Happy New Year: The Spiritual Significance of Kalpataru Day

On the night of December 31, at the stroke of midnight, the world will be awake to ring in yet another New Year — 2017 while for the monks and members of the Ramakrishna Mission, January 1 holds a special significance. They celebrate this day as `Kalpataru Day', to commemorate an awe-inspiring moment in the life of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. On this day, in 1886, the Master entered into divine ecstasy and touching several disciples, pronounced the words, `Ye be illumined'! Instantly, those he blessed experienced profound bliss. And one of Master's disciples, Ramachandra Dutta named January 1 as `Kalpataru Day'.

Swami Akhandananda writes, "It is an auspicious day for all of us. Our Master became the Kalpataru to bless his disciples at Cossipore (a Calcutta suburb). Kalpataru is one of the five trees of Heaven or Indra's Paradise that is supposed to fulfil desires. The other four are Mandaram, Santanam, Harichandanam and Parijatam.

It is interesting to note that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa shed his mortal coils in August, 1886, in the same house at Cossipore, where he attained divinity. He suffered his bad health (throat cancer) silently. After his mahasamadhi, his disciples took shelter with his holy `asthi' in a dilapidated house at Baranagar. This is the sacred place where Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) and a few others took up sanyasa and spent more than five years performing unprecedented spiritual austerities.

Later Swami Vivekananda realised that service to humanity was more important than spiritual penance. He advised his followers to spend some time in the morning and evening in japa and dhyana, but to occupy oneself during the rest of the day in spiritual study and to work for the good of the world.

This seed sown by the Swamiji bore fruit in the form of the worldwide organisation, Ramakrishna Mission, which is engaged in service to the poor and the needy. (The Hindu)

Sw. Vivekananda: Devote yourselves to develop the truth with

Be like the pearl oyster. There is a pretty Indian fable to the effect that if it rains when the star Svâti is in the ascendant, and a drop of rain falls into an oyster, that drop becomes a pearl. The oysters know this, so they come to the surface when that star shines, and wait to catch the precious raindrop. When a drop falls into them, quickly the oysters close their shells and dive down to the bottom of the sea, there to patiently develop the drop into the pearl. We should be like that. First hear, then understand, and then, leaving all distractions, shut your minds to outside influences, and devote yourselves to developing the truth within you. There is the danger of frittering away your energies by taking up an idea only for its novelty, and then giving it up for another that is newer. Take one thing up and do it, and see the end of it, and before you have seen the end, do not give it up. He who can become mad with an idea, he alone sees light. Those that only take a nibble here and a nibble there will never attain anything. They may titillate their nerves for a moment, but there it will end. They will be slaves in the hands of nature, and will never get beyond the senses.
-The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 1, Raja Yoga

Sri Sarada Devi: Do not hurt others

One should not hurt others even by words. One must not speak even an unpleasant truth unnecessarily. By indulging in rude words one’s nature becomes rude. One’s sensitivity is lost if one has no control over one’s speech. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, “One should not ask a lame person how he became lame.”

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

One must be patient like the earth. What inequities are being perpetrated on her! Yet she quietly endures them all. People, too, should be like that.

Sri Ramakrishna: Dwell, O mind within yourself!

 A beautiful devotional song which used to be sung by Sri Ramakrishna in his moments of divine ecstasy. The Master reminds us of the facts God resides deep within us, and there is no other place to find God but within our own heart.

Dwell, O mind, within yourself;
Enter no other’s home.
If you but seek there, you will find
All you are searching for.
God, the true Philosopher’s Stone,
Who answers every prayer,
Lies hidden deep within your heart,
The richest gem of all.
How many pearls and precious stones
Are scattered all about
The outer court that lies before
The chamber of your heart!

                 -Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Awesome Story: When the Kaaba moved with Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak now set out to Mecca in Arabia. Mecca is the holy place of the Muslims. The Guru travelled to Surat, a small seaport near Bombay. From there, Guru Nanak and Mardana went to Arabia in a ship. After a few weeks they reached Mecca. There is a very big Mosque in Mecca. Guru Nanak and Mardana were very tired after long travels. They went to the mosque and lay down to take rest. Guru Nanak's feet were towards the Kaaba in the mosque. The Kaaba is a room in the middle of the mosque and is called, 'The house of God (Allah).'

A man named Rukandin was the priest of the Kaaba. He came out and saw Guru Nanak's feet towards the Kaba. He was very angry. He at once shouted. "Don't you know this is the house of God, you fool? Why are you lying with your feet towards the Kaaba?"

Guru Nanak woke up. He said, "O sir, I'm sorry I didn't know it. I was tired so I just lay down and fell asleep. Could you turn my legs to the side in which there's no God?"

Rukandin at once caught hold of his legs and dragged them to the other side. He saw that the Kaaba still stood before Guru Nanak's feet. Then he gave another pull but to his great surprise, he saw the Kaaba again towards the Guru's feet. He was so upset that he could not speak.

Guru Nanak said, "Rukandin. God does not live in one place. He lives everywhere." Saying this, Guru Nanak and Mardana started singing hymns. A crowd of people gathered around them. They called Guru Nanak, 'Baba Nanak'. 'Baba' means an old and wise man. 
After a few days they went to Medina and Baghdad. At Baghdad a Muslim saint Behlol met the Guru. They had a long talk and became friends. Behlol asked Baba Nanak, "What is your idea of God?"

Guru Nanak replied, "There is one God. He is True. He makes everything. He is not afraid of anyone. He is not born. He never dies. He is self-made. We need only think of Him and pray to Him."

Behlol liked the Guru's teaching very much. He travelled a lot and told the people about this idea of Guru. After some time Guru Nanak and Mardana came back to the Punjab.
Courtesy: Gurmat(dot)info

Happy Guruparab: Swamiji on Guru Nanak

“Guru Nanak was born in the sacred land of India. He gave a message of love and peace of the whole world and preached the same through his teachings. He was full of affection for everyone and his arms were always outstretched as if to embrace the whole world...” 
- Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda 

Jsr

Bring all light into the world. Light, bring light! Let light come unto every one; the task will not be finished till every one has reached the Lord. Bring light to the poor and bring more light to the rich, for they require it more than the poor. Bring light to the ignorant, and more light to the educated, for the vanities of the education of our time are tremendous! Thus bring light to all and leave the rest unto the Lord, for in the words of the same Lord "To work you have the right and not to the fruits thereof." 

