SERVICE TO HUMANITY –

SEE GOD IN ALL

Sri Ramakrishna

and

Vivekananda

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Kāli Temple at Dakshineśwar

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LIVING IN KALIYUGA

Even those engaged in

worldly activities, such as

office work or business,

should hold to the truth.

Truthfulness alone is the

spiritual discipline in the

Kaliyuga

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Unless one always speaks the truth, one

cannot find God Who is the soul of truth.

One must be very particular about telling the

truth. Through truth one can realize God.

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WE ARE ONLY SERVANTS OF GOD

One cannot completely get rid of the six

passions: lust, anger, greed, and the like.

Therefore one should direct them to God. If you

must have desire and greed, then you should

desire love of God and be greedy to attain Him.

If you must be conceited and egotistic, then

feel conceited and egotistic thinking that you

are the servant of God, the child of God.

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Different stages of spiritual progress

• "The first stage is that of the beginner. He studies

and hears.

• Second is the stage of the struggling aspirant. He

prays to God, meditates on Him, and sings His

name and glories.

• The third stage is that of the perfect soul. He has

seen God, realized Him directly and immediately in

his inner Consciousness.

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• Last is the stage of the

supremely perfect, like

Chaitanya. Such a devotee

establishes a definite

relationship with God,

looking on Him as his Son

or Beloved."

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Sri Ramakrishna:

To that end one must always sing forth the Holy

Name of God and talk How to fix mind on Him;

without ceasing to sing of His glory and attributes.

Then one must seek the company of holy men.

One must from time to time visit the Lord's

devotees or those who have given up attachment to

the things of the world for the sake of the Lord.

SEEK THE COMPANY OF HOLY MEN

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ATTITUDES TOWARD GOD

"But a devotee must assume toward God, a particular attitude.

God in His Incarnation as Rāma demonstrated Śānta, Dāsya, Vātsalya, and sakhya. But Krishna demonstrated Madhur, besides all these.”

"Radha cherished the attitude of Madhur toward Krishna. Her love was romantic. But in the case of Sita it was the pure love of a chaste wife for her husband. There was no romance in her love.”

"But all this is the lila of God. He demonstrates different ideals to suit different times."

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To develop the devotee's love for God, God is to be

regarded as the devotee's Parent, Master, Friend,

Child, Husband, or Sweetheart, each succeeding

relationship representing an intensification of love.

These bhavas, or attitudes toward God, are known as

santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and madhur. The

rishis of the Vedas, Hanuman, the cow-herd boys of

Vrindavan, Rama's mother Kausalya, and Radhika,

Krishna's sweetheart, exhibited, respectively, the

most perfect examples of these forms.

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In the ascending scale the-glories of God are

gradually forgotten and the devotee realizes more

and more the intimacy of divine communion.

Finally he regards himself as the mistress of his

Beloved, and no artificial barrier remains to

separate him from his Ideal.

No social or moral obligation can bind to the earth

his soaring spirit. He experiences perfect union with

the Godhead.

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Different moods of aspirants

Seeing the Lord through human relationships

"But in order to realize God, one must assume one of these

attitudes: Śānta, Dāsya, Sakhya, Vātsalya, or Madhur.

"Śānta, the serene attitude. The rishis of olden times had this

attitude toward God. They did not desire any worldly enjoyment.

It is like the single-minded devotion of a wife to her husband.

She knows that her husband is the embodiment of beauty and

love, a veritable Madan.

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"Dāsya, the attitude of a servant toward his master.

Hanuman had this attitude toward Rama. He felt

the strength of a lion when he worked for Rama. A

wife feels this mood also. She serves her husband

with all her heart and soul. A mother also has a

little of this attitude, as Yaśoda had toward Krishna.

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"Once Rama asked Hanuman, 'How do you look on Me?'

And Hanuman replied: 'O Rama, as long as I have the

feeling of "I", I see that Thou art the whole and I am a part;

Thou art the Master and I am Thy servant. But when, O

Rama, I have the knowledge of Truth, then I realize that

Thou art I and I am Thou.'

"The relationship of master and servant is the proper one.

Since this 'I' must remain, let the rascal be God's servant.

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"Sakhya, the attitude of friendship. Sridāmā and other

friends sometimes fed Krishna with fruit, part of which

they had already eaten. Sakhya bhava springs from the

realization that God is one’s best and most

intimate friend. Arjuna’s relationship towards

Krishna is regarded as an excellent example for

this bhava. Arjuna used to sit, eat, walk, talk with and

embrace Krishna as an

intimate friend.

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"Vātsalya, the attitude of a mother toward her

child. This was Yaśoda's attitude toward Krishna.

The wife, too, has a little of this. She feeds her

husband with her very life-blood, as it were. The

mother feels happy only when the child has eaten

to his heart's content. Yaśoda would roam about

with butter in her hand, in order to feed Krishna.

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"Madhur, the attitude of a woman toward her paramour.

Radha had this attitude toward Krishna. The wife also feels it

for her husband. This attitude includes all the other four.“

Dwell, O Lord, O Lover of bhakti,

In the Vrindāvan of my heart,

And my devotion unto Thee

Will be Thy Radha, dearly loved. . . .

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A beautiful expression of the Vaishnava worship of God

through love is to be found in the Vrindavan episode of the

Bhagavata. The gopis, or milk-maids, of Vrindavan regarded

the six-year-old Krishna as their Beloved. They sought no

personal gain or happiness from this love. They surrendered

to Krishna their bodies, minds, and souls. Of all the gopis,

Radhika, or Radha, because of her intense love for Him, was

the closest to Krishna. She manifested mahabhava and was

united with her Beloved. This union represents, through

sensuous language, a supersensuous experience.

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FETTERS OF THE SOUL

God-consciousness does not come so long as there

are three things in the heart, _

Shame, hatred and fear.

These three and caste pride are the fetters of the

soul. When these are broken, freedom is attained.

Bound by these fetters is Jiva (the ego), free from

fetters is Siva (God),

One can attain the Knowledge of Brahman, too, by

following the path of bhakti. God is all-powerful. He

may give His devotee Brahmajnāna also, if He so

wills.

But the devotee generally doesn't seek the

Knowledge of the Absolute.

He would rather have the consciousness that God

is the Master and he the servant, or that God is the

Divine Mother and he the child." Path of bhakti is

best for the people of the Kaliyuga.

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God is the Divine Mother

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Master on caste-system

Sri Ramakrishna said: "The caste-system can be removed by

one means only, and that is the love of God. Lovers of God do

not belong to any caste. The mind, body, and soul of a man

become purified through divine love. Chaitanya and Nityananda

scattered the name of Hari to everyone, including the pariah, and

embraced them all. A brahmin without this love is no longer a

brahmin. And a pariah with the love of God is no longer a pariah.

Through bhakti an untouchable becomes pure and elevated."

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How to live in the world: be unattached!

A DEVOTEE: "Sir, how should one live in the world?"

MASTER: "Live in the world as the mud fish lives in the mud.

One develops love of God by going away from the world into

solitude, now and then, and meditating on God. After that one

can live in the world unattached. The mud is there, and the

fish has to live in it, but its body is not stained by the mud.

Such a man can lead the life of a householder in a spirit of

detachment"

fish

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"Then should householders lead a worldly life?"

MASTER: "Yes, they should try to perform their duties in a

detached way. Before you break the jack-fruit open, rub your

hands with oil, so that the sticky milk will not smear them.

The maidservant in a rich man's house performs all her duties,

but her mind dwells on her home in the country. This is an

example of doing duty in a detached way. You should

renounce the world only in mind.

But a sannyasi should renounce the world

both inwardly and outwardly."

Once a man realizes God through intense dispassion,

he is no longer attached to woman. Even if he must

lead the life of a householder, he is free from fear of

and attachment to woman. "He who has realized God

does not look upon a woman with the eye of lust; so

he is not afraid of her. He perceives clearly that

women are but so many aspects of the Divine Mother.

He worships them all as the Mother Herself”.

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The ideal of a spiritual family

" A wife endowed with spiritual wisdom is a real partner in life.

She greatly helps her husband to follow the religious path.

After the birth of one or two children they live like brother and

sister. Both of them are devotees of God-His servant and His

handmaid. Their family is a spiritual family. They are always

happy with God and His devotees.

They know that God alone is their own,

from everlasting to everlasting. They are

like the Pandava brothers; they do not

forget God in happiness or in sorrow.

" Longing is the means of realizing Ātman. A man must strive to

attain God with all his body, with all his mind, and with all his

speech. Because of an excess of bile one gets jaundice. Then

one sees everything as yellow. Among actors, those who take

only the roles of women acquire the nature of a woman; by

thinking of woman your ways and thoughts become womanly.

Just so, by thinking day and night of God

one acquires the nature of God."

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SENSE OF “I”

The sense of “I” in us is the greatest obstacle in

the path of God vision. It covers the truth. When

“I” is dead, all troubles cease. If by the mercy of

the lord one realizes “I am a non-doer,” instantly

that man becomes emancipated in this life. This

sense of “I” is like a thick cloud. As a small

cloud can hide the glorious sun, so this cloud of

“I” hides the glory of the Eternal Sun.

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SEVEN STAGES OF SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION

This sense of “I” however vanishes at the

approach of Divine wisdom, which leads to

super-consciousness (Samadhi) and eventually

to God-consciousness. But it is very difficult to

acquire this wisdom. It is said in the Vedas that

when the mind reaches the seventh stage of

spiritual evolution, the soul enters into

Samadhi and instantly its sense of “I”

disappears.

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One cannot see God without purity of heart. Through

attachment to 'woman and gold' the mind has

become stained-covered with dirt. A magnet cannot

attract a needle covered with mud. Wash away the

mud and the magnet will draw it. Likewise, the dirt of

the mind can be washed away with the tears of our

eyes.. Then the devotee obtains the vision of God.

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Likewise, the dirt of the mind can be washed away

with the tears of our eyes.. Then the devotee

obtains the vision of God. This stain is removed if

one sheds tears of repentance and says, 'O God, I

shall never again do such a thing.' Thereupon God,

the magnet, draws to Himself the mind, the needle

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By the mind one is bound; by the mind one is

freed. If am absolutely free, whether I live in the

world or in the forest, where is my bondage? I am

the child of God, the son of the King of Kings; who

can bind me? When bitten by a snake, if you

assert with firmness “There is no venom in me,”

you will be cured. In the same way he who asserts

with strong conviction “I am not bound, I am free,”

becomes free.

MESSAGE TO YOUTH

Societies should be molded upon truth and truth has not to adjust itself to society

Whatever you think, you will be, you think yourself weak, weak you will be. You think yourself strong, strong you will be

Do you love your country? Then come and struggle for higher and better things

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How to attain pure love of God

"How can a devotee attain such love? First, the

company of holy men. That awakens śraddhā, faith in

God. Then comes nishtha, single-minded devotion to

the Ideal. In that stage the devotee does not like to

hear anything but talk about God. He performs only

those acts that please God. After nishtha comes

bhakti, devotion to God; then comes bhava. Next

mahabhava, then prema, and last of all the attainment

of God Himself. Only for Isvarakotis, such as the

Incarnations, is it possible to have mahabhava or

prema.

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After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna it was Swami

Vivekananda who organized his brother disciples into a

spiritual fraternity and laid the foundation of the institutions

which have developed into the present Ramakrishna Math

and Ramakrishna Mission.

Swami Vivekananda's noble vindication of Hinduism in the

West as well as in India, his great spiritual attainments,

…continued

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his burning patriotism, his lifelong service for the uplift of the

downtrodden masses of India, and his high souled efforts to

bring about a cultural and spiritual union between the East and

the West _ all these have combined to secure for

Vivekananda a pre-eminent position amongst the world's

noblest men. Having thus gathered together his chosen few,

Sri Ramakrishna made them his closest companions and, with

the tender affection of a mother, guided them step by step to

the supreme realization of God.

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Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math for the

propagation of religion and Ramakrishna Mission for social

service. He founded the Belur Math, Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati

on the Himalayas and another in Chennai

Swami Vivekananda's hectic schedule played havoc on His health.

He suffered from asthma and diabetes and other ailments. He

spent His last days in the Belur Math.

He shed His body while meditating on July 4th 1902.

A temple was later erected on the spot chosen by Him in the Belur

Math where He was cremated.

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"This universe is created by the Mahamaya of God.

Mahamaya contains both Vidyā-māyā, the illusion of

knowledge, and Avidyā-māyā, the illusion of ignorance.

Through the help of Vidyā-māyā one cultivates such virtues

as the taste for holy company, knowledge, devotion, love,

and renunciation. Avidyā-māyā consists of the five

elements and the objects of the five senses- form, flavour,

smell, touch, and sound. These make one forget God."

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SEE GOD IN ALL

This is the gist of all worship - to be pure and to

do good to others. He who sees Siva in the poor,

in the weak, and in the diseased, worships Siva.

He who has served and helped one poor man

seeing Siva in him, without thinking of his caste,

creed, or race, or anything, with him Siva is more

pleased than with the man who sees Him only in

temples.

Vivekananda Temple at Belur

Math

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Three things are necessary for a bird to fly—the two

wings and the tail as a rudder for steering. Jnâna

(knowledge) is the one wing, Bhakti (love) is the

other, and Yoga is the tail that keeps up the balance.

For those who cannot pursue all these three forms of

worship together in harmony, and take up, therefore,

Bhakti alone as their way, it is necessary always to

remember that forms and ceremonials, though

absolutely necessary for the progressive soul, have

no other value than taking us on to that state in which

we feel the most intense love to God.

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Three things are necessary for a bird to fly—

the two wings and the tail as a rudder for steering.

• Jnâna (knowledge) is the one wing,

• Bhakti (love) is the other, and

• Yoga is the tail that keeps up the balance.

If bhakti alone is your way, it is necessary always to

remember that forms and ceremonials, though

absolutely necessary for the progressive soul, have

no other value than taking you on to that state in

which you feel the most intense love to God.

SERVICE TO HUMANITY – SEE GOD IN ALL

Today, man has acquired a tremendous materialistic power. If he cannot rightly utilize it, a total destruction of the world is inevitable.

It is necessary for him to practise mental control and develop an attitude of love, friendship, fraternity , nurture and renunciation.

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Kids for Family and Life

Our goal is to nurture and

bring all closer to a Jesus

like humanity, through our

different activities.

Kids for Family and Life

COMMUNITY