Taking refuge in the Lord

Narendra was reading from the Gita and explaining the verses to Prasanna:

The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, and by His maya causes them to revolve as though mounted on a machine.  Take refuge in Him with all your soul, O Bharata.  By His grace you will gain Supreme Peace and the Everlasting Abode... Abandon all dharmas and come to Me alone for shelter.  I will deliver you from all sins; do not grieve.

Then he said to Prasanna: "Surrender yourself at His feet.  Resign yourself completely to His will."

"God is the Ocean of Mercy.  Be His slave and take refuge in Him.  He will show compassion.  Pray to Him: "Protect me always with They compassionate face.  Lead me from the unreal to the Real, from darkness to Light, from death to Immortality.  Reveal Thyself to me and protect me always with Thy compassionate face.'"

Nature of love and sexuality

In the Bhagavad Gita in Chapter 3 regarding Karma Yoga, we find this verse:

Bg 3.37 — The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.

In this world we commonly associate love with sexuality as well as lust with sexuality.  However, the Bhagavad Gita refers to lust in a much more broad context.  Lust can be manifested in a variety of ways including lusting after possessions or material wealth.  

However, in the most common context of lust regarding sexuality, we can curb this desire through transformation of this into divine love.  In the 1960s, there was a concept or notion of "free love".  Though that was commonly meant to mean uninhibited sex, it could also mean the concept of unconditional and selfless love.  In married or committed relationships, love and sexuality are generally considered synonymous.  Only outside of committed or loving relationships is the concept of sexuality without love considered.

There is a common saying that "everyone wants to be loved".  Everyone is looking to find love in some form or another.  Some humans find it through sexuality, other through relationships and yet others find it through God or religion.  

But as the Bhagavad Gita states, if we attach ourselves in loving devotion to God, all other love will come to us.  God always loves unconditionally since all human beings are created in his image and are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.  If we love our fellow human beings in a manner similar to God (unconditionally), we will always be supremely happy.  Common literature including books such as A Tale of Two Cities speak of unrequited love, but unrequited love can really be considered synonymous with unconditional love or the love of God.  Love is always believed to require reciprocation, but that is not the case.  Those who do not know God or do not even have the capacity to know and realize God (including animals, plants etc.)  are all still loved by God.  

Therefore, if we love and are attached to God and consequently love human beings regardless of whether or not that love is reciprocated, we will always be supremely happy.  We will always be able to find love.  And if we share that love with all other human beings, we will eventually find that one love which is reciprocated and makes all the love shared with other human beings worthwhile.  

This is clearly evidenced by the tremendous number of songs and writings all centered on the concept of love.  In the words of the Beatles, "All you need is love, love is all you need, love is all you need."

Star Wars and the Bhagavad Gita

I was just recently watching the Star Wars series on the Sci-Fi Channel and began to notice the religious allegory in the storyline that I had never noticed before.

After doing some searching on the Internet, I found this article that seemed very interesting:

http://www.chron.com/entertainment/movies/article/Many-faiths-see-religious-allegory-in-Star-Wars-1919344.php

One thing I found very interesting in the article was that there was no mention of the Bhagavad Gita in the passage at all.  Therefore, I thought it might be worthwhile to add some clarification to some of the mentions made in the article:

Much of the debate centers on the nature of the Force, which Lucas told Time magazine in 1983 was God. Sixteen years later, Lucas told Bill Moyers that he put the Force into Star Wars "to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people — more a belief in God than a belief in any particular religious system."
If we look through the passages of the Bhagavad Gita, we can find many references that explain directly what George Lucas describes:
http://vedabase.com/en/bg/18
Bg 18.66 — Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
The article refers to no particular religion in reference to God, just an overall spirituality.  The Bhagavad Gita, while traditionally associated with Hinduism, indicates that all varieties of religion are acceptable to follow the principles of the Bhagavad Gita.

In fact, if you read the entire passages of the Bhagavad Gita available here: http://vedabase.com/en/bg, you will be able to find suitable comparisons for nearly all of the characters in the movie including Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, The Force etc.

While someone can easily write entire volumes on the allegory of Star Wars (as some authors already have done), I will provide just a few brief examples from the Bhagavad Gita and leave the rest to those interested in further research and investigation:

1. Luke Skywalker--Devotee of God such as Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita
2. Obi-Wan Kenobi/Yoda-Gurus of the Devotee/Lord Krsna
3. Darth Vader-Duryodhana as well as Lord Krsna/God (Lord Vader saves Luke in Return of the Jedi)
4. The Empire-The Kaurava Forces
5. The Rebel Forces-The Pandava Forces
6. The Emperor-Dhritishtrashta
7. Princess Leia-Draupadi
8. Chewbacca-Bheem

Perhaps in a future blog post I may be able to elaborate further on these various references as well as relate to the specific passages in the Bhagavad Gita, but that's all for now! :-)

Surrendering all activities to God

In the Bhagavad Gita, there is a verse that states

"O scion of Bharata, surrender unto Him utterly.  By His grace you will attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode."

Many religious believers from all varieties of religions have understood and embraced this concept wholeheartedly.  They believe that all activities that they perform occur as a direct result of the grace of God.  This includes all sorts of activities ranging from their work duties as well as their household duties.

We see this activity frequently reflected in all types of mediums from work activities to household computer activities.  By offering all these types of activities to God, one becomes purified of sins in a manner similar to offering food to God by saying "Grace" before consuming food.

If we take upon ourselves the daily practice of offering all of our activities to God, by gradual degrees we can continue to be purified and cleansed of our sins and therefore come to see and realize God.

Alternative to Gelatin for Vaishnavs

Unfortunately, in the Western world, gelatin is a very prevalent substance in nearly all foods as well as medicines that are released in capsule form.

As most Vaishnavs know, gelatin is made from the bone of animals and thereby being an animal product is forbidden from consumption from both Vaishnavs as well as vegans.

Fortunately, some companies looking for a "vegan friendly" solution to using gelatin in capsules have instead opted to use vegetable cellulose and water as a very viable solution for providing easily digestible capsules.

However, it is up to the vegans and the Vaishnavs of the world to spread this message to all of the consumer manufacturing companies that produce these products using gelatin that we would prefer them to use vegetable cellulose and water so that we may also consume their products.  The retail and manufacturing industry continues to deal in the law of supply and demand.  Therefore, if there is enough protest in the consumer market regarding the prevalent usage of gelatin in the industry, the manufacturers WILL change their manufacturing process to fit the needs of their consumers.  If we look at many large fast food chain outlets such as McDonald's and Pizza Hut, these chains were formerly using lard and other animal byproducts in the production of their food items.  However, with the rise in vegetarians in the United States, these chains have long since switched to more "vegetarian friendly" alternatives such as the use of vegetable oil or other plant-based alternatives where possible.

Therefore, WE can change these practices and thereby change the WORLD.

Understanding the "subconscious"

Western philosophy often refers to the inner personality of a human being as their "subconscious".  This is understood by Western philosophers to mean actions or thoughts taken by a human being that is completely out of their conscious mindset or knowledge.  Some of the things that have been described as occurring completely through means of the subconscious are rather amazing and spectacular.

