|
|
| "How Can We Win
the Grace of God, Swami?" |
| ANS: The grace of God cannot be
won through the gymnastics of reason, the contortions
of Yoga or the denials of asceticism. Love alone
can win it; Love that needs no requital; Love that
knows no bargaining. Love that is paid gladly as
a tribute to the all Loving; and Love that is unwavering.
Love alone can overcome obstacles, however many
and mighty. There is no strength more effective
than purity, no bliss more satisfying than Love,
no joy more restoring than Bhakti and no triumph
more praiseworthy than surrender. |
| "What
is the Present Status of Man, Swami?" |
| Man thinks himself that he knows
everything but, when asked about himself, he hangs
down his head in shame. Man knows the news of every
land, but he is ignorant of the nuisance that he
is to himself and others. He is moving in darkness
but yearning for Ananda (bliss). He does not know
the means of securing Ananda: Prayer, Seva, study
of spiritual texts, meditation and silence. He has
no faith that he is Ananda and that Ananda is his
own nature. He is blown off by calamity, for he
has no strength to withstand the blow. Faith in
the God within is the toughest shield against the
thrusts of Fate. |
|
"How
to Keep Our Mind, Swami?"
|
| When you spend your hours in thoughts
about God, you are also free from evil ways. You
will not be tempted to abuse others or harm them
in any way. You live in Love, accepting all the
events as His gifts. Homes such as yours are, really
speaking, Heavens on earth; the Joy that bubbles
in your hearts is the symbol of Vaikuntha; the earnestness
and care that you evince in your work is the sign
of Kailas the abode of Siva. Hearts dedicated to
these ideals are indeed 'golden'. |
| Why do so many
things distract me from thinking about finding God? |
| Without trying to discover the Divinity
that is in the human form, people are wasting their
lives. If you examine the great scriptures of the
world, you will find that they all emphasize the
supreme preciousness of being able to discover one's
Divine nature, without which one cannot achieve
real bliss. Man seeks wordly pleasures and prosperity
but does not seek that inner Divinity which will
give him permanent happiness. |
| Swami, there are
many people who are active, doing various things
under the slogan, "The service of man is the service
of God"; do their deeds entitle them to the place?
|
| Why do you ask so? Certainly; for
those that do service with that attitude. But it
is very hard to get that real feeling. Considering
others as men, simply saying that 'serving them
is to serve God', is not sincerity. The mind will
then run in two channels. Grasp the glory of Madhava
fully; understand that Madhava is in every Manava;
believe that service to Manava or man is serving
Madhava only; then your actions will certainly entitle
you to the place. What greater qualification is
needed than that? Instead, if 'service' is done
for name and honour and fame, and if there is a
craving in the mind for the fruits of one's actions,
then the statement, "Service to man is service to
God" has no meaning, nor will one get the result
expected. |
|
|
|
 |
|
