single day. The mind is like a restless child, it wants to runaway.
You must bring it back again and again and apply it to the meditation
on the Lord. Go on this way for two or three years, and then an
inexpressible joy will fill your mind. Meditation and Japa appear dry
in the beginning. But still you must engage the mind in the
contemplation of the Deity, like swallowing a bitter medicine. Slowly
spiritual joy will grow in you. People work so hard to pass an
examination! To realise the God is even easier than that. Only let
them call on Him with a calm, cheerful heart." - Swami Brahmananda
"To follow the Master means to practice what he taught; otherwise
nobody can advance by just offering to him a few flowers or through
some momentary sentimental outbursts." - Swami Premananda
"Now-a-days there are so many religious societies, but people lose
all interest in them after a few days. What is the reason for this?
The reason is our words are not in accord with our thoughts. The first
step in religion is to be sincere to the core." - Swami Saradananda
"Low thoughts will come and go. Don't mind them. Through His grace, as
a result of constant practice you will get strength. Devote your whole
mind to japa, meditation, worship and the study of the scriptures,
whichever appeals to you for the time being." - Swami Shivananda
"So long as we have no ideal to follow, we will have to heed the calls
of our lower nature. A characterless man is slave to all worldly
enjoyments." - Swami Ramakrishnananda
"Never expect anything from anyone. But always give. Otherwise a sense
of dryness will overtake you. But you must not give your mind to
anyone. That you must give only to God." - Swami Turiyananda.
"If you desire to have firm and unshakable faith and devotion to the
Lord, you should also take to tapasya, hard austerities. Tapasya does
not mean aimless wandering hither and thither, it really means regular
and steadfast japa, meditation and self-control." - Swami Abhedananda
"It is better to continue calling on the Lord devotedly than to know,
speak, and preach thousand and one religious cants and shibboleths." -
Swami Adbhutananda
"People of all castes can be initiated by a good guru who has
attained perfection. What caste can a true devotee or the perfect soul
have? When the individual soul merges in God (like rivers in the sea),
they can no more have any individuality. So how can there be then,
the distinction of caste, as Brahmin, Shudra etc., belonging to the
body and never to the soul?" - Swami Trigunatitananda
"The spiritual path for the present age lies through the harmony of
all paths of earlier ages -- harmony of knowledge, devotion and
selfless work. We must have knowledge, devotion and service. It won't
do to have only one." - Swami Akhandananda
"Before the Lord enters the temple of anyone of His children's hearts,
he fills it with devotion, faith and love, just as a king sends
different pieces of furniture and vessels to a subject's house which
he intends to visit. Else, where can the poor subject get all those
things? The Lord grants devotion, faith and love, just because He will
come." - Swami Subodhananda
"One who can detach his mind from material things will see the light
of God and his presence in everything. Worldly attachment draws people
away from God and scorch them in the wild fire of the world." - Swami
Vijnanananda
"There is no sin which I have not committed, but still there is no end
of Grace I have received from the Master." - Girish Chandra Ghosh
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