However, the phenomenon created by the "subconscious" can be explained rather easily through religion especially through religious texts such as the Bhagavad Gita.  In the Bhagavad Gita, every human being is said to be a manifestation of God or an instrument/servant of God.  However, many people have not achieved this self-realization and therefore continue to believe that they are in charge of their own fates/destinies through the power of independent "free will".  While humans still exert some level of free will and independence, ultimately, all outcomes as dictated by God will come to pass.  A person's exertion of his/her free will only serves to delay the inevitable.  Therefore, when a person "unconsciously" or "subconsciously" performs an action, they are actually carrying out the will of God.  They are acting as instruments and servants of God completely unbeknownst to them.  

Therefore, a true religious believer will understand that the phenomenon that is attempted to be explained by Western philosophers and Western culture is simply a manifestation of executing God's will and God's destiny.

The Truth behind Astrology/Horoscopes

As many people know, the study of Astrology is the study of the planets/stars and how they relate to human beings.  This has been done by thousands upon thousands of years by many various cultures including the Indians as well as the Chinese.

Many modern men and women no longer believe in the study of Astrology because they feel that it is too fantastic and illogical that the movement of the stars and planets could actually control and predict the course of our lives.

However, from a religious perspective, the study of astrology makes complete and perfect sense.  As God created the Universe as well as all souls on this planet, our souls and lives are inevitably bound to everything to everything in the Universe.  We are one with God and the Universe.  As God controls the Universe, as does he control our souls and our lives.

However, our souls are only a small fraction/part of God compared to the overall Universe, therefore, by only understanding the Universe can we comprehend the future and course of our lives.  It is a great deception for us to believe that our lives are completely within our control through our free will.  All actions and reactions in this world act according to God.  While we have some free will to complete actions on our own, ultimate even these choices of our free will must eventually be surrendered unto God.  Each action that we commit even through our own free will is still influenced through the grand scheme woven by God.  The actions that we commit through our own free will only delays the inevitable result to be realized by God.  

Therefore, if we look to the study of Astrology as a religious truth due to our unity with the Universe and God, we will recognize how much astrology can predict the course and future of our lives.

Advice for the Modern Man regarding "Sexual Tension"

Most men in the Western World will describe a phenomenon known as "sexual tension".  This essentially involves the sexual feelings that a man might feel towards a woman that is particularly beautiful or attractive woman.  

Why does a man feel this "sexual tension"?  The underlying cause stems from his identification with the characteristics of the beautiful and attractive woman.  Seeing such beauty manifested in the body of another human being puts the man in awe.  He would like to further understand how such immense beauty can be manifested in another human being.  

However, he does not realize that his yearning and desire to further know this immense beauty is nothing other than the desire and yearning to know the beauty of the world that is created by God.  Instead, most men identify this feeling with the desire of the sexuality of the human being and thereby remain bound to the items of the material Earth rather than the spiritual plane.  This desire is subsequently translated into passion or lust and therefore a man feels uncomfortable around spending time alone with a particularly beautiful or attractive woman without being in a relationship.  He feels that he will not be able to repress or control his feelings and will thereby act upon the desires and emotions that he experiences while seeing such a beautiful woman.  The man may even try to subtly release that sexual tension by flirting with the attractive woman through dialog or even possibly lightly touching her.

What men do not understand is that most women will not feel this way around men.  Women are more driven by a desire for love than the primitive emotions of passion and lust.  This is how many beautiful and attractive women can spend time in the company of men without feeling similar feelings.  Women are much more focused on their own internal sense of love and attraction rather than superficial features of beauty.  Many handsome men might be in a room with a very beautiful woman and yet the woman will be able to fend off the advances of all those men while they are focused on the man that is the object of their affection and love.  Women feel this attraction on a much more emotional and spiritual plane than men who typically associate with this feeling on the physical plane.

Therefore, what can the modern man to alleviate this "sexual tension" and continue to remain in the presence of beautiful and attractive women?  First, by understanding that women do not typically experience this "sexual tension", many men can put their minds to rest and at ease.  If the attraction between a man and a woman is mutual, the attraction will ultimately result in some type of communication or even possibly a relationship.  If that attraction is present, the woman will often times go out of her way to send signals of interest and attraction to the man (which are far too numerous to describe here) in order for the man to follow up and initiate a conversation with the woman of interest.  Second, a man can try to better control his feelings of passion through identifying the woman as a sister or a mother rather than an object of sexual desire.  Third, a man can direct those feelings of passion and lust into a desire for understanding, knowing and loving God that created this Universe and all the beauty within it  In this manner, the modern man can ultimately relieve this feeling of repressed passion or lust and instead better leverage his energy towards finding, knowing and loving God that created all human beings on this Earth.

Divine nature of Women

Women have within them an absolutely divine nature.  Their nature is fundamentally divine through their extreme attachment to emotional love.  Whereas men often times can detach themselves from their ability to love, women are creatures of love.  It is an essential part of their emotional makeup and it defines them. 

Men, in relationships, often focus on superficial aspects of a person such as physical appearance.  However, due to a woman's ability to discern and recognize emotional attachment to a person, they are able to more readily go beyond a person's physical appearance to see the inner being of that person.

Women have a great desire to know and experience love and often associate the emotion of love with the necessity of a physical relationship.  Love is an essential and defining component to a physical relationship with a woman.  Without this one essential component, very few women can engage in any type of physical relationship.

In addition, as mothers, women have a great ability to love.  They are able to transfer all of their emotional love towards their children.

This defining characteristic of a woman's desire to love conveys their very divine nature.  A woman's ability to love is a reflection of their unconscious desire to love and know God.  They attempt to find love through every human being they encounter whether that is their husband or their children.  Therefore, with this innate divine attribute, women are better able to understand how to redirect that love towards God since they already know how to direct their emotional love and attachment towards their husband and children.

Men can learn from this characteristic and attribute of women and thereby incorporate this feminine nature into their own personality as part of their quest to achieve true yearning and love for God.     

Eve, the Apple of Temptation and the Bhagavad Gita

With Eve and the Apple of Temptation, once the fruit was tasted, this began man's downfall from God. 

So, how do we, as modern men, interpret this?

 This phenomenon is also described in the Bhagavad Gita:
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world."

Therefore, the Apple of Temptation was the passion of lust that brought about man's downfall.  However, God was kind and offered the ability to continue to attain God through that same passion.  

This can be done by turning that passion of lust instead into a yearning and love for God.  This transformation thus becomes a divine quality and attribute rather than a sinful quality.  The lust of passion is by far one of the strongest human emotions that can be experienced.  When this is turned towards God, the human being has a strong desire to learn and know God.  That yearning can subsequently be transformed into a form of ecstasy.  Since the soul, mind and body are one in this state of ecstasy, the feeling resembles that of intense arousal as one may experience during sexual intercourse.

In fact, the mutual attraction that a man and woman feel towards each other in the emotion and passion of lust is simply a misdirected emotional love and yearning for God.  Through the entanglement of Maya, a man and woman's vision is clouded into believing that this emotion is tied to this Earth.  Through this delusion, the passion of lust becomes an act simply to experience pleasure while remaining bound to the material things on this Earth.  Once a human understand the true nature of this emotion and passion, it can be used as a stepping stone to achieve the ecstasy associated with knowing God.

