.'

The Lord's grace doesn't manifest itself unless one absolutely resigns oneself to Him. It is no easy thing to surrender oneself to the Lord, and that wholeheartedly.

A true devotee cannot have a permanent fall. Even if he falls, he is bound to rise again through the grace of the Lord.

Aye, without Her grace, no man can get out of this net-work of illusion.

One attains knowledge through the grace of the great sages. `Through the grace of the great ones or of the Lord', says the scripture. Then one feels a strong yearning for emancipation from the world, and the Cosmic Will makes circumstances favourable to him.

It is all Mother's grace. Shiva! Shiva! Shiva'. Without Her all is misery. Her grace comes when we call upon Her, when our hearts always go out to Her.

3 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Through His grace one will arrive at the Truth, but without spiritual practices one cannot receive grace. You have to work hard for even a little grace. Is it easy to hold onto the Lord's grace? It requires a great deal of effort and strength. Do you think that grace is some small thing that the devotee captures once, and thenceforward he is satisfied? Grace is infinite. Who knows in how many ways he will show his grace?

A bumble-bee hiding in a fragrant flower, offered in the worship, touches the feet of the Lord. Similarly, by the grace and association of a holy man, one surpasses even the gods and attains liberation.

You have seen the jasmine flower; how small it is! On its tiny petal you may find a dewdrop in the morning, and in that dewdrop you can see the reflection of the infinite blue sky. Likewise, the `I' may be limited, but by the grace of God it can catch the reflection of the infinite Atman.

Control lust and greed. Practice japam and be charitable If you can do this, you will find the Lord showering his grace upon you.

An aspirant can reach God only if, out of his mercy. God helps him to go beyond his attributes and powers. It is God's grace alone that enables an aspirant to stop the waves of the mind and dissolve the intellect; otherwise who can stop the functioning of his mind and intellect by his own efforts?

But the Master also used to speak of another kind of Samadhi in which the mind dissolves and the ego disappears. I am telling you the truth, no one can attain that Samadhi without divine grace.

Similarly, by lovingly serving the Lord's children, you will get his grace and his vision too. All are the children of God.

Look, he is showering his grace on us unceasingly. It is through his grace that you even exist in this world.

`Lord, may I never forget your name. I take refuge in you. Please take me into your service and destroy my ego and my doubts. You are my master, guru, father, mother, and all in all. I am your child. Please guide me to the path of blessedness. Make me your instrument. Do not delude me with your bewitching Maya. my sweet Lord, I have not seen you; I have only heard your name. Please make me your own.' You will have to pray like this daily. Only then will he choose to bestow his grace on you.

How many people want to hear about God? That desire comes through God's special grace. Real yearning for God is the result of associating with the holy, and a person gets the opportunity for holy company only as a result of many good actions.

Do not fear, for, some day the grace of the Lord will come to you. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, `Before evening you will receive a leaf plate.' Have patience and wait.

Sometimes Lord Vishwanath showers his mercy on me. But bear in mind, my son, that if you want his grace, you will have to lie at his door like a faithful dog. The vision of God does not depend on your will, you must depend on his. You must resign yourself completely.

If there is anything really difficult, it is to practise religion. Without the Lord's grace, progress is impossible.

4 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRACE

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Only when God is gracious to us can we lift the veil and get a glimpse of Him.

The charm of Maya is so irresistible, it is only when God is gracious to us that we can lift the veil and get a little glimpse of Him.

Without the help of God, no one can realise his eternal nature, however indestructible it maybe.

It is possible for a man to attain salvation suddenly, by the special grace of God; but it can only be done if he can realise that God is all in all and that he is nothing. If he can realize this, then salvation comes easily

His Grace gives you always whatever can really do you good. Always confide yourselves to His care.

None can escape from the clutches of Maya, without the saving grace of God. He is all-love, all-good; He thinks constantly of our well-being, as does a loving mother of her only child. But we do not sincerely ask for His grace, which descends only when penitent tears are shed. We should surrender ourselves to Him, depend on Him entirely and constantly pray for His grace with tearful eyes. His grace dawns when He sees that we really love Him and want Him only and not woman and wealth.

When the mind is entirely engrossed with worldly objects what is the use of making a lip-deep prayer to God? Such shallow love cannot move His heart. When this hypocrisy will go and the mind will be pure and simple like that of a child we shall be blessed with His grace.

When God's grace is combined with personal effort everything turns favourable and every undertaking becomes successful.

The ochre robe, the marks on the forehead, pilgrimage, kirtan, japa and austerity are not essentials in religion but are mere externals. These outer forms train the mind to be worthy of the divine grace.

5 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(Today is the most auspicious Guru Purnima. On this auspicious day May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti and Jnana.)

GRACE

(Swami Saradananda)

To have a strong longing for God and feel ill at ease just because God has not been realized are, however, dependent on His grace.

One who is prepared to persevere to the end receives the grace of the Lord.

One thing you must bear in mind is that nobody has been able to conquer lust by his own effort. You can overcome lust only if the grace of God descends on you. Pray sincerely to Him for guidance.

Do not think that you can have more of your guru's grace by staying with him. Those who call on the Lord with sincerity and simplicity will receive his grace wherever they stay.

(Swami Akhandananda)

Without His will and grace, nobody has any power to do anything.

But those who do not understand His grace, ever remaining with Him, are really pitiable.

(Swami Subodhananda)

When we see the sun, we see it with the sun's own light. No other light is required for that. Thus also we see the Lord through His grace alone.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

Beyond this universe lies that ocean of divine light. It is through the grace of the great souls that we find our way to that divine light. They help us to rise from the lower plane to the higher. Thus we get the inspiration to cross `the seas of the material world' and move into the ocean of divine light.

You should look upon the Master and the Holy Mother as one and the same. You must remember that without the Master's grace you cannot get the Holy Mother just as without the Holy Mother's grace you cannot get the Master. The Master is like Narayana and the Holy Mother is like Lakshmi.

6 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON GREED

(Swami Brahmananda)

No effort is wasted. Lust, greed, anger, all gradually leave a man who practices spiritual disciplines.

Renounce lust and greed, and make Him your sole treasure. First renounce mentally.

(Swami Shivananda)

If one can renounce lust of the flesh and greed for wealth everything will be all right. What counts is not the mere renunciation of external attachments; inner attachments must also be given up.

(Swami Premananda)

Have faith, have self-confidence. Convince yourself, 'We are devotees of Sri Ramakrishna. We are free souls. Assuredly we shall realize God.' Have this firm conviction, and then alone you can overcome the ferocious enemies, lust, anger and greed.

I can assure you that you will attain liberation and peace if you but free yourself from lust and greed. There is no doubt about it.

(Swami Turiyananda)

Lust, anger, and avarice - these are but different forms of one and the same thing. They are the eternal enemies of every spiritual aspirant, and destroyers of knowledge and wisdom.

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Control lust and greed. Practice japam and be charitable. If you can do this, you will find the Lord showering his grace upon you.

He who has learned to discriminate can successfully overcome lust and greed. So, cultivate discrimination and conscience.

(Swami Saradananda)

Know for certain that none is completely free from the fetters of lust and greed until he has seen God.

7 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GRIEF

(Swami Shivananda)

[A retired judge: "This is my daughter. Recently her husband passed away. She is very much grieved and has not yet been able to get over it. That is why I have brought her to you."]

That is the way of the world, my child. Sorrow, bereavement, pain and anguish this is what the world consists of. Real joy or peace is very rare in this world, and this round of birth and death that is ours, no one can check.

Man has no hand in it God alone is responsible for the creation, maintenance and dissolution of this world, and it is by His will that all beings are born into it. He keeps them as long as He wants, and He takes them away whenever He wishes.

We should know for certain that God is the Lord of birth, maintenance and death. It is He who sends souls here to become parents, wives, children, friends and relatives; and He keeps them entangled in some relationship or other, taking them back whenever He wishes.

So long as man is not fully convinced of this, he will be subject to grief, but the moment he is firmly established in this knowledge, he is no longer subject to grief, having no reason to grieve. Only we should see that we do not neglect to serve our relatives with whom we have been connected by God. If we neglect to do this we shall be sorry for it.

Man has other things to do besides grieving. He has his worldly duties to attend to. Above everything else, he should progress towards the ideal of life.

What does it profit a man to cry over his grief? Life is not meant only for grieving. We shall have to transcend birth, old age, and death and realize God, the object of our supreme love. Then alone there will be an end of all sorrow.

We shall have to court sorrows also as blessings from God, our Beloved. Unless a person is wholly resigned to God he cannot endure these sorrows and griefs undisturbed.

It is very difficult for an average person to stand the actions and reactions of this world. A genuine devotee, because of his faith in God is never overwhelmed by these.

The object of human life is to attain that pure devotion and love and be in possession of the supreme bliss. Advance towards God, my child; the more you go towards Him, the more peace you will get.

There is no peace in anything in this world. At the feet of God alone does one find the abode of peace.

What good will it do to grieve only? It is ignorance that causes grief. Go to the shrine, meditate there and pray, `Lord, give us knowledge, give us devotion.' He will surely give you strength. If you meditate upon him this lack of faith and ignorance will go. Crying will do no good.

8 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON GRIEF

(Swami Shivananda)

[A gentleman from Dacca came of his own accord after discovering a photograph of Mahapurushji and a rosary in the box of his departed son. He came in the afternoon, and expressed his great sorrow as he related the incident.]

Your son was a devotee of the Lord; blessed be his soul. He was very fortunate; you should not grieve for him. He was born with very noble tendencies; and that's why his mind turned to God even at an early age. He fulfilled the purpose of his life and then returned to the world that is his own.

Besides, nobody has any control over birth and death - all these happen according to the will of God. He alone knows how long He will keep anyone in this world. All bodies die; there's no exception to this rule. Your son is gone; you, too, have to go some day. Your wife, son, daughter, in fact, all whom you consider to be your very own - all have to depart; none can live eternally.

In the Gita, the Lord says: Anyone born must surely die, and anyone dead must surely be reborn. So you must not lament for something that is inevitable.' Death being inevitable for anyone coming to this earth, He forbids us to lament. Can you tell me what is the purpose of human life? The only purpose of life is to realize God no matter whether sons and wife remain or go. Each soul reaps result of what it had done. Your son had good deeds in store; so he has achieved a virtuous destiny.

Now, it is your turn to act in a way that will ensure your own high destiny. Tell your wife, also, to do accordingly. Mere talk will not do; one has to act. With firm determination, one has to strive for God-realization.

Make a start from this very day; for life is fleeting every moment. Nobody can say when one will have the call for departure; so don't waste a single day. Those who think that these things can be put off for the future never do anything. They will be tossed to this current of birth and death for infinite ages.

None in this world is really your own whom you think to be so. Only God is truly your own. He keeps company in life and death; He is the Soul of one's soul. The relationship with Him is eternal.

A person sincerely pursuing good never comes to grief.

[A woman devotee, overwhelmed with grief by the death of her husband, wrote praying for consolation and peace.]

The Swami was very much moved as the letter was read out to him. Full of sympathy, he pictured himself in the position of the grief-stricken woman and exclaimed]

Ah, I cannot stand it anymore! [For a while the Swami sat pensive, closing his eyes, and then remarked:]

The Mother of the universe is having Her sport and man suffers! Who will understand all this? Man can escape all this pain if he pauses and thinks of the unreality of the world; and yet, day and night, he is engrossed in Maya. It is good to think of death at times. In how many ways is the evanescence of everything driven home to man, and yet he does not wake up! This is what is called Maya.

9 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON GRIEF

(Swami Turiyananda)

M's eldest son died, M's wife came to Sri Ramakrishna and began to weep bitter tears. I was then nearby. He sternly said to M's wife, seeing her weep so much, 'At other times you talk of knowledge, devotion, etc.,; where are these things now gone? Have they vanished now?' His words greatly appealed to me.

Often if you thus speak sternly to a person in grief or sorrow, it becomes very effective - the influence of Tamas goes off at once. At the time of happiness everybody can remain calm, can discriminate, but one is established in it only if one can remain so even in adversity. At that time man has to summon up great strength. If he yields to weakness then grief will overwhelm him, will altogether ruin him.

(Swami Saradananda)

It is He who has led us, guided us, and held us by the hand, through thick and thin, like the mother bird holding her fledgling under the wings of her protection and love. He alone is the protector of His children in their sorrows and grief. He alone is their saviour in their trials and troubles. He alone is their comforter in their dark days of loneliness and scorn.

Leave all your worries behind and take refuge in our compassionate Lord. Know for certain that He will not leave you. He will never fail you when you cry His name with a longing heart.

10 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON GUNAS

(Swami Brahmananda)

Japam and meditation are impossible unless you can transcend Rajas and Tamas and become established in Sattva. Before you can reach that transcendental plane from which there is no return you must transcend Sattva also.

(Swami Shivananda)

Every man is born subject to the three forces of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. But in every case there is the predominance of one over the other two, some having more of Sattva, others more of Rajas, and so on. It is only after the attainment of liberation, which is beyond these three forces, that a person becomes their master.

(Swami Premananda)

If rajas, in the form of energy; does not come into your heart, sattva will not follow. And unless you are Sattvic that is to say, pure in heart - Brahman will not be revealed in your consciousness.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

If you want to give up one bad habit you must develop the corresponding good habit, and this requires tremendous Rajas or activity on your part. As Bhagavan says in the Gita `Verily, this Divine Maya of Mine consisting of the Gunas is difficult to cross over; those who devote themselves to Me alone cross over this Maya through my grace.

12 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Brahmananda)

[To the question: "The scriptures declare that one should worship the guru before one meditates. How shall I worship the guru?"]

First meditate on him within the heart, knowing that guru and God are one and the same. Then let the form of the guru be dissolved into the Chosen Ideal, and then proceed with japam and meditation.

'Faith.' Have intense faith in the words of the guru and you will achieve everything. Without faith in the words of the guru, spiritual life is fruitless. Give yourself up to him as a kitten gives itself up to its mother. Then he will look after you, help you, and guide you.

How far can your intellect go? Take refuge in the guru. He, with his greater enlightenment, and sense of responsibility, understands more than you and will protect you from all pitfalls. No harm can befall a disciple who is under the protecting wings of a guru. Man makes many mistakes in life until he finds God. But if he takes refuge in his guru there is less possibility of mistakes.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say that if the father takes hold of the child's hand, there is no fear of its falling. Even so, if you make mistakes, the guru, in whom you have taken refuge, will wipe away all your impurities.

Who is the real guru? He must be an enlightened man. If a man does not know the path himself, how can he possibly show it to others? Mantrams, of course, are always potent, but when they are received from so-called gurus who trade in religion and are themselves blind, they cannot bring real peace or illumination. You have come to the children of Sri Ramakrishna; you are blessed indeed!

The disciples of Sri Ramakrishna know all the paths which lead to God. Proceed along the path into which you have been led and pray to your guru with a sincere heart. He will guide you, wherever he is.

After leaving the body the true guru lives on in the invisible realm; sometimes he reveals himself to his disciples, but at all times he helps and guides them, until they, too, attain illumination.

The Guru and disciple should test each other for a long time before the Guru initiates the disciple. Otherwise there may be regrets afterwards. For this is no passing relationship. It is no use hurrying oneself until the right time comes, it is of little avail. The condition of mind before the favourable time arrives, is really painful. The mind is swept alternately by hope and despair, smiles and tears. But if you can secure an efficient spiritual guide, he may, by means of spiritual processes push your mind above this level.

You may not, however, be able to stand it, if you are pushed up untimely and too high. You must first purify your mind by keeping company with holy men and devotees and receiving instructions from your Guru. Next you must undertake hard spiritual discipline. Only then will you feel a yearning for God. One requires a teacher even when one wants to learn stealing. And this sublime Brahma vidya - Knowledge of Brahman- does it not require a teacher to acquire it? No, you can never do without a guru. Who is the Guru? He who points out the path to your Ishta Chosen Deity by, say, giving you a fixed Name to repeat. You may have many Upagurus, subsidiary teachers.

The real Guru will tell you which discipline to undergo, and he will advise you to keep the company of devotees.

Formerly, it was customary for the disciple to live in the house of his Guru, so that the Guru could watch over the disciple and the disciple could serve the Guru, and if the disciple went wrong, the Guru could bring him back to the right path. Therefore, you should never make one your Guru, unless he is a knower of Brahman, or very highly advanced in spirituality.

[To the question: "But how am I to know that a person is such?"]

You will know if you live with him for some time. The Guru also can then observe you. If you have much hankering after the world, which it would be difficult to check, he must not initiate you, but send you back.

If you want to make anyone your Guru, live near him for some time and watch his ways. The system of hereditary Gurus has this advantage that the Guru and the disciple both know each other's family history well.

13 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Shivananda)

The power of the guru is the suggestion. The more you advance towards Him, the clearer you will see the way.

The relationship I have with you is not a physical one and it will not be destroyed with the destruction of the body. My child, the body is short-lived but the Spirit is eternal, and the relationship with the Spirit is also eternal.

He is the guru in everybody's heart the Guide, Master, Father, Mother, Friend, in fact everything, to a man.

As you go on calling on Him and weeping for Him, all the dirt in your mind will be washed away, and it will become purified. Then, that pure mind itself will act as guru to you. You will get all the answers from within yourself to all the questions that you may have about what you need at a particular time, how you should meditate, how you should call on Him, and all such things.

The scriptures also say that when a true teacher initiates a disciple the Lord reveals Himself in the heart of that teacher, and from there He inspires the disciple. The Lord Himself is the real guru, man can never be the guru.

The power of a mantra that has brought success to anyone is irresistible when imparted to another and particularly is it so when it comes through a guru who is himself a realized soul. The Master used to say that when the guru is perfect the disciple's egoism vanishes after only three croaks. But if the guru is not perfect, the disciple's bondage is not removed, and he does not attain liberation.

[Devotee: "Father, you are my guru; you have showered your grace on me. We are assailed with various kinds of doubt, questions, and despondency. To whom can we go to get these removed? Here, while I am at your feet, I feel so much peace in my heart, so much joy. But when I think what will be my lot when you leave us, my heart begins to cry helplessly."]

Look here, my daughter, I have told you all there is to tell. God is the only guru; He is the teacher of the whole world. It is he, Sri Ramakrishna, who has kept us in these physical bodies. When these bodies die, we too shall get united with God in our fine bodies, and shall live in union. We have to take the responsibility here and hereafter of all those whom we have accepted as our own. if the devotees pray with pure hearts and earnestness, they will get the visions of us as well - in a more clear and vivid way than you see today So, my daughter, from now on, try to have this vision inside. How long, after all, can these external meetings last?

Devotee: "Bless me accordingly, Father, that I may see you inside and outside, everywhere."]

That you will do; if you pray earnestly and with tears in your eyes, you will get such a vision. But you cannot have this unless there is the deepest yearning.

One has to tread steadily the path indicated by a perfect guru. This is a difficult path, my son.

One has to obey the directions of somebody with all sincerity. That is why the scriptures speak of placing oneself under a guru. A perfect guru informs the disciple of the correct path; he sets him on the road.

Make your mind ready. `When the flower blooms, the bee comes of itself; said the Master. This is why I ask you to open out the lotus of your heart first, and the guru's grace will come of itself.

When you meditate, you should think that your guru is looking at you with affection and you are looking at him with love. Success doesn't come in a day. Go on practising like this with a simple heart, and everything will come all right.

14 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Shivananda)

Initiation is of many kinds. There is no such hard and fast rule that all should have some mantra for mental repetition. For all do not have the same kind of spiritual attitude, nor are all equally qualified. It is true, of course, that the ordinary gurus cannot make these distinctions. Someone may like God with form, while someone else may stick to God without form. Then, there are degrees of belief both with regard to the Personal God and the Impersonal. Someone likes meditation; he should meditate. Someone else likes japa; he should undertake japa. Someone, again, may have to undertake both japa and meditation.

One has to instruct an aspirant after ascertaining the category to which he belongs and the spiritual attitude he prefers. if, on the contrary, one huddles them all together and shapes them according to one single mould, the aspirants will only be delayed on their way to the fullest realization. That's what is bound to happen.

[To the sight of a boat gliding on the river in full sail:]

Just see how finely the boat glides upstream with the help of the southern breeze. Do you understand that? The guru's blessings help one in one's spiritual endeavour.

But if, through japa and meditation, you can see your Chosen Deity, you will find that the guru is not different from the Deity, that he is seated forever in your own heart.

The guru does not cease to exist even when this gross body is no more.

Besides, these mantras have been printed in books. But one thing you should know, my boy, that when that very mantra comes out of the mouth of a perfected guru, it becomes impregnated with a new power. Otherwise it is nothing but a sound. The guru makes the mantra alive by his own spiritual energy; and he rouses the coiled-up energy of the disciple. That's the whole secret of it.

Every man is born subject to the three forces of sattva, rajas and tamas. But in every case there is the predominance of one over the other two, some having more of sattva, others more of rajas, and so on. It is only after the attainment of liberation, which is beyond these three forces, that a person becomes their master.

In this blessed state, while living his life in the world and playing the role of a spiritual teacher, such a person, if necessary, may choose to manifest one of these forces for his work in accordance with his mood and the circumstances around him.

But usually we see an illumined teacher or leader of men expressing more of Sattva and Rajas than of Tamas. Some liberated souls may like to live a quiet meditative life in a secluded spot away from the haunts of men, helping those that come to them for advice and guidance. Others may go out as preachers travelling all over the world, broadcasting their messages to all.

Sometimes, if necessary, these teachers may remonstrate with those who are evil-minded and chastise them in a seemingly angry mood, but this anger is only a pretence. Even as a father loves his son, so do these teachers their followers, and whenever the latter are taken to task, it is for their own good; it proves to be supremely beneficial in the end.

Is there death at any time to the Sadgurus who are persons possessing the knowledge of the Absolute? They only cast away this physical sheath, but they are alive and are present always, in the subtle body, and do good to the devotees who resort to them. It is also possible to have a vision of them. Do believe that your guru is even now with you.

Guru and Ishta, Chosen Ideal or Deity are one. But then so long as you are in the relative world, bound by name and form, you have to accept them as separate. When knowledge comes, you will find that the two are one. This knowledge, one gets after hard austerities.

15 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Premananda)

Call forth faith - faith in the Guru's words, faith in holy men's teachings, faith in the scriptures, then only you can have results. Mere namby-pamby attitude will be of no avail. Initiation by a Guru is a necessity. One has to move along some definite path, initiation is that path and the Guru is the guide along that path. One must accept a Guru, that is what the scriptures say.

Initiation from a guru is very necessary. You can receive the holy Name from anyone in whom you have faith and for whom you feel reverence.

Initiation is necessary. You have to pursue a path. The guru shows you the path by initiation. The scriptures speak of the need for a guru, and one must follow the injunction of the scriptures. Everybody cannot find God independently of the guru. But remember, the great secret is the yearning for God. To have this yearning is a great good fortune.

However, the Lord, the creator, is alone the true guru and he is the goal.

See no difference between the guru and God. Don't bother about thinking of the lotus. Meditate, within the heart, either upon the guru or the Chosen Ideal, depending upon the mood at the time, and know that he who is the guru is also the Chosen Ideal. Have unswerving devotion to guru and God.

In order to attain wisdom of God and liberation for one's own self, one need only to receive the sacred mantra from an illumined guru and, with complete faith, become absorbed in the practice of japam and meditation.

Have faith in the words of your guru, faith in holy men, and faith in the scriptures. Then you will reap the harvest.

16 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Turiyananda)

You cannot build up life without the living touch of an ideal life. The Bhagavata is always insisting on the company of the good and the devout. Shankara has no doubt laid particular stress on Jnana, the Knowledge aspect. But Vedanta also upholds the necessity of a spiritual teacher. Life can be kindled only from another life.

When a mother teaches her child, how deep the impression is! Though she does not give out that she is teaching, by her words alone the best teaching is imparted. Well, there is that great love behind. A teacher should put himself in line with the mentality of the pupil. Then only will the instruction be effective.

In the life of everyone there comes satiety after a prolonged enjoyment of sense objects. If at that time one happens to come in contact with a saint, one advances towards the goal.The Lord endows religious teachers with a special power which descends through a succession of disciples.

It is to do His work that He so endows the preachers. But if they utilize the power for selfish purposes, they are deprived of it. Other powers such as oratory may remain, but the saving power departs from them. The power survives even after the completion of the work for which God granted it. Only it wanes a little. But by misuse it is completely lost.

You hide your real character behind a smooth and polite exterior, but the sore festers in the heart.

The Guru is the physician, and once the disease is diagnosed he must not fear to apply the lancet, if necessary. Sometimes a deep clear incision is the only remedy. You are so sensitive, always afraid of being scolded or exposed. When I flatter a little, you say, `Swami is so wonderful,' but when I utter a harsh word you run away!

17 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Turiyananda)

Some of the students think that I don't understand them. That is because they don't understand themselves. They don't know the hidden motives that prompt them to action. They feel the impulse to do certain things, and that impulse they interpret to suit their own convenience. The real desire that pushes them on, they don't see. I can see these hidden things, but when I tell the students this, they get annoyed, and say, `Swami doesn't understand.'

Everybody in this country thinks that he is unselfish, whereas unselfishness is extremely rare. We are deluded by our ego. Therefore, Hindu scriptures say that a Guru is necessary. He can probe the mind of the disciple, see his real motives, and warn him in time.

Only those who have realized the truth can speak with authority. Otherwise it is like the blind leading the blind. Both come to grief; both fall into the ditch. Only the true Guru can lead us right, and the true Guru is he who knows Brahman.

The guru should hold the disciple through love. He should not bind him, but give him full freedom. He who binds will himself be bound. He should rule from the heart and not from the head. His aim should be to dispel delusion, to clear the vision. The disciple should obey through love, and not through fear. The latter would be slavery. Those who want power exact obedience.

(Swami Trigunatitananda)

Keep on praying to God with your whole heart; if the need arises for you to have a Guru, God will send somebody for you who will be just the man you need.

People talk of finding out the proper kind of Guru. But that is not a reasonable position in all cases. Whoever the Guru may be, everything will progress nicely if the disciple is earnest and sincere.

People of all castes can be initiated by a good Guru who has attained perfection.

18 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Adbhutananda)

Do you think a man whispers a mantra into the ear of another, and so he becomes the Guru and the other fellow his disciple? And does the disciple attain illumination immediately? Is it that easy? The Guru can give a lot of advice, but everything is in the hands of God, just as the lawyer says that he has pleaded his case as best he can, now everything is in the hands of the judge.

If you are in earnest about spiritual practices, you should have a teacher, a Guru. You can accept the Lord himself as your Guru, if you have that much faith in him. But it is better to have a great devotee of God as your Guru. Do you know why? What do you do when you feel thirsty and are looking for water? Don't you go to the nearest place where water is available? The human Guru is like the water in the river near us, and the Lord is like the water in the ocean. When the thirst for God arises, one should go to a human Guru who is near at hand, for he can satisfy your thirst very quickly.

You may call on either the Guru or the Chosen Ideal; it is the same. The Guru and the Chosen Ideal are the same. Have faith in your Guru. Be loyal to him, even like a cow that never leaves its master, whether it is fed or not. Say, `I am your servant and you are my Master.

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

The first personal pronoun is at the root of all our miseries. Hence our primary duty should be to get rid of it somehow or other. This can be done by the service of the great, by good works without caring for results, by concentration or discrimination. The first is the easiest and the best. If you can place yourself at the feet of a true Teacher, your egotism will gradually wear away by that very attitude of yours of a servant.

A man of realization alone is the true teacher, the Guru. So you must hear, study, understand, and then try to realise with the aid of a real Guru.

If we are caught in a labyrinth and someone comes and says, I can show you the way out', what do we do? Follow him. And the gratitude we feel is what we call worship and devotion. This person is the Guru and we should follow him implicitly if we want to escape from the labyrinth. Sometimes, however, we think: `Why should I follow him? Let me find my own way.' So we go off by ourselves. But he is always so patient and loving that he waits until we grow weary trying to find the way alone and come back to him.

The work of the Guru is done in a very few minutes. By a few simple words the Guru gives a new turn to the life -just as when a man is riding a bicycle, some one sees that the road he is taking will lead to danger, so he turns him round and starts him in another direction. The man keeps on pedalling as before and the bicycle keeps on moving, but now the man is moving away from danger instead of toward it. Similarly the Guru sees that the direction you have taken is dangerous, so he turns you round. All your activities may go on as before, you may keep on pedalling just the same, but now you are riding in a safe direction. The Guru's work is to give the turn in the right direction.

In order to know the ultimate reality one must place implicit faith in the preceptor and scripture. Haphazard attempts will not do.

19 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Saradananda)

It is not easy to give initiation. You will have to work for your disciples. An illumined Guru has to perform special japa for their inner growth and spiritual welfare. The relationship between

Guru and disciple is established by God. The real Guru has to take the burden of his disciples. He works for them through silent prayer and meditation.

Nothing can sever the spiritual relationship between the Guru and his disciple. It is something eternal. But the disciple must listen to the words of the teacher and carry out his instructions. If any impediment arises, the Guru comes forward and removes it. Success depends on the sincerity and effort on the part of the disciple.

What really comes through spiritual practice is unswerving faith - faith in the words of the Guru, in the Lord, in the scriptures.

You must have faith in the enlightened souls and carry on your religious practices accordingly. Trying to understand the pros and cons of their teachings with our impure minds - occupied as they are with thoughts of the world - leads nowhere.

You need not meditate long on your Guru, but remember to salute him and then spend most of the time in meditation on your Chosen Deity.

Your own mind, in time, will become your Guru. It will show you what to do, what not to do, and point the way to truth.

Follow the instructions of your teacher and meditate regularly. Meditate on the Guru, seated on a white lotus with twelve petals. This centre is situated in the brain above the eyebrows. Before performing japa and meditation, recite the hymn to the Guru mentally: `I meditate on the Guru, whose nature is that of Absolute Reality, who is beyond good and evil, pleasure and pain, life and death, and all the pairs of opposites and who is the constant witness of the changing phenomenon of the universe. I seek refuge in Him, who is the embodiment of knowledge and liberation, who is pure, stainless, and all-pervading like the ether and through His grace removes the darkness of my heart. May He awaken my consciousness and grant me freedom and bliss.

When you meditate on the Guru, you are to think that it is the Lord who has taken the effulgent form of the Guru and who, with a smiling face, is showering His blessings on you.

An illumined teacher is a great spiritual power because he has entered into the heart of Reality. His perception is not clouded by the fog of ignorance. He has free access to supersensuous knowledge, which is a sealed book to the ordinary person.

You have asked how an illumined soul knows the past and the future of his disciples. I should say that this is to be understood in a spiritual sense. A good teacher sees through the subtle body of his disciple and imparts his teaching according to the past and future impressions that are revealed to him in the depth of meditation. An enlightened soul does not use occult powers nor does he take recourse to astrology, for astrological calculations are in many cases unreliable.

Instead of confining yourself to waiting for a true Guru, try as far as possible to think of the Lord, keep company with sadhus, and read good books. if the field is ready, a good crop grows when the seed is sown. And it is a secret of nature that, when the field is ready, the seed comes of itself. When a want is felt, it is fulfilled. If there is real feeling of want, there will come the means of getting the needed object - this truth was corroborated by the sadhus and the scriptures; we have also realized its validity, more or less, in our own lives.

A true Guru has supersensuous powers. He visualizes the inner body of the disciple and instructs him in accordance with his past and future impressions. This is what seeing the past and the future means.

20 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Saradananda)

Do not think that you can have more of your Guru's grace by just staying with him. Those who call on the Lord with sincerity and simplicity will receive his grace wherever they stay.

You are to visualize the Ishta or Sri Guru face to face, i.e., if you sit eastward think that He is sitting westward.

If the meditation on the form of your Guru is more appealing at any time then better meditate on the Guru, for the Lord manifests through the Guru.

The image of the Guru in a white lotus should be meditated upon in the head above the eyebrows.

[To the question: "Maharaj, we do not see God. How can we love Him without seeing him? How can we love a being who is unseen and whose very existence is doubtful?"]

Act according to the instructions of your Guru; If you can strictly follow what the Guru has prescribed for the realization of God, everything will be smooth at last. Meditation comes afterwards.

What really counts in the spiritual domain is this faith - faith in the words of one's Guru, in the Lord, in the scriptures. My Guru has asked me to do such and such a thing, if I act up to his instructions I am sure to attain success, it can never be otherwise.' Such burning faith in the words of the Guru is what is really required.

[To the question: Maharaj, I like to meditate on the Guru. The thought about the Ishta does not come to my mind usually. So I meditate on my Guru. Will it do?"]

No. Why should you make things so easy? After meditating on the Guru, meditate on the Ishta as well. But if you feel a special yearning for the Guru, you may devote a greater length of time to him. If you cannot meditate on the Ishta, just think that He is. That also will give you peace.

[To the question: `I have heard that the two are essentially one. Why then will it not be sufficient to meditate on one?"]

No. When you attain that state, when you realize the oneness of the two, then alone you can think in that way.

21 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

GURU

(Swami Akhandananda)

You will get nowhere else the love that prevails in the spiritual relationship. The mother's love is ten times more than that of the father. The Guru's love is even more than the mother's. Does anybody care for you more than your Guru? Can anybody do so? The mother cares only for this physical body, and that in this life only.

(Swami Subodhananda)

Listen, unless you practise yourself meditation and Japa, it does not matter how great the Guru from whom you took your initiation might be, you cannot have success.

