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Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play

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This is the marvelous story of Sri Ramakrishna's life—the intimate details of how he realized God and how he taught his disciples to do the same. It is the authentic, factual, descriptive, interpretive, and comprehensive biography of Ramakrishna, the spiritual phenomenon of our age.
Written by Swami Saradananda and Translated from the Bengali by Swami Chetanananda
Hardback
1,008 pages
This is the marvelous story of Sri Ramakrishna’s life—the intimate details of how he realized God and how he taught his disciples to do the same. It is the authentic, factual, descriptive, interpretive, and comprehensive biography of Ramakrishna, the spiritual phenomenon of our age.
This source biography of Ramakrishna (1836-1886) is based on interviews with those who knew him. It is also an interpreted description of the entire range of Ramakrishna’s spiritual disciplines and experiences, explained as much as possible in terms of reason and common empirical experience, with reference to Hindu scriptures and spiritual traditions, western philosophy, Hindu psychology, and Western religious tradition. The setting is Northeast India from 1775 to 1886.
- for experienced meditators this book offers delightful and profound answers to deeper questions about traveling the spiritual path.
- for scholars this book offers the source biography for Ramakrishna’s life and teachings, as well as an authentic look into India’s spiritual history and its various religious and philosophical traditions.
- for those simply interested in adventure, this book provides absorbing details of the journey through consciousness of one of the greatest spiritual figures of all time.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

See God with Open Eyes: Meditation on Ramakrishna

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See God with Open Eyes is a meditation on Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Chetanananda, a senior monk with the Ramakrishna Order. This book is a must-have for seekers of Truth; devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Sri Sarada Devi; and students of Vedanta and Bhakti traditions alike. Swami Chetanananda breaks down important concepts about Sri Ramakrishna as an avatar and also explains Hindu concepts such as categorizations of the Vedas in an easy-to-understand manner that is so characteristic of his writing. All of his books are highly recommended. We carry his most popular titles in our Inspiring Books collection.
From the publishers: "This title raises several questions: Does God have a form? Can we see God as we see other objects and beings in this world? Can we hear or touch God? Ramakrishna answered these questions with his words and through his life — and many of those answers are collected in this book.
"When God takes a human form, we want to see how that avatar lives, acts, talks, walks, laughs, cries, eats, and sleeps like other human beings. This book depicts how lovers of God can establish and deepen their relationship with Ramakrishna through prayer and meditation, and that strong bond makes them feel safe and secure."
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play

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This epic biography of Sri Sarada Devi is a must-have for devotees of Sri Ramakrishna and followers of Vedanta, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about exemplary motherhood and selfless service to humankind. Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play is the story of Sarada Devi (1853–1920), the wife of the Indian sage Ramakrishna. The God-man of the nineteenth century, Ramakrishna is known worldwide for demonstrating religious tolerance and respect for all traditions. He was truly a spiritual phenomenon, and his disciple Swami Vivekananda was among the first to bring the wisdom of yoga and Vedanta to the West.
The author, Swami Chetanananda of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis, describes how Sarada Devi, known affectionately as “Holy Mother,” carried out her husband’s spiritual ministry for 34 years after his passing. Her life is a glowing example of Vedanta in practice, as exemplified by her final message: “My child, if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. See your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.”
Visit our Inspiring Books collection for more works on Vedanta and how to meditate.
Hardback; Includes 876 pages. 125 illustrations.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Vedanta - Voice of Freedom, Swami Vivekananda

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Swami Vivekananda once said, “I have a message to the West, as Buddha had a message to the East.” That message was Vedanta. Culled from his collected works, Vedanta - Voice of Freedom presents in a clear and concise form the tenets of a religion which has evolved over the course of five thousand years. This is a living Vedanta put forth by the extraordinary mind of Swami Vivekananda.
Compiled and edited by Swami Chetanananda of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis, this book brings us an introduction to Vedanta from Swami Vivekananda's very thoughts and speeches given in the West and abroad. If you have never read any of Swami Vivekananda's works or books on Vedanta, we highly recommend this collection. It provided an introduction to and overview of this seemingly complicated philosophical system in easily digestible essay. Each essay evokes Swamiji's characteristic eloquence and straightforward speaking style. He is indeed the Master Orator. This compilation of Swamiji's great works gives a detailed insight into Vedanta and helps us feel the peaceful benefits and quietude of the mind that Vedanta ushers forth.
Visit our Inspiring Books collection for more works on Vedanta and how to meditate.
"Swami Vivekananda’s writings need no introduction from anybody. They make their own irresistible appeal." - Mahatma Gandhi
"If you want to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative." - Rabindranath Tagore
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

They Lived With God

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By Swami Chetanananda. How did Ramakrishna’s aptitude for inner experience translate into the lives of the ordinary man and women he inspired? The 31+ devotees in They Lived with God had to face addiction, abusive husbands, disobedient children, indifferent or hostile relatives, bereavements, and spiritual doubts and misgivings. Particular attention is paid to the way they faced death. Their failures and triumphs are entertaining, practical examples for anyone seeking to work and live with an awareness of God’s abiding presence. The revised second edition has been enlarged to include three new biographies; Bhavanath Chattopadhyay, Narendra Nath Mitra, and Tejchandra Mitra.
Excerpts
M. (MAHENDRA NATH GUPTA)
Sri Ramakrishna had asked M. to work for the Divine Mother, and he did so for fifty years. Even though his health was delicate, he never gave up working. Swami Nityatmananda wrote of a touching incident in his memoirs: ‘I was responsible for the printing of the Kathamrita [the Bengali Gospel] while it was at the printer’s, but I had many things to do and was unable to finish the proofreading in time. At one o’clock at night I saw a light in M.’s room. I entered and found he was reading the proofs of the Gospel by a kerosene lantern. He was not well at all, and moreover, as he was working at an odd hour, his eyes were watering. I was pained at this. I lovingly chastised him and he replied with affection: “People are finding peace by reading this book, the Master’s immortal message. It is inevitable that the body will meet its end, so it is better that it is used for spreading peace to others. We are in the world and have utterly experienced how much pain is there, yet I have forgotten that pain through The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. I am hurrying so that the book may come out soon.” Indeed, M. died while the last portion of the last volume was at the press. He was born to write and teach The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.’
On June 4, 1932, M. left his body in full consciousness. He breathed his last saying this prayer, ‘Mother–Guru Deva–take me up in thy arms.’ The Mother took her child up in her arms and the curtain fell.
NAG MAHASHAY (DURGA CHARAN NAG)
When a wild lion is encaged, he roars and tries his utmost to break out of the cage. Similarly, Durga Charan was desperately trying to sever the bonds of maya. His heart was crying for freedom. Once he met a holy man who told him, ‘However strong might be your faith, and intense be your love for God, unless you are initiated by a guru and practise sadhana according to his instructions, you cannot have the vision of God.’
The lives of the mystics prove that when intense longing for God dawns in a soul, God responds and makes everything favorable for the devotee. One morning Durga Charan was seated on the bank of the Ganga when his family guru arrived there, unexpectedly, on a boat. When he was asked the reason for his coming to Calcutta, the guru replied, ‘I have come at the special command of the Divine Mother to initiate you.’ However, the initiation only created in him more hunger for God. He was carried away by divine intoxication and often lost outward consciousness. Once, while he was meditating on the bank of the Ganga, the flood tide rose and swept him into the river. It was several moments before full consciousness returned to him and he was able to swim ashore.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

