Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, the Ramakrishna Kathamrita, all over again.

So these great spiritual classics, we should never say that we have read them.

We should always say that we are reading them.

We were told this by a senior monks.

Don't say, I have read the Gita. I am reading them. We were told this by a senior monks. Don't say, I read the Gita. I am reading it.

So at the beginning of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, there is an invocation which I chant, you would have noticed.

Tava Khatha Amritam. So what does that mean?

I saw that Swami Chaitananjin his introductory essay, he has given a nice explanation.

So I'll read out parts of the explanation.

This is the invocatory chant, the Mangala charna.

You know that it's a tradition, you study Vedantam, or any Indian scripture for that matter, before starting the text, there is a invocatory verse.

Often it is a salutation to God or prayer for the fulfillment of the purpose of the study or salutation to the guru or something like that.

So here,

the Sanskrit verse which I chant is from the Srimad Bhagavatam,

the 10th scanda,

the 10th canto of the Shremaad Bhagavatam, which deals with the life of Sri Krishna.

So the verse goes, Tava kathamritamam, Taptajivanam, Kavibhavi-Bhi-Bhi-Bhi-Aiditam, Kalma-Shapa-Phanalam,

Shrema-Ahtatam, Bhuvigrinantiya, Bhuridha, Janaha. This is from the Bhaavatam, the 10th

Cantow, 31st, chapter, 9th verse.

What does it mean?

Oh Lord, Krishna is being addressed here.

Oh Lord, your nectar like words relieve the burning misery of afflicted souls.

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