(Swami Vijnanananda)

Yes, the Guru and the chosen Deity are the same. But so long as you are in the realm of name and form, you have got to accept them as separate entities. When true vision comes, then you will see they are one and the same. But, dear brother, realization of this calls for a good deal of spiritual effort. And when you realize it, the Guru merges in the Chosen Deity.

When you start feeling the first stirrings of Godward disposition within you, you have got to observe the distinction between the Guru and the chosen Ideal, the distinctions of castes, customs, and conventions, etc. One has to pursue devout practices steadily. Otherwise, the little divine inspiration which you have, gets confused and lost. But when divine fire rages within, all these differences vanish.

The Guru is within your heart. You do not have to seek him anywhere else.

21/07/2020, 03:45 - Sudipta Sachin Advait Soham Nivedita Soham left

22 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

But no effort is wasted. Lust, greed, anger, all gradually leave a man who practices spiritual disciplines.

Renounce lust and greed, and make him your sole treasure. First renounce mentally.

Swami Shivananda

If one can renounce lust of the flesh and greed for wealth everything will be all right. What counts is not the mere renunciation of external attachments; inner attachments must also be given up.

Swami Premananda

Have faith, have self-confidence. Convince yourself, 'We are devotees of Sri Ramakrishna. We are free souls. Assuredly we shall realize God.' Have this firm conviction, and then alone you can overcome the furious enemies, lust and anger and greed.

I can assure you that you will attain liberation and peace if you but free yourself from lust and greed. There is no doubt about it.

Swami Turiyananda

Lust, anger, and avarice, these are but different forms of the same thing. They are the eternal enemies of the Jnani, and destroyers of knowledge and wisdom.

Swami Adbhutananda

Control lust and greed. Practice japam and be charitable. If you can do this, you will find the Lord showering his grace upon you.

He who has learned to discriminate can successfully overcome lust and greed. So, cultivate your discrimination and conscience.

Swami Saradananda

Know for certain that none is completely free from the fetters of lust and greed until he has seen God.

23 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Many holy men, after leaving the physical body, live in subtle, spiritual bodies, and help earnest religious aspirants in different ways.

Renunciation of lust and gold is the ornament of a holy man, and it is the only means of attaining God.

Only a jeweller can know the value of a jewel. There was once a poor man who found a diamond. He had no idea of its value, so he took it to the vegetable market to have it appraised. The vegetable man looked at it and then offered him five cents worth of vegetables for it, but the poor man thought it was worth twenty cents. Upon being refused, he took it to a rice merchant who offered him one bag of rice, but he wanted four bags. Next he went to a goldsmith, and he was offered a hundred rupees. This offer aroused the greed in the man, and he began to realize that the diamond was really valuable, so he took it to a jeweller who offered him twenty thousand rupees. Even this did not satisfy him, so he took it to the finest jeweller in the city. As soon as the jeweller saw it he realized its real worth and immediately offered him a million rupees. And that is how it goes. A holy man is judged according to the worth and capacity of the appraiser.

It is easy to see the evil in others but a holy man is he who can overlook their evil qualities and help them to become pure and holy.

There was another saying of Nag Mahashaya: ‘It is easy to attain fame, but very difficult to give it up. He who can renounce it is a real holy man.’

Swami Shivananda

Who is a really holy man? The man in whose heart sits God Himself.

Swami Premananda

If you want to be a holy man, learn to bear and forbear. The holy man is a teacher of mankind. To preach religion one must be pure in heart. Mere lecturing is not enough. If a man preaches religion who has not first purified his own heart, he merely feeds his own ego. There are many such but they can never touch the heart of man.

Swami Turiyananda

The outward garb alone does not make a man holy. He is really a holy man, who has made God his own.

Swami Trigunatitananda

To the outsiders, it seems at the beginning as though saintly people are engaged in their own welfare, hugging good wishes for themselves alone to their hearts, and engaging themselves in spiritual practices for their own good, but when they attain perfection, it becomes obvious to all that they cannot help spending the remaining portions of their lives in doing good to others alone. A good man means a man with good wishes for others.

A holy man is full of compassion. About Sri Ramakrishna I heard that as he was one day walking over a lawn, he once turned back to find that the grass over which he had trodden were trying to raise their heads again with difficulty. This made him weep, and he said, ‘Alas, these too are sentient, these too are suffering greatly!’ From that day on, he could not walk on lawns.

24 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Yes, a man can realize God if he lives the life of a householder but he has a greater struggle.

Swami Shivananda

You are in the world and have many things to attend to. I realize that you do not find enough time for spiritual practice. Resign yourself and cry to Him. Pray to Him sincerely. Crying will wash away the impurities of the mind, and He will reveal Himself to you with the brilliance of a million suns. Then you will realize that He, the Lord, is within you. Do cry to Him and exercise discrimination between the Real and the unreal. God only is real; the world with its birth and death, pleasure and pain, is false. Such discrimination accompanied by prayer will certainly earn for you His grace. You will be disgusted with the world and your mind will turn towards God.

It is also true that if a person sincerely prays to Him He listens to that prayer and lifts the veil. He will listen to your prayer all the more because you are in the world. He is especially gracious to you Householders because He knows that you carry a heavy load on your shoulders. You are being scorched by the sorrows and bereavements of this world. That is why, if you pray a little, He will be pleased and come to your rescue, quickly removing the load from your shoulders. But that prayer should be sincere and earnest.

The Master used to say that the Lord responds quickly to the prayers of householders. If they call upon Him, He blesses them because He is the Indwelling Spirit. He knows very well what a heavy load has been placed on their shoulders and He is quick to feel compassion for those who are in the world. ‘Ah! A load weighing several thousand pounds, as it were, has been placed on their shoulders, and yet they want to see Me!’ That is, God is very easily pleased with householders.

[To the question: “I cannot always understand how I should live in the world. It is a terrible task ever to be pandering to everybody’s whims.”]

Have you read the Kathamrita of the Master? Read it very carefully. You will get beautiful solutions to these problems in the very words of the Master. This world is neither yours nor mine. It is God’s creation. Those whom you think to be yours really belong to God. You have to live in this world with this belief as the background. Wife, son, daughter, relatives, friends — all are but so many creatures of God. Whatever you have to do for them, do so with the idea that you are serving Narayana in those forms; then you won’t get attached too much. And along with all this you must have your power of discrimination wide awake. The discrimination between the Real and the unreal gives rise to detachment.

25 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

HOUSEHOLDER

You are leading a householder’s life; very well. But that is no reason why you should lose yourself in the world. Do your duty by all, but do so with the idea of it as service to God. The Lord is infinitely kind to you. Thousands there are who have to run madly after food and raiment; they are so much occupied with the thoughts of the bare necessities of life that they hardly get any time to think of God. But you do not have to worry about these physical needs. This is no inconsiderable mercy of God. God creates all the necessary opportunities for those who are sincere devotees.

As for your desire to know how you should live in the world, that you can learn from the teaching of Sri Ramakrishna himself. You must perform all your duties, but you must keep mind fixed on the Lord. It is just like a maidservant in a rich man’s house, who does all her work, but whose mind is in her own home in the country. Similarly, one should live in the world without any attachment. You must serve all the members of your family — wife, children, and other relatives — but you must know in your innermost being that God alone is your nearest and dearest. Apart from Him there is none whom you can really call your own. That does not mean, however, that you must neglect your family; you must serve them to the best of your capacity, considering them to be the children of God, or to be so many parts of God Himself, entrusted to your care. You must talk with them about God and try to instil in their minds a true love for God.

You may be in the world, but your mind must not be tied to it. The Master used to say: ‘It is very necessary to have discrimination — to consider that the world is evanescent and that God alone is real and eternal. What can money give you? It can give you food, clothing, and a habitation. That is all; it cannot lead you to God. So money can never be the goal of life. Considering things like this is called discrimination.’ Do not cherish in your mind too much of worldly ambition. You have already provided for the bare necessities of life. Be content with them. The mind has a natural proclivity towards the low and the vulgar — towards lust and lucre and towards name and fame. The task of the aspirant is to gather together that scattered mind and fix it on the lotus feet of the Lord. The highest ambition in life should be the realization of God. Keep that ambition ever awake in the mind, and try heart and soul to reach that goal.

26 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

[To a householder who wanted to give up the world and embrace the monastic life:]

So you came away leaving everyone behind? You had your enjoyments yourself and got away? Don’t you see it is cruel and cowardly to get away without making some sort of provision for the family? Do you think one is at liberty to give up the world all of a sudden?

[Devotee: “Well, this is but a relative concern — it is the outcome of ignorance.”]

And your fleeing away from the world is absolute — it is the result of knowledge; is that so? Does it stand in the way of religion merely to be in the world?…

But can one give up the householder’s life though it is no more appealing, when there are wife and children? What then will be their fate? It is selfishness, pure and simple. To be in the world and maintain the family, to fulfill one’s duties — this also is certainly religion. Nothing will be gained by giving up all of a sudden. One cannot climb to the roof at one bound, one has to ascend step by step. Sri Ramakrishna use to say, ‘A fruit plucked before maturity rots and gets spoilt. A sore bleeds if you take away the scab before time, while it drops of itself when the sore is healed.’

What fine illustrations these — don’t you see! Well, everything depends on the mind alone. If one happened to be married but later regretted, and informed Sri Ramakrishna of his intention to embrace the monastic life, he would say, ‘Wait; don’t give up the world. If you are sincere everything will be set right. You have only to pursue faithfully the course laid down in the scriptures.’ It won’t be good for you to leave the world. You have got children; go on doing your duty by them — do it unselfishly. To say that you are renouncing the world with the object of calling upon God, would be utterly false. Of course one should devote time to spiritual practices, and this is the time.

It is selfishness that is impure. First of all a man should perform his duties according to his caste and order of life and when the mind is thus purified, he should approach the qualified teacher for the attainment of Self-knowledge. There is no way out unless one has fulfilled one’s duties. And the moment you have truly finished the duties of one order of life, those of the next naturally come up.

But the case is different for those who have never entered the world since their boyhood.

There is no freedom, no respite until you have done your duties. That which you have given up without performing, will be waiting for you — only to appear again. Face the brute! You can’t save yourself by flight. Taking up the monastic life will be advantageous, while the householder’s life is disadvantageous — such considerations are futile. You cannot come to the next stage without performing the duties of the previous one. Aspire after higher things but never shirk the present duties. Don’t do that.

The case of those who live a celibate life from their boyhood is different. They have come with such good tendencies that even if they live in the world, they will live there as Sannyasis. You are what you are — you cannot jump to a higher stage. Avoidance is not good, nor is it possible. Do your duties in the world but think of God all the while. The case of the woman in love who thinks always of her lover in all her daily duties is an illustration in point.

27 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Trigunatitananda

According to some, the stage of family life is considered to be the highest of the four stages of life. It is a most sacred stage; it is not meant for people leading a beastly life, but for those who have purified themselves by passing through an earlier stage of continence and purity of heart. Just think of the care one must take in living properly in that stage of a householder’s life, to whom holy man or monk, nay even Narayana Himself pays visits.

Swami Adbhutananda

[To the question: “Maharaj, why are there so many ups and downs in the mind of a householder?]”

Because the mind of a householder is too involved with worldly objects. Sometimes it goes up as a result of spiritual practices, but it falls back again. The Master used to say: ‘If one ties a rope with a brick at the end of it to the tail of a mongoose, it will be able to climb a wall only as far as the loose rope permits, but no farther, because of the weight of the brick. Likewise, the mind of a householder may move toward God, but the weight of worldly objects pulls it back.’ To keep the mind always in God is a great tapasya; such a mind does not fluctuate between high and low. A thread with stray fibres cannot pass through the eye of a needle; similarly, a mind with desires cannot be absorbed in God.

When a man’s mind becomes fully concentrated on God, he enjoys the bliss of the Atman. But this is very difficult in the householder’s life. Disease, sorrow, enjoyment, desire — all these are constant companions of the householder; also physical lethargy and mental restlessness. In addition to these if the man doubts the existence of God, there is no hope of his getting liberation. Often you will find that worldly people are busy with their families, their children, and other mundane matters, but they have no inclination to think about God. Such distracted minds cannot make progress in spiritual life.

28 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

[To the question: “Maharaj, what are the duties of a householder?”]

If you want to live a happy, contented life, stop criticizing others. Do not find fault with others. It is better to pass time sleeping than gossiping and criticizing. Keep away from places where you find such talk going on. Try to see the good qualities in others. This is the way to get rid of the habit of fault-finding. Evil qualities pollute the mind of a person who searches for the lapses and shortcomings of others. Feel others’ sufferings as you feel your own. Take every opportunity to serve people, and do not injure anybody.

Be grateful to all who help you. Be charitable to all, even to a person who abuses you. And do not run into debt, for debts bring worries.

Do not forget God. Chant his name in the morning and evening, and, if you can, try to meditate at night.

[To a young man who planned to give up his job and pass the rest of his days practicing spiritual disciplines and making pilgrimages to various temples and shrines:]

So you would like to be a vagabond and avoid the duties expected of you by your parents! No! Your duty now is to serve your parents and especially your old grandmother, who has cared for you from your childhood. Who will provide for them if you give up your job?

I know what kind of devotion you have to God! How long do you meditate? I sometimes see you loafing about here and there. Those who pretend to be tyagis by not taking care of their parents will never be able to call on God with one-pointed devotion. They pass their days in restlessness.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘Parents are the living gods.’ One should serve them and take care of their needs. One should ask for their blessings. First make arrangements for their necessities; then you can retire in solitude and practice spiritual disciplines. Only then will you be able to call upon God without interruption. Give up this wrong attitude. When genuine renunciation comes to you, God himself will arrange everything. Don’t force anything or act impulsively.

There is no greater sin in this world than becoming a monk without arranging for support for aging parents.

29 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

It is true that Christ says, ‘When a man strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other’; but this is meant for those who have given up the world, not for the householder. He must punish the wrong doer in order to protect society; otherwise there will be general depredation, the good will be destroyed and the wicked will prevail. For instance, a man desires nothing but God. He may have a house and another man may ask for it. The man who cares only for God can say: ‘Yes, take it. I do not want it.’ But that would not be possible for a man who still wishes to live in the world.

Try to be dutiful to yourself, dutiful towards your wife and dutiful to your children, if you have any. Be dutiful to your relations, your friends and your neighbours. Be charitable, honest, plain and truthful. Above all have an intense devotion and love for God, the author of your being. Lead this life, until it becomes one with your nature. For, you should know it for a fact, that unless a man is physically and mentally pure, he has no right to enter the holy shrine of Yoga. For Yoga does not consist in merely holding the breath and making pranayama and various postures. It means getting rid of all Chitta-vrittis or desires. The pure alone can get rid of the evil effect of evil desires. So, try to be pure by ever striving to be dutiful to your parents, your wife and children, relatives and friends, and your neighbours. Be an ideal householder first, for then alone will you be able to be a real Yogi.

That is why we have become Sannyasins, — that we may bring help to every human being without regard to his worthiness or unworthiness. This is not the duty of a householder. He has his wife and children to look after, so he must always be prudent and help only so far as he can without injuring his family.

30 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

Is it possible to realize God living the life of a householder? Many people think that if one gets married and has a family, it is almost impossible for him to practice self-control. This is utterly wrong. What stands in the way of a householder controlling his senses? Sri Ramakrishna used to say: ‘Make your mind and speech one and you will attain everything. Do not limit it to restraining the senses. Many other excellent qualities will be reflected in your life.’

The aim of the scriptures is to teach people how to develop the spirit of renunciation in married life. Through worldly experience, with its joys and sorrows, they will come to know the value of detachment, without which no happiness is born. Gradually they will understand that the pleasures of the world are short-lived and unreal and that the only reality is God.

But there is another path that is equally true and equally helpful in leading aspirants to the highest goal. This is known as the path of affirmation. Those who follow this path do not have to renounce everything from the very start. The mind is attached to various objects of the senses. It refuses to come under control. What will mere restraint do? These spiritual aspirants may enjoy a few things of the world, but slowly learn to become detached, and gradually rise up to the height of complete renunciation. This is the religion of the householders.

Those who are attracted to objects of the senses have to learn detachment through experience and for them the scriptures have advocated the second course of living in the world but not being of the world.

31 July 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Akhandananda

Live in the world as long as it is essentially necessary, but it must be with Him. See in everything His infinite manifestation.

One duty of a householder is to entertain a guest coming to his house. The guest must be served according to his wants, and also with the idea that Narayana is being served.

Still Shankara has said: even if a householder thinks about Brahman, it will do him good; a good idea will crop up in his mind.

Even such a simple act as giving food to a Sadhu will bring good to the householder. On seeing a Sadhu, all good and great ideas flash up in his mind — the ideas of renunciation, dispassion and surrender at the feet of God.

Swami Brahmananda

Be patient, forbearing, and humble. Humility is a great aid in the building of character. Sri Ramakrishna used to say : ‘Water accumulates on low ground; when the ground is high it runs off.’

In a humble man sweetness of character and other good qualities develop naturally.

Swami Premananda

It won’t do to be merely humble and lowly. Be like Hanuman, whose life and soul were devoted to Sri Rama, who in his inner and outer life knew only Sri Rama.

Can one become a lover of the Lord, just by jumping and shouting ‘Hallelujah’ or by mouthing quotations from the scriptures? Be humble, be selfless — that’s what is more important.

1 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Abhedananda

Swamiji used to say: From sadhu-sanga come the words of God-discussion about God incarnate, and His life and lila — His teachings; from sadhu-sanga comes the feeling of compassion, that is, love and consideration for all; similarly comes the feeling of humility, that God is so great and I am so little.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

The Knowledge of the Atman or higher Self comes only through humility.

Without the help of God no one can realize His eternally perfect nature. Sri Krishna says it plainly in the Gita: ‘If you would gain wisdom or the knowledge of your infinite nature you must go to one who has realized his infinite nature and serve him; then bring forth your doubts and you will be illumined.’ That means, you must be humble. Knowledge of the Atman or the Supreme Self comes only through humility.

4 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

Bearing with all the selfishness of the world, we must become free from the least touch of it — that is our ideal. One must love the ideal with one’s whole heart.

Learn to see your own faults and weaknesses. If you know that the ideal is to make the lips correspond to the heart, what are you doing to achieve that?

Forget the goal of life and you ruin yourself. Hence always keep the ideal before your eyes and struggle to reach it.

The one ideal of human life is to attain faith and devotion, without which this world is like a desert.

Associate with all. Live in love and harmony with all. However, though you may associate with everybody, see that you never forget your own ideal. Hold on to your ideal steadfastly.

Combine in your lives the ideals of the four yogas — karma, jnana, bhakti, and raja.

That nation which can make God the ideal of life and follow that path, shall find peace. Only such a nation can survive, and only such a nation can be truly called civilized.

See that you do not waste your time in idle gossip. See especially that you do not lose sight of the ideal. Mould your lives in such a way that you may be the ideal men of renunciation.

Never forget that the ideal of life is to realize God, to gain his vision.

Whoever will assimilate the ideals of the Master in his life, be he a Sannyasi or a householder will be great.

5 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

The Master loved us so dearly that he gave us everything he had to give. But let me tell you: you may receive these things, but unless you realize them through your own effort, you cannot attain peace.

Give your body and mind to worldly enjoyments, and the world will destroy them both. Devote them to God and his service, and you will enjoy bodily health, peace of mind, and spiritual joy.

You will find peace and happiness only if you can remember the Lord.

Accept all trials and tribulations boldly. Welcome them, for through them you shall surely find peace.

Know him as your very own and you will find peace in him.

Forget the body and its comforts; shake off the delusion of birth and death. Shake off the illusory peace of Maya and find the real peace — the everlasting peace of God.

With unwavering faith in the words of the guru, the disciple must regularly practice repetition of the mantram and meditation on its meaning. Thus will he find peace of heart.

Be up and doing! Waste no more time. The senses now are strong, and must be kept under control. This is a difficult task, no doubt, but if you practice meditation continuously for seven or eight years you will find peace and bliss, and enjoy the fruits of your practices. Even after one year of steady practice you will find some result.

No one can find peace if he hurts another. Never utter one word that would hurt another. ‘Tell the truth, but never tell a harsh truth.’

As long as you think, ‘God is there,’ you will find no peace. When you know and can feel that he is here, you will find peace.

6 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

[To the question: “Maharaj, I cannot control my mind. Many distracting thoughts arise. What shall I do? Will I be able to practice any spiritual disciplines? How can I worship and meditate?”]

Pray to the Lord. Practice with regularity. Gradually, the mind will become inclined to worship and meditation.

In the beginning the mind will refuse to come under control, but force it, urge it, entreat it in order to fix it on meditation.

Man’s mind is forever restless. It remains distracted for many reasons. Association with the holy will bring it under control.

Wake up early in the morning. Wash yourself and choose a firm seat. Command your mind in this way: ‘Mind, keep still! Let no distractions enter!’ With the strength of the intelligent will, keep the mind under control. Soon it will become concentrated. Then no distractions will arise. A man can train horses and elephants and bring them under control; can’t he learn to train his own mind?

Mould your minds now; when once the mind is moulded there is nothing to fear. When you can bring the mind under control you will have achieved much. Whip it whenever it tries to run away.

Struggle! Struggle hard to control the outgoing mind and fix it on God. When you can do this, you will realize what joy is in spiritual life, what fun.

First of all, the mind, which is the ruler of the senses, must be controlled. After that the mind and the intellect must be merged in the Atman.

Who are your enemies? Your own senses. But if you can control them they will become your friends.

The tendency of the lower mind is downward, toward worldliness. This tendency must somehow be controlled. Hold the reins tightly. As the expert trainer controls and trains the elephant, so must you learn to train and control your mind. Be its master. Let it not control you. Teach it to give up all craving for fleshly enjoyments. When the mind is once freed from craving it becomes your slave.

Keep a sharp eye on the mind and see that no undesirable thoughts or distractions enter in. Whenever they try to crowd in, turn the mind toward God and pray earnestly. Through such practice the mind is brought under control and becomes purified.

It is as impossible to conquer lust or control the mind by the mere study of books as it is to walk on air.

Meditation, in the primary stage, is like waging a war with the mind. With effort the restless mind has to be brought under control and placed at the feet of the Lord. But in the beginning, take care that you do not overtax your brain. Go slowly, then gradually intensify your effort.

Unless you meditate, you cannot control the mind, and unless the mind is controlled, you cannot meditate. But if you think, ‘First let me control the mind and then I shall meditate,’ you will never succeed. You must steady your mind and meditate at the same time.

It is good to devote a little time each day to God. The only way to control the mind and find peace is to chant the name of God and meditate on him.

In the beginning the mind will refuse to come under control, but force it, urge it, entreat it in order to fix it on meditation. Faith and regularity are very important; nobody can succeed in anything without them.

The mind deludes us in many ways. We must control it and direct it along the right path.

Meditation is possible, if you can keep lust, anger, and all other passions under control.

7 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

Mere suppression of passions helps little. There must be a high ideal along with self-restraint. Without a high ideal, the passions will find another outlet.

They think that inaction in itself is the ideal. If it be so, why then, the wall also should be considered to have attained Samadhi.

If the body is to go, let it go working. Rousing the Divinity in yourself and in others — that is the ideal.

Work for work’s sake. Your whole mind should be fixed upon the work. Let that be your ideal, the be-all and end-all of life. Never mind success or failure.

The ideal must be very high, but it is wrong to form an inordinate estimate of one’s own powers. Our powers increase as we prove our fitness.

Swami Adbhutananda

There is a higher ideal than what you have just said, and that is the realization of God. He who strives for that is a hero. To do good to others is, after all, only a social activity; it has nothing to do with God-realization.

Don’t argue unnecessarily just to prove your point. Let people do whatever they like; you should live according to your own ideal.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

The real ideal of every human being is Sachchidananda

— eternal Life, infinite Knowledge, and everlasting Bliss, for all men wish to live for ever, to be all-knowing, and to have eternal bliss. But God alone is all-life, all-knowledge, and all-happiness; therefore God is really the ideal of every living being.

In the dualistic method, enjoyment is the ideal; in the monistic method freedom is the ideal. By the first the lover gets the beloved at last and by the second the slave becomes the master. Both are sublime. One has no need to go from one ideal to the other.

8 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

We must not cease to strive for the highest even though it seems unattainable. We must keep God as our ideal and aim, that will pull us on. If a man aims at the sky, at least he may strike the top of a tree. If he aims at the top of the tree, he may not get above the ground.

Swami Saradananda

The marriage of Sri Ramakrishna has a deep meaning. He entered into it with the idea that people might learn from his example that marriage is a sacrament and has an ideal much higher than the gratification of the senses. This ideal was not exemplified in the lives of Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Shankara, and the other avatars.

It was demonstrated in the life of Ramakrishna to fulfill a great need. For the first time in the history of the world an absolutely pure married life was expressed through lifelong spiritual practices and austere disciplines.

Sri Ramakrishna would say, ‘Let men cast their lives in this mould and fashion an image of purity and perfect beauty.’

Being established in the plane of consciousness that is beyond the realm of duality and non-duality and at the same time living a life of self-dedication and service is considered the highest ideal of our age.

Be convinced that the sole objective of life is to have the direct vision of God. Let not your mind be moved from the ideal by name or fame or any of the other glittering toys of life.

9 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Man suffers because of his ignorance. This ignorance is his sense of ego. When a man is free from this egoism, surrendering his life, his mind, and his intellect at the blessed feet of the Lord of all, renouncing all that he calls his own — then is he blessed indeed. That man alone is happy.

Of himself, man can accomplish nothing. There is only one thing to be done: Pray to God and pray unceasingly. Thus we may forget the ego altogether and continually remember that God alone is real, that God alone is the Truth. Then only can we be freed from ignorance.

Ignorance must be overcome in this very life. This will not be easy unless you can devote yourself wholeheartedly to the work of the spirit.

Intelligence is but another name for ignorance, because its area is limited. Therefore, if a man wants to attain true knowledge and understand all mysteries, let him devote himself to the knowledge of God.

Swami Shivananda

The Lord has two powers — Vidya Shakti and Avidya Shakti . If He removes from us the influence of the latter and helps with the former, then everything goes on well.

This counting of age by years — ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred, and so on - is a figment of ignorance. The immutable being whose nature is truth, exists eternally without undergoing any change at any time.

You will realize Him the moment He lifts the veil of ignorance. It is grace and grace alone that we need.

We shall have to realize our essential nature. All this confusion is due to our ignorance of Him.

This ignorance must be eradicated. Man suffers so much by ignorantly identifying himself with the body. Do you know the way out? The way out is to know Him.

10 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

The root of ignorance and delusion is the sense of little ‘me’ and ‘mine.’ Give up this attachment to the ‘little self’. ‘This world belongs to you, Lord. You are the Master. I am only one of your servants.’

Because the disease of ignorance is so severe, it requires the greatest of all physicians. By merely taking His name, the disease is cured. Sing His glory with your entire heart and soul.

Man’s life becomes fruitful only if he struggles to break out of this net of ignorance.

Desire, again, is of two kinds — good and evil. That desire which tightens the bonds of ignorance is evil; that which loosens the bonds is good.

Away, you soldiers of the King of Death.

I am the son of the Divine Mother.

I can become king of your king

If I meditate on the radiant form of Mother.

Awaken such thoughts-- then ignorance will vanish.

Swami Turiyananda

Vidya Maya and Avidya Maya are both hypnotism. We have to destroy the one with the help of the other, for knowledge is the opposite of ignorance.

Perception of unity is knowledge, perception of variety is ignorance.

11 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Today is the Blessed Janmastami of Bhagawan Sri Krishna.

May He bless us all with Bhakti and Jnana.

Swami Vimalananda

In the Gita there are some passages which are directly addressed to the Jiva in the second person singular number of the imperative mood, as Vidhi. Ten of these collected passages may be considered as the ten commandments of Sri Krishna. All commandments become effective only when the student surrenders to the Lord.

‘O Krishna I am at Thy command. I have surrendered myself at Thy feet. Teach me and mould me.’

1. Learn fully from Me.

‘In this life you should work after acquiring a proper knowledge of the commands and rules of the Scriptures, through which I speak.’

2. ‘On no account you should grieve over anything whatsoever

3. ‘Strive always to remove sin and evil.’

4. ‘Shake off this mean spirit and arise.’

5. ‘Resolve yourself to practise yoga. Yearn to get Me.’

6. ‘This life and world of yours is not eternal and is joyless. So the way open to you here is to resort to Me.’

7. ‘You must understand that all beings have their cause and seed in Me. You must endeavour to see all this as My form. You must fix once for all in mind that all creatures have their residence in Me.’

8. ‘You must do the allotted work always. You must correctly, thoroughly and joyfully do the appointed duty. Do it without narrow selfish attachments. Do it as My work dedicating it to Me. Consider yourself a mere occasion of your work.’

9. ‘Take for your support buddhi yoga and always give your mind to Me. Bring back and place all your running thoughts in Me and push your thinking faculty into My focus.’

10. ‘I promise, you are dear to Me. I shall free you from all sins.’

(Reprinted from Vedanta Kesari, August 1953-54)

12 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

But Maya is unreal only in relation to God. From man’s standpoint, Maya is avidya, ignorance, which is neither real nor unreal.

Listen, can anyone deviate from his real nature? If he does, it cannot be called his real nature; for it is changeable. Man’s real nature is covered by a dense cloud of ignorance, and consequently he appears to be something different, but that does not mean he has deviated from his real nature.

The knowledge of the Self removes ignorance, and this Self is the Atman, the real nature of man.

Swami Abhedananda

Selfishness means the desire to seek for food and raiment and happiness for oneself and one’s family, without any consideration as to whether one’s countrymen fare ill or well. The idea of looking on others as oneself never springs in them. This selfishness itself is ignorance.

Ignorance is the root of all evil. Ignorance means absence of the knowledge of the Self. Ignorance or Maya also means false knowledge. That is why Maya and ignorance mean the same thing.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

What is the use of imagining yourself a sinner? You are immortal, infinite; it is sheer ignorance that makes you imagine that you are finite.

[To the question: “Could not God free us from ignorance at once if He wished?”]

Surely; but He is so infinitely loving that He does not wish to molest us. So long as He sees that we really cling to our ignorance and our desires He does not come to free us. Only when we turn all our desires to Him, then He comes and selfishness and ignorance go away. But we must not bribe the mind, we must not pretend to be free from desire. The feeling must be absolutely sincere; no fraud or bribery.

13 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

Knowledge is the very nature of the Self; but being covered with ignorance it is not manifest.

Perception of multiplicity is ignorance.

Swami Vijnanananda

Owing to ignorance, man tries to justify his views with numerous intellectual arguments and the result is philosophising. But he gets over all these, once he is blessed with true insight.

Indeed, it is this ego, born of ignorance that blinds our vision. God’s glory is manifest all around us, but still we do not see Him, the reason being that we are reluctant to cast off the veil of ignorance that covers our vision.

Swami Brahmananda

Initiation into a Mantra helps concentration of mind, otherwise your mind will change and fluctuate; today you will like the Kali-form, tomorrow the Hari-form, and next day perhaps the formless aspect of God. And thus your mind will not be concentrated on any one.

Yes! Initiation is very important. With the aid of a mantram it is easier to practice concentration of the mind on one Chosen Ideal of God.

Without the mantram the mind wanders from one conception of God to another; and never succeeds in concentrating upon any. And without achieving perfect concentration nothing can be accomplished in the spiritual life. Therefore the aid of a guru is very necessary. He helps the disciple to choose his own particular Ideal, according to his temperament, and then gives the mantram best suited to the attainment of concentration on that Ideal.

Do you boys want initiation? In that case you better ‘clear the jungle’. Learn to practise ‘sama, dama, uparati, titiksha’, etc. Then approach me for ‘Deeksha’ . What will be the use of sowing seeds in a jungle?

14 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

[After initiation, to the question: “Maharaj, I cannot see the Lord; I only know that you have blessed me.”]

You may feel that way about it. But I know that it is the Master who has shown his grace to you today.

One can well know the potentiality of a disciple at the time of initiation. Those who are of a high spiritual calibre become spiritually overpowered as soon as they receive the mantra, and there appear such signs as shedding of tears, shaking of the body, standing of the hair on end, and so on. One’s power of kundalini is roused, and one easily gets merged in deep meditation. It makes one very happy to initiate a real devotee, and the imparting of the mantra becomes fruitful.

There is nothing esoteric about my process of initiation. All that I know is that a man will become free if he but takes the name of Sri Ramakrishna, the Incarnation for this age. Anyone who takes shelter with him will surely be saved by him.

Initiation is of many kinds. There is no such hard and fast rule that all should have some mantra for mental repetition. For all do not have the same kind of spiritual attitude, nor are all equally qualified. It is true, of course, that the ordinary gurus cannot make these distinctions. Someone may like God with form, while someone else may stick to God without form. Then, there are degrees of belief both with regard to the Personal God and the Impersonal. Someone likes meditation; he should meditate. Someone else likes japa; he should undertake japa. Someone, again, may have to undertake both japa and meditation. One has to instruct an aspirant after ascertaining the category to which he belongs and the spiritual attitude he prefers. If, on the contrary, one huddles them all together and shapes them according to one single mould, the aspirants will only be delayed on their way to the fullest realization. That’s what is bound to happen.

15 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

Initiation is a necessity. One has to move along some definite path, initiation is that path and the Guru is the guide along that path. One must accept a Guru, that is what the scriptures say. One has to abide by the scriptures, not all can become self-made men by independent thinking. Earnestness itself is a Mantra, but not all can have it.

Initiation from a guru is very necessary. You can receive the holy Name only from someone in whom you have faith and for whom you feel reverence.

Initiation is necessary. You have to pursue a path. The guru shows you the path by initiation.