The Mother's Place: Jayrambati

A visit to Belur Math would be incomplete without seeking the blessings of the Holy Mother who was the epitome of Divine love and generosity. Sri Sri Matri Mandir or Holy Mother’s Temple is located in Jayambati, a small town of Bankura district of West Bengal about 110 Kilometers from Kolkata. It's  a three and half hour journey by bus or car from Kolkata.
The shrine is a must visit place for  anyone who wants to take a dip in the river of the Holy Mother's unbound,  unconditional and universal love.

The temple structure has been built in the same place where the Holy Mother was born and her father Ramchandra Mukhopadhyaya had his original dwelling-house. The Holy Mother’s marriage also took place in this very house and her parents lived there till she reached the ninth year of her age. 

The temple was dedicated to the Holy Mother by Swami Saradananda on thursday, the 19th April 1923 (i.e. on third day of the lunar half of the month of Vaisakh called Akshaya-Tritiya).

The white marble statue of the Holy Mother was installed in the temple on 8th April 1954, and a spacious Prayer Hall was also added as an annexe to this temple.

The sacred relies of the Holy Mother have been preserved in the Sanctum (Garbha-mandira) and the Holy Mother is daily worshipped with appropriate rites and offerings. The small-sized Shiva-Linga (the stone emblem of God Shiva) which was found at the time of digging the earth for the construction of this temple is also worshiped here. 

The metallic flag embossed with the sacred word ‘Ma’ (Mother) adorns the crest of the dome of the temple as if it were calling the seekers to come here to receive the infinite love and grace of the Holy Mother.

Dashami Puja at Belur Math

In the morning a brief Puja, Shital bhog (cooling food offering) and Arati are first done.  Then the Pujari and Tantradharak circumambulate the altar and perform the visarjan ritual. 

In this ritual the Devi, who had been invoked in the Navapatrika and consecrated Image, is entreated to return to Her celestial abode.  The Divine Mother, however, dwells for ever in the hearts of devotees.

In the evening the Image of Durga along with Navapatrika is taken in procession to the river bank and immersed in the river.  The water taken from the spot, known as Shanti Jal is sprinkled on the devotees who embrace one another as an expression of their solidarity as children of the same Divine Mother.  And thus the holy Durga Puja comes to an end leaving joyous memories in the souls of people.

Courtesy: Belur Math Website

Happy Navratri: Sri Ramakrishna on Ma Kali

Sri Ramakrishna used to say, "Jini Brahma tini Shakti, tini i Ma," He who is Brahman is the Shakti, and He himself is the Mother of the Universe.

A charcoal painting of the Holy Mother by Swami Tadatmananda

“A Benediction” to Sister Nivedita

By Swami Vivekananda

The mother’s heart, the hero’s will,
The sweetness of the southern breeze,
The sacred charm and strength that dwell
On Aryan Altars, flaming, free;
All these be yours and many more
No ancient soul could dream before-
Be thou to India’s future son
The mistress, servant, friend in one.

Courtesy: RKM Darjeeling

Teachers' Day: Swamiji's Quote

A child teaches itself. But you can help it to go forward in its own way. What you can do, is not of the positive nature, but of the negative. You can take away the obstacles, but knowledge comes out of its own nature. Loosen the soil a little, so that it may come out easily. Put a hedge round it; see that it is not killed by anything, and there your work stops. You cannot do anything else. The rest is manifestation from within its own nature. - Swami Vivekananda

A parable by Sri Ramakrishna: The Stench of Worldliness

"Once a fishermans wife was a guest in a gardener's house. She was asked to sleep in a room full of flowers. But she couldn't get any sleep there. She was restless and began to fidget about. The gardener's wife asked her: 'Hello there! Why aren't you asleep?' 'Oh, I don't know', said the fishwife. 'There are flowers here. The smell keeps me awake. Can't you bring me my fish-basket?'. When she got her fish-basket, she sprinkled a little water in it, and taking the smell of the fish coming from it, she fell fast asleep."

Worldly people are like this fishermans wife. They are uneasy in the pure atmosphere that leads Godward and cannot do without the smell of worldy things. They do not want to smell the divine fragrance of meditation on God.

Courtesy: Ramakrishna Math Pune

The Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 

Where there is injury, pardon; 

Where there is doubt, faith; 

\Where there is despair, hope; 

\Where there is darkness, light; 

Where there is sadness, joy. 

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek 

To be consoled as to console, 

To be understood as to understand, 

To be loved as to love; 

For it is in giving that we receive; 

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life. 

Attributed to Francis Bernadone, perhaps the most universally loved of Christian saints, who were born in Assisi, Italy, in 1181 or 1182. At the age of twenty two, after a sudden illness that brought him almost to the point of death, he left his home and inheritance to follow an injunction that he felt he received from Christ himself: "Francis, go and rebuild my Church." Three great Franciscan orders quickly grew around the monks, nuns, and lay disciples who responded to his joyful example of universal love and selfless service.

Courtesy: easwaran.org; Image: tinybuddha

Happy Janmashtami: Swami Vivekananda on Krishna

"This was the great work of Krishna: to clear our eyes and make us look with broader vision upon humanity in its march upward and onward. His was the first heart that was large enough to see truth in all, his the first lips that uttered beautiful words for each and all"

"In Krishna we find ... two ideas stand supreme in his message: The first is the harmony of different ideas; the second is non-attachment. A man can attain to perfection, the highest goal, sitting on a throne, commanding armies, working out big plans for nations. In fact, Krishna's great sermon was preached on the battlefield."

"Krishna talks of himself as God, as Christ does. He sees the Deity in himself. And he says, "None can go a day out of my path. All have to come to me. Whosoever wants to worship in whatsoever form, I give him faith in that form, and through that I meet him. ..."(Gita, IV. 12.) His heart is all for the masses."