This concept can also be translated and leveraged to apply to a marital relationship.  The husband and wife must look for the divinity within each other and apply that jointly as a yearning towards God.  Once that Godliness is recognized in one's own partner, the sexual experience thus becomes removed from the sinful passion of lust and instead becomes divine.  The sexual experience thus becomes much more enhanced through this mutual understanding and love of God.  By understanding the divinity within each other, each partner can become a servant of the Lord.  This thereby means that each partner in the relationship participates in an effort to make the other partner happy.  Through this mutual love and understanding, both partners can experience intense pleasure since the relationship is no longer about satisfying one's own needs, but rather satisfying the needs of another.  This ultimately makes the entire sexual experience divine and incapable of incurring sin.

Through this knowledge and transformation of lust into a passion towards God, one can come to once again know the divine ecstasy of Heaven while still remaining on this Earth.

Jesus Christ and the Bhagavad Gita

Jesus Christ was also a follower of the principles and tenets of the Bhavagad Gita:

1.  Jesus Christ describes himself as the "Son of God".  All men and women of the world are children of God and therefore have the presence of divinity within them as is described in the Bhagavad Gita.
2. Jesus Christ also occasionally describes himself as God or one with God.  This describes the loss of distinction between the Self and the non-Self.  When you are working in the service of the Lord, one occasionally loses one's own identity and merges with the Supreme Self.  At this point in time, there is no longer any concept of "I".  The devotee and the Lord are one and act as one.
3. Jesus Christ often recognized that he was not God and simply stated that he was the servant of the Lord.  This means that Jesus Christ was not an Avatar of God in the Vedantic sense as Rama and Krishna were.  The Lord taking the form of man in the Vedantic sense retains all of his perfections and omniscience, thereby remaining the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  However, an avatar of the Lord outside of the Vedantic avatars is a man of normal birth that has been given divine commission from God.  With this divine commission from God, he may be able to complete amazing feats of work, however, he still remains limited by his human faculties.  He is neither able to predict or know all as is the case with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
4. Jesus Christ recognized the illusion of Maya in this world that so entangles men and women and binds them to this Earth.  Since Karma requires that each man and woman pay for the sins that they have accumulated in prior births, there is no way to remove that entanglement or delusion from the eyes of those who have not achieved a propensity, desire or yearning for God.  The only way that these souls so entangled in Maya and bound to this Earth can achieve liberation is directly through interaction with the Lord or the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Any amount of effort on the part of man will never be able to free these souls from their bondage.  Each man and woman on this Earth, while working in the service of the God, ultimately only works for their own liberation and salvation.  Jesus Christ, recognizing these tenets, knew that the only ways for these other souls to achieve liberation and salvation would be to sacrifice his own soul's liberation in exchange.  Therefore, Jesus Christ would continue to be bound to the Karmic cycle of human birth and death in order to continue serving the Lord throughout the centuries.  He would accept all the pain and suffering that is associated with human birth and death so that he could continually serve the Lord through all his various lifetimes.
5. Jesus Christ endured immense pain and suffering as a man in exchange for relieving the pain and suffering of other men and women.  Since he loved humanity, he accepted the pain and suffering of humanity as his own so that they could remain happy and free from sorrow.  By recognizing the divinity within each and every human being, he accepted this pain and suffering willingly.  He would then offer the pain and suffering of his devotees to the Lord, and request that they be relieved of their own pain.  Whenever he personally experienced pain and suffering, he knew of his disciples/devotees pain and suffering.  The Lord takes away all pain and sorrow as long as that it is offered to him in loving devotion.
6. Jesus Christ mentioned that humans can only "achieve salvation through Me".  That is not to say that Jesus Christ was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Rather, Jesus Christ was a servant of the Lord and was a man.  Since men and women can never achieve perfection, they cannot directly emulate the Vedantic avatars of God.  Instead, they must emulate a man who has realized God.  Therefore, by imitating the life of Christ, one can come to realize God and achieve liberation and salvation.  

Free from attachment

One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a stage of steady mind.

The word muni means one who can agitate his mind in various ways for mental speculation without coming to a factual conclusion.  It is said that every muni has a different angle of vision, and unless a muni differs from other munis, he cannot be called a muni in the strict sense of the term.  But a sthita-dhir muni, as mentioned herein by the Lord, is different from an ordinary muni.  The sthita-dhir muni is always in Krsna consciousness, for he has exhausted all his business of creative speculation.  He is called prasanta-nihsesa-mano-rathantara, or one who has surpassed the stage of mental speculations and has come to the conclusion that Lord Sri Krsna, or Vasudeva, is everything.  He is called a muni fixed in mind.  Such a fully Krsna conscious person is not at all disturbed by the onslaughts of the threefold miseries, for he accepts all miseries as the mercy of the Lord, thinking himself only worthy of more trouble due to his past misdeeds; and he sees that his miseries, by the grace of the Lord, are minimized to the lowest.  Similarly, when he is happy he gives credit to the Lord, thinking himself unworthy of the happiness; he realizes that it is due only to the Lord’s grace that he is in such a comfortable condition and able to render better service to the Lord.  And for the service of teh Lord, he is always daring and active and is not influenced by attachment or aversion.  Attachment means accepting things for one's own sense gratification, and detachment is the absence of such sensual attachment.  But one fixed in Krsna consciousness has neither attachment nor detachment because his life is dedicated in the service of the Lord.  Consequently he is not at all angry even when his attempts are unsuccessful.  Success or no success, a Krsna conscious person is always steady in his determination. 

Pundit Shashadhar

The way to realize God is through discrimination, renunciation, and yearning for Him.  What kind of yearning?  One should yearn for God as the cow, with yearning heart, runs after its calf.  Add your tears to your yearning,  And if you can renounce everything through discrimination and dispassion, then you will be able to see God.  That yearning brings about God-intoxication, whether you follow the path of knowledge or the path of devotion.

Pilgrimage becomes futile if it does not enable you to attain love of God.  Love of God is the one essential and necessary thing.  Do you know the meaning of 'kites' and 'vultures'?  There are many people who talk big and who say that they have performed most of the duties enjoined in the scriptures.  But with all that their minds are engrossed in worldliness and deeply preoccupied with money, riches, name, fame, creature comforts, and such things.

A devotee who can call on God while living a householder's life is a hero indeed.  God thinks:  'He who has renounced the world for My sake will surely pray to Me; he must serve Me.  Is there anything very remarkable about it?  People will cry shame on him if he fails to do so.  But he is blessed indeed who prays to Me in the midst of his worldly duties.  He is trying to find Me, overcoming a great obstacle--pushing away, as it were, a huge block of stone weighing a ton.  Such a man is a real hero.

Live in the world like an ant.  The world contains a mixture of truth and untruth, sugar and sand.  Ben an ant and take the sugar.  Again, the world is a mixture of milk and water, the bliss of God-consciousness and the pleasure of sense enjoyment.  Be a swan and drink the milk, leaving the water aside.  Live in the world like a waterfowl.  The water clings to the bird, but the bird shakes it off.  Live in the world like a mudfish.  The fish lives in the mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny.  The world is indeed a mixture of truth and make-believe.  Discard the make-believe and take the truth.

God-Intoxicated State

Some may say about the devotees: 'Day and night these people speak about God.  They are crazy; they have lost their heads.  But how clever we are!  How we enjoy pleasure--money, honour, the senses!' The crow, too, thinks he is a clever bird; but the first thing he does when he wakes up in the early morning is to fill his stomach with nothing but others' filth.  Haven't you noticed how he struts about?  Very clever indeed!
  But like the swan are those who think of God, who pray day and night to get rid of their attachment to worldly thing, who do not enjoy anything except the nectar of the Lotus Feet of the Lord, and to whom worldly pleasures taste bitter.  If you put a mixture of milk and water before the swan, it will leave the water and drink only the milk.  And haven't you noticed the gait of a swan?  It goes straight ahead in one direction. So it is with genuine devotees: they go toward God alone.  They seek nothing else; they enjoy nothing else.

