Great Throughts Treasury

"If you want peace, do not see the faults of others; instead, see your own faults."

"After someone finished her sweeping and threw the broom into a corner, Mother said, “How strange, my dear! The work is finished, and you throw it away carelessly. It takes almost the same time to put it away slowly and carefully as to throw it away. Should you despise a thing just because it is insignificant? ‘Him that you save, saves you in turn.’ Won’t you need it again? Besides, this thing too forms a part of our household. From that point of view also it deserves some consideration. You must give each one his due share of honor. Even a broom must be shown some honor. The smallest work must be done with reverence."

"As clouds are blown away by the wind, the thirst for material pleasures will be driven away by the utterance of the Lord's name."

"An unmarried person is half free whether he prays to God or not. He will advance towards Him with rapid strides when he feel a little drawn towards Him."

"As long as a man has desires there is no end to his transmigration. It is the desires alone that make him take one body after another. There will be rebirth for a man if he has even the desire to eat a piece of candy."

"As you smell the fragrance of a flower by handing it or the smell of sandalwood by rubbing it against a stone, so you obtain spiritual awakening by constantly thinking of God."

"As you progress in your spiritual practice you will see the same Being in you as in me, and that He is in all Men, be they of the lowest castes. Then only can you get humility."

"As wind removes a cloud, so does the name of God disperse the cloud of worldliness."

"As one gets the fragrance of a flower by handling it, or as one gets the smell of sandalwood by rubbing it against a stone, in the same way one gets spiritual awakening by constantly thinking of God. But you can realize Him right now, if you become desireless."

"Certainly you will have doubts. There will be questionings and faith will return again. That is how faith is established."

"Continue to pray without losing heart. Everything will happen in time."

"Do not look for faults in others, or your own eyes will become faulty."

"Desire may be compared to a minute seed. It is like a big banyan tree growing out of a seed, which is no bigger than a dot."

"Does it matter in the least to God whether you believe or not? Even the sage Suka Deva was to Him like a big ant at the most. Infinite is He. How much can you understand of Him?"

"Do you notice this human body? Today it is and tomorrow it is not. And the world is full of misery and pain. Why should one be eager to have another birth? The body is never free from its attendant troubles."

"Don't be afraid. Human birth is full of suffering and one has to endure everything patiently, taking the name of God. None, not even God in human form, can escape the sufferings of body and mind. I tell you one thing my child -- if you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather, see your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own."

"Does one get faith by mere studying of books? Too much reading creates confusion. The Master used to say that one should learn from the scriptures that God alone is real and the world illusory."

"Don't puzzle the mind with too many inquiries. One finds it difficult to put one single thing into practising, but dares invite distraction by filling the mind with too many things."

"Each has to get the result of the actions one has earned for this life. A pin at least must prick where a wound from a sword was due."

"Even Avataras, saints, and sages have to undergo the ordeal of suffering, for they take upon themselves the burden of sins of omission and commission of ordinary human beings and thereby sacrifice themselves for the good of humanity."

"Everyone can break down something, but how many can build it up?"

"Everything depends on the mind. Nothing can be achieved without purity of mind. It is said, "The aspirant may have received the grace of the guru, the Lord and the Vaishnavas; but he comes to grief without the grace of 'one' ". That 'one' is the mind. The mind of the aspirant should be gracious to him."

"Everything, husband, wife, or even the body, is only illusory. These are all shackles of illusion. Unless you can free yourself from these bondages, you will never be able to go to the other shore of the world."

"Even the impossible becomes possible through devotion."

"First offer to God whatever you eat. One must not eat unoffered food. As your food is, so will be your blood. From pure food you get pure blood, pure mind, and strength. Pure mind begets ecstatic love (prema-bhakti)."

"Give up this dry discussion, this hodge-podge of philosophy. Who has been able to know God by reasoning? Even sages like Suka and Vyasa are at best like big ants trying to carry away a few grains of sugar from a large heap."

"God cannot be realized without love. Yes, sincere love."

"Forbearance is a great virtue; there is no other like it."

"He who will pray to God eagerly will see Him."

"He who thinks always of the Lord, which way can evil come to him?"

"God is one's very own. It is the eternal relationship. He is everyone's own. One realizes Him in proportion to the intensity of one's feeling for Him."

"How can the devotees really have any caste? Children are all equal."

"He who has really prayed to the Master, even once, has nothing to fear. By, praying to him constantly one gets ecstatic love (Prema Bhakti) through his grace."

"I cannot see others' faults. I am simply not made that way, There are enough people always ready to criticize others. Surely the world will not come to an end if I refrain from doing so."

"However strong or beautiful this body may be, its culmination is in those three pounds of ashes. And still people are so attached to it. Glory be to God."

"I am the mother of the wicked, as I am the mother of the virtuous. Never fear. Whenever you are in distress, say to yourself, 'I have a mother.'"

"If one calls upon Him repeatedly, He becomes compassionate; and so a devoted attachment comes into being. This love for love's sake should be hidden from all eyes."

"I can never refuse anyone who addresses me as Mother."

"If anyone surrenders himself totally at his feet, the Master will see that everything is set right."

"If you do a good act, it cancels the effects of your evil deeds. If one prays, takes the Name of God and thinks of Him, the effects of evil are cancelled."

"I tell you one thing -- if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather learn to see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; this whole world is your own."

"If you practice spiritual discipline for some time in a solitary place, you will find that your mind has become strong, and then you can live in any place or society without being in the least affected by it. When the plant is tender, it should be hedged around. But when it has grown big, not even cows and goats can injure it. Spiritual practices in a solitary place are essential."

"If you do not pray to God, what is that to Him? It is only your misfortune."

"In one word, one should desire of God desirelessness. For desire alone is at the root of all suffering. It is the cause of repeated births and deaths. It is the obstacle in the way of liberation."

"Is faith so cheap, my child? Faith is the last word. If one has faith, the goal is practically reached."

"It is best therefore to surrender all desires at the feet of God. He will do whatever is best for us. But one may pray for devotion and detachment. These cannot be classed as desires."

"In the course of time one does not feel even the existence of God. After attaining enlightenment one sees that gods and deities are all Maya."

"It is in the very nature of man to see defects. You should learn to appreciate virtues. Man is no doubt liable to err, but you must not take notice. If you constantly find fault with others, you will see faults alone.' ... `Do not look at the faults of others lest your eyes should become vitiated.'"

"Let me tell you how to love all equally. Do not demand anything of those you love. if you make demands, some will give you more and some less. In that case you will love more those who give you more and less those who give you less. Thus your love will not be the same for all. You will not be able to love all impartially."

"Let me tell you one thing. There is great complexity in this creation. The Master does one thing through one man and another thing through another person. Oh, it is so inscrutable!"