"Why does not the Mother answer to the cry of Her children?"
She was once asked. Immediately without a moment's deliberation, rang out Her voice, - 'Pitaji Pitaji".
There was no response to Her call. Once more She called and someone stood up in the hall and responded. She laughed - and She laughs with the whole of Her being - and triumphantly said - "You did not answer, because you thought I was not serious in calling you. But you answered when you realized that I was calling you.
Likewise, the great Mother knows when Her children are at play and when they really need Her. They call Her often without really wanting Her. But when they fall and are hurt and cry for Her help, She answers immediately."
She was once asked. Immediately without a moment's deliberation, rang out Her voice, - 'Pitaji Pitaji".
There was no response to Her call. Once more She called and someone stood up in the hall and responded. She laughed - and She laughs with the whole of Her being - and triumphantly said - "You did not answer, because you thought I was not serious in calling you. But you answered when you realized that I was calling you.
Likewise, the great Mother knows when Her children are at play and when they really need Her. They call Her often without really wanting Her. But when they fall and are hurt and cry for Her help, She answers immediately."
None can foretell at what particular time circumstances will co-operate to bring about that Great Moment for anyone. There may be failure to begin with, but what counts is final success. An aspirant cannot be judged by preliminary results. In the spiritual field, final success means success right from the beginning.
Once when the satsang was over, an old man was taking leave.
"It is getting late," he said, "I must be going home."
"Late indeed," agreed Anandamayi, "there you are right; but go to your real home, not to the dharmasala pilgrim hostel."
"I am not staying in any dharmasala, I have my own house here," he replied.
She shook her head and smiled: "Do you call that home? You won't be able to stay there for ever. Your days are
numbered and when your time is up you will have to leave.
I call it dharmasala.
There are rules and regulations; you may remain for a while but then you have to quit.
This body tells you to find your real home from which nobody can drive you out, which is not of this world. Dig deep and unearth your real wealth, find your real home in God, who is your own Self."
"It is getting late," he said, "I must be going home."
"Late indeed," agreed Anandamayi, "there you are right; but go to your real home, not to the dharmasala pilgrim hostel."
"I am not staying in any dharmasala, I have my own house here," he replied.
She shook her head and smiled: "Do you call that home? You won't be able to stay there for ever. Your days are
numbered and when your time is up you will have to leave.
I call it dharmasala.
There are rules and regulations; you may remain for a while but then you have to quit.
This body tells you to find your real home from which nobody can drive you out, which is not of this world. Dig deep and unearth your real wealth, find your real home in God, who is your own Self."
A true devotee realises that his Lord is within and without, that He is all-knowing and all-powerful — omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Understanding this, the devotee simply tries to express his total helplessness to the Lord and accepts Him as the sole protector and guide. In such sincere and open-hearted prayer, the devotee confesses the uselessness and the burden of his ego. He prays to the Lord to remove it, to destroy it. This kind of prayer is real meditation, and it will definitely take one to the goal.
Mere gymnastics is nutrition for the body.
Now, as to ‘doing’ : Sustained effort ends in effortless being; in other words, what has been attained by constant practice is finally transcended.
Then comes spontaneity. Not until this happens can the utility of hathayoga be understood. When the physical fitness resulting from
hathayoga is used as an aid to spiritual endeavor, it is not wasted.
Otherwise, it is not yoga, but bhoga (enjoyment).
Now, as to ‘doing’ : Sustained effort ends in effortless being; in other words, what has been attained by constant practice is finally transcended.
Then comes spontaneity. Not until this happens can the utility of hathayoga be understood. When the physical fitness resulting from
hathayoga is used as an aid to spiritual endeavor, it is not wasted.
Otherwise, it is not yoga, but bhoga (enjoyment).
A man’s belief is greatly influenced by his environment; therefore he should choose the company of the Holy and Wise. Belief means to believe in one’s Self, disbelief to mistake the non-Self for one’s Self.
Kishenpur, 23rd April, 1960
Two blind men came. One asked: “How does one get the vision of God? Tell me the easiest way to it?”
Ma: By seeking Him for His own sake.
Question: Which is better, devotion or the path of knowledge?
Ma: Adhere to God’s Name. Repeat His Name day and night and get engrossed in the sweetness of His Name.
The second blind man: Mataji, give me your blessing.
Ma: Pray to God and you will feel His blessing.
A lady: You said: “Seek God for His own sake”. But if one seeks Him with selfishness, will he also attain to Him?
Ma: Of course, if you seek God —with whatever motive— you will get something of Him, and if you pray for anything of this world you will also get it. But these things are not worth asking for. One should not seek God with any motive, but only for His own sake.
Seek God because it is your nature to do so, because you cannot remain without Him. Whether and when He reveals Himself to you is His affair. Yours is to call out to Him constantly, not to waste your energy on anything else.
It is not right to compare and reason saying: “Such and such a person has done sadhana for so many years and yet has not got anywhere”. How can you judge what is happening to anyone inwardly? Sometimes it seems that a person who does sadhana seems to have changed for the worse. But how do you know that this tendency has not always been in him and has now come out so that it may be dealt with and purified as a result of his endeavors? To say: “I have done so much sadhana but have not been transformed”, is also the wrong attitude. Yours is only to seek God and call out to Him unceasingly and not look to the result of what you are doing.
The Lady: Sometimes I feel desperate because I don’t seem to be able to progress.
Mataji: You get desperate when you have desires and they remain unfulfilled. But when you aspire to God for His own sake how can you be desperate.
- 'Death Must Die'
Two blind men came. One asked: “How does one get the vision of God? Tell me the easiest way to it?”
Ma: By seeking Him for His own sake.