How to Live with God

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By Swami Chetanananda
584 pages
Ramakrishna (1836-1886) was one of the most influential spiritual masters of modern India. He entered the highest mystical states as easily as other men step through a door, and described his extraordinary experiences with an innocent eloquence that brought spiritually to life for millions around the globe. How to Live with God transports us into Ramakrishna’s world with lucidity and breathtaking detail. Sitting alongside his closest disciples, we witness the master’s spiritual ecstasy, his astonishing insights, his humor, and his practical advice for common people yearning to know God.
Swami Chetanananda peals away time and space to introduce us to this god-intoxicated mystic as a living presence. How to establish a relationship with God, how to love God, and how to live with God are the themes of this book. Much of the information is translated into English for the first time.
Reviews
In my study of the world’s religions I have been fortunate in coming upon inspiring firsthand accounts of the world’s great spiritual geniuses, including Sri Ramakrishna, India’s greatest 19th century saint…. Swami Chetanananda has infused Ramakrishna with new life for our time. He has produced an important book that puts us all in his debt.
For over thirty years Swami Chetanananda has researched the details of the life of Sri Ramakrishna, and performed for us the great service of making available in attractive form many valuable archival and historical resources that had long been inaccessible.
As one moves through the twenty-nine chapters of this book, one begins to get a sense of what it means to live with God through every aspect of one’s personal and professional life…. Regardless of one’s religious or philosophical tradition, How to Live with God: In the Company of Ramakrishna is a wonderful and rich testament to the value of authentic spirituality.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
1. Various Forms of Ramakrishna
2. Ramakrishna: His Name and the Science of Japa
3. How to Understand Ramakrishna
4. Ramakrishna’s Desires
5. Ramakrishna and the People of Calcutta
6. The Stage for Ramakrishna’s Divine Play
7. Dakshineswar: An Object of Meditation
8. Christmas Vacation with Ramakrishna
9. Ramakrishna in the Streets and Meadows
10. The Story of Rasik
11. Ramakrishna and the Bohemians
12. The Mysterious Kalpataru
13. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
14. The Centenary of TheGospel of Sri Ramakrishna
15. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to Girish Chandra Sen
16. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to Suresh Chandra Datta
17. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to Ram ChandraDatta
18. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to MahendraNathGupta
19. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to Swami Brahmananda
20. After Ramakrishna’s Passing Away By M.(MahendraNathGupta)
21. Ramakrishna and His Divine Play According to Swami Saradananda
22. My Master According to Swami Vivekananda
23. Disciples of Ramakrishna in the West
24. Ramakrishna and the Renaissance of Art
25. Ramakrishna and Monasticism
26. If Ramakrishna Were Alive Today
27. The Second Coming of Ramakrishna
28. Some Glimpses of Ramakrishna
Appendix
29. Centenary of the Ramakrishna Mission
30. The Ramakrishna Order: Sources of Inspiration
References
Index
Excerpts
RAMAKRISHNA: HIS NAME AND JAPA
When we study Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, we find that the Master practiced various kinds of sadhana as described in various scriptures. He also practiced some new disciplines that he invented himself. For example, he said to the devotees: “During meditation, think that your mind has been tied to the feet of your Chosen Deity with a silk thread, so that it cannot run away. Why do I say a silk thread? Because those feet are extremely soft and delicate. It would hurt the deity if a different type of string were used.” Again, he said: “Should one think of the Chosen Deity during meditation only and then forget Him? Always try to keep part of your mind on the deity. You have seen how a vigil lamp is kept burning during Durga Puja. One should always keep a lamp near the deity; it should not be allowed to go out. It is inauspicious if a householder’s lamp goes out. Likewise, after placing the Chosen Deity in the lotus of the heart, one’s meditation should be like the flame of a vigil lamp. While performing household duties one should look inside from time to time to see if the lamp is still burning.”
Sri Ramakrishna once said: “During my sadhana, before starting meditation on the Chosen Deity I would first imagine that I was washing the mind thoroughly. You see, there are various kinds of dirt and dross [bad thoughts and desires] in the mind. I would imagine that I was flushing out all impurities and placing the Chosen Deity there. Adopt this method.”
RAMAKRISHNA IN THE STREETS AND MEADOWS
Just as Ramakrishna loved to travel through the streets of Calcutta and along village roads, he also enjoyed traveling along various religious paths. He showed people how to move through this impermanent world. However, his body was very delicate, so he lamented: “Gaur and Nitai carried the message of God from door to door, and I cannot go anyplace without a carriage.” Driven by his desire to rescue people from the whirlpool of maya, he visited his devotees, walking or travelling by palanquin, bullock cart, horse carriage, and train. Whenever he heard of anyone who had a sincere longing for God, he would rush to see that person. He did not care about formal invitations, and he disregarded social etiquette. His attitude was: “Hello! You are a devotee and think of God, so I have come to see you.” He said: “If a man takes one step towards God, God comes a hundred steps towards him.” A devotee once said: “I did not take even one step, but the Master took hundreds of steps and came to me.”
Although Ramakrishna was mostly absorbed in a divine mood, he would move around to locate hungry souls. Once he said to M.: “You don’t want anything from me, but you love to see me and hear my words. My mind also dwells on you. I wonder how you are and why you don’t come. Could you give me your address?” Thus collecting the devotees’ addresses, the Master travelled through the streets of Calcutta to look after their welfare. Sometimes the devotees’ intense longing pulled Ramakrishna from Dakshineswar to Calcutta at night. If someone found it difficult to see him in Dakshineswar, when visiting another devotee’s home in Calcutta, he would send for that person.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

