Spiritual Gems

Chandra Swami
Forewords
 i

FOREWORD

When I was asked to write a foreword to

the present compilation of Gurudev's holy
words, I was bewildered by this awesome task. I
felt so unqualified, so inadequate for this
assignment. Not knowing where to or how to
begin, I desperately began to search for an
approach. Then suddenly, it came to me from a
verse from our Ashram prayer:

“Whatsoever I am, I am thine,

Whatsoever I am, I take to Thy refuge.”

So, I wish to focus on my twenty three

years of, for want of better word, experience of
the master by someone living in the west and
visiting the Ashram at least two or three times a
year in recent years.
 ii

As someone fully occupied with and

immersed in the vicious circle of this Samsara, I
have often wondered, in moments of reflection,
what hope there is for me? How will my
slumbering soul be awakened, how will I ever
break free of this shackles of Maya, how will I
find my way to the clearing? And I truly
despair!! This nags me ceaselessly.

But then I say to myself that the fact that

there is a remainder, a constant 'nagging' implies
there is hope. This struggle, not to continue to
fall into the abyss of darkness, the inspiration to
be optimistic, emanates from one single source -
a radiance that soothes, a serenity that moves,
that beckons, a silence that sings, a detachment
which touches, a happiness that infects: Poojya
Gurudev!
 iii

Those of his numerous followers abroad

who cannot or infrequently come to the Ashram,
have the benefit of his books, from the classic
'The Practical Approach to Divinity' to the
recent 'Song of Silence' to draw guidance and
inspiration from. Publications like 'Spiritual
Musings', 'Mirror of Bliss', also available in
Hindi, French, Hebrew, German and English are
like the little books of calm and spiritual gems.
Poojya Gurudev's teachings, I can categorically
say from my own experience, guide, instruct,
touch, transform and take roots in our hearts.
They bestow upon us a state in which both,
harmony and movement can co-exist. His day-
to-day living is a 'real life', unfoldment of his
teachings and one cannot fail to be inspired and
impressed.

To all of us, living abroad, outside India,

we are reminded by those who understand the
 iv

full import of his visits here. That is a golden

opportunity to be blessed, sitting in our homes,
by the best that is manifest in the firmament of
spirituality, to have the Darshan of the
embodiment of all Teerths (place of pilgrimage)
of our holy land. We are all moved, shaken,
stirred and induced into an introspection of our
innerselves and reminded of our true purpose in
life. All familiar and unfamiliar, believers or non
believers, are touched and drawn by the master's
aura, responding to it in their individual manner,
according to their unique experience of him.
To whatever extent, I have felt an
improvement in my thoughts, in my words and
my deeds, I know has been induced by his love
and mercy. The more I meditate upon it, the
greater its impact is manifest in my day to day
life.
 v

Ultimately, the bottom line is that, inspite

of all my efforts, only if and when his grace
enters me, will my heart become pure and clean,
my understanding be clear and penetrating, my
mind be steady and peaceful. The more I
surrender, the more the door will be opened, the
more his grace will enter. And when I have
surrendered completely to him, my master, I
will be filled with his grace and then to
freedom!

My revered father, who has spent most of

his life in the company and service of saints and
Sadhus, and is himself regarded as one, reminds
me: “Do not be deceived by his Lila. He (Shri
Chandra Swami) is the only one. Consider
yourself extraordinarily lucky, that he has taken
you and is holding your hand as a mother does
of her child in a Mela; since he has taken you in
his hands, he will not fail you.” The master
 vi

sometimes reminds me : “I am often knocking

at your door, but you do not open it to me.” This
truth rings in my ears and also acts as a constant
remainder!

Now few words for this present book. It is

a compilation of three booklets written by
Swamiji years ago and now combined into one
book for the sake of convenience. These
booklets were written originally in Hindi under
the name 'Shaj Updesh Mala' part I and part II
and 'Prerna Shatak'. Later they were translated
into English by late Prof. T.N. Bhan of
Shrinagar, Kashmir, an eminent scholar of
English language and an ardent devotee of
Swamiji, under the title 'Spiritual Musings' part
I and part II and 'Living Buds of Yogic
Consciousness'. Revered Swamiji has, very
kindly, once again reviewed the English
translation part of this publication and has made
 vii

some very apt corrections, making the matter

more understandable and clear.

About this amazing hand-book what can I

say? Readers will judge it for themselves. As for
us, his devotees, the words of the master are –
like blazing sparks of spirituality ready to burn
our ignorance and impurities, laying bare our
pure, pristine divine nature, - like mighty jolts to
awaken the slumbering souls, like a soothing
and refreshing balm for the parched hearts, -
like rays of hope and assurance in place of
despair and despondence, - like the eternal
revelation experienced by fulfilled Yogi in his
supramental state, expressed through divine
intuition. Yes, to us, his words are the essence of
all revealed scriptures, coming forth from the
very reservoir of eternal Life, aid in a plain,
simple, logical and authentic manner bereft of
any 'ism', dogma or bigotry.
 viii

I am sure that the book presenting the

spirituality in its pure and plausible form, will
greatly benefit all seekers of Truth.

London, June 1999

Anil Bhimjiyani
12, Sidmouth Road
London NW2 5JX
England
 ix

FOREWORD
(From Spiritual Musing – Part I)

It was very kind (and even generous) of

my Dakhshinamurti, Shri Chandra Swami
Maharaj, to have asked me to translate into
English the Hindi booklet, 'Sahaj Upadesh Mala'
(part-I). This spirit of the original can never be
retained in any translation, especially when the
original emanates from such experience as
beyond mind. I attempted the task only to obey
the master.

The 'Sahaj Upadesh Mala' is verily a

string of hundred eight beads – and if we tell
these beads in the right spirit, we are bound to
feel (to expect the least) the truth of the spiritual
view of things. Speaking for myself each one of
these sayings strikes the keynote of the most
prized Shastras or the ripest spiritual experience.
 x

Would that I engraved each one of these, each

one of their letters and syllabes, on the tablet of
my heart!

Most of the sayings have the profundity of

Sutras, some of these have the movement and
charm of great poetry, and all of them have the
appeal and the freshness of sincerity.

I must say that I am grateful to Shri

J.N.Kaul (D.A.V. Higher Secondary School,
Srinagar) for rendering me invaluable assistance
in completing the translation.

Date : 9/02/1970
AT the feet of the master,
T.N. Bhan
Professor of English
SP Govt. College
Srinagar (Kashmir)
 xi

LIFE PROFILE OF
SHRI CHANDRA SWAMIJI

The great sage, revered Shri Chandra

Swamiji was born on 5th March, 1930 in the
village Bhuman Shah, district Montgomery,
now in Pakistan. That village assumed its name
after one of the greatest mystics of the
eighteenth century, revered Baba Bhuman
Shahji. It is this great sage who is the master of
Shri Chandra Swamiji. Swamiji has a most
sacred and intimate kind of relationship with
Babaji and attributes all his mountainous efforts
and achievements to the latter's unreserved
grace.

Believed to be a very advanced Yogi of

many previous lives, Swamiji had an irresistible
inclination towards spirituality from his early
 xii

childhood. He was also, in his student days, an

extraordinarily gifted sportsman in many events.

In 1947 he was initiated into the much

respected Udasin denomination of Hinduism by
Mahant Girdhari Dassji, the tenth master in the
line of Baba Bhuman Shahji, through the direct
and mystic intervention of Babaji. Finally,
driven by a storm of dispassion and possessed
with a longing to have the first-hand and
integral realization of the Divine, in this very
life, he abandoned his Post Graduate studies in
Sciences, severed all worldly ties, and took to
the secluded life. That was in 1952, when he
was only 22 years old.

Then followed a period of intense

Sadhana. He spent about eight years in Jammu
& Kashmir on mountains and in caves. And then
from 1961 to 1970, he lived in a secluded,
 xiii

forested island near Sapta-Sarovar, Haridwar, at

the banks of the holy river Ganga. It is here that
he is said to have been blessed with the highest,
never waning and integral spiritual Realization.

In 1970, he shifted to a small Ashram,

Sevak Niwas in Sapta Sarovar, Haridwar, at the
earnest requests of his devotees where he stayed
for twenty years. As that spot became very
crowded, noisy and commercialized with the
passage of time, in 1990 he moved to a new
Ashram, Sadhana Kendra, located in a quiet,
remote and hilly village, Domet, at the banks of
the holy Yamuna river, in district Dehra Dun of
Uttar Pradesh. The new Ashram has been built
under his direct guidance. The Ashram has been
developed as a place of Sadhana (spiritual
effort), open to all seekers of Truth, irrespective
of cast, creed or religion. Four sessions of
meditation are held daily in the presence of
 xiv

Swamiji throughout the year , without any

advertisement or publicity. True seekers of Truth
in large numbers, from all over the country and
abroad, visit the Ashram to do Sadhana and to
have Darshan of this God-man.

In the edition of December 1991, the well

known 'Life magazine', a publication from New-
York, published an article on a worldwide
survey on 'Men of God', in which Poojya
Chandra Swami's name, picture and
introduction figured as a great sage of the Hindu
tradition. Among the other celebrities covered
therein where Rev. Dalai Lama, Rev.Pope John
Paul II and other religious leaders from Egypt,
Japan, Israel, Norway and England.

Presently he is regarded as one of the

greatest living masters in the spiritual circles.
 xv

Swamiji is an unbelievably charming

person with divinity descending down to the
physical level in him. His peaceful and
blooming face, his penetrating, meditative eyes,
his strong and balanced figure, his pleasing
countenance and balanced demeanours, his day-
to-day activities bathed in alertness and
awareness – it is a sheer delight to be with him!

Swamiji has been observing an unbroken

silence for the last fifteen years. But his silence
seems more eloquent than speech. To see him is
to believe him. He is the very embodiment of
spirituality, humility, simplicity and tenderness.
If we are but little receptive, his presence
envelops us with peace and holiness. In his
approach, he is very liberal, non dogmatic and
unobtrusive.
 xvi

The essence of his teachings can be

summed up in following of his words:

“The ultimate aim of life is to live in God;

The ultimate way to achieve it,
is to live for God.”

The essence of the practical aspects of his

teachings can be summarized in his following
words:

“Be awake and alert. Be lovable and

loving. Be cheerful. Be unassuming and
humble. Make best use of all your energies for
your spiritual unfoldment and for that of others.
Pray daily. Sit in meditation regularly. Read
holy books which give you inspiration. Practice
breathing exercises. Go periodically to inspired
saints and sages and listen to them with faith
 xvii

and simple attention. Serve the poor and the

needy in the name of God.”

