How to become Spiritually Awakened

[Guest guest]

This article first appeared in Vedanta Kesari, August 1965.

 

Sitting at the feet of the great disciples of Bhagavan Sri

Ramakrishna, the religion that we learnt taught us not to be

egocentric, but to be dedicated to the service of the Lord in man.

Some words of Swami Vivekananda come to my mind always. From America

he wrote, and these were also the last lines in his reply to the

Madras address, `First let us ourselves be gods and then help others

to be gods.' Swamiji put this idea before us in another form: each

one of us should lead our life in such a way, that we attain to our

spiritual realisation, freed from all bonds. Not only that, we must

also be able to promote the welfare of others. The ideal is, that in

the innermost core of our being, we have to realise the God-head;

again, we have to experience Him as manifest in all. Out of this

realisation of his have come into existence all the various forms of

service of the Ramakrishna Movement: Medical Service, Educational

Service, Preaching and Publication. The ideal is to serve the Divine

in others. Just as we ourselves try to be free we should also try to

help others to be free.

 

I would like to read to you some passages from the Gospel of Sri

Ramakrishna.

 

A Devotee: " Sir, is it necessary to have a Guru? "

 

Master: " Yes, many need a Guru. But a man must have faith in the

Guru's words ...

 

" One should constantly repeat the name of God. The name of God is

highly effective in the Kaliyuga. The practice of Yoga is not

possible in this age, for the life of man depends on food. Clap your

hands while repeating God's name, and the birds of your sin will fly

away.

 

" One should always seek the company of holy men. The nearer you

approach the Ganges, the cooler the breeze will feel. Again, the

nearer you go to a fire, the hotter the air will feel.

 

" But one cannot achieve anything through laziness and

procrastination. People who desire worldly enjoyment say about

spiritual progress: `Well, it will all happen in time. We shall

realise God sometime or other.'

 

" It is said that, in the Kaliyuga, if a man can weep for God one day

and one night, he sees Him.

 

" Feel piqued at God and say to Him: `You have created me. Now you

must reveal yourself to me.' Whether you live in the world or

elsewhere, always fix your mind on God.

 

" Go forward. The wood-cutter, following the instructions of the holy

man, went forward and found in the forest sandalwood and mines of

silver and gold; and going still farther, he found diamonds and other

precious stones.

 

" The ignorant are like people living in a house with clay walls.

There is very little light inside, and they cannot see outside at

all. But those who enter the world after attaining the knowledge of

God are like people living in a house made of glass. For them inside

and outside are light. They can see things outside as well as inside.

 

" Nothing exists except the One. That One is the Supreme Brahman. "

 

- Swami Yatiswarananda

 

To be continued...