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The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna as translated by Swami Nikhilananda offers the reader a penetrating view into the spiritual wisdom of India. On account of his deep mystical experiences and constant absorption in God, Sri Ramakrishna (1836 - 1886) is regarded as being of the stature of Krishna, Buddha, and Christ. The Gospel is the record of Sri Ramakrishna's conversations, which are unique in their breadth and depth. Profound spiritual truths are described in simple words and vivid stories, revealing the divinity of man and the spiritual foundation of the universe. This volume is a mine of inspiration, wisdom, theology, and metaphysics.
This 1106 page volume contains an introduction (70 pages) by Swami Nikhilananda that narrates the main events of Sri Ramakrishna's life and briefly sketches the people and the doctrines associated with him. Also, includes 26 photographs, a detailed glossary, and an index.
Complete conversations of Sri Ramakrishna (1836 - 1886). With introductory biography, foreword by Aldous Huxley. "His life enables us to see God face to face."— Mahatma Gandhi
Foreward by Aldous Huxley:
In the history of the arts genius is a thing of very rare occurrence. Rarer still, however, are the competent reporters and recorders of that genius. The world has had many hundreds of admirable poets and philosophers; but of these hundreds only a very few have had the fortune to attract a Boswell or an Eckermann.
When we leave the field of art for that of spiritual religion, the scarcity of competent reporters becomes even more strongly marked. Of the day-to-day life of the great theocentric saints and contemplatives we know, in the great majority of cases, nothing whatever. Many, it is true, have recorded their doctrines in writing, and a few, such as St Augustine, Suso and St. Teresa have left us autobiographies of the greatest value. But all doctrinal writing is in some measure formal and impersonal, while the autobiographer tends to omit what he regards as trifling matters and suffers from the further disadvantage of being unable to say how he strikes other people and in what way he affects their lives. Moreover, most saints have left neither writings nor self-portraits, and for a knowledge of their lives, their characters and their teachings, we are forced to rely upon the records made by their disciples who, in most cases, have proved themselves singularly incompetent as reporters and biographers. Hence the special interest attaching to this enormously detailed account of the daily life and conversations of Sri Ramakrishna.
'M", as the author modestly styles himself, was peculiarly qualified for his task. To a reverent love for his master, to a deep and experiential knowledge of that master's teaching, he added a prodigious memory for the small happenings of each day and a happy gift for recording them in an interesting and realistic way. Making good use of his natural gifts and of the circumstances in which he found himself, "M" produced a book unique, so far as my knowledge goes, in the literature of hagiography. No other saint has had so able and indefatigable a Boswell. Never have the small events of a contemplative's daily life been described with such a wealth of intimate detail. Never have the casual and unstudied utterances of a great religious teacher been set down with so minute a fidelity. To Western readers, it is true, this fidelity and this wealth of detail are sometimes a trifle disconcerting; for the social, religious and intellectual frames of reference within which Sri Ramakrishna did his thinking and expressed his feelings were entirely Indian. But after the first few surprises and bewilderment's, we begin to find something peculiarly stimulating and instructive about the very strangeness and, to our eyes, the eccentricity of the man revealed to us in "M's" narrative. What a scholastic philosopher would call the "accidents" of Ramakrishna's life were intensely Hindu and therefore, so far as we in the West are concerned, unfamiliar and hard to understand; its "essence", however, was intensely mystical and therefore universal. To read through these conversations in which mystical doctrine alternates with an unfamiliar kind of humor, and where discussions of the oddest aspects of Hindu mythology give place to the most profound and subtle utterances about the nature of Ultimate Reality, is in itself a liberal education in humility, tolerance and suspense of judgment. We must be grateful to the translator for his excellent version of a book so curious and delightful as a biographical document, so precious, at the same time, for what it teaches us of the life of the spirit.
Preface
Swami Nikhilananda
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is the English translation of the Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, the conversations of Sri Ramakrishna with his disciples, devotees, and visitors, recorded by Mahendranath Gupta, who wrote the book under the pseudonym of "M." The conversations in Bengali fill five volumes, the first of which was published in 1897 and the last shortly after M.'s death in 1932. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras has published in two volumes an English translation of selected chapters from the monumental Bengali work. I have consulted these while preparing my translation.
M., one of the intimate disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, was present during all the conversations recorded in the main body of the book and noted them down in his diary. They therefore have the value of almost stenographic records. In Appendix A are given several conversations which took place in the absence of M., but of which he received a first-band record from persons concerned. The conversations will bring before the reader's mind an intimate picture of the Master's eventful life from March 1882 to April 24, 1886, only a few months before his passing away. During this period he came in contact chiefly with English-educated Bengalis; from among them he selected his disciples and the bearers of his message, and with them be shared his rich spiritual experiences.
I have made a literal translation, omitting only a few pages of no particular interest to English-speaking readers. Often literary grace has been sacrificed for the sake of literal translation. No translation can do full justice to the original. This difficulty is all the more felt in the present work, whose contents are of a deep mystical nature and describe the inner experiences of a great seer. Human language is an altogether inadequate vehicle to express supersensuous perception. Sri Ramakrishna was almost illiterate. He never clothed his thoughts in formal language. His words sought to convey his direct realization of Truth. His conversation was in a village patois. Therein lies its charm. In order to explain to his listeners an abstruse philosophy, he, like Christ before him, used with telling effect homely parables and illustrations, culled from his observation of the daily life around him.
The reader will find mentioned in this work many visions and experiences that fall outside the ken of physical science and even psychology. With the development of modern knowledge the border line between the natural and the supernatural is ever shifting its position. Genuine mystical experiences are not as suspect now as they were half a century ago. The words of Sri Ramakrishna have already exerted a tremendous influence in the land of his birth. Savants of Europe have found in his words the ring of universal truth.
But these words were not the product of intellectual cogitation; they were rooted in direct experience. Hence, to students of religion, psychology, and physical science, these experiences of the Master are of immense value for the understanding of religious phenomena in general. No doubt Sri Ramakrishna was a Hindu of the Hindus; yet his experiences transcended the limits of the dogmas and creeds of Hinduism. Mystics of religions other than Hinduism will find in Sri Ramakrishna's experiences a corroboration of the experiences of their own prophets and seers. And this is very important today for the resuscitation of religious values. The skeptical reader may pass by the supernatural experiences; he will yet find in the book enough material to provoke his serious thought and solve many of his spiritual problems.
There are repetitions of teachings and parables in the book. I have kept them purposely. They have their charm and usefulness, repeated as they were in different settings. Repetition is unavoidable in a work of this kind. In the first place, different seekers come to a religious teacher with questions of more or less identical nature; hence the answers will be of more or less identical pattern. Besides, religious teachers of all times and climes have tried, by means of repetition, to hammer truths into the stony soil of the recalcitrant human mind. Finally, repetition does not seem tedious if the ideas repeated are dear to a man's heart.
I have thought it necessary to write a rather lengthy Introduction to the book. In it I have given the biography of the Master, descriptions of people who came in contact with him, short explanations of several systems of Indian religious thought intimately connected with Sri Ramakrishna's life, and other relevant matters which, I hope, will enable the reader better to understand and appreciate the unusual contents of this book. It is particularly important that the Western reader, unacquainted with Hindu religious thought, should first read carefully the introductory chapter, in order that he may fully enjoy these conversations. Many Indian terms and names have been retained in the book for want of suitable English equivalents. Their meaning is given either in the Glossary or in the foot notes. The Glossary also gives explanations of a number of expressions unfamiliar to Western readers. The diacritical marks are explained under Notes on Pronunciation.
In the Introduction I have drawn much material from the Life of Sri Ramakrishna, published by the Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, India. I have also consulted the excellent article on Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Nirvedananda, in the second volume of the Cultural Heritage of India.
The book contains many songs sung either by the Master or by the devotees. These form an important feature of the spiritual tradition of Bengal and were for the most part written by men of mystical experience. For giving the songs their present form I am grateful to Mr. John Moffitt, Jr.
In the preparation of this manuscript I have received ungrudging help from several friends. Miss Margaret Woodrow Wilson and Mr. Joseph Campbell have worked hard in editing my translation. Mrs. Elizabeth Davidson has typed, more than once, the entire manuscript and rendered other valuable help. Mr. Aldous Huxley has laid me under a debt of gratitude by writing the Foreword. I sincerely thank them all.
In the spiritual firmament Sri Ramakrishna is a waxing crescent. Within one hundred years of his birth and fifty years of his death his message has spread across land and sea. Romain Rolland has described him as the fulfillment of the spiritual aspirations of the three hundred millions of Hindus for the last two thousand years. Mahatma Gandhi has written: "His life enables us to see God face to face. . . . Ramakrishna was a living embodiment of godliness." He is being recognized as a compeer of Krishna, Buddha, and Christ.
The life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna have redirected the thoughts of the denationalized Hindus to the spiritual ideals of their forefathers. During the latter part of the nineteenth century his was the time-honored role of the Savior of the Eternal Religion of the Hindus. His teachings played an important part in liberalizing the minds of orthodox pundits and hermits. Even now he is the silent force that is molding the spiritual destiny of India. His great disciple, Swami Vivekananda, was the first Hindu missionary to preach the message of Indian culture to the enlightened minds of Europe and America. The full consequence of Swami Vivekananda's work is still in the womb of the future.
May this translation of the first book of its kind in the religious history of the world, being the record of the direct words of a prophet, help stricken humanity to come nearer to the Eternal Verity of life and remove dissension and quarrel from among the different faiths! May it enable seekers of Truth to grasp the subtle laws of the supersensuous realm, and unfold before man's restricted vision the spiritual foundation of the universe, the unity of existence, and the divinity of the soul!
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Ramakrishna as We Saw Him