Those who want to know more about

revered Swamiji, may please read Song of
Silence – I wherein his holy life has been given
in more details.

And about the present compilation of

Swamiji's words, readers will learn themselves
that they are live sparks, charged with his power
and grace, capable of both transmitting and
transmuting. But then we have to become a
humble and receptive heart. Pray that he ever be
gracious and make us one.

Date: 28/07/1999, day of Gurupurnima.

xviii

Ever at the holy feet

of the master,
Swami Prem Vivekananda
Sadhana Kendra Ashram
Spiritual Gems
 1

1. Should there be anyone who sayeth:

“God is only as I speak of Him, or He is
just ‘this’ and ‘this’ and no more than
‘this’.” Then know thou for certain that
such a one has yet to know a lot about
Him.

2.
1. Everything is of God.
2. Everything is for God.
3. Everything emanates from God.
4. Everything is within God.
5. God is everything.

3. Should thy consciousness assimilate any

one of these truths, thou must needs be
fulfilled.
 2

4. We have come from God; we have to

mould ourselves in His real image, and
ultimately we have to merge in Him —
an ideal higher than this I know not.

5. Whenever the Beloved, brimming with

love, knits His eyebrows in anger the
entire universe shakes, ‘like a guilty
thing surprised’ — this verily is the
greatness of His glory. But it is beyond
the understanding of even the seers to
know how sweet and calm He is in
reality. Nor does this great secret
blossom amidst the love-denied
concentration of Yogis. Only His
devotees, who are mad in His love, can
taste of His unlimited sweetness, calm
and bliss.
 3

6. Our mind experiences pleasure or pain

when, through the medium of sense
organs, it gets introduced to objects,
events and creatures of the world. But
when the inner eye opens, we begin to
perceive in everything, and behind all
objects, a divine and eternal presence.
Then, indeed, we begin to live, in the
true sense of the word.

7. Wisdom begets soberness, love begets

sweetness, but with the touch of the
highest Consciousness life becomes
pregnant with both sweetness and
soberness.

8. Spontaneous activity endures no ego of

action; spontaneous abandonment knows
no ego of renunciation. So long as the
soul (Jiva) does not give up its false ‘I-
 4

ness’ and stand face to face with the

universal and transcendent Being,
neither activity nor abandonment can be
natural and spontaneous.

9. All nature is struggling to release herself

from the vanity of time and wilt thou lie
slumbering on?

10. What is God? What is Atman? What is

the true relation between them? We are
answered only when we realize
ourselves! Whatever we conceive of
God or Atman prior to God-Realization
or Self-Realization is only our mental
construction, faith, presumption, or mere
scriptural testimony.

11. You say the body, the sense organs and

the mind are the merest trifles; you say
 5

they are unreal and you therefore disdain

them —know for certain that such
thinking yields no benefit in God-search;
they can, on the other hand, serve you
well. Extract service from your servants.
The error, indeed, lies in becoming a
slave to those who should serve you.

12. Who can find God sooner than ever?

Verily, the one whose body is sound and
healthy, whose mind is peaceful (like the
waters stilled at even) and pure, whose
intellect is clear and steady!

13. Can you ever think that God is

confinable within some temporal object,
when not even this entire world can
manifest His effulgence and bliss? If
you say it, you surely take a narrow
view of the Reality.
 6

14. God has to be realized, and realized in

this very life: “I shall live for Him alone;
I shall die for Him alone!” When one’s
determination ripens to this extent, grace
will doubtless come unto one.

15. The universe in truth is not as it

appeareth to us through the sense
organs, dyed in hate and love. To the
pessimist, it looks dark and defective; to
the Sadhakas, it appeareth as a school
and unique field of advancement; and
the sages see it as the playground of the
Infinite.

16. Infirmity is man’s lot — making excuse

of this truism, you explain and endorse
your weakness? Know thee for certain
that this is not the path of wisdom. If
 7

you cannot dispel your infirmity through

introspection, then place it at the Lord’s
feet and call Him for help, He will
surely turn thy infirmity into perfection.

17. You ask for an easy path to divinity?

Should that path be difficult, will you
not take to it? Make a thorough search
of your heart and choose — between
convenience and God.

18. I felt very nervous on seeing slips at

every step in this world, but when I
realized that He had held my hand, all
my worries disappeared.

19. On beholding the power of Maya

(delusion) doubt not the success of your
spiritual venture; God you submit to is
 8

much more powerful and mightier than

Maya!

20. It matters little whether you believe in

Advaita (monism) or Dvaita (dualism).
What really matters is how far the
spiritual bliss, knowledge, light and love
permeate you.

21. ‘Self’ does not attain fulfilment either

through amassing things or through
renunciation. You say: “I have amassed
all this, and I have to amass this much
yet,” or you say: “I have renounced all
this, and I have to give up this much
more.” Such ideas arise from false ego
only. Self is greater than all states. Self-
fulfilment comes from Self-Realization.
 9

22. Atman is not (somewhere) within you;

you are yourself Atman. Cast not
aspersions on Atman by identifying it
with the trifle of your physical body.

23. If adverse criticism upsets you, then

where can you find the anchor for your
happiness? Then, even the simplest
creature can make you unhappy.

24. “Why did God create this universe?”

Waste not thy time in knowing its
answer. Realize God, and the answer
will dawn on you in all completeness;
and to realize God, become a pilgrim on
His path.
 10

25. You verily lower your value by coveting

a thing. It becomes not a self-respecting
individual to hanker after an object.

26. When will you find God? Yea, you will

find Him when you shall not suffer His
separation even for a moment. So long
as you can afford to live without Him,
you cannot find Him. Know thee for
certain that the hour of meeting Him is
drawing nigh when the grief of His
separation is an insufferable anguish for
you.

27. Are you a sincere believer in Him? If

you say ‘Yes’, then rest assured worry
and fear can never come near you; these
will fly like shy birds at your approach.
 11

28. The one who exchanges the everlasting

Atman with the temporalities of the
world, leave alone the maturity of his
spiritual understanding, even his
economical standpoint is not sound.

29. You may fly in air or you may walk on

water, but peace will be farthest from
you so long as you retain even a shadow
of desire, ego or attachment in your
consciousness.

30. The foolish laments saying: “Oh, this

world is ever changing,” but wilt thou
not stop and think awhile if change at all
does the world any harm? Isn’t all
advancement born of mutation? Without
evolution, could consciousness rise to
human form from the level of birds and
beasts; and further on, could human
 12

consciousness have ripened and

blossomed forth into divine
Consciousness?

31. Rub off the word ‘chance’ from your

dictionary if you admit that the entire
creation, visible and invisible, is created,
controlled and regulated by the supreme
Consciousness-Power.

32. God-unawareness is death indeed; life

filled with His awareness is life in truth.

33. The one you love has no faults for you;

he is excellence incarnate. The one you
hate is full of faults; his excellences for
you exist not. As long as the feeling of
love and hate fills your mind, you
cannot hope to know correctly even an
 13

ordinary individual or thing. Can you,

then, know God as He is in Himself?

34. The thing called ‘pain’ will surely not

exist for you in the world when thoughts
arising in your mind, love cradling your
heart, desires enlivening your vital
being, flow Godward spontaneously.

35. A child grasps his mother’s hand and

walks forth; yet another one makes his
mother take his hand and then walks
forth. Say now who is the safer of the
two? Undoubtedly, the one who walks
forth after entrusting his hand to the
mother (or say God) is more blessed!

36. Knowledge does not signify storing in

the mind information of various objects.
Knowledge is truly meaningful only
 14

when it enables us to perceive the unity

in diversity.

37. Both pleasure and pain, are only the

distorted forms of the eternal Bliss.
Verily, one can feel a touch of divine
Bliss in pleasure as well as in pain.
Surely the saints have experienced it!

38. In God’s scheme of creation nothing can

be useless; nothing can be without
purpose. For the advancement of an
individual, up to a certain level, even
sorrow, ignorance, death, fear and
craving for honour are as necessary as
happiness, light, life and fearlessness.

39. All distinctions of Self and non-self last

only as long as the mind lasts. As the
 15

mind disappears, or is transcended, all

these distinctions vanish altogether!

40. A man, sitting inside a dark room, says:

“The sun is the source of light.” What he
says is not incorrect, but true it is, at the
same time, that he is bereft of the light
of the sun. Similarly, you say: “Atman
is knowledge and peace”. It is a truism
indeed, but again, it is a fact that the one
unrealized in Self is bereft of the peace
of Atman.

41. They say there is bliss in God-

attainment? There is no doubt in it. But
there is a celestial joy in God-search.
Ask those whose hearts beat in God’s
love, those whose innermost feelings
remain brimming, ever and ever for
Him, and whose eyes are ever atrickle
 16

for His sight, what pleasure there is in

pursuing Him!

42. You say you are a sincere devotee of

God. Then why do you move about with
a face carrying sorrow, hopelessness and
despair? Do you not thus insult the Lord.

43. If you cannot succeed in attaining

humaneness, can you realize God?

44. Beware! Thoughts of worldly objects are

more unprofitable than indulgence in
them. Disease, frustration, sorrow, loss
of energy result from actual indulgence
in worldly enjoyments, but knotty
mental obsessions are created by their
entertainment; seeds of worldly
impressions are sown and any possibility
of Self-Liberation becomes hazy.
 17

45. Neither renunciation nor Tapas

(penance) can dispel the ego; but, no
doubt, automatically it steps back
humiliated when you are able to
perceive, through one-pointed
inwardness, the Mahashakti — the
highest cosmic power — which is
secretly working behind the veil of your
personality, creating and sustaining the
universe.

46. By Yoga, we do not mean mere

disciplining of the body to various
postures or mere cleansing of the nerves.
Yoga is the name given to that divine
action which removes, altogether, the
barrier between soul and God, or say,
which makes the seeker one with what is
sought.
 18

47. Atman speaks when mind and vital

being become silent.

48. The goal of life is not negation of life —

verily this cannot be so because such an
assumption entails a gross incongruity.
The real goal of life should be to make it
divine and perfect.

49. The mind will set you dancing as long as

you retain it. Place it at the feet of the
Lord saying: “O Lord, it is Thine and I
surrender it to Thee.” He will surely
make it still and stable; He will surely
make it peaceful.