'Woman and gold alone are the world; they alone constitute maya.  Because of them you cannot see or think of God.  After the birth of one or two children, husband and wife should live as brother and sister and talk only of God.  Then the minds of both will be drawn to God, and the wife will be a help to the husband on the path of spirituality.  None can taste divine bliss without giving up his animal feeling.  A devotee should pray to God to help him get rid of this feeling.  It must be a sincere prayer.  God is our Inner Controller; He will certainly listen to our prayer if it is sincere.

If a householder is a genuine devotee, he performs his duties without attachment; he surrenders the fruit of his work to God--his gain or loss, his pleasure or pain--and day and night he prays for devotion and for nothing else.  This is called motiveless work, the performance of duty without attachment.  A sannyasi, too, must do all his work in that spirit of detachment; but he has no worldly duties to attend to, like a householder.

If a householder gives in charity in a spirit of detachment, he is really doing good to himself and not to others.  It is God alone that he serves--God, who dwells in all beings; and when he serves God, he is really doing good to himself and not to others.  If a man thus serves God through all beings, not through men alone but through animals and other living beings as well; if he doesn't seek name and fame, or heaven after death, if he doesn't seek any return from those he serves; if he can carry on his work of service in this spirit--then he performs truly selfless work, work without attachment.  Through such selfless work he does good to himself. This is called karmayoga.  This too is a way to realize God.  But it is very difficult, and not suited to the Kaliyuga.

He who works in such a detached spirit--who is kind and charitable--benefits only himself.  Helping others, doing good to others--this is the work of God alone, who has created for men the sun and moon, father and mother, fruits, flowers, and corn.  The love that you see in parents is God's love.  He has given it to them to preserve His creation.  The compassion that you see in the kindhearted is God's compassion:  He has given it to them to protect the helpless.  Whether you are charitable or not, He will have His work done somehow or other.  Nothing can stop His work.

Pray to God with a longing heart.  He will surely listen to your prayer if it is sincere.  Perhaps he will direct you to holy men with whom you can keep company; and that will help you on your spiritual path.  Perhaps someone will tell you, 'Do this and you will attain God.'

One must have faith in the guru's words.  The guru is none other than Satchidananda.  God hiimself is the guru.  If you only believe his words like a child, you will realize God.  God cannot be realized by a mind that is hypocritical, calculating or argumentative.  One must have faith and sincerity.  Hypocrisy will not do.  To the sincere, God is very near; but He is far, far away from the hypocrite.

One must have for God the yearning of a child.  The child sees nothing but confusion when his mother is away.  You may try to cajole him by putting a sweetmeat in his hand; but he will not be fooled.  He only says 'No, I want to go to my mother.'  One must feel such yearning for God.  Ah, what yearning!  How restless a child feels for his mother.  He to whom the enjoyment of worldly happiness appears tasteless, he who takes no delight in anything of the world--money, name, creature comforts, sense pleasure--becomes sincerely grief-stricken for the vision of the Mother.  And to him alone the Mother comes running, leaving all Her other duties.

Whether a man should be a householder or a monk depends on the will of Rama.  Surrender everything to God and do your duties in the world.  What else can you do?  If the householder becomes a jivan-mukta, then he can easily live in the world if he likes.  A man who has attained Knowledge does not differentiate between 'this place' and 'that place.'  All places are the same to him.  He who thinks of 'that place' also thinks of 'this place.'

How much of the scriptures can you read?  What will you gain by mere reasoning?  Try to realize God before anything else.  Have faith in the guru's words, and work.  If you have no guru, then pray to God with a longing heart.  He will let you know what He is like.

How long must a man continue formal worship?  As long as he has not developed love for God's Lotus Feet, as long as he does not shed tears and his hair does not stand on end when he repeats God's name.

By no means all people are attracted to God.  There are special souls who feel so.  To love God one must be born with good tendencies.  If a man slips from the path of yoga, then he is reborn in a prosperous family and starts again his spiritual practice for the realization of God.  While thinking of God the aspirant may feel a craving for material enjoyment.  It is this craving that makes him slip from the path.  In his next life he will be born with the spiritual tendencies that he failed to translate into action in his present life.  No salvation is possible for a man as long as he has desire, as long as he hankers for worldly things.

A Pound of Flour

When Yudhishthira was crowned and installed as king after the Kurukshetra battle, he performed an aswamedha yajna.  As was the custom on occasions of this great horse sacrifice, all the princes of the land gathered on invitation and the yajna was completed in great splendour.  The brahmanas and the poor and the destitute people, who had come in great numbers from all parts of the country, received bounteous gifts.  Everything was done in magnificent style and in conformity with the injunctions relating to the sacrifice.

  From somewhere unseen, a weasel suddenly appeared right in the middle of the assembled guests and priests in the great pavilion and, after rolling on the ground, laughed a loud human laugh as if in derision.  The priests were alarmed at this strange and unnatural occurrence and wondered whether it was some evil spirit that had come to pollute and disturb the sacred rites.

  The weasel's body was on one side all shining gold.  This remarkable creature turned round and took a good view of the assembly of princes and learned brahmanas that had come from various countries and gather in that great pavilion and began to speak:

  "Princes assembled and priests, listen to me. You no doubt believe that you have completed your yajna in splendid style. Once upon a time, a poor brahmana who lived in Kurukshetra, made a gift of a pound of maize flour.  Your great horse sacrifice and all the gifts made in that connection are less than that small gift of the Kurukshetra brahmana.  You seem to think too much of your yajna.  Pray, be not so vain about it."

  The gathering was amazed at this strange and impertinent speech of the golden weasel.  The brahmana priests, who had performed the sacrificial rites, went up to the weasel and spoke to it :

  "Wherefrom and why have you come to this yajna performed by good and worthy men?  Who are you? Why do you utter words of scorn about our sacrifice?  This aswamedha has been duly completed in every detail in accordance with sastraic injunctions.  It is not meet that you should speak derisively of our great sacrifice.  Everyone that has come to this yajna has been duly attended to and has been accorded suitable honours and gifts.  Everyone is pleased with the gifts and returns happy and contented.  The mantras have been chanted perfectly and the oblations duly offered.  The four castes are pleased.  Why do you speak as you do? Do explain yourself."

  The weasel laughed again and said:

  "O brahmanas, what I said is true.  I do not grudge the good fortune of king Yudhishthira or the good fortune of any of you.  It is not envy that makes me say this.  The yajna, which you have just completed so showily, is not in truth as great an act as that gift of the poor brahmana which I have seen.  And in reward for his gift, he and his wife, son and daughter-in-law were immediately taken to swarga.  Listen to my story which is a true narrative of what I saw myself.

  "Long before you waged your battle there, a brahmana lived in Kurukshetra, who obtained his daily food by gleaning in the fields.  He and his wife, son and daughter-in-law, all four lived in this manner.  Every day in the afternoon they would sit down and have their only mean for the day.  On days when they failed to find enough grain, they would fast until the next afternoon.  They would not keep over any thing for the next day if they got more than they required for the day.  This was the strict unchhavritti discipline they had pledged themselves to observe.

