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7.
Relative
happiness, which is happiness depending on
anything, must end in grief. It is man's duty to
meditate on God, Who is peace itself. Without
having recourse to that which aids the remembrance
of God there can be no peace . Have you not seen
what life in this world is? The one to be loved is
God. In Him is everything and Him you must try to
find.
8. To long for the cessation of want is your
very nature, and to explore and penetrate to the
root of whatever you perceive. When you buy clothes
you choose durable material, which will not wear
quickly; even this is an indication of your innate
tendency to seek the Everlasting. It is your nature
to crave the revelation of That which is, for the
Eternal, for Truth, for limitless knowledge. This
is why you do not feel satisfied with the
evanescent, the untrue, with ignorance and
limitation. your true nature is to yearn for the
revelation of what you are.
9. Verily, abounding sorrow is the essential
characteristic of life in this world. Fix your mind
on God.
10. The sovereign and universal remedy is
the contemplation of the One. To think only of Him
and to serve Him at all times is essential for
every human being.
11. At
all times, endeavour to sustain the contemplation
of God and the flow of His name. By virtue of His
name all disease becomes ease.
12. What
obstruct one on the spiritual path bears within
itself seeds of future suffering. Yet the
heartache, the anguish over the effect of these
obstructions, are the beginning of an awakening to
consciousness.
13. If anything is to be had –
whatsoever, in whatever way – it must be had
of Him alone.
14.
Man must go out in search of That which is
concealed behind the world. He should choose an
abode that will make it easy for him to proceed to
his true home.
15. Days glide on; already you have let so
many go by; anchored in patience endeavour to pass
the few remaining.
16. Every moment belongs to God. Endeavour
to keep your mind dedicated to his feet. God, the
Ocean of Mercy, who ever blesses the world, pours
out His Grace at all times. It is incumbent on man
to consider everything that happens to be for the
best: "For the best" denoting what is most helpful
towards the realisation of the Divine, the
realisation of the fullness of bliss.
17. The ceaseless, never-ending current of
divine mercy and compassion ever flows forth. In
that current one should bathe.
18. Who are the truly wealthy? Those who are
possessed of the Supreme Treasure, they alone are
really rich and live in abundance. Poor and
destitute must be called the man in whose heart the
remembrance of God abides not. To depend solely on
Him is man's one and only duty.
19. Let His name be ever with you;
imperceptibly, relentlessly time is creeping
away.
20. Without the repetition of the name and
the remembrance of God, there is no hope of peace
on earth. Let duty come first and foremost.
21. You must try to discover that state
where problems are no longer settled in any
particular way. In the course of your life you have
after careful consideration come to a decision on
many questions, have you not? But now you will have
to realise that no solution is ever conclusive; in
other words, you will have to go beyond the level
where there is certainty and uncertainty. The
resolution of a problem arrived at by the mind must
of necessity be from a particular point of view;
consequently there will he room for contradiction,
since your solution represents but one aspect. What
then have you actually solved? You will find a
complete and final solution of each particular
question from its own particular angle of
emergence; and you will also find that there is a
place where all problems, actual and possible, have
but one universal solution, in which there is no
longer any room left for contradiction. The
question of solution or non-solution will then
cease to arise: whether one says "yes" or "no",
everything is That.
22. In Rama, who is the dispeller of all
sorrow, there is rest and ease; where Rama is not,
there is discomfort and disease.
23. It is possible to practice God's name
under the most adverse circumstances. He causes
everything to happen and is therefore ever
near.
24. The obstinacy of the mind must be curbed
with resoluteness. Whether the mind co-operates or
not, you must be adamant in your determination to
do a certain amount of practice without fail –
simply because spiritual discipline is man's real
work. For so long you have been accustomed to
perform actions that fetter, therefore from sheer
force of habit you feel the urge to bind yourself
by activity again and again. But if you try hard
for some time, you will be able to see for yourself
how you are caught in your work, and that the more
you engage in practice the quicker will be your
advance.
25. By constantly endeavouring to live a
life of self-dedication, self-surrender will come
about one day. What does self-surrender mean, if
not to surrender to one's very own Self!
26. When the mind centres on what gives
peace and one's gaze dwells on what promotes it,
when one's ears listen to what fills the heart with
peace and at all times there is a response from Him
Who is peace itself, then only can there be promise
of peace.