50. Should you perceive different colours

(yellow, red, green, etc.) or should you
hear queer sounds in meditation, do not
 19

feel puffed up with false pride, for these

are not true symptoms of spiritual
edification. But if peace, fearlessness,
profundity, stability, detachment to
worldly objects, love and other allied
qualities are felt growing in you
continuously, then you are surely on the
divine path.

51. Listen! No one has ever climbed the

mountain of spiritual perfection with the
burden of worldly worries bundled on
one's head.

52. Existence is one. Do not lay the false

imposition of limitedness on what is
unlimited in reality, by regarding
existence as being two or more entities.
 20

53. Alas! There is so much vacant space in

God's court, but there is no one to
occupy it!

54. Lo! There God awaits you. Alas, here,

you are absorbed in playing with toys!

55. True Dharma is that which, by

dispelling distinction between man and
man, inspires love and fraternity among
all.

56. As the spiritual insight sharpens, the

difference between the ‘within’ and
‘without’ begins to appear unreal. The
highest stage of Self-Realization suffers
no distinction between ‘Is’ and ‘Am’.

57. To deny the creation on the plea that it is

the projection of mind is, in fact, to
 21

accept it indirectly. The universe is as

much real as the mind is.

58. A devotee is one who lives for God; a

worldly person is one who lives for the
world.

59. Thou sayest that mind created the

universe — then tell who created the
mind? Mind in itself is not unborn. The
truth is that we follow any narrow
principle as long as we do not realize the
Truth.

60. Even the mind of a reactionist is not free

from obsession; how can his action be
emancipated?

61. Friends! Do you always remember that a

time has to come when you will be
 22

separated from your dearest relatives

and objects? Do you always remember
that this separation can come at any
time, any moment? If this is so, then rest
assured, the ghost of worldly attachment
cannot overwhelm you; nor can there be
any mental torture for you when you are
about to depart from this world.

62. There is no limit to God’s unlimited

grace. Whenever we call Him from the
sincerest depths of our heart, He hears
us and we are answered! Whenever we
long to see Him, surely He shows
Himself to us; slackness and delay are
from the devotee’s side only.

63. The light of Truth begins to dawn on

one, as the grip of one’s obsessions is
loosened and as different kinds of
 23

Samskaras (impressions) are cleansed

from one’s mind. Cleanse the mirror of
your mind if you long for Self-
Realization.

64. For every sin there is repentance, but

killing of time is a sin for which there is
no repentance.

65. At times, a devotee’s determined belief

begins to appear to him as experience.
However, in reality, belief and
perception are set apart as earth and
heaven are.

66. An animal.... is a being established in

senses.
67. A man.... is one who is established in
mind.
 24

68. A saint.... is one who is established in

the silence of Atman.

69. Think not that Self-Realization is some

sort of mental process. Were that so,
there would be no need to stop the
modifications of mind for attainment of
Oneness with the Divine.

70. Two things are necessary for God-

Realization: Extraordinary grace from
God and the individual’s ability to
absorb this grace.

71. Would you alleviate the delusion of a

man suffering from undue optimism?
Take him for a few days to the surgical
ward of a big hospital, or let him visit
regularly, for some days, a major
cremation ground of a city.
 25

72. You need not strangle your mind and

senses by means of any process of
Hatha Yoga. Know you for certain that
mother-nature has laboured long and
patiently to create them (i.e. mind and
senses). Why? That you may direct them
Godward; that you may divinize them
and thereby experience the bliss of a
liberated life.

73. Concentration and inwardness are totally

different. Possible it is to find an
individual knowing inwardness but not
concentration, and possible it is, too, to
come across someone having
concentration but knowing not what
inwardness is. For Self-Realization both
are needed.
 26

74. Happiness can never be found if one is

dependent on even one person, object or
situation. An indulgent person shows
threefold dependences :

1. Dependence on the object he

wishes to enjoy. The attainment
of the desired object depends on
Karma.
i.
2. Dependence on senses (to enjoy
the desired object). If the senses
are powerless you cannot enjoy
the desired object even if you get
it.
3. Dependence on mind. You have
the desired object; your senses
are fit to enjoy it, but your mind
is disturbed.
 27

75. This means that when there is

dependence and dependence on
everything, even to think of happiness is
an absurdity.

76. What use to lock up the stable after the

horses are stolen? You wake up only
after you have been robbed! What use is
this waking now? You have enjoyed the
world; you have become old and infirm,
and your body is wrinkled all over; and
now you say the world is unreal; and
now you say that you would find God
— what use of all this afterthought?

77. Scholarship is one thing and

humaneness quite another, but
spirituality, undoubtedly, is far higher,
far greater than these both.
 28

78. Social life or family life is as good a

field of spiritual endeavour as solitary
life. It is unwise, verily to look upon
family life as a means or place of self-
indulgence. Be a seeker of Truth
wheresoever you are and behold then
how divinity permeates your life!

79. Remember for certain that the internal

Atmic life and the external practical life
are vitally interconnected. Without
purity and right attitude in the outward
worldly dealings, flowering of inner
Atmic life is not possible.

80. Do not be orthodox. Gone are the days

of following traditions blindly. Assess
life’s problems in the light of place, time
 29

and (present) conditions and accomplish

every action in the right way.

81. Not only unprofitable business, but

verily absurd it is to win false
appreciation of the world at the cost of
displeasing the Almighty.

82. You despise the world in the name of

dispassion. It is not correct to do so.
Remember that hatred binds you down
as much as infatuation and attachment.
Give everything its due place, value and
importance. Soundness of pragmatic
skill lies in making such use of things as
God has designed.

83. True spirituality is an inner flowering

and it can never be imposed on anyone
 30

from without. It thrives not in an

atmosphere of dependence.

84. Who are blessed by the Lord? How are

they blessed, and what are the conditions
under which grace descends? This is a
secret one cannot know. There are those
known to be virtuous, but they are not
blessed, and lo, there have been sinners
who have received His grace. But I tell
you, for me there is not a greater truism
than this, that God’s grace is a reality,
and that it is undoubtedly shown to
individuals.

85. A train moves on — not knowing

whither and why.

1. An animal lives on — not

knowing why and to what end.
 31

2. Soul discovers the true aim of

life only when it has reached the
human level. Call him an animal
in human form who has no high
purpose in life.

86. It is sheer self-deception to accept and

follow wrong and unjust dogmas and
useless traditions in the name of blessed
faith.

87. Dispassion is not indicated by absence

of things, nor is the presence of things
any sign of attachment. Remember,
dispassion and attachment are only
states of mind — the former leading to
liberation and the latter to bondage.
 32

88. Purusharth (real endeavour) is not that

which is directed towards pleasures of
the body and fulfilment of mental
aspirations. As the very word signifies,
it means that effort by means of which
an individual finds liberation from his
subordination to the body, senses and
mind and which leads to the realization
of Purusha.

89. Outer renunciation is not a ‘must’ for

God-Realization; but without the inner
renunciation, it is not only difficult but
impossible, too, to step into the domain
of Self-Independence.

90. You complain, ever and ever, that your

mind is restless. But consider what you
feed it on! Do not forget that by feeding
it on the ideas of this ever-changing
 33

world, you cannot make it stable. It can

become calm, it can be quietened, only
when it is made to dwell on that Atman
which alone is still and stable.

91. To reach a particular destination three

things are required:

1. sight.
2. sincere aspiration.
3. power of walking onwards,
towards the goal.

92. Similarly, three things are essential for

realizing the supreme and absolute
Consciousness:

1. Knowledge.
2. Devotion.
3. Power of action.
 34

93. You call yourself a Sadhaka, and even

then you feel pleasure in back biting.
Do you not feel ashamed of it? Prayer,
God-meditation, service and devotion
should absorb a Sadhaka completely.

94. Great, indeed, is the importance of

contemplation in spiritual endeavour.
Should contemplation bore you, recite
the Lord’s name; should recitation tire
you, reflect on the meaning of the holy
scriptures. If you cannot do that also,
attend to holy discourse, and if the holy
discourse too does not make you
peaceful, serve people in God’s name.
Somehow, in someway, you must
always remain connected to the Divine.
 35

95. Who can be called a man of patience

and perseverance? The one who does
not lose the balance of one’s mind in
favourable or adverse circumstances; the
one whose mind is not disturbed by the
blows of nature; the one who moves
forward to the spiritual goal with ease
but with vigilance.

96. This world about you, this world you

call yours — how dear it is to you; in
what dead earnest you are to labour for
it! Remember, one day however,
whether you wish it or not, you must
lose it. The Lord, your everlasting
companion, the one who has followed
you through one life after another, you
ignore Him; He is unreal for you. Take
pity on yourself and do not put your
understanding to shame.
 36

97. Better it is to become a devotee than to

try to appear as one; but far better than
either it is to BE a devotee.

98. An individual is neither completely free

nor is he completely not-free. Those
who try to explain life with the concept
of absolute freedom as well as those
who, trying to solve the riddle of life,
succumb to absolute determinism, do
not succeed in their missions. The truth
is that the carriage of human life runs on
two wheels: self-effort and fate. Self-
effort involves relative freedom of an
individual and fate signifies his relative
determination.

99. Faith is the soul of religion; but logic

(rational thinking), too, has an important
 37

place in religion. Such logic helps

religion in becoming enlightened and
true by removing superstitions which
crop up because of blind belief.

100. Shastras (religious scriptures) are many,

and each one has its own principles and
ideology. If you crave for such
knowledge as endures no doubt, no
paradox, and which is pure and true,
then come along, from without to
within, and begin a search of that
boundless spirit-source (which indeed is
thy Self), whose only few drops of
knowledge have been scattered, here and
everywhere, in the inspired religious
books we come to find as revelations.

101. If you burn your hand in fire, — is fire

to blame? If you get duped by Maya,
 38

who is at fault, — you or Maya? A

weak person, to hide his infirmity,
always shifts blame onto others —
that is the truth.

102. Easy it is to understand that the task

which you consider most important you
do first of all. Had you given the highest
importance to God (and God-attainment)
then prayer and spiritual endeavour
would have been of the utmost
significance to your life. Then you
would not offer excuses and deceive
yourself, postponing prayer and spiritual
pursuit to future.

103. Those who forget death and get

engrossed in life mostly turn optimists;
those who become hopeless in life and
get obsessed with death become
 39

pessimists. But those who

simultaneously find death entwined with
life and life winking behind death,
acquire the correct perspective and
become seekers of spirituality.