Quotes from 'Krishna' a lecture of Swami Vivekananda recorded by Ida Ansell in shorthand (Delivered in California, on April 1, 1900)

A song loved by Sri Ramakrishna

Dwell, O mind, within yourself;
Enter no other's home.
If you but seek there, you will find
All you are searching for.
God, the true Philosopher's Stone,
Who answers every prayer,
Lies hidden deep within your heart,
The richest gem of all.
How many pearls and precious stones
Are scattered all about
The outer court that lies before
The chamber of your heart!

-The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Sister Nivedita: Kali the Mother

The stars are blotted out,
Clouds are covering clouds,
It is darkness, vibrant, sonant.
In the roaring whirling wind
Are the souls of a million lunatics,--
But loosed from the prison house,--
Wrenching trees by the roots,
Sweeping all from the path.
The sea has joined the fray,
And swirls up mountain-waves,
To reach the pitchy sky.
     Scattering plagues and sorrows,
     Dancing mad with joy,
     Come, Mother, Come!
For Terror is thy name,
Death is in Thy breath.
And every shaking step
Destroys a world for e’er.
Thou "Time" the All-Destroyer
     Then come, O Mother, Come!Who can misery love,
Dance in destruction's dance,
And hug the form of Death,
     To him the Mother comes.[This poem is a part of  the  book Kali the Mother, a collection of essays  by Sister Nivedita published in 1900. Influenced by the teachings of her master, Swami Vivekananda, she left her country Ireland, and devoted her life selflessly serving the poor of India and taking part in the Indian freedom stuggle. Let's salute the fiery selfless spirit of the great lady, who will continue to inspire the coming generations time to time!]

Ma Sarada: Love God Alone

"Always do your duty to others, but love you must give to God alone. Worldly love always brings in its wake untold misery."

"If you love any human being you will have to suffer for it. That person is blessed, indeed, who can love God alone. There is no suffering in loving God."

"Repeat the name of God always in the innermost core of your heart and in all sincerity take refuge in Sri Ramakrishna. Do not bother to know how your mind is reacting to things around. And do not waste time in calculating and worrying over whether or not you are progressing in the path of spirituality. It is egotism to judge progress for oneself. Have faith in the grace of your guru and God."

Source: Vedanta(dot)org

Guru Poornima: Sri Ramakrishna on Guru

Who is the guru? God—Satchidananda—is the guru. Human gurus are the conduits of this supreme Source.” 
- Sri Ramakrishna

Swamiji: Hanuman as the Ideal

Disciple: What ideal should we follow now?

Swamiji: You have now to make the character of Mahavira your ideal. See how at the command of Ramachandra he crossed the ocean. He had no care for life or death! He was a perfect master of his senses and wonderfully sagacious. You have now to build your life on this great ideal of personal service. Through that, all other ideals will gradually manifest in life. Obedience to the Guru without questioning, and strict observance of Brahmacharya -- this is the secret of success. As on the one hand Hanuman represent the ideal of service, so on the other hand he represents leonine courage, striking the whole world with awe. He has not the least hesitation in sacrificing his life for the good of Rama. A supreme indifference to everything except the service of Rama, even to the attainment of the status of Brahma and Shiva, the great World - gods! Only the carrying out of Shri Rama's best is the one vow of this life! Such whole - hearted devotion is wanted.

Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume VII

To the Awakened India

The poem was written by Swami Vivekananda to Prabuddha Bharata or Awakened India, in August 1898, when the journal was transferred from Madras to Almora Himalayas, into the hands of the Brotherhood founded by Swami Vivekananda because of the untimely death of its first editor.

Prabuddha Bharata is India's longest running English journal, in publication since July 1896.

Once more awake!

For sleep it was, not death, to bring thee lifeAnew, and rest to lotus-eyes for visionsDaring yet. The world in need awaits, O Truth!No death for thee!

Resume thy march,

With gentle feet that would not break thePeaceful rest even of the roadside dustThat lies so low. Yet strong and steady,Blissful, bold, and free. Awakener, everForward! Speak thy stirring words.

Thy home is gone,

Where loving hearts had brought thee up andWatched with joy thy growth. But Fate is strong—This is the law—all things come back to the sourceThey sprung, their strength to renew.

Then start afresh

From the land of thy birth, where vast cloud-beltedSnows do bless and put their strength in thee,For working wonders new. The heavenlyRiver tune thy voice to her own immortal song ;Deodar shades give thee eternal peace.

And all above,

Himala's daughter Umâ, gentle, pure,The Mother that resides in all as PowerAnd Life, who works all works andMakes of One the world, whose mercyOpens the gate to Truth and showsThe One in All, give thee untiringStrength, which is Infinite Love.

They bless thee all,

The seers great, whom age nor climeCan claim their own, the fathers of theRace, who felt the heart of Truth the same,And bravely taught to man ill-voiced orWell. Their servant, thou hast gotThe secret—'tis but One.

Then speak, O Love!

Before thy gentle voice serene, behold howVisions melt and fold on fold of dreamsDeparts to void, till Truth and Truth aloneIn all its glory shines—

And tell the world—

Awake, arise, and dream no more!This is the land of dreams, where KarmaWeaves unthreaded garlands with our thoughtsOf flowers sweet or noxious, and noneHas root or stem, being born in naught, whichThe softest breath of Truth drives back toPrimal nothingness. Be bold, and faceThe Truth! Be one with it! Let visions cease,Or, if you cannot, dream but truer dreams,Which are Eternal Love and Service Free. (Complete Works, Volume IV)

Eid Mubarak: Quote by Prophet Mohammed

Even as the fingers of the two hands are equal, so are human beings equal to one another. No one has any right, nor any preference to claim over another. You are brothers.

