191st Jayanti Celebrations of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna Held at Tirupati
The 191st Jayanti celebrations of Ramakrishna were held with great devotion and grandeur at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram in Tirupati.
On this occasion, delivering a discourse on the theme “The Universal Message of Sri Ramakrishna,” Ashram Secretary Swami Sukritananda shared several spiritual insights and incidents from the life of Sri Ramakrishna with the assembled devotees.
He emphasized that God resides within every human being. The Divine exists as inner consciousness in all, manifesting through one’s righteous actions. Those with a pure and innocent heart can experience God. Anyone who has once undergone that divine experience has truly had the vision of the Lord. Therefore, he said, when a person cultivates purity and noble qualities (sattva), it naturally leads to divine proximity.
Just as stars are visible at night but not during the day—yet we cannot claim they do not exist—similarly, those who have not experienced God within themselves should not conclude that God does not exist.
Swami Sukritananda explained that though religions are many, they are all different paths leading to the same Divine. Those who fail to understand spirituality often fall into conflicts with others. A seeker must constantly strive to realize the infinite power hidden within the Divine. Ignorance of God does not mean the absence of God—this is Sri Ramakrishna’s Universal Message.
Clarifying further, he said that the entire Universe is like a magical display of God; the magician is real, while the magic is transient. The heart of a devotee is the true abode of God. Those who seek spiritual progress must stay away from “kamini and kanchana” (lust and gold). The body itself is a temple, and the indwelling Self within is the very manifestation of God. Those who remain pure both inwardly and outwardly are embodiments of the Divine and are able to perceive that divinity in others as well.
With this message of universal harmony and inner purity, Swami Sukritananda concluded his address.
Morning 5.00 am || Mangalarathi, Suprabhatam, Veda Mantra Pathanam, Special Poojas to Sri Ramakrishna, Homam Swamijis' Satvathasthananda, Harikruppananda, Yatachitthananda, Dr. || P.V. Reddy, Jayachandra Reddy, Dr. || Suguna, former Director of All India Radio Akula Malleswara Rao, and many devotees participated. 300. Devotees had noon Prasad. 50 'T' shirts, & anna Prasad were distributed to the under previleged men.