Ritualistic worship may be performed by anyone who has received initiation. He who has received initiation has his body purified.

Swami Trigunatitananda

People of all castes can be initiated by a Sad Guru who has attained perfection.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

But here in India one man whispers one or two holy words in the ear of another in a solitary place and this is religion according to the Hindus. Man’s religious consciousness is awakened by the Upadesham and this must be made known to none. Wife must not tell it to the husband or the husband to the wife. It is the person’s individual treasure.

Swami Saradananda

It is not easy to give initiation. You will have to work for your disciples. An illumined guru has to perform special japa for their inner growth and spiritual welfare.

[A disciple could not decide what mode he liked best: form or without form; he informed the Swami that he had not had his initiation yet.]

Well, that does not matter much. But then, so long as the deity has not been chosen, there is much frittering away of energy. After the taking of initiation, this does not occur.

Swami Akhandananda

What is initiation? It is introducing the devotee to the Deity he loves and desires. I show the Mother to one who wants a Mother, and Father to one who wants a Father. Our Master is both Father and Mother as well. This is initiation.

Swami Subodhananda

Listen, unless you practise yourself meditation and Japa, it does not matter how great the Guru from whom you took your initiation might be, you cannot have success.

Swami Vijnanananda

[To the question: “Is it absolutely essential for a spiritual aspirant to get initiated?”]

Yes, that is so.

[Question: “If after initiation a person does not act according to the guru’s instructions?”]

Suppose a person gets a thing. He may not use it; however, he can do so whenever he wishes. But another person cannot at all use it, even if he wants to, for the simple reason that he does not have the thing. It is like that.

16 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

It is the intensity of spiritual feelings that counts. Whether you believe in His form or formlessness it does not matter.

‘O lotus, what kind of love is thine? Thou givest only the smile of thy face to the sun, thy husband. But thy honey thou yieldest to the bee!’

If one considers God to be all in all, how can one find joy in worldly things?

Swami Brahmananda

Make japa. Repeat the name of the Lord. Whatever you do, let the name of God flow like a current within you.

If anybody has tasted the nectar of God’s name, is it possible for him to give up chanting it? The power of his name is such that the effect is realized whether one repeats it with feeling or mechanically.

The Master used to say: ‘Suppose a man is walking on the bank of the Ganges. He can bathe in the river willingly, or he may accidentally fall into it, or somebody may push him in. He will have a bath in the Ganges anyway.’

The power of the Lord’s name is great indeed. Ajamila, who was dying, was thirsty, and called his son Narayan to bring him water. Thus he attained liberation at the moment of death.

Blessed is he in whose heart a current of joy flows continually while he chants the name and sings the praises of the Lord.

To meet the needs of all, the scriptures prescribe four distinct methods of worship.

One method is the ritualistic worship of God embodied in an image or symbol. Higher than this is the worship of God with prayer and japam. By this means the aspirant prays and chants and meditates upon the shining form of his Chosen Ideal within his own heart.

However, if that same man is asked to worship God with flowers, incense, and other accessories of the ritualistic worship, his mind will gradually become concentrated on God and he will find joy in his worship. Through such worship, devotion to the performance of japam grows. The finer the mind becomes, the greater is its capacity for the higher forms of worship. Through japam the mind inclines toward meditation; thus the aspirant gradually and naturally moves toward his Ideal.

17 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

In purely mental japam the mantram is repeated without moving the lips, but in ordinary japam the mantram is repeated silently with the movement of the lips.

While practicing japam one should meditate on the form of the Chosen Ideal, otherwise it is not effective.

According to some there are special exercises by which the kundalini can be awakened, but I believe it can best be awakened by the practice of japam and meditation.

The practice of japam is especially suited to this present age; and there is no spiritual practice easier than this, but meditation must accompany the repetition of the mantram.

Practice japam, whether you like it or not. As you persist, the mind is certain to become absorbed in contemplation. To attain spiritual tranquillity you must keep up a regular practice, even against your inclinations.

Japam — japam — japam! Even while you work, practice japam. Keep the name of the Lord spinning in the midst of all your activities. If you can do this, all the burning of the heart will be soothed. Many sinners have become pure and free and divine by taking refuge in the name of God. Have intense faith in God and in his name; know that they are not different.

Repeat his name and call upon him. He is very near, and he is dear to all. Why should he not reveal himself? Open your heart to him. He will guide you along the right path. There is nothing more purifying than his name and meditation upon him. He is our very own. He easily becomes revealed to us.

18 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Practice japam, and your breathing will become finer and finer, and you will gain control of the vital energy in a natural way.

The way of japam is the easiest path to follow. By constantly performing japam the mind can easily be made calm and steady, and finally it will lose itself in God.

Therefore I ask you to perform japam regularly and often and at the same time meditate on the Chosen Ideal. This combined practice brings quick success.

Practice japam unceasingly. Practice it with every breath. Practice it until it becomes your second nature; then you will find yourself chanting the name of God as you fall asleep and again as you awaken.

The chanting of the name of the Lord purifies both the body and the mind. Have intense faith in the power of God’s name and meditate on him. If you chant his name, all your bonds will be broken, and you will become fearless. You will find immortality.

You are bound to get results if you practice japam with devotion, or even without it, for devotion will follow.

Practice, practice! Even though you may not like it, keep up the regularity of your practice. Even mechanical practice is a great help. Devote at least two hours every day to the performance of japam.

If you find it difficult to sit for long hours, lie down on your bed and practice japam. If you feel sleepy, walk and make japam. Only thus can you steady your mind and make meditation your second nature.

Do you think that there is any fixed catalogued price of so much austerity, so much japam, so much charity, etc., for God-realization? None can force realization of Him! But, if you don’t keep up a regular spiritual struggle, you will not be able to hold It, when It comes.

(Today is you Holy Janma Tithi of Revered Swami Advaitanandaji Maharaj. May he bless us all with Bhakti.)

19 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

If the mind be not purified, you may practice Japa to any extent, nothing will result by way of spiritual progress. What can Japa do if the mind is full of selfishness, jealousy, hatred, etc.?

One has to meditate on the Chosen Deity as sitting on a red lotus with twelve petals, and in the head on the Guru as seated on a white lotus with a thousand petals. These meditations help Japa and therefore should be practised.

Mere mechanical Japa does not help much. You must have love for the Lord. But then, even mechanical Japa has some results, for after all, it is the Lord’s name that is being repeated.

His name, my child, is the very essence. Repeating it brings strength to one’s heart. Never forget to repeat His name and pray to Him constantly.

Japa is not bound by temporal considerations. You can repeat His name whenever you find time. While walking repeat it mentally, you cannot then count the repetition on your fingers or rosary without being conspicuous. The repetition of the Lord’s name must be practised very secretly so that no one knows anything about it.

Repeat his name often. The repetition of his name will purify your body and mind, washing away all impurities.

[To the question: “Maharaj, how shall I practice japa?”]

The best form of japa is to repeat the Lord’s name mentally. To repeat the name of the Lord over the rosary is good; repetition of the name on the fingers is better, but mental repetition of the name is the very best. The mental repetition of the name is indeed the very best. When one repeats the name over the rosary or on the fingers one keeps track of the number of times to a certain extent and cannot give undivided attention to the japa. It stands in the way of concentration. Repeat the Lord’s name with great devotion. What does it matter if you cannot keep track of the number of times? Is spiritual practice a kind of commodity to be bought at the market — you pay so many rupees and get what you want? The Lord looks at your mental attitude — your heart’s longing.

If one has devotion for Him, nothing else is necessary. If one could repeat His name with sincere devotion even once, that would fill one’s heart with joy. That would be of more value than repeating His name a hundred thousand times mechanically.

[To the question: “Maharaj, is there any definite rule as to how many times we should do japa every day?”]

No, there is no rule regarding that. The more you repeat the name of the Lord, the better. Of course, if someone wishes to repeat the name five or ten thousand times, he can do so with great devotion, keeping track of the number, and that would be very beneficial.

20 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

[To the question: “If I feel like doing japa while walking can I do so?”]

Surely you can. Japa — taking the name of the Lord — is something you can do whenever you wish. Under all conditions and circumstances one can repeat the name of the Lord. Japa is not restricted as to time and place. Of course, one should repeat the name with devotion. Then alone will one have joy and peace in one’s heart. But do not force yourself. Forced practice will not do much good. It is all a relationship of love. It has nothing to do with force.

Without His grace, my child, nothing is possible. You may practise japa, meditation, pranayama, rituals, ceremonies or similar things — nothing will help you unless you have His grace.

Japa is but mentally uttering God’s name again and again with love. Go on doing so, and that practice will bring you joy. There is no set rule for japa; you can do it at all times and under all conditions — while walking, eating, lying down, sleeping, or dreaming.

The one thing that matters is Bhakti. Go on calling on Him all the time. In addition to this constant remembrance, it is very necessary to sit for japa regularly in the morning and in the evening every day at a fixed place and at a fixed time.

Go on making regular japa of the mantra you have received today; and along with japa, pray with all humility: ‘Lord, bless me so that I may meditate on You and so that my mind may lose itself at Your lotus feet.’’ And He is sure to do so, rest assured.

Go on repeating His name with full sincerity, and you will find that meditation will follow as a natural development. When one goes on repeating the name of the Chosen Deity with intense love, one becomes gradually filled with an ineffable bliss.

Japa can be performed in three ways — with the help of a rosary, counting on the fingers, or mentally. Mental japa is the best.

Tulasidas said: ‘One who tells his Japa beads is commendable; but the highest praise goes to one who does it all mentally.’ If one cultivates the habit of making japa mentally, one can go on doing it at all times and under all circumstances — even while moving about, eating, or lying down in bed. When this becomes a firm habit, it will continue even during sleep and generate a current of joy in the mind.

But in the beginning it is good to fix a definite number for the daily japa.

You should sit for japa with steadfastness at least twice a day — morning and evening — and repeat the mantra for a definite number of times. It should not be less than a thousand each time in your case; if you can increase that number, it will be still better. You can keep count with the help of a rosary or on your fingers.

The Master used to say that the name and the Being named are one and the same. As you repeat the mantra of a Chosen Deity, think of His form as well; thus you can have both japa and meditation simultaneously.

God dwells in one’s heart, and He sees how earnest one is in calling on Him. He does not care for either the number or the time. To call on Him even once only with a sincere mind is more effective than making the japa or the mantra for a hundred thousand times with an unsteady mind.

It is people with gross ideas alone who think that the more one tells beads, the more propitious does God become. Does He really look at the number? He only watches how much the heart is dedicated to Him. If the proper divine mood prevails, what does it matter whether you keep count or not?

21 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

[To the question: “Yes, Maharaj, sometimes it seems that the telling of beads is itself a sort of distraction.”]

Yes, it is really so.

Look here, my son, you should make intensive japa at dead of night. That is the best time for japa and meditation. When you start making japa, you may feel sleepy, but you must not give in. After some time, you will find that, although you may feel drowsy at the time of japa, the process of repetition of the mantra will proceed automatically in the subconscious. You should fix your posture in such a way that you can sit upright. If you feel very sleepy at any time, you may leave the seat and continue your japa while standing or sauntering about.

‘Work with the hand, and have Hari’s name on the lips’ — that is to say, you should repeat God’s name under all circumstances, no matter whether you are walking or working. If you continue making japa in this way for some time, you will find that a part of your mind will always be engaged in japa — an undercurrent of japa will continue in your mind under all circumstances. If you can practise japa with determination for two or three years, both day and night, you will find that you will become your own master.

Is it so easy, my son, to derive such joy from japa and meditation? It comes from long practice. You have to practise hard. The mind must be pure. The more intimate the relation you can have with God, and the more you can love Him, the more joy you will get from His name. God’s name and God Himself are non-different.

If you make your japa at dead of night, you will get the result very soon, and your whole being will be filled with joy. The bliss will be so deep, indeed, that you will feel no impulse to leave your japa. Your whole heart and soul will be flooded with joy. You will have so much joy that you will not feel like ceasing your japa.

For example, to care of me you have to keep awake every night. Why not sit down and tell your beads when it is convenient? You don’t have chores to attend to all the time. Perhaps, once in a great while, your actual help is needed. Here is your opportunity. Do japa wholeheartedly. Do you understand? Don’t while away your time, my child. Dive deep into Him while repeating His name; it will not do for you just to skim the surface. The little spiritual practice that you do, do it with great sincerity. Then you will have peace.

Steady repetition of the name of the Lord along with meditation will purify the mind, and in a mind that is pure will arise spiritual emotions and feelings.

[To the question: “Maharaj, when doing japa, should we concentrate on each syllable of the mantra or rather immerse ourselves in one single bhava?”]

Certainly you must become established in a particular bhava. But if you don’t focus on the mantra, that bhava will not arise and the mind will become distracted.

Mere mechanical Japa does not help much. You must have love for the Lord. But then even mechanical Japa has some results, for, after all, it is the Lord’s name that is being repeated. But the main thing is love for the Lord with the idea that He is our own father, mother, friend, master, everything. You must have some such relationship. While practising Japa you must sit at ease and be calm.

22 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

Chant the name of God as much as you can, and you will have no fear.

If you feel that life in the world is a great bondage, and that the world is an abode of misery, there will come distaste for worldly enjoyments and your love for God will increase. You will then be interested in taking the remedy, which is to think of your Chosen Ideal and to repeat his name. In the beginning you need to force yourself into the habit of repeating his holy Name. Gradually you will find joy in it, and then you will not be able to live without chanting his name.

Chant the name of the Lord and fear will leave you.

In order to become stabilized in renunciation and dispassion one must try to become absorbed while repeating with single-minded devotion the name of God.

If you cannot practice japam long, study the scriptures, chant, pray, and engage yourself in unselfish works.

Simply meditating or repeating God’s names, without any effort at rooting out the desires, will not do.

Swami Turiyananda

When Japa has become automatic, when a portion of the mind ever repeats the Name of itself, one may be said to have advanced a little in Japa. In all cases the ‘I’ must be forgotten.

Japa means that one should utter His name and at the same time meditate on His form, think of Him, and love Him. If the mind is attached to worldly things, what will the mere repetition of God’s name do? What is essentially wanted is that we must anyhow make Him our own.

Simply repeating the holy name will not do. If there be a hole of attachment in the mind, the result of Japa will run out through it.

23 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Chant the Name of the Lord

Chant the name of the Lord and His Glory unceasingly,

That the mirror of the heart may be wiped clean,

And quench that mighty forest fire, Worldly lust, raging furiously within.

Oh Name, stream down in moonlight on the lotus-heart, Opening its cup to knowledge of Thyself.

Oh self, drown deep in the waves of His bliss, Chanting His Name continually,

Tasting His nectar at every step,

Bathing in His Name, that bath for weary souls.

Various are Thy Names, Oh Lord,

In each and every Name Thy power resides.

No times are set, no rites are needful, for chanting of Thy Name, So vast is Thy mercy.

How huge, then is my wretchedness,

Who find, in this empty life and heart, No devotion to Thy Name!

Oh my mind, Be humbler than a blade of grass,

Be patient and forbearing like the tree,

Take no honour to thyself, Give honour to all,

Chant unceasingly the Name of the Lord.

Oh Lord and Soul of the Universe,

Mine is no prayer for wealth or retinue,

The playthings of lust or the toys of fame;

As many times as I may be reborn,

Grant me, Oh Lord, a steadfast love for Thee.

Ah, how I long for the day,

When an instant's separation from Thee,

Oh Govinda, Will be as a thousand years,

When my heart burns away with its desire,

And the world, without Thee, is a heartless void.

(Sikshastaka)

-Sri Chaitanya (1485-1533)

24 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

When one suffers from biliousness, even sugar-candy tastes bitter. But that is the medicine for it. If one regularly uses it, the disease will disappear and the sugar-candy also will taste sweet. Similarly with the name of God. If a man under nescience repeats it every day, even as a medicine, in time it becomes sweet. The trouble will go and he will also be able to taste the sweetness of the Lord’s name. It will destroy the very roots of the disease of nescience. Therefore one should practise repeating it even against one’s wishes.

Always repeat the name of God — while taking meals, while at bed, or when you are at your seat. Just close your lips and be busy only with the repetition of the name of God.

The Master would cite the example of the compass. The needle of a compass always points to the north. You may turn the needle away, but as soon as you let go the hold, it again points to the north.

Your mind also should be so moulded. If somebody comes and diverts your mind to any other topic, as soon as he leaves you, the mind should be again repeating His name. Just see — so long I was talking with you; as soon as I have stopped speaking, the song is going on within, ‘Why dost thou, my mind, become forgetful? Just repeat the name of Sri Durga’ — exactly what the mind was doing before the conversation began.

[To the question: “What method should I follow as regards repeating his name?”]

There is nothing to be bothered about methods. Just think, ‘I am Thy child, Thou art my Mother.’ Talk with Her in the same way as you are talking with me. She knows your heart. She is indeed within all.

But then in the beginning special stress should be given on Japa . You should practise one thing at a time.

You may be working with hands but the mind should always be repeating His name. Mere mechanical repetition of His name, while the mind is wandering — this kind of thing will not do. Both mind and lips should repeat His name. Mental Japa is the best.

24/08/2020, 21:41 - +44 7793 535525 changed to +1 (812) 391-9839

25 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Bhagawan Buddha

(The following Kasibharadvaja Sutta was delivered here)

On one occasion the Buddha was residing at Ekanalain Dakkhinagiri, the brahmin village in Magadha. At that time about five-hundred ploughs belonging to Kasibharadvaja brahmin were harnessed for the sowing.

Thereupon the Exalted One, in the forenoon, dressed Himself and taking bowl and robe went to the working place of the brahmin. At that time the distribution of food by the brahmin was taking place. The Buddha went to the place where food was being distributed and stood aside.

The brahmin Kasibharadvaja saw the Buddha waiting for alms.

Seeing Him, he spoke thus - “I, O ascetic, plough and sow; and having ploughed and sown, I eat. You also, O ascetic, should plough and sow; and having ploughed and sown, you should eat.”

“I, too, O brahmin, plough and sow; having ploughed and sown, I eat.” said the Buddha.

“But we see not the Venerable Gotama's yoke, or plough, or ploughshare, or goad, or oxen. Yet the Venerable Gotama says - “I too plough and sow; and having ploughed and sown, I eat,” remarked the brahmin.

Then the brahmin Bharadvaja addressed the Exalted One thus:

“A farmer you claim to be, but we see none of your tillage. Being questioned about ploughing, please answer us so that we may know your ploughing.”

The Buddha answered: “Confidence (saddha) is the seed, discipline (tapo) is the rain, wisdom (panna) my yoke and plough, modesty (hiri) the pole of my plough, mind (mano) the rein, and mindfulness (sati) my ploughshare and goad.

“I am controlled in body, controlled in speech, temperate in food. With truthfulness I cut away weeds. Absorption in the Highest (Arahantship) is the release of the oxen.

“Perseverance (viriya) is my beast of burden that carries me towards the bond-free state (Nibbana). Without turning it goes, and having gone it does not grieve.

“Thus is the tilling done: it bears the fruit of Deathlessness. Having done this tilling, one is freed from all sorrow.”

Thereupon the brahmin Kasibharadvaja, filling a large bronze bowl with milk-rice, offered it to the Exalted One, saying “May the Venerable Gotama eat the milk-rice! The Venerable Gotama is a farmer, since the Venerable Gotama tills a crop that bears the fruit of Deathlessness.”

26 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

The nature of the mind can be changed by chanting the name of the Lord. Gradually desires and doubts cease and the mind dissolves into its causality. Then there is none to think or imagine.

Control lust and greed. Practice japam and be charitable. If you can do this, you will find the Lord showering his grace upon you.

You people don’t practice japam sincerely, so you always complain and make excuses. Look, if one makes a habit of repeating the holy name, the name itself will take hold of the mind.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say that before starting to chant the name of the Lord, one should salute the name. One should take refuge in the name of the Lord. The name and the named, that is, the Lord, are one.

Chant the name of the Lord every morning. First bathe and put on a clean cloth and then sit in the corner of a room or in a solitary place and think of God. Then you will find happiness in this life.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

To see God everywhere is the highest worship; meditation is the next best; prayer and repetition of the Divine Names are lower than that; and external worship is the lowest.

Swami Saradananda

To repeat the Lord’s name and to worship Him, no special time and place are necessary. In whatever condition one may be one can take His name.

You may use your beads as a help in concentration. The need for not letting the beads ‘go hungry’ is for the purpose of getting into the habit and lessening the distraction of the mind while counting them. All this is necessary to create yearning for God.

No special time and place are necessary to repeat the Lord’s name and worship him. You can repeat his name wherever you are.

The scriptures say that the name can be repeated audibly, semi-audibly, or mentally. Of the three, mental repetition is the best. It will purify your mind and help you to keep your thoughts in God. ‘The name of God is identical with the Lord,’ says Sri Ramakrishna. Every word is the symbol of an idea. Every thought has its counterpart in words. We cannot think without using words mentally. When you are alone, instead of thinking idle, useless things why not think of the Lord?

And the easiest way to remember God is to repeat his name. Sri Krishna says in the Gita: ‘Of vows, I am the vow of japa.’

But mechanical, parrot-like repetition will do you no good. You must utter His name with feeling and devotion. If instead of thinking of the Lord your mind wanders while you chant his name, how can you expect the desired result? It will be just like rowing a boat without pulling up the anchor. So you must repeat the name and meditate on its meaning so that your mind may be withdrawn from sense objects and fastened on God.

27 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

This is what Sri Ramakrishna asks us to do in his precept: ‘Make mind and mouth one. Harmonize your words and thoughts. If they are united, success is bound to come.’ Patanjali says the same thing in his aphorism, ‘One must repeat Om and reflect on its meaning’ (Tat japah Tadartha Bhavanam).

One can meditate on Om as well as on divine forms. But you are to follow the instructions of your teacher and repeat the name given by him.

Gradually you should increase japa, the repetition of the name of the Lord, and the period of your meditation. Regularity is very important in spiritual life. Therefore you must try to keep the same hours as far as possible.

You need not worry about awakening the spiritual power called the kundalini. If you chant the name of the Lord with a steadfast mind and meditate on His blissful form, you need not bother about anything else.

[To the question: “In raja yoga one learns that by practicing pranayama a kind of vibration is generated. I think such vibrations come while making japa with meditation also.”]

Some experience that.

If by doing japa the mind becomes calm and the desire for meditation comes, then meditate.

The means of subjugating the restless mind are vairagya and practice — this is written in the Gita. There are no other means.

Do japa and meditate as much as possible; do not give that up. By practice, a taste for repeating the Lord’s name will come and you will know peace and bliss.

It is best to do japa mentally, i.e. neither moving the tongue nor the lips etc. During japa imagine the form and do the japa along with that.

[To the question: “Why is the time of an eclipse considered auspicious for the practice of Japa?”]

Man becomes thoughtful when such a natural phenomenon takes place. Eclipse brings about a great change in the sphere of nature. At such a juncture when nature passes from one condition to another, the mind becomes calm and so the time is favourable for the practice of Japa and meditation.

[To the question: “Is mechanical repetition of the Mantra of any use?”]

The Tantras say that through the repetition of the Mantra, realization is attained. I should think so.

[To the question: “Well, Maharaj, is mere repetition of name enough in the beginning? We do not get concentration in the initial stages.”]

So it is. But the idea corresponding to the name slowly grows.

Do you know Purashcharana of the Mantra? A Mantra becomes ‘conscious’ when you repeat it a lakh of times at a time.

[To the question: “How many times shall I repeat the holy name?”]

As many times as you can.

[To the question: “Is Japa to be practised with meditation or after meditation?”]

It is to be practised with meditation. As you progress you will understand how with the intensity of meditation Japa stops automatically.

28 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Akhandananda

Japa is possible at all times; the Lord’s name can be mentally repeated ever and anon. You can undertake Japa any time you like. The Master used to say that the bird sings the Lord’s name as it flies.

In this age of Kali, one thing that counts is the Lord’s name. Go on repeating His name. Whatever work you may be doing, you must have this conviction within: ‘I am nobody. He is everything.’ Make no effort beyond your own capacity. Just repeat His name for a hundred and eight times; that will bear fruit in time. Try to increase that number slowly. One must have a firm grasp over the mind.

The Lord’s name will bring the highest spiritual perfection.

Perform japa as much as you can without straining. There is no hard and fast rule as to time and place in practising japa. Meditation is not so easy.

X wants to perform japa at night. Let him do it. What if he feels sleepy? Let him sleep. If he is very keen about it, he should get up and walk briskly. If he feels sleepy while sitting, let him walk and perform japa.

Always resort to prayer and repetition of the name — this is Sadhana . Mere repetition of God’s name — how far can it lead? Well has it been said: ‘He who moves the rosary only is worthless; higher is the man who counts the Name with the hand; the highest is he who repeats the Name in the mind.’

Swami Subodhananda

You complain of restlessness during Japa. That is nothing peculiar in your case, many others are in the same predicament. Still you must never cease from calling on the Lord, and know this for certain that the Lord’s name cuts through all obstacles. Howsoever it may be — be it perfectly or imperfectly — keep on repeating His name, which has a power of its own. A sweet cake, for instance, will taste sweet, no matter from which side of it you take a bite.

All that we see around will cease to exist some day or other, God’s name alone will survive. And anyone who will think of God, and repeat His name, will have everything intact — here and hereafter. His name is true for ever.

29 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Vijnanananda

The supreme duty of man is to remember Him always, whether one is engaged in consciously repeating His name or not. Every breath of ours should be associated with Him in our mind.

Always recite the name of God, throughout the day and night. While doing your allotted duties, you should all the time be thinking of Him in the same way as a woman thinks of her paramour. The paramour, of course, can be seen; but where is the trace of God? Still you can get a glimpse of Him sometimes. Take care that doubts of any sort do not assail you.

When you are free from worldly distractions at night, you should be alone and do japa and meditate on the Master and the Holy Mother. After that, keep the rosary hung up high so that no one else may handle it.

[To the question: “Is there any fixed time for telling the beads?”]

No, you can do it at any time, whenever you like, even when you are taking a stroll. But doing it at night and in undisturbed seclusion will give you a feeling of spiritual joy sooner.

Japa and meditation also must be practised only as much as they can be done comfortably without too much strain.

[To the question: “I know that one is to do japa with an inner feeling

of joy. But, Maharaj, at times sadness affects me so much. How can I then proceed with my japa?”]

Japa means repetition of His name. Whatever the state of the mind, you have to do it regularly. Try to reason that you have a separate entity from your mind. Let the mind have its own feelings of joy, sorrow, or anything — you just ignore them and go on with your own work.

You have to see that you can take the name of God even as you breathe in and breathe out. As you take a breath you should mentally say Ra and as you breathe out you should add ma to complete the name of Rama. Thus all through the day the japa of Rama’s name can go on. If you can do this, formal japa is not then called for. One should, indeed, practise japa in this way.

[To the question: “When telling the beads, should we sit in any particular position?”]

Not necessarily; you can sit on the floor with folded legs or on a chair, as you like.

[To the question: “Is it necessary to use the rosary during japa? Or can we do without it?”]

Yes, it can be done without the rosary. In fact it is better to count on your fingers. Then the japa can be done anywhere and everywhere, and you need not have to carry the rosary with you.

Never give way to evil thoughts. When they creep in, repeat the name of the Master fervently and you will be rid of them.

30 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Vijnanananda

Repeat His name, my brother, repeat it as much as you can. You will have nothing to fear.

Repeat the name of your chosen deity and you will have it all.

Japa means uttering His name. You should do japa irrespective of the state of your mind.

Consider yourself as one detached from the mind. Whether the mind registers a feeling of joy or sorrow should not be a matter of concern to you. Go on doing your own work.

You can do japa whenever you like. It can be done anywhere and everywhere. But doing it at night in undisturbed seclusion will give you a feeling of spiritual joy sooner. Why worry about time? You can repeat His name or meditate on Him even when you are on the road. What is necessary is to think of Him and keep Him in mind. It should be your endeavour to see that your mind is always with Him.

While doing your worldly duties, keep your mind centred always on God. You should try to repeat His name with every breath. If this can be done, it will no longer be necessary to use the rosary or count on your fingers. Japa should be done all the time in this fashion.

You should keep up the practice of doing japa and meditation regularly every day. That helps the mind to become steady gradually. Go on doing japa regularly, morning and evening, even though the mind tends to wander. Don’t give up japa and meditation simply because you cannot concentrate your mind properly. There is no reason to despair, either. In course of time, everything will shape well. True, the mind refuses to remain steady always, but it does become so sometimes, maybe for a minute in fifteen minutes. That will do. Whether you can meditate properly or not, never give up the practice. Japa leads one to a state of meditation and meditation results in samadhi. In deep meditation one is blessed with spiritual visions.

Staying at the Belur Math for three or four days and doing Japa there in undisturbed seclusion will help one have spiritual experience.

Repeat his name and peace will be yours.

Repeat his name, my brother, as much as you can, and you will have nothing to be afraid of.

You have nothing to worry about when you are in the presence of the Master himself. Recite His name with all your heart, throughout the day and night, whether you are in the midst of work or not. While outwardly you are engaged in work, repeat His name inwardly. Take care that doubts of any sort do not assail you. You have no cause for any anxiety.

31 August 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

Let the strong wind of dispassion rise in your minds, that the trees of desire be uprooted. Then even as birds fly from the shelter of trees before a strong wind, will the ignorance of selfishness, jealousy, hatred, and egoism take flight from your hearts. Then shall peace follow and fill your lives, even as calm follows the storm.

Let not the thoughts of lust, hatred, jealousy, or selfishness ever enter the doors of your mind. Whenever such thoughts try to creep in, pray, pray earnestly, and remember the ideals set before you by Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji, and struggle unremittingly to free your mind of all impurities.

Brush aside all hatred, jealousy, selfishness, and egotism. Let discrimination guard the doors of your mind, and let not any evil thought enter therein.

Swami Adbhutananda

Jealousy is a deadly poison. A jealous person cannot bear others’ welfare and happiness. His heart breaks to see others progressing. If one can give up jealousy, one will understand God.

Swami Vijnanananda

As you think, so you act. As thoughts of love help in expanding the self, so do thoughts of anger and jealousy lead to its contraction.

1 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

The incidents that happened in Christ’s life were not at all meant to demonstrate his supernatural powers; all that he did was to remove people’s misery out of compassion for them. For the Bible itself says that, after granting sight to the blind and curing the lepers with a mere touch, he warned them not to divulge all this to others. He did not do all that to gain popularity or public applause.

Besides, Jesus was not just an ordinary aspirant. He was an incarnation. He had his whole being in God, the Father of the whole universe. Hence it was not unnatural or wrong for him to have done so.

Such activities, which ordinary people consider to be amazing and impossible, are quite as natural to the incarnations as inhalation and exhalation. They do not have to get all that as a result of long and strenuous practice. Supernatural things happen at their mere wish. In certain places, Jesus demonstrated those supernatural powers in order to win back unbelievers to the path of religion.

[To the question: “Was the Lord really a Jew?”]

He was neither a Jew nor a Gentile. He was far above all that — a true Incarnation of the divine power. He came to this world in a human body to save mankind.

Swami Turiyananda

What will it avail if one makes charity with money stolen from others? To live long on the charity of others is as good as death. It is useless for a slanderer to repeat the name of God. This is why Jesus said, ‘Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift.’

2 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

Christ was a universal helper of humanity. He was truly a great Saviour. Without the resurrection, however, Christianity would not have been a religion. Otherwise Christ simply would have died as any man. It was because He rose again that Christianity lives.

And He undoubtedly did rise, but I do not believe that He died on the cross. All things are possible with God and despite all that was done a spark of life must have remained somewhere in the body and this re-kindled in the tomb.

It was the glorious example which Christ gave on the cross that made the Christians such willing martyrs. If their Master had been a little more luxurious or a little less brave His followers would have been different. As it was they were glad to die as their Master had died. Peter, when he was to be crucified, had but one thing to ask: ‘Let me be placed with my head downward. My Master died honourably with his head up. It is proper that His servant should die with his head in the dust.’

The ways of the Lord are unfathomable. When Christ’s disciples were scattered and over-powered by persecution He turned His worst enemy into His greatest apostle. A man who gave no quarter, who, when he asked, ‘Are you a Christian?’ and heard the answer ‘Yes,’ at once drew out his sword and struck without mercy — that same one (Paul) became the greatest defender of Christianity.

Christianity existed before Christ; Christ was only the mouthpiece. One man catches the light from Christ so he says, ‘Christ has given me the Truth. I belong to Christ. I am a Christian,’. So each great teacher has his followers who believe that the Truth can come from him alone; but all teachers reflect the same Truth.

Moses realized God outside himself in a bush. But Christ realized the Kingdom of Heaven inside himself. If that Kingdom is inside you, God is inside yourself.

Swami Vijnanananda

Jesus Christ had no weapons to fight with and suffered crucifixion for the sake of truth. We also have to do likewise, and then only will rise again the sun of India’s glory.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain where he became transfigured and his body assumed a lustrous brightness. Many sublime teachings of Jesus are incorporated herein. But he told his disciples: ‘These are not everything; there are many things subtle and esoteric about which I will tell you.’ I think by this, he had meant teachings about meditation, contemplation, ecstatic moods, and so on.

The Holy Ghost is the Mother, the impersonation of Shakti. Without the Holy Ghost there would be no Jesus Christ.

3 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Meditation and Japa appear dry in the beginning. But still you must engage the mind in the contemplation of the Deity, like swallowing a bitter medicine. Slowly spiritual joy will grow in you.

There is a spiritual eye of wisdom between the two eyebrows. When its vision opens, a fountain of joy is released. The whole universe is seen to be merged in bliss.