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2nd Edition
Revised and enlarged with five new reminiscences
Edited and translated by Swami Chetanananda
572 pages
The revised edition has new reminiscences by Swami Yogananda, Swami Subodhananda, Ramendra Sundar Bhattacharya, Narayan Chandra Ghosh, and Trailokya Nath Dev, as well as additional information in Ramlal Chattopadhyay’s chapter. These new, eyewitness accounts are not found in Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play or The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. A total of 45 reminiscences by persons who knew him, show vividly how Sri Ramakrishna lived daily the spiritual message he taught, and how he excelled in opening a path for God into the human heart.
Reviews
The soul of Ramakrishna comes through splendidly in these deeply felt pages.
For the first time I found a man who dared to say that he had seen God, that religion was a reality to be felt, to be sensed in an infinitely more intense way than we can sense the world.” So said Swami Vivekananda of Sri Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna as We Saw Him is a collection of writings by 45 persons who actually knew him in one capacity or another: his wife Sri Sarada Devi, monastic disciples, friends, even acquaintances who had met him only a few times. No matter in what category the writer falls, each makes it very clear that Ramakrishna could, by his very presence, affect fundamental change in a person’s spiritual life.
Chetanananda’s meticulously researched, lucidly written encounters — ranging from Vivekananda to M. (the recorder of the Gospel) and beyond — evoke the encompassing love of the Master as the core of all spirituality. No wonder one of these admirers describes Sri Ramakrishna’s company as sheer ‘fun’. Chetanananda’s vivid, exquisite art of narration makes the readers see the myriad aspects of this joy which the disciples saw as the essence of their Master’s life itself: an evident affirmation of what he, with such disarming simplicity, taught.
What this book serves is to show, as close as we can after the fact, what it was like to actually be around this unique man, to talk to him, to serve him food, to play with him, to sing and dance with him, to worship him, to cry with him, to celebrate God with him. Indeed, the feeling of spiritual joy is so strong here that, though he died from cancer of the throat, the life of Sri Ramakrishna seems to be the ultimate happy movie, a true story of perfect love and bliss many times more beautiful than the wildest Hollywood fantasy.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Biographical Introduction
I. RELATIVES AND MONASTIC DISCIPLES
1. Sri Sarada Devi
2. Lakshmi Devi
3. Ramlal Chattopadhyay
4. Swami Vivekananda
5. Swami Brahmananda
6. Swami Adbhutananda
7. Swami Premananda
8. Swami Yogananda
9. Swami Shivananda
10. Swami Ramakrishnananda
11. Swami Saradananda
12. Swami Turiyananda
13. Swami Abhedananda
14. Swami Akhandananda
15. Swami Vijnanananda
16. Swami Trigunatitananda
17. Swami Subodhananda
II. HOUSEHOLDER DISCIPLES AND DEVOTEES
18. Ram Chandra Datta
19. Manomohan Mitra
20. M. (Mahendra Nath Gupta)
21. Girish Chandra Ghosh
22. Vaikuntha Nath Sanyal
23. Yogin-ma (Yogindra Mohini Biswas)
24. Golap-ma (Golap Sundari Devi)
25. Nistarini Ghosh
26. Kedarnath Bandyopadhyay
27. Manmatha Nath Ghosh
28. Bepin Behari Sen
29. Manindra Krishna Gupta
30. Ramendra Sundar Bhattacharya
31. Narayan Chandra Ghosh
III. BRAHMO DEVOTEES AND ADMIRERS
32. Pratap Chandra Majumdar
33. Shivanath Shastri
34. Trailokya Nath Dev
35. Girish Chandra Sen
36. Krishna Kumar Mitra
37. Upadhyay Brahmabandhav
38. Sarada Sundari Devi
39. Trailokya Nath Sanyal
40. Priyanath Mallick
41. Kshirod Chandra Sen
42. Kamakhya Nath Bandyopadhyay
43. Nagendra Nath Gupta
44. Dr. Abdul Wajij
45. Aswini Kumar Datta
IV. APPENDIXES
A. Sri Ramakrishna: Some New Findings – Swami Saradananda
B. The Photographs of Ramakrishna – Swami Vidyatmananda
C. The Temple Garden of Dakshineswar – M. (Mahendra Nath Gupta)
Excerpts
RAMENDRA SUNDAR BHATTACHARYA
When I was eight years old, I went with my father to visit Rani Rasmani’s temple garden in Dakshineswar. As far as I recall, it was a summer morning. Our country home was in Khunbaria Village in the district of Medinipur, which is twenty miles from Kamarpukur, the birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna. My father and the Master were contemporaries. They had known each other since childhood and were friends. My father lived both in the village and in Calcutta. He always visited the Master when he travelled to and from Calcutta. If the Master had any news to send to Kamarpukur, my father would get it before leaving for the village, and then he would bring the news from Kamarpukur to the Master when he returned to Calcutta. One day, before leaving for his village, my father told me: “Today I shall take you to Dakshineswar. There you will see a famous Kali temple and a living God.”
SWAMI YOGANANDA
When I was a little boy and had some knowledge about the world, I would think: “This world is not my home.” While watching the sky, I felt that I had come here from one of those higher starry realms. When my friends invited me to play with them, I felt that they did not belong to me and that my real playmates were in that higher realm. So I was reluctant to play with them. Then an indistinct dream world would manifest in my mind. So quite often I was unmindful and indifferent to this world.
I heard the name of Sri Ramakrishna in my boyhood days, and I saw him many times in Rasmani’s temple garden from a distance. But I didn’t dare enter his room because of the large crowd. After bathing in the Ganges, I would pick some flowers and return home. However, I always felt a desire to be with the Master. From my boyhood I had no attraction for worldly things, but I had a natural affinity for the deities. After I was initiated in the sacred thread ceremony, I used to go to pick flowers regularly in the temple garden.
SWAMI SUBODHANANDA
Subodh and his friend Kshirod first visited Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar in August 1885. They entered the room and saluted him with folded hands. Kshirod approached the Master, who was seated on his bed, but Subodh remained by the door. “Where do you come from?” asked Ramakrishna. Pointing to Subodh, the Master said: “Why is that gentleman standing so far away? Come nearer.” This encouraged Subodh to move closer. “Do you not belong to the family of Shankar Ghosh?” asked the Master.
Subodh was surprised and said, “Yes, sir, but how did you know?”
“When I was staying in Jhamapukur,” said the Master, “I often visited your home as well as your Kali temple at Thanthania. That was before you were born. I knew you would come. Well, the Divine Mother sends here those who will attain spirituality. You belong to this place.”
“Sir, if I belong to this place, why did you not call me earlier?”
SWAMI AKHANDANANDA
Whenever I went to the Master I noticed that he talked about nothing but God and religion. He was never dry or boring. During talks on the most exalted topics he created much laughter by making jokes. One day he said: “You know there are various kinds of siddhas [perfected souls]. Do you know what siddha means? Literally, it means ‘boiled.’ As potatoes and squash become soft when boiled, so men are when perfected or illumined.”
Once I spent the night at Dakshineswar with several other disciples, and the Master had us all sit for meditation. While communing with our Chosen Deities, we often laughed and wept in ecstasy. The pure joy we experienced in those boyhood days cannot be expressed in words. Whenever I approached the Master he would invariably ask me, “Did you shed tears at the time of prayer or meditation?” And one day when I answered yes to this, how happy he was! “Tears of repentance or sorrow flow from the corners of the eyes nearest the nose,” he said, “and those of joy from the outer corners of the eyes.” Suddenly the Master asked me, “Do you know how to pray?” Saying this he flung his hands and feet about restlessly – like a little child impatient for its mother. Then he cried out: “Mother dear, grant me knowledge and devotion. I don’t want anything else. I can’t live without you.” While thus teaching us how to pray, he looked just like a small boy. Profuse tears rolled down his chest, and he passed into deep samadhi. I was convinced that the Master did that for my sake.
SWAMI VIJNANANANDA
Another day I went in the afternoon to visit the Master at Dakshineswar. Many devotees were seated in his room. After saluting the Master I sat quietly in a corner. The Master was conversing with the devotees seated on his small cot. In physical appearance he was like any other man, but his smile was something divine. I have never seen such a smile in my life. When he smiled, a wave of bliss rolled not only over his face but over his whole body. And that blissful smile would wipe out the worries and troubles of those who looked at him. His voice was so sweet and melodious that one never tired of hearing it. His eyes were keen and bright, and when he would look at a person, it seemed that he was seeing everything inside him.
I felt Sri Ramakrishna’s room vibrating with a tangible atmosphere of peace, and the devotees present seemed to be listening in blissful absorption to the words that poured from the Master’s lips. I don’t recall what he said, but I experienced tremendous joy within. For a long time I sat there, my whole attention concentrated on Sri Ramakrishna. He did not say anything to me, nor did I ask him anything. Then one by one the devotees took their leave, and suddenly I found myself alone with him. The Master was looking at me intently. I thought it was time for me to depart, so I prostrated before him. As I stood up to go, he asked: “Can you wrestle? Come, let me see how well you wrestle!” With these words he stood up, ready to grapple with me. I was surprised at this challenge. I thought to myself, “What kind of holy man is this?” But I replied, “Yes, of course I can wrestle.”
Sri Ramakrishna came closer, smiling. He caught hold of my arms and began to shove me, but I was a strong, muscular young man and I pushed him back to the wall. He was still smiling and holding me with a strong grip. Gradually I felt a sort of electric current coming out of his hands and entering into me. That touch made me completely helpless. I lost all my physical strength. I went into ecstasy, and the hair of my body stood on end. Releasing me, the Master said with a smile, “Well, you are the winner.”
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Vivekananda: East Meets West

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A Pictorial biography of Swami Vivekananda By Swami Chetanananda
2nd Edition.
Hardback, 11″x9 ½”. Pages 176.
Today, as the global community grows more interconnected, we discuss — even encourage and accept — other cultures, ideas, religions, and ways of life, as we become more aware of our common human bond. This was envisioned over 120 years ago by Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a monk from India.
In 1893 Vivekananda brought the universal message of Vedanta to the West. He wanted to infuse the ancient, spiritual values of Vedanta into the dynamic, creative power of the West. He hoped the West would temper its materialism by learning from India, the home of ancient Vedic culture. In exchange, he wanted the West’s vitality to rub off on India, to help India shake off its lethargy. His life and teachings stand as a meeting point between East and West.
This pictorial biography celebrates Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary and his universal message of Vedanta. He reiterated the great Vedantic truth — “unity in diversity.” People, languages, cultures, customs, and religious beliefs may differ, but “human consciousness, human nature, and the aspiration for freedom are always the same.” Vivekananda called for the acceptance of universal truths common to all humanity; he called for the spiritual awakening of the world. His ability to communicate spiritual ideas in a practical, straightforward way has always appealed to Western minds; his universal message has enriched the spiritual lives of countless Westerners.
Vivekananda: East Meets West is an excellent survey of Vivekananda’s life and teachings and his encounter with many distinguished Western savants; it reveals where the eastern and western cultures and religions can find a common ground to live in harmony and derive benefit from each other; and finally it provides what the West needs badly today — pure spirituality devoid of narrowness and bigotry, commercialism and politics.
Michlet wrote in The Bible of Humanity: “Man must rest, get his breath, refresh himself at the great living wells, which keep the freshness of the eternal.” This book fulfills that purpose.
About the Author
Swami Chetanananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, India. Before coming to the United States he worked in the editorial and publication departments of Advaita Ashrama in Mayavati, Himalayas, and also at its Calcutta branch. He served as an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California from 1971 to 1978 before taking his present position as the minister of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis.
Among his many publications are: A Guide to Spiritual Life; Avadhuta Gita; Meditation and Its Methods; Ramakrishna and His Divine Play; Ramakrishna as We Saw Him; Ramakrishna: A Biography in Pictures; Sarada Devi: A Biography in Pictures; They Lived With God; God Lived with Them; How to Live with God; How a Shepherd Boy Became a Saint; Spiritual Treasures; Vedanta: Voice of Freedom; Girish Chandra Ghosh; and Mahendra Nath Gupta (M.).
Front Cover: A photo illustration using Swami Vivekananda’s portrait from a poster printed by Goes Lithographing Company in 1893. The swami delivered his epoch making speech on the universal message of Hinduism at the Columbian Exposition’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago on 11 September 1893.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali translated by Swami Prabhavananda

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One of our most popular titles, this book is widely used in yoga classes as an important introduction to Raja Yoga. Promoted by George Harrison and featured in his last album.
You can view a lecture by Swami Prabhavananda titled The Eight Limbs of Yoga that is based on this book, and is a good companion to understanding the message.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta

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Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount that God can be seen and that divine perfection can be achieved. The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta collects talks by Swami Prabhavananda that present Christ's teachings from the perspective of Vedanta. Christ instructs us to be still and know that we are God. He admonishes us to be perfect, even as the father in heaven is perfect, and that the pure in heart shall see God. All of this makes sense when considered from the standpoint of Vedanta philosophy.
Swami Prabhavananda, who passed away in 1976, founded the Vedanta Society of Southern California in 1930.
You can hear the book professionally read at audible.com.
Visit our Inspiring Books collection for more works on Vedanta and how to meditate.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal

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The Upanishads reflect pure Vedanta, the highest aspect of spiritual truth. These teachings are very ancient, back from before the written word.
In Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal, the twelve major Upanishads are listed in mostly traditional order: Katha, Isha, Kena, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitaeya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka, Swetasvatara, and Kaivalya.From the preface: "Our aim in this translation has not been to achieve a literal translation but rather...to convey the teachings in clear and simple English."
"Captures the sense, beauty, and spirit of the original." - Books for Inner Development
Visit our Inspiring Books collection for more works on Vedanta and how to meditate.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God

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This translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Prabhavananda, founder of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, uses the beauty of verse to express the highest truths of Vedanta. Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God includes an introduction to the Gita.
Critics have singled out this translation:
"The book is self-contained. A complete stranger to the Hindu gospel can pick it up and in one or two evenings follow the poem from its terrific beginnings to its sublime end." - New York Times
"A distinguished literary work." - Time Magazine
"A highly readable interpretive translation." - American Library Association
"The best from a literary point of view." - Aldous Huxley
Visit our Inspiring Books collection for more works on Vedanta and how to meditate.
Excerpts from The Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God
Let him who would climb
In meditation
To heights of the highest
Union with Brahman
Take for his path
The yoga of action.Then when he nears that path of oneness,
His acts will fall from him,
His path will be tranquil.
...
When goodness grows weak
When evil increases
I make myself a body.In every age I come back
To deliver the holy,
To destroy the sin of the sinner,
To establish righteousness.
....Whatever wish men bring me in worship
That wish I grant them.
Whatever path men travel
It is my path:
No matter where they walk
It leads to me.
It is my path.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Spiritual Heritage of India

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The Spiritual Heritage of India is a brief history of the philosophy of a country that never distinguished philosophy from religion. The account extends from centuries for which there is no historical record to the recent Sri Ramakrishna revival of the ancient Vedanta.
Included are selections and discussions on The Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God, How To Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali, The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal, all books that The Deva Shop carries. There are also chapters on the Vedas, Tantras, and other scriptures and accounts of some of the most important teachers of India.
Visit our Inspiring Books collection for more works on Vedanta and how to meditate.
"One of the most useful summaries in print of the tradition Toynbee saw as destined to figure prominently in the long range human future." - Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Pictorial Ramayana For Children

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Children love this brightly colored classic. This story of Indian's classic tale of Rama and Sita and Hanuman is retold here for children with many rich color drawings. A delightful story to read to young children.
Written by the Ramakrishna Mission with 56 colorful pages and the inside front and back cover can be used as Ramayana coloring pages.
Highly recommend!
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Prayer Book for Children Including Simple Sanskrit Chants

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This easy to use book for children helps both Westerners and traditional Hindus alike read important prayers for peace and well being to their children. Children can easily learn the chants and prayers as a daily devotional exercise.
It includes a selection of simple chants in Sanskrit for children to learn, with explanations and prayers. Includes Devanagari text, phonetic pronunciation with English letters, and translation.
Includes colorful illustrations of Hindu Gods and Goddesses for children.
An excerpt from the introduction: "Prayer is an appeal to God to make us better persons. Children cannot survive without the love of their parents, even so, they cannot survive without the love of God because God is the parent of parents."
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.
It's a nice item. It was carefully packaged and quickly shipped. Thank you!

Ramakrishna Picture

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Sri Ramakrishna in all his beautiful glory in this 8 x 10 or 5 x 7 black and white photo. This particular photo comes from a senior monk in the Ramakrishna order who has edited the original version from the 1800s to capture the fine details of Sri Ramakrishna's body and face.
This makes a perfect picture for a home shrine or altar.
- Choose from 8 x 10 or 5 x 7
- Pair with our Sarada Devi or Swami Vivekananda pictures to make the Holy Trio.
This picture was taken in front of the Krishna temple at Dakshineswar in 1884, when Sri Ramakrishna was 48 years old. According to Swami Nirvanananda, “Bavanath Chatterjee, the Master’s devotee from Baranagore, wanted to take a photograph of the Master. One day he requested him very strongly to give his consent, and on the afternoon of the next day brought a photographer along with him from Baranagore. He could not make the Master agree. The Master just went away near the Radhakanta [Krishna] temple.
“In the meantime Narendra arrived on the scene and heard everything; he said, ‘Wait a bit. I shall put everything straight.’ Saying this, he went to the veranda to the west of the Radhakanta temple where Sri Ramakrishna was sitting and started a religious conversation with him. The Master went into samadhi. Swamiji went and called the others and ordered them to get ready quickly to take the picture.
“In the state of samadhi the Master’s body was bent on one side and therefore the cameraman went to make him sit erect by softly adjusting his chin. But as soon as he touched his chin the whole body of the Master came up like a piece of paper – so light it was!
“Swamiji then told him, ‘Oh, what are you doing? Be quick. Get the camera ready.’ The cameraman took the exposure as hurriedly as possible. The Master was completely unaware of this incident.
“After some days when Bavanath brought the printed copy of the photo the Master remarked: ‘This represents a high yogic state. This form will be worshipped in every home as time goes on.’” (“Concerning the Photographs of Sri Ramakrishna” by Swami Vidyatmananda; Vedanta and the West, No. 172).
Swami Vishuddhananda stated that when Sri Ramakrishna saw the photo he went into ecstasy and touched the photo to his head several times, saying: “The photo is nicely taken. This mood is very high – fully merged in Him. Here the Lord is fully depicted in his own nature.”
The following is a quotation from Sri Sarada Devi: The Holy Mother, (p. 416) concerning one of the prints of this photograph:
“Disciple: Mother, that photograph of Sri Ramakrishna which you have with you is a very good one. One feels it when one sees the picture. Well, is that a good likeness of the Master?
“Mother: Yes, that picture is very, very good. It originally belonged to a brahmin cook. Several prints were made of his first photograph. The brahmin took one of them. The picture was at first very dark, just like the image of Kali. Therefore it was given to the Brahmin. When he left Dakshineswar for some place – I do not remember where – he gave it to me. I kept the photograph with the pictures of other gods and goddesses and worshipped it. At one time I lived on the ground floor of the nahabat. One day the Master came there, and at the sight of the picture he said, ‘Hello, what is all this?’ Lakshmi and I had been cooking under the staircase. Then I saw the Master take in his hand the bel leaves and flowers kept there for worship, and offer them to the photograph. This is the same picture. That brahmin never returned, so the picture remained with me.”
This picture which Sri Ramakrishna worshipped is now on the shrine at the Udbodhan Office in Calcutta, where it is worshipped daily. This fact was authenticated by Swami Madhavananda, Swami Vireswarananda, and Swami Nirvanananda. Swami Atmabodhananda, who was the head of Udbodhan for many years until his death in 1959, stated that the Udbodhan print was the same one that Sri Ramakrishna worshipped at the nahabat. (“Concerning the Photographs of Sri Ramakrishna” by Swami Vidyatmananda; Vedanta and the West, No. 172).
In 1982 Swami Chetanananda received a negative from the original picture of Sri Ramakrishna mentioned above. It was made by Braja Kishore Sinha, the Curator of Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta. Swami Chetanananda brought that negative to the United States and gave it to Mr. John Hench, Vice President for Creative Development of Disneyland, who worked on this picture for two years. Mr. Hench carefully removed the scratches, black dots, and other imperfections from this historical, one hundred-year-old photograph without disturbing its originality.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Sarada Devi Picture