  "They passed their days thus for many years, when great drought came and there was famine all over the land.  All cultivation ceased and there was neither sowing nor harvesting nor any grain scattered in the fields to be gleaned.  For many days the brahmana and his family starved.  One day, after wandering in hunger and heat, with great difficulty they came home with a small quantity of maize which they had gathered.  They ground it and after saying their prayers they divided the flour into four equal parts and, offering thanks to God, sat down eagerly to eat.  Just then, a brahmana entered and he was exceedingly hungry.  Seeing an unexpected guest arrive, they got up and made due obeisance and asked him to join them.  The pure-souled brahmana and his wife and his son and daughter-in-law were exceedingly delighted to have the good fortune of receiving guest at that juncture.  "Oh best of brahmanas, I am a poor man.  This flour of maize was obtained in accordance with dharma.  Pray accept this.  May blessings attend on you."  said the brahmana of Kurukshetra and gave his share of the flour to the guest.  The guest ate it with avidity but he was still hungry when he had finished.

  "Seeing his hungry and unsatisfied look, the brahmana was grieved and did not know what to do, when his wife said: 'Lord give my share also to him.  I shall be glad if the guest's hunger be satisfied.'  Saying this she handed her share of the flour to her husband to be given to the guest.

  "'Faithful one,' said the brahmana, 'the beasts and the birds and all the animals tend the females of their species with care.  May man do worse? I cannot accept your suggestion.  What shall I gain in this or in the other world if I leave you to starve and suffer hunger, you who help me and serve me to do the sacred duties of a householder's life? Beloved one, you are now skin and bone and famished and exceedingly hungry.  How can I leave you to suffer in that condition and hope to attain any good by feeding the guest? No, I cannot accept your offer.'

  'You are versed in the sastras, best of brahmans', replied the wife.  'Is it not true that dharma, artha and all the objects of human activity are to the common and equal benefit of both of us who have been joined together?  Do look on me with compassion and take my share of the flour and satisfy the requirements of this our guest.  You are hungry as I am and you should not make any distinction between us.  I entreat you not to deny my request.

  "The brahmana yielded and took the wife's share and gave it to the guest who took it greedily and ate it.  But he was still hungry!  Great was the distress of the poor brahmana of Kurukshetra.  His son, who saw this, came forward. 'Father, here is my share,' said he.  'Give it to this guest who seems to be still hungry.  I shall be indeed happy if we shall thus be able to fulfill our duty.'

  "The father's distress increased.  "Child!' he exclaimed, 'old men can stand starvation. Youth's hunger is severe.  I am not able to find it in my heart to accept what you say.'

  "The son insisted:'It is the duty of the son to look after his father in his declining years.  The son is not different from the father.  Is it not said that the father is born afresh in his son?  My share of the flour is yours in truth.  I beg of you to accept what I give and feed this hungry guest.'

  "Dear boy, your nobility and your mastery over the senses fills me with pride.  Blessing on you; I shall accept your share!' said the father, and he took the son's flour and gave it to the guest to eat.  The guest ate the third part of the flour also but he was still hungry!  The brahmana, who lived on scattered grain, was confused.

  "While he was in distress, not knowing what to do, his daughter-in-law addressed him thus:

  'Lord, I shall give my share too and gladly complete our efforts to feed this guest.  I beg of you to accept it and bless me, your child, for, by that, I shall have eternal good as my reward.'

  "The father-in-law was sad beyond measure.  'O girl of spotless character, pale and emaciated as you are from starvation, you propose to give your part of the food also to me, so that I may earn merit by giving it to this guest.  If I accept your offer, I shall indeed by guilty of cruelty.  How could I possibly look on when you wither in hunger?"

  "The girl would not listen.  'Father, you are lord of my lord and master, preceptor of my preceptor, god of my god.  I implore you to accept my flour.  Is not this body of mine dedicated wholly to serve my lord?  You should help me to attain the good.  Do take this flour, I entreat you.'

  "Thus implored by his daughter-in-law, the brahmana accepted her share of the flour and blessed her saying, 'Loyal girl, may every good be yours!'

  "The guest received this last portion avidly and ate it and was satisfied.

  "Blessed is your hospitality, given with the purest intent and to the uttermost of your capacity.  Your gift has pleased me.  Lo there!  the gods are showering flowers in admiration of your extraordinary sacrifice.  See!  the gods and gandharvas have come down in their bright chariots with their attendants to take you with your family to the happy regions above.  Your gift has achieved swarga for you, as well as for your ancestors.  Hunger destroys the understanding of men.  It makes them go aside from the path of rectitude.  It leads them to evil thoughts.  The pious, when suffering the pangs of hunger, lose their steadfastness.  But you have, even when hungry, bravely set aside your attachment to wife and son and placed dharma above all else.  Rajasuya sacrifices and horse sacrifices completed in splendour, would pale into insignificance before the great sacrifice you have done through this single set of hospitality.  The chariot is waiting for you.  Enter and go to swarga, you and your family.'  Saying this the mysterious guest disappeared."

  Having related this story of the Kurukshetra brahmana who lived by gleaning scattered ears of corn in the field, the weasel continued:

  "I was nearby and caught the fragrance wafted from that flour of the brahmana.  It made my head all gold.  I then went and rolled in joy on the ground where some of the flour had been scattered.  It made one side of me into bright gold.  I turned on the other side but there was no more flour left and that part of me is still as it was.  Desirous of getting my body made all gold, I have been trying every place where men perform great yajnas and penances.  I heard that Yudhishthira of world fame was performing a yajna and came here, believing that this sacrifice might come up to the standard.  But I found it did not.  So, I said that your great aswamedha was not so great as the gift of flour which that brahmana made to his guest."  The weasel then disappeared.

Love and devotion of children

We, as adults, should have the same single minded devotion and love for God as our children have for us (as parents).  When a child cries out for his mother, he will not rest nor find any comfort in the presence of others.  The child can only find solace and comfort in the arms of his mother.  We must keep this thought in our minds every day so that we can continue to strive throughout our lives to also reach the arms of God.

When a child cries loudly and longingly for his mother, the mother soon comes to appease the child.  If we also cry longingly for God, He will also come to us.

Once children are able to recognize their parents, they are able to call out to them and find them wherever they may be located.  Once we recognize God as part of our lives, we should continually seek Him until we ultimately come into His presence.

Children continually repeat the names of their parents--Mommy and Daddy--in a manner similar to a chant.  God constitutes our entire lives and therefore we should remember to chant His name every day as well.

Children have no ties to the materialistic world in their lives.  Their wants are simple--food, water and the love of their parents.  We should also follow the ways of children and keep our needs simple and the love of God central to our lives.

By loving and nurturing our children as baby Krishna or baby Radha, we can also learn to grow in our love and devotion towards God.

Children can often be immensely overjoyed by performing some act that brings happiness or joy to their parents.  By offering ourselves as the humble servants and instruments of God, we can provide joy to God as well as bring happiness into our own lives.

Ideals of the Aspirant Entangled in the World

There is necessity of money, no doubt, in worldly life; but do not ponder much over it and other material gains.  Contentment with what comes of its own accord is the best attitude.  Do not be anxious to hoard.  Those who dedicate their very life and soul to Him, those who are His devotees and have taken refuge in Him, can never think of such worldly matters.  With them, expenditure is commensurate with income.  As money comes into their hands in one way, it is spent in another.