Only that man who is free from all cravings can find unending joy.

Give your body and mind to worldly enjoyments, and the world will destroy them both. Devote them to God and his service, and you will enjoy bodily health, peace of mind, and spiritual joy.

Struggle! Struggle hard to control the outgoing mind and fix it on God. When you can do this, you will realize what joy is in spiritual life, what fun.

[To the question: “If the aspirant finds even a little joy in meditation, he is at once encouraged to proceed; isn’t that so, Maharaj?”]

True. But in the higher spiritual state there is neither joy nor sorrow, pain nor pleasure, existence nor non-existence. The joy that you speak of is only a help during the period of spiritual practices. The boat needs a favourable wind to reach its destination. But when it once arrives, it no longer matters whether the wind is favourable or not. Joy is like that favourable wind; it helps the aspirant along the spiritual path.

To live in God is pure joy.

Your mind, at present, is covered over by Rajas and Tamas. It must be made pure and subtle and raised to the state of Sattva, then you will find joy in your practices, and will want to devote more and more time to them.

Devote your mind to the world and to the pleasures of the world, and great will be your suffering; devote your mind to God, and great will be your joy.

4 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

As your mind becomes absorbed in meditation, a fountain of joy will spring up within you.

Do not be impatient. Struggle intensely for two or three years, and your heart will be flooded with joy.

When once you taste the joy of the Lord, all other pleasures will become insipid.

Do not sacrifice eternal joy for the sake of ephemeral pleasure. Worldly pleasures will seem insipid to you when once you have tasted the divine bliss.

The moment you become absorbed in the contemplation of God, you will experience unbounded joy.

Do not miss the supreme joy. Solve the mysteries of life and death, and become the eternal companion of the Lord.

Make the mind one-pointed like the mariner’s compass. In whatever direction the ship may sail, the compass always points to the north and keeps the ship on its course. Keep your mind pointed toward God, and your boat will sail smoothly. A man who does this never loses his faith and devotion, even if he is thrown into an evil environment. The moment such a man hears of God he becomes intoxicated with joy.

If you continue your practice for two or three years, you will begin to feel an unspeakable joy and the mind will become steady. In the beginning the practice of japam and meditation seems dry. It is like taking bitter medicine. You must forcibly pour the thought of God into your mind, then as you persist, you will be flooded with joy.

5 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

If you ask a seer about his experiences he will say: ‘All is infinite bliss there! There is no “I” nor “you” — there is only Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. The joy of that experience is unspeakable.’ The joy that is realized in samadhi remains forever.

This constant flow of thought toward God is meditation. Neither time, nor place, nor circumstances need be taken into account in this practice. Plunge in! Oh, the joy of it! If you once taste that joy, everything else will lose its savour for you.

Practice japam and meditation once in the morning and once in the evening for at least two years. You will find great joy; spiritual emotions will arise; a new vision will open up. You are sure to find some result in two years. Stick to it! After a while you will find such joy that you will have no inclination to leave your meditation.

When the mind becomes absorbed, a shining light is first experienced in the mystic vision. With this vision, there comes a kind of higher and nobler joy, and the mind is reluctant to give up this joy and move onward. But if the aspirant goes further, the vision of the light will be concentrated into the form of the Chosen Ideal and the mind becomes merged in his consciousness.

The more the mind is absorbed within, the greater will be the joy of meditation; and when once you taste joy in your spiritual practices, the desire to continue in them will grow.

If you practice japam and meditation and the mind still does not become tranquil, or you do not taste joy in God, then you may know you are not practicing properly.

[To the disciple’s statement: “Maharaj, I do not understand anything about His being of the nature of Sat. But I get some joy while meditating. I think He is of the nature of Ananda !”]

Right you are. But my dear child, when you get a real taste of Him through His grace, you will see that He is beyond both joy and sorrow.

The mind is like a restless child, it wants to run away. You must bring it back again and again and apply it to the meditation on the Lord. Go on this way for two or three years, and then an inexpressible joy will fill your mind.

6 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

If one could repeat His name with sincere devotion even once, that would fill one’s heart with joy. That would be of more value than repeating His name a hundred thousand times mechanically.

Real joy or peace is very rare in this world, and this round of birth and death that is ours, no one can check.

How can the mind find joy in external beauty once it becomes absorbed in the feet of the Lord the Beloved, the source of infinite beauty? Having once tasted of the joy of the Infinite, earthly pleasures seem trifling.

Under all conditions and circumstances one can repeat the name of the Lord. Japa is not restricted as to time and place. Of course, one should repeat the name with devotion. Then alone will one have joy and peace in one’s heart.

The more earnestness you have in your practice, the greater will be the joy.

Go on meditating on the blessed, effulgent form of the Lord with the greatest love, and imagine that every recess of your heart shines with the light emanating from His form. As you go on thinking thus, you will feel that your whole being becomes suffused with inexpressible joy.

Be up and doing at the beginning, and you will find that your whole being will be filled with an ineffable joy; you will lose yourself in the current of that inebriating bliss. Can there be any comparison of that with the hollow joys of this world? Worldly pleasures appear insipid to one who gets even an inkling of that divine joy.

Men are mad after worldly enjoyment. Anyone who earnestly wants divine joy surely gets it.

7 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

I tell you, my son; you will get the highest joy from the Master’s name itself; you will get everything from his name — be it spiritual ecstasy or God-absorption. But everything takes its own time.

[To the question: “Sir, I have been practicing japa and meditation; but I fail to derive any joy from these. I am also not able to concentrate my mind. Kindly bless me, and instruct me so that I may derive joy.”]

Is it so easy, my son, to derive such joy from japa and meditation? It comes from long practice. You have to practice hard. The mind must be pure. The more intimate the relation you can have with God, and the more you can love Him, the more joy you will get from His name.

Don’t let your time pass idly, my son. You have to be fully absorbed in calling on him; it won’t do to be half-hearted. Whatever you do in this respect, you must do with your whole mind; then only will you get joy.

One seldom derives any joy from a work, unless one can become fully engrossed in it.

Have the Master installed in your heart through strenuous effort, constant japa and meditation, continuous prayer and remembrance; then you will be granted pure joy and you will have great fun.

You are a devotee of the Lord. Call upon Him. You will certainly get a response and your heart will be filled with joy.

Be resigned unto the Mother. Pray to Her earnestly, crying like a child, and you will discover the light . You will see that the blissful Mother will give you joy and peace. She will certainly do so.

My children, whatever you may say, there is no joy in ‘lust and gold’, here or in heaven, whether you are scholarly or otherwise.

Do japa at the dead of night. You will achieve quick results. Your whole heart and soul will be flooded with joy. You will have so much joy that you will not feel like ceasing your japa.

Struggle hard and install the Lord in your heart by your steady, devout spiritual practice. Then you will have nothing but joy — unalloyed, continuous joy.

Perform the work of Sri Thakur perfectly; that alone will purify your minds. And you will get joy.

8 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Akhandananda

The child is with the mother, on her very lap: there is no need to call her, but this is a needless call out of a causeless joy.

‘O Mother, I hide myself in Thy loving bosom;

I gaze at Thy face and cry out “Mother! Mother!’

Swami Premananda

When love arises in the heart, joy fills it. In the beginning you need to force yourself into the habit of repeating his holy Name. Gradually you will find joy in it, and then you will not be able to live without chanting his name. As you continue to practice meditation upon God, you will find joy and sweetness; and then you cannot live without thinking of God.

Pray to the all-knowing, omnipotent Lord, and all weakness will fly away. Blessed will be your life and you will find joy.

Chant the name of the Lord and fear will leave you. Your heart will be filled with joy.

Be strong in the strength of God and engage yourself in work as an instrument in his hands. That will bring peace and joy. The source of all joy is the name of our Lord.

Swami Turiyananda

If one considers God to be all in all, how can one find joy in worldly things?

The lower a man is, the greater is his joy in sense-objects. The higher he is, the greater is his pleasure in knowledge — a subtle joy which low natures cannot appreciate.

Realization! — Ah, how wonderful it is! The mere thought of the Lord fills one with joy — who can measure the bliss of seeing Him face to face?

Everything is within us. Joy and sorrow have no objective existence. We project joy from within us and associate it with certain things.

Swami Adbhutananda

I used to wander freely with the cowherd boys. How simple and guileless they were! You can’t have real joy unless you are like that.

Ah, you see, that bliss cannot be compared with any joy you find in this world. It is inexpressible.

You know how sweet is the joy within Maya. Ordinary people are enchanted by it. They do not even think for a moment how immensely sweeter is God whose Maya is so sweet!

9 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

Outer experiences are like pieces of glass which reveal more or less of your own nature. The opaque glass which veils the face of happiness in you is what is called pain; the clear glass which lets the flame shine through, you call joy, but that flame is always burning inside you and nowhere else.

Swami Saradananda

As the mind becomes more and more indrawn, more and more concentrated, the wild roamings of the mind will cease and you will experience inner joy and ineffable bliss.

If you practice japa and meditation regularly without break for some years, you will see for yourself what result comes to pass. There will come an inner tranquillity which will fill your heart with joy.

Swami Vijnanananda

Let us make our minds pure, the rest will be easy; and we shall attain spiritual bliss comparable to nothing else in life. Our worldly pleasures are but a speck of dust when weighed against that great mountain of joy.

The aim of human life is to realize God, as this alone can give us real joy and eternal peace. People run after wealth, name and fame; but, in the end, they find that the results are contrary.

[Re: rosary from Varanasi]

Shiva is in meditation on Mount Kailas and each tear of joy that falls from His eyes becomes a bead of rudrakhsa. There is spiritual power in it and telling these beads fills one with spiritual joy.

[To the question: “Is there any fixed time for telling the beads?”]

No, you can do it at any time, whenever you like, even when you are taking a stroll. But doing it at night and in undisturbed seclusion will give you a feeling of spiritual joy sooner.

Whether you invoke the Mother or not, She is looking after you all right. But if you really call on Her, you will be filled with joy. To invoke the Mother with all one’s heart is a very joyful experience. My dear brother, there is not the slightest doubt about it.

Let the mind have its own feelings of joy, sorrow, or anything — you must ignore them and go on with your own work.

When the purity of heart is attained, you will have a taste of spiritual joy. That joy is incomparable. The worldly pleasures are but a speck of dust when weighed against that mountain of concentrated joy. He who has once tasted that joy cannot be allured by earthly pleasures.

Whether the mind registers a feeling of joy or sorrow should not be a matter of concern to you.

10 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Man remains subject to happiness and misery as long as he is bound by karma. This is the lot of every man — no matter whether he is learned or ignorant, good or wicked.

Many are the worldly impressions already accumulated in your mind, and many are the impressions created in this life also. As you struggle against them, they will seem to grow stronger, so that he alone truly conquers them who never loses sight of the ideal and never gives up the struggle.

Do not distress the mind by thinking of sins. For however great a sin might be, it is great only in the eyes of men and not of God. His one glance can scatter off the sins of millions of births. But of course there is the effect of Karma. If you do any wrong action, you must suffer from disquiet of mind and other consequences.

Swami Shivananda

[To the question: “How can we reconcile the relentless law of karma ruling man’s destiny and the idea of an omnipotent, beneficent God?”]

Yes, they appear irreconcilable if we take them literally. Strictly speaking, those who take karma in a cold, calculating spirit cannot accept the idea of a Divine Providence, all-powerful and all-merciful, and vice versa. In the divine scheme, governed by love and compassion, pain and pleasure come to us for our own good in accordance with the divine will, irrespective of the law of karma — that is what some think. They do not take karma so seriously.

Even Prarabdha can be destroyed by God. But God will not destroy it, when you want it done. If He thinks that you are a great Bhakta and deserve special consideration, He may destroy your Prarabdha.

11 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

What you were saying yesterday about predestination has no meaning. In that case nothing can be done on earth. Even virtue and vice become non-existent. The only case in which predestination holds good is the resignation of the perfect devotee. He works automatically. There is no difference whatever between his will and the Divine will. But that too has its test — no wicked action can be done by him. He never takes a false step.

Man has to his credit the actions of many previous births, which must work themselves out. Nothing particularly wrong has been committed in this life. But there are accumulated sins of many past lives. All sufferings are due to them.

[To the question: “Can one who has realized the Atman do wrong?”]

Some say ‘yes,’ through their past karma. But for them it is no sin. They are unattached. No new karma is created in their case. They can do or abstain from doing as they please, at their will. They are the masters of their minds.

But if you know you have bad impressions, there is no cause for worry. Begin to correct them from today onward. Whatever is done is done. Don’t look back. Create a set of new impressions. After a few days you will find that the old bad impressions are being replaced by good ones.

However, a lot of practice is necessary if you wish to perfect yourself.

For example, every day you use a pen knife and you put it back in the same place. This is a matter of habit, and this habit also is due to samskaras. Even in the dark you can put your hand in the right place and find the knife. If you suddenly place it elsewhere, when you want the knife you will first put your hand in the old place and feel for it. Then you will remember that you had changed the position. Afterwards you will go to the new place and get the knife. This is called the samskara of abhyasa yoga, or the yoga of practice. Whatever you practice will later on become samskaras. If you have really understood that your old impressions are bad and that you should acquire good ones, then don’t delay — no, not even for a minute!

The best period of your life is slipping by. It won’t return. But if you practise, you will see for yourself that within a few days a change will come over you. Everything will become clear and easy. Good impressions will establish themselves.

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12 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

So long as a man is subject to the law of karma, he is aware of good and evil. When, through God’s grace, a man is released from the bonds of karma, the man’s awareness of good and evil also goes-- for good and evil are the fruits of karma. As you sow, so you will reap. It is the Lord who established this law of karma for the benefit of the world and mankind. Divine Providence has given man the sense of free will and the principle of karma. It is left to man to do as he wishes. If he chooses to do actions which bring him less happiness and more misery, he alone is responsible, not God.

They talk of God. Their talks are lip-deep. Do they really believe in Him? The Lord deals out according to one’s karma. Everyone gets his due. Really, there is no cause for worries.

Swami Vijnanananda

What the westerners call fate or destiny, we characterize as the result of our actions in previous births.

You suffer as a result of your own past actions, and that is why you should devote a portion of your income for the good of others, instead of appropriating it entirely to yourself.

If you can get rid of all your desires, rebirth will not take place. If I push a thing, for instance, it will move so long as it has got that momentum; and if not pushed further, it will then stop.

We provide new impetus to our karmas in every birth, thus continuing the cycle of rebirths. But if we check it completely, that is if we rise over our desires, we will have no further rebirths.

13 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

The idea that ‘I am so-and-so’ is the cause of repeated births and deaths.

Swami Saradananda

Repeat your mantra several thousand times a day. That will give you strength. If evil thoughts appear, be indifferent to them. They come due to the impressions of previous lives and it is good that they rise to the conscious plane; it will be easier for you to control them.

If a worker performs his duties properly and his life embodies the spirit of detachment throughout, he will ultimately attain the highest goal. In other words, he will see God in everything and attain pure knowledge, which will burn all the seeds of karma. He will not be born again, and his soul will merge itself into Brahman, at the dissolution of his body.

An embodied being does not have the right to choose at the last moment which path he is to take. This is decided by the Lord, who has the sole prerogative in this regard. But the Lord is not whimsical. He decides through the law of karma. The cumulative effect of the karmas of the individual’s entire life will be the guiding factor in forming the Lord’s decision to shape the destiny of the soul for its sojourn through the path of light or the path of darkness. But the karma yogi who has worked with the attitude of seeing ‘inaction in action’ will attain knowledge that will cut all his bonds and make him free. By the grace of the Lord he will know that his soul will not go to any place but will enter into the realm of bliss when the flame of life is extinguished.

14 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

[To the question: “Why must a spiritual aspirant worship the Divine Mother first?”]

Mother has the key to the knowledge of Brahman. Unless she shows her grace and opens the door, no one can enter into the realm of Brahman.

First know Him. After God-realization you may live in the world and your feet will not tread the wrong path. The world’s Maya will not be able to bind you. Then, no matter which way you follow — whether the way of knowledge, or the way of devotion, or the way of work — you and others will benefit immensely, and your human birth will be blessed.

Intelligence is but another name for ignorance, because its area is limited. Therefore, if a man wants to attain all knowledge and understand all mysteries, let him devote himself to the knowledge of God.

As children swing around a pillar in their play, holding tightly to it for their support, so must you hold fast to God — the Pillar of life. Whichever path you follow, whether it be the path of work, or of devotion, or of knowledge you will reach him. Hold fast to the Pillar, and your life will be blessed, and you in turn will become a blessing to mankind.

Knowledge, the knower, and the object known — these three lose themselves in the Absolute; that is all the scriptures can tell us. What takes place after this, no one is able to describe. It is directly experienced only by one who practices meditation.

Only God can know himself. Be a god, that you may know the infinite God. In that knowledge there is neither want nor fear. The very thought of such knowledge is uplifting.

15 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Through the grace of the guru everything can be had, even the knowledge of Brahman, but this grace is not easily obtained. You must work hard for it.

There is the path of devotion and there is the path of knowledge. In the end, the devotee and the man of knowledge become one. The followers of the path of knowledge seek for the Light, and they become illumined. However, one is not different from the other.

Ignorance is destroyed by following the path of knowledge. The light of knowledge alone shines. What lies beyond the light of knowledge? He alone knows who goes beyond, none else. And no one can reveal that.

There is no end to this God-unfoldment, this knowledge of infinite Existence, infinite Bliss. Light, light, more light!

God is the Light of Knowledge, and in order to obtain his grace and see him, you must pray earnestly to him to turn that light upon himself.

True devotion, faith and knowledge, are the results of long persistence in spiritual practices.

To hear about the knowledge of God is one thing, to live in God is another. But the knowledge acquired through realization is different from both.

(To a young widow)

Daughter, the train is coming. I don’t have much time, but I will give you knowledge in one sentence: Read the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna regularly every day. That is enough. You will find in this book the truth of all religions.

16 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

The Lord has two powers — Vidya Shakti and Avidya Shakti . If He removes from us the influence of the latter and helps with the former, then everything goes on well.

How can man understand the Absolute through the intellect? Comprehension is possible only if the Mother is gracious enough to lift the veil.

It is easy to take the vow of monasticism, but a person cannot have supreme devotion and knowledge without God’s grace. But the Lord is sure to grant the desire of one who sincerely yearns for devotion and knowledge. What shall it profit a man to have the ochre cloth if he does not possess knowledge and devotion?

The way out is to know Him. He is Purity, Knowledge and Freedom itself. He is the Indwelling Spirit of all. By knowing Him, man goes beyond pain and sorrow.

No one has ever been able or will be able to know Him. How can man with his limited understanding comprehend the infinite God?

One cannot have that pure love and knowledge without the grace of the Lord, and He graciously gives that devotion and knowledge.

Look here! Men of the world think that the knowledge of Brahman is something impossible to attain, but a knower of Brahman thinks, on the contrary, that it should be impossible for a man to remain ignorant, being attached to the world.

This is a difficult path, my son. This pursuit of the knowledge of Brahman is very difficult. Not every brain can comprehend this, for it is subtler than the subtlest. It is easier to master secular knowledge. It is comparatively easier to become a great philosopher, a noted scientist, a great poet, a famous artist, or a well-known politician; but it is extremely difficult to acquire the knowledge of Brahman. Those who do not tread on this path cannot even guess how difficult it is. In the Upanishads, this knowledge ‘by which is realized that immutable Brahman’ is called higher knowledge (para vidya), while all other secular knowledge is called lower knowledge (apara vidya).

17 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

The President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission

(On the occasion of the Sri Ramakrishna Centenary)

The dawn of the New Age is breaking over the world;—the blessed day is at hand that will illumine our hearts with the glory of its effulgence. Knowingly and unknowingly, man is moving forward along the road of salvation, inspired by the Master’s message of the harmony of all religions, and by his unique realization of the essential oneness of Karma (Action), Jnana (Knowledge), Bhakti (Supreme Devotion) and Yoga (Psychic Control).

The day is not far off when all lands and seas shall witness the establishment of a universal kingdom of peace, and when in loving response to the call of the Master, all nations and peoples, in one glorious confederation joining, shall sing with jubilant acclaim, yea, with no heat of strife and no passion of controversy, the Master’s message, “As many faiths, so many paths.”

Then the full meridian light of the Master’s advent will light up this world of ours, and that song will ring from end to end and the sons and daughters of men will stand side by side under the banner of the New Age in spiritual comradeship.

May the citizens of the world on this blessed day understand the meaning of the Master’s coming, and be hallowed. This and this alone is my fervent prayer.

Peace, peace, peace unto all!

(Today is the Blessed Janma-Tithi of Revered Akhandanandaji Maharaj.

May he bless us all with Bhakti and Jnana).

18 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

One must practise absolute continence if one desires to have this higher knowledge. The first thing that matters is the knowledge of the Self, and then comes good of the world.

[To the question: “When one feels a strong pull towards the path of knowledge, can one repeat merely the word Om, without repeating the mantra of one’s Chosen Deity?”]

Yes, there is no harm in that, for that Om is Brahman. One can think of the Master as Om. There is no harm in it.

[A few days later he asked the brahmacharin:]

Well, are you practising your Om?

[The brahmacharin replied in the affirmative.]

That is fine; that is fine.

[Brahmacharin: “But, Maharaj, as I keep on repeating Om, the body becomes stiff, and that produces some fear.”]

When you feel that way, you should pray to the Master thus: ‘Master, you yourself are this Om. Kindly lead me along the right path. Do please ordain it in such a way that I may attain the truth — be it knowledge or devotion. Pray thus with all earnestness.

It is good to have high worldly aspiration; you had that for so long. Now, should you not try to acquire the knowledge of the Self? This is the highest aspiration in life — to know God. Be up and doing. Concentrate all your energy and direct it to that end with all your might, so that you may be blessed with true life.

Illumination means the knowledge of God. One can have true and firm devotion only when one is vouchsafed this knowledge, and not otherwise. Pure knowledge and pure devotion are one and the same. And all that comes from the grace of the Mother alone. Knowledge is dispensed at her bidding.

One must make the sincerest effort and exert oneself — especially when engaged in a good work — in spiritual exercises. One has to put forth a lion’s strength to secure the knowledge of the Self. Nothing can be achieved without diligence and self-exertion.

There’s no contentment in the non-Self; true contentment comes from knowledge of the Self. And one has to seek that contentment within oneself. Peace is within. Knowledge, devotion, love of God — all that lies within.

19 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

Now with the idea of finding the ultimate truth, if we push our analysis further, we shall see that back of the changeable phenomena is the immutable Brahman. First, gross objects, then subtle and subtler objects — whatever we analyze in the outer world — we fail to find any permanence in them. Baffled, we finally turn within ourselves. This self-withdrawal or abstraction is the only way to the knowledge of Brahman or the Supreme Reality.

Inscrutable are these matters. A person cannot understand these ideas of Vedanta unless he engages in constant selfless activity— hearing , thinking , worship, study, japa and meditation, a taste for which he develops spontaneously through His grace.

To go beyond the world one must have the knowledge that Brahman is both immanent and transcendent. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman — in essence the embodied soul does not have any separate existence.

Freedom is not achieving something external; it is Self-knowledge attained by the renunciation of phenomena.

If knowledge lacks devotion, what kind of knowledge is it?. Knowledge without devotion is not enough; realization is impossible without devotion.

Yes, I have realized God. I feel the all-pervasive presence of God. But you know, as the Upanishads say, there is no limit to the knowledge of God.

Apart from Him nothing exists. He is Existence Absolute. In Him exists this manifoldness particularized by names and forms as various objects — as Hari, Rama, the sun, the moon, etc. Because He exists, these depending on Him exist.

He is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. If existence has no knowledge it is no existence at all. What is Existence is knowledge. Again, where there is existence and knowledge, there is bliss also.

20 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

To make mankind your own by loving all — that is real jnana, the real bhakti of this age. Scientific knowledge is certainly not able to provide bliss and peace.

Know that knowledge, love, and purity belong to our very nature; fame, honour, and glories are foreign to our nature. Let not our minds ever run after such.

The experiences of the seers and prophets of old are recorded in the scriptures, but the mere study of the scriptures is not enough. In order to gain the true knowledge of God you have to have the experience yourself.

The key to the knowledge of God is in His hands. Therefore, pray for His grace.

Out of dispassion springs knowledge.

It is when his grace descends that infinite knowledge unfolds. Then one no longer cares for the study of the scriptures. Direct knowledge is one thing and ‘book’ knowledge is another. This, however, does not mean that one should give up the study of the scriptures; for, as Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘The fan is needed until the spring breeze blows.’

Devotion is necessary, as well as discrimination and knowledge.

21 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

The Master used to say, ‘Do whatever you like after making the knowledge of oneness your own.’ That is to say, know the Lord as the soul of your soul, the life of your life, the eye of your eye, and love Him.

Eating, sleeping, fear, and sexual intercourse — these are common features of both animals and man.

The speciality of man is that he has knowledge and can distinguish right from wrong. The lower a man is, the greater is his joy in sense-objects. The higher he is, the greater is his pleasure in knowledge — a subtle joy which low natures cannot appreciate.

The Jnanis meditate in the head, the devotees in the heart. We generally find it so.

Through the power of Ojas the knowledge of Brahman unfolds itself. The knowledge already exists, we have only to unfold it. If you can maintain your chastity for twelve years, the mind gets steady, with the result that the knowledge unfolds itself.

Vidya Maya and Avidya Maya are both hypnotism. We have to destroy the one with the help of the other, for knowledge is the opposite of ignorance.

Vidya leads a man to the Reality and itself ceases to be. Don’t you remember Sri Ramakrishna’s parable of the three robbers?

In the Gita we have, ‘They speak of an eternal Ashwattha tree rooted above and branching below, whose leaves are the Vedas; he who knows it is a knower of the Vedas.’ You see, there is no mention here of the Brahman. How then can a man be a knower of the Vedas by simply knowing this relative existence?

Well, let us see. ‘Rooted above’ means emanating from the paramatman, and ‘Ashwattha’ means that which will not last till tomorrow, i.e. transitory. So the meaning of the verse comes to this: ‘One who has known relative existence to be such — that is, has definitely understood its transitoriness — is a knower of the Vedas.

22 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

Only the One exists, nothing else. We see Him as men, animals, birds, insects, plants etc. If we only think correctly, we shall find that there is no such differentiation in Him. How we imagine an ego and slave for its gratification! Each has his own world which accompanies him beyond death. It is enjoyment and the desire for it that obstruct true knowledge; freed from them we can have knowledge this moment. Are we not knowledge itself? But alas, it is so hard to renounce the joys of the world!

The Jnani who has realized Oneness, behaves in the world in the same way as we do when we happen to bite our tongue — we do not become angry with our teeth.

Perception of unity is knowledge, perception of variety is ignorance. Because we have separated ourselves from That, all troubles ensue.

[To the question: “They say one gets the vision of light, when the mind rises to the ‘throat-plane’. What kind of light is that? — Is it very luminous?”]

Yes, one sees light. But, then, it is not any gross light — it is the light of knowledge.

Mere theoretical knowledge will not do. We know everything, but do nothing. Swamiji used to say, ‘We know so much that it would have been better to know a little less.’ Do something, just do something.

Swami Turiyananda

Brahman alone is real, everything else is unreal and the human soul is that Brahman. The lion shut up in a cage thinks he is caught, and escape is impossible. He does not know that one blow from his mighty paw would demolish the cage and set him free. We are bound by the delusion of ignorance. Destroy the delusion and be free. All power is within you, for you are the Atman. With the sword of knowledge, sever the veil of Maya, and assert your divine nature.

No matter about philosophy, or even the Gita. The thing to do is to Know the Mother. That is the whole of religion. Nothing else counts.

23 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Trigunatitananda

Men do not understand this simple fact that it is of little consequence how one conceives of Him — as kind, cruel, or what not, but what is fraught with danger is not to call on Him at all. One must call on Him — no matter whether one does so under the idea that He is cruel or that He is gracious. I have no need of knowing what He really is, nor can there be any end of such knowing; and what does such knowledge count for? I have come to the mango orchard to taste mangoes, what do I care about a detailed knowledge about the tree and the orchard?

Swami Abhedananda

Why should you be afraid of doing work? If the mind is not purified by work, one cannot attain true knowledge.

Desires, freed from hankering for results, leads to the purification of the heart, and the knowledge of the Self dawns when the mind becomes pure.

Ignorance is the root of all evil. Ignorance means absence of the knowledge of the Self. Ignorance or Maya also mean false knowledge.

When the mind is freed from all nervousness, it becomes pure, and the knowledge of Brahman gets revealed in that pure mind.

As dream is known to be false in the waking state, so also the whole world is seen to be false, that is changeful, when the knowledge of the Self is attained.

24 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

An object is something which cannot be known without the help of something else, but the Atman is self-revealing. So you cannot say the Atman is an object of knowledge.

The idea of ‘mine’ produces misery, while the knowledge of the real ‘I’ brings bliss. The knowledge of the Self removes ignorance, and this Self is the Atman, the real nature of man.

When that knowledge dawns, body consciousness disappears, the mind stops and even the intellect vanishes; only an uninterrupted Consciousness flows.

Who is a man of knowledge? Not he who has read a lot of books, studied scriptures and acquired some degrees, but he who knows the path to God and can direct people toward him.

Do you think we salute trees and stones? We salute the Supreme Being, who pervades every atom of the universe. He who sees God in all creatures and all things attains the knowledge of Brahman.

A knower of Brahman can give liberation; can’t he give money and wealth also? But gold and riches are insignificant things. By his mere wish a knower of Brahman can give you anything you want. Know for certain that his wish and God’s wish are the same. There is a special manifestation of God in a knower of Brahman.

If one is not a jnani, how is it possible to be ‘devoted to the One alone,’ as Krishna states in the Gita? That one alone is real and all else is unreal. If you don’t realize this truth, how can you have devotion for the One?

[To the question: “But can you prove that the one God resides in many?”]

Why not? but it is a subjective experience. Love cannot be explained to another. Only one who loves understands it and also the one who is loved. The same is the case with God. He knows and the one whom He blesses knows. For others He will ever remain an enigma.

25 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

Mind is bound on all sides by ignorance, and if you compare your knowledge with your ignorance, your knowledge seems infinitesimal. Now it is impossible for the limited to conceive the unlimited.

If you know that you are eternal and indestructible, then you are not body, you are spirit, and that Self is beyond the reach of Maya, that Self is one with God. If you can identify yourself with this real Self of yours and throw away your self, then you can go beyond the dominion of Maya, and this path is known as Jnana-marga.

Why do we want to know? To satisfy something in ourselves. The end of all knowledge is satisfaction and this satisfaction is always one. There are three kinds of knowing, — first instinctive knowledge, then reasoning, and then inspiration. The lower animals have instinct; much of our knowledge also is instinctive. Then man begins to reason, and as long as he reasons, the ego must be there. From reasoning he can pass on to inspiration, when all knowledge will come to him — not through the process of reasoning, but by direct illumination. All slavery comes to an end when man realizes Truth.

If you would gain wisdom or the knowledge of your infinite nature, you must go to one who has realized his infinite nature and serve him; then bring forth your doubts and you will be illumined [Gita]. That means, you must be humble. Knowledge of the Atman or higher Self comes only through humility.

But Sri Ramakrishna said that God is knowable through a purified mind.

God’s will-power is the cause of nature and God Himself is the source of His will-power. It is beyond the capacity of human intelligence to ascertain the First Cause or God without the knowledge of Brahman, the self-existent, beginningless One without a second.

This is what is called realization or the state of super-consciousness. It is attained when the stick has been taken out and the current has become one. This is the goal of Jnana or the path of Wisdom.

26 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

Through selfless work the mind gets purified. And when the mind becomes pure, there arise knowledge and devotion in it. Knowledge is the very nature of the Self; but being covered with ignorance it is not manifest. The object of selfless work is to remove this ignorance.

First you have to attain knowledge. After attaining knowledge, when one returns to this world of diversity, one will see everything as before, but will no longer be attached to anything in it.

After one realizes God,

the world seems to be a mere appearance like the mirage. There is nothing in it that can attract one.

What is known as the destruction of the mind in Vedantic literature is not a state of vacuum. It is a state of deep concentration. The mind is to be made absolutely one-pointed through meditation on God. Then alone this condition will arise. The scriptures call this experience establishment in the truth, or attainment of the supreme knowledge.

In the midst of all kinds of work you must allot some time for japa and meditation for they are the means to self-knowledge.

Prophets and incarnations who have come and gone have shown us one thing, that we too can become heirs of knowledge and power like themselves — if we only have the will. If we struggle, walking the path taken by them, we too will reach that goal one day. If it were not so, the life of an avatar would have no meaning.

27 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

The goal of all the paths is the same. Each path is equally powerful. But none should be undertaken to the exclusion of the others: knowledge must unite with devotion. And this unity must be expressed through action. Knowledge without love is dry. Love without service is pure sentimentalism.

The more one purifies these internal organs, the more one is able to detect and interpret correctly the will of the Universal Mind. This knowledge has a transforming effect on the life and character of the individual. His unripe ego dies forever. Like a machine moved by the operator, he is a tool in the hand of God. He becomes incapable to doing anything wrong. He does not take a false step nor do his feet slip from the path.

Here Sri Krishna speaks of his special message — the message of karma yoga. If a worker performs his duties properly and his life embodies the spirit of detachment throughout, he will ultimately attain the highest goal.

In other words, he will see God in everything and attain pure knowledge, which will burn all the seeds of karma. He will not be born again, and his soul will merge itself into Brahman, at the dissolution of his body.