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Sri Sarada Devi in all her beautiful glory in this 8 x 10 or 5 x 7 black and white photo. This particular photo comes from a senior monk in the Ramakrishna order, Swami Chetanananda.
In 1970, when Swami Chetanananda was at Advaita Ashrama in Calcutta, Swami Ishanananda (a disciple of Holy Mother and an attendant of hers for eleven years) stayed there for some days. One day he showed Swami Chetanananda an original print of Holy Mother’s shrine pose (the second photo) which had belonged to Sister Nivedita. Swami Chetanananda asked the swami to let him have the photo for the archives of Advaita Ashrama, and the swami gave it to him. It is still there. During Swami Chetanananda’s trip to India in 1982, he made several negatives from that beautiful, original print and brought them to America so that the Western devotees could have a clear (second generation) photo of Holy Mother.
In November 1898 Mrs. Ole Bull, an American devotee of Swami Vivekananda, persuaded Holy Mother to have her photograph taken. On this occasion three pictures were taken, and the second is the one most often worshipped by her devotees. Holy Mother said of it: “Yes this is a good picture. But before it was taken I was a little stouter. Then Yogen [Swami Yogananda] fell ill. Worrying about him day and night, I lost some weight. I was happy when he felt better, but very unhappy when he was worse. Often I wept for him. At first I refused to be photographed. But Sara [referring to Mrs. Ole Bull] pressed me and said, ‘I shall take the picture to America and worship it.’ In the end I had to agree.” (Holy Mother by Swami Nikhilananda, p. 114).
This picture of Holy Mother when she was forty-five was taken at 10/2 Bosepara Lane, Baghbazar, Calcutta, by Mr. Harrington, an English photographer.
Swami Gambhirananda wrote in Sri Ma Sarada Devi (p. 335):
“When Mrs. Ole Bull approached Holy Mother for her photograph, she declined because she was too shy to go to a studio and unveil her face in front of an unknown photographer. But when Mrs. Ole Bull fervently requested, Holy Mother asked her to bring a woman photographer. As no woman photographer was available, she then asked her to bring a European photographer. When the photographer arrived, Holy Mother, controlling her bashfulness, sat for a photo session. Sister Nivedita and Golap-ma arranged her cloth and hair according to their taste.”
On March 9, 1899, Sister Nivedita wrote to Mrs. Eric Hammond: “You know that photograph meant the first time she [Holy Mother] had ever looked straight at a grownup man outside her own family, or been seen by one. Yet what self-consciousness was there? Not a grain! Neither Swami [Vivekananda] nor Sri Ramakrishna himself ever saw her unveiled – after her marriage, that is, when she was a little girl of five!” (Letters of Sister Nivedita, Vol. 1, p. 76).
About the first photo of this series, Pravrajika Atmaprana wrote in Sister Nivedita (p. 69): “When the photographer came, the Mother cast down her eyes and went into an ecstatic state. She regained her natural state after some time and her second photo was then taken, which is now seen worshipped everywhere.” Brahmachari Akshay Chaitanya supplied further information about the second photo in Sri Sri Sarada Devi (p. 96), which he had heard from Golap-ma: “When the first photo was taken, Holy Mother’s feet were covered with her cloth. For the second photo, her attendants rearranged her cloth in such a way that her feet would be visible for worship purpose.”
About the third picture of this series, Swami Vidyatmananda (then John Yale) wrote in his book A Yankee and the Swamis (p. 223): “This is a picture of Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother, with the English disciple of Swami Vivekananda, Margaret Noble, known as Sister Nivedita. The original of this photo, whose existence had been previously unsuspected, was discovered in the home of the Earl of Sandwich, who was related by marriage to Tantine [Josephine MacLeod]. I carried it to India [in 1952] with me and gave it to the seniors of the Order, who were astonished and delighted that it should have come to light. A picture taken of Holy Mother on what must have been the same occasion was well known; but that she and this large, energetic Western woman had also posed together was an interesting surprise.”
This makes a perfect picture for a home shrine or altar.
- Choose from 8 x 10 or 5 x 7
Pair with our Sri Ramakrisha or Swami Vivekananda pictures to make the Holy Trio.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Swami Vivekananda Picture

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Swami Vivekananda's famous meditation pose, black and white photo. This particular photo comes from a senior monk in the Ramakrishna order who has edited the original version from the 1800s to capture the fine details of Swamiji's body and face.
This makes a perfect picture for a home shrine or altar.
- 8 x 10
- 5 x 7
Pair with our Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi pictures to make the Holy Trio.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Kali Ma Dakshineswari Picture

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Absolutely stunning vintage photo taken of Ma Dakshineswari Kali of the Famous Dakshineswar Temple near Kolkata in West Bengal, India. She is worshipped by millions and this photo captures her stunning imagery and Divine face.
- Ma Bhavatarini Kali...Jai Ma!
- Available in sizes: 8 x 10 or 5 x 7
- Printed on exquisite finest quality art paper.
Ma Dakshineswari Kali is the presiding deity at Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Dakshineswar, close to Kolkata, West Bengal, in India. She was skillfully carved with the highest and devotional craftsmanship in the mid 1800's out of beautiful black stone. The famous temple was built by Rani Rasmani, a legendary woman of her time, gigantic philanthropist and intensely brave. She wanted a place to worship this Divine Image and had her installed there along the bank of the Holy Ganga River with many other deities. This is where Sri Sri Ramakrishna stayed for the majority of his life. Swami Vivekananda and many other saints and holy persons visited this temple. Today, it is a busy place of pilgrimage. There are always eager people standing in long, long lines daily to see this deity and receive her blessings.
This picture is simply stunning.
Jai Ma Kali
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.
Thank you for this beautiful image of Ma Kali!
This image of Ma Kali is simply stunning. It has been skillfully and lovingly restored, with crisp details and vibrant colors.
Return to the Source, Collected Writings on Spiritual Life

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Return to the Source, Collected Writings on Spiritual Life is an inspirational, beautiful, and practical collection of advice and comfort for spiritual seekers. The author, Swami Bhajanananda, is head priest of Kali Mandir, a Hindu temple in Laguna Beach, California. He has guided spiritual seekers for decades, providing comfort to those traversing and seeking the path of Illumination.
This book provides instructions on japa, meditation, how to correctly use a mala, and the process and meaning of true kirtan (singing to the Divine), among other spiritual topics. The swami is adept at singing kirtan and brings joy to so many who come in contact with him and the others at Kali Mandir. The Deva Shop is honored and privileged to know him personally. Visit the Ramakrishna Seminary to learn can learn about the courses that Swami Bhajanananda teaches online.
Visit our Inspiring Books collection for more works on Vedanta and how to meditate.
“Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, a monk of Shankara's Order and the main priest of Kali Mandir in Laguna Beach, is an austere traditional monk. This inspiring book, Return to the Source, reveals his devotion and passion for God, knowledge of the Hindu Scriptures and ritual, words of wisdom and practical spiritual guidance. This book originated from some of his class talks, articles, and writings, and over and above, from his sadhana and experiences. Readers will find in this book the pure spiritual tradition of Vedanta. It will help them to build their inner lives, to breathe the freshness of the eternal, and to attain peace and bliss.” - Swami Chetanananda, Vedanta Society of St. Louis, author of more than books on Sri Ramakrishna and Vedanta
Chapters include: Sri Ramakrishna and Kali in the West, Kali Puja (the Art of Seeing God), Kirtan (Singing the Divine Name), Japa Yoga, Moment by Moment Worship, Bhagavatam Meditations, Tradition (Gift of the Rishis), Seeds of Desire, and Living at the Source (Excerpts from Letters to Devotees).
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Kali, The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar

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This is a wonderful introduction to the Goddess Kali, known lovingly by her devotees as Ma Kali or Kali Ma. This particular book on Kali focuses on detailed descriptions of Kolkata’s famous Dakshineswar temple and Ma Bhavatarini, the form of Kali worshipped there.
Authored by Elizabeth (Usha) Harding, President of Kali Mandir Temple in Laguna Beach, California. Usha Ma is an ardent and pure devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and Kali. Writing this book with a Western audience in mind, she has truly captured the spirit of Dakshineswar and the Saints that have graced its holy grounds.
It provides a wealth of information about the worship of Goddess Kali by giving an intimate account of her history and worship. Learn about the temple’s festivals & daily rituals, and discover inspiring accounts of some of this tradition’s ecstatic saints. A great introduction to Kali worship of the Divine Mother at one of Her most living temples.
Paperback, with many original photographs including a full color photo of Ma Bhavatarani Dakshineswari, taken by Usha herself in the 80s and is famously known all over Kolkata.
Excerpt from Chapter 1, a quote from a song by the famous mystic/poet Ramprasad:
"O Mother! my desires are unfulfilled;
My hopes are ungratified;
But my life is fast coming to an end.
Let me call Thee, Mother, for the last time;
Come and take me in Thy arms.
None loves in the world;
This world knows not how to love;
My heart yearns, O Mother, to go there,
Where love reigns supreme."
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.
Kali Mandir Calendar 2022

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Just Arrived!!
2022 Calendar from our friends at Kali Mandir. This elegant calendar makes a great Christmas gift.
- Each stunning picture of Ma Kali was professionally taken by ardent Kali Devotee and President of Kali Mandir, Usha Harding. In addition to the beautiful photos of Ma Dakshineswari Kali and Ma Bhavatarini Kali, this calendar features all the 2022 dates for amavasyas, ekadasis, important Hindu dates, birthdays of saints, daylight savings, etc.
- Dimensions: 11″ X 8.5″.
- Kali Mandir developed its 2022 calendar with dates calculated for Southern California.
A must-have for keeping track of all of the auspicious dates celebrated in many religions!
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Mahishasuramardini Stotram

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Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Simple Kali Puja