Question: How can I go through my devotional practices when I have always to think of my daily bread?
Answer: He for whom you work will supply you with your necessaries.  God made provisions for your support before He sent you into this world.

We possess home, family and children for a short time, but these are all ephemeral.  The palm tree itself is real, but when one or two of its fruits fall to the ground, why should we regret it?

Live in the world, but be not worldly.  As the saying goes, make the frog dance before the snake, but let not the snake swallow the frog.

A boat may stay in water, but water should not stay in the boat.  An aspirant may live in the world, but the world should not live within him.

It matters not if you live the life of a house-holder, only you must fix your mind on God.  Do your work with one hand, and hold the feet of the Lord with the other.  When you have no work in the world to do hold His feet fast to your heart with both your hands.

What is the state of a man who is in the world but is free from its attachments?  He is like a lotus-leaf in water, or like a mud-fish in the marsh.  Neither of these is polluted by the element in which it lives.  The water wets not the leaf, nor does the mud stain the glossy coat of the fish.

It does not matter much whether you are a family man or not.  Always perform your duties unattached, with your mind fixed on God.  As for instance, the man who has got a carbuncle on his back talks with his friends and others, and even carries out undertakings, but his mind is all the while on his pain.

Living in the world one is safe, if one has Viveka (discrimination of the Real from the unreal), and Vairagya (dispassion for worldly things), and along with these intense devotion to God.

What are you to do when you are placed in this world?  Give up everything to Him, resign yourself to Him, and there will be no more trouble for you.  Then you will come to know that everything is done by His will.

If you desire to live in the world unattached, you should first practice devotion in solitude for some time--a year, six months, a month, or at least twelve days.  During this period of retirement, you should constantly meditate upon God and pray to Him for Divine love.  You should think that there is nothing in the world which you may call your own, that those whom you consider as your own are sure to pass away some day or other. God alone is really your own.  He is your all-in-all.  How to obtain Him?--this should be your only concern.

If you first smear your palms with oil and then cut open the jack fruit the milky exudation of the fruit will not stick to your hands and inconvenience you.  If you first fortify yourself with the true knowledge of the Universal Self, and then live in the midst of wealth and worldliness, surely they will in no way affect you.

As a boy holding to a post of pillar whirls about it with headlong speed without any fear of falling, so perform your worldly duties, fixing your hold firmly upon God, and you will be free from danger.

Always consider that your family concerns are not yours; they are God's and you are His servant come here to obey His commands.  When this idea becomes firm, there remains nothing indeed that a man may call his own.

He is a true hero who performs all the duties of the world with his mind fixed on God.  None but a strong man can, while carrying a load of two maunds (more than a hundredweight) on his head, stop to admire a bridal procession passing his way.

Those who live in the world and still try to gain salvation are like the soldiers that fight from behind the ramparts of a fort, while the ascetics who renounce the world in search of God are like the soldiers fighting in the open field.  To fight the enemy from within the fort is more convenient and far safer than to fight in the open field.

Before soldiers go out to meet the enemy, they learn the art of fighting in their barracks, where they do not have to put up with the hardships incidental to action in the open field.  So avail yourselves of the conveniences of your home-life to raise your spiritual condition before you take to the austerities of an ascetic life.

Some types of Aspirants

Butter churned early in the morning is the best; that churned after sunrise is not so good.  Addressing his young disciples who became sannyasins later on, the Master used to say, "You are like butter churned early in the morning while my householder disciples are like butter churned late in the day."

The young bamboo can be easily bent, but the full grown bamboo breaks when it is bent with force.  It is easy to bend the young heart towards God, but the untrained heart of the old escapes the hold whenever it is so drawn.

The parrot cannot be taught to sing when the vibrating membrane in its throat has hardened too much because of age.  It must be taught to sing while young, before the collar line appears on its neck.  So in old age it is difficult to learn how to fix the mind on God, but it can be easily learnt in youth.

A ripe mango may be offered to God, or used for some other purpose; but if it is pecked by a crow even once, it is unfit for any use.  It can neither be offered to the Deity, nor presented to a Brahmana, nor may it be eaten by the pure.  So boys and girls should be dedicated to the service of God before the impurities of worldly desires taint their hearts.  Once worldly desires enter their minds, or the demon of sensual pleasures casts his baneful shadow over them, it is very difficult indeed to make them tread the path of virtue.

The love in the heart of a boy is whole and undivided.  When he gets married in time, half of his heart, if not more, is given away to his wife, and when children are born to him, he loses another quarter, thereof, while the remaining quarter is divided among father, mother, honour, fame, pride, dress and the rest; therefore he has no love left to offer to God.  Hence if the undivided mind of a boy is directed early enough to God, he may gain His love, and realize Him easily.  But it is not quite so easy for grown-up people to do so.

To someone the Master said: "Well, you have now come to seek God when you have spent the best part of your life in the world.  Had you entered the world after realizing God, what peace and joy you would have found!"

Characteristics of True Aspirants

The flint may remain for myriads of years under water and still not lose its inner finer.  Strike it with steel whenever you like, and out flashes the glowing spark.  So is the true devotee firm in his faith.  Though he may remain surrounded by all the impurities of the world, he never loses his faith in, and love of God.  He warms up with devout enthusiasm as soon as he hears the 'name' of the Lord.

The railway engine easily drags with it a train of heavily loaded carriages.  So the loving children of God, firm in their faith and devotion, feel no trouble in passing through life in spite of all troubles and anxieties, and at the same time they lead many to God along with them.

When does the attraction of the pleasures of the senses die away?  When one realizes the consummation of all happiness and of all the pleasures in God--the indivisible, eternal ocean of bliss.  Those who enjoy Him can find no attraction in the cheap, worthless pleasures of the world.

The water of a rapid stream moves round and round in eddies and whirlpools in some places; but passing these it resumes again a straight and swift course.  So the heart of the devotee is caught every now and then in the whirlpool of despondency, grief and unbelief, but this is only a momentary aberration and does not last long.

Wherein is the strength of a devotee?  He is a child of God, and his devotional tears are his mightiest weapon.

The more you scratch the part affected by ringworm, the greater grows the itching, and the more the pleasure you derive from scratching.  So the worshippers of God never get tired of singing His praise.

The man whose hair stands on end at the mere mention of the 'name' of God, and from whose eyes flow tears of love--he has indeed reached his last birth.

The truly religious man is he who does not commit any sin even when he is alone, and when no man observes him, because he feels that God sees him even then. (Edited for brevity)  He who finds a bag full of gold in a lonely and uninhabited house, and resists the temptation of appropriating it, he is a truly religious man.  But he who practices religion for the sake of show, through fear of public opinion, cannot be called truly religious.  The religion of silence and secrecy is the true religion, but it is all sham and mockery when attended with vaunting and vanity.

The True End of Learning

Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realize that they know nothing.

People talk of errors and superstitions, and feel proud of their book-learning; but the sincere devotee finds the loving Lord every ready to lend him a helping hand.  It matters not if he had been walking along a wrong path for a time.  The Lord knows what he wants and in the end fulfills his heart's desires.

Utter the word Gita, in quick succession, a number of times-Git-ta-gi-ta-gi-tagi.  It is then virtually pronounced as "Tagi", "Tagi", which means one who has renounced the world for the sake of God.  Thus, in one word, the Gita teaches, "Renounce, ye world-bound men!  Renounce everything, and fix the mind on the Lord."