- Prophet Muhammad

How Sister Nivedita's reacted to the news of the death of Swamiji

Swami Vivekananda, master of Nivedita died at ten minutes past nine p.m. on 4 July 1902. At that night Nivedita dreamed Ramakrishna leaving his body a second time. On the next morning, Swami Saradananda from Belur Math sent a monk with a letter to Sister Nivedita and conveying the message of Vivekananda's death. Instantly everything around Nivedita's eyes became blank. She immediately rushed to the Math and reached the place around 7 a.m and entered the room of Vivekananda. There she found Swamiji's body was laid on the floor. She sat near Vivekananda's head and started to fan his body with a hand-fan. Till 1 p.m. she sat like that and continued fanning Swami Vivekananda's body.

In the afternoon of 5 July, Swami Vivekanand'a body was taken for cremation. Vivekananda's body was wrapped with a saffron cloth. Nivedita wished to take a small portion of that cloth so that she could send it as a memento to Josephine MacLeod. Understanding the mind of Nivedita Swami Saradananda asked her to cut a small portion of the Swami's cloth. But, Nivedita was unsure whether the act would be proper or not and decided not to take it. When Vivekananda's body was being cremated she sat sat all the while looking at the burning pyre. Around six o'clock in the evening the burning flame was about to go out. Suddenly Nivedita felt somebody had pulled her sleeve. She turned around and found a small piece of saffron cloth which had somehow come out of the pyre during cremation. Nivedita lifted it and took it considering it as a blessing of the Swami.
(Courtesy: motherandsriaurobindo(dot)in
Image: Swami Vivekananda with Josephine Macleod, Ole Bull and Sister Nivedita in Kashmir.)

How to do Surya Namaskar

Sun Salutation – The Perfect Yoga Workout

If you are pressed for time and looking for a single mantra to stay fit, here’s the answer. A set of 12 powerful yoga asanas (postures) that provide a good cardiovascular workout in the form of Surya Namaskar. Literally translated to sun salutation, these postures are a good way to keep the body in shape and the mind calm and healthy.

Surya Namaskar is best done early morning on an empty stomach. Let’s begin with these simple yet effective Sun Salutation steps on our way to good health.

Each Sun Salutation round consists of two sets. These 12 yoga poses complete one set of Surya Namaskar. To complete the second half, you need to repeat the same sequence of postures, only moving the left leg instead of the right (in steps 4 and 9 ). You might find several versions of doing Sun Salutation. However, it is best to stick to one particular sequence and practice it regularly for best results.

Besides good health, Surya Namaskar also provide an opportunity to express gratitude to the sun for sustaining life on this planet, For the next 10 days, start your day with a feeling of grace and gratitude towards the sun energy. Do 12 rounds of Sun Salutation,  followed by other yoga poses and then rest deeply in yoga nidra. You might just find that this could be your mantra to stay fit, happy and peaceful. A mantra whose effects last through the day.

Courtesy:
http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/yoga-poses/sun-salutation (with video and pictures)

International Yoga Day: Swami Vivekananda's Views on Yoga and Pranayama

A series of exercises, physical and mental, is to be gone through every day, until certain higher states are reached. Therefore it is quite necessary that we should find a posture in which we can remain long. That posture which is the easiest for one should be the one chosen. For thinking, a certain posture may be very easy for one man, while to another it may be very difficult. We will find later on that during the study of these psychological matters a good deal of activity goes on in the body. Nerve currents will have to be displaced and given a new channel. New sorts of vibrations will begin, the whole constitution will be remodelled as it were. But the main part of the activity will lie along the spinal column, so that the one thing necessary for the posture is to hold the spinal column free, sitting erect, holding the three parts — the chest, neck, and head — in a straight line. Let the whole weight of the body be supported by the ribs, and then you have an easy natural postures with the spine straight. You will easily see that you cannot think very high thoughts with the chest in...

After one has learned to have a firm erect seat, one has to perform, according to certain schools, a practice called the purifying of the nerves. This part has been rejected by some as not belonging to Raja-Yoga, but as so great an authority as the commentator Shankarâchârya advises it, I think fit that it should be mentioned, and I will quote his own directions from his commentary on the Shvetâshvatara Upanishad: "The mind whose dross has been cleared away by Pranayama, becomes fixed in Brahman; therefore Pranayama is declared. First the nerves are to be purified, then comes the power to practice Pranayama. Stopping the right nostril with the thumb, through the left nostril fill in air, according to capacity; then, without any interval, throw the air out through the right nostril, closing the left one. Again inhaling through the right nostril eject through the left, according to capacity; practicing this three or five times at four hours of the day, before dawn, during midday, in the evening, and at midnight, in fifteen days or a month purity of the nerves is attained; then begins Pranayama."

(Excerpted from Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 1, Raja Yoga)

Swami Vivekananda on Sri Ramakrishna

This is the message of Sri Ramakrishna to the modern world. Care not for doctrines or for dogmas, for sects or for churches. All these count for but little, compared with that essence of existence, which is in each one, and called spirituality. The more this is developed in a man, the more powerful is he for good. He who has most of it can do most good to his fellow-men. First, then, acquire that. … Only those who have seen it will understand this; but such spirituality can be given to others, even though they be unconscious of the gift. Only those who have attained to this power are amongst the great teachers of mankind. They are the powers of light.

Then be you this! The more of such men any country produces, the higher is that country raised. That land where no such men exist, is doomed. Nothing can save it. Therefore my Master’s message to the world is, “Be ye all spiritual! Get ye first realisation!” And to the young and strong of every country he would cry that the time is come for renunciation. Renounce for the sake of humanity! You have talked of the love of man till the thing is in danger of becoming words alone. The time is come to act. The call now is, Do! Leap into the breach and save the world.
                             (Courtesy: Vedanta DC)

Swami Brahmananda: Keep at least three-fourth of your mind in God

God first and then the world. The purpose of life is to know God. Attain knowledge and devotion and then serve God in mankind. Work is not the end of life. Disinterested work is a means of attaining devotion. Keep at least three-fourths of your mind in God. It is enough if you give one-fourth to service.

Swami Brahmananda, Spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna

Smiling Buddha, 2016

5 quotes by Sri Ramakrishna on love for God

1. God is in all men, but all men are not in God; that is why we suffer.

2. God is everywhere but He is most manifest in man. So serve man as God. That is as good as worshipping God.

3. Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day.

