A man once took instruction from a wandering holy man. After a few days the holy man went away leaving his disciple to meditate in a hut on the outskirts of a small village.
The new monk would go out each day to beg his food. He would spend rest of his time medita...
Born in the holy land of Jayrambati,
In a family of true divinity,
Blessed was the tinsel Bengal,
Least aware that it bore the feet before which bowed all.
Tender Sarada, so simple and innocent,
Before whom even the Lord submitted, least hesitant,...
Today is Swami Vivekananda's birthday.
I first read the life of Swamiji which attracted me to Vedanta. There was so much energy and power in those words.
Happy Birthday Swamiji.
Yasmannodvijate loko lokannodvijate cha yah;
Harshamarsha bhayodvegaih mukto yah sa cha me priyah.
'One by whom the world is not agitated, and who also cannot be agitated by the world, who is freed from excessive joy, intolerance, fear and anxiety — such a...
Devotee: Swamiji says that one should see Ram everywhere and in everything. What is the best means to do that?
Papa: Before you can have the universal vision, you must first realise Him within you. This means you have the knowledge that you are not the body, but t...
Here is a beautiful incident I read in the latest issue of Prabuddha Bharata. I felt I should share it with all of you.
As you are aware, Mr. and Mrs Sevier were among the staunchest and earliest disciples of Swamiji.
And based on Swamiji's request, they founde...
After having read "Holy Mother", there is subject matter that I would like to describe here concerning the relationship of Mother to the Master.
It has occured to me after my reading that I have and never had a personal "Master" in my life. My father was not, my...
Finally finished the last chapter of "Holy Mother".
Couple of questions...
There were a lot of references in the book to the taking on of karma by Mother and the Master. Of course, this is the essence of Christianity, that Jesus took on the karma of the worl...
Today Jan 24th is Swami Turiyananda’s birthday.
Towards the end of his life he remained ill but he would say “The body knows suffering but my mind you remain in bliss” May we all have that kind of detachment towards the material world and remain...
Purpose of Life: To be Rendered Prasad
Swami Vidyatmananda
Swami Vidyatmananda (1913-2000), a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, was of American origin.
For many years he was attached to the Vedanta Centre in Hollywood, California.
Since 1966 he was associated with...
Today, Jan 15th is Swami Saradananda’s birthday. His life was devoted to the Mother and more details of that relationship are described in his biography. The faith and acceptance that the Mother had on him was complete. In fact towards the last days in her life...
For me the “Gospel of the Holy Mother” has always been a source of reassurance and a soothing feeling. While many people would be able to find the most profound spiritual truths in Her words, for me I just feel Her love and acceptance. The reassurance tha...
Namaste to all,
I talk so much here, I wanted to shelve this issue til later, but this seems to be the time.
Please forgive the fact, that I do not have exact references, but almost all of these incidents are recorded in "Holy Mother". If I remember somethin...
From the Editorial of the January issue of 'Prabuddha Bharata':
Anon-descript rickshaw-puller walked into the bookstall of a Ramakrishna Mission institution and asked for a freshly released, bulky Bengali volume on Sri Sarada Devi (Shatarupe Sarada). He was rather...
Mother:
Today is 1st January 2005 and Kalpatru Day. Please accept my pranams.
You know everything. I need not say more.
Best wishes to all my sisters and brothers here in the courtyard.
The test of life alone proves the genuineness of a moral virtue or a spiritual value. Virtues are tested more in difficult circumstances of life than in good fortune. It is easy to maintain poise and grace in good weather. It is only bad weather that tests their gen...
One of Mother's son's has written:
"For me there is nothing more special than Her birthday. . . wish us all progress towards the Supreme goal."
May Mother accept the loving greetings and fulfill the heartfelt desires of all her waiting children.
Namaste,
Mother once said, (I do not direct quote here)
a woman's only (I do not know if she used the word "adornment" or "ornament") adornment is modesty.
In my upbringing modesty referred to covering the body, or to a lack of boasting. Somehow, I would li...
Tom has written that the Dakshineswar Kali Temple is off limits to Westerners. This has not not been the case for a long time, if ever. (I think there may have been a time, earlier.)
I am a Westerner in a wheelchair and was blessed to go to Dakshineshwar in 1991....
I am missing one of my spiritual brothers here in the courtyard. We have not heard from him in over a year. I hope he is doing well and hope he knows that Mother is always taking care of him. I posted something similar in Jan 2004 and have not heard anything from him...
Are you playing with us, Mother?
Or do you,. as Paritosh suggests, have your own plans for your Celebration??
(We are experiencing disappearing messages. Hoping to discover the problem soon. Please help by posting a test message here.)
Happy Birthday Mother,
This says it so well...
"I wish we could send you a wonderful hymn, or a prayer. But somehow even that would seem too loud, too full of noise! Surely you are the most wonderful thing of God--Sri Ramakrishna's own chalice of his Love for...