27. It is desire that causes sorrow; but the
will to realise God is itself felicity. Be certain
that He will cleanse and comfort you and take you
into His arms.
28. The world is in ceaseless movement, and
obviously there can be no rest in movement. How
could there be peace in perpetual coming and going?
Peace reigns where no coming exists and no going,
no melting and no burning. Reverse your course,
advance within towards Him then there will be hope
of peace.
29. By your japa [repetition of the
Lord’s name] and meditation those who are
close to you will also benefit through the helpful
influence of your presence. In order to develop a
taste for meditation you have to make a deliberate
and sustained effort, just as children have to be
made to sit and study, be it by persuasion or
coercion. By taking medicine or having injections a
patient may get well; even if you do not feel
inclined to meditate, conquer your reluctance and
make an attempt. The habit of countless lives is
pulling you in the opposite direction and making it
difficult for you – persevere in spite of it!
By your tenacity you will gain strength and be
moulded; that is to say, you will develop the
capability to perform spiritual disciplines. Make
up your mind that however arduous the task, it will
have to be accomplished. Recognition and fame last
for a short time only, they do not accompany you
when you leave this world. If your thought does not
naturally flow towards the Eternal, fix it there by
an effort of will.
30. Sorrow comes in order to lead you to
happiness. At all times hold him in
remembrance.
31. Your body, which is part of and
depending on this illusory world, is on the other
hand the expression of a hidden inner process. You
are yourself the many, appearing in various
aspects, forms and modes. Each one of them exists
in fact to fulfil a particular need. Yours is the
give and take of the universe, yours the need, and
yet you yourself are the fulfilment that hidden
inner process is generated by you.
32. You are imperfect, something is lacking
in you, this is why you feel the desire for
fulfilment. "Body" [the Bengali word for "body"
is "sharir" and the verb shora means to move on, to
slip away] signifies "that which slips away,
which is continually changing." If there is no
want, no desire, then this kind of body that is
ever in the process of perishing does not persist.
Thus, after God-realisation one can no longer speak
of such a body for the Self stands revealed.
33. Meditation should be practised every day
of one's life. Look, what is there in this world?
Absolutely nothing that is lasting; therefore
direct your longing towards the Eternal. Pray that
the work done through you, His instrument, may be
pure. In every action remember Him. The purer your
thinking, the finer will be your work. In this
world you get a thing, and by tomorrow it may be
gone. This is why your life should be spent in a
spirit of service; feel that the Lord is accepting
services from you in whatever you do. If you desire
peace you must cherish the thought of Him.
34. In truth, all the various ways of
thought spring from one common source – who
then is to be blamed, who to be reviled or
suppressed? All are equal in essence.
35. As you love your own body, so regard
everyone as equal to your own body. When the
Supreme experience supervenes, everyone's service
is revealed as one's own service. Call it a bird,
an insect, an animal or a man, call it by any name
you please, one serves one's own Self in every one
of them.
36. The sense of want arises spontaneously
– it is the Divine that awakens it.
37.
In the Reality, He who is as being all, without
being too, it is He only. Therefore, the
distinction of manifest-unmanifest is from the
point of view of the individual only. He, who is
manifest, it is He only who is unmanifest. Again,
He, who is unmanifest, it is He only manifest.
38. Where the devotee, devotion and object
of devotion is the same One, what else is devotion
but a play?
38. That which is there in the unmanifest,
the same, indeed, appears in the manifest. Verily,
Reality is everywhere at all times.
39. To lose all is to gain all. The Reality
is merciful and compassionate. Whatever He does at
any moment is all-beneficent, though certainly
painful at times. When He manifests himself as
all-loss, there is hope that He may also manifest
himself as all-gain. To pine for the One who helps
towards the light of Truth is salutary, for it
kindles the awareness of Truth.
40. Just as there is a definite timetable
for work at school, office or the shop, so should
we set apart for divine contemplation a few minutes
out of the twenty-four hours of every day,
preferably in the morning and evening. One must
make a fixed resolve that this little time shall be
dedicated to God throughout life. During this
period no worldly activity should be allowed to
encroach upon the contemplation of God. A fixed
time for prayer or meditation must be allotted to
all the members of the family including the
servants. If this practice is continued for long,
divine contemplation will become a part of your
nature. Once the habit is established, the future
course of your life will be made quite easy. You
will feel the flow of the mysterious Divine Grace
feeding all your thoughts and giving you new
strength. You get a pension or bonus after years of
hard work, so that you need no longer earn your
livelihood. In the spiritual realm the reward for
good, sincere and selfless work is even far greater
and can be obtained more easily.