4. If you must be mad, be it not for the things of the world. Be mad with the love of God.

5. The winds of grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail.

- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa

When Swamiji was desperate to save his family

Naren loved and respected Sri Ramakrishna but sometimes mocked his fervent devotion to Ma Kali.
Some years passed but, slowly under the influence of Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual power, Naren’s doubts and skepticism melted.  Though he continued to rebel and argue some times, in the end, he had to surrender to the Divine Mother.

When Naren’s father died in 1886 and left the family at the brink of starvation, Naren begged Sri Ramakrishna to ask a boon of Ma Kali on behalf of his family.
“My boy, I can’t make such demands,” said Sri Ramakrishna.  “Why don’t you go and ask the Mother yourself.”  

Desperate to save his family, Naren put aside Brahmo Samaj principles and bowed down low before Ma Kali.  He stood in the inner shrine of the Divine Mother, but he could not pray. He saw the beautiful form of  Ma Bhavatarini Kali and was engulfed in a surging wave of love.  Naren forgot everything else.  
Flushed, and intoxicated in a divine mood, Naren addressed Ma Kali with folded hands:  “Ma, give me discrimination, give me renunciation, grant me knowledge and devotion.  Ma, grant me that I may have uninterrupted vision of You!”

Naren failed to ask a boon for his family. Sri Ramakrishna sent him back three times, but every time, Naren forgot the world when he saw the beautiful face of the Divine Mother.  He no longer saw a statue.  He saw Ma and felt overwhelmed.
Sri Ramakrishna was very happy that his Naren had finally accepted the Divine Mother and, full of compassion he blessed him, saying: “All right, your people at home will never be in want of plain food and clothing.”

What followed was a night of blissful adoration during which Sri Ramakrishna taught Naren a song glorifying the Divine Mother.  Naren was a superb musician and had a beautiful voice.

“Mother, Thou art our sole Redeemer,

Thou the support of the three gunas,

Higher than the most high.

Thou art compassionate, I know,

Who takest away our bitter grief.

Thou art in earth, in water Thou;

Thou liest at the root of all.

In me, in every creature,

Thou hast Thy home; though clothed with form,

Yet art Thou formless Reality.

Sandhya art Thou and Gayatri;

Thou dost sustain this universe.

Mother, the Help art Thou

Of those who have no help but Thee,

O Eternal Beloved of Shiva! 
~Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play (tranlated by Swami Chetanananda)

Happy Mother's Day

My son, if a thorn pricks your foot, it hurts me like a spear entering my heart. Never fear, and whenever you are in distress just say to yourself, "I have a mother."
- Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi

Sri Ramakrishna on performing worldly duties

It was almost dusk. The Master and M stood talking alone near the door on the southeast verandah. The master spoke to M.
MASTER: “Perform your duties in an unselfish spirit....Always try to perform your duties without desiring any result.” M: “Yes, sir. But may I know if one can realize God while performing one’s duties?”
MASTER: “All, without exception, perform work. Even to chant God’s name and glories is work, as is the meditation of the Nondualist on ‘I am He.’ Breathing is also an activity. There is no way of renouncing work altogether. So do your work but surrender the result to God.”
M: “Sir, may I make an effort to earn more money?”
MASTER: “It is permissible to do so to support a religious family. You may try to increase your income, but in an honest way. The goal of life is not the earning of money, but the service of God. Money is not harmful if it is devoted to the service of God.”
M: “How long should a man feel obliged to do his duty toward his wife and children?”
MASTER: “As long as they feel pinched for food and clothing. But one need not take the responsibility of a son when he is able to support himself. When the young fledgling learns to pick its own food, its mother pecks it if it comes to her for food.”
M: “How long must one do one’s duty?”
MASTER: “The blossom drops off when the fruit appears. One doesn’t have to do one’s duties after attaining God, nor does one feel like doing them then. “If a drunkard takes too much liquor he cannot retain consciousness. If he takes only two or three glasses, he can go on with his work. As you advance nearer and nearer to God, He will reduce your activities little by little. Have no fear. “Finish the few duties you have in hand, and then you will have peace. When the mistress of the house goes to bathe after finishing her cooking and other household duties, she won’t come back, however you may shout after her.”
- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Chapter V

Rama Navami: Victory to you Lord Rama!

Greetings on Rama Navami! May Lord Rama bring harmony and peace to the world. Jai Sri Rama.

शुद्धब्रह्मपरात्पर राम् ॥१॥कालात्मकपरमेश्वर राम् ॥२॥शेषतल्पसुखनिद्रित राम् ॥३॥ब्रह्माद्यामरप्रार्थित राम् ॥४॥     राम् राम् जय राजा राम् ।राम् राम् जय सीता राम् ।

I take refuge in Sri Rama, who is of the nature of pure Brahman and who is superior to the best.

I take refuge in Sri Rama, who is of the nature of Kala (i.e. master of everyone's destiny) and the supreme Lord.

I take refuge in Sri Rama, who sleeps blissfully on the bed of serpent Sesha Naga.

I take refuge in Sri Rama, whose lotus feet is desired by everyone beginning with Brahma to gain immortality.

O Rama, Sri Rama, victory to you king Rama,

O Rama, Sri Rama, victory to you Sita Rama,

(From Nama Ramayanam, Trans./Image: greenmesg(dot)org)

Mother Kali’s Unique Lila

Sri Ramakrishna’s life was a unique field of Mother Kali’s sport. The extensive, diverse and meaningful way in which Shakti sadhana expressed itself in Sri Ramakrishna’s life was never before seen in any other aspirant. When he was young, he fell into a trance on the way while visiting Vishalakshi of Anur. He had a unique vision then. From then on his life took a different turn. From the day he began worshipping Mother Kali at Dakshineswar, the deeper, expansive and intensive sides of his Mother worship came to the fore. He had heard that ‘When pleased, She is the giver of liberation to human beings.’ (14) He understood that unless the Divine Mother cleared the way, there could be no God-realization. Thus he pleased the Divine Mother with his purity and intense aspiration, and attained Her vision. He did not rest with the Divine Mother’s vision; he also practised other Shakti disciplines through various moods. He moved about freely in the world of sadhana, becoming an instrument in the hands of the Divine Mother.

