Great Throughts Treasury

"Remember, one is born to experience various kinds of joys and sorrows according to one’s desire. For the time being, God comes to you in the disguise of suffering. He is purifying you in this manner. The suffering is for your own best. A mother gives a slap to her beloved child for its own good, in order to keep it on the right path. When a fond mother gives her baby a bath, the child may scream desperately, yet the mother will not let the baby go until she has thoroughly washed and scrubbed him."

"Restlessness and serenity both are aspects of the mind."

"Sense enjoyment acts like slow poison. You are driven thereby towards death. Therefore, it is man's duty as a human being to get into the current that leads to immortality."

"Self-realization is God-realization and God-realization is Self-realization."

"Silent japa should be engaged in at all times. One must not waste breath uselessly; whenever one has nothing special to do, one should silently practice japa in rhythm with one’s breathing. In fact, this exercise should go on continually until doing japa has become as natural as breathing."

"Since all names are His indeed, He will let Himself be grasped by any one of them; furthermore, it will gradually be revealed that He is also without name and without form."

"Since you seek ownership of the garden, you feel unhappy. Be the gardener instead of trying to be the owner, and then you will feel happy."

"Single-minded devotion engenders deep thought, which expresses itself in action. The Lord’s Light descends on the devotee, His power awakens in him and, as a result, profound inner inquiry blossoms forth."

"Sustained effort ends in effortless being. What has been attained by constant practice is finally transcended. Then comes spontaneity."

"Strive to abandon yourself, without reserve, to Him. Then you will have no grief, no pain, no disappointment, no frustration."

"So long as one believes that true happiness can be had in this world without searching within, one will remain in bondage."

"Suffering is sent to remind you to turn your thoughts towards That which is real - to God who will give you solace."

"That One – the Supreme Truth – is ever present everywhere in all circumstances."

"Take it from me – repetition of His Name makes everything possible."

"The Guru actually emerges from within. When genuine search takes effect, his genuine manifestation is bound to occur; it cannot possibly be otherwise."

"The immutable Brahman and the primeval sound AUM are one and the same as (the word) Ma."

"The individual suffers because he perceives duality. Find the One everywhere and in everything and there will be an end to pain and suffering."

"The more one thinks of one’s Ishta (beloved Deity), the firmer will one’s faith in Him grow."

"The nature of fire is to convert everything into itself. Similarly, assosiacion with His Name inevitably enables one to be identified with Him."

"The One Himself assuming the shape of the Guru of His own accord brings about His manifestation or becomes manifestated."

"The same inexpressible Truth is experienced in two ways: as Self-luminous Silence, or as the Eternal Play of the One."

"The search after Truth is man’s duty, so that he may advance towards immortality."

"The Supreme Father, Mother and Friend–verily God is all of these. Consequently, how can there be a cause or reason for His Grace? You are His, and in whatever way He may draw you to Him, it is for the sake of revealing Himself to you. The desire to find Him that awakens in man, who has instilled it into you? Who is it that makes you work for its fulfillment? Thus you should try to arrive at the understanding that everything originates from Him. Whatever power, whatever skill you possess—-why, even you yourself—-from where does everything arise? And does it not all have for purpose the finding of Him, the destroying of the veil of ignorance? Whatever exists has its origin in Him alone. So then, you must try to realize your Self. Are you master even of a single breath? To whatever small degree He makes you feel that you have freedom of action, if you understand that this freedom has to be used to aspire after the realization of Him, it will be for your good. But if you regard yourself as the doer and God as being far away, and if, owing to His apparent remoteness, you work for the gratification of your desires, it is wrong action. You should look upon all things as manifestations of Him. When you recognize the existence of God, He will reveal Himself to you as compassionate or gracious or merciful, in accordance with your attitude towards Him at the time–just as, for example, to the humble he becomes the Lord of the Humble."