What is this knowledge? It is the experience of unity, the one ultimate Reality that alone exists. Perception of multiplicity is ignorance.

[To the question: “Have any realized God through work?”]

Through selfless work the mind gets purified. And when the mind becomes pure, there arise knowledge and devotion in it. Knowledge is the very nature of the Self but being covered with ignorance it is not manifest. The object of selfless work is to remove this covering. As a matter of fact knowledge dawns as soon as the mind becomes pure.

28 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

The scriptures say that if one can attain knowledge through spiritual practices even when he is engaged in work then one need not give up work. Have you not heard of Dharma-Vyadha? Even the work of a butcher, he did not think to be bad, after he had attained knowledge.

First, you have to attain knowledge. After attaining knowledge when one returns to this world of diversity, one will see everything as before but will no longer be attached to anything in it. Before realizing the illusion one hopes for water in a mirage, but when one realizes its nature, though one may be seeing the mirage, one no longer expects any water in it.

So also, though the world of diversity would still have to be experienced after knowledge, yet one no longer takes it to be real and so has no longer any attachment for it.

[To the question: “The Master used to say, ‘After making the knowledge of Oneness your own you can go wherever you like.’ What does it mean?”]

Not ‘Go wherever you like’, but ‘Do whatever you like.’ He meant evidently that after attaining Supreme Knowledge one cannot commit any evil deed. How can one who has realized God or attained knowledge through discrimination, renunciation, love, devotion, and purity, do mischief? Such a man necessarily can do no wrong.

[To the question: “Is it possible to attain the knowledge of Oneness through Sakara Upasana ?”]

Why not? It leads to knowledge of oneness in time.

[To the question: “How does it culminate, Maharaj? Is it that immanence of God is realized in all, or does everything disappear completely?”]

Both. You will understand it as you progress in your Sadhana. Practise, and you will know.

It is impossible to understand these things without intuitive knowledge.

29 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Akhandananda

The spiritual path for the present age lies through the harmony of all the paths of the earlier ages — harmony of knowledge, devotion, and selfless work. We must have all these: we must have knowledge, devotion, and service. It won’t do to have only one.

The more you take care of yourself alone, the smaller you grow, and the more you think of others as yourself, the bigger you become.

Swamiji used to say ‘The happiness one derives by thinking of oneself, becomes doubly multiplied when one thinks of somebody else sharing equally in one’s own happiness or unhappiness.’

The more you practise like that the more your Self spreads over the world, and then only can Self-knowledge dawn. The more you can think of others as yourself, the more loving your heart becomes, and the more is Self-knowledge revealed.

In such ordinary matters you act like this, and you are aspiring to knowledge of Brahman! Is that so easy to attain? How keen must be the desire and how long you have to struggle! Then only can you ‘know’. Do you understand? First the desire to know, then the struggle and then the success.

Desire to know everything, try for that end. We are learning throughout our life. How many books have I read! And only once? — not once, many times.

30 September 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Vijnanananda

When we know what time, space, and causation constitute, we come to know what lies beyond them, too. But this knowledge is rather very difficult to attain — knowledge means realization.

Our Mother is the embodiment of law. If you conduct yourself in accordance with this law, you will gain complete knowledge and understanding, and going against this law will only lead to inevitable disaster, and you will be pulverized into atoms.

[Concerning the Fourth Dimension:]

It is beyond the range of intellectual comprehension. Can it be easily known? Just see. We are told to remember God. But it is often forgotten that He cannot be comprehended by the human mind: He is beyond it. The finite cannot grasp the Infinite, the part can never contain the whole. The finite mind realizes that God is outside it, but, even then, it feels satisfied with whatever it can know about Him. But does this mean the whole knowledge of God?

There are many things to be learnt about self-realization. The more you learn, the greater will be your desire for further knowledge. There is no limit to the acquisition of knowledge.

[To the question: “Can we achieve spiritual enlightenment at all?”]

Yes, certainly. Let me tell you a story. A man approached a sadhu for spiritual knowledge. The sadhu advised him to cling to the trunk of a tree. As the man did so, the sadhu directed him to leave the tree now and come away. The man had held it tight, so much so that he now found it difficult to slacken the grip. Then appeared on the scene another person who hit the first man on his head a few times with a stick. ‘Oh, my God,’ he cried and at once freed himself.

Thus, you see, until God strikes us with the stick of knowledge we cannot attain it. Spiritual knowledge is within us, but we are not aware of this fact. Blows given with the stick of knowledge make us see that we have the power to free ourselves and that the knowledge is there within us.

You cannot know and realize God unless your mind is very pure. You will have to be very careful.

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1 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Once when Sri Krishna was dancing in ecstasy, one shepherdess said to another, ‘Look my friend, the Truth of Vedanta is dancing!’

Sri Krishna is the supreme Brahman. He is the infinite, changeless Spirit playing as man. Beyond this there is yet another deeper and fathomless spiritual experience.

Swami Premananda

While it is true that every divine incarnation and God-man embodied all the great ideals, yet each one emphasized one particular ideal. For instance, Sri Chaitanya was the very embodiment of love. Just as congealed water takes the form of ice, so congealed love took the form of Sri Chaitanya. In the same way, Shankara was the embodiment of knowledge, Buddha the embodiment of renunciation, and Sri Krishna the embodiment of selfless work.

Swami Akhandananda

Though born as a human being, Krishna is regarded as the Purna-Brahman. Never did he commit a mistake nor did he repent for any action done.

Krishna lived a householder’s life — there he is the ideal. One duty of a householder is to entertain a guest coming to his house. The guest must be served according to his wants, and also with the idea that Narayana is being served. Deputed by the gods in heaven, the sage Durvasa — noted for his harsh temper — came to Krishna just to check how he was observing the duties of a householder and how much he would do to satisfy a guest.

Generally people do not hold the name of Durvasa in much regard, because of his violent temper. That is not correct. The sudden rages of Durvasa burnt away the sins of many lives. His anger was a form of divine grace.

The sage Durvasa, then came to Sri Krishna at Dwaraka and asked, ‘How will you serve me?’

Smilingly Krishna replied: ‘According to your wish. Your servant is ready.’

Durvasa said to him: ‘All right, perform the duties of a householder’s life along with your wife. You two together will have to serve me, with no help from any third person. You will draw water for me. You will light the fire and cook my food. After that you will do just as I command.’

So Krishna and Rukmini at once started to carry out his wishes and did everything as directed. When Durvasa sat down to take his food, Krishna was standing by and Rukmini was fanning him. After the meal he slept a little. After some rest, he wanted to go out in a chariot drawn, not by horses but by the husband and wife. The two had not yet even eaten, since the sage was not yet satisfied.

All others got annoyed, but Krishna remained composed and smiling. He unhitched the horses and began to draw the chariot along with Rukmini. So the chariot went rolling along the street. Rukmini became thirsty and Krishna began to bleed from bruises. Then Durvasa could bear it no more. He stopped the chariot, alighted from it, fell at the feet of Sri Krishna and Rukmini and cried, ‘O Lord, now I understand why you are doing so much. This is the life of God Incarnate as man — to shine as a standard, an ideal to the people of the world.’

2 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

According to some there are special exercises by which the kundalini can be awakened, but I believe it can best be awakened by the practice of japam and meditation.

There is nothing greater nor easier than the constant remembrance of God. Such a practice awakens the kundalini; the veils of Maya are removed one after another, and a new vision opens up.

So long as the kundalini moves in a downward direction, the mind of man is filled with lustful thoughts. But as it rises, the mind also rises and then moves toward things spiritual.

Swamiji has said, ‘A little awakening of the Kundalini is dangerous.’ Unless the Kundalini rises to the higher planes, lust, anger, and other low passions become very powerful.

Swami Shivananda

Swami Brahmananda used to tell us that it is only when kula-kundalini, the coiled up spiritual energy, awakens at its place in muladhara and moves upward through sushumna, that the gate to the knowledge of Brahman opens.

When the kundalini is awakened as a result of intense spiritual practice and prayer to God, and when the mind gradually rises above the three lower planes and continues to remain in the fourth plane, the aspirant gets visions etc. of God, and he gradually develops love and devotion for Him.

3 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

You need not worry about awakening the spiritual power called the kundalini. If you can chant the name of the Lord with a steadfast mind and meditate on His blissful form, you need not bother about anything else. In time meditation will automatically lead you to the blessed experience known in the scriptures as awakening of the kundalini . The only method is by developing intense love of God and not by breathing exercises.

[To the question: “In which place or chakra does the kundalini rise up when the forms of God are seen in meditation?”]

Possibly in the anahata chakra.

[Question: “During the awakening of the kundalini do the lotuses in the chakras bloom for only the yogis and not for the devotees?”]

For the devotees also.

[Question: “Does the kundalini rise up as light, and as it rises to each chakra does the lotus described in that chakra blossom?”]

Yes, that is what the scriptures say.

How the Lord attracts the kundalini shakti and the place from which that power rises up and the exact place in the brain where it meets the Paramatman — these things can be understood only when samadhi has become customary.

The visions of the gods and goddesses is also called samadhi.

If the kundalini of the jiva rises to ajna chakra, the mind does not come down. Remaining for 21 days constantly in samadhi, it merges completely with the Paramatman in the sahasrara. At this stage, if it is necessary that the body should remain in this world, everything is done through the grace of God and an arrangement is made for breaking his samadhi by feeding him.

Antaratman is the Atman with antahkarana. The seat of this antahkarana is the middle of the brow to the navel. The seat of buddhi is in the brain, of the mind in the throat, of ahamkara in the heart, and of chitta in the navel.

4 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Vijnanananda

Our Mother is the embodiment of law. If you conduct yourself in accordance with this law, you will gain complete knowledge and understanding, and going against this law will only lead to inevitable disaster, and you will be pulverized into atoms.

This law of God acts silently; it is great and all-powerful. This is what Christians call the Holy Ghost and Hindus call Shakti.

Swami Vijnanananda

The aim of life is to realize God. Can such a great task be accomplished so easily? You must never be given to laziness and hypocrisy. Maybe you have nearly swam across to the other bank of the river, but even then if you do not keep swimming, the current of water will drag you away and get you drowned.

Swami Brahmananda

A man of learning may write books or give lectures, but if he has no dispassion in his heart and if he does not practice what he teaches, his words cannot be effective for they have no power behind them. They merely create a momentary sensation.

Swami Premananda

Let there arise anew in this land numbers of Gargis, Lilavatis, Sitas, and Savitries. What better thing is there in this world than learning? Give knowledge, and ignorance will vanish through its culture.

The ideas of Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji are so profound that if you are not very learned you will not be able to understand them properly. So finish your education.

The gift of learning benefits the giver as well as the receiver.

How much Sri Ramakrishna is teaching me by placing me in various circumstances! I thought that I had escaped university examinations by taking refuge in Sri Ramakrishna, but I now find that at every step I face examinations. When I have finished learning, I think that probably He will release me.

Be not vain. We are born to learn and there is no limit, no end, to the things to be learned.

5 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

When a man is vain on account of his learning, what does he gain? Even if he has read all the Vedas, he is not qualified to know the Truth.

Real learning is that which will enable a man to realise the Truth. As our Master used to say, repeating ‘Sadam’, ‘Sadam’ (food) will not appease your hunger; so repeating the texts of books will not appease your spiritual hunger. Your hunger will be satisfied only when you see God.

Intellectuality and spirituality are diametrically opposed to each other. Intellectuality is based on ego and spirituality is based on annihilation of ego.

Swami Vijnanananda

You should listen to one or two good, useful teachings and then try to act up to them. There is no point in attending religious discourses without a corresponding effort to abide by any of the teachings. You should see that whatever you learn is reflected in your lives.

Unless you are completely detached from everything, your meditation and prayer, work and learning will be of no avail.

6 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

By delivering lectures or quoting his teachings, you cannot preach Sri Ramakrishna. Mould your lives in his cast, and let people see your exemplary lives.

Mere lectures cannot help to preach the truth of God. Show it by your life.

No real work is done by merely lecturing; your lives must exemplify the ideals you preach.

To preach religion one must be pure in heart. Mere lecturing is not enough. If a man preaches religion who has not first purified his own heart, he merely feeds his own ego.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

There is not much work done in public lectures. What is there in hollow talk? Everyone can talk religion but where is he who can give it?

Swami Shivananda

But true liberation calls for complete self-dedication.

As a result of good deeds performed in many births and through the grace of God, one has this desire for liberation.

Anyone who takes shelter under the Master with all sincerity and with his whole being, anyone who loves the Master, will inevitably get liberation.

Can there be any hard and fast rule that one will have liberation only at Uttarkashi? Liberation or samadhi can be attained anywhere, if it so please Him, if such be His dispensation.

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7 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

Reduce the external paraphernalia and serve men as God with all love and utmost sincerity. This will certainly bring you devotion and liberation.

To be liberated means to be desireless.

Attachment is bondage; yet again, attachment opens the door to liberation to one who becomes attached to God or the guru or to illumined souls.

The root cause of all desire is the ego and our identity with the physical body. ‘When the ego dies, all troubles cease.’ Then alone man attains

immortality. Then is he liberated while living.

In order to attain wisdom of God and liberation for one’s own self, one need only to receive the sacred mantra from an illumined guru and, with complete faith, become absorbed in the practice of japam and meditation.

I can assure you that you will attain liberation and peace if you but free yourself from lust and greed. There is no doubt about it.

Swami Adbhutananda

A bumble-bee hiding in a fragrant flower offered in the worship touches the feet of the Lord. Similarly, by the grace and association of a holy man, one surpasses even the gods and attains liberation.

The other day a monk explained it nicely: ‘Man has already attained God, to try further for realization is useless.

This universe belongs to God and man is living in it; thus he has attained salokya-mukti, liberation by living in the same region as God.

God made man in his own image, and thus man has attained sarupya-mukti, liberation by having a form similar to God’s.

God is everywhere, so man is always near him; and thus he has attained samipya-mukti, liberation by living close to God.

The only thing that he has not yet attained is sayujya-mukti, becoming one with God.

Swami Akhandananda

To attain liberation and knowledge, even the gods have to be born in human form. After that, the love and care of a real Guru is essential. Those who have got these have already gained more than half.

8 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

Plunge headlong into work. Swamiji once told me, ‘Haribhai, I have chalked out a new path to God-realization. So long people thought that salvation could be had only through prayer, meditation, and the like. But now my boys will attain the bliss of liberation-in-life by mere selfless work! So have no doubt. It is his charge.

Man always seeks advantage. He has been doing it not only in this life, but also in many previous lives. Mukti is nothing but giving up seeking advantage. Man wants to avoid suffering; he is always sparing himself. Swamiji used to say that man wants only to gossip.

As a bird flies to the sky with its two wings, so we must have the two wings of discrimination and renunciation to climb to the edifice of liberation. If one has real discrimination and renunciation, one is safe.

A man runs after water in a mirage only so long as he mistakes the mirage for real water. Once the delusion is broken, nobody goes after a mirage for water.

Animals have no conscience, hence they have no merit or demerit. They have obviously got intelligence, but there it ends. Only men can do fresh work, because they have got a conscience. They only have got the idea of bondage, which other creatures have not. Only when there is the idea of bondage, can there be any real effort for liberation. Don’t you see how a prisoner struggles for release?

It is only when there is the idea that the world is a bondage, that a man can strive for liberation. His failure to understand this takes him through the endless cycles of births and deaths.

When you dive into the Ganges you don’t feel any weight, although there are tons of water overhead. But one feels so burdened when one places a pot of water on one’s head! Even the spine may give way.

You may love all the beings in the world and be not at all under bondage, but the moment you allow your love to be centred on any special object, you are bound. If you can get rid of these loads, then only can you attain to peace and liberation.

When one has attained liberation, one realizes the pure love without any ulterior motive. It is a love devoid of every thought of the power and glory of the Beloved.

Possession of all powers is a sine qua non of the attainment of Mukti.

When all love for the body goes, liberation will come very soon.

Renounce, renounce, give up the world. There is no liberation without renunciation.

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9 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

But when through japam and meditation a little awakening comes, do not imagine you have achieved the end. Light! More Light! Onward! Onward! Attain God! Gain his vision! Talk to him!

The followers of the path of knowledge seek for the Light, and they become illumined. However, one is not different from the other. In the end, the devotee and the man of knowledge become one.

Practice these spiritual disciplines, and as you practice new visions will open up — wonderful, beautiful visions. You may see many aspects of God and many spiritual forms. Or you may see an ocean of light or a steady flame. There is no end to this God-unfoldment, this knowledge of infinite Existence, infinite Bliss. Light, light, more light!

God is the Light of Knowledge, and in order to obtain his grace and see him, you must pray earnestly to him to turn that light upon himself. Then only can you see him.

When, through spiritual practices, a little awakening comes, do not mistake that for the goal. Do not stop! Move onward! Light! More light! Go deeper and deeper. You must see Him face to face, and talk to him.

As you continue in your meditation you may experience a divine light or you may hear the ringing of a bell or the sound of Om. Many such spiritual experiences may come, but pay no attention to them. They are of little value, except to indicate that you are on the right path.

When the mind becomes absorbed, a shining light is first experienced in the mystic vision. With this vision, there comes a kind of higher and nobler joy, and the mind is reluctant to give up this joy and move onward.

But if the aspirant goes further, the vision of the light will be concentrated into the form of the Chosen Ideal and the mind become merged in his consciousness.

There are some who think that they have already attained God if they see a radiant light. Do not be deluded in this way. You must attain nirvikalpa samadhi, where all consciousness of duality is obliterated. Some say that that state is the end of spiritual experiences, but I believe it is the beginning.

10 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

The more you try to enter within, reaching the inner and inmost recesses of your heart, the greater the light you will receive. Light cannot be found anywhere outside. It is all within.

The light you refer to will come from within. The more you try to enter within, reaching the inner and inmost recesses of your heart, the greater the light you will receive.

The Mother, the Embodiment of Light, is within every heart. She is within me; She is within you. She is everywhere, in everything, from Brahma down to the smallest insect — in the movable and the immovable.

Pray to Mahamaya, the First-born. She holds the key in Her hands. The realm of light will be opened unto you if She graciously unlocks the door. She alone is the source of the entire universe. We have all come from that Mother and will eventually merge in Her again.

That Primordial Energy, the power of Brahman, is beyond the reach of this mind and intellect of ours. She manifests Herself in a pure mind. Man cannot reach or understand Her through spiritual practice alone.

She is self-luminous — it is Her consciousness that makes this world conscious. Hold on to that Mother! She is within yourself. It is She who will open the way to the light.

I told you, my boys, this light is within yourself. Dive deep within and you will discover the light. That is the essence of all teachings.

Be resigned unto the Mother. Pray to Her earnestly, crying like a child, and you will discover the light. You will see that the blissful Mother will give you joy and peace. She will certainly do so.

11 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

Man’s mind generally works in the three lowest planes: it travels up and down amongst those three only — food, sleep and sexual pleasure. It does not generally like to rise above these planes. The mind of some rises up to the plane of the heart. Then one gets the vision of light.

[To the question: “They say one gets the vision of light, when the mind rises to the ‘throat-plane’. What kind of light is that? — Is it very luminous?”]

Yes, one sees light. But, then, it is not any gross light — it is the light of knowledge.

Swami Vijnanananda

One who can detach his mind from material things will see the effulgent light of Brahman and His presence in everything.

Whenever the mind becomes pure and holy by being detached from material things, it reflects the effulgent light of God.

Do you know what the ‘light’ is? It is very sweet and soothing, representing joy and peace and enlightenment. That is light effulgent.

Beyond this universe lies that ocean of divine light. It is through the grace of the great souls that we find our way to that divine light. They help us to rise from the lower plane to the higher. Thus we get the inspiration to cross ‘the sea of the material world’ and move into the ocean of divine light.

The Master himself said, ‘You should meditate on this portrait of mine and that will do.’ By invoking the Master one can have so many visions of light. But he must be invoked heart and soul. He is the light of the world — self-revealing and all-pervading. His manifestations are everywhere.

12 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

Without some longing for God spiritual progress is impossible. As the Master used to say, ‘So long as the child is busy with his lollipop, he is forgetful of his mother and she attends to her duties; but the moment the child tires of the lollipop, throws it away and begins crying for the mother, she drops everything, runs to the child and takes him in her arms.’ So long as you too remain attached to the lollipop of this world, you will not see Him.

If one would have as much longing for the realization of God as for the monastic vows, the fire-ritual, and so on, one would be immensely blessed.

The Lord looks at your mental attitude — your heart’s longing. If one has devotion for Him, nothing else is necessary.

The Master used to say God can be realized when all the three types of longing become united in one — the longing of a chaste wife for her husband, the affection of the mother for her child, and the attachment of a miser to his wealth. If one can combine all these three kinds of longing into one and direct it to God, then God can be realized.

The more you weep for Him, the more will He reveal in your heart. Weep with intense love, weep with the utmost longing.

Anyone who longs for the Lord gets Him; but the longing must be genuine. The call must be earnest and unequivocal; then only does He reveal Himself. The Master used to say: ‘God is like Uncle Moon — an uncle equally to all children. Anyone that wants Him gets Him.’

Nobody can teach another how to lament his separation from the Lord; that comes only when the time is ripe. The cry for help will naturally burst out of the inmost core of one’s heart when one feels the real want, when one feels in agony just because one has not seen God, when the whole world appears as void in His absence. No one can say when that blessed moment will come. That state will come only when He is gracious, and when you feel it in your own heart. Go on calling on Him with earnest supplication; pray incessantly. He will hear your prayer — I give you that assurance.

13 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

If there is sincere longing for God, everything becomes favourable.

‘When will that day come when the very utterance of the name of God will bring tears to my eyes?’ Do you cry when you take His name? Ah, what a supernal condition! Just consider! — The very utterance of His name makes you cry!

Swami Adbhutananda

If there is no dissatisfaction, longing for God does not come.

Swami Saradananda

To have a strong longing for God and feel ill at ease because God has not been realized comes from the grace of God. Pray to Him for this with all earnestness.

Cultivate a longing for holy company and the desire to know God, by knowing whom all our wants are satisfied.

Whenever an aspirant longs intensely for God, he finds the way toward the fulfilment of his desire. Sri Ramakrishna often said: ‘The Mother will not allow any of her children to go hungry. He who is hungry in the morning will be fed in the morning. He whose appetite is aroused late in the evening will be fed in the evening.’

Cry unto Him with a longing heart. He will reveal Himself to you when the time is ripe.

No sooner does the spirit of longing enter your heart than you will be blessed with the vision of His continuous presence and be totally absorbed in Him.

Know for certain that He will not leave you. He will never fail you when you cry His name with a longing heart.

Be not troubled; call on Him with sincere longing, and all will be set aright.

Swami Akhandananda

How long will you keep turning the rosary beads? Call on Him with intense longing. Gradually everything will come to a standstill. The rosary beads will stop, the fingers will not move, even the lips will not open to utter His name. All bonds will fall off, even that of clothes.

14 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

The blessed feet of the Lord are our eternal home. We must reach them somehow. He alone is the truth. That truth is to be attained.

Swami Shivananda

He, the Lord, dwells in every heart and judges a person by what he has in his heart.

It is the Lord who is responsible for the desire for spiritual practice. He is the Fountain of all forces! Unless He is gracious and gives us the strength, how can we pursue spiritual practice?

He is more manifest in sadhus and devotees.

The Lord is our Mother. One has to take refuge in Her with the fullest confidence and in a spirit of self-surrender.

Hence take refuge in the Lord who is the eternal Truth, the everlasting, unchanging, conscious Self of every being.

Who is the devotee? It is the Lord Himself who in a way becomes embodied as a devotee in order to taste the bliss of His divine sport. That is why the Master used to say: ‘The scripture, the devotee and the Lord — they are one and the same,’ and he would salute them. The words of the Lord are treasured in the scriptures and He is seated in the hearts of His devotees. The Lord Himself is born as His devotee. Although He is omnipresent and infinite, He comes to us in a finite form for our good.

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15 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

Lord, Thou art everything. Whom should I scold? Everything is He; there is only a difference in the quantity of dust that covers the gold.

The Lord is the witness, the fulfiller of the wishes of his devotees. He thinks of our welfare more than we.

He is the Lord of our hearts, He is our very own.

Swami Turiyananda

The Lord is the Inner Ruler. You have to lay bare before Him your heart’s aspirations. When He sees that you are sincere, He will fulfill them. There is no doubt about it.

The Lord dwells in us all. He knows our innermost desires.

Swami Saradananda

Know for certain that the Lord sees, hears everything and knows everything. He listens to your least whisper. He is aware of every thought that arises in your mind. Whatever you ask of Him with a yearning heart will be granted.

Remember, the Lord listens to every word that you utter, every thought that you think. Whatever you ask of Him with sincerity will be fulfilled.

Swami Subodhananda

Before the Lord enters the temple of any one of His children’s hearts, he fills it with devotion, faith, and love, just as a king sends different pieces of furniture and vessels to a subject’s house which he intends to visit. Else, where can the poor subject get all those things? The Lord grants devotion, faith, and love, just because He will come.

Swami Vijnanananda

The Lord is within you and you don’t have to seek Him outside.

16 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

My boy, devote yourself to spiritual practices. Attain knowledge and devotion. Then you will see how your heart will overflow with love and sympathy for mankind.

Vain indeed is this human birth unless one has love for God!

Have intense love for God and the mind will remain always tranquil and pure.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say that a man will surely attain God if he possesses in an intense degree three kinds of love — the love a chaste wife feels toward her husband, the attraction the worldly man feels toward the world, and the attachment the miser feels toward his hoarded wealth. This means that the mind must be one-pointed and completely free of all desires but the desire to know and love God.

You may think: ‘Let us have yearning, faith, and devotion first, then we shall begin our spiritual practices.’ But is that possible? Can we see the day before the break of dawn? When the Lord comes, love, devotion, and faith follow him as his retinue.

The guru must not be looked upon as an ordinary human being. His physical body is the temple of God; if one can serve the guru with this idea always in mind, one acquires an intense love for him, which later develops into an intense love for God.

Choose that aspect of God which most appeals to you, and when you feel a growing devotion toward that one aspect, when you feel a steadfast love toward your Chosen Ideal, you will love God in all his aspects.

You cannot love God and the world at the same time. If you want God, shun temporal pleasures. Ask yourself: ‘What is it I want? Do I want this fleeting life of transient pleasures, or do I want the eternal bliss of everlasting life?’

Without dispassion toward the world, faith and love do not grow. You must have intense dispassion.

Without intense love for God, it is very difficult to practice spiritual disciplines in the right way, even after retiring into solitude.

Learn to acquire love and sympathy toward all. Overlook the faults of others. If you cannot help an evil man become good, of what use is your spiritual life?

Can man know God by himself? Can the intellect grasp him? Surrender yourself to him; love him, yearn for him, seek refuge in him, be mad for him!

Without divine attachment and divine love the mind becomes dry and restless.

[To the question: “How can love grow?”]

By prayer, meditation, and the practice of spiritual disciplines.

[Why did God create us?]

So that we may love him.

[To the question: “How can one have love for God?”]

By trying to realize Him through singing His name and praise and praying to Him. Thus have the saints realized Him.

17 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

But the main thing is love for the Lord with the idea that He is our father, mother, friend, master, everything. You must have some such relationship.

One cannot have that pure love and knowledge without the grace of the Lord, and He graciously gives that devotion and knowledge.

When one goes on repeating the name of the Chosen Deity with intense love, one becomes gradually filled with an ineffable bliss.

But then, one has to call on Him with sincere love. If one can somehow acquire love for God, one has nothing more to worry about; one can then advance towards Him very quickly.

If one somehow acquires the feeling that God is one’s own, one can set one’s mind completely at rest. One cannot, however, have real love for God so long as one’s mind is pre-occupied with sensuous things.

When the kundalini is awakened as a result of intense spiritual practice and prayer to God, and when the mind gradually rises above the three lower planes and continues to remain in the fourth plane, the aspirant gets visions etc. of God, and he gradually develops a love for Him.

How can anyone have love for God, pure and untouched by sin as He is, unless one’s own mind becomes purified? For that, one needs intense spiritual practice and sincere yearning for God.

18 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

If one but has love for the Lord’s name, one need have no more worry.

Do you know the real meaning of all this? They lack true love for God, real hankering. Can anyone run about searching for the best water all his life, if he has a real thirst? He has come to the Master, and taken shelter with him. But he does not consider that enough; he must have something more! Neither has he love, nor steadfastness. Stick to the Master and follow him in your own way; and you will get everything in time.

You have read much, and you may read more. But along with all that, you have to get your mind fixed. Develop a love for God in your heart, be earnest, and call on Him. Then you will find that everything will be fulfilled in time. Make your mind ready. ‘When the flower blooms, the bee comes of itself,’ said the Master.

The more you weep for Him, the more will He be revealed in your heart. Weep with intense love, weep with the utmost longing.

By his divine touch, one becomes sinless then and there. What is wanted is sincere love for him and absolute surrender to him.

Passion is that which centres round oneself; and love is that which centres round God.

The more intimate the relation you can have with God, and the more you can love Him, the more joy you will get from His name. God’s name and God Himself are non-different.

Knowledge, devotion, love of God — all that lies within.

God is a lover of His devotees; He is satisfied with love and devotion alone. He reveals Himself wherever there are yearning and love.

19 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

The mind becomes purified by spiritual practices, renunciation, and austerities; and in that pure heart, love for God finds expression, and God reveals Himself there. The thing that matters is to love God, thinking Him to be one’s own.

The contact with perfected souls will most certainly stimulate love for God in others. That’s a unique phenomenon; that’s also a test for knowing whether one has seen God.

The essence of everything is love and devotion at His feet. If one has that, one has accomplished all.

Illumination, love and devotion, and similar states belong to the realm of the Spirit.

Call upon God with great love. He is your father, mother, husband, friend and all.

Holy company is so effective that it generates love of God.

Listen, my child, perhaps you mean to say that you have not made as much spiritual progress as you would desire. Let me tell you something. You must be happy to see me after a long time. Are you not?. I am also very happy to see you. What is the cause of this mutual attraction? Neither you nor I have any worldly relationship. You are happy to see me because you love God. I too am happy because I love God. This love of God binds us both together. On account of this love of God we feel happy when we see each other. When you were away I missed you. You too must have missed me. This love of God is the sure sign of spiritual progress.

Look here. Nothing will happen to you if you do not have right and proper attachment, affection and love for the Master. Love the Master offering to him all your heart and soul. Make him your very own.

Mere mechanical Japa does not help much. You must have love for the Lord. But then even mechanical Japa has some results, for after all it is the Lord’s name that is being repeated. But the main thing is love for the Lord with the idea that He is our father, mother, friend, master, everything.

20 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

One must love the ideal with one’s whole heart. Dive deep with whichever name of the Lord appeals to you. It won’t do to swim merely on the surface.

If you can love others, then you will be blessed with peace and happiness.

The poor, the weak, the fallen, the ignorant — all these you have to make your very own. And yet I warn you, that in loving one section of society, you must not become hateful of the other — the rich.

Make the whole world your own through love. Let there be none outside the pale, none your enemy. Let there be no egotism, and drive away such foreign ideas as enmity. Let the whole world become one through love.

Money can do nothing; it is love and character that can achieve everything. Show it all by your actual life, and then will people listen to you.

Have you not acquired in this life the right to love and serve the Lord? Value this right above everything, above the self even, over which a glory has been shed by the Divine right of love and service.

Do you know the price of love? Your own severed head. Are you willing to give your very head to God? Everything that you have? Then only will you understand what love is.

When love arises in the heart, joy fills it. Lose yourself in love; be drunk with love. Forget ‘I’ and ‘mine’ by being absorbed in love.

Fill your inside and coat your outside with love.

Love intensely your fellow man, and he will not hesitate to give up his life for you.

Know for certain that in this world of relativity, there will always be good and evil, pleasure and pain, praise and blame. We love those who come to us not because of their merit or demerit, not because they are good or bad; but because our very nature is to love, no matter what they are, and we consider them as our very own.

We need ecstatic love — that love that the gopis of Brindavan had for Sri Krishna.

21 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

At this, the vendor lowered the basket from his head and said, ‘Come, let me know how much prema each of you will have. I sell it by weight. How much do you want, a pound you say?’

With this he drew out a sharp knife. ‘Here! Give me your head and I shall return you as much prema as your head weighs!’

If you want prema this is the price you must pay — your head.

Verily, never has spirituality been attained by mummery — by empty words! Sacrifice, terrible sacrifice of one’s own life is the price for it.

You must strive with all the might of your body, mind, and heart to love God, to be melted into his love, and to become absorbed in him.

Do not quarrel with anyone. Love everyone as you would your closest relatives, knowing them all to be children of Sri Ramakrishna. Pay no heed if one praises you or another blames you.

Can one become a lover of the Lord, just by jumping and shouting ‘Hallelujah’ or by mouthing quotations from the scriptures? Be humble, be selfless — that’s what is more important.

If you can but gain pure love, you will know bliss and peace.

A lover of God seeks no praise for himself. His heart is forever full. If people speak ill of him, he is not disturbed. Even if the world is destroyed, he would then build a house in the sky! The nature of the lover of God is indeed unusual and special. Brother, he cannot tell the difference between ‘his own’ and the ‘own’ of others. He lives and dies, loving others, not looking at the merits or defects of others. Ah! But he does not die. Love confers infinite life, immortality.

Prema is an invaluable, supreme treasure. Let us steal this treasure and make ourselves wealthy. No brute force is necessary to obtain this fortune. Strength of conviction, faith, and reverence are all that are needed.

Love one another. Watch yourselves and see that your love for one another never lessens.