104. What is the use of repeating parrot-wise:

“Our forefathers were great.” The
question to be asked is: “What is our
worth and what is our standing?” We
shall have to prove, by becoming living
examples of right thoughts, right deeds,
as also right and helpful words, that we
are the offsprings of the Aryan
Maharishis who did not only realize
Truth but who also absorbed it perfectly
into their practical lives.

105. God demands everything from a devoted

seeker. Are you desirous of finding
 40

God? Then, surrender unto Him

unreservedly. Are you desirous of
making God yours completely? You
shall have to become His completely.
Why is this so? God alone knows. But
that is the truth — no less, no more!

106. Does it harm God if you do not

remember Him? Does He stand to lose
anything if you never pray to Him? You
are harmed; you stand to lose something
— by turning your face away from
Him, you lose the golden opportunity of
spiritual unfoldment with which he has
provided you by granting you this
human birth.

107. Man seeks security; but ignorant as he

is, he seeks it in the world. Pause awhile
and think. How can he be secured by
 41

those things and persons who are

insecure themselves, or who depend on
others for their own security?

108. With the setting of one thought and

before the rise of yet another thought
there is an empty moment which is
beyond imagination. If you could seize
this empty moment through some
spiritual practice, you would doubtless
realize your true Self.

109. Knowledge which does not make the

mind joyous; knowledge which does not
bring peace to life — such knowledge
is indeed lifeless.

110. Let things be scattered here and there,

topsy-turvy, in a room, but if you are
wide awake, you can walk across
 42

without stumbling. On the other hand, if

your eyes are shut, you do stumble even
if all things are in order in the room.
Similarly a seeker, aware and alert, can
march ahead on the divine path, be the
surroundings as hostile as they may; but
a seeker who is not aware, who is not
alert is bound to stumble, be the
surroundings as conducive as these ever
can be.

111. Beware! God is omniscient. He still,

always and ever, watches all your
thoughts and intentions. The moment
even a shadow of evil thoughts or
double-mindedness and insincerity
darkens your mind, He steps back from
you; and then, remember, it is not easy
to win Him over again.
 43

112. Ah, we give up the Almighty, the One

who is all prosperity, and trust the self-
seeking and the ignorant. But when we
find ourselves deceived, we find fault
with God’s scheme of creation, or we
curse our fate. This is verily committing
one sin after another.

113. There are many who listen to discourses

on Truth. There are many who deliver
these discourses, but those who follow
the Truth are only a few. Blessed are
those for whom Truth is the breath of
their lives. Salutations, many, many and
many more, to such holy beings. Even
the gods felicitate them, ever and ever,
by exclaiming aloud: “Glory to the
truthful! Glory to the truthful!”
 44

114. Are these two comparable? Pleasure

begotten of favourable environment and
happiness begotten of Self-Realization?
The former is based on outwardness and
it lasts not, and moreover, it has in it the
bitter seeds of dependence and fear; the
latter is founded on inwardness, and it
lasts for all time to come and lo, it holds
forth the sweet fruit of freedom and
fulfilment.

115. Dear friend, walk ahead warily. Every

step in this life’s pilgrimage breaks into
a threefold path — one leading to the
Lord, the other one to heaven, and yet
another one straight unto hell!

116. The world? — It is neither good nor bad.

Love it not, nor hate it either. As you
 45

live in it, go on amassing the wealth of

Godly love.

117. If thy intellect is Godward directed but

Thy heart is worldward drawn, thy faith
(in God) then surely is in danger; and if
thy intellect is worldward directed but
thy heart is Godward inclined, then the
Lord surely is thy Guardian. And
remember, thou art not far from the
gateway of Truth if both thy intellect
and heart pull thee Godward. Should, on
the contrary, both thy intellect and thy
heart lead thee worldward, then know
thee for certain that thou art inviting
destruction unto thyself.

118. Is your mind tired of the world? Has

your intellect seen through the vanity of
the world? Has your individual soul felt
 46

for certain the irresistible need of God?

Has the passion of meeting the Divine
awakened in your heart? If all this has
happened, then verily you deserve to
seek the Lord.

119. The Lord will surely lift you up and hold

you in loving embrace if you give up all
your arrogance and pride, and surrender
yourself unto Him completely.

120. Do not lose heart! Thou art not alone in

the world; Thy maker is ever with thee.
Trust Him; recognize Him.

121. Mysterious and surprising, indeed, is

the way in which God’s grace unfolds
itself! Its true purpose is to lead man to
his real ‘home’ and not to fulfil each and
every wish of his in this world. God’s
 47

grace works even by causing sorrow,

bereavement, failure, difficulties and
death. For the spiritual edification of an
individual, it does not shirk from
utilizing these media (i.e., sorrow,
bereavement, failure, difficulties and
death).

122. Uncontrolled self-wilfulness is not

emancipation as discipline willingly
accepted is not bondage. Can there be
any emancipation in the slavery of the
mind (in any form whatsoever)? Victory
over mind, be assured, courts as the
foremost condition for real
emancipation.

123. Never give up contentment — and thou

shalt see that peace never deserts thee.
 48

124. Do you long to enter the court of the

Lord? No amount of bribe can help
bring this about! Let other things alone,
even the powers of renunciation,
knowledge, charity, penance and virtue
are defeated there. Only innocence,
sincerity, intense love of God and
humility can prove of avail.

125. Be ever prepared for death and then you

have the real taste of life.

126. Know thee for certain that the Divine is

calling thee unto Himself if thou find
awakened in thy heart a
disinterestedness in the world, a longing
to meet saints, a love of solitude and an
eagerness for God-meditation.
 49

127. Were there no unmoved and

immoveable eternal principle, it would
not have been possible for one to be
liberated from the changeable world.
Then, Nirvana and emancipation would
be no more than fairy tales told only to
beguile the mind.

128. In breaking the spell of thy soul’s

identification with all the inner and the
outer objects of the world lies the real
effort for liberation.

129. The unmistakable fruits of Yoga are an

effulgence on the face, a sweetness in
speech, a cheerfulness of mind.
Dejection and ailment are as strange to a
Yogi as darkness to light.
 50

130. Say not thou couldst not find the Lord;

only say that thy search for Him lacked
single-minded devotion and
wholehearted sincerity.

131. If thou art eager to know how God is

defined, read books and books on
philosophy; but be it thy burning desire
to experience Him directly, then plunge
deep within yourself.

132. Why feel forlorn when people do not

favour thee? Pray, ever and ever, that the
Lord be on thy side.

133. Forgetting God is much the same, as

becoming thy own enemy.

134. Be wary, my friend, lest the inescapable

summons of the god of death come
 51

while you are still chalking out

programmes of God-meditation.
Whatever is to be done for initiation and
progress in the spiritual field, do it
today, do it now.

135. One endowed with the heart of the

Buddha, and with the intellect of
Shankara, needs have no fear of getting
oneself drowned in this ocean of
Samsara (world).

136. Why do you burn yourself in the worries

of this vain world? Everything here is
impermanent and perishable; everything
here is ever changing and ever passing
away. Catch hold of the Lord’s skirt
steadfastly and you will be ever so
peaceful, ever so calm.
 52

137. An ignorant man becomes identified

with the world losing, as it were, his real
Self while interacting with it, but the
enlightened one maintains his identity
with the real Self all along.

138. Empty thy mind of all worldly thoughts

and wait silently for the vision of the
Lord — this alone is the unique key to
direct God-Realization.

139. As the sight of the one engaged in eating

a meal does not appease the hunger of
an other starving person, so also the
spiritual experiences of others do not
satisfy the one seeking the Lord. The
Rishis of yore no doubt perceived the
Truth, yet you will have to discover that
Truth for yourself.
 53

140. Let them say what they say, do not be

worried about it. The world is neither
itself on Truth’s path, nor does it tolerate
anyone else to tread it. With a mind, still
and peaceful, listen thee to the voice of
the Lord within, and whatever
prompting It gives you from within,
follow it with faith and devotion, and go
ahead.

141. Do you long to have a peaceful and easy

death? Then start cultivating, with
persistent practice, right from this
moment, that very mental state in which
you desire to breathe your last.

142. God abides in the heart that stoops not to

worldly temptations.
 54

143. Remember, there is no other thing

worthy of attainment in this world than
the unalloyed and intense love of the
Lord.

144. Once you get enmeshed in the labyrinth

of the discursiveness of duty and non-
duty, it will be difficult for you to come
out of it. Give up your false ego and,
keeping yourself in the state of mental
passivity, do spontaneously whatever
action you are prompted to do by the
Lord — this alone is the infallible
formula whereby one is not entangled in
the meshes of actions (wheel of Karma).

145. The egoists of action find justice in the

court of the Lord, but the devotees who
are free of the sense of doership, find
there His unreserved and pure grace.
 55

146. Wherever man may go, whatever dress

be he clad, he cannot get peace
anywhere, and in any way, so long as he
is unsteady in mind and beset with
passions.

147. Think awhile: If your body were to die

(say this very moment), could your pelf
and property, worldly status and power
be of any avail to you? When you are
gone from this world, even your dearest
relations will weep for you for a while
only and then forget you altogether.
You shall be all alone, without any
worldly thing or being to help you, in
your voyage ahead.

148. None is really yours, and in fact, you are

no one’s in this world. But with the Lord
 56

your relation is eternal. Recognize this

relation of yours and the misfortune,
which haunts you life after life, will
surely disappear.

149. Significant experiences in the spiritual

field do not come to those who lack the
courage of facing danger.

150. How do you feel concerned if someone

else does a wrong? God will surely ask
him to render the account of his actions.
Yes, be certainly concerned about all
what you do and be ever vigilant that
you do no wrong to anyone.

151. All seekers do continue to pray to and

meditate on God amidst favourable
conditions; but the seeker’s spiritual
sincerity is put to test only when the
 57

clouds of untoward conditions swoop

over him from all sides.

152. Remember, if you talk ill of others

behind their back, you only introduce
yourself as a mean and degraded person.

153. Do you want to achieve spiritual

concentration? Then reduce your
desires, properly adjust yourself in your
present environment, and sit in
meditation daily and regularly.

154. Do not be surprised that a seeker,

without perseverance, becomes
disappointed while treading the path
divine. Spiritual evolution is neither a
miracle nor a vision which can just
occur in the twinkling of an eye. It
entails the entire divine transformation
 58

of an individual; it involves the stake of

many lives.