Paritosh has asked if there is any way we might celebrate Mother's birthday. Perhaps Tom and Rosemary have given us a start. I am thinking we might share something about Mother that is meaningful. A book, a ;picture, an inicent in her life...
Mother,
I wish I knew the words to tell of my gratitude. If only I could see you in the flesh.
You are the first I go to in suffering and trouble, why are you not the first in my thoughts when the blessed relief from worry and trouble comes?
I am not a goo...
"The great soul, the Messenger, came at a period of history of his race which we may well designate as a great fall. We catch only little glimpses here and there of the stray records that have been kept of his sayings and doings; for verily it has been well said that...
Hello again to all,
Once again my mind is diving deep. I remember a previous post about Mother's discrimination where my point was that Mother knew what was in peoples hearts and what their purity and intentions were. Most replies, quite correctly, addressed th...
Happy Thanksgiving to my spiritual family here in the courtyard. Among the daily grind of life, all of you continue to remind and inspire me of my eternal relationship with the Mother. Thank you.
To Mother, there are no words to express what I feel.
Today is Diwali the festival of lights. It is celebrated as Lakshmi Puja or Kali Puja depending on which part of India you come from.
On this auspicious day I offer flowers to the Mother from all of us here in the courtyard and also send greetings to all my siblin...
Life beyond the shrine has its effect in our spiritual life and spiritual growth. Often there are secular changes around us which affect the world and us personally. they are not spiritual matters they may interfere with our faith of what is right and should have ha...
Everybody has them to some degree...Restlessness in the mind shows itself in the restlessness in the body. The body is the servant. It has no authority of its own. Whatever the body does is being dictated by the mind, whether we are aware of that or not. Most of the...
Thanks to Jayanti and Vriju for the response to my earlier post. In my reading last night this was meaningful for me.
"Holy Mother" p 263
"When Holy Mother was leaving for Jayrambati, the devotees went upstairs to take the dust of her feet.
Latu remained in...
While we are trying to practice the Dharma, let's not get entrenched in superficial appearances.
There is a story of one Tibetan man who wanted to practice Dharma, so he spent days circumambulating holy relic monuments. Soon his teacher came by and said, "What you...
Hello to all,
Can anyone tell me what eventually happened with Mother's neice Radhu? I am now finishing the life story of Mother and would like to know.
Also, I am asking for the prayer support of my spiritual family. I am having a trapped feeling at work,...
We use the words "worship" and "prayer" frequently. Swami Shraddhananda has given an excellent explanation of these two spiritual practices in his book "Seeing God Everywhere -- A Practical Guide to Spiritual Living" Edited by Pravrajika Vrajaprana and published by t...
Today is the glorious day of the celebration of the victory of 'good' over 'evil' — Mother's Victory. It is a day of victory, when all mankind have received the supreme assurance that so long as they turn to the Mother in their distress, there will be no lack o...
I know all devotees join me in expressing our deep gratitude to sister Jayanti for her devotion and tireless effort in creating and maintaining the Holy Mother's Courtyard where we can all join together in a cyberspace sat-sang and inspire one another.
May the Div...
Today is the last day, the ninth of the nine-day worship of the Mother. It is through Her supreme compassion and grace that we have been given this precious opportunity and occasion for expressing our devotion and adoration of Her Divine Feet. Thereby we elevate our...
Sri Ramakrishna has said on different occasions about Holy Mother: 'She is Sarada; Saraswati; she has come to impart knowledge.' 'She is my Shakti.' 'Know her and myself to be one and the same.'
Swami Vivekananda referred to Holy Mother as 'Durga' in a letter to...
An incident in Mother's life:
Once at Jayrambati a calf was crying in the compound of the Holy Mother's house in the early hours of the morning. It had been seperated from its dam, which was going to be milked. On hearing the cries of the calf, the Mother hurried...
]"One must be patient like the earth. What iniquities are being perpetuated on her! Yet she quietly endures them all."
-- Sri Sarada Devi
*******************
May Mother bless us with patience and forbearance.
The Stench of Hatred
Author Unknown
A kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hat...
"Before commencing your daily meditation, first think of your utter helplessmenss and then slowly begin to meditate as directed by your guru."
from "Holy Mother" p. 222
When my children were very young, we attended an outdoor party. I was feeling very in contr...
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE COMPASSIONATE MOTHER
P. Murugan
The Tamil journal of the Ramakrishna Order, Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam, held an essay competition on the topic “My Experience with the Compassionate Holy Mother” on the occasion of Sarada Devi, The...
ma, ma, that is what i consider to be the last message-benediction to me by revered bhuteshananda maharaj. it was march, 1998. i was a probationer in advaita ashrama, kolkata. i was being asked to go back by aurobindo maharaj as he felt that i did not have self-contr...
