God
God's Presence
"To say that there is no God is like saying
'I have no tongue' with your own tongue."
"God is very close to you, that is why you cannot
see Him. Is it possible to see our own face without
the aid of a mirror? And will it be possible to see
our image in a mirror if the mirror is completely covered
with dust? Look after wiping away the dust particles
and cleaning the mirror; then certainly you can see."
"Searching for God outside ourselves is like
trying to catch fish by emptying the ocean. Therefore,
become introspective and look within."
God's Remembrance
"By remembering God constantly, just as a snake
sheds its skin, we can free ourselves from all bonds
and be reborn again. Even if you forget to eat, don't
forget to think of Him."
"If there is a resting place nearby, the mere
thought that the luggage which you are carrying can
soon be unloaded lightens the burden. In the same way,
when we think that God is near, all our burdens will
diminish."
"A mother bird will be thinking of the young
ones in the nest even when she is out looking for food.
Similarly you have to keep your mind on God while engaged
in all worldly actions."
"The moment you remember your parents, relatives,
friends or your favourite food, you see them in your
mind's eye. You have to build a similar attachment
to God. That is the purpose of japa, meditation and
satsang."
"Just as the colour of the ink disappears when
a lot of water is added to it, by constant remembrance
of God, the individual mind dissolves in the universal
mind."
"A bitter gourd looses its bitterness if it
is soaked in sugar for some time. Likewise, a negative
mind will be purified if one thinks of God ceaselessly."
"We lose our strength through worldly pleasures,
but by constant remembrance of God our mind becomes
stronger."
"If you keep pouring water into a bottle of
ink, The colour slowly fades until finally you can't
tell whether there was any ink in it. In the same way
as the mind expands with the constant remembrance of
God, the sense of individuality will dissolve and finally
disappear. The individual mind becomes the Universal
mind."
"An express bus stops only at a limited number
of places and reaches its destination without delays.
Constant remembrance of God is like travelling on an
express bus."
All Pervading
"The outside shapes and colours of the different
wrappings on candies can differ, but all the candies
have the same substance. Likewise, the supreme principle
behind the various shapes and colours in the outside
world is one."
"The ring, the bracelet and the earrings are
made of gold. If you look at their external shapes
you only see these shapes, if you look deeper you can
see the gold that is the substratum within all of them."
"Remove the boundary between two fields, and
there is only one field. Boundaries and divisions are
artificial, and created by man. See the One in all."
"When we stop fanning ourselves with a handheld
fan, the flow of air stops. But it doesn't mean there
is no air. When a light bulb burns out or a fan stops
turning, it doesn't mean that there is no electricity.
God is everywhere."
"By whatever name you call it, the Divine Power
is one and the same. God is not someone who responds
only if He hears the sound of a certain call. He dwells
in our hearts."
"An actor takes many roles, but he remains the
same. God is like this. Different are His names and
forms, but He is the One behind all."
"Is there any difference between the electric
current which passes through the refrigerator, the
lamp, and the fan? No, only the object differs. Similarly,
each person understands God according to his culture
and worships as such."
"There is a dam in the middle of the lake. The
lake is two, but if the dam is not there, then it is
one. That dam is ignorance or maya. Duality is only
seemingly real."
"We have hands, legs, eyes, nose, etc., but
are these different organs not part of our own body?
Like this, see everything that is seen as God's Limbs."
God Experience
"Will you get any milk by pressing the ears
of a cow? Can you say there is milk in all parts of
her body? Only her udder contains milk for us to drink,
and we will get that only if we milk her. It's true
that God is everywhere, but to actually experience
Him we have to connect to Him through spiritual practices
and sadhana."
"Not everyone who plays the lottery wins the
first prize. The prize goes to one among millions.
God experience is like that; only one in a million
will have it."
"Worldly pleasures are like a candy that gives
sweetness now, but ruins your teeth later. If you know
God, you can enjoy sweetness all the time - and it
is not bad for the teeth!"
Surrendering
"What will happen if the doctor tells the patient
to come to him only after he gets well? God is the
one who purifies the mind. Take refuge in Him and offer
all the dirt of your mind. Only He can cleanse you."
"Once we board a train, do we continue to carry
our load and complain about how heavy it is? Take refuge
in Him and surrender everything."
God's Grace
"Wouldn't it be useless to blame others
if we can't watch the TV because we haven't turned
it on? God's Grace is always flowing to us, but to
benefit from it, we have to be tuned to His world."
"What is the use of sitting inside a room with
all the doors and windows closed and complain that
it is dark, while the sun is shining brightly outside?
If we just open the doors of our hearts, we can receive
the grace that God is constantly showering upon us."
Our Mistakes
"God has given discrimination to human beings
to refrain from committing any errors. We have to make
use of it. The field is there and the seed is there
also. Cultivate carefully and reap the fruit."
"A doctor prescribes for us a bodybuilding tonic.
If we ignore his instruction and drink up the whole
bottle at once, he is not responsible for our ruined
health. In the same way God is not responsible for
our mistakes."
"If we drive carelessly and meet with an accident,
can we blame the gasoline? How can God be blamed for
our carelessness?"
Purity of Heart
"Do we need to give water to a river to
quench its thirst? By taking refuge in God it is we
who gain purity of heart, and with a pure heart we
can constantly enjoy the state of bliss."
" It is difficult to see the sun's reflection
in muddy water, but in clean water the image can be
easily seen. Similarly, only those who are pure at
heart can experience God."
God's Love
"No one loves anyone more than they love
themselves. When we don't get the happiness we expect
from a friend, our friend becomes our enemy. Only God
loves us selflessly."
Love for God
"By filling a reservoir, you supply water
to all the pipes connected to it. If you pour water
at the root of a tree, it will reach all the branches.
In the same way, by loving God, we love everyone. It
is the same God dwelling within everyone."
God's Form
"Like the ocean that rises up in response
to the attraction exerted by the moon, God can assume
any form He wants depending on the needs of the devotees."
God's Light
"God needs nothing from us. Does the sun need
the light of a candle? God is like the sun, shedding
its light equally on all things in the world. We, living
in the dark, need light."
God's Certificate
"If we wait for the certificate of approval
from others, we won't get a certificate from God. What
we really need is God's certificate."
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