Faith

A boy named Jatila used to walk to school through the woods, and the journey frightened him.  One day he told his mother of his fear.  She replied: "Why should you be afraid?  Call Madhusudana."  "Mother," asked the boy, "Who is Madhusudana?"  The mother said, "He is your Elder Brother."  One day after this, when the boy again felt afraid in the woods, he cried out, "O Brother Madhusudana!"  But there was no response.  He began to weep aloud:  "Where are You, Brother, Madhusudana?  Come to me.  I am afraid."  Then God could no longer stay away.  He appeared before the boy and said: "Here I am.  Why are you frightened?"  And so saying He took the boy out of the woods and showed him the way to school.  When He took leave of the boy, God said: "I will come whenever you call me.  Do not be afraid."
One must have this faith of a child, this yearning.

A brahman used to worship his family Deity with food offerings.  One day he had to go away on business. As he was about to leave the house, he said to his son: "Give the offering to the Deity today.  See that God is fed."  The boy offered food in the shrine, but the image remained silent on the altar.  It would neither eat nor talk.  The boy waited a long time, but still the image did not move.  But the boy firmly believed that God would come down from His throne, sit on the floor, and partake of his food.  Again and again he prayed to the Deity, saying: "O Lord, come down and eat the food.  It is already very late.  I cannot sit here any longer."  But the image did not utter a word.  The boy burst into tears and cried: "O Lord, my father asked me to feed you.  Why won't you come down?  Why won't you eat from my hands?"  The boy wept for some time with a longing soul.  At last the Deity, smiling, came down from the altar and sat before the meal and ate it.  After feeding the Deity, the boy came out of the shrine room.  His relative said: "The worship is over.  Now bring away the offering."  "Yes," said the boy, "the worship is over.  But God has eaten everything."  "How is that?" asked the relatives.  The boy replied innocently, "Why, God has eaten the food."  They entered the shrine and were speechless with wonder to see that the Deity had really eaten every bit of the offering.

God can be realized through child-like faith and guilelessness.
  A certain person, on coming across a sadhu, humbly begged him for instruction.  The sadhu's advice was, "Love God with all your heart and soul."  The enquirer replied, "I have never seen God, nor do I know anything about Him; how is it possible that I should love Him?"  The holy man enquired whom the other loved most.  The answer was, "I have nobody to care for.  I have a sheep and that is the only creature I love."  The sadhu said: "Then tend the creature and love it with all your heart and soul, and always remember that the Lord abides in it."  Having given this advice the sadhu left the place.  The enquirer now began to tend the sheep with loving care, fully believing that the Lord abode in the creature.  After a long time the sadhu, during his return journey, sought out the person he had advised and enquired how he was getting on.  The latter saluted the sadhu and said, "Master, I am all right, thanks to your kind instructions.  Much good has come to me by following the line of thought prescribed by you.  Time and again I see a beautiful figure with four hands within my sheep and I find supreme bliss in that."

You must have heard about the tremendous power of faith.  It is said in the Purana that Rama, who was God Himself--the embodiment of Absolute Brahman--had to build a bridge to cross the sea to Ceylon (Sri Lanka).  But Hanuman, trusting in Rama's name, cleared the sea in one jump and reached the other side.  He had no need of a bridge.

Once the son of a certain man lay at the point of death, and it seemed that none could save his life.  A sadhu, however, said to the father of the dying son: "There is but one hope.  If you can get in a human skull the venom of a cobra mixed with a few drops of rain-water under the constellation of the Svati star, your son's life can be saved."  The father looked up the almanac and found that the constellation of the Svati would be in the ascendant on the morrow.  So he prayed, saying, "O Lord, do Thou make possible all these conditions, and the spare the life of my son."  With extreme earnestness and longing in his heart, he set out on the following evening and diligently searched in a deserted spot for a human skull.  At last he found one under a tree, held it in the hand, and waited for the rain, praying.  Suddenly, a shower came, and a few drops of rain were deposited in the upturned skull.  the man said to himself, "Now I have the water in the skull under the right constellation."  Then he prayed earnestly, "Grant, O Lord, that the rest may also be obtained."  In a short time he discovered, not far from there, a toad, and a cobra springing to catch it.  In a moment the toad jumped over the skull, followed by the cobra whose venom fell into the skull.  With overwhelming gratitude the anxious father cried out: "Lord, by Thy grace even impossible things are made possible.  Now I know that my son's life will be saved."
  Therefore, I say, if you have true faith and earnest longing, you will get everything by the grace of the Lord.

A Milk-Maid used to supply milk to a brahmana priest living on the other side of a river.  Owing to the irregularities of the boat service, she could not supply him milk punctually every day.  Once, being rebuked for her going late, the poor woman said, "What can I do?  I start early from my house, but have to wait for a long time at the river bank for the boatman and the passengers."  The priest said, "Woman!  They cross the ocean of life by uttering the name of God, and can't you cross this little river?"  The simple-hearted woman became very glad at heart on learning this easy means of crossing the river.  From the next day the milk was being supplied early in the morning.  One day the priest said to the woman, "How is it that you are no longer late nowadays?"  She said, "I cross the river by uttering the name of the Lord as you told me to do, and don't stand now in need of a boatman."  The priest could not believe this and said, "Can you show me how you cross the river?"  The woman took him with her and began to walk over the water.  Looking behind, the woman saw the priest in a sad plight and said, "How is it, sir, that you are uttering the name of God with your mouth, but at the same time with your hands you are trying to keep your cloth untouched by water?  You do not fully rely on Him."
  Entire resignation and absolute faith in God are at the root of all miraculous deeds.

Devotion

In a certain village there lived a weaver.  He was a very pious soul.  Everyone trusted him and loved him.  He used to sell his goods in the market-place.  When a customer asked him the price of a cloth, the weaver would say: "By the will of Rama the price of the yarn is one rupee and the labour four annas; by the will of Rama the profit is two annas.  The price of the cloth, by the will of Rama, is one rupee and six annas."  Such was the people's faith in the weaver that the customer would at once pay the price and take the cloth.  The weaver was a real devotee of God.  After finishing his supper in the evening, he would spend long hours in the worship hall meditating on God and chanting His name and glories.  Now, late one night the weaver couldn't sleep.  He was sitting in the worship hall, smoking, now and then, when a band of robbers happened to pass that way.  They wanted a man to carry their goods and said to the weaver, "Come with us." So saying, they led him off by the hand.  After committing a robbery in a house, they put a load of things on the weaver's head commanding him to carry them.  Suddenly the police arrived and the robbers ran away.  But the weaver, with his load, was arrested.  He was kept in the lock-up for the night.  Next day he was brought before the magistrate for trial.  The villagers learnt what had happened and came to the court.  They said to the magistrate, "Your Honour, this man could never commit robbery."  Thereupon the magistrate asked the weaver to make his statement.
  The weaver said: "Your Honour, by the will of Rama I finished my meal at night.  Then by the will of Rama I was sitting in the worship hall.  It was quite late at night by the will of Rama.  By the will of Rama I had been thinking of God and chanting His name and glories, when by the will of Rama a band of robbers passed that way.  By the will of Rama they dragged me with them; by the will of Rama they committed a robbery in a house; and by the will of Rama they put a load on my head.  Just then, by the will of Rama the police arrived and by the will of Rama I was arrested.  Then by the will of Rama the police kept me in the lock-up for the night, and this morning by the will of Rama I have been brought before Your Honour."  The magistrate realized that the weaver was a pious man and ordered his release.  On his way home the weaver said to his friends, "By the will of Rama I have been released."
  Whether you live in the world or renounce it, everything depends upon the will of Rama.  Throwing your whole responsibility upon God, do your work in the world.