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By Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati.
This booklet is a guide to learning simple Mother worship in the Hindu tradition. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati presents here a simplified ritualistic worship of Goddess Kali that can easily be performed regularly. Based on ancient Tantric scriptures, the mantras and rituals contained in this puja-book come to us from the tradition of the Dakshineswar Kali temple where Sri Ramakrishna lived and worshipped the Divine Mother with an awe-inspiring intensity for over thirty years. This book contains an overview of puja and includes the transliterated Sanskrit mantras with English translations as well as instructions for a five-item worship of Mother Kali. This is the simplest Kali puja that is still authentic and complete for easy learning and memorization and is ideal for daily home practice.
Booklet. 36 pp. with drawings.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Bhakti Yoga

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"Bhakti Yoga is a real genuine search after the Lord, a search beginning, continuing, and ending in Love."
- 113 pages, Indian paperback
"Bhakti Yoga is a real genuine search after the Lord, a search beginning, continuing, and ending in Love. One single moment of the madness of extreme love to God brings us eternal freedom."
"When a man gets it, he loves all, hates none; he becomes satisfied forever." Swami Vivekananda
Writes Romain Rolland:
Vivekananda's words are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Handel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages at thirty years distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. and what shocks, what transports must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Karma Yoga

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Swami Vivekananda's treatise on the yoga of work.
- 131 pages, Indian paperback
This is a book that is about how to work, and not get caught by expectations. We have a right to work, but not to the results of our actions. We have to work as hard as we can, give the work our best quality effort, then step back and let the results take care of themselves. It is all about selfless work. Such is the practice of karma yoga.
This concept is a bit different from what many of us have been taught in the West, but the book offers an interesting approach that can save us from a lot of misery and bring us closer to God. In fact, belief in God is not essential to the practice of this yoga.
We also offer an American paper edition of this book under the name Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. The type of this edition is larger, and the editing is better.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Meditation and Its Methods

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edited by Swami Chetanananda
Foreword by Christopher Isherwood
- 137 pages US paperback
"This book is a collection of notes on the value of meditative practices. It is common sense rendered with good humor.
Through these selections, even the casual reader will be better able to appreciate the vitality of a tradition that has produced both saints and scholars."
-Books West Magazine
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.