"The Self, or God is unknowable to the ordinary intelligence, but He is not unknown to us as the life–breath. If one uses the rhythm of one’s breathing as a support in meditation, this increases one’s power. Therefore, one should daily sit in a meditative pose in a solitary place and turn the mind inward, and repeat the mantra in rhythm with one’s breathing, without straining, in a natural way. When through prolonged practice, the Name becomes inextricably linked with the breath, and the body is quite still; one will come to realize that the individual is part of the One Great Life that pervades the Universe."

"The signification of the word guru is Jagadguru (World Teacher). A World Teacher is one who diverts men from the path leading to death and puts him on the path of Immortality. He who does this is the inner Guru."

"The true progress in one’s spiritual experience depends on the sincerity and intensity of one’s aspiration. The measure of a person’s spiritual advance will be reflected in the manifestations that are vouchsafed to him of his Ista (object of worship), who will by no means remain inaccessible or separate from His devotee, but let Himself be contacted in an infinite variety of ways."

"The speed of advancing must become brisk. In order to find your Self, progress along your own path, in your own rhythm."

"The spiritual aspirant should practice dhyana (steady meditation) in the proper posture (with the back straight) and deeply meditate on his Ishta (beloved deity). He should purge himself of all outside thoughts and consider himself pure. Once he is absorbed in genuine dhyana, worldly attractions lose all their appeal and then worldly enjoyments cannot possibly touch him. Meditation opens one’s true being to the Light, to that which is Eternal. In true meditation, Reality is contacted. When the movement of your true nature sets in, then, because it is directed solely towards God, the knots of the heart will be unraveled. Then you should know that the current of your life is turned towards the Eternal. Give yourself up to the wave, and you will be absorbed by the current – having dived into the sea, you do not return any more. The Eternal Himself is the wave that floods the shore, so that you may be carried away. Those who can surrender themselves to this aim will be accepted by Him. But if your attention remains directed towards the shore, you cannot proceed – after bathing you will return to the shore. If your aim is the Supreme, the Ultimate, you will be led on by the movement of your own true nature. There are waves that carry away and waves that pull back. Those who can give themselves up will be taken by Him. In the guise of the wave He holds out His hand and calls you."

"The Universal Body of the Lord comprises all things–trees, flowers, leaves, hills, mountains, rivers, oceans, and so forth. A time will come, must come, when one actually perceives this all–pervading Universal Form of the One. The variety of His shapes and guises is infinite, uncountable, without end. Just as ice is nothing but water, so the Beloved is without form, without quality, and the question of manifestation does not arise. When this is realized, one has realized one’s Self. For, to find the Beloved is to find one’s Self, to discover that God is one’s very own, wholly identical with one’s self, the innermost Self, the Self of the self. First of all it is necessary to become acquainted with Him Whom you wish to invoke. Constantly think and talk of Him, look at his pictures, sing His praises or listen to sacred music, visit places of pilgrimage, seek solitude or associate with the holy and wise, so as to become familiar with Him. When this has been achieved, you may call Him Father or Mother. Some relationship of this kind has to be established with Him, because people of the world do not feel affinity unless their bond is defined in such a manner. You are accustomed to ties of kinship in worldly life; this is why you have to bind yourself by some sort of relationship in the spiritual field as well. Even though at the start you may not feel deep devotion, learn to invoke Him unceasingly and with perseverance by repeating His Name, or by any other method, until gradually He will fill your heart. However, prayer, meditation, alms offered in His Name, and so forth, are necessary even after the bond of love has been forged, so as to keep it unimpaired. In this way the awareness of Him will become your second nature and never leave you to your last breath. This is what is termed communion with God."

"The vision of the Eternal Lila of the Supreme Being is impossible unless one has seen His Bliss in His universality and self-sufficiency and unless one finds this repeated in one in union with, and as part of, the whole."

