How can I develop intense dispassion for worldly things?
If you want to realize God, then you must cultivate intense dispassion. You must renounce immediately what you feel to be standing in your way. You should not put it off till the future. 'Woman and gold' is the obstruction. The mind must be withdrawn
When will we be freed from the bondage of the world?
Ah, He [God] will free us when the disease is cured. He will liberate us from the world when we are through with the enjoyment of 'woman and gold'. Once a man registers his name in the hospital, he cannot run away. The doctor will not let him go away
How can I develop dispassion for worldly things gradually?
Dispassion is not possible unless there is satiety through enjoyment. You can easily cajole a small child with candies or toys. But after eating the candies and finishing its play, it cries, 'I want to go to my mother.' Unless you take the child to its
Why has God put us in the world?
The world is the field of action. Through action one acquires knowledge. The guru instructs the disciple to perform certain works and refrain from others. Again, he advises the pupil to perform action without desiring the result. The impurity of the mind
What is the role of the Guru in a spiritual aspirant's life?
Satchidananda Himself is the Guru. [...] when the vision of the Ishta is about to take place, the guru appears before the aspirant and says to him, 'Behold! There is your Ishta.' Saying this, the guru merges in the Ishta. He who is the guru is also the
How to transform I-Consiousness?
The Vedantist says, 'I am He.' Brahman is real and the world illusory. Even the 'I' is illusory. Only the Supreme Brahman exists. But the 'I' cannot be got rid of. Therefore it is good to have the feeling, 'I am the servant of God, His son, His devotee.
How does idol worship help?
As you recall your father by his photograph, so likewise the worship of the image reveals in a flash the nature of Reality. Do you know what God with form is like? Like bubbles rising on an expanse of water, various divine forms are seen to rise out of
What happens to a person after God-Realization?
[...] He has only the semblance of lust, anger, and the like. If, after attaining God, he looks on himself as the servant or the devotee of God, then he cannot injure anyone. By touching the philosopher's stone a sword is turned into gold. It keeps the
Is it safe to think of oneself as the servant or devotee of God?
The 'servant I' - that is, the feeling, 'I am the servant of God, I am the devotee of God' - does not injure one. On the contrary, it helps one to realize God. Reference: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (7.1 The Master And Vijay Goswami)
How to get rid of the Ego?
It is true that one or two can get rid of the 'I' through samadhi; but these cases are very rare. You may indulge in thousands of reasoning, but still the 'I' comes back. You may cut the peepal-tree to the very root today, but you will notice a sprout
What obstructs one from seeing God?
Maya is nothing but the egotism of the embodied soul. This egotism has covered everything like a veil. 'All troubles come to an end when the ego dies.' If by the grace of God a man but once realizes that he is not the doer, then he at once becomes a Jivanmukta.
Does an ordinary human being have the power to remove the worldly bondage?
How is it ever possible for one man to liberate another from the bondage of the world? God alone, the Creator of this world-bewitching maya, can save men from maya. There is no other refuge but that great Teacher, Satchidananda. How is it ever possible
What is the attitude of an Enlightened person towards women?
He who has realized God does not look upon a woman with the eye of lust; so he is not afraid of her. He perceives clearly that women are but so many aspects of the Divine Mother. He worships them all as the Mother Herself. Reference: The Gospel of Sri
Seeing suffering everywhere makes us lose hope in the purpose of life itself. Does there exist any ultimate lofty aim for the human life?
Is it possible to understand God's action and His motive? He creates, He preserves, and He destroys. Can we ever understand why He destroys? I say to the Divine Mother: 'O Mother, I do not need to understand. Please give me love for Thy Lotus Feet.' The
Does God have form or is he formless?
No one can say with finality that God is only 'this' and nothing else. He is formless, and again He has forms. For the bhakta He assumes forms. But He is formless for the jnani, that is, for him who looks on the world as a mere dream. The bhakta feels
How should a spiritual aspirant perform his worldly duties?
Yes, you can perform them too, but only as much as you need for your livelihood. At the same time, you must pray to God in solitude, with tears in your eyes, that you may be able to perform those duties in an unselfish manner. You should say to Him: 'O