Raja Yoga

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This classic text is a masterpiece on the practice of raja yoga taken from Swami Vivekananda's original lectures in the United States.
by Swami VivekanandaAmerican edition edited by Swami Nikhilananda
Raja Yoga is about the royal road to God through the practice of meditation. It is primarily meant to enable us to solve our mental problems through meditation. When all is said and done, the solution to our worldly problems requires a spiritual solution. This is the universal teaching of all saints and prophets in all countries in all times. Finding a worldly solution is an endless process that causes more problems than it creates. The spiritual solution goes to the root of our problems in worldly existence.
Author's Preface
Since the dawn of history various extraordinary phenomena have been recorded as happening amongst human beings. Witnesses are not wanting in modern times to attest such events even in societies living under the full blaze of modem science. The vast mass of such evidence is unreliable, coming as it does from ignorant, superstitious, or fraudulent persons. In many instances the so-called miracles are imitations. But what do they imitate? It is not the sign of a candid and scientific mind to throw overboard anything without proper investigation. Surface scientists, unable to explain the various extraordinary mental phenomena, strive to ignore their very existence. They are therefore more culpable than those who think that their prayers are answered by a being or beings above the clouds, or than those who believe that their petitions will make such beings change the course of the universe. The latter have the excuse of ignorance, or at least of a defective system of education, which has taught them dependence upon such beings, a dependence which has become a part of their degenerate nature. The former have no such excuse.
For thousands of years such phenomena have been studied, investigated, and generalized; the whole ground of the religious faculties of man has been analyzed; and the practical result is the science of Raja-yoga. Raja-yoga does not, after the unpardonable manner of some modern sciences, deny the existence of facts which are difficult to explain; on the contrary, it gently, yet in no uncertain terms, tells the superstitious that miracles and answers to prayer and powers of faith, though true as facts, are not rendered comprehensible through superstitious explanations attributing them to the agency of a being or beings above the clouds. It declares that each man is only a conduit for the infinite ocean of knowledge and power that lies behind mankind. It teaches that desires and wants are in man, that the power of supply is also in man, and that wherever and whenever a desire, a want, or a prayer has been fulfilled, it was out of this infinite magazine that the fulfillment came, and not from any supernatural being. The idea of supernatural beings may rouse to a certain extent the power of action in man, but it also brings spiritual decay. It brings dependence; it brings fear; it brings superstition. It degenerates into a horrible belief in the natural weakness of man. There is no supernatural, says the yogi, but there are in nature gross manifestations and subtle manifestations. The subtle are the causes' the gross the effects. The gross can be easily perceived by the senses; not so the subtle. The practice of raja-yoga will lead to the acquisition of the subtle perceptions.
All the orthodox systems of Indian philosophy have one goal in view: the liberation of the soul through perfection. The method is yoga. The word yoga covers an immense ground. Both the Samkhya and the Vedanta schools point to yoga in some form or other.
The subject of the present book is that form of yoga known as Raja-yoga.1 The aphorisms of Patanjali are the highest authority on Raja-yoga and form its textbook. The other philosophers, though occasionally differing from Patanjali in some philosophical points, have, as a rule, accorded to his method of practice a decided consent. The first part of this book comprises several lectures delivered by the present writer to his classes in New York. The second part is a rather free translation of the Aphorisms (Sutras) of Patanjali, with a running commentary. An effort has been made to avoid technicalities as far as possible, and to keep to the free and easy style of conversation. In the first part some simple and specific directions are given for students who want to practice; but all such are especially and earnestly warned that, with few exceptions, Raja-yoga can be safely learnt only by direct contact with a teacher. If these conversations succeed in awakening a desire for further information on the subject, the teacher will not be wanting.
The system of Patanjali is based upon the system of Samkhya, the points of difference being very few. The two most important differences are, first, that Patanjali admits the Personal God in the form of the First Teacher, while the only God that Samkhya concedes is a nearly perfected being, temporarily in charge of a cycle of creation. Second, a yogi holds the mind to be equally all-pervading as the Soul, or Purusha, and Samkhya does not.
Introduction
All our knowledge is based upon experience. What we call inferential knowledge, in which we go from the particular to the general or from the general to the particular, has experience as its basis. In what are called the exact sciences people easily find the truth, because it appeals to the specific experiences of every human being. The scientist does not ask you to believe in anything blindly; but he has got certain results, which have come from his own experiences, and when, reasoning on them, he wants us to believe in his conclusions, he appeals to some universal experience of humanity. In every exact science there is a basis which is common to all humanity, so that we can at once see the truth or the fallacy of the conclusions drawn therefrom. Now, the question is: Has religion any such basis or not? I shall have to answer the question both in the affirmative and in the negative.
Religion, as it is generally taught all over the world, is found to be based upon faith and belief, and in most cases consists only of different sets of theories; and that is why we find religions quarrelling with one another. These theories, again, are based upon belief. One man says there is a great Being sitting above the clouds and governing the whole universe, and he asks me to believe that solely on the authority of his assertion. In the same way I may have my own ideas, which I am asking others to believe; and if they ask for a reason, I cannot give them any. This is why religion and religious philosophy have a bad name nowadays. Every educated man seems to say: "Oh, these religions are only bundles of theories without any standard to judge them by, each man preaching his own pet ideas." Nevertheless there is a basis of universal belief in religion, governing all the different theories and all the varying ideas of different sects in different countries. Going to this basis, we find that they too are based upon universal experiences.
In the first place, if you analyze the various religions of the world, you will find that they are divided into two classes: those with a book and those without a book. Those with a book are stronger and have a larger number of followers. Those without books have mostly died out, and the few new ones have very small followings. Yet in all of them we find one consensus of opinion: that the truths they teach are the results of the experiences of particular persons. The Christian asks you to believe in his religion, to believe in Christ and to believe in him as the Incarnation of God, to believe in a God, in a soul, and in a better state of that soul. If I ask him for the reason, he says that he believes in them. But if you go to the fountainhead of Christianity, you will find that it is based upon experience. Christ said that he saw God, the disciples said that they felt God, and so forth. Similarly, in Buddhism, it is Buddha's experience. He experienced certain truths, saw them, came in contact with them, and preached them to the world. So with the Hindus in their books the writers, who are called rishis, or sages, declare that they have experienced certain truths, and these they preach.
Thus it is clear that all the religions of the world have been built upon that one universal and adamantine foundation of all our knowledge-direct experience. The teachers all saw God; they all saw their own souls, they saw their souls' future and their eternity; and what they saw they preached. Only there is this difference: By most of these religions, especially in modern times, a peculiar claim is made, namely, that these experiences are impossible at the present day; they were possible only to a few men, who were the founders of the religions that subsequently bore their names. At the present time these experiences have become obsolete, and therefore we now have to take these religions on faith.
This I entirely deny. If there has been one experience in this world in any particular branch of knowledge, it absolutely follows that that experience has been possible millions of times before and will be repeated eternally. Uniformity is the rigorous law of nature: what once happened can happen always.
The teachers of the science of Raja-Yoga, therefore, declare not only that religion is based upon the experiences of ancient times, but also that no man can be religious until he has had the same experiences himself. Raja-yoga is the science which teaches us how to get these experiences. It is not much use to talk about religion until one has felt it. Why is there so much disturbance, so much fighting and quarrelling, in the name of God? There has been more bloodshed in the name of God than for any other cause, because people never went to the fountainhead; they were content to give only a mental assent to the customs of their forefathers, and wanted others to do the same. What right has a man to say that he has a soul if he does not feel it, or that there is a God if he does not see Him? If there is a God we must see Him; if there is a soul we must perceive it; otherwise it is better not to believe. It is better to be an outspoken atheist than a hypocrite.
The modern idea, on the one hand, with the "learned" is that religion and metaphysics and all search after a Supreme Being are futile; on the other hand, with the semi-educated the idea seems to be that these things, really have no basis, their only value consisting in the fact that they furnish a strong motive power for doing good to the world. If men believe in a God, they may become good and moral, and so make good citizens. We cannot blame them for holding such ideas, seeing that all the teaching these men get is simply to believe in an eternal rigmarole of words, without any substance behind them. They are asked to live upon words. Can they do it? If they could, I should not have the least regard for human nature. Man wants truth, wants to experience truth for himself. When he has grasped it, realized it, felt it within his heart of hearts, then alone, declare the Vedas, will all doubts vanish, all darkness be scattered, and all crookedness be made straight. "Ye children of immortality, even those who live in the highest sphere, the way is found. There is a way out of all this darkness, and that is by perceiving Him who is beyond all darkness. There is no other way."
The science of Raja-yoga proposes to put before humanity a practical and scientifically worked out method of reaching this truth. In the first place, every science must have its own method of investigation. If you want to become an astronomer, and sit down and cry, "Astronomy! astronomy!" you will never become one. It is the same with chemistry. A certain method must be followed. You must go to a laboratory, take different substances, mix them, examine them, experiment with them; and out of that will come a knowledge of chemistry. If you want to be an astronomer you must go to an observatory, take a telescope, and study the stars and planets. And then you will become an astronomer. Each science must have its own methods. I could preach you thousands of sermons, but they would not make you religious until you followed the method. This truth has been preached by sages of all countries, of all ages, by men pure and unselfish who had no motive but to do good to the world. They all declare that they have found certain truths higher than what the senses can bring us, and they invite verification. They ask us to take up the discipline and practice honestly. Then, if we do not find this higher truth, we shall have the right to say that there is no truth in the claim; but before we have done that, we are not rational in denying the truth of their assertions. So we must work faithfully, using the prescribed methods, and light will come.
In acquiring knowledge we make use of generalization and generalization is based upon observation. We first observe facts, then generalize, and then draw conclusions or formulate principles. The knowledge of the mind, of the internal nature of man, of thought, can never be had until we have first developed the power of observing what is going on within. It is comparatively easy to observe facts in the external world, for many instruments have been invented for the purpose; but in the internal world we have no instrument to help us. Yet we know that we must observe in order to have a real science. Without proper analysis any science will be hopeless, mere theorizing; and that is why the psychologists have been quarrelling among themselves since the beginning of time, except those few who found out the means of observation.
The science of Raja-yoga proposes, in the first place, to give us such a means of observing the internal states. The instrument is the mind itself. The power of attention, when properly guided and directed towards the internal world, will analyze the mind and illumine facts for us. The powers of the mind are like rays of light dissipated; when they are concentrated they illumine. This is our only means of knowledge. Everyone is using it, both in the external and in the internal world; but, for the psychologist, the same minute observation has to be directed to the internal world which the scientific man directs to the external; and this requires a great deal of practice. From childhood onward we have been taught to pay attention only to things external, but never to things internal; hence most of us have nearly lost the faculty of observing the internal mechanism. To turn the mind, as it were, inside, stop it from going outside, and then to concentrate all its powers and throw them upon the mind itself, in order that it may know its own nature, analyze itself, is very hard work. Yet that is the only way to anything which will be like a scientific approach to the subject.
What is the use of such knowledge? In the first place, knowledge itself is the highest reward of knowledge, and secondly, there is also utility in it. It will take away all our misery. When, by analyzing his own mind, a man comes face to face, as it were, with something which is never destroyed, something which is, by its own nature, eternally pure and perfect, he will no more be miserable, no more be unhappy. All misery comes from fear, from unsatisfied desire. When a man finds that be never dies, he will then have no more fear of death. When he knows that he is perfect, he will have no more vain desires. And both these causes being absent, there will be no more misery; there will be perfect bliss, even in this body.
There is only one method by which to attain this knowledge, and that is concentration. The chemist in his laboratory concentrates all the energies of his mind into one focus and throws them upon the materials he is analyzing, and thus finds out their secrets. The astronomer concentrates all the energies of his mind and projects them through his telescope upon the skies; and the stars, the sun, and the moon give up their secrets to him. The more I can concentrate my thoughts on the matter on which I am talking to you, the more light I can throw upon it. You are listening to me, and the more you concentrate your thoughts, the more clearly you will grasp what I have to say. How has all the knowledge in the world been gained but by the concentration of the powers of the mind? The world is ready to give up its secrets if we only know how to knock, how to give it the necessary blow. The strength and force of the blow come through concentration. There is no limit to the power of the human mind. The more concentrated it is, the more power is brought to bear on one point. That is the secret.
It is easy to concentrate the mind on external things; the mind naturally goes outward. But it is not so in religion or psychology or metaphysics, where the subject and the object are one. The object is internal: the mind itself is the object. It is necessary to study the mind itself; the mind studies the mind. We know that there is a power of the mind called reflection. I am talking to you; at the same time I am standing aside, like a second person, and knowing and hearing what I am saying. You work and think at the same time, while a portion of your mind stands by and sees what you are thinking. The powers of the mind should be concentrated and turned back upon it; and as the darkest places reveal their secrets before the penetrating rays of the sun, so will the concentrated mind penetrate into its own innermost secrets. Thus we shall come to the basis of belief, to the real religion. We shall perceive for ourselves whether or not we have souls, whether or not life lasts for five minutes or for eternity, whether or not there is a God. All this will be revealed to us.
This is what Raja-yoga proposes to teach. The goal of all its teaching is to show how to concentrate the mind; then how to discover the innermost recesses of our own minds; then how to generalize their contents and form our own conclusions from them. It never asks what our belief is-whether we are deists, or atheists, whether Christians, Jews, or Buddhists. We are human beings, and that is sufficient. Every human being has the right and the power to seek religion; every human being has the right to ask the reason why and to have his question answered by himself-if he only takes the trouble.
So far, then, we see that in the study of Raja-yoga no faith or belief is necessary. Believe nothing until you find it out for yourself-that is what it teaches us. Truth requires no prop to make it stand. Do you mean to say that the facts of our awakened state require any dreams or imaginings to prove them? Certainly not. The study of Raja-yoga takes a long time and constant practice. A part of this practice is physical, but in the main it is mental. As we proceed we shall find how intimately the mind is connected with the body. If we believe that the mind is simply a finer part of the body, and that the mind acts upon the body, then it stands to reason that the body must react upon the mind. If the body is sick, the mind becomes sick also. If the body is healthy, the mind remains healthy and strong. When one is angry, the mind becomes disturbed; and when the mind is disturbed, the body also becomes disturbed. With the majority of mankind the mind is greatly under the control of the body, their minds being very little developed. The vast mass of humanity is very little removed from the animals; for in many instances their power of control is little higher than that of the animals. We have very little command of our minds. Therefore to acquire that command, to get that control over body and mind, we must take certain physical helps; when the body is sufficiently controlled we can attempt the manipulation of the mind. By manipulating the mind, we shall be able to bring it under our control, make it work as we like, and compel it to concentrate its powers as we desire.
According to the raja-yogi, the external world is but the gross form of the internal, or subtle. The fine is always the cause, and the gross, the effect. So the external world is the effect, and the internal, the cause. Therefore the external forces are simply the grosser parts of that of which the internal forces are the finer. The man who has discovered and learnt how to manipulate the internal forces will get the whole of nature under his control. The yogi proposes to himself no less a task than to master the whole universe, to control the whole of nature. He wants to arrive at the point where what we call nature's laws will have no influence over him, where he will be able to go beyond them all. He will be the master of the whole of nature, internal and external. The progress and civilization of the human race simply mean controlling nature.
Founded in Southern California by spiritual seekers and practioners, The Deva Shop provides sustainable income to artisans worldwide through our Fair Trade sourcing. We aim to give back to charities for people in marginalized communities and continue to support ancient art forms with our product offerings. We're also very passionate about the environment. That's why we package and ship all of our prodcuts in 100% eco-friendly shipping supplies, biodegradalbe materials, and recyclable materials.