155. The life is verily a short-lived affair, call

it a few days’s fair. Live happily with
all; never do any wrong to anyone; never
speak ill of and to anyone.

156. Away, far, far away be the comforts and

facilities which stand between you and
your maker. Welcome be that sorrow,
that pain, which cultivates the love at
His feet — this surely is the attitude (the
conviction) of His true devotees.

157. Believe it or not, a Consciousness

continuous and perfect permeates
through minerals, vegetables, animals,
human beings and gods. They are
distinguished from one another not by
 59

their essential Consciousness but by the

degree of manifestation in them of the
perfect Consciousness.

158. If you go on increasing the time-span of

your meditation and spiritual practice
even by half a minute every day, rest
assured that within a year you can attain
Samadhi. Nothing is unattainable! What
you need is a real zeal, a right technique
and a regular practice.

159. As the mind stops, the world falls off; it

becomes meaningless for you.

160. Remember, this outward glitter and

show of an indulgent person is only a
delusion. It is just a mask put on (and a
method devised) to hide a deeper
 60

disquietude. But do observe and

understand the light and sweet smiles
decorating the visage of a saint who,
after accomplishing his ‘task,’ remains
absorbed in the ecstasy of his real Self.

161. How many individuals are there in this

world who take kindly to the prosperity
of others? This earth would, indeed,
become heaven, should envy and
selfishness disappear from here.

162. This world with all its enchantments and

temptations is a mere nothing to one
who but once tastes of the sweetness of
the Lord’s name.

163. Whatever is your prayer unto the Lord,

offer it with your heart full of love and
devotion. Let it be not half-hearted; let
 61

it be more and more absorbing. A

sincere prayer — though short — is
ever more so fruitful.

164. Do you have to break an ornament to

test its gold-content? A seasoned
goldsmith can tell it just at a glance. To
perceive God you need not do away
(break) with the world. An enlightened
devotee’s insight perceives God without
difficulty.

165. Neither by mere speech-making nor by

hollow preaching can the world be
reformed. Only learned and God-
Realized souls, awakened and self-
disciplined as they are, can bring about
the transformation of the world when
they enter the field of action.
 62

166. Far, far better surely is that householder

who attends to his domestic and social
responsibilities conscientiously in the
name of God than that so-called
detached renouncer of the world who,
puffed-up by his made-up renunciation,
thinks and talks derisively of others.

167. The one who wants that his search for

God and spiritual zeal do not get
slackened, should always cherish the
association of such saints as are always
engaged in Sadhana and absorbed in the
love of the Lord.

168. Have you ever stopped in the hot pursuit

of worldly things, and pondered: “A day
must needs come when all those objects,
for the possession of which I know not
either the day’s rest or the night’s
 63

comfort, shall have to be given up by

me, or be snatched from me, and that
such a day may arrive any day, any
moment?” Think of this ever and ever,
think of this without fail, for such
thinking will give you strength in your
pilgrimage to the Lord.

169. Remember, it is not good to criticise or

interpret adversely the spiritual
approaches and convictions of others.
The path of all seekers has never been,
and will never be, the same. But know
for certain that the destination of all
spiritual seekers is one and the same.

170. Probing deeper and deeper into the

depths of the soul, as you reach the
deepest of its depths, wherefrom it is not
possible to go any deeper, know you,
 64

then for certain, that you have achieved

the highest of the spiritual heights.

171. Call him blind though possessed of sight

and call him stupid though possessed of
cleverness, who does not have Vairagya
(dispassion) for the world even when
seeing its perishableness and transience.

172. Obstacles will be there, without doubt,

as long as there is imperfection. If they
upset you, you cannot succeed in your
aim. Worry not about these and march
on towards perfection with confidence
and perseverance. Remember, God is on
your side.

173. Generally speaking, when a seeker

attains sufficient passivity,
concentration, purity and detachment, he
 65

begins to have the experiences of higher

spiritual planes. But, at times, all of a
sudden, when the mind is fully calm and
still, a vision from higher plane may
flash.

174. Do you need God or does He need you?

You will be the gainer if you remember
Him, if you meditate on Him; and if you
do not, you will surely be the loser.

175. Verily deluded are those who, desirous

of attaining freedom, run in hot pursuit
of worldly power, pelf and status. It
hardly needs any proof — for it is
evident all round — that this very
pursuit has completely ruined the
independence and simplicity of
thousands of individuals.
 66

176. Free from the imagination of the future

and the influence of the memories of the
past, any action emerging from the deep
silence of the soul, is without doubt,
transcendently God-prompted.

177. Many have come into the world and

gone out of it too, saying that the world
is an illusion, but the world has been
going on forever. Verily, how touching,
and at the same time deeply appealing,
is what the devotees of the Lord say:
“This world is the eternal play of the
eternal Lord.”

178. No power there is as great as love; and

no light there is as bright as knowledge.
An individual is great to the extent to
which his life is permeated by divine
love and knowledge.
 67

179. When you are not identified with any

inner or outer object of the world, you
exist in your pure and essential nature.

180. Understand well the distinction between

real ‘I’ and the ego. The real ‘I’ (Atman)
is the substance, whereas the ego is the
shadow. The real ‘I’ is Brahman,
whereas the ego is Jiva. The ego
emerges when the real ‘I’, reflected in
time, gets apparently identified with any
of its projections in time and space.

181. Spirituality implies, neither avoiding the

world like cowards, nor running in hot
pursuit of it. Awakening us to that life
eternal, that power limitless and that
bliss divine, true spirituality motivates
us to attain in this very life that state (of
 68

divine bliss and power) for which we

have been sent here into this world.

182. Awareness is neither the creation of the

‘knower’, nor the transmutation of what
is ‘known’, nor is it any relation of the
‘knower’ with the ‘known’. It is that
principle, eternal, supreme, and beyond
time, which illumines the ‘known’, the
‘knower’, and the presence or the
absence of their mutual relationship.

183. The one who feels happy when praised,

and sad or angry when criticised, should
know that his self-surrender unto the
Lord is yet not complete.

184. The Realized-one rests in his/her essential

nature in the state of Brahman-experience. But
 69

while knowing and dealing with the world,

he/she becomes the world as well.

185. How best can speech be employed? In

talking of the Lord.How best can mind
be employed? In remembrance of the
Lord.

186. How best can power of discrimination

be employed? — In enabling us to
discern between the Self and the non-
self. How best can knowledge be
employed? — In enabling us to be
established in the Lord.

187. Do not make your present miserable by

worrying about a happy future.

188. The real goal of man is to awaken and activate

in himself the perfect spiritual Consciousness. A
 70

true seeker of the Lord is verily the one who,

with this ideal in view, goes on purifying his
feelings, thoughts and actions.

189. When all your hopes of support are

dashed, God may or may not be your
support — it is His sweet will. But
when you trust in Him completely and
give up all other sources of support
cheerfully, and of your own sweet will,
God cannot but be your support.

190. A dream is a dream — good or bad;

environment and circumstances are ever
changeable, ever perishable —
favourable or unfavourable. Understand
this and be ever so peaceful in all states.
 71

191. It is as difficult to know the secret of the

Lord’s play as to know Him in His
essential nature. But, if you have chosen
Him with a heart true and faithful, rest
assured that He will never brook your
spiritual degradation.

192. Essential it is to understand the inter-

relation involved in the pairs of
opposites! If there pleasure, there is also
pain; if there is virtue, there is also sin;
if there is gain, there is also loss; if there
is birth, there is also death. If you long
to live completely without pain, sin, loss
and death, then giving up the desire of
pleasure, virtue, gain and birth, you shall
have to go in search of that supreme,
impersonal and absolute Existence
which is free of and beyond all pairs of
opposites.
 72

193. In thinking lies great power; wrong

thinking makes untruth appear as truth,
and truth as untruth. Is it credible, then
(as some people would say), that
meditation on Truth yields no benefit in
attaining the state of Truth-experience?

194. For them who do not love the Divine

there is no peace either in this world or
in the next. Verily they are so
unfortunate.

195. Verily has he to get consumed in the

great fire of repentance who, having
spent his whole life in amassing worldly
riches, goes out of this world empty-
handed with no credit balance of
goodness and divine love.
 73

196. The chariot is for the charioteer, the

reverse is not true; the house is for the
house-owner, the reverse is not true.
Similarly, the body is for the Atman, the
reverse is not true. If you are concerned
only about the body’s comfort and its
upkeep, and if you pay no heed to your
spiritual edification, know then that your
intellect needs to be illumined. Go in
search of an experienced spiritual
mentor.

197. Whom you name One, is also All; but

woe-betide man: He neither longs to be
One nor does he wish to be All. He is
only being grinded in the mill of
relativity; he goes on carrying the
burden of limitedness.
 74

198. Call the Lord by whatever name you

like. Call Him: OM, Ram, Krishna, Hari,
Christ, Buddha, Mahavir, Shiva,
Waheguru, Allah, God, Ahura Mazda,
Adonai, Indra, Mother Bhagavati, or any
other name. He will certainly hear you
only if your call arises from a sincere
heart. He will respond to such a call, rest
assured.

199. The seeker, who on having some blissful

spiritual experience, is unable to contain
it in himself and starts bragging about it,
blocks his further spiritual progress.
Every seeker should keep his inner
spiritual experiences to himself. He
should not mention about these to
anyone purposelessly, except to his
master or guide.
 75

200. Your body, only a few days’s illness can

deform it! Can you feel proud of it?

201. Your intellect, a blow on the brain and it

is useless! Can you feel proud of it?

202. Your life is gone if deprived of a few

minutes of breathing! Can you feel proud of it?

203. The bliss that an innocent and pure

hearted devotee experiences can never,
indeed, fall to the lot of a rationalist-
philosopher (barring few exceptions).
He cannot have even a glimpse of the
world in which the devotee of the Lord
lives. The rationalist-philosopher’s
entrance to such a world is, of course,
out of question.
 76

204. The time that you waste in finding faults

with others and in speaking of them
could be utilized by you in correcting
the faults which beset you, and thereby
you would reform your life.

205. The discriminating intellect is not

undesirable; but, make it not the sole
guide of your life’s Sadhana; it can help
and protect you only in your wakeful
state, but it must needs desert you when
you are in a dream state. Moreover, you
need to know that when you are in deep
sleep state, your intellect sleeps and
various kinds of influences, good and
bad, suggestions and incitements come
from the universal mind and enter your
individual mind. Entrust, therefore,
your life unto the hands of the Lord,
 77

who is ever awake in all the states, and

who never, never deserts you.

