Dedicated to Sri Sarada Devi

A Place where devotees gather to share inspiration.


"Holy Mother" painted by Swami Tadatmananda

Used courtesy of the Vedanta Society of Southern California

http://www.vedanta.org




Dedicated to Sri Sarada Devi
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Re: Are we her own?

It is humbling to attempt to add anything to Paritosh's beautiful answer. . .

Yet, the comment, "Mother HAD THAT discernment" can be touched upon.

We are all bumped, and banged and jumbled in this body-vehicle we inhabit. Creation is born out of the manifestations of the "pairs of opposites"; ie, good/bad, heat/cold, pleasure/pain, light/darkness, etc. And in response, there are pairs of reactions, such as love/hate, happiness/sadness, attachment/nonattachment, and so forth, as well as conditions, such as wealth/poverty, ignorance/knowing, successful/failing. The list is endless, and is seen as continuums out of which this life we experience manifests. Nothing is completely one side of any pair, all is a mixture out of which multiple "things" come. Hence, even on the seemingly darkest night, our eyes are aware of light.

Discerment, spiritual discernment, isn't about becoming aware of differences. We are aware of these! Spiritual discernment is about learning to see the One Reality behind and within all the appearance of difference. This is the discernment Mother had. Hence, while her body-vehicle reacted to a subtle awareness of the pairs of opposites, Mother herself saw the Oneness manifest in all, hence all are her very own. As Mother said, none, not even an incarnation of God, can escape the pains of being in a human body -- including death. The difference is that the wise laugh upon giving up the body, while the ignorant weep. Mother's discernment is the goal we all seek.

However, Mother saw THAT ONE REALITY. We do not. Therefore, as spiritual aspirants we have to begin with another kind of 'discernment' in preparation for the higher. Right now, we are pretty much shoved about willy-nilly, unaware of what is affecting us. We re-act unconsciously most of the time.

So, the first task is to begin to be aware of what affects us and how. With this first awareness comes a second awareness; awareness of how we react. Now we are in a position of personal and spiritual power, because we can begin changing our reactions into conscious action! We can change our response! And one we have the ability to ACT instead of re-act, we gain a distance and opportunity to view things differently. We discover that no-thing is one-sided, all has some level of mixture, by being manifest in the world. We can come to see differences, without judging them as either good or bad. And because we are made of the same mixture, we come to see that nothing is foreign to us.

However, we have a goal, we are on a quest. We are specializing in spiritual growth. Just as the medical student does not despise the study of law, but simply recognizes it as being outside of his preparation for becoming a doctor. . . in this same way the spiritual aspirant begins to consciously choose what helps them them on their journey and avoids (as much as possible) what takes them astray, without despising the other paths or those who follow them.

And the goal is with us throughout this preparation. Just as the med sudent takes each course with the ultimate goal of becoming a doctor, we conduct our lives with the ultimate goal of seeing ONENESS.

As this transformation happens, our body, which shares the nature of the manifest world, will continue to be affected by the pairs of opposites. But the Self, our true identity, will bask, like Mother, in the Oneness. As Holy Mother said, at this point we will realize that the whole world is ours.

Location: San Diego, California, USA

Re: Are we are we her own?

Hello to all of you there.....

I cannot tell you how happy i feel when i come here and read your messages.

Afcourse the Mother and Sri Ramakrishna are with us....always.......may we all always know this fact by their grace.

I have found that whenever i need some anwsers or something is troubling me, i just need to randomly open any of SRK's books, and i get apt advice ..... just what i need.

To illustrate, once when i was in university.... i was tempted to do something wrong........i knew in mind that it was wrong , but just was'nt strong enough to resist......that night when i came to my room i randomly opened a page of Swami Chetananda's "God Lived With Them" ( the lives of the 16 monastic disciples of the Master) .... my eyes fell on the lines 'A pecked fruit cannot be offered to the Divine Mother'..... it stressed the importance of purity if one wants to lead a spiritual life.....

however i was too weak to resist my temptation..... and now i was feeling guilty as ever ..... i thought the Mother and Master would not forgive me...all purity had gone...... i was despairing , again i opened a the book..... this time my eyes fell on the lines " Does the Mother everthrow away her child because it is covered with filth? She gently cleans him and then places him on her lap...."

the warning was given before ...... however forgiveness was given later...

i knew then that my realtionship with the Master and Mother was eternal, regardless of anything..... human relationships can be fickle , but here in Mothers lap unconditional love is granted even to unworty ones.

Another time a calamity in business seemed likely.. i was quite depressed , i didnt know what would happen...... to soothe my anxiety i randomly opened the Gospel of SRK.... there again my eyes fell on the following lines......." come Mother take everything away from me , but leave me with my pot of hemp and necklace of bones" .......

I am sure this is the case with all of you too.... we all find anwsers in the words of the Master and Mother.

Location: mumbai