Holy Mother gave a high place to japa and meditation. Japa purifies the mind, creates inner calmness, and leads to meditation.
"As wind removes a cloud, so does the name of God disperse the cloud of worldliness."
"No doubt you must do your duties. This keeps yo...
To all,
The postings today remind me of an incident in my life.
When my children were very young, I felt danger in the apartment,and we were there alone and the front door was unlocked and I thought someone was there and I had fear. I walked myself to the fr...
i am just an ordinary boy but i consider myself having three teacher-friends, swami bhuteshananda-diksha guru- embodiment of bhagavan ramakrishna, swami ranganathananda- brahmacharya guru- embodiment of swami ji and shri fhanindra- sannyasa guru-embodiment of the div...
"Why should you be afraid? Surrender yourself to Sri Ramakrishna and always remember that he stands behind you."
Fear is a quality that hinders our progress towards the Supreme Goal. In this simple saying Mother reassures us that there is nothing to be worried abo...
This quotation means a lot to me:
"Is the Master's hair a mere trifle? After his passing way I carried his hair to Allahabad to offer it at the confluence of the sacred rivers. The water was still. As I held the hair in my hand suddenly a wave rose and carri...
What is Mother really saying?
"One finds faults in others after bringing one's own mind down 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 anyone's faults. If...
Paritosh has made a wonderful suggestion. For each day of the Navaratri celebration we will consider a quote from Holy Mother. This is one of my favorites.
"I am the Mother of the wicked and the Mother of the virtuous. Whenever you feel in distress say to yourse...
Hello to all my spiritual family,
Just to share what Mother is showing me today (and this is EXPERIENTIAL) ...today she is showing me how to be human. Although she always points to the divine, this is what she is showing me today.
Love to all,
Rosemary
Deep Thinking requires a Disciplined Mind
A Teacher was teaching arithmetic to small children. She set a problem for them to solve. 'I have twelve sheep,' said she. 'Six of them jump the fence and run away. How many would be left?' Most of the boys answered,...
One Night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of...
My humble offering to all devotees of Mother.
Durga Puja or Navaratri
'Namah Tasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namah!'
A salutation to the Divine Mother, Durga, who is the consort of Lord Shiva, who creates, sustains and destroys the universe.
Navarat...
Doubts in spiritual life are a constant companion that are left behind only when realization occurs. We all have spent so much time and continue to spend time when we wonder and doubt and mistrust what we have perceived to be the truth. Those days are horrible and co...
Prayer of a Devotee
Whatever comes comes through you; whatever disappears disappears because of you.
Though I am aware of this truth, I am not remaining tranquil.
Instead, my mind, jumping around as ‘I’, feels alternately happy and miserable.
Even i...
Since many days I have been thinking about this quality. We all are aware that true self-surrender is extremely difficult and I will not go into that analysis. My question is when I have surrendered (for that small moment in time or about an issue) all to the Mother...
My wife, Jharna Dey and I offer our sincere Pranams to the lotus feet of Holy Mother. We wish that we could have joined in the celebrations. I realise this with a very heavy heart, while fighting hard to sustain a decent living through my new venture. Both me and my...
Ma
All these times you have been with me and suddenly I find myself alone. I know it is my fault, it is me who has lost your hand while travelling thru all these chores of life.
I want to get back to my original self, the way I was, the happy and peaceful way.
Ple...
"The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at the blesse...
I share my notes from the retreat on the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 5) which I attended recently.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 5
The Yoga of Renunciation
The Chapter starts with a question dealing with what Sri Krishna has said in the previous two chapters. Arjuna find...
This morning I received my copy of the September issue of SAMVIT. What follows is an extract from Mataji Pravrajika Bharatiprana's article 'For Dedicated Devotees', which I wish to share with you.
Sri Ramakrishna used to tell a story about Narada who had grown ver...
It is said that for the things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them. The Buddha told a story about this.
A young widower, who loved his five-year old son very much, was away on business, and bandits came, burned down his...
Mullah Nasruddin found a diamond by the roadside, but, according to law, finders become keepers only if they first announced their find in the centre of the marketplace on three separate occasions. Now, Nasruddin was too religious-minded to disregard the law and too...
Dear All,
After a long time i got the opportunity to visit the sarada math in pune. the Place is beautiful, serene....when im there i feel uplifted!
the head of the math Sri Yogapranna Maa , though not keeping too well , did give me darshan, and although in pa...
Hello to all,
Received the book we spoke of and am enjoying it.
I see what is meant by it's being "tough"
A question has formed in my mind about japa and mantra. Mother taught repetition of the name of God for spiritual progress. Not being conscious of any...
Hello to all my spiritual family.
I had something to say today, as I had a really humiliating day at work.