Vain is this life to one who has not learned to love God.

Struggle hard to have love and devotion for Him and you will attain Him. He is the very life of our life, the soul of our soul. He is the Lord of our heart, He is our very own.

The worldly man is drunk with thirst for the objects of senses, with name, with fame, with lust, with gold. Be you also drunk, but be drunk with selfless works, with love of God, with ecstasy, with samadhi!

22 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

‘Friend, mine is not merely lip service. Mine is the anguish of the heart. I must reach my Beloved.’

Yearn thus for him like the gopis. Drink deep of that love. Be mad for him. This is following the path of love.

With the advent of Sri Ramakrishna, there has come a flood into the river of love. Jump into it; fear not. You will become immortal. You will be born anew. Move forward.

If you feel that life in the world is a great bondage, and that the world is an abode of misery, there will come distaste for worldly enjoyments and your love for God will increase.

Make an effort to live in love and harmony with all. Live an exemplary life. Let your heart expand in love, embracing all. There is nothing higher than love.

Those who are guileless and devoted to truth, self-controlled, and lovers of God, are the living gods, the rishis and siddhas; even though they wear human bodies.

Make this world your own by loving all. Let there be no stranger, let there be no foe or enemy. Let there be no pride or egotism in us. Let the world be united in love as one race. Know that love alone is true — all else is fleeting, false.

Know that knowledge, love, and purity belong in our very nature; fame, honour, and glories are foreign to our nature. Let not our minds ever run after such.

To love the devotees of the Lord brings no attachment, it creates no bondage.

Once a man wanted to have prema [intense love] for God. Just then he saw a vendor passing in the street with a basket on his head, crying, ‘Ho, here is prema. Who wants it? Who would buy it?’

Hearing this, some boys cried out, ‘O, let us eat prema!’ Some older ones also called out, ‘Indeed, we want prema!’

23 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

One may have any amount of Samadhi and Dhyana, but one must never forget to love Him. What is the use of this life if one does not love Him?

There is no other way than Bhakti.

One must have the capacity to love.

The Master used to say, ‘Do whatever you like after making the knowledge of oneness your own.’ That is to say, know the Lord as the soul of your soul, the life of your life, the eye of your eye, and love Him. Nothing else than this, such as asking things of God, is true devotion.

Nobody wants Him. Men want to get rid of their misery, to enjoy life. To conceive a ‘motiveless’ love for Him is very difficult. I knew a man who used to cry for solitude. But one day he asked, ‘Shall I marry again?’

There are two forms of Bhakti: Firstly, the ritualistic or obligatory devotion, such as, one should practise so much Japa or one should perform Puja in such and such a way. Then there is the loving devotion. At this state the devotee thinks ardently of God. He finds no pleasure in things unrelated to God.

If you find a man’s desire for sense-enjoyments is growing less and less and his love is extending over all beings, then you may know that he is progressing towards God.

If there is concentration on any single object, there the idea of God manifests itself. Lust, anger, fear, affection — any of these may bring about concentration. — affection — as with Mother Yashoda.

If there is love, there must also be an object of that love. It never happens that there is hunger, but no food to satisfy it.

24 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

When one has attained liberation, one realizes the pure love without any ulterior motive. It is a love devoid of every thought of the power and glory of the Beloved. It is a love such as the Gopis bore to the child Krishna.

With the gradual increase of love for God, lust, anger, etc. wane out.

There must be a psychology behind, and what is that? It is the desire to attain oneness. Lust also is an aspect of that love. But men take a wrong course. They begin with the gross, hence their failure to carry it up to that Pure Substance, God. Some, however, have attained realization even through this, as for instance Chandidasa. You have heard also of Bilvamangala, and of Tulasidas.

Tulasidas was henpecked. His wife was going to her father’s house and Tulasidas followed her. Disgusted at this, the wife remarked, ‘If you can bestow even a grain of this love on the Lord, you will soon realize Him.’ At once his power of discrimination was roused. Men of this stamp are roused up by such trifling causes.

Love and lust are two things very much allied. Hence Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘Lust is blind, but love is pure and resplendent.’ It is lust if you have the idea of man, and love if you have the idea of God in your beloved.

It is the love for our body that stands in the way to our realization of that higher state where we can say: ‘I am not this body, I am the Atman, the body is an illusion.’ As long as we love the body we cannot realise the Self and we shall be born again and again. But when we love the Atman then we become indifferent towards the body and when all love for the body goes, liberation will come very soon.

Only as we give, do we receive. If we love others, others will love us.

25 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

Is it so easy to convey love to a person? A lot of spiritual discipline is needed to be able to really transmit love. What do ordinary people know about love? Only God can truly love, and only illumined souls are really able to transmit love.

The main thing in spiritual life is to have love, devotion, and faith in God. He is our close relative. He lives in the hearts of all beings.

So long as you are aware of duality, you cannot have love for the One.

Other acts do not count so much as a moment’s love for the Lord. Blessed is he who has loved Him even for a moment. Saint or sinner, the Lord loves all.

Do you ask what happens if one believes in God and loves Him? He is rendered innocuous, he cannot do harm to anyone, this brings peace to himself and to society.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

No man who has not true love towards God can be religious.

If we love God for what we can get from Him in the world, we really love the world, not God, and we can never be true devotees.

The true devotee loves God just for the joy of loving Him, because God is the Beloved.

If we cannot love others, if we cannot serve others, what are we here for?

As a matter of fact all men are loving God; for every man loves eternal life, all knowledge and all blissfulness and these are God. But few men know they are loving God. They are like a man who has been hearing of mangoes all his life but has never seen one. He may eat a mango and not know it unless someone comes and tells him.

So all men are loving God; but only when someone comes and tells them, do they know it. If they can once realise that God is the most lovable being in the whole universe they will learn to love Him consciously; all their thoughts will flow towards Him and they will be naturally religious.

26 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

No love is really love that knows its opposite, hate. True love is always inclusive and universal. So long as a man has an enemy and cannot bear to have any good come to that man, he cannot know what real love is.

That is why Christ tells us, if someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn to him the other; if he takes our cloak, we should give him our coat also, no matter who it is. Until we are willing to do this, we cannot feel true love. Real love must embrace all.

[To the question: “How can we cultivate love for God?”]

The nature of love is to love the beautiful. When you see a beautiful person your heart goes out to love him spontaneously. God is the most beautiful being in the whole universe, so it should not be difficult for you to love Him. Now it seems to us easier to love the world than to love God. That is because the ego blinds our sight, so that we cannot perceive the beauty of God. This ego must be conquered. It is always a falsifier. It places itself on the throne which belongs to God and tries to hide God.

So long as the ego is on the throne we can never hope to see or love God. Hate and anger are signs of the ego. If a man hates anyone, or gets angry with anyone you may be sure he has not conquered his ego, and cannot feel true love in his heart.

What is this ego? A mere soap-bubble. One blow will break it and reveal its hollowness. We must get rid of the ego and reach the stage where we can say sincerely ‘No I, Not I, but Thou.’ When you have been able to put down the ego, love of God will come of itself.

27 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

You are, indeed, a very bad lover of God if you cannot bear some worldly troubles for His sake!

To err is human. The only things we should look after is never to forget loving Him, the Master of the Universe.

The more your love towards God is increased, the less will your lustfulness becomes.

Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna says, ‘As water has no definite form, and assumes the form of the vessel in which it is kept, so God has no definite form.

But God is the God of all living beings and therefore you should not confine Him to human forms only. If your father dresses himself as a foreigner he does not lose your estimation and reverence on that account.

Hence, whatever be the form of God, because He is your God, you should love him always.

The love which proceeds from the infinite soul of man must have an infinite object for its veneration and as God is the only Infinite, that object is God.

The true lover of God must be more than perfect. For a perfect man may be self-contained and self-satisfied, but he may not have the power of satisfying others; just as a reservoir of water, full to the brim, is self-contained and lives only in itself. Not so the perennial spring, which is not only full in itself, but also springs out of itself with overflowing munificence for the sake of others.

A true devotee is like that. He lives not so much for himself as for his Beloved and for those who belong to Him.

In order to be a true lover of God one must know one’s perfect nature, which is beyond hunger, thirst and other wants.

True love of God or Bhakti comes after the realization of one’s true self or Atman which is perfect in every way.

28 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

But one thing you must strive for without let up: You are to work unceasingly so that your love for God, without growing dim, becomes more and more intense and your relationship with Him becomes more and more intimate. If you can make Him your very own, He will see to your welfare and never let you down.

The goal of all paths is the same. Each path is equally powerful. But none should be undertaken to the exclusion of the others: knowledge must unite with devotion. And this unity must be expressed through action.

Knowledge without love is dry. Love without service is pure sentimentalism.

You are to watch whether your love for God is increasing day by day. This must be your aspiration and aim.

Try to cultivate pure and whole-hearted love for God. That should be the aim of your life. Without love, spiritual exercise in the form of posture and rhythmical breathing are of no avail. The only method is by developing intense love of God and not by breathing exercises.

To sing the name and glories of the Lord in the company of devotees is helpful to the increase of love and devotion.

[To the question: “Maharaj, we do not see God. How can we love Him without seeing him? How can we love a Being who is unseen and

whose very existence is doubtful?”]

Act according to the instructions of the Guru. If you can strictly follow what the Guru has prescribed for the realization of God, everything will be smooth at last.

[To the question: “Do Pranayama, Asana, etc. help to remove the tendencies of the mind?]”

Nothing particular can be achieved through them. One may derive some benefit. The more you will love God, the more will the mind come under your control.

29 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Akhandananda

The more you can think of others as yourself, the more loving your heart becomes, and the more is Self-knowledge revealed.

Without heart, everything else counts for nought. Unless the heart expands, nothing else will avail. Merely to continue sitting with the eyes shut will produce no fruit, it will not bring about God-realization. One’s heart must feel for others; one must identify oneself with the happiness and sorrows of others; then only will God be realized.

Learn to love Him, call on Him earnestly with the love of a lover. You have none other. Just think, ‘He alone exists, He has become all.’

The Master would ask us, ‘Did you call on Him with tears today?’ If we answered ‘yes’, he would be very glad. Again he would ask, ‘From which corner — outer or inner — of the eyes did the tears trickle down?’ And then he would proceed to explain that tears coming from the corners near the nose are tears of repentance and those from the outer eyes are tears of love.

Another day I was thinking: ‘I love them so much, yet they leave me and go away as if they cared nothing for me. They do not look back even once. They have no affection for me!’ But then the Master made it clear to me: ‘No other affection can touch you. You care for them encircled by the light of my love. Can worldly love and affection touch you in any way?’ Then I understood everything and the mind became calm and I came to the conclusion that it matters little whether they remain or go. We shall have to get along with each other for the destined number of days.

By serving, the heart is purified; by serving, the heart expands; by such service one can see oneself in all. This self-realization alone brings in the love for all. Nowadays even a schoolboy talks of universal love. Mark here, universal love comes only after knowledge of the Self.

After self-realization, you will see that everything is good. Then you can really love all.

Swami Vijnanananda

God is love. As He loves everyone, so should we love all created beings.

The function of the heart is love and devotion, and that of the brain is to discriminate between good and bad. This love and this discrimination have to be combined for the purpose of God-realization.

As you think, so you act. As thoughts of love help in expanding the self, so do thoughts of anger and jealousy lead to its contraction.

30 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

[On being asked to free his mind from lust, Maharaj said to a disciple:]

I could do that for you, but then, my child, you would lose all the joy of struggle. Life would seem insipid.

But no effort is wasted. Lust, greed, anger, all gradually leave a man who practices spiritual disciplines.

God and the lust for worldly enjoyments cannot go together. To have one you have to let go the other. At the same time it is not possible to entirely give up the lower pleasures unless you have tasted the joy of the higher.

That is why I insist that you give your whole heart to God now, while you are young. Make him your own. ‘God is my all in all.’ Fix this truth firmly in your hearts, and the path will be easy. When once you taste the joy of the Lord, all other pleasures will become insipid. Dedicate your lives to him. Take refuge in him only, and then let him do with you what he wills.

It is as impossible to conquer lust or control the mind by the mere study of books as it is to walk on air.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the power of the mind becomes strengthened by the practice of continence. A man so strengthened is not overcome by lust and anger. Passions seem trivial to it.

Real austerity is based upon these three principles:

First, take refuge in the truth. Truth is the pillar to which you must always hold while performing any action.

Second, conquer lust.

Third, renounce all cravings.

Observe these three principles. That is real austerity, and the greatest of these is to conquer lust.

The craving of lust is very subtle, and extremely difficult to control. That is why a spiritual aspirant must always be careful in associating with the opposite sex.

[To the question: “How can one conquer lust?”]

By repeating His name and by contemplating on Him. Do you understand?

[Devotee: “But I can’t conquer it in any way.”]

Then marry. Always reason. Others accomplish many things, why not you? You must. Call on Him in whatever ways you like — meditate on Him, repeat His name,

or sing His praise. Do not doubt, do not lose self-confidence.

31 October 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

[To the question: “Maharaj, what are the essentials?”]

They are renunciation of lust and gold. If one can renounce lust of the flesh and greed for wealth everything will be all right. What counts is not the mere renunciation of external attachments; inner attachments must also be given up.

It will not do to have mere external renunciation; one must eradicate from one’s very mind any desire for ‘woman and gold’.

My children, whatever you may say, there is no joy in ‘lust and gold’, here or in heaven, whether you are scholarly or otherwise. This is the word of God.

[To the question: “How are we to free ourselves from lust?”]

My child, does anyone become completely free from lust? But, then, by repeating the Lord’s name again and again, it gradually subsides. Keep yourself far away from all the things which give rise to negative feelings. Whenever such feelings come to mind, pray to Thakur with folded hands.

Swami Trigunatitananda

The most effective means of getting control over the senses is to look upon all women as one’s mothers. You are apt to look on them otherwise from your very childhood, and you never call on women as mothers with all sincerity, that is why the problem of sense-control becomes so difficult. Just as on seeing an image of any goddess, we have a natural inclination to salute her, to worship her, and to pray to her, so also may our devotion be aroused on seeing any woman, and may we feel a natural inclination from within to bow down to Her!

1 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

If you realize that it is ruinous to indulge in sexuality, have you tried to find means to overcome it?

Deep down within his heart man knows full well that there is no lasting happiness to be found in the mad pursuit of worldly enjoyments, and yet, like the camel who chews thorny bushes even while his mouth bleeds, so man still stirs up his lust for enjoyment even while he suffers. To satisfy his lust man needs gold. Lust and gold! These are the chains that drag a man down to the pit of worldliness. He alone soars high who shakes himself free of these chains.

He who renounces sexual appetites — not in conduct only, but also in thought — he it is who has renounced all worldly pleasures. He alone is the man of true renunciation.

Have faith, have self-confidence. Convince yourself, ‘We are devotees of Sri Ramakrishna. We are free souls. Assuredly we shall realize God.’ Have this firm conviction, and then alone you can overcome the furious enemies, lust and anger and greed.

Those who have faith in God cannot be harmed by lust and anger, though these may arise occasionally.

I can assure you that you will attain liberation and peace if you but free yourself from lust and greed. There is no doubt about it.

Let not the thoughts of lust, hatred, jealousy, or selfishness ever enter the doors of your mind. Whenever such thoughts try to creep in, pray, pray earnestly, and remember the ideals set before you by Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji, and struggle unremittingly to free your mind of all impurities.

2 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

Mere suppression of passions helps little. There must be a high ideal along with self-restraint. Without a high ideal, the passions will find another outlet. You must give them a new direction, then you will be automatically rid of them. ‘Take refuge in Me and control the senses.’ As for example lust. The Master explained: ‘What is lust? It is the desire to get. Then desire to get Him, and strengthen this desire greatly.’

Lust is called Manasija, ‘born in the mind’. Only a hero can conquer the senses and go beyond them to the superconscious planes.

You must analyze your mind very carefully.

The Master asked me to increase my lust infinitely. I was amazed to hear it. He then explained, ‘What is lust? It is the desire to get. Then desire to get Him and strengthen this desire greatly’.

Think that you are His child. Why should you be so low as to be lustful? Or think that you are ever pure.

Isn’t it terrible to be overcome by lust in old age? They say that such desires are stronger in old age. The impulse is there but the senses lack in power — isn’t it a great torment? Besides, one loses much of one’s controlling power then.

There must be a psychology behind, and what is that? It is the desire to attain oneness.

Lust also is an aspect of that love. But men take a wrong course. They begin with the gross, hence their failure to carry it up to that Pure Substance, God. Some, however, have attained realization even through this, as for instance Chandidasa. You have heard also of Bilvamangala, and of Tulasidas.

Tulasidas was henpecked. His wife was going to her father’s house and Tulasidas followed her. Disgusted at this, the wife remarked, ‘If you can bestow even a grain of this love on the Lord, you will soon realize Him.’ At once his power of discrimination was roused. Men of this stamp are roused up by such trifling reasons.

Love and lust are two things very much allied.

3 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘Lust is blind, but love is pure and resplendent.’ It is lust if you have the idea of man, and love if you have the idea of God in your beloved.

If there is concentration on any single object, there the idea of God manifests itself. Lust, anger, fear, affection — any of these may bring about concentration. Lust — as in the case of the Gopis.

Perfect mastery over the sex impulse is very difficult. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, ‘A man will be born as many times as he has sex-connections.’ And in each of these births there is a great likelihood of having that connection over again. So there is the endless round of births and deaths. The only remedy against that is to take refuge in the Lord and give up that clinging to flesh with a firm determination saying ‘I won’t do it again.’ In that case, all the sins done previously will be forgiven. But a person must not play the hypocrite. Then all the old sins will come down upon him and exact their dues with compound interest.

Lust, attachment, and the like are one and the same thing, varying only in intensity.

Sri Ramakrishna would say, ‘Almost all have been caught in the snare of sex-attraction. Only a few have been saved by the Divine Mother.’ It is a most dreadful attachment. People are all right so long as they do not come under its influence. A man under its spell can stoop to anything.

‘Lust and gold,’ and ‘the palate and sex-impulse’ are short expressions denoting the same thing. If one gives up these enjoyments, one verily renounces the world. One who can do this indeed sets at naught the whole world.

4 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

[To the question: “Kindly make my mind free from sex-impulse.”]

Look to the Atman, not to the body. Practise fixing the mind always on the Atman. ‘One gets attached to objects by constantly thinking of them. From attachment comes longing, and from longing anger.’

Anger is a concentrated form of lust. It makes one lose one’s head completely. Lust does not so absolutely overwhelm the mind.

Once in America, a lady came to see me. I at once divined her mind and asked her if she had anything to tell me. She was very glad that I understood her. She told me that her husband was very sensual, but she herself had not the least inclination for that sort of life.

She said, ‘I allow my husband freedom to go to whomsoever he likes; only let him not trouble me.’

To that I replied: ‘You are very nice! You started life together, and now you want to drive him away! Live with him and try to reform him by your advice.’ She burst out into tears at my words — she understood. And though for a time they lived together, she could not hold on to the last, she separated, but never married again.

In America men work very hard; they necessarily seek enjoyment of the senses. And they have no other idea of enjoyment than that. Hence it is that they are so excessively lustful. The women labour less and some are intellectual. Therefore perhaps they have less of the sex-impulse.

The senses, the mind, and the intellect — we shall have to capture all these outposts of consciousness, and thus conquer lust. Lust, anger, and avarice — these are but different forms of the same thing. They are the eternal enemies of the Jnani, and destroyers of knowledge and wisdom. Join the senses to the Lord. That is the way to teach the senses a lesson.

5 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Turiyananda

‘Come, o mind, let us evade lust and other passions, and live by ourselves.’ But how difficult to evade them! It is these which have made brutes of men!

[To the question: “There never comes a distaste for sense-enjoyments.”]

That is true, indeed. You eat your fill — loading your stomach to its utmost capacity. It satisfies your hunger for the time being; but soon the same hankering for food comes again. Only a temporary cessation it is — not a permanent one. Of all enjoyments, the one possessing the greatest attraction is that of sex. All enjoyments are called Bhoga, but sex-enjoyment is called Sambhoga, enjoyment par excellence. But even that is controlled if one knows how to discriminate.

The other day a doctor came — a very nice man. He said, ‘The mind gets averse to all enjoyments, but not to that ’. I said, ‘Pray to God.’ He replied, ‘There is no desire to pray even.’ He seemed to be a very nice man. Unhesitatingly he laid bare all that was in his mind before a holy man. I said, ‘All right, enjoy the sourness of the hog-plum. In time it will go.’

Conquer lust. Assert your independence. Conquer lust even before it can conquer you. Once the lust gets control over you, you are done for. It is just like what happens in wrestling feats. In wrestling, if once you fall below, you are done for. Through discrimination and devotion to God one can be free from lust. With the gradual increase of love for God, lust, anger, etc. wane out.

6 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

Keep a picture of Sri Ramakrishna with you. Whenever lustful feelings arise, you should look at the picture intently. You will find that the senses will gradually be gathered in and the mind will be freed from lust.

Control lust and greed. Practice japam and be charitable. If you can do this, you will find the Lord showering his grace upon you.

He who has learned to discriminate can successfully overcome lust and greed. So, cultivate your discrimination and conscience. How can you struggle against evil tendencies if your intellect is not trained to differentiate between good and evil?

First clear out the rubbish which has entered the mind through the gates of the sense organs, and then put a ‘NO ADMITTANCE’ sign in front of each gate. Those bad thoughts which ignore the notice and still come in, you will have to hand over to the police, which is our conscience. With the help of the police you must evict the impure tendencies from the mind and then install the Lord there. This is the way to conquer lust and desire.

The seed of lust is in the mind. That seed is nurtured by the sense organs within and the sense objects without, and thus it grows and produces innumerable fruits. These fruits are to be chopped off and the seeds are to be destroyed. Afterward, you must sow the seed of the Lord’s name, and you will reap the harvest accordingly.

Now you are reaping the harvest of desire. The Master used to say, ‘Where desire is, God is not; and where God is, there is no desire.’

7 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Abhedananda

Realize the idea that you are the witness of the mind. Lust, anger, and other deadly enemies are the attributes of the mind, and so they cannot touch the soul. Raise your mind to the Ajna Chakra, and ponder over the truth that lust, anger, and the rest are not the attributes of the soul. Meditate on this idea.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

Do not be overconfident that you can withstand the impact of Kama [lust] in the company of women.

Lustfulness is the chief enemy of young men. Look upon all women as forms of Mother. Know that you are a God and consequently the Lord of the senses. Why should you allow the senses to lord over you?

The more your love towards God is increased, the less will your lustfulness be. Always try to walk along the proper path.

Swami Vijnanananda

Wealth and lust are so much connected that one follows in the wake of the other.

8 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

As long as there is a tinge of lust, as long as there is awareness of the distinction between man and woman, it is not right to say, ‘I am working under divine inspiration. I do everything He makes me do.’

Religious life has not begun until one has completely effaced the idea of sex and of all carnal desires. To carry this ideal into practice is difficult no doubt, but it is not impossible. Saints and divine incarnations have demonstrated the truth of this principle in their own lives. They are our exemplars.

Why do you magnify a small matter into a big thing? You are wasting your time thinking about the origin and effect of lustful thoughts in your mind. Instead of doing that, try to cultivate a positive attitude and think day and night how far you have been able to love God and how much devotion you have toward Him.

You have written that there have been lapses ten times before in the past. If there be ten times more in the future, you should not be dejected. Constantly brooding about things over which you now have no control will cause more harm than good. This will surely jeopardize your spiritual life. Dirt cannot be washed by dirt. Even charcoal looses its blackness when it comes in contact with fire. Similarly, lust cannot remain when the image of God pervades the mind.

One thing you must bear in mind is that nobody has been able to conquer lust by his own effort. You can overcome lust only if the grace of God descends on you. Pray sincerely to Him for guidance.

The only means by which we can overcome lust is through constant repetition of His name and not through privations and austerities. Has not the Gita said: ‘The abstinent run away from what they desire but carry their desires with them. When a man enters Reality, he leaves his desires behind him.’

Know for certain that none is completely free from the fetters of lust and greed until he has seen God.

[To the question: “Frequently even at the time of meditation Kama makes its appearance vigorously.”]

Never mind. It comes to all. Surrender yourself to the Lord and drive it away. But carefully abstain from such food as irritates the stomach and is not easily digested.

9 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

There is no difference in meaning between the mantram and the Chosen deity. They mean the same thing. He is your all in all.

Yes! Initiation is very important. With the aid of a mantram it is easier to practice concentration of the mind on one Chosen Ideal of God. Without the mantram the mind wanders from one conception of God to another; and never succeeds in concentrating upon any. And without achieving perfect concentration nothing can be accomplished in the spiritual life.

With unwavering faith in the words of the guru, the disciple must regularly practice repetition of the mantram and meditation on its meaning. Thus will he find peace of heart.

In purely mental japam the mantram is repeated without moving the lips, but in ordinary japam the mantram is repeated silently with the movement of the lips.

What is the meaning of the mantram? It is the name of God. You have a name. If I call you, your form also comes to my mind. Call on the Lord in this same way. Repeat the mantram and at the same time meditate on the image of the Chosen Ideal.

[To the question: “Maharaj, for the last few days during my meditation, the mantram has appeared in shining letters before my closed eyes. When this happens the form of the Chosen Ideal disappears.”]

You must not let the Chosen Ideal leave your mind — meditation and mantram must go together. However, your experience of the mantram shows that you are proceeding along the right path. That was an auspicious sign. The mantram is the sound-Brahman.

The mantram is charged with spiritual power. The truth of this will be directly revealed to you as you practice.

Mantrams, of course, are always potent, but when they are received from so-called gurus who trade in religion and are themselves blind, they cannot bring real peace or illumination.

Initiation into a Mantra helps concentration of mind. Otherwise your mind will change and fluctuate: today you will like the form of Kali, tomorrow that of Hari, and next day perhaps the formless aspect of God. And thus your mind will not be concentrated upon any one.

10 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

You repeat the mantra, don’t you? That is what is important. What meaning would the mantra have? It is the name of the Lord, and the little mystic syllable attached to it is expressive of the particular aspect of the Deity.

The name, together with the mystic syllable, comprises the mantra. The mantra primarily refers to God. Repetition of the mantra is as good as calling upon God. What would you gain by knowing more of the meaning? Repeat the great mantra with simple faith. That will be conducive to your spiritual welfare.

You should sit for japa with steadfastness at least twice a day — morning and evening — and repeat the mantra for a definite number of times.

As you repeat the mantra of a Chosen Deity, think of His form as well; thus you can have both japa and meditation simultaneously. To call on Him even once only with a sincere mind is more effective than making the japa or the mantra for a hundred thousand times with an unsteady mind.

Those who are of a high spiritual calibre become spiritually overpowered as soon as they receive the mantra, and there appear such signs as shedding of tears, shaking of the body, standing of the hair on end, and so on.

Anyone whose time for receiving the mantra is ripe has the lotus of his heart opened, as it were, to accept it; and as soon as he gets it, his heart enfolds it with the greatest care.

The power of a mantra that has brought success to anyone is irresistible when imparted to another, and particularly is it so when it comes through a guru who is himself a realized soul.

11 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

[To a brahmacharin‘s question: “When one feels a strong pull towards the path of knowledge, can one repeat merely the word Om, without repeating the mantra of one’s Chosen Deity?”]

Yes, there is no harm in that, for that Om is nothing but Brahman. One can think of the Master as Om. There is no harm in it.

[A few days later he asked the brahmacharin:]

Well, are you practising your Om? [When the brahmacharin replied in the affirmative:]

That is fine; that is fine.

[Brahmacharin: “But, Maharaj, as I keep on repeating Om, the body becomes stiff, and that produces some fear.”]

When you feel that way, you should pray to the Master thus: ‘Master, you yourself are this Om. Kindly lead me along the right path. Do please ordain it in such a way that I may attain the truth — be it knowledge or devotion.’ Pray thus with all earnestness.

But one thing you should know, my boy, that when that very mantra comes out of the mouth of a perfected guru, it becomes impregnated with a new power. Otherwise it is nothing but a sound. The guru makes the mantra alive by his own spiritual energy; and he rouses the coiled-up energy of the disciple. That’s the whole secret of it.

12 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Premananda

In order to attain wisdom of God and liberation for one’s own self, one need only to receive the sacred mantra from an illumined guru and, with complete faith, become absorbed in the practice of japam and meditation.

Swami Trigunatitananda

If you do not believe in a Mantra, that too is not imperative. A Mantra is needed for bringing the mind under one’s control. One who succeeds in controlling the mind, has not much need of a Mantra. But one thing you must know: Generally speaking, it helps greatly to use some Mantra in the beginning. But if you cannot believe in it, why, you can just choose any one of the names of God and go on repeating the same. He is for all, and comes to anyone who calls on Him.

Swami Ramakrishnananda

But here in India one man whispers one or two holy words in the ear of another in a solitary place and this is religion according to the Hindus. Man’s religious consciousness is awakened by the Upadesham and this must be made known to none. Wife must not tell it to the husband or the husband to the wife. It is the person’s individual property.

13 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

Repeat the mantra with unwavering devotion. The seed has been sown. Now you must water it with unfailing faith. You may use your beads as a help in concentration.

The name of the Lord you receive at the time of initiation is sacred to you, it is your mantra. You must not speak of it to anybody except your guru. The purpose of keeping it secret is not for any occult reason but in order to let it sink into your deeper consciousness and reveal to you the truth, the knowledge of which will make you free.

Constant repetition of the mantra is keeping good company. It must be natural, like breathing. The repetition of the divine name will bring into your mind holy associations, the blessed qualities of God, and take away all the blemishes of the heart. The disciple must practice hard, with patience and determination, until he attains the direct vision of God within the sanctuary of his heart.

The power of the mantra is tremendous. As a living seed holds the potential of a tree and is able to yield fruits and flowers in season, so the mantra has the power to bring spiritual progress and ultimately liberation from the world of suffering and death.

The scriptures say that when the spiritual power is awakened, the mantra is seen in golden letters and sometimes is heard as clearly as a human voice. All these things are matters of experience. They cannot be known through intellectual understanding or mere discussion.

One has to practice spiritual discipline for many years. In time, everything will be revealed from within oneself. Then the aspirant realizes God in and through the mantra which appears as the visible form of the Infinite Being, which is formless and nameless.

Swami Akhandananda

Always repeat the Mantra given to you by the Guru.

Swami Vijnanananda

Our scriptures contain everything in regard to all this. The mantra we utter every evening is ‘Om, ritancha, satyancha’, etc. It is the eternal Truth from which the universe evolves and it is the Truth in which it exists and into which it dissolves.

The Bijamantra is very powerful. The seed words like Hrim, Srim, Krim, etc., have undoubtedly special powers.

If you repeat the mantra which I gave you, the framework of worldly illusion will break up.

14 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Saradananda

If you get joy from meditating on the bija of your mantra, then do that. You wanted to know how to meditate on the name. Try to concentrate on the sound produced by the name. Then the mind will become calm and peaceful. ‘The name is Brahman,’ say the scriptures. Bliss will come only by taking the name.

[To the question: “Is mechanical repetition of the Mantra of any use?”]

The Tantras say that through the repetition of the Mantra, realization is attained. I should think so. If one fails to meditate, one should go on repeating the Mantra very earnestly.

Do you know what is Purascharana of the Mantra? A Mantra becomes ‘conscious’ when you repeat it a lakh of times at a time. The utterance of the Mantra in a proper spirit even for once purifies the mind. Instantly the mind becomes delighted and blissful.

[To the question: “Will it do to repeat it a lakh of times a day?”]

That will certainly be very good. Repeat a lakh of times or even ten thousand times according to your capacity. Even five thousand times is good if the Mantra is a big one, or even two thousand times if the Mantra is too big a one.

[To the question: “Maharaj, it will take five to six hours to repeat Gayatri one thousand times.”]

All right, if the Mantra is too big, why not repeat at least a thousand times?

One should rise at dawn every day and practise. If the Mantra is comparatively small, at first repeat two thousand times, then slowly increase the number. This will do.

[To the question: “How many times shall I repeat the holy name?”]

As many times as you can.

[To the question: “What is the meaning of our Mantra?”]

‘May God who is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the creation, remove my sorrow.’ This is the significance of all Mantras.

15 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

Birth, marriage and death — over these three events man has no control. Marriage is a matter of divine dispensation. There is no reason why you should be attached, even if you are married.

Very well; you attend to your duties and perform your spiritual practices to the best of your ability, and let your wife also do the same; she, too, has a purpose in life.

Swami Premananda

Look, son, you will not listen to our advice if we ask you not to marry. If after looking around you and seeing how your friends and relatives are miserable in their bondage to marriage, you still wish to be caught in the trap, what good will our advice be? Nobody seeks any remedy until he knows he is sick. When a man feels that he is diseased, then he calls for a doctor and follows his advice.

Swami Saradananda

Whether you are to marry and live in the world or to become a monk and renounce the world — this is a very intricate question. You alone are the fittest person to decide. None can do it for you.

Is it possible to realize this truth living the life of a householder? Many people think that if one gets married and has a family, it is almost impossible for him to practice self-control. This is utterly wrong. What stands in the way of a householder controlling his senses?

Sri Ramakrishna used to say: ‘Make your mind and speech one and you will attain everything. Do not limit it to restraining the senses. Many other excellent qualities will be reflected in your life.’

The aim of the scriptures is to teach people how to develop the spirit of renunciation in married life. Through worldly experience, with its joys and sorrows, they will come to know the value of detachment, without which no happiness is born. Gradually they will understand that the pleasures of the world are short-lived and unreal and that the only reality is God.