206. Of what avail is your spiritual

meditation and reflection if, while
dealing with others (while living your
day-to-day life in the world), you do not
realize that this world is only a drama of
which the Lord is the eternal spectator
and you, the passing player? Surely, far
better than such hollow meditation and
reflection is the service to humanity
rendered selflessly as an obedient
servant of God.

207. Can there be anything more degrading

for man than being always engrossed in
satisfying the craving of his senses?
While it tells upon his health, it also
renders his mind and intellect restless
 78

and impure. Can there be anything more

beneficial for man than keeping his
mind and senses clean and controlled
and employing these (mind, senses and
intellect) usefully for God-attainment.

208. If you agree that the aim of all services

is to make people happy, then there can
be no better service to them than to draw
them Godward through divine
knowledge and by the example of your
living up to that knowledge, because it is
not at all possible for man to find as
much happiness in anything as in his
remembrance and communion with
Him.

209. If you wish that you should not have to

repent at last, then regard the one who is
yours as yours, and regard the one who
 79

is not yours as not yours. But listen:

“Who is yours is the one who is never
separated from you, and who is not
yours is the one who does not remain
with you forever.”

210. Human life is a test in spirituality. Only

those, who remain ever vigilant,
steadfast and engaged in introspection,
pass this test successfully.

211. The divine grace accomplishes in the

twinkling of an eye that task which
human effort cannot in a hundred years.
How surprising that even then, man
brags about his strength and shirks to
pray for divine grace!

212. It is said that when you take only one

step towards Him, He advances ten steps
 80

towards you. Doubtless, this is a correct

viewpoint. But the complete truth is that
God is already with you. He is one with
you. Just look at Him!

213. God determines the value of an action

by the intentions of the doer and not by
the action itself. Doubt it not that even
day-to-day actions, performed in the
name of God, are worship of the Lord.

214. When would you call an action

spontaneous? When the action and the
decision of the action are simultaneously
executed, the action is spontaneous.
Imagination of the future and memory of
the past do not condition it.

215. Man feels his imperfection in many a

way. Were he completely imperfect,
 81

how would he come to know of his

imperfection? And if he were perfectly
perfect, how would he have the feeling
of his imperfection? This makes it
crystal clear that in his human state, he
is neither perfectly imperfect nor is he
perfectly perfect. The truth is that he is
an imperfect manifestation of the perfect
Lord.

216. How can a common man understand the

inner state of a saint? He can estimate
him in his externalities only — his
dress, his manner of living and his
behaviour. A goldsmith knows the value
of gold, only the jeweller can tell the
price of a jewel — only a true saint can
know a true saint.
 82

217. The sages, to whom everyone bows in

love and reverence out of regard for
their greatness, were once ordinary
persons, like most of you are today.
They baked themselves in the fire of
self-control and discipline; they sang the
Lord’s praise without a break — and
lo, behold, they attained their great state!
Take to their footprints and surely you
shall achieve the greatness they have
attained.

218. Meditate on the unreality of the world

and you cultivate dispassion; meditate
on the reality of the Lord and you
develop the love of His feet. Dispassion
alone cannot do for God-perception. It
needs both dispassion and love for God.

219. Surrender is of three states:

 83

1. Surrender of the fruit of the

action.
2. Surrender of the action.
3. Surrender of the self (i.e.
surrender of all the parts of the
personality).

220. There is no higher state of surrender

than self-surrender.

221. Man evolves and rises spiritually only

when he forsakes the attachment of
perishable objects and mortal beings and
takes to the holy feet of the immortal
Lord.

222. Whenever you are in the clutches of a

calamity which refuses to leave its hold
on you, do not sink in the sea of despair.
Think that it has happened at God’s
 84

bidding for your good and try to learn a

lesson from such a situation.

223. Do you know which is the greatest

hindrance in spiritual success? It is
hypocrisy. The shadow of a hypocrite
sends shivers even in gods.

224. Would you like to know the last word of

all the saints and scriptures? It is this:
“the supreme goal of life is to live in
God; and the secret of its achievement
lies in living for Him and Him alone.”

225. God is perfection absolute. Whatsoever

you seek in God, you do get it. But the
discerning seeker only seeks God in
God!
 85

226. ‘Love’ is, indeed, a simple word, but

living up to its creed is very, very
difficult. The one who has learnt to die
while he is alive, alone can really love
the Lord.

227. Does not the ideal of God-Realization

agitate your mind? Do you act without
discrimination of right and wrong, or
say, do you act purposelessly? Should
this be so, then either you are fully
emancipated, or else mentally deranged,
because in human form you cannot
become a complete beast!

228. You alone can say whether or not you

love God but certain it is that He does
love you. Though you need Him yet you
do not remember Him; though He needs
you not, in anyway, in any manner, He
 86

never forgets you. This shows His

supreme sweetness as also your great
misfortune; for thus, you surely miss
that bliss which is found in His
remembrance.

229. Do you not feel yourself completely lost

in activities and relationships?
Eliminating activities and relationships
from your life, have you ever felt your
pure being? Pause awhile and withdraw
yourself from these activities and
relationships and ask yourself the
question: “Who am I?” When activities
and relationships are absent altogether,
realize That which remains. It is verily
the inexhaustible spring of nectar! It is
verily the unlimited treasure of the
eternal life!
 87

230. Granted that you know what the true

purpose of life is. Granted that you also
accept it. But can this alone lead you
anywhere? No! You have to realize it.
And for that you must take up the cross
and follow Him.

231. Is it wise to feel flattered when people

praise you? Know for certain that the
divine judgment is completely different
from that of the world. The world bases
its judgment on your outward behaviour.
It looks at you from the angle which
serves its ends, but God looks into your
innermost intentions.

232. Say not that God is not kind to you. To

you He is all kindness. If there is a
deficiency anywhere, it is in your power
of feeling it, and not in His kindness.
 88

Perhaps your heart is closed, perhaps

your vision is blurred. Give up your old
habit of complaining and think how best
to heal your heart, and make your vision
clear.

233. The first and the last barrier between

God and man is only one. It is man’s
ego. Sadhana is verily the name of
those means which weaken the ego and
ultimately destroy it.

234. Would you like to have stillness of

mind? Stillness is directly proportional
to awareness. Mind becomes restless
when you are not a witness of it. As the
witness-state rises in you, the vacillation
of mind ceases. Everyday, therefore,
morning and evening, sit in a
comfortable posture, at least for half an
 89

hour, and watch your mind as a detached

seer. That is all. Within a few days only
you will find stillness and peace
dawning on your mind. But you, and no
one else, have to make the experiment
for yourself.

235. Who creates obstacles in your prayer

and practice — have you ever
pondered over it? God? Fate? No, no!
To put false blame upon them is not
wise. Your innumerable desires for
power and pelf, name and fame, and
sensual pleasures, verily stand in your
path, not letting you sit peacefully in
prayer and meditation. The truth is that
God wants to make you His own, but it
is verily you who are trying, as it were,
to elude His hand.
 90

236. If you are a right person, you will

transform your home into an Ashram,
your shop into a temple and your day-to-
day business into worship. If you are a
wrong person, your Ashram becomes a
home, your temple becomes a shop and
your worship degenerates into business.

237. A devotee’s tears and longings mean

nothing to the one who has no aspiration
for the Lord. How can he feel the pinch
of a devotee’s suffering? To him the
suffering of only that person is
meaningful who weeps over the loss of
his worldly relations and material
possessions. The zeal for the Lord is the
foretelling sign of His vision, but how
can Lord’s vision be manifested unto
him whose heart is impure and defiled
by worldly cravings and attachments.
 91

238. You may run after the world or you may

run away from it. But as long as you
keep on running, you do remain in the
world. Stop for a while and lo and
behold! You are in God, you are He and
He, alone.

239. On the path divine, renunciation is no

doubt indispensable. But what you need
to renounce is the sense of ‘I’ and
‘Mine’. Not merely the identification
with the worldly possessions and
relations, but also the identification with
your physical, vital and mental bodies
has to be completely shaken off.
Whatsoever you are and whatsoever you
have is His — live in this idea and lo
and behold! You are in complete
possession of that peaceful state of mind
 92

in which you come face to face with the

changeless Reality.

240. “God alone is the doer of everything” or

“Atman is Akarta (non-doer)”. These are
the suprasensual truths realized by the
seers and sages alone. It is not only
useless but injurious too to make use of
these as a convenient excuse to escape
the responsibility of your sins, because
such false consolation shuts on you all
doors of transformation.

241. You may have done good to people a

thousand times, but if you go against
their wishes even once, they give you up
and disgrace you. You may have
committed a thousand mistakes unto
God, but He picks you up and embraces
you, should you only submit unto Him.
 93

These are the inner feelings

spontaneously expressed by the saints
who have known life and lived it in its
divine totality. Now it is up to you to
decide whether you choose the world or
you choose the Divine!

242. Do you know what is the most stupid

action in this world? It is to fight or
quarrel in the name of God or of
religion.

243. If a person forgetful of God be called

alive, then whom else to call dead?

244. It is one thing to act for bliss and quite

another to act out of bliss. One implies
the pain of struggle whereas the other is
filled up with the flavour of the divine
play; one betrays the sting of
 94

imperfection whereas the other betokens

the joyous activity of fulness.

245. Escape from life is but ignorance. Yet,

to be born, to earn one’s living, to
procreate children and then just die —
would you call it life? No, no! This is
mere repetition of bestiality. It is only a
process that perpetuates and deepens
your slumber! It is no more than the
flow of death! Life becomes meaningful
only when you are living for being
established in that Consciousness which
is divine, free, spontaneous and eternal.

246. Know for certain that the question of

God’s testing you does not arise at all.
Sorrow, pain, untoward happenings do
not occur in your lives because God
wants to test you. He knows everything.
 95

Life unfolds sorrow and problems to you

only to show YOU how much of
perseverance, detachment and love of
God you have. As a matter of fact, they
come to you only to disturb your
slumber, to dispel your ignorance and to
awaken you to the life everlasting.

247. Everywhere you hear people exhorting:

“Do your duty.” But I ask: “Is it at all
possible to know and perform your duty
without knowing yourself?” If that be
so, then what is impossible?