Mother said that she was Mother to all, even sinners?But there were times when people touched her, she felt as if she were "burned" and had to bathe with...
Hello friends,
I've been looking, but no one is posting.
I am loathe to always speak, but finally want to say this...
I am so thankful that I have readings of Mother's life to help in daily life. There are so many things that help me as a woman. One hardly...
Dear all,
whenever i am feeling low i come to this forum - and it has always provided me relief.
Of late i feel all messed up, my mind , my life seems all messed up - i have realised that all it takes is one incident , one mistake, one moment of passion to mess...
The Doctor's Prescription
A man becomes sick and goes to the doctor for help. The doctor examines him and then writes out a prescription for some medicine. The man has great faith in his doctor. He returns home and in his prayer room he puts a beautiful picture...
On page 164 of Holy Mother (Swami Nikhilananda) an incident is told that brings to mind a question of karma.
The incident surrounds an untouchable who is about to be abandoned by her "paramour". Mother sent for the man and this is part of the quote, "It will be...
With the conjunction of the passing of Swami Vivekananda in 1902, on the anniversary of America's independence, so many feelings arise within me.
It is believed that Swamiji chose July 4th purposely, because of his love and faith in our potential. Sri Ramakrishna...
There are very few people in mainstream society to talk to about subtle spiritual experience. I do not want to force historical facts to fit my experience.
A few years ago, before I knew of Mother, I was fretting and concerned about the well-being of one of my so...
Once I complained to Rev. Pravrajika Mokshapranaji the second President of the Sarada Math, "How long will the Mother test us? Everyday there seems to be one test after another" In a serious tone she responded "Till this body lasts the Mother will continue to test"...
She walks in silence and does Her work in silence. For sometime I kept quiet here in the courtyard and wanted to see how much longer would it take for Mother to manifest Herself in the courtyard. I did test Her even after there was an email from bluto and it was reas...
I have been reading some of the old posts in the courtyard. There was so much of vibrant energy present in the past. However, this energy seems to be lacking these days and I wonder if the Mother is here in Her dormant form.We can pray asking Her to awaken once again...
Dear Mother, it is the anniversary of the night when Sri Ramakrishna worshipped you as the Divine Mother of the Universe. Some say this was the time when the veil of forgetfulness was lifted and you became fully aware of your own Divine Motherhood.
However it came...
Pronam (salutation) to Maa, Thakur & Swamiji & all devotees.
Can we form a meditation circle and meditate at a certain time of convenience (may be the Belur Math Arati times) for few minutes and exchange our feelings on this e-platform. May be we can start with the...
Happy Mothers Day!!!
What can a child tell you on Mothers Day? You know every step we take, you are with us on each journey that we begin and you know our deepest desires and darkest fears. Yet you love and accept us for what we are not what You want us to become....
iam an electronics engineer . iam interested to serve the people with full of devotion . iam 24 yrs old. iam not yet married. do iameligible.
please reply me as soon as possible.
thank you.
nalini
Salutations to Thakur ! Salutations to Holy Mother !
Sri Sarada Devi---"After Thakur's passing away at the time of my departure to Vrindavan, he asked me to worship his Ishta-kavacha (holy amulet), as he stood on a step of the railway compartment."
"The place...
1853 - Sri Sarada Devi - 2003
It is truly amazing, that such a tiny lady as
Sri Sarada Devi could possess a heart
which is large enough to provide room
for everyone who seeks admittance
and still going strong into the new millenium!
Jai Ma!
Website...
I was blessed with diksha (Initiation) many years ago on this day. Even after the passage of time, the memories of that day are vivid. What can a son ask or say? Doesn't the Mother know exactly what the child needs?
May devotion and faith grow within me is my prayer...
Maa ,Bless me a lot.I always try to read your's and Thakur's stories of life from Satarupe Sarada and Kathamrita nad Lilaprasanga.I read Vivekananda also from his different small books.It gives me instant energy.I find solace and my enigma from them.I try to get rid...
Dear Mother,
Please bless us that we may always remember you - in bad times and more importantly in good ones.
Please bless us that we may always take what comes as your "prasad".
Yogi Krishnaprem said - "I am may be God forsaken but never Guru forsaken."...
maa
i can not understand what is happning.i can feel only
restless mind...u never give any consolation to me.
how many years passed...without a single word consolation...how dry is my life
i know it is all because of u...when will my sorrow come to an end?
In my mind, Shiva Ratri means that Sri Ramakrishna's birthday is just around the corner. Because of the proximity in time, I was able to observe both during my short, three-week stay in India in 1991. Of Thakur's birthday celebration, I recall that to be able to be a...
I have just taken a glimpse at the January 2004 issue of Prabuddha Bharata. The website is http://www.advaitaonline.com/magazine/pb-best.html
The material and the articles in that issue are something that all of here would enjoy. They all are on the Mother. Variou...
