Eternal Words - Spiritual Instructions of Swami Adbhutananda

Latu (Swami Adbhutananda) progressed so quickly in the spiritual realm that, considering the different circumstances of his background and ours, he is far greater than us. We were all born of high ancestry and came to the Master with an intellect refined by formal education whereas Latu was entirely illiterate. If we did not care to meditate or do other spiritual practices, we could escape such a mood by studying. But Latu had no other recourse. He had to hold on to a single idea throughout his life. Starting from a very ordinary and low state, by keeping his mind unruffled by meditation and other spiritual practices, alone, Latu became fit to receive the highest spiritual wealth. This indicates his inner potential power and the limitless grace of our Master.

In this translation of Swami Siddhananda's Sat-Katha, we have attempted to balance our principal goal of remaining faithful to the meaning of Swami Adbhutananda's teachings, spoken in 19th Century colloquial Bengali, by composing a vibrant text for the English reader. A critical comparison of the work to the original text will readily reveal instances where sentence structure has been modified in the hopes of achieving that end.

Illumined souls such as Latu Maharaj are capable of conveying the most sublime and transcendent truths in the simplest language. To retain the essence of that simplicity for Western readers, the use of Sanskrit terminology has been kept to a minimum, with explanatory footnotes where it seemed appropriate. Some of the footnotes in this book appear in the original; those are marked by an asterisk prior to the footnote text. Others have been added by us for further clarification.

Swami Siddhananda commented in his foreword to the original text that, if given the chance, he would like to correct the placement of some of the talks, which he felt were hastily and unsatisfactorily ordered under various headings in an effort to publish them quickly, first serially in the Udbodhan, and thereafter in book form. I have nevertheless largely kept the talks in their original order.

The modern reader may take pause at the strong wording of some of Latu Maharaj's cautionary words to his fellow monastics regarding risks uniquely specific to their chosen path. These few passages are revealing, not only of the historic and cultural aspects of nineteenth-century Bengal, but also of the extreme care taken by Law Maharaj to privately instruct and shape the lives of the male monastic followers of Sri Ramakrishna who had vowed to renounce every trace of worldly life.

The translation was completed in 2012, and thereafter serialized in the monthly Prabuddha Bharata. I am very pleased that Advaita Ashrama is now bringing the translation out in book form.

I wish to express my deep gratitude to Rev. Swami Swahananda, the previous head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, for his invaluable reviews and editorial improvements to this translation. My gratitude also to Swamis Chetanananda and Bodhasarananda, who first suggested and inspired me to take up the book for translation. My heartfelt thanks goes to two devotees who wish to remain anonymous, who typed, corrected, and edited the entire manuscript, giving so much of their time and energy to bring it to the present form. My thanks also to Swami Mahayogananda for his editorial assistance, and to all the monastics and devotees who contributed their time and effort to assist in the translation and printing of this work.

Should there be any passage herein where the meaning of Latu Maharaj's great sayings are in any way diminished or dimmed, the translator begs the readers' forgiveness. With the great hope that these treasured instructions of Latu Maharaj may reach many English speaking aspirants, we offer this at the holy feet of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Adbhutananda, or Latu Maharaj, was one of the sixteen monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Swami Vivekananda called him Sri Ramakrishna's greatest miracle. He remarked upon Lau Maharaj's uniqueness saying:

"Latu progressed so quickly in the spiritual realm that, considering the different circumstances of his background and ours, he is far greater than us. We were all born of high ancestry and came to the Master with an intellect refined by formal education whereas Latu was entirely illiterate. If we did not care to meditate or do other spiritual practices, we could escape such a mood by studying. But Latu had no other recourse. He had to hold on to a single idea throughout his life. Starting from a very ordinary and low state, by keeping his mind unruffled by meditation and other spiritual practices alone, Lath became fit to receive the highest spiritual wealth. This indicates his inner potential power and the limitless grace of our Master."

Not much is recorded about Latu Maharaj. Of that, even less has been translated. I welcome Swami Sarvadevananda's efforts to make this important compilation available in English. May the words of Latu Maharaj inspire us all!

**Contents and Sample Pages**