248. Do not call any action superior or

inferior (by itself). An action performed
in the name, and for the sake of the
Divine becomes superior; an action
performed to gratify one’s individual
ego becomes inferior.
 96

249. The path of God-Realization is very

subtle and as intricate as a labyrinth. On
one side lurks the danger of getting
overwhelmed by worldly activity in the
name of so-called ‘service unto
humanity’; on the other side the ideal of
complete renunciation may tempt the
seeker to a life of lethargy and inaction.
He alone attains to Truth, sooner than
ever, who always keeps in view the goal
of Self-Realization, and leads a well-
balanced and properly oriented life.

250. A Sadhaka, without right understanding and

experience, reaps from made up
renunciation what an indulgent person
gets from sensual enjoyment.
 97

251. Read, if you will, a thousand books, or

hear, if you will, a thousand sermons;
but, unless and until you turn your
attention inward and focus it on the
innermost one who reads or the one who
hears, you cannot realize the Divine who
is identical to your essential nature, on
realizing whom nothing more remains to
be read or to be heard.

252. What if you know that God is Sat-Chit-

Ananda (existence absolute, knowledge
absolute and bliss absolute)? Only if and
when you also come to know, and
directly, that you yourself are Sat-Chit-
Ananda, shall you be fulfilled.

253. You can so easily see the Lord, face to

face, provided your ego accepts total
defeat.
 98

254. The subtlest way in which the mind can

deceive you, or does deceive you, is by
inducing in you the expectation of
deriving unlimited and eternal happiness
from things and states that are limited
and temporal. Would it be incorrect to
say that this very deception is the sole
factor working behind the most of man’s
distractions and deviations?

255. Change yourself and you at once

discover that your surroundings are
changed.

256. Blessed are those whose devotion unto

the Lord is single minded. They will
certainly see Him face to face.
 99

257. That which is Maya on the universal

plane is called mind on the individual
plane. It is the mind alone that makes
Consciousness seem limited, though in
reality it is without limit; it is the mind
and the mind alone that makes
Consciousness appear divisible, though
essentially it is indivisible; and it is this
very thing known as ‘mind’ which
makes Consciousness seem as if bound
by the law of opposites (of good and bad
and right and wrong), though in reality
no such law conditions it. Therefore, all
forms of spiritual practices are, in
reality, the various methods and
techniques meant to make the Sadhaka
go beyond mind.

258. God does not ask you: “Why did you not
become a Hindu? Why did you not make
 100

a Buddhist, a Jain, a Mohammedan, a

Jew or a Christian of you?” The least He
does ask you is: “Why did you not
become a Man?”

259. How can deep interest for Self-

Realization be awakened in our life?
How can we attain to true dispassion and
to sincere aspiration for the Divine?
Remember, not only a particular state
but all states are relative, incomplete and
limited and, as such, they cannot provide
absolute satisfaction — when this
understanding ripens, through constant
introspection and reflection, into a living
experience, then the true aspiration for
the Divine dawns in us and the real spirit
of dispassion is experienced.
 101

260. Not intellectual discrimination but

supramental intuition leads you to Self-
Realization. This intuition (Samadhi
Chetana) is born in you only as your
mind is completely freed from the
shackles of attachment and reaction, and
when it (the mind) is perfectly silent.

261. Agreed that you are a great scholar, and

that your writings and speeches impress
the society in which you live, but are
you peaceful? Agreed that you have
amassed great wealth, but again, are you
totally satisfied? Agreed that you
command the highest respect and honour
in society but have you found inner
contentment? Search your mind
honestly, sift the experiences of your life
and then give God a chance!
 102

262. Indolence, attachment, infatuation and

greed, etc., do not assail him who is
constantly aware of the passing nature of
his physical body, and of all temporal
happenings, and who, at the same time,
remembers the Divine unceasingly.

263. Do you long for speedy God-

Realization? You cannot have it by
merely sitting in prayer and meditation
for just an hour or two in twenty-four
hours. Yes, you can have it if, having
become sure that God-remembrance is
the only thing left for you in this world,
you remember Him with a whole heart.
When all actions of your body, all
thoughts of your mind, all love of your
heart and all the queries of your intellect
are oriented Godward, then only can you
come to deserve God’s special grace
 103

which unites the devotee to the Lord and

the seeker to the object of his search!

264. Would you say that fate is the will of

God? Yes, it is true, but there is a
proviso — Fate is subservient to God’s
will but God’s will is not subservient to
fate. The truth is that pure manifestation
of God’s will is always free,
spontaneous and independent.

265. Every moment of the life of a seeker is a

moment of test for him, and every
happening in his life only a golden
opportunity for him to learn.

266. All labour is for rest, but rest is never

the result of any labour; all struggle is
for relaxation, but relaxation is never the
result of any struggle. The way to true
 104

rest lies in the understanding of the

futility of all efforts and struggle as also
in the awakening of one’s true and
essential nature.

267. No doubt you long to be freed from

sorrow, fear, pain and worry, but instead
of dispelling your darkness, infatuation,
greed and desire ,you always try to hide
or protect these evils — you sow the
seeds of restlessness and then long to eat
the fruits of peace. Is this the way of
attaining to peace?

268. What is there on the periphery of life?

Pain and pleasure, both transitory! And
what is there at the innermost centre of
life? Eternal peace, abiding tranquillity!
On the periphery of life there is the
bitterness of duality, but at the centre of
 105

it, there is the sweetness of non-duality.

The periphery of life yields the fruitless
labour of ceaseless wandering, whereas
its centre offers you the true peace and
rest of your essential, divine nature.
Where would you like to dwell? — on
the periphery of life or at its centre?

269. The one who has no longing for

happiness cannot be made unhappy by
any means. The one who has no longing
for honour cannot be dishonoured in
anyway.

270. Freedom is your birthright. You cannot

suppress the irresistible urge for being
free. But when you want freedom for
yourself and, at the same time, wish
others to be subservient to you, your
thinking is wrong. The truth is that it is
 106

only owing to this wrong thinking on

your part that freedom is denied to you.
Is it not a fact that the root of man’s
bondage lies in his wrong interpretation
of freedom and in his search of it in the
wrong way, and in the wrong place?

271. Penance it is to endure pain in the name

of the Lord; penance it is, too, to endure
pleasure in His name. When a seeker
develops the ability of enduring pain and
pleasure in this spirit, he becomes
entitled to the experiencing of that
supreme Consciousness which is beyond
pain and pleasure. In this
‘Experiencing’, suffering pain is no
penance; nor enduring pleasure is
penance either.
 107

272. On the path of spiritual unfoldment,

humaneness and morality are
indispensable indeed, but not enough.
Cut, one by one, the subtlest threads of
ego and lo and behold! there is naught
but God; what exists is He and He alone.

273. You long for the gratification of mind

and senses — but how can you get it
now when you could not get it even after
fumbling for it through life after life?
Real fulfilment comes from Self-
Realization. Therefore, follow, ye, the
path of Self-Realization with
determination and sincerity; for your
sight is fixed on the gratification of
senses and the sight of death is set on
you.
 108

274. What you do and where you live is

irrelevant. What is important is what you
are and with what motive and inner
attitude you perform the act.

275. Does it at all matter if you sing praises

for divine grace when fortune smiles on
you? Should you feel His grace in
adversity and unfavourable conditions, it
could be something to speak of, indeed.

276. Let a seeker look upon this world as a

laboratory. By performing moral and
spiritual experiments on his life, he
needs must discover, here, that secret
bliss which is variously but inadequately
described as:
1. Brahman or Godhead by the
knowers of Truth,
2. Atman by the Yogis, and
 109

3. Bhagwan (God) by the devotees.

277. The temptation of worldly objects,

beings and states ceases for you when
you come to know what they really are.
The attraction and love of the Divine
reaches its highest summit for you when
you come to know what He really is!

278. A deep hypnotic sleep on the part of

man is what is invariably the cause of all
his sorrow, slavery and imperfection.
Some people call this hypnotic sleep
Maya as well. This Maya can surely be
overcome but only through the constant
remembrance of, and total surrender
unto the Divine.

279. You may be deeply immersed in lust,

anger and worldliness but, remember,
 110

the Lord is ever ready to bring you out

of the slough of these vices. His grace
unto you is delayed only because your
willingness is not ripe. Call the Lord —
call Him with true love; call Him today;
call Him always and even now!

280. If you lay even but one condition on

love — it is not love, it is a bargain.

281. Should you fail to resolve the inner

conflict: “Who is mine and who is not
mine?”, do not be impatient; death will
make you understand your true position.
Then you will surely come to know (let
alone others) that even the physical body
which appeared to you to be yours, was
not yours at all! But of what avail to you
would then be your such understanding.
The proper time for right understanding
 111

and resolve is now and now only. And

that resolve should be: “God alone is
mine, and I am His!”

282. A person who cannot subjugate his mind

and senses, and cannot overcome his
desires, needs must land himself in such
situations as make him subservient, in
one form or the other, in this way or that
way, to others. This is a hard fact. A fact
as true as the rising of the sun in the
East.

283. A devotee is not the one who is engaged

in making the Lord favourable to him. A
devotee is verily the one who has
completely made himself submissive
and docile unto Him. Praise be unto the
devotee a thousand, thousand times, who
has totally surrendered, once and for all,
 112

his mind and intellect to Him, and has

no other interest in life than to fulfil the
will divine.

284. Do not take life as a compulsion, as a

prison house. Look upon it as the
highest gift from the Lord and accept it.
Such life as provides the opportunity of
breaking the snares of ignorance is
found only in human body and through
divine grace. Waste it in useless trifles
and you will be seen at last crying over
spilt milk!

285. True it is that a stone in the path can

prove to be a stumbling block for you,
but this very stone can be used as a
stepping stone also; it can impede your
journey; it can be a help on your path as
 113

well. It all depends upon how you walk

— with your eyes shut or wide open.

286. Would there be any seeker who does not

long for heart-purification? It is not an
exaggeration to say that the purification
of heart is not brought about so much
through the hard physical mortification
as through selfless prayer. Pray
everyday, for fifteen minutes at least, for
the welfare of those whom your mind
presents to you as your enemies.

287. Would you know how you can be free of

your swelling pride? Do you wish to be
free from your degrading inferiority
complex? There is one way out! Do not
compare yourself with others. You are
what divine dispensation has made you;
 114

the other one is what divine dispensation

has made him or her!