Under the directions of Yogeshvari Brahmani, Sri Ramakrishna practised all the sixty-four Tantric disciplines. There is a subtle intermingling of moods in these sixty-four methods. Gradually, he scaled the highest pinnacle of these methods of sadhana. Thereafter, he undertook Advaita sadhana under the tutelage of Totapuri. Being established in Advaitic knowledge, Sri Ramakrishna entered into the mood of the vijnani and remained a child of the Divine Mother. Coming down from nirvikalpa samadhi, he began enjoying the attitudes of devotee and devotion. The Brahmo leader Pratap Chandra Mazumdar wrote about Sri Ramakrishna: ‘He worships Shiva, he worships Kali, he worships Rama, he worships Krishna, and is a confirmed advocate of Vedantist doctrines. He is an idolater and is yet a faithful and most devoted meditator of the perfections of the one, formless, infinite Deity, whom he terms Akhanda Satchidananda.’ According to Sri Ramakrishna, there is no difference between Kali, Krishna and Shiva. According to the Sammohana Tantra, he who distinguishes between Rama and Shiva is an idiot.

(Excerpted from 'Shakti Worship and Sri Ramakrishna' by Swami Abhedananda, Vedanta(dot)ru)

Shakti Worship down the Ages

Drawing our attention to the deep significance of the word shakti, Sir John Wood­roffe says, ‘There is no word of a wider content in any language than this Sanskrit term, meaning “Power”.’

There is some supreme Power behind this universe who expresses Herself in diverse ways. But what is noteworthy is the glory of Her oneness behind this multiplicity. Heat, light, lightning - all these are expressions of just that Power. Everything in this universe is a conglomeration of power and nothing else.

The concept of shakti is indivisibly connected with Mother worship (shakti sadhana). Generally the worship of Durga, Kali, Sarasvati and other goddesses is considered Shakti worship. But the worship of Narayana, Shiva, Ganesha and other gods, too, is the worship of Shakti Herself. Whatever the means - image, symbol or yantra - the worship is only of Shakti. This is because, in the use of all these means there is a superimposition of the creation - preservation - destruction aspects of Shakti either fully or partially. So in a wider sense all worshippers are Shakti worshippers.

History says that Shakti worship was prevalent all over the world in some form or other, but it was in India alone that an unbroken tradition has been set up, which has influenced the Indian mind permanently and deeply. Having made a deep study of the different religious ages, like those of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the philosophies, the epics and the subsequent religions, Swami Saradananda remarks, ‘Shakti worship, especially the worship of God as Mother, is a personal property of India.’ The great scholar and illumined soul Swami Abhedananda also says, ‘India is in fact the only place in the world where God is worshipped as Mother.’ By and large, their conclusions have been accepted by the scholarly world. The theme of the present discussion is this adoration of God as Mother.

The idea of the Great Goddess (Mahadevi) was known amongst both Aryans and non-Aryans. Though both Aryan and non-Aryan races were indirectly responsible for the growth of the ideal of the Great Goddess, the contribution of the Aryans to this field is great. Some say that the deities like Vak, Sarasvati, Ratri and Shridevi of the ‘Vak Sukta,’ ‘Ratri Sukta,’ and the Rig Vedic ‘Shri Sukta’ became Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasarasvati in due course. Again, some pundits feel that in the ‘Devi Sukta’ and ‘Ratri Sukta’ of the Rig Veda, the worship of Shakti is not at all the point. However, one cannot deny the appearance of the Goddess-idea in theYajur Veda, Atharva Veda, and in some Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. The special point here is this: though the Goddess (Shakti) mentioned in all these is the Great Goddess (Mahadevi), She is more of a Mother than a deity. Her maternal love is naturally evident everywhere. It is known that everyone has a natural attraction for his mother. The aspirant believes that Mother can be worshipped easily; She easily responds to the child’s call. However, it took quite some time for Shakti worship to become transformed into the purest form of Mother worship.

(Excerpted from 'Shakti Worship and Sri Ramakrishna' by Swami Abhedananda, Vedanta(dot)ru)

The Bhakta's approach to the Reality

"...the bhaktas accept all the states of consciousness. They take the waking state to be real also. They don't think the world to be illusory, like a dream. They say that the universe is a manifestation of God's power and glory. God has created all these — sky, stars, moon, sun, mountains, ocean, men, animals. They constitute His glory. He is within us, in our hearts. Again, He is outside. The most advanced devotees say that He Himself has become all this — the twenty-four cosmic principles, the universe, and all living beings. The devotee of God wants to eat sugar, not to become sugar.

- Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Greetings on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Birthday and Holi

The full moon festival of Holi, celebrated in Phalgun Poornima, heralds the Vasanta-ritu, the spring season.

In Mathura and Vrindavan areas, the festival is for three days .The image of Lord Krishna is placed on a swing (popularly called as “dola”).  The swing is rocked 21 times at the end of the festival.  Thus the festival derives the name “Dolyatra”. Barsana, the birth place of Radha and Nandgaon, the village home of Sri Krishna are marked with the play of “lathmar” holi.  Women dressed up with colourful costumes and long ‘ghunghats’ or veils carrying well oiled ‘lathis’ or sticks to beat their male counter parts who protect themselves with ‘dhals’ or gears.  The famous Bankey Bihari temple at Vrindavan and Mathura’s Dwarakadhees temple are fully flooded with the devotees during the festival of colours.

The state of Bengal observes Phalgun Poornima as the birthday of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu(1486-1533 A.D).
For the devotees of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna, the event of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s birth on this day is the prime reason for its celebration.

Sri Chaitanya’s plain, simple and practical religion offered a key to solve in a practical way some of the complicated social, political and economic problems that confronted the society in those days.

Democracy of spirit based on love for fellow beings improved the conditions of people and conferred on them the joy of living.  The tenets of love, equality and fraternity as taught by Mahaprabhu were found to be the most significant method of integration.