Question: Which is better, devotion or the path of knowledge?
Ma: Adhere to God’s Name. Repeat His Name day and night and get engrossed in the sweetness of His Name.
The second blind man: Mataji, give me your blessing.
Ma: Pray to God and you will feel His blessing.
A lady: You said: “Seek God for His own sake”. But if one seeks Him with selfishness, will he also attain to Him?
Ma: Of course, if you seek God —with whatever motive— you will get something of Him, and if you pray for anything of this world you will also get it. But these things are not worth asking for. One should not seek God with any motive, but only for His own sake.
Seek God because it is your nature to do so, because you cannot remain without Him. Whether and when He reveals Himself to you is His affair. Yours is to call out to Him constantly, not to waste your energy on anything else.
It is not right to compare and reason saying: “Such and such a person has done sadhana for so many years and yet has not got anywhere”. How can you judge what is happening to anyone inwardly? Sometimes it seems that a person who does sadhana seems to have changed for the worse. But how do you know that this tendency has not always been in him and has now come out so that it may be dealt with and purified as a result of his endeavors? To say: “I have done so much sadhana but have not been transformed”, is also the wrong attitude. Yours is only to seek God and call out to Him unceasingly and not look to the result of what you are doing.
The Lady: Sometimes I feel desperate because I don’t seem to be able to progress.
Mataji: You get desperate when you have desires and they remain unfulfilled. But when you aspire to God for His own sake how can you be desperate.
- 'Death Must Die'
A member of a well known Indian family, who had distinguished herself by devoting her life to social service, came for SRI MA’s darsana and asked: "Does the capacity to meditate come by practice in this life, or is it an aptitude acquired in former births ?"
SRI MA: It may be the result of either of the two, or of both combined.
Meditation should be practiced every day of one’s life. Look, what is there in this world? Absolutely nothing that is lasting; therefore direct your longing towards the Eternal.
Pray that the work done through you, His instrument, may be pure. In every action remember Him. The purer your thinking, the finer will be your work. In this world you get a thing, and by tomorrow it may be gone. This is why your life should be spent in a spirit of service; feel that the Lord is accepting services from you in whatever you do. If you desire peace you must cherish the thought of Him.
SRI MA: It may be the result of either of the two, or of both combined.
Meditation should be practiced every day of one’s life. Look, what is there in this world? Absolutely nothing that is lasting; therefore direct your longing towards the Eternal.
Pray that the work done through you, His instrument, may be pure. In every action remember Him. The purer your thinking, the finer will be your work. In this world you get a thing, and by tomorrow it may be gone. This is why your life should be spent in a spirit of service; feel that the Lord is accepting services from you in whatever you do. If you desire peace you must cherish the thought of Him.
Sit immersed in meditation, becoming quite still, steady and fully concentrated.
Very well, now listen to something else. There is a stage where working is very delightful and gives intense happiness. Here one is quite unconcerned with what may or may not result from one’s action; the work is done entirely for its own sake, for the love of it. Neither is there an external Guru in this, nor the love of Him. A state of being of this kind does exist. There is great diversity in the realm of action.
The sense of contentment experienced at the fulfillment of some worldly desire is relative happiness. This desire may be for one’s wife, son, a relation, or any other person, and accordingly the fruit inherent in each particular action will be reaped. This is working for the sake of self-satisfaction (bhoga), not for the sake of union (yoga); it brings sorrow along with joy.
The sense of contentment experienced at the fulfillment of some worldly desire is relative happiness. This desire may be for one’s wife, son, a relation, or any other person, and accordingly the fruit inherent in each particular action will be reaped. This is working for the sake of self-satisfaction (bhoga), not for the sake of union (yoga); it brings sorrow along with joy.
Since you seek ownership of the garden, you feel unhappy. Be the gardener instead of trying to be the owner, and then you will feel happy.
If there were, it would mean that the discovery of the Real depends on the efforts of the individual. The Supreme would not be the Supreme if He were subject to anything at all. He and He alone is at all times. To wear out the veil that occludes the vision of Reality is all that man can do, and that he has got to do.
Real silence means there is actually nowhere else for the mind to go .
When by the flood of your tears the inner and outer have fused into one, you will find Her whom you sought with such anguish, nearer than the nearest, the very breath of life, the very core of every heart.
There is One Centre in your being from Which come vibrations of Mantra; images also are revealed there from together with the Truth underlying them. Who is it that does all this? Reflect! He dwells within you and does everything. He awakens enthusiasm, He inspires without you knowing it. He is the omniscient Being. Why speak of Self-realization in the future? It is here and now - only the veil that hides It has to be destroyed
I move like the wind, subtle and invisible, and all of the worlds of mind and matter come into being.
You must greet each day with a welcome heart, for the sun must also rise in you for the light to disperse the darkness.
Some severe blow of fate will drive you towards God. This will be but an expression of His [Her] Mercy; however painful, it is by such blows that one learns one's lesson.
All sorrow is due to the fact that many are seen, where there is only One.
Never does the soft moonlight appear more soothing than after the scorching heat of a summer day.
It is personal desire that is the very cause of suffering.
Real silence means there is actually nowhere else for the mind to go.
The Supreme Father, Mother and Friend - verily God is all of these.
Any line of behavior that fails to quicken the divine in man [woman] should be eschewed, no matter how enticing it might appear; but any that helps to awaken man’s inherent divinity must be resolutely adopted, even though it be seemingly uninviting.
Only actions that kindle man’s divine nature are worthy of the name of action, all the rest are a waste of energy. ~ Sri Anandamayi Ma
No two fruits are alike. Yet it is one life that throbs in every particle of the tree. So, it is the same Atman everywhere.
Beings
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