"There is One Centre in your being from Which come vibrations of Mantra; images also are revealed there from together with the Truth underlying them. Who is it that does all this? Reflect! He dwells within you and does everything. He awakens enthusiasm, He inspires without you knowing it. He is the omniscient Being. Why speak of Self-realization in the future? It is here and now – only the veil that hides It has to be destroyed."

"There is nothing in this world; yet everyone is madly pursuing this nothing – some more, some less."

"There is One unchanging indivisible Reality which, though unmanifest, reveals Itself in infinite multiplicity and diversity."

"This body is like a musical instrument what you hear depends on how you play."

"Through breath energy, Consciousness pervades Matter. Everything that is alive breathes. When breath stops, you die. Physical life depends on breath. Through Prana, matter becomes alive. Desires and wandering mind make the breath impure. Therefore, I advise the practice of concentration on breathing combined with taking any one of God’s Names. If the breath and the mind become one–pointed and steady, then the mind expands to infinity, and all phenomena are included in that one all–inclusive point. If you think of God with the breath it will purify the prana, the physical sheath and the mind. If you breathe while thinking of God’s Name, you will feel the call of His grace."

"To believe in Him under any particular form is not enough. Accept Him in His numberless forms, shapes and modes of being, in everything that exists. Aim at the whole and all your actions will be whole."

"Try to treat with equal love all the people with whom you have relations. Thus the abyss between 'myself' and 'yourself' will be filled in, which is the goal of all religious worship."

"This body tells of one sovereign remedy for all ills: God. Trust in Him, depend on Him, accept whatever happens as His dispensation, regard what you do as His service, keep satsang, think of God with every breath, and live in His Presence. Leave all your burdens in His hands and He will see to everything; there will be no more problems."

"To a human being the most noble, irreproachable line of conduct should alone be acceptable. It is a matter of great rejoicing if anyone strives to mould his life upon this pattern. Only actions that kindle man’s divine nature are worthy of the name of action, all the rest are non–actions–a waste of energy. Any line of behavior that fails to quicken the divine in man should be eschewed, no matter how enticing it might appear; but any that helps to awaken man’s inherent divinity must be resolutely adopted, even though it be seemingly uninviting. Man’s calling is to aspire to the realization of Truth, to tread the excellent path that leads to Immortality. What appears delightful to the senses later develops into a hotbed of poison, generating inner turmoil and disaster, for it belongs to the realm of death."

"Try to see God in everything and in everybody, including yourself."

"Utensils used for worshipping a god or goddess must be washed clean and bright, the place for worship also must be careful scrubbed and kept clean. Then the mind of the worshipper will also feel a sense of purity. Mind you – you’re your body also is a ceremonial vessel to be used mainly for worship. This will bring inner purity of the mind."

"Verily, this body is also an utensil for puja (worship); do remember that this is an utensil for puja, and do try to utilize it only for the purpose of puja, and only then will you see that even the inside is becoming clean."

"Unless one has a point of view of one’s own, one will not be classed among the sages."

"Whatever spiritual exercise, ritual and so forth one is engaged in, should be carried out with faith and love. No ritual should be performed irreverently."

"Unconditional surrender to Him is the best solace for man."

"Water inside a pitcher noisily moves to and fro when the pitcher is disturbed. But as soon as the pitcher is placed in a position of equilibrium, the water becomes calm. Similarly, sit for long in a steadfast posture with your mind concentrated on one fixed thought or aim, the restlessness of your mind will be slowly subdued."

"What does Atma-darshana, the direct perception of the Self, imly? The seer, the seen and the act of seeing – where these three are One, there the Brahman is realized."

"Whatever may be your shortcomings, don’t be depressed, don’y lose hope. Try to improve yourself."

"What a comedy God’s Lila is! What a lunatic asylum! He Himself is sporting with Himself!"

"What is life-breath is really an aspect of the Universal, all-pervasive Energy that functions continuously; it is He in one of His forms – He Who is Truth Consciousness, revealing Himself in this mode."