In the course of his pilgrimage through the southern parts of India, Sri Chaitanya Deva came across a certain devotee who was in tears all the while a pundit was reading from the Gita.  Now this devotee knew not even a single word of the Gita.  On being asked why he shed tears, he replied, "It is indeed true that I do not know a word of the Gita.  But all the while it was being read, I could not help seeing with my inner eye the beautiful form of my Lord Sri Krishna seated before Arjuna in a chariot in the field of Kurukshetra, and giving out all those sublime thoughts embodied in the Gita.  This it was that filled my eyes with tears of joy and love."
  This man who knew not letters, had the highest Knowledge, for he had pure love for God and could realize Him.

Once upon a time conceit entered into the heart of Narada, and he thought there was no greater devotee than himself.  Reading his heart, the Lord said: "Narada, go to such and such a place.  A great devotee of mine is living there.  Cultivate his acquaintance; for he is truly devoted to Me."  Narada went there and found an agriculturist who rose early in the morning, pronounced the name of Hari (God) only once, and taking his plough, went out and tilled the ground all day long.  At night he went to bed after pronouncing the name of Hari once more.  Narada said to himself: "How can this rustic be a lover of God?  I see him busily engaged in worldly duties, and he has no signs of a pious man about him."  Then Narada went back to the Lord and spoke what he thought of his new acquaintance.  Thereupon the Lord said: "Narada, take this cup of oil and go round this city and come back with it.  But take care that you do not spill even a single drop of it."  Narada did as he was told, and on his return the Lord asked him, "Well, Narada, how many times did you remember Me in the course of your walk round the city?"  "Not once, my Lord," said Narada, "and how could I, when I had to watch this cup brimming over with oil?"  The Lord then said: "This one cup of oil did so divert your attention that even you did forget Me altogether.  But look at that rustic, who, though carrying the heavy burden of a family, still remembers Me twice every day."

Faith, Devotion and Resignation

Once a washerman was beating a devotee severely and the devotee was crying, "Narayana! Narayana!"  Lord Narayana was in Sri Vaikuntha, sitting near Lakshmi.  As soon as He heard the cry of the devotee, He got up and proceeded to protect the man.  But He returned to His seat after going only a few steps.  Seeing this, Lakshmi asked the Lord why He had returned so quickly.  Lord Narayana replied, "Because I found no need of my going there.  That fellow too has become a Dhobi (washerman).  He has begun to protect himself; he is now giving blows in return to the man who has been beating him before.  So where is the necessity of my going there?"  The Lord saves one only if one surrenders oneself completely to Him.

Worldly position of devotees

As Bhishma lay dying on his bed of arrows, he was found shedding tears.  Sri Krishna and the Pandavas were standing by.  Arjuna exclaimed, "How strange, brother!  Our grandfather Bhishma himself--so truthful and wise, the master of his self, and one amongst the eight Vasus (a class of deities)--even he is overcome by Maya in his dying hour and is shedding tears!" When this was communicated to Bhishma he replied: "O Krishna, you know full well that I am not crying for that.  But when I think that even the Pandavas, whom the Lord Himself is serving as charioteer, have to pass through endless troubles and tribulations, I am overpowered with the thought that the ways of God cannot in the least be comprehended, and I cannot restrain my tears."

The Beggar and the Diamond

This is the tale of an old beggar named Ramu who has had a miserable life. One day Ramu is walking along thinking about his unhappy existence and feeling angry at Shiva. Shiva, at the request of Parvati who felt pity for the beggar, drops a massive diamond on his path in plain sight. The diamond is worth so much that it would feed him and all his descendents for several generations. On the ground, Ramu has decided after some pondering that he should not be angry about his life or blame Shiva because he still has a few things to be grateful for, such as retaining his sight at such an old age. To illustrate to himself how much worse life could be if he was blind, he decides to close his eyes as he walks. Ironically, he does not see the diamond because of this and merrily walks past it, missing it by just inches. Shiva takes back the diamond and puts an ironwood branch further up the path. Shiva then says, "The only difference is that Ramu shall find the branch. It shall serve him as a walking stick until the last of his days." Parvati asks Shiva, "Have you just taught me a lesson, Shiva?" Shiva answers, "I don't know. Have I?"

Yearning for God

If you must be mad, be it not for the things of the world.  Be mad with the love of God.

Some men shed streams of tears because sons are not born to them, others eat away their hearts in sorrow because they cannot get riches.  But alas! how many are there who sorrow and weep for not having seen the Lord!  Very few indeed!  Verily, he who seeks the Lord, who weeps for Him, attains Him.

Let your heart pan for Him as a miser longs for gold.

As the drowning man pants hard for breath, so must one's heart yearn for the Lord, before one can find Him.

Do you know how intense our love of God should be?  The love that a devoted wife possesses for her beloved husband, the attachment that a miser feels for his hoarded wealth, and the clinging desire that the worldly-minded people foster for the things of the world--when the intensity of your heart's longing for the Lord is equal to the sum of these three, then you will attain Him.

'I must attain God in this very life; yea, in three days I must find Him; nay with a single utterance of His name I will draw Him to me'--with such violent Love the devotee can attract and realize Him quickly.  But devotees who are lukewarm in their Love take ages to find Him if indeed they find Him at all.

Why this attitude of an idler, that if realization is not possible in this birth, it will come in the next?  There should not be such sluggishness in devotion.  The goal never be reached unless a man makes his mind strong, and firmly resolves that the must realize God in this very birth, nay, this very moment.  In the countryside, when cultivators go to purchase bullocks, they first touch the tails of the animals.  Some of the bullocks do not make any response to this.  Rather, they relax all their limbs and lie down on the ground. At once the cultivators understand them to be worthless.  There are some others that jump about and behave violently the moment their tails are touched; and the peasants immediately know that these will be very useful to them.  Their choice is then made from among this active type.  Slothfulness is not at all desirable.  Gather strength, firm faith, and say that you must realize God this very moment.  Then only can you succeed.

A devotee asked the Master, "By what means can He be seen?" and the Master replied: "Can you weep for Him with intense longing?  Men weep jugfuls of tears for children, wife, money, etc.; but who weeps for God?  So long as a child is engrossed in play with its toys, the mother engages herself in cooking and other household works.  But when the little one finds no more satisfaction in toys, throws them aside and loudly cries for its mother, she can no longer remain in the kitchen.  She perhaps drops down the rice pot from the hearth, and runs in hot haste to the child and takes it up in her arms."

Wherein does the strength of an aspirant lie?  He is a child of God, and tears are his greatest strength.  As a mother fulfills the desires of a child who weeps and importunes her, so does the Lord grant to His weeping child whatever he is crying for.

As a child beseeches it mother for toys and pice, weeping and teasing her, so he who weeps inwardly, intensely longing to see Him, like an innocent child, and knowing Him to be his nearest and dearest, is rewarded at last with the vision Divine.  God can no longer remain hidden from such an earnest and importunate seeker.