Sri Sri Thakur used to advise his disciples to read the traditional biographies of Mahaprabhu such as “Chaitanya Charitamrita” and “Chaintanya Bhagavata”.  All through his life Sri Ramakrishna showed great respect even to the descendants of the followers of Mahaprabhu.

We find in the Gospel, Sri Sri Thakur often emphasizing the efficacy of Mahaprabhu’s teachings as to chanting of Lord’s name - “….Chaitanya and Nitai, after some deliberation, made an arrangement to attract the worldly.  They would say to such persons, ‘Come, repeat the name of Hari, and you shall have a delicious soup of magur fish and the embrace of a young woman.’  Many people, attracted by the fish and the woman, would chant the name of God. 
After tasting a little of the nectar of God’s hallowed name, they would soon realize that the ‘fish soup’ really meant the tears they shed for love of God, while the ‘young woman’ signified the earth.  The embrace of the woman meant rolling on the ground in the rapture of divine ecstasy.”

Excerpted from an article by Swami Nishthatmananda, Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Muzaffarpur, Bihar

© Smiling Buddha, 2016

India: the ideal of toleration and sympathy

The one great lesson, therefore, that the world wants most, that the world has yet to learn from India, is the idea not only of toleration, but of sympathy. Well has it been said in the Mahimnah-stotra: "As the different rivers, taking their start from different mountains, running straight or crooked, at last come unto the ocean, so, O Shiva, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead unto These." Though they may take various roads, all are on the ways. Some may run a little crooked, others may run straight, but at last they will all come unto the Lord, the One. Then and then alone, is your Bhakti of Shiva complete when you not only see Him in the Linga, but you see Him everywhere. He is the sage, he is the lover of Hari who sees Hari in everything and in everyone. If you are a real lover of Shiva, you must see Him in everything and in everyone. You must see that every worship is given unto Him whatever may be the name or the form; that all knees bending towards the Caaba, or kneeling in a Christian church, or in a Buddhist temple are kneeling to Him whether they know it or not, whether they are conscious of it or not; that in whatever name or form they are offered, all these flowers are laid at His feet; for He is the one Lord of all, the one Soul of all souls. He knows infinitely better what this world wants than you or I. It is impossible that all difference can cease; it must exist; without variation life must cease. It is this clash, the differentiation of thought that makes for light, for motion, for everything. Differentiation, infinitely contradictory, must remain, but it is not necessary that we should hate each other therefore; it is not necessary therefore that we should fight each other. - Swami Vivekananda
(Lectures from Colombo to Almora)

Sri Ramakrishna: Many names of one God

"You may say that there are many errors and superstitions in another religion.  I should reply: Suppose there are.  Every religion has errors.  Everyone thinks that his watch alone gives the correct time.  It is enough to have yearning for God.  It is enough to love Him and feel attracted to Him: Don't you know that God is the Inner Guide? He sees the longing of our heart and the yearning of our soul.  Suppose a man has several sons.  The older boys address him distinctly as 'Baba' or 'Papa', but the babies can at best call him 'Ba' or 'Pa'.  Now, will the father be angry with those who address him in this indistinct way? The father knows that they too are calling him, only they cannot pronounce his name well.  All children are the same to the father.  Likewise, the devotees call on God alone, though by different names.  They call on one Person only.  God is one, but His names are many."

(Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Chapter IV; Advice to householders)

Dive deep taking the name of Kali

A popular Bengali devotional song which would be sung by Sri Ramakrishna in the company of his devotees:

Taking the name of Kāli, dive deep down, 
O mind, Into the heart's fathomless depths, 
Where many a precious gem lies hid.  
But never believe the bed of the ocean bare of gems 
If in the first few dives you fail; 
With firm resolve and self-control 
Dive deep and make your way to Mother Kāli's realm. 

Down in the ocean depths of heavenly Wisdom lie 
The wondrous pearls of Peace, O mind; 
And you yourself can gather them, 
If you but have pure love and follow the scriptures' rule.  
Within those ocean depths, as well, 
Six alligators, lurk - lust, anger, and the rest -
Swimming about in search of prey.  
Smear yourself with the turmeric of discrimination; 
The very smell of it will shield you from their jaws.
Upon the ocean bed lie strewn 
Unnumbered pearls and precious gems; 
Plunge in, says Ramprasad, and gather up handfuls there!

Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Chapter 4

एक सुविचार

आप चाहे कितने भी पवित्र शब्द पढ़ लें या बोल लें, वो आपका क्या भला करेंगे जब तक आप उन्हें उपयोग में नहीं लाते ? - गौतम बुद्ध   

(Image: Cathy Ginter)

Greetings on the 181st birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna

ॐ स्थापकाय च धर्मस्य सर्वधर्मस्वरूपिणे।
अवतारवरिष्ठाय रामकृष्णाय ते नमः॥
ॐ नमः श्री भगवते रामकृष्णाय नमो नमः॥

Salutations to you, O Ramakrishna, the establisher of dharma, the embodiment of all religions, and the paragon of avataras.
Om, salutations to Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna, salutations again and again.

Greetings on the 181st birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna!

Śivastotram: a Hymn to Shiva by Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda expresses profound devotion in this hymn to Shiva, composed by him in Sanskrit. The translation is by Swami Ashokananda.