16 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

ON MARRIAGE

The marriage of Sri Ramakrishna has a deep meaning. He entered into it with the idea that people might learn from his example that marriage is a sacrament and has an ideal much higher than the gratification of the senses.

It was demonstrated in the life of Ramakrishna to fulfill a great need. For the first time in the history of the world an absolutely pure married life was expressed through lifelong spiritual practices and austere disciplines. Sri Ramakrishna would say, ‘Let men cast their own lives in this mould and fashion an image of purity and perfect beauty.’

Once the bad habits become strong, it takes much pain and many years to get rid of them. So from now onwards, practice daily, keep holy company, have good thoughts, pray with great yearning to Sri Sri Thakur, and read good books. If you follow these instructions with a whole heart for a year or two, you will be able to see the result. Those who fail to benefit by them should marry and lead a good life.

Various causes such as regular study, special care of parents, marriage affairs, etc., offer obstruction, and consequently the power is increased. Power seeks channels for its manifestation, and gathers force in the midst of obstructions.

The mind of the worldly people is divided over many things. If they get married, half the mind goes to the wife, and the greater portion of what remains goes to the children, money, property, etc. The little that is still left is scattered over things of enjoyment. It is almost an impossible task to get it concentrated to a point.

17 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

The only way to remain safe from sense-objects is to give yourselves up wholeheartedly to God. Be strong in his strength, and this very strength will free you from the net of Maya.

In the domain of Maya there is both vidya and avidya. Vidya is spiritual discrimination and renunciation. By taking refuge in vidya, you take refuge in God; while avidya, which consists of lust, anger, greed, egotism, attachment, and envy drags a man down to the level of a brute. If you cultivate discrimination and renunciation, avidya will be destroyed. If you yield to avidya, God remains far away and suffering will be your lot.

There are both vidya and avidya. Man has the power to choose the one or the other, and on the nature of his choice will depend his success or failure in life, and he will reap the fruits of his choosing.

Swami Shivananda

You ask me why you forget Him, my daughter? This is what is called Maya. Under the spell of Maya a person forgets God and remains attached to sense objects which are impermanent.

There is no way to lift the veil of Maya other than self-surrender to God.

Pray to Mahamaya, the First-born. She holds the key in Her hands. The realm of light will be opened to you if She graciously unlocks the door. That Primordial Energy, who is Consciousness Itself and regulates everything, is the creator of the mind, intellect, ego and the like: She alone is the source of the entire universe. We have all come from that Mother and will eventually merge in Her.

How strange it is that people become so engrossed in this momentary existence! They become so mad after the fleeting happiness of this world that they entirely forget the real aim of life. Such is the play of Maya that deludes the whole world.

Unless God is gracious, nobody can escape out of this illusion, be he ever so learned or wise. It is only when He removes a little this covering of Maya that a man can understand how great this grace is.

18 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Shivananda

[In response to a letter from a woman overwhelmed at the loss of her husband and lamenting, “Alas! I can bear it no longer.”]

It is the Great Cosmic Mother having Her play, and as a consequence people suffer pain and sorrow. Who can ever understand all this? Men can be saved only if they take note of all this and think of the transitoriness of worldly things. They rather remain merged in Maya. It’s good to think of death now and again.

One can hardly enumerate the infinite ways in which the ephemeral nature of the world becomes revealed before people’s very eyes. Still, they are not awakened. And this is Maya!

Men are exactly like silkworms; they spin their worlds out of their own illusions, get entangled in them, and suffer sorrows and bereavements. They won’t understand that the people they call their own are not really theirs.

Embodiment itself is a source of sorrow in the first instance; and, over and above that, they would spin these illusions! But how can man help that? They suffer because they are shrouded by the veiling power of Mahamaya. None can penetrate Her mystic play. It’s all a play of Her power of destruction.

That’s why the Master used to say, ‘Mother, who, indeed, can comprehend Thy Maya? Nor do I care to comprehend. My only prayer is that Thou mayest out of compassion grant me pure devotion at Thy feet, and pure knowledge.’

In how many ways is the evanescence of everything driven home to man, and yet he does not wake up! This is what is called Maya.

19 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

Worldly happiness is the product of Maya. Maya operates within the three states — waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. But beyond those three is another realm, turiya, which is extremely difficult to reach. The bliss of that realm is free from Maya.

You know how sweet is the joy within Maya. Ordinary people are enchanted by it. They do not even think for a moment how immensely sweeter is God whose Maya is so sweet!

[To the question: “But Maharaj, the scriptures say that God is guiding man; so the responsibility is God’s, not ours.”]

Yes, the scriptures are right. It is the responsibility of the operator, not the instrument. But tell me, who is guiding the individual soul who is bound by Maya? Maya herself is acting as the operator.

Do you know the nature of Maya’s game? She loves to play, and wants to play always. She enjoys ups and downs, pleasure and pain, creation and destruction. She loves to raise waves of desire in the mind and does not like to still them. But God takes charge of the soul which is not bound by Maya.

When God guides a man, an uninterrupted current of happiness, peace, and bliss flows in his mind and no other waves of thought can be raised there. He becomes one with that unfathomable, waveless, ocean of Satchidananda.

Maya belongs to God, but Maya is not God. So you cannot say that being guided by Maya is the same as being guided by God. Nevertheless, the ultimate purpose of Maya’s guidance is certainly to take the individual soul to God.

Maya wants to play constantly. Because Maya’s play goes on and on, man cannot see where he is being taken on his journey, so he thinks Maya is taking him in the wrong direction. But look, how can she misdirect us? Isn’t God everywhere? Maya has become manifest by God’s will and she is working for him.

20 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Adbhutananda

The scriptures speak harshly against Maya because she has qualified the unqualified Brahman. And there is another reason: God alone is real; Maya, by comparison, is unreal, illusory. But Maya is unreal only in relation to God.

From man’s standpoint, Maya is avidya, ignorance, which is neither real nor unreal.

If you watch Maya carefully, you will see that she is pushing man toward God step by step. With one hand she is deluding man and with the other she is unveiling consciousness before him. She works in a balanced way, without any motive of her own. She balances both happiness and misery, both goodness and evil.

Do you know the intention behind all this? To teach us. If Maya’s purpose were to lead man astray, she would show us only one aspect, not both. But because Maya shows us two aspects, she simultaneously deludes and enlightens.

True, she causes man much trouble and her path is very roundabout and time-consuming, but eventually it will lead one to God. After you suffer repeated blows and much torment in this world and come to understand Maya’s ways, Maya won’t be able to hold you anymore. Then you will be released by her sattvic power. That is why she is called the one who makes the impossible possible.

Maya is great and that greatness is God himself.

The other day a monk explained it nicely: ‘Man has already attained God; to try further for realization is useless.

This universe belongs to God and man is living in it; thus he has attained salokya-mukti, liberation by living in the same region as God.

God made man in his own image; and thus man has attained sarupya-mukti, liberation by having a form similar to God’s.

God is everywhere, so man is always near him; and thus he has attained samipya-mukti, liberation by living close to God.

The only thing that he has not yet attained is sayujya-mukti, becoming one with God.

21 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

12 October 2020

Swami Brahmananda

He in whom a longing for God has awakened, let him rise and struggle.

Pray to the Lord with all your heart! Then alone you will long for him.

We must pray; we must cry unto God that he may awaken in us longing for him and that our cravings for enjoyment may be wiped out.

He is the very life of our life, the soul of our soul. He is the Lord of our heart, he is our very own. Yearn for him with a longing heart.

Only one in a million sincerely longs for God and few sustain that longing. Therefore you must try to intensify that longing. Whatever you do, whether you are sitting, or lying down, or eating, or working, pray constantly. Know that your time on earth is but short, and that your real home is at the lotus feet of the Lord.

If a man truly longs for God, if he sincerely desires to practice spiritual disciplines, he is bound to find an illumined guru.

If you sincerely long for God, you must plunge into meditation and become completely lost in God.

22 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

Our Master Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the poison of the cobra is most deadly, yet that poison does not harm it. Similarly Maya is inside God, but can never interfere with the nature of God any more than the poison can injure the cobra.

God plays the part of a creator, that He may have the fun of creating, preserving, and destroying. That is the method He always follows when He wants to create, and this is God’s relationship with Maya. God is infinitely powerful, so He has the power to put down the irresistible power of Maya.

But what is our relationship with Maya? We are her slaves. You cannot be destroyed by Maya, but she can make you miserable through eternity. Then how are we going to get rid of her? Only by the help of God can we hope to get rid of her.

If you know that you are eternal and indestructible, then you are not body, you are spirit, and that Self is beyond the reach of Maya, that Self is one with God. If you can identify yourself with this real Self of yours and throw away yourself, then you can go beyond the dominion of Maya, and this path is known as Jnana-marga.

23 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

Maya is like a famished harlot appearing on the stage. The moment she is detected to be an old woman she gives up her tempting coquetries.

A man fully under water cannot see the bank, but a man with the head above surface sees it. So while immersed in Maya, what is outside it cannot be known.

Creation, preservation and destruction are done by Maya in the presence of God and not by God, just as the hair grows in the body not at the wish and instance of the man but in his presence.

This Maya is so irresistible and it is this Maya which makes us selfish.

The world is a place where the unreal appears to be real and the real appears unreal. Maya makes us believe something to be where there is nothing, and nothing to be where there is something. It makes weakness seem all-powerful and the powerful seem weak.

The poor sage in the forest, whose loin cloth is of bark and whose bed is the bare ground, appears to the world as a weakling; while the king on his throne in a glittering palace appears to it strong; but in reality it is the sage that is powerful. Compared to him the king on his throne is nothing.

Recognizing this, kings in ancient times, when a sage came to their court, would come down from their throne and prostrate in the dust before him.

24 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Ramakrishnananda

The charm of Maya is so irresistible, it is only when God is gracious to us that we can lift the veil and get a little glimpse of Him. All Maya is localized in ego.

Pull out the foundation and the whole house will collapse. Take away the ego and the whole structure of Maya will fall. Then you will realise a state of perfect calmness. Maya traps us through the senses. He who has conquered his senses has conquered the whole universe.

Maya is God’s power; there is no difference between God and His power. Just as sugar cannot be imagined apart from sweetness, milk apart from whiteness, so God cannot be conceived apart from His Shakti.

We do not pray to a powerless man, knowing such prayers to be useless. God is all-powerful and therefore we pray to Him. So, whoever prays to God worships Shakti.

Everyone in the world is a Shakta, for who is there that does not worship power?

None can see God with eyes blinded by Maya. The veil of Maya must be torn asunder to have a vision of God.

Maya is that illusory and inexplicable power of God that has created this phenomenal world. It has bewildered all creatures. Our mind overpowered by it, is attached to wife, wealth, children, fame, etc. This magic power makes us believe that these transitory things are eternal. None can escape the clutches of Maya, without the saving grace of God.

This Maya is irresistible and it is this which makes us selfish. Only when God is gracious to us can we lift the veil and get a glimpse of Him. Then all selfishness drops off.

Heaven is a place created by Maya to tantalize man and to entice him from the ideal. We have heard of the sirens in the mid-ocean, who are very beautiful to look at and who sing so sweetly that sailors are irresistibly drawn to them. But as soon as the sirens touch them, they are transformed into beasts.

So these heavenly pleasures and the senses are like sirens which entice poor sailors sailing on this ocean of life, and when they hold them in their clutches they transform them into brutes.

The scriptures say: Sleeping, eating and propagating we have in common with the lower animals — and how many of us do more than that? We have been transformed by the sirens of Maya until we are little superior to animals.

25 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Abhedananda

Ignorance is the root of all evil. Ignorance means absence of the knowledge of the Self. Ignorance or Maya may also mean false knowledge. That is why Maya and ignorance mean the same thing. Perhaps it will lead to better comprehension if Maya is compared to a dream rather than to a mirage. For as in a dream, a man perceives many things as true, which are really false or untrue, and again perceives them just as they are when the dream is off, just so in Maya. Whatever is perceived as true in dream, is perceived as false in the waking state. As dream is known to be false in the waking state, so also the whole world is seen to be false, that is changeful, when the knowledge of the Self is attained.

To go beyond Maya, one needs discrimination and renunciation. Even gods cannot escape Maya unless they have these two.

Swami Akhandananda

You have read science and allied subjects. All right, read more about them; but know all these to be within Maya, on this side of Maya, and we have to go beyond Maya, to the other side of Maya. Maya is like magic and we have to see the magician. But then the path beyond Maya is through Maya.

As long as there is calculation, there will be time and space. That is the realm of Maya. Truth is far away from that.

Maya vanishes the moment you really recognize her. The moment you thoroughly understand that you are a fool, you begin to become wise.

Just cry for one night, saying: “O Lord, I am a fool, without any intelligence. I do not know anything. I do not understand anything. You show me everything. You please give me understanding. You appear before me.”

One such earnest prayer will change things overnight. One who has known that he is a fool — does he remain a fool anymore? ‘The fool who knows that he is a fool is wise so far. But the fool who thinks himself wise is a fool indeed.’ A very wonderful idea, beautifully expressed!

Maya is of two kinds — Vidya-Maya and Avidya-Maya: that is, Maya of the Ishvara, and Maya of the Jiva. Beyond Maya is the undivided Pure Consciousness. Next appears Ishvara with Universal Ignorance or Maya. He is omniscient, omnipotent, and independent; then come Jivas with the individual ignorance or Avidya. They are dependent, their knowledge and power are limited. A relevant example is the open sky and the space limited in a room or a pot. In the rooms or in the pots, the space seems to be divided, or cut up into so many pieces; but it is really not so. The Jiva-consciousness has to go back to Ishvara-Consciousness, to Pure Consciousness, and has to realize its own self. This is the goal of life.

26 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

In order to have meditation and concentration, you must practice in solitude; the more you try, the more you will achieve. Wherever you find conditions favourable, say if there is a fine scenery, sit down to meditate.

The way of steadying and purifying the mind is to retire into solitude, control all cravings, and engage yourself in contemplation and meditation. The more you occupy the mind with holy thoughts, the greater will be your spiritual unfoldment.

Work is a means to the state of meditation. Instead of working for yourself, work for the Lord.

The Gita and other scriptures emphasize the ideal of worship and meditation in the midst of the activities of life. I can confirm this from my own experience. ‘Work and worship’ is the surest way to spiritual progress.

In performing Japa and meditation, certainly sufficient time and favourable conditions are important. But those who are inclined to practise spiritual exercises will do so under all circumstances.

Meditate, meditate, and dive deep within. Know that God alone is real. Keep at least three-fourths of your mind in God. It is enough if you give one-fourth to service.

Yes, you must work. But I insist that you devote yourselves to spiritual practices and meditation.

But when through japam and meditation a little awakening comes, do not imagine you have achieved the end. Light! More Light! Onward! Attain God! Gain his vision! Talk to him!

In the beginning the mind will refuse to come under control, but force it, urge it, entreat it in order to fix it on meditation. Faith and regularity are very important; nobody can succeed in anything without them.

27 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Is it possible for everybody to meditate all the time? That is why Swamiji taught selfless service in order to make it easy for people to reach union with God.

You practice meditation and japam; you progress a little, then comes a period of dryness. It seems that the doors are entirely closed. At that time it is necessary that you stick to your spiritual practices with infinite patience; by so doing you will find one day that all of a sudden the doors are opened. What a great joy it is then! In spiritual life many such thresholds have to be crossed.

When you meditate, you should imagine that God is standing before you like the mythical wish-fulfilling tree. At the time of meditation you should imagine that you are in mid-ocean, on all sides there are mountain-high waves, and God is standing before you ready to help you.

Higher still is meditation. When a man practices this form of worship, he keeps up a constant flow of thought toward God and becomes absorbed in the living presence of his Chosen Ideal. He goes beyond prayer and japam, but the sense of duality remains.

The highest method of worship is meditation on the unity of the Atman and Brahman. This leads directly and immediately to God. The aspirant experiences Brahman; he knows that God is. It is an actual realization of the omnipresent Reality.

The body is the temple of God, and one should practice worship and meditation within it.

With unwavering faith in the words of the guru, the disciple must regularly practice repetition of the mantram and meditation on its meaning. Thus will he find peace of heart.

Make your mind strong through the observance of continence and the practice of meditation.

28 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Reminiscences of Swami Subodhanandaji Maharaj

Swami: Sometimes the Master would say, “The Divine Mother Herself has come to visit the world in human form [i.e. meaning Sri Ramakrishna himself], when people of all sects assemble here, this body will not last.”

One day while walking in the Panchavati at Dakshineshwar, the Master went into ecstasy. Then, facing the northwest, he pointed to himself and said, “Look, the Divine Mother is saying that the more a person thinks of me, the more quickly he will understand the highest truths of religion.”

Again, pointing to the northwest, he said, “I shall be born again in that direction, then many people will attain knowledge.”

On another occasion the Master told me about himself: “This body is a cage of flesh and bone, but the Mother is playing inside it. . . . He who was Rama and Krishna is living in this body.”

Sri Ramakrishna would freely talk to the disciples about the struggles and experiences of his spiritual journey. He saw the Divine Mother in all women; as a result no woman could tempt him.

Once the Master said to Subodh:

“During my sadhana I was in a God-intoxicated state. One day, while I was picking grass sitting under the Panchavati in Dakshineshwar, a beautiful young woman came and stood behind me, trying to draw my attention. I was unaware of her presence. After waiting for a long time, she felt neglected and said to me: ‘Hello, sadhu, I have been standing behind you for a long time—neither did you look at me nor talk to me. I have visited many ashramas. Wherever I went, everyone eagerly talked to me or asked me to stay in the ashrama. You are a wonderful detached monk. You didn’t look at me even once!”’

Subodh learned a lesson; and he later narrated this incident to M.

29 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Japam and meditation are impossible unless you can transcend Rajas and Tamas and become established in Sattva. Before you can reach that transcendental plane from which there is no return you must transcend Sattva also.

Perhaps now you do not enjoy meditating, but as you form the habit you will come to the point where you will actually feel unhappy if you do not meditate. When you reach this stage, you will know that you have advanced along the spiritual path.

As you meditate on your Chosen Ideal, think of him as bright and effulgent, and that everything shines because of his light. Think of him as living and conscious. As you continue thus, the form of your Chosen Ideal will gradually melt into the formless, into the Infinite. Then will follow a vivid sense of the Living presence, until, finally, the eye of wisdom will open and the Infinite will be directly perceived. Ah! that is another realm, far beyond this universe!

---

Today is the birth-day celebration of Revered Swami Vijnananandaji Maharaj. May Revered Maharaj bless us all with Bhakti.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Revered Swami Vijnananandaa Maharaj is staying at the 'Math.

'Every day the priest starts the worship after offering pranam to him.

Maharaj asks him, what is next? The priest describes.

On the day of Vijaya Dasami, Maharaj asked, ‘What is there tomorrow?’

The priest replied, ‘After a brief worship with ten articles in the morning, there will be Darpan-Visarjan (immersion in the mirror). And in the evening there will be Pratima-visarjan, immersion of the image.'

Maharaj asked again, ‘Where will you immerse the Mother?'

The priest replied, ‘Why, in the Ganges?’

Maharaj asked, In the ‘Ganges?’

The priest replied, ‘yes Maharaj, as is the practice every year.’

Swami Vijnananandaji Maharaj said solemnly, ‘Mother is to be immersed in the heart only’.

30 November 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

[To the question: “Maharaj, some think of the Chosen Ideal as the all-pervading spirit. Is this also a form of meditation?”]

Yes, certainly. Everyone should practice this meditation, but not at the beginning. This should be done only after some progress in spiritual life has been made.

Meditate upon the Guru in the sahasrara, and then merge the form into that of the Chosen Ideal. Sri Ramakrishna said very explicitly: ‘At the time of meditation the Guru appears before the disciple in vision; he points to the disciple’s Chosen Ideal and says, ‘Look, there is your Chosen Ideal.’ Then he himself merges into the form of the Chosen Ideal.’

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

It is amazing to see how the Master transmitted spiritual power to his disciples even in a playful way.

Swami Vijnanananda vividly narrated one of his dramatic and unconventional encounters with Ramakrishna :

I felt Sri Ramakrishna's room vibrating with a tangible atmosphere of peace, and the devotees present seemed to be listening in blissful absorption to the words that poured from the Master's lips.

I don't recall what he said, but I experienced tremendous joy within. I sat there for a long time, my whole attention concentrated on Sri Ramakrishna. He did not say anything to me, nor did I ask him anything.

Then one by one the devotees took their leave, and suddenly I found myself alone with him. The Master was looking at me intently. I thought it was time for me to depart, so I prostrated before him.

As I stood up to go, he asked: "Can you wrestle? Come, let me see how well you wrestle” With these words he stood up ready to grapple with me. I was surprised at this challenge. I thought to myself, "What kind of holy man is this?"

But I replied, "Yes, of course I can wrestle."

Sri Ramakrishna came closer, smiling. He caught hold of my arms and began to shove me, but I was a strong, muscular young man and I pushed him back to the wall. He was still smiling and holding me with a strong grip.

Gradually I felt a sort of electric current coming out of his hands and entering into me. That touch made me completely helpless. I lost all my physical strength. I went into ecstasy, and the hair of my body stood on end.

Releasing me, the Master said with a smile, "Well, you are the winner."

With those words, he sat down on his cot again.

I was speechless. Wave after wave of bliss engulfed my whole being. I was pondering the fact that the Master had not won physically but his spiritual power had completely subdued me.

Some time passed. Then the Master got up from his seat. Patting me gently on the back, he said: "Come here often. It is not enough to come once." Then he offered me some sweets as prasad, and I returned to Calcutta.

For days the spell of that intoxicating joy lingered, and I realized that he had transmitted spiritual power to me”

Ramakrishna later said of Swami Vijnanananda, "He wrestled with Krishna in his previous incarnation; he is not an ordinary person."

1 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Vijnanananda

[Swami Vijnananandaji, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna]

Sri Ramakrishna said God-vision is the true aim of human life; for that alone can give us real and lasting satisfaction. Men hanker after the things of the world - wealth, sense enjoyments, honour, etc., in the hope that these can give them happiness in life. But it is the experience of all that the pursuit of these have only a reverse effect on the mind. Not only do we fail to realise the desired end through them, but the restlessness of the mind is even increased, and we are rendered more unhappy than in the beginning. Through wealth and honour our egoism gets bloated up, and there is no greater obstacle in the spiritual path than egoism.

It is in fact this egoism, the product of ignorance, that masks our vision of God. Really His glory is present everywhere, but we fail to see Him because we refuse to remove the veil of ignorance that obstructs our vision.

Once Sri Ramakrishna was asked why it is that men do not see God.

Thereupon he covered his face with a piece of cloth and said, " Do you see me now ? No, you cannot ; why, because this cloth stands in the way, although I am present in front of you. Remove this veil of ignorance that stands between you and God, and He will become self-evident to you."

The supreme duty of man is to remember Him always, 'whether one is engaged in consciously repeating name or not. Every breath of ours should be associated with Him, in our mind. We should consider that we breathe in God to make inside pure, and we breathe out God to make outside pure.

And the most appropriate moment to remember Him is the time of death, when we find ourselves deserted by everything that is near and dear to us in life. Due to the absence of holy thoughts in their mind, we often find people stricken with great fear in their death-bed. They visualise the messengers of Yama, the king of death, with horns, tails and fearful eyes, and cry out in great dread. But His name removes all such fears, and what is more, removes us for ever beyond the pale of death.

2 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

[To the question: “If the aspirant finds even a little joy in meditation, he is at once encouraged to proceed; isn’t that so, Maharaj?”]

True. But in the higher spiritual state there is neither joy nor sorrow, pain nor pleasure, existence nor non-existence. The joy that you speak of is only a help during the period of spiritual practices. The boat needs a favourable wind to reach its destination. But when it once arrives, it no longer matters whether the wind is favourable or not. Joy is like that favourable wind; it helps the aspirant along the spiritual path.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

From his childhood, Hari Prasanna had a religious temperament and a tremendous passion for truth. Once, when he was about fourteen, his mother falsely accused him of something and scolded him. He protested vehemently, and when he failed to convince his mother of his innocence he tore off his sacred thread and cried out, "If I tell a lie, I am not a Brahmin."

Nakuleswari Devi was taken aback, and became afraid that some misfortune might befall the family. Strangely enough, the very next day a cable from Quetta (Afghanistan) brought the news of his father's death. His mother, grief-stricken, said to Hari Prasanna, "See the result of your curse."

Very little is known about his early life; however, Hari Prasanna narrated the following incident from his boyhood:

One day a gun shot in the bamboo grove behind their house in Belgharia. He rushed to the grove and found a wounded monkey lying on the ground. He distinctly heard the monkey chant twice "Rama, Rama" with folded hands and died. Hari Prasanna believed that monkeys are Ramachandra's devotes, and that they die chanting Lord Rama's name.

3 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

MEDITATION

Knowledge, the knower, and the object known — these three lose themselves in the Absolute; that is all the scriptures can tell us. What takes place after this, no one is able to describe. It is directly experienced only by one who practices meditation.

Lose yourself in prayer and meditation; otherwise, how can the door to spiritual truth be opened?

When you sit for meditation first think of a divine, blissful form. This will bring a soothing effect upon your nerves; otherwise meditation will be dry and tedious. Think of the form of your Chosen Ideal, smiling and full of bliss.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

The second time Hari Prasanna saw him, Sri Ramakrishna was immersed in samadhi at Dewan Govinda Mukhopadhyay's house in Belgharia. He later described the scene: A young man [Narendra] was singing a devotional song, “Jai Jai Dayamaya, Jai Dayamaya" [Victory to the compassionate Lord, Victory to the compassionate Lord].

Sri Ramakrishna was standing in the group, and another young man [Baburam] was holding him so that he would not fall. The Master was completely oblivious of his surroundings. He wore a white cloth. His face shone with a heavenly lustre and a smile played on his lips. His teeth were visible, and there was such a joyful expression on his face that it seemed as if it would crack - like a cracked melon! His eyes seemed to be gazing at something, and he appeared to be immersed in an ocean of bliss.

Another thing that struck me has remained imprinted in my memory forever.

From the base of the Master's spine right up to his head the whole column had become inflated like a thick rope. And the energy that rose upward towards the brain seemed to be spreading its hood and swaying its head like a snake dancing in joy.

4 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

MEDITATION

Be up and doing! Waste no more time. The senses now are strong, and must be kept under control. This is a difficult task, no doubt, but if you practice meditation continuously for seven or eight years you will find peace and bliss, and enjoy the fruits of your practices. Even after one year of steady practice you will find some result.

While practicing japam one should meditate on the form of the Chosen Ideal, otherwise it is not effective. If you cannot think of the whole form, think of a part. Begin by meditating on the lotus feet of the Lord. Even if you fail many times, try again. Success is certain. Practice will make all things easy.

Is meditation an easy thing? Remember, it is next only to samadhi. Try to leave everything to the Lord. Resign yourself entirely to him. Devotion, self-surrender, and all other virtues will grow from within as you practice meditation.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

On Sri Krishna's birthday, 18 August 1884, Hari Prasanna went to see the Master at Dakshineswar. That evening he decided to spend the night there. He recalled his experience:

Sometime later the Master gave me some luchis [fried bread] and sweets, which were the Divine Mother's prasad. Sri Ramakrishna made a bed for me and set up the mosquito curtain. I fell asleep as soon as I lay down.

At midnight I woke up and found the Master walking around my bed, saying, "Mother, Mother." I was dumbfounded and could not understand what was going on. That night Sri Ramakrishna blessed me.

5 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

According to some there are special exercises by which the kundalini can be awakened, but I believe it can best be awakened by the practice of japam and meditation.

The practice of japam is especially suited to this present age; and there is no spiritual practice easier than this, but meditation must accompany the repetition of the mantram.

Meditation means thinking of the Divine both with form and without form.

Begin your spiritual life this moment; direct your mind toward God either through japam, or through meditation, or through discrimination. Know that each of these means is equally effective. Take any one of them and drown yourself in the ocean of bliss. Ask no more questions. First do something, and then ask questions!

You must work hard for it. Begin now. Devote yourself to spiritual disciplines; plunge into the very depth of your soul. To do this it is advisable to establish a definite routine for the practice of japam and meditation, and to follow it with unwavering tenacity, whether you like it or not.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Sri Ramakrishna was very concerned about his disciples' welfare. If anyone of them did not visit him for a while, he would ask someone about that person.

Once, when Hari Prasanna did not come to Dakshineswar for a long time, the Master sent for him. When he arrived, the Master asked why he had been absent for so long.

Hari Prasanna replied truthfully: “Sir, I didn't feel like coming. Moreover, I try to meditate, but I find I cannot.”

"What do you mean you cannot meditate?" exclaimed the Master.

After remaining silent for a few moments, he said, "Come near me”.

Hari Prasanna related what then transpired:

As I approached the Master, he asked me to stick out my tongue. When I did, he drew a figure on it with his finger. My whole body began to tremble, and I felt an unspeakable bliss within.

Then the Master said, "Go to the Panchavati and meditate there.”

Following his instruction, I slowly moved towards the Panchavati. I walked with difficulty, intoxicated with joy from the Master's touch.

Somehow I reached there and sat for meditation. Then I lost all outward consciousness.

When I regained my ordinary state of mind, I saw the Master seated by me. He was rubbing my body with his hands. His face shone with a heavenly smile. I was still in an intoxicated mood.

He asked me, "Well, how was your meditation?"

"It was very good, sir,” I replied.

Then the Master said, "From now on you will always have deep meditation.”

He further asked, "Did you have a vision?"

I reported my experience to the Master as faithfully as I could. Then I followed him to his room. I was alone with him. That day he talked to me for a long time and gave me many spiritual instructions.

I was overwhelmed by the Master's love and compassion for me. I had not realized before that he had so much feeling for me. Sri Ramakrishna's grace was boundless.

On that day the Master said to me: "Never get involved with women. Always be careful.

Let there be no stain on your character. I Never look at a woman, even if she is made out of gold.

Do you know I why I am saying all this to you? You belong to the Divine Mother, and you will have to do a lot of work for Her. A pecked fruit cannot be offered to the Mother. So I tell you, be careful."

6 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Hari Prasanna recalled various episodes pertaining to his association with Sri Ramakrishna:

On one occasion I was massaging the Master's feet when a gentleman from Konnagar came to visit him.

After he had left, the Master said, "You know, I can see the inside of a man's mind just as I can see the objects inside a glass case."

I thought to myself: "Well, then he can also see everything in me. What a dangerous man he is!"

But the Master would only speak of the goodness in others, not of their evil deeds or tendencies.

Once during my college days when I went to visit the Master at Dakshineswar, I asked him, "Is God with form or without form?"

The Master replied: "God is with form as well as without form, and again he is beyond both form and formlessness."

Then I asked, "If God is all, is this cot also God?"

He answered emphatically, "Yes, this cot is God, this glass, this utensil, this wall- everything is God."

As he spoke, I experienced an inner transformation and was lifted beyond the realm of ordinary consciousness. My heart was illumined, and I saw the light of Brahman everywhere.

---

During my youth I had read the philosophies of Kant, Hegel, and other great philosophers. One day I said to the Master: "Sir, what do you know about philosophy? Have you read the works of Kant and Hegel?"

He replied: "What are you saying? Throwaway all those books. Knowledge of God is not in any book. Those books are all products of ignorance."

What a great statement the Master made! Later, finding no way out, I gave up arguing. In the beginning we need faith for God-realization.

Once at Dakshineswar the Master gave me an English book and asked me to read and explain it to him. It was stated in the book: "Speak the truth. Do not covet what belongs to another, Control your senses."

On hearing this, the Master felt elated like a boy and expressed his great delight. The Master's Joy even now is deeply impressed in my mind. I think that his expression of great delight was due to the fact that if a person attains perfection in those three disciplines, he is sure to reach God. Whenever he heard any discussion about God, he would go into ecstasy.

7 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

According to some there are special exercises by which the kundalini can be awakened, but I believe it can best be awakened by the practice of japam and meditation.

The practice of japam is especially suited to this present age; and there is no spiritual practice easier than this, but meditation must accompany the repetition of the mantram.

Meditation means thinking of the Divine both with form and without form.

Begin your spiritual life this moment; direct your mind toward God either through japam, or through meditation, or through discrimination. Know that each of these means is equally effective. Take any one of them and drown yourself in the ocean of bliss. Ask no more questions. First do something, and then ask questions!

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

When the Master was blessed for the first time with the vision of the Divine Mother, he thought, "If this vision of mine is true, then let this big stone [which was in front of the nahabat) jump up thrice."

Immediately, the stone did in fact jump thrice. Whatever he thought came to pass. Seeing this, the Master was fully convinced of the genuineness of his vision.

Hari Prasanna was not able to spend a great deal of time with the Master, but the unbounded grace of his guru filled his heart.

Towards the end of Sri Ramakrishna's life, pointing to his own picture, he told Hari Prasanna: "Look, I dwell in this picture. Meditate on me."

"Yes, I will," replied Hari Prasanna.

8 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Devote yourself to spiritual disciplines; plunge into the very depth of your soul. To do this it is advisable to establish a definite routine for the practice of japam and meditation, and to follow it with unwavering tenacity, whether you like it or not.

It is a mistake to think that you cannot meditate for lack of time. The real cause is restlessness of mind.

Work, therefore, is a means to reach the stage of meditation.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

In 1885 Hari Prasanna passed the First Arts examination in the first division at Saint Xavier's College. He then moved to Bankipur in the state of Bihar, and entered Patna College to study for a B.A. degree. Hari Prasanna later recalled:

"The day the Master passed away [16 August 1886] I saw him standing in front of me. I wondered: 'How did the Master come here? What is the cause of this vision?' The next day I read of the Master's passing away in the Basumati newspaper."

Naturally Hari Prasanna grieved, but he remembered what the Master had once said to him: "Do you know why I love you? You boys are my very own. The Divine Mother has asked me to love you."

Hari Prasanna later remarked: "I cannot express how much love the Master had for us. We don't have that capacity to love others. We became intoxicated seeing the Master, and now people are intoxicated just by hearing his name. How blessed they are!"

9 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

It is excellent training for the mind to take up some form of work at the beginning of spiritual life. When the mind is trained it can be applied to meditation and other spiritual practices. The mind that is allowed to drift at one time will drift at the time of meditation also.

There comes a time when the spiritually advanced man wants to devote himself solely to meditation and prayer. When that time comes, work drops away from him of itself. However, this happens only when the mind is spiritually awakened.

A true celibate can do the work of twenty-five men. Practice continence, japam, and meditation, and seek the company of the holy.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

As a Student and an Engineer In 1887 Hari Prasanna graduated from Patna College and then went to the Poona College of Science to study civil engineering. He was a brilliant student and was greatly loved by his professors and classmates.

In those days at the College of Science those who secured first and second places in their examinations would immediately get jobs either in the State Government of Bombay or in the Government of India.

One of Hari Prasanna's classmates, Radhika Prasad Roy, a poor and meritorious boy, needed a job badly. Hari Prasanna knew that he would secure one of the top positions, so a few days before the final examination he said to Radhika Prasad:

"Brother, the financial condition of your family is not good. If you can get one of the two top positions in the examination, you will definitely get a government job. So I have decided not to appear for the examination this year."

10 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Through the practice of japam and meditation the senses are controlled of themselves. But in the beginning they must be kept in check.

Practice japam and meditation. Gradually after continued practice you will enjoy sitting for long periods of time absorbed in God. The beginner, however, should start with short periods at a time, four or five times a day.

Meditate four times regularly each day. The best times are early in the morning, at midday, at sunset, and at midnight.

Be steadfast in your ideal even when the mind is restless. Keep up the regularity of your practices under all conditions.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

One hot summer day, while supervising the construction work of the embankment at Belur Math, Vijnanananda became thirsty. He noticed that Vivekananda was enjoying a cold drink on his upper veranda.

Presently, one of Swamiji's attendants carried a glass to him and said, "Swamiji has sent this cold drink to you."

Vijnanananda took the glass and found only a few drops at the bottom. He was disappointed and piqued by Swamiji's practical joke. However, he drank those few drops as prasad and, strangely enough, his thirst was instantly quenched. He was dumbfounded.

In the evening Vijnanananda saw Swamiji, who asked with a smile, ‘Did you drink the cold juice'?

"Yes, I did," replied Vijnanananda. He then described his experience after drinking it, and Swamiji was pleased.

11 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

One day Swamiji expressed a desire to build a ghat and an embankment on the bank of the Ganges for the Belur Monastery, so he asked Vijnanananda for an estimate.

Fearing swamiji might change his mind, Vijnanananda understated the cost and said it would be approximately three thousand rupees. This amount made Swamiji happy. He immediately consulted with Swami Brahmananda and ordered that the project be started.

As the work proceeded, Vijnanananda realized that the cost would exceed his previous estimate. He humbly expressed his concern to Brahmananda who asked Vijnanananda to complete the project. Out of compassion for his younger brother, he accepted the responsibility of spending the extra money and risking a scolding from Swamiji.

Sometime later, Swamiji asked Brahmananda for the accounts. When he discovered that the expenses had already exceeded the original estimate, and the work was still unfinished, he became angry with Brahmananda and vehemently scolded him. The latter endured it calmly.

When Swamiji returned to his room, Brahmananda went to his own room and closed the door and windows. After a while Swamiji regretted his bad temper. He then called Vijnanananda and said, "Could you check on what Raja [Brahmananda was called Raja or King] is doing?"

Vijnanananda went to Brahmananda's room and found that the doors and windows were closed. He called for him but got no response.

When he reported this to Swamiji, he said: "You are a fool! I asked you to find out what Raja was doing; and you say, 'His door and windows are closed.' Go back again and tell me what he is doing."

This time Vijnanananda pushed the door open and found Brahmananda on his bed, weeping. Vijnanananda said apologetically, "Maharaj, I am sorry; today you have suffered terribly for me."

Brahmananda said: "Brother, can you tell me what wrong I have done that swamiji could scold me so harshly? Sometimes it becomes so unbearable that I feel I should go away to some place in the mountains, leaving everything."

Returning to Swamiji, Vijnanananda reported that Brahmananda was crying. At this, Swamiji rushed to the room, embraced Brahmananda, and said tearfully: "Raja, brother, please forgive me. It is my fault that my temper is short and that I scolded you. Please pardon me."

Meanwhile, Brahmananda had regained his composure. Seeing Swamiji weep, he was also moved. Then he said: "What does it matter? You have scolded me because you love me - that is all."

But swamiji continued: "Brother, please forgive me. I know how much the Master loved you and never uttered a harsh word to you. And I, on the other hand, for the sake of this petty work, have verbally abused you and given you pain. I am not fit to live with you. I shall go away to the Himalayas and live alone in solitude."

"Don't say that, Swamiji," said Brahmananda. "Your scolding is a blessing. How can you leave us? You are our leader. How shall we function without you. Gradually both of them became calm.

Vijnanananda later remarked: "I shall never forget that scene in my life. I never saw Swamiji weeping so bitterly. What a bond of love existed between them! Swamiji loved his brother disciples like a mother, and that is why he could not bear any shortcoming in them. He wanted them to be as great as himself; nay, even greater than himself. His love was incomparable."

12 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Plunge yourself into the practice of japam and meditation. The mind is gross and feeds on gross objects, but as you practice japam and meditation, the mind will become subtle and learn to grasp subtle truths.

Remember God constantly. Remember him when you eat, when you sit, when you lie down; remember him whatever you do. By such repeated practice you will find that, when you go to meditate it will be easy to remember God and become absorbed in him. As your mind becomes absorbed in meditation, a fountain of joy will spring up within you.

Give no time to idle cares or idle talk. Idle talk wastes much energy. In the Upanishads it is written: ‘Give up all vain talk.’ Devote all your time to meditation upon the Atman.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Vijnanananda reminisced about his Belur Math days with Swami Vivekananda. Swamiji used to call me "Peshan" [an abbreviation of Prasanna].

One day I was sitting on the upper veranda of Belur Math eating puffed rice. Swamiji was passing by. All of a sudden he grabbed a handful of puffed rice from my bowl and began to eat it like a boy.

I remonstrated: "Swamiji, why don't you take another bowl of puffed rice? By eating the food that I have defiled you are making me feel guilty."

Laughing, Swamiji left. [According to Hindu custom, a senior, or highly respected person, does not eat from the same plate with a junior person. A junior person would feel extremely ill at ease were this to happen.]

I used to take snuff. Once Swamiji went to Calcutta and bought a pice worth of snuff in a packet. Handing it to me, he said, "Here is a wonderful present for you."

I opened the packet and found the snuff. Seeing me happy, he was happy. But when he became grave, it was difficult to go near him. Then, only

Raja Maharaj could bring him back to the normal plane.

13 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

There is nothing more purifying than His name and meditation upon Him.

In the primary stage, meditation is tiresome — it is like learning the alphabet.

Breathing exercises in themselves can be extremely dangerous. It is sufficient if you repeat the name of the Lord. Through the practice of japam and meditation you will reach the stage of kumbhaka without risking the dangers which may easily come from the practice of breathing exercises.

Try diligently to check this mad outward rush of your mind. You can do this successfully if you do not try to meditate as soon as you sit down. First draw the mind back from its external pursuits by means of discrimination and lock it up inside, at the sacred feet of your Chosen Ideal. Then make japam and meditate. If you try diligently to follow this course for some time, the mind will naturally cease to wander.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

At Belur Math Vijnanananda lived in a small room close to Swamiji's room. Once at two 0' clock in the morning, Vijnanananda saw Swamiji pacing on the eastern veranda.

Concerned, he got up and asked Swamiji why he could not sleep.

Swamiji replied: "Peshan, I was sleeping nicely; but suddenly I felt a jolt, and my sleep broke. It seems to me that there must be a disaster somewhere and many people are suffering."

That night Vijnanananda could not make sense of this statement. However, he later narrated:

"The next morning I saw in the newspaper that at the same time Swamiji awakened, there had been a terrible volcanic eruption near the Fiji Islands, and many people were killed. I was surprised to read this news, and then I realized that Swamiji's nervous system was more responsive to human misery than a seismograph."

14 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Once in the dead of night at Belur Math, Vijnanananda heard a pathetic cry from Vivekananda's room. He thought that perhaps Swamiji cried out because he was sick.

Vijnanananda silently entered Swamiji's room and asked, "Swamiji, are you not well?"

Immediately Swamiji became quiet and replied, "Oh, Peshan, I thought you were sleeping."

When asked the cause of his cry, Swamiji tearfully said: "Brother, thinking of the poverty and suffering of the people, I cannot sleep. My mind is restless with pain. So I am praying to the Master, 'Let good befall our people and let their suffering go away."'

Vijnanananda then consoled Swamiji and asked him to sleep. That night Vijnanananda was deeply moved to see how intensely Swamiji felt for his countrymen.

Vijnanananda had great love and respect for Holy Mother, but he seldom visited her in Calcutta. One day he went with Swamiji to Balaram's house in Calcutta while Holy Mother was staying there.

Swamiji asked, "Peshan, did you salute Holy Mother?"

"No, Swamiji, I did not."

"What! Go right now and bow down to the Mother," said Swamiji.

Accordingly, Vijnanananda went to Holy Mother and bowed down to her from a distance, bending his head to the floor.

As soon as Vijnanananda got up, from behind he heard Swamiji say: "What is this, Peshan? Does anybody salute the Mother in this way? Bow down to her by prostrating yourself on the floor. Holy Mother is the Mother of the Universe."

Swamiji then prostrated himself to the Mother, and Vijnanananda did likewise.

Later Vijnanananda remarked, "I could not imagine that Swamiji would follow me to the Mother.

15 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Once while at Belur Math Vijnanananda was wondering about Swamiji's work in the West and his relationship with Western women.

Seeing Swamiji alone in his room, Vijnanananda asked him frankly: "Swamiji, while you were in the West you associated with the women there; but didn't the Master teach the contrary in this respect? He used to say, ‘A monk should not even look at the portrait of a woman.' He emphatically told me not to be close to women, however devoted they might be. So I am wondering why you did so."

Hearing this Swamiji became very grave and his face and eyes turned crimson with anger.

After a while he said: "Well, Peshan, do you think that what you have understood about the Master is all that he is? What do you know about the Master? Do you know that the Master eradicated the idea of the difference between male and female from my mind? Is there any distinction of sex in the Atman? Moreover, the Master came for the good of the entire world. Did he come to liberate only men? He will save all-both men and women. You people want to belittle the Master by measuring him with the yardstick of your own intellects! Whatever the Master told you is true; you follow that implicitly. But to me his instructions were different. He not only gave me instructions, he clearly showed me everything. He holds my hands -whatever he makes me do, I do."

Gradually Swamiji became calm. Noticing Vijnanananda's embarrassment, he said with a smile: "Can a nation rise or become great unless the primordial energy that lies dormant in women is awakened? I have travelled all over the world and found that women are neglected more or less everywhere, but this is particularly deplorable in India. That is why our nation has been degraded to such an extent.

As soon as there is an awakening in women, you will see that the whole nation will rise up in its pristine glory. For that reason Holy Mother has come. With her advent there has been a stir among the women of all countries. This is just a beginning; you will see many more things later."

16 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Vijnanananda loved to be alone and was a man of few words. If anybody asked for some advice, he would say: "Practise what you studied in the primary book in your childhood days: Always speak the truth and do not steal or covet others' things. Follow these two moral principles, and then everything else will take care of itself."

During his early days in Allahabad, Vijnanananda would go for a daily bath before sunrise in the Triveni (literally, three braids), the confluence of three holy rivers.

One day after his bath, while reciting a hymn to the Mother Ganges, Vijnanananda had a vision. The goddess Mother Triveni appeared as a beautiful young girl with three braids hanging down her back and then disappeared again into the water.

He was overwhelmed by the vision. After chanting, when he began to walk towards the ashrama, he saw Mother Triveni walking in the same direction with her braids dangling. After a while she disappeared.

When Brahmananda heard about this vision, he confirmed it as genuine. Vijnanananda himself said: "The test of a true vision is this: It leaves a lasting spiritual impression on the mind that generates awareness and bliss. I still get joy when I think of that virginal form of the Divine Mother."

Swamiji had great affection for Vijnanananda, and called him the "Bishop of Allahabad." As a result of his intense, one-pointed spiritual disciplines, Vijnanananda had various kinds of visions and experiences.

On the day Swami Vivekananda passed away, Vijnanananda was meditating in the shrine of the Brahmavadin Club and he had a vision of Swamiji seated on the lap of Sri Ramakrishna.

Vijnanananda became very anxious about Swamiji. He wondered, "Why have I seen Swamiji in this way?" The next day he received a cable from Belur Math with the sad news of Vivekananda's passing away.

17 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

A great soul sees greatness in others. In the last years of his life, Swamiji's mind was mostly absorbed in God-consciousness.

One day Swamiji remarked: "I cannot say anything to Peshan because I see the Master in him."

To this Vijnanananda responded: "The Master dwells in every being. It is no wonder that you see the Master in me through your divine sight."

"No, Peshan," said Swamiji. "It is not like that. I see distinctly that the Master has made his habitat in you nicely."

Vijnanananda humbly replied, "Swamiji, you see whatever you want to; but I don't understand it."

Another time Vijnanananda asked Swamiji, "Well, does the Master accept the food which we offer in the shrine?"

"Yes, he does," replied Swamiji." A ray comes out from his third eye and touches the food. If you want, I can show it to you today in the shrine."

Vivekananda was a man of varying moods. Sometimes he was playful, and then everyone could approach him freely. But when he was serious, seldom would anyone dare to approach him.

One day in a jovial mood, he said to Vijnanananda: "Peshan, it is time to write a new Smriti [scripture pertaining to social, moral, and ethical laws] according to the need of the present age. The old smritis are now obsolete."

Vijnanananda asked: "Swamiji, why will

people accept your Smriti?"

Immediately Swamiji, like a querulous boy, complained to Brahmananda, "Rakhal, listen, Peshan says that the people won't accept my message."

Brahmananda pacified him, saying: "What does Peshan know? He is a mere boy. The people will definitely accept your message someday or other."

Like a reassured boy, Swamiji said joyfully: "Peshan, did you hear what Rakhal said? The people will positively accept my message."

Vijnanananda fully believed what Swamiji had said, and proceeded no further. This mutual love and trust of Sri Ramakrishna's disciples made their lives joyful.

18 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

In Allahabad, Vijnanananda did not make any effort to preach the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. In fact, preaching was against his nature. He was satisfied leading his life according to the ideal of Sri Ramakrishna. He plunged into the inner realm, and seldom went outside the club. His simple, austere, god-centred life nevertheless attracted people, including Pundit Madan Mohan Malavya, a saintly and scholarly leader of India who founded the Varanasi Hindu University.

The pundit was charmed to see in Swami Vijnanananda the living representation of Vedanta.

The swami was completely indifferent to worldly comforts or any other external things.

One day, seeing the swami's worn-out water jar, Madan Mohan remarked, "It needs replacing."

Vedanta scriptures say: "If you want the knowledge of Brahman, shun crowds like a snake, good food like poison, and sex like the devil."

Vijnanananda followed this advice to the letter. He was extremely punctual. During the daytime he would give interviews to earnest people, but if a person arrived even one minute late, he would not see him. At night he would not allow anybody to stay in the centre.

His dress was quite unusual: a long loose shirt (either cotton or woolen) with many pockets, a piece of dhoti (cloth) reaching his knees, a couple of pairs of socks (even in the hot summer), worn-out shoes, and a cap that covered his ears. When he went somewhere by ekka, an open horse-carriage, people on the street would look at him with curiosity.

Vijnanananda would make fun of them: "What are you looking at? A monkey? Yes, I am a monkey devotee of Lord Ramachandra."

No one ever saw Vijnanananda wasting his time by indulging in chit- chat or gossip, nor did he allow others to do so in the centre. When he was not practising his spiritual disciplines, he studied Vedanta literature thoroughly and regularly with Bhagavat Dat, an orthodox Vedic pundit of Allahabad.

He also published a number of important books during his thirty-eight-year stay in Allahabad.

In 1904 he translated Sri Ramakrishna 's Life and Teachings by Suresh Chandra Datta from Bengali into Hindi and published it as Paramahamsa-Charitra. His later publications were: translations of Varahamihira's Brihajjataka and Surya - siddhanta, two ancient Sanskrit astrological and astronomical works, the first into English and the second into Bengali; and translations of Devi Bhagavata and Narada Pancharatra, two famous Hindu scriptures, from Sanskrit into English.

Towards the end of his life, he was translating Valmiki' s Ramayana from Sanskrit into English, but this was left unfinished. He later said of this experience: "When I sit down to translate the Ramayana, I forget the world. I see Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, and Mahavirji in front of me."

19 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

By constantly performing japam the mind can easily be made calm and steady, and finally it will lose itself in God. Therefore I ask you to perform japam regularly and often and at the same time meditate on the Chosen Ideal. This combined practice brings quick success.

While undergoing intense disciplines it is good to cut down the quantity of food to a minimum. Japam and meditation are not possible on a full stomach, because the greater part of your energy will be squandered in digesting the food, and the mind will remain disturbed.

Have intense faith in the power of God’s name and meditate on him.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

During his early period of sadhana in Allahabad, Vijnanananda was very strict about women; he did not allow any women to visit the Brahmavadin Club, which was actually a men' s club.

One day the sweeper went somewhere to do errands, so he sent his young daughter to clean Vijnanananda's privy. She met the swami while walking down the steps, and greeted him with a smile. He did not want a woman to clean his privy, so he told her, "Starting tomorrow I don't need anybody to clean my privy."

She reported this to her father. That evening the sweeper rushed to the swami and apologized. At first Vijnanananda said sternly to him: "I don't need anybody. I shall go to the public privy."

Later, out of compassion, he told the poor sweeper, "If you want to serve me, please come; but don't send anyone else."

Shivananda once remarked, "Even a she-fly has no entry in Hari Prasanna's ashrama."

20 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Meditate and dive deep. As you dive deep, you will know that God alone is real and that everything else is unreal.

Do not make a show of your spiritual practices. When you meditate, meditate in secret.

Eat very little after sunset. The brain must be kept cool in order to meditate. Eat only to keep the body healthy; health is essential in the practice of spiritual disciplines.

You must have certain fixed hours for meditation and study. Under all circumstances follow this routine devotedly. Steadfastness is very important; without it no success is possible.

Set apart a room or some place for daily worship; retire there every morning and evening. Perform japam and meditation and prayer regularly for as long as you can.

The more you devote yourself to the contemplation of God, the more fruitful your life will become.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Vijnanananda was an ideal monk who followed his guru's advice without compromise. He was a pure soul who had conquered lust - a great obstacle to spiritual life.

Once he said to a monk in Allahabad: "I have never seen any woman even in my dreams [meaning, no lustful dreams] …… In my fifty-three years of life, the Divine Mother has never shown me Her bewitching form."

During a talk to the monks at Belur Math in 1937, Vijnanananda said: "Respect women as you respect Holy Mother in the temple. They are aspects of the Divine Mother. Bow down to them from a distance, because you are monks."

When Vijnanananda became president of the Ramakrishna Order, he initiated many women.

Once he said to a woman devotee: "Call on Holy Mother; you will achieve everything. The Master is very strict about bestowing his grace, but the Mother is very compassionate. I have achieved everything by her grace."

21 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Know this: without worshiping God you can never have peace of mind. Therefore, spend some time every day in the worship of God, in japam and meditation, and in singing God’s glory.

Try patiently to dive deep in meditation; in due course you are certain to receive God’s grace.

Practice japam and meditation regularly. Do not miss even one day. The mind is like a spoiled child — always restless. Try repeatedly to steady it by fixing it on the Chosen Ideal, and at last you will become absorbed in him. If you continue your practice for two or three years, you will begin to feel an unspeakable joy and the mind will become steady.

In the beginning the practice of japam and meditation seems dry. It is like taking bitter medicine. You must forcibly pour the thought of God into your mind, then as you persist, you will be flooded with joy.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Vijnanananda practised severe austerities fifteen hours a day for ten years while at the Brahmavadin Club. Vijnanananda continued to practise his sadhana in solitude as Sri Ramakrishna had directed: "Meditate in the mind, in the corner of the room, and in the forest."

He was a yogi as described in the Gita: "He knows bliss in the Atman and wants nothing else. Cravings torment the heart: he renounces cravings. He is unperturbed by adversity, does not hanker after happiness, and is free from anger and fear. I call him a seer, and illumined"

Vijnanananda believed wholeheartedly that all works of the ashrama belong to God, but the head of a centre is responsible if anything goes wrong.

22 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

There is no cause for despair. The effect of meditation is inevitable. You are bound to get results if you practice japam with devotion, or even without it, for devotion will follow. Continue your practice regularly for a little longer. You will find peace. One’s health also improves if one meditates.

Meditation, in the primary stage, is like waging a war with the mind. With effort the restless mind has to be brought under control and placed at the feet of the Lord. But in the beginning, take care that you do not overtax your brain. Go slowly, then gradually intensify your effort.

Through regular practice, the mind will become steady and meditation will be easier. You will no longer feel any strain even while sitting for long hours in contemplation.

Just as after deep sleep a man feels refreshed in body and mind, so will you feel refreshed after meditation, and there will follow an intense experience of happiness.

Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj

Once the doctor of the charitable homeopathic dispensary resigned.

This created a great difficulty for the swami. He could not find a doctor immediately, and he was very concerned for the indigent patients.

He pondered: "Well, it is the Master's work; I shall give medicine chanting his name."

Vijnanananda had no knowledge of medicine, nevertheless he started to go to the dispensary every morning.

He gave homeopathic medicine to the patients without asking about their diseases or physical problems.

When the female patients tried to tell him their physical problems, the swami said: "Don't talk about your disease. Take the medicine and go home."

It was amazing: Every single drop of homeopathic medicine he gave cured each patient - not one had to return for a second dose. When this miraculous news spread, more patients began to appear every day.

It became difficult to control the crowds. Then the swami brought in a doctor from Varanasi and was relieved of the responsibility.

The doctor checked the stock of medicine and discovered that even the nitric acid bottles were empty.

Frightened and amazed, he said to the swami,

"Maharaj, you have cleared even the nitric acid!"

Vijnanananda simply said: "I have given medicine in the name of the Master and the patients got well. There is no credit for me; I did as he asked me to do."

23 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

SRI RAMAKRISHNA BY SWAMI PREMANANDA

In this Incarnation the keynote of Sri Ramakrishna's life is the complete absence of the expressions of supernatural powers or lordly qualities.

Then again all the other incarnations 'illumined the world with the lustre of their beauty'; but this time the physical beauty is conspicuous by its absence.

Girish asked, 'Why, sir, there's no beauty this time?" When the Master was engaged in spiritual practices, a unique lustre, would emanate from his body, at which he implored the Divine Mother,

'What need have I of physical beauty, Mother? Give me spiritual beauty.’

Sri Krishna, was the milker of all the Upanishads. But our Master? It is a wonderful affair—he could read and write somehow, that's all. But in philosophical discussions with him Pundits were confounded. How is that?

There is a world of difference between understanding through discussion and knowing through direct perception or realization.

Other Avataras or incarnations preached their philosophies and doctrines. But Ramakrishna never did it himself openly.

One night I woke up at midnight and found him walking in the room in a semi-ecstatic state and making sounds of spitting and saying, 'Don't, Mother, don't give me that hellish fame.' It appeared to me as if the Divine Mother was following him with a big basket of fame and saying, 'My child, I have brought name and fame for you; do take them', and the Master getting excited was walking about in the room and making sounds of spitting more and more loudly.

He used to say, 'Let the lotus bud open, the bees will come of themselves. Let character be formed, the world will be attracted by its beauty.’

(Today is the Tithi Puja of Revered Swami Premananda. On this sacred day may he bless us all with Bhakti.)

24 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Swami Brahmananda

Meditation is not such an easy matter. When you have eaten too much, the mind becomes restless. Also unless you keep lust, anger, greed, and such other passions under control, the mind will remain unsteady. How can you meditate with an unsteady mind?

Unless you meditate, you cannot control the mind, and unless the mind is controlled, you cannot meditate. But if you think ‘First let me control the mind and then I shall meditate,’ you will never succeed. You must steady your mind and meditate at the same time.

As you sit down to meditate, think of the cravings of the mind as mere dreams. See them as unreal. They can never attach themselves to the mind. Feel that you are pure. In this way purity will gradually fill your mind.

(Reminiscences of Revered Vijnananandaji Maharaj)

In Varanasi Sometime in the 1880s, probably while he was a government engineer, Vijnanananda met Trailanga Swami, a venerated saint of Varanasi.

He later spoke about his visit: "I went to see him and found him lying naked in the hot summer sun. People said he had a dark complexion, but I found him as bright as molten gold. He seemed to me to be a great soul. He emanated a lustrous radiance, demonstrating the difference between ordinary mortals and spiritually powerful souls."

Since Vijnanananda was an engineer, he was always consulted regarding the construction of the Ramakrishna Mission's hospitals or temples.

In 1909 the swami went to Varanasi to supervise the construction of the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service. While riding from the rail station to the centre,

Vijnanananda's horse carriage suddenly overturned, and one of his legs was twisted inside a wheel. Although he was in severe pain, he was able to pull his leg out immediately.

Vijnanananda reached the ashrama by another carriage, and the doctors took care of him quickly.

That night he had a high temperature and a terrible headache. He thought to himself: "Lord Vishwanath, I have come to your city to work for the Master. This is an unselfish action! Why has this accident happened? The Master’s work will suffer.

Thinking thus, he fell asleep. Vijnanananda later narrated the following experience.

It was 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. I saw Lord Shiva with matted hair and smiling face appear before me.

I said: "Lord, have you come to take me? But I cannot go now; I have to complete the Master's work first."

He didn't listen to me. Smiling, he came forward and then embraced me.

Immediately my body became as cold as ice. I then said to him:

"Good-bye now, Lord. I shall have to do the Master's work."

Lord Shiva laughed and left. Strangely enough, in the morning I felt no fever and also my wounds were healed to some extent.

Even now, sometimes I see that calm, smiling form of Lord Shiva.

26 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From The Imitation Of Christ)

How to Follow Christ and Disregard the World’s Prizes

Here is the wisest thing you can do: forget the world and seek the things of heaven.

It is pointless, then, to desire and trust perishable wealth.

It is also pointless to search after honours or to be a social climber.

It is useless to give in to physical desires and to crave wrong things when indulging ourselves will only bring severe punishment.

It is futile to wish for a long life, and then to give so little care to living well.

It is nothing but vanity to think only of this present life and to ignore the future.

It is vain to care about things that are quickly passing away rather than to hurry to the place of everlasting joy.

Repeat this proverb frequently: ‘Our eyes can never see enough to be satisfied; our ears can never hear enough’ (Ecdes. 1:8).

Try, then, to turn your heart away from the love of things that can be seen, and to start loving the things that cannot be seen. Those who follow the way of sensuality will have a nagging conscience and lose God’s favour.

Have a Humble Opinion of yourself

It is natural for all of us to desire knowledge, but what is the value of knowledge without respect for God? The most ordinary person who serves God is better than a proud philosopher who neglects himself while studying the stars. If you really know yourself, you will see that nothing about yourself is worthy of praise. I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets... but if I have no love, I am nothing’ (1 Cor. 13:2). When I stand in God’s presence, I am judged by the things I do.

Great learning can be a distraction; it can make you try to appear wise in order to win praise. There are many things you can know which will be of little value to your soul, and it is not wise to waste your time on them. Words do not nourish the soul, but a life well-lived brings comfort to the mind. A clear conscience will give you confidence before God.

27 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From The Imitation Of Christ)

Have a Humble Opinion of yourself

If you think you know a lot about something, remind yourself that there are many more things you do not know. ‘Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise’. If you want to learn something worthwhile, learn how to be a nobody.

The most profound and valuable lesson of all is to truly know yourself and to have a humble opinion of yourself.

Think well of others. If you see someone else engaging in a sinful act or a crime, do not let that make you think more highly of yourself. “You do not know how long it may be before you also stumble. All of us are frail; consider yourself no stronger than anybody else!

True Education

‘Lord, how happy is the person you instruct, the one to whom you teach your law!’

Our opinions and senses frequently mislead us. ‘What do we gain from all our work? He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does’. We won’t be held responsible for this ignorance.

O God of truth, unite me with yourself in everlasting love. I am tired of reading and hearing many things. All I desire is you.

Silence all ye, teachers, let every creature be hushed reverently in your presence. Speak to me intimately.

The more a person is in harmony with himself and the more simple he is inwardly, the more he understands intuitively. He receives divine illumination.

28 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

(From The Imitation Of Christ)

Have a Humble Opinion of yourself

A pure, honest, and stable spirit is not distracted by a lot of activity. He does everything to honour God and is at rest within himself. He seeks to be free from all selfishness.

A good, devout person considers inwardly the things he intends to do outwardly. Who has a greater struggle than one who tries to overcome himself?

And this is our job-to work at conquering ourselves, to become stronger each day, and to make a little progress toward goodness.

Even our best efforts have imperfections, and all of our thinking includes some stupidity. A humble understanding of ourselves is a more certain way to God than the most in depth study.

But learning is not to be condemned! Knowledge is good. It is God’s gift to us. However, a clear conscience and a decent life are superior to it. The fruitless error comes in desiring to know much, rather, than to live well.

If we were as careful in weeding out vices and planting virtues as we are in scholarly research, we would not have so much evil and scandal among us, or so much carelessness in religious houses.

You can be certain of this: when the Day of Judgment comes, we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done; not how well we have spoken, but how well we have lived.

Tell me, where now are all the great doctors and masters you used to know? Others sit in their offices, and the former ones already are forgotten. See how soon this world’s glory fades!

29 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Authentic greatness is found in great love.

He is genuinely great who considers himself small, and cares nothing about high honours.

I am truly wise if I look upon all earthly things ‘as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ’.

And the most learned of all is he that does the will of God while denying himself.

Prudent living

We should not be too credulous. We need to carefully consider everything we hear. We should spend time in thought before God.

Sadly, we are so weak that we frequently believe and repeat ugly rumours rather many good things. It is best not to accept every report. Human beings have a tendency to evil and even the most reliable sources make mistakes.

“Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good; impatience will get you into trouble’.

In a similar manner, don’t believe everything you hear. Don’t be quick to pour it into others’ ears.

The more humility you have and the more subject you are to God, the wiser you will be, and the more at peace.

Reading the Bible

Look for truth in the scriptures; not eloquence. Every verse should be read in the spirit with which it was written.

Read the devout and simple books as gladly as the learned and profound. Don’t worry about the writer’s authority, or his level of education. Allow the love of simple truth to attract you.

Don’t ask, ‘Who said this?’ Instead, pay attention to what is said. People die, but God’s Word will never pass away.

Sometimes our curiosity interferes with our reading. You want to discuss and understand parts we should simply pass by.

If you want to make your Scripture reading worthwhile, read with humility, simplicity, and faith. Don’t try to appear learned. Listen in silence to the words of the holy men, and take pleasure in the teachings of the elders. They spoke with good reason.

30 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Controlling Excess Desire

If you want something obsessively, you will be restless within yourself. The arrogant and the greedy can never relax. It is the poor and the spiritually humble who know what peace is.

If you are not yet able to deny yourself, you will be easily tempted. Small, insignificant things will make you their slave.

The spiritually weak prefer sensuality and are not able to give up earthly desires completely. That’s why they are sad when they must abandon something and easily angered when opposed.

Suppose you get something you want. Soon you may be remorseful to have that thing.

Surrendering to your passions will not help you find peace. Only by resisting them can you be truly at peace.

There is simply no peace in the heart of a person who lives an animal existence or who places all importance on outward things. Peace is reserved for the sincerely spiritual person.

Taking charge

Be free! Master yourself! Make sure that all things are under you, and that you are not under them. Don’t be a slave to anything. Be free!

31 December 2020

Jai Ramakrishna

Pride and humility

The Lord says, ‘I will condemn the person who turns away from me and puts his trust in man, in the strength of mortal man’.

Do not be ashamed to serve others because of your love for Jesus Christ, or to appear poor in the world’s eyes.

Do not count on your own strength; trust God. Do what you can, and God will supply the difference.

‘Wise men should not boast of their wisdom, nor strong men of their strength, nor rich men of their wealth’.

You must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, ‘God despises the proud, but shows favour to the humble’’.

Take glory neither in money, (if you have some), nor in influential friends, but in God who gives you everything and above all wants to give you himself.

Avoid boasting about the size or beauty of your body, which a little illness can disfigure or destroy.

Have no pride in your native wit and talent; that would displease God who gave you every good thing that you naturally possess.

Reject the thought that you are better than anyone else. If you think such haughty thoughts, God will consider you worse than they.

Pride about our good deeds is pointless. God has his own ideas regarding what is good and he does not always agree with us. If there is anything good about you, believe better things of others. This will keep you humble.

It will not hurt you at all to consider yourself less righteous than others, but it will be disastrous for you to consider yourself better than even one person.

The humble are always at peace; the proud are often envious and angry.