41. The endeavour to awaken to his real
nature is man's duty as a human being.
42. It is the pure, undefiled flower that
finds a place at the feet of the Lord and nowhere
else. Take great care to spend your life in
spotless purity, worthy to be dedicated in worship
to the Lord. Speak about Him, meditate on his
glory, try to see Him in everyone, Him who is the
Self, the breath of life, the heart of hearts.
43. With earnestness, love and goodwill
carry out life’s everyday duties and try to
elevate yourself step by step. In all human
activities let there be a live contact with the
Divine and you will not have to leave off anything.
Your work will then be done well and you will be on
the right track to find the master. Just as a
mother nourishes her child with all possible care
and affection and makes him grow up into a healthy
boy and a handsome youth, so you will find the
subtle touches of the Divine Mother shaping your
inner life and making you reach your full height
and stature. Whatever work you have to do, do it
with a singleness of purpose, with all the
simplicity, contentment and joy you are capable of.
Thus only will you be able to reap the best fruit
of work. In fullness of time, the dry leaves of
life will naturally drop off and new ones shoot
forth.
44. In the field of His play even getting
means losing. This is but the nature of its
movement. Think of Him who cannot be lost. Meditate
on Him alone, on Him, the fountain of goodness.
Pray to Him; depend on Him. Try to give more time
to japa and meditation. Surrender your mind at His
feet. Endeavour to sustain japa and meditation
without a break.
45. Human birth ordinarily implies the
experiencing of desire, passion, grief, suffering,
old age, disease, happiness, pain and so on. Yet it
is man's duty to bear in mind that he exists for
God alone – for His service and for the
realisation of Him. Verily, all is within His Law.
How can one who has been able to accept this be
still so greatly troubled? It is but your duty to
consider everything as His. Whatever He may do, try
to let the thought of Him keep you at peace.
46. The sense of want, does it not arise
because the desired object is not obtained? When
one's desire remains unfulfilled, fruitless, to
continue craving for the same thing and be
disappointed time and again, surely it is futile.
So long as there is desire, the experience of want
and sorrow is – from the worldly point of view
– but natural. Whatever you may desire that is
of this ever-changing world will bring you sorrow,
even though momentary happiness may be had at
times. To seek Reality in which no sorrow is found,
is man's sole duty.
47. Losing hope is losing all indeed. But
has this loss of everything occurred? Is not the
heart still bubbling over with desires and hopes?
This is only natural – it is the innate
tendency of the individual.
48. Perfect resignation gives the deepest
joy of all. Accept it as your sole resource.
Whatever God does at any time is wholly benign. If
you can bear this in mind you will be at peace.
49. What you consider to be your duty, you
will in any case try to carry out, in fact you are
doing it. But man's special duty, which is the
thought of God, the activity of the mind that
awakens the desire to know what you really are, on
this you should concentrate; and it is most
important to make a special effort in this
direction. Give your attention to your regular
daily practice of devotion. If circumstances will
not permit any other exercise, let it be only the
remembrance of Him – the purpose of it all
being the realisation of the One who is manifested
in all forms and in all modes of being.
50. Worldly life is no doubt a battlefield.
By becoming conscious of one's spiritual wealth one
must strive to emerge triumphant from the
battle.
51. Your earthly pension expires with your
life, but the divine pension continues long, long
after death. Those who amass money, store it up in
a hidden chamber of their house, add to this store
what they can save from time to time, and keep a
constant watch over their treasure. So also reserve
a little corner of your mind and heart for God and
always steal an opportunity to add to your stock in
the shape of the invocation of His name or some
pious work or divine thought.
52. Lose yourself altogether when bowing
down to God with a single-minded devotion and you
will obtain joy and power in proportion. If you
cannot do anything else, at least morning and
evening at the appointed time, lay down your body,
mind and life before Him in salutation and
surrender, and think of Him just a little.
53. That in which there is no question of
form or formlessness, of beyond form and
attributes, of transcending even the beyond –
That alone is worthy of human aspiration.
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