288. To fight on the point, “God is personal

and with a form or He is impersonal and
formless”, betrays sheer ignorance! In
truth there is no difference at all between
the personal God and the impersonal and
formless Godhead. When you perceive
Him through the mind and senses, He is
known to be personal and with form;
when you perceive Him by transcending
your mind and senses, He is impersonal
and formless.

289. Should thy inner vision be clear and

vibrant, you shall easily perceive that the
apparently insentient matter is but
involved Consciousness, and nothing
else!
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290. To try to forget or ignore death, bondage

and imperfection is but to cherish self-
deception. You must outgrow and
transcend them! If you close your eyes
on them or if you devise artificial means
to forget them, then certain it is that you
badly miss the opportunity of making
yourself free from them.

291. A miserable life is theirs who persist in

deondency. But those who lead a life
full of expectation invariably invite
sorrow and bondage. Blessed are those
who have discovered the centre in the
middle of hope and despair for, the
kingdom of peace belongs to them!

292. Without realizing the Truth, it is not so

difficult to pretend of truthful conduct or
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Sadachar, but to lead a life of true and

right conduct is quite another thing! A
truthful thought (Sadvichar) rises
spontaneously in the state of Truth-
experience. And truthful conduct
(Sadachar)? — Surely it is free
flowing of truthful thought into activity!

293. Do you wish mankind all good? Do you

want that society should make progress?
Then, listen! It can be achieved only at
the cost of your self-denial! Are you
prepared for self-effacement? Are you
prepared to stop gratifying your ego?

294. To your best keep yourself aloof from

the vain bustle of the crowd. Do not
entangle yourself in the affairs of others
unnecessarily. After all what do you
gain by multiplying your worldly
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contacts? — Surely it can give you

sensation and excitement which, in turn,
breed conflict, confusion and worry.
Spend your time, more and more, in
remembrance of the Divine and in His
service.

295. Should you be filled with bliss,

doubtless it is that your simple presence
will evoke bliss in others near you. If
you yourself are not established in bliss
and you think that you are imparting
bliss to others, then you are not only
deceiving yourself but misleading others
also. Can you give anything to others,
which you do not possess yourself?

296. Troubled, indeed, is an ignorant person

when he suffers the lack of pelf and
power and troubled is he even when he
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does possess them. What is more, how

difficult it is in practice to make him
convinced that the real cause of his woes
and worries is not actually his want of
possessions or his possessions but only
the ignorance of his real Self!

297. What has true happiness got to do with

any object? What has it got to do with
any person or any circumstances? Why
at all should it depend upon any cause
whatsoever? Happiness through
something is no happiness at all. True
happiness is always without a cause and
independent, and therefore, everlasting.

298. Neither in sorrow nor in pleasure can you

remain for ever. But certain it is that, you can
always dwell in the bliss. This is so because
bliss is your essential nature, your true being!
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299. You ask the difference between love and

selfishness? Selfishness seeks pleasure; love is
the expression and overflow of bliss. Look
deeper and you will find out that selfishness
involves the agony of the lurking fear of
separation whereas love embodies the
refreshing coolness of communion and
unification!

300. Do not think that infatuation,

attachment, hatred, jealousy towards the
persons and objects of the world fall on
you from the sky or come to you
uninvited. Remember, these are born in
your mind and sustained there, only
because you entertain prolonged
thinking of these persons and objects,
expecting happiness from them and/or
only because you harbour wrong opinion
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about them. It is you and you alone who

are responsible for your woes!

301. Could you be bereaved of Him, you

would at once cease to exist! The union
with the Divine, actually, means the
immediate and direct realization and
unbroken awareness of the Lord.

302. The superiority of man over animals is

mainly based on the fact that animals do
not have the ability to choose whereas
man does have it. Wrong choice results
in pain as right choice results in
pleasure. But the doors of true happiness
are opened unto you only when your
will to choose is completely surrendered
unto the will of the Lord! The existence
of all things and living beings is
dependent on the existence of God.
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303. To be dependent financially or

politically is verily a matter of shame for
man in whom God resides. But,
remember, the flowers of true freedom
can never blossom in the life of man
who has not freed himself from the
subjugation of his mind and senses!

304. From the empirical standpoint man is

neither the Spirit alone nor matter alone.
He is the confluence of the Spirit and
matter, of Purusha and Prakriti. When
he identifies himself with Prakriti he
feels he is dependent, mechanical,
mutable and insecure. When he
identifies himself with Purusha he finds
out he is free, spontaneous, immutable
and secure!
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305. In the hour of crisis, neither your stored

knowledge of philosophical theories
about God or about ‘choiceless
awareness’, nor the definitions of
metaphysical principles you may have
learnt by heart, are of any avail to you.
What really help you in such difficult
situations are the self-confidence
aroused by your awakened inner
intuition, the unshakable faith in the
Divine and trust in your own self!

306. It only appears to you that you have

grabbed the world or that you are about
to grab it, but in truth, you can never
grab it. It appears as if you are deprived
of God, but in fact, you can never lose
Him. World-attainment and God’s
separation are doubtless both illusory.
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307. Your behaviour towards your servants

and dependants should always be as full
of humility and goodwill as you would
like to expect from the one who happens
to be your boss or your director.

308. Spiritual discipline in reality is

concerned with the right use of the
present. Do not waste your precious
time, indulging in day dreaming and in
making plans to practise Sadhana
sometime in future. The Lord is ever
present and whensoever He is found, He
is found in the present alone!

309. Peace is there neither in a magnificent

palace nor it is there in a thatched hut.
But what a trickery of Maya! — Those
who dwell in palaces think that peace
there is nowhere but in huts, and those
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who dwell in huts think that peace there

is to be found in palaces only. The fact
is that once true understanding comes,
you are sure that peace can be found
nowhere but in God-communion or in
Self-Realization.

310. A person may possess the knowledge of

all the worlds and of all the things and
beings existing in them, but if his mind
is devoid of the love of the Lord, his
knowledge is, in the eyes of saints, as
insignificant as dust!

311. One animal dies but the other one

standing by, unmindful, just goes on
enjoying its mastication. Not a thought
about its own death crosses its mind. Is
not the condition of the man today,
engrossed in sensual pleasures, only like
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that of the unmindful animal, as

described above?

312. You want the proof of God’s existence?

Cast a penetrating glance into the
deepest depths of the heart of any living
being (including yourself) and you shall
invariably find there an innate,
irresistible urge, conscious or
unconscious, to realize the life that is
eternal, the knowledge that denies all
limitations, and the bliss that knows no
bounds of time, space and causality.
Would this not be sufficient proof of
God’s existence for you?

313. Self-Realization cannot be bartered; it is

not a thing that can be given or received.
It verily is the opening and flowering of
the innermost Consciousness! It is the
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awakening of the Self (Being) into its

pure pristine nature. It is a fulfilment
that happens to the Self, through the
Self, from the Self, in the Self.

314. The easiest and simplest practice in the

path of spiritual progress is, surely, the
repetition of the Lord’s name! This
telling of the holy name should,
however, be practised most lovingly,
faithfully, and sweetly. Beware that this
repetition does not turn into a
mechanical activity!

315. Surely impracticable it is to solve, once

and for all, all the problems of the
material life; they always crop up afresh.
There is one and only one way of being
free from the pain of their sting, — and
it lies in arousing in oneself the feeling
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of the pressing need of spiritual life to

such a pitch that the material problems
lose their urgencies.

316. No man can keep circumstances always

favourable to himself, but there is no
doubt about it, that he is potentially
disposed to remain unperturbed and
unmoved by circumstances. This
potentiality is transformed into actuality
but through the direct experiencing of
that Consciousness which is ever
unmoved and immovable!

317. Whom do we call a religious man?

Surely not the one who keeps himself
engaged in performing sectarian rituals.
And surely also, not the one who is
competent to understand various
theories about the reality and is able to
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write or talk about them. A religious

man, again, is certainly not the one who
is engrossed in gratifying his ego in the
name of doing social welfare work. A
religious man is really the one in whose
heart a deep thirst for discovering the
eternal Truth has manifested!

318. Miracles do not bring about divine

transformation of life. It is also not
possible to bring it about through mere
dispassion and long discipline
performed with reverence. The divine
transformation of life comes only
through the continuous invoking of that
suprasensual and supramental divine
Consciousness which becomes freely
active in man when the latter is in a state
of complete surrender in relation to his
body, Prana (life force) and mind.
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319. Should you be blessed with unsleeping

awareness, you would discover
consciousness even in the things that are
apparently inert and insentient. If you
are denied of unsleeping awareness, you
will treat even the sentient, living
beings, as if they are inert and dead
things!

320. You cannot say, “Here is a man who is

established in the Divine.” You can say,
“Here is a man who is not established in
the Divine.”

321. Suffering is not bad if it is helpful in

God-remembrance, nor is pleasure
condemnable if it awakens the feeling of
thanksgiving to the Lord, or say, if it
connects you with Him. Suffering is
bad if it takes your mind away from the
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Lord; pleasure too is condemnable if it

induces forgetfulness towards Him.

322. Ready-made and borrowed answers

relating to God and to Atman may
satisfy, for a short while, your
intellectual curiosity, but they cannot
quench your deep inner thirst for Truth.
For the complete satisfaction of your
innermost being, you must have the
direct experience of Truth yourself.

323. Success in life cannot be measured by

the attainment of sensual pleasures
because even the beasts find sensual
pleasures. You should not also weigh it
in the scales of social prestige and
material possessions because all these
are uncertain and are subject to change.
Success in one's life should be measured
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in terms of the advance one makes on

the path leading to the life eternal!

324. The blissful Lord abides in your

innermost soul. He permeates each and
every cell of yours, and even then you
are dejected and worried — how very
strange it is? Just gaze within, and see
that the One you search without is really
calling you from within. Will you not
look to Him? Will you not hear Him?

325. Should you come to repeat God’s name

in all states and activities as those of
standing and sitting, sleeping and
waking, eating and drinking, and
walking and strolling, you do not need
to practise any other religious discipline
in order to see the Lord face to face. But
such a state of constant remembrance of
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the Divine arises in you only when there

is sufficient detachment in your life,
when there is in you a sincere aspiration
to perceive the Lord and when you are
vibrant with a simple urge of getting out
of the time-consciousness. The ecstasy
of the divine name washes your whole
being clean and breaks all the barriers
that stand between you and your Maker.

OM OM OM