॥शिवस्तोत्रम्॥

ॐ नमः शिवाय॥
निखिलभुवनजन्मस्थेमभङ्गप्ररोहाः
अकलितमहिमानः कल्पिता यत्र तस्मिन्।
सुविमलगगनाभे ईशसंस्थेऽप्यनीशे
मम भवतु भवेऽस्मिन् भासुरो भावबन्धः॥१॥

निहतनिखिलमोहेऽधीशता यत्र रूढा
प्रकटितपरप्रेम्णा यो महादेवसञ्ज्ञः
अशिथिलपरिरम्भः प्रेमरूपस्य यस्य
प्रणयति हृदि विश्वं व्याजमात्रं विभुत्वम्॥ २॥

वहति विपुलवातः पूर्वसंस्काररूपः
प्रमथति बलवृन्दं घूर्णितेवोर्मिमाला।
प्रचलति खलु युग्मं युष्मदस्मत्प्रतीतम्
अतिविकलितरूपं नौमि चित्तं शिवस्थम्॥ ३॥

जनकजनितभावो वृत्तयः संस्कृताश्च
अगणनबहुरूपो यत्र एको यथार्थः।
शमितविकृतिवाते यत्र नान्तर्बहिश्च
तमहह हरमीडे चित्तवृत्तेर्निरोधम्॥ ४॥

गलिततिमिरमालः शुभ्रतेजःप्रकाशः
धवलकमलशोभः ज्ञानपुञ्जाट्टहासः।
यमिजनहृदिगम्यः निष्कलं ध्यायमानः
प्रणतमवतु मां स मानसो राजहंसः॥ ५॥

दुरितदलनदक्षं दक्षजादत्तदोषं
कलितकलिकलङ्कं कम्रकह्लारकान्तम्।
परहितकरणाय प्राणविच्छेदसूत्कं
नतनयननियुक्तं नीलकण्ठं नमामः॥ ६॥

Translation from Sankrit

May my luminous love fasten firm to Him, to Shiva,
In whom arise visions of glories immeasurable!
May my luminous love cling to Him who is utterly pure, like the sky,
Who is Lord of all, having no lord over Himself!

May my luminous devotion be attached to Him
By whom all delusion is destroyed,
In whom Lordship is forever existent!
May it be attached to Him who, manifesting surpassing Love,
   is named “the Great God.”
The firm embrace of Him—Love Itself—reveals within the heart
The infinity of being, the falseness of the worlds.

I salute Mind which has its support in Shiva,
But has lost its pristine perfection and assumed misshapen forms;
I salute Mind in which all the impresses of the past are blowing
   like a furious tempest,
Stirring up energies violently, like waters lashed into furious waves;
In which flows ceaselessly the dual current of the sense of “I” and “thou.”

I worship Shiva in whom ideas of cause and effect,
Thoughts and impresses and countless varied forms become the Real One.
I worship Him in whom—when the wind of change is calmed—
There is neither within nor without.
I worship Him who is the perfect stillness of the Mind.

He whose thunderous laughter is the flood of Knowledge,
He from whom all darkness is dispersed, who manifests as white radiance,
   who is beautiful as the white lotus;
He who is indivisible, who is sought in meditation;
He who is realized in the heart of men of self-control—
May He, that Lordly Swan of my mind, protect me!
May He protect me, who am bowing before Him!

Him, who destroys sin and removes the dark stain of our age;
Whose benign eyes watch over all who have surrendered to Him;
Who joyously sacrifices Himself for the good of others,
Whose throat is blue from drinking the poison intended for others—
Him, lustrous as the white water lily—
Him I salute!

from The Voice of India, published by the
Vedanta Society of Northern California in the 1940s. (Source: vedantadc.org, Image: vedicstore)

Swamiji on Mundaka Upanishad: The Wisdom of Sage Angiras

In the Upanishads there are certain passages which are called the great words,1which are always quoted and referred to.

In Him, that One — in Him alone, the Atman — exist all other worlds. What is the use of all other talk? Know Him alone. This is the bridge over this life to reach universality.

He [Angiras] goes on to show a practical way. So far it is very figurative.

Just as all the spokes of a wheel meet at the axle, even so in this body is that place from which all the arteries flow andat which they all meet. There, meditate upon the Om that is in the heart. May thou succeed.

May the gentle one with success attain the goal. May you go beyond all darkness to Him who is omniscient, the All-Knowing. His glory is in heaven, on earth and everywhere.

He who has become the mind, the Prânâ, He who is the leader in the body, He who is established in the food, the energy of life. By supreme knowledge the sages see Him whose nature is bliss, who shines as immortality.( Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.8.) 

Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume IX

Swami Vivekananda: The qualities of a disciple

Unto such a disciple, who has controlled his mind, has become peaceful and calm, has given up all this tremendous wave that rises in the mind by desire ("I will do this and that" and all those desires which are at best only disturbing, such as name and fame, which impel mankind to do all sorts of things) — to that disciple in whom all these vexatious desires have been calmed down, the teacher teaches the way which is the science of Brahman, by which he can know that One who never changes and who is the Truth.

Then comes what he [Angiras] taught:

This is the truth, O gentle one, as from a mass of burning flame myriads of sparks come out of the same nature as the fire, even so from this Unchangeable One all these forms, all these ideas, all this creation, come out; and unto Him it [the creation] goes back.
- Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Lecture on Mundaka Upanishad

Sri Sarada Devi: Practice meditation

Thus spake Holy Mother:
"Practise meditation, and by and by your mind will be so calm and fixed that you will find it hard to keep away from meditation."
She would say "Japat Siddhi" i.e. regular practice of japa leads to realization. Blessed are those who pray to her and receive her boundless love.

The Nature of Brahman

“A man had two sons. The father sent them to a preceptor to learn the Knowledge of Brahman. After a few years they returned from their preceptor’s house and bowed low before their father. Wanting to measure the depth of their knowledge of Brahman, he first questioned the older of the two boys. ‘My child,’ he said, ‘you have studied all the scriptures. Now tell me, what is the nature of Brahman?’ The boy began to explain Brahman by reciting various texts from the Vedas. The father did not say anything. Then he asked the younger son the same question. But the boy remained silent and stood with eyes cast down. No word escaped his lips. The father was pleased and said to him: ‘My child, you have understood a little of Brahman. What It is cannot be expressed in words.'

"Men often think they have understood Brahman fully. Once an ant went to a hill of sugar. One grain filled its stomach. Taking another grain in its mouth, it started homeward. On its way, it thought, ‘Next time I shall carry home the whole hill.’That is the way shallow minds think. They don’t know that Brahman is beyond one’s words and thought. However great a man may be, how much can he know of Brahman? Shukadeva and sages like him may have been big ants; but even they could carry at the utmost eight or ten grains of sugar!
-The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna