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A
man is truly free, even here
in this embodied state, if he
knows that God is the true agent
and he by himself is powerless
to do anything.
It is easy to talk on religion,
but difficult to practice it.
Many good sayings are to be
found in holy books, but merely
reading them will not make one
religious. One must practice
the virtues taught in such books
in order to acquire love of
God.
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.
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As a wet-nurse in a wealthy family
brings up her master’s child,
loving it as if it were her own, yet
knowing well that she has no claim
upon it, so you also think that you
are but trustee and guardians of your
children whose real father is the
Lord himself.
If you must be mad, be it not for
the things of the world. Be mad with
the love of God.
Because of the screen of Maya (illusion)
that shuts off God from human view,
one cannot see Him playing in one’s
heart.
Many are the names of God and infinite
the forms through which He may be
approached.
Unless one always speaks the truth,
one cannot find God Who is the soul
of truth.
One must be very particular about
telling the truth. Through truth one
can realize God.
If you desire to be pure, have firm
faith, and slowly go on with your
devotional practices without wasting
your energy in useless scriptural
discussions and arguments. Your little
brain will otherwise be muddled.
Work, apart from devotion or love
of God, is helpless and cannot stand
alone.
After installing the Deity on the
lotus of your heart, you must keep
the lamp of remembering God ever burning.
While engaged in the affairs of the
world, you should constantly turn
your gaze inwards and see whether
the lamp is burning or not.
To work without attachment is to
work without the expectation of reward
or fear of any punishment in this
world or the next. Work so done is
a means to the end, and God is the
end.
As long as you are a person with
an ego of your own, cannot conceive,
think of or perceive God other than
as a person.
God is in all men, but all men are
not in God; that is why we suffer.
When the divine vision is attained,
all appear equal; and there remains
no distinction of good and bad, or
of high and low.
Good and evil cannot bind him who
has realized the oneness of Nature
and his own self with Brahman.
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