Devi Mandir

Temple of Divine Mother

Inspiring Quotes Archive 1

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    January 1 – January 7

  • “Always contemplate the great words of wisdom, and take refuge in the great words of wisdom, and stay far away from the bondages of the soul, and search for the real meanings of the texts of wisdom. I am one with God, always maintain this attitude.”  – Shankar Acharya 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • “Make renunciation of the many thoughts of the mind, and leave the egotism of your body, and don’t debate idle philosophies with intellectuals.”  – Shankar Acharya 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • Remain the same while undergoing all the pairs of opposites like hot and cold, pleasure and pain, and don’t give expression to worthless speech.  – Shankar Acharya 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • Carry yourself as a great renunciate. Don’t look to get grace from other men, and don’t seek to obtain something from men.  – Shankar Acharya 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • Sit down in a quiet, conducive and comfortable environment, and contemplate the Supreme Divinity. Look into yourself with the fullness of consciousness, and see the bondage of the gross world to the soul, and reduce your necessity for action in the world.  – Shankar Acharya 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • Don’t allow your thoughts to be bound by karma, with the strength of wisdom free your mind from bondage.  – Shankar Acharya 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • Experience the fruits of your prarabda karma, the actions performed in the past, the fruits of which are being experienced in the present, and after the past karma is complete, with an attitude of one mind, go to the realms of Union with the Highest Divinity and remain there.  – Shankar Acharya 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

    • January 8 – January 14

  • Live your life with minimal amounts of attachments in order to pay out all outstanding debts and obligations. Avoid creating too much prarabdha karma. (Actions commenced in the past which are coming to fruition now and in the future.)

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Mother (Shree Maa) is an avatar. She was born with the ability to go into the spiritual state of Samadhi, or as she would say “Going beyond.”

      – from Shree Maa: Life of a Saint

  • When you spend time with Mother, (Shree Maa) you soon see that her whole life is about serving others. She has little concern for own welfare. She is very thin and weighs less than eighty pounds.

      – from Shree Maa: Life of a Saint

  • I told Shree Maa that I knew people that had been meditating two and three hours a day for twenty or thirty years and they were not having clear experiences of samadhi.

    She said, “If they do tapas (deliberate action to overcome selfish ego based action) they will get samadhi. The meditation you do is very restful, but it is difficult to go beyond in the West. There is so much to draw you out.”

      – from Shree Maa: Life of a Saint

  • The greatness of God is manifest through simple acts of kindness.

      – from Shree Maa: Life of a Saint

  • Some of Shree Maa’s most potent teachings are the things she doesn’t say! I’ve never heard her complain about her situation, her health, or things she doesn’t have.

      – from Shree Maa: Life of a Saint

  • Swamiji: The cement for this building had water as an essential ingredient, but you can’t see the water. The walls couldn’t stand up without the addition of the water. Just so, your divinity, though it can’t be seen, is an essential part of you. This was a beautiful expression of Maa’s admonition not to look far from ourselves to find God!

      – from Shree Maa: Life of a Saint

    • January 15 – January 21

  • When we make ourselves into disciples and start effectively applying changes in our lives, we find greater organization, greater efficiency, greater energy.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: So I say that God is sometimes with form and sometimes without form. Those who continually contemplate the Supreme Divinity are able to know the true intrinsic nature of that Divinity. Such a person knows that the Divine expresses itself through various forms and attitudes.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • There is a centrifugal force and a centripetal force. The centripetal force is moving us towards cohesion, unity, light, wisdom, peace, the cessation of separation. The centrifugal force can be called the asuras, the forces of individuality, the forces which say, “Ive got to be me!”

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Kama means desire. Lobha means greed. Krodha means anger. Moha means ignorance, moda means attachment and matsara means jealousy. These six limitations are the great pasha or bondage of the ego.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • When you maintain awareness of your true being, your true existence, your illumination is a beautiful contribution, and you will attain the wisdom and bliss of Siva.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • One of Maa’s and Swamiji’s teachings is to honor all spiritual traditions and to learn what we can from all. God cares for the effort to get to the mountain top more than the route. – Shree Maa

      – from Shree Maa: Life of a Saint

  • Ramakrishna: The camel loves to eat thorny vegetation. As he eats, the thorns cut his mouth, but still he goes on eating. Worldly people suffer so much pain, but they go back to the same pleasures that brought the pain in the first place. In this way, after each painful event the world of attachment and desire continues.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

    • January 22 – January 28

  • For man to become pure women must practice purity, then they can transform the world through their purity.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • When you see that everything is in flux, you will see that “I” am not. Consciousness does not change, because it is always the same. The objects of awareness change.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • The conflict between wisdom and ignorance makes a great confusion.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • All existence is manifest in duality. These forces manifest with jnana, which is wisdom, the force which brings us towards unity, or ajnana, the ignorance which brings a greater separation.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Activities which are conducive to unity are the manifestation of jnana, (wisdom) and activities which bring greater division, a greater sense of ego being separate from the total, are manifestations of ajnana (ignorance).

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • These two forces (wisdom and ignorance) are in constant opposition in all aspects of manifested existence, in all things from Brahma to a blade of grass.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • All through our lives we are required to resolve this conflict between wisdom and ignorance. This is the only way we can be free from confusion.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

    • January 29 – February 4

  • Selfishness is the biggest obstacle to self realization because when selfishness comes, we have forgetfulness and limited freedom. The best way to overcome selfishness is with sincerity.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: Desires and attachments bind people’s lives, and because of this their independence flees. In order to fulfill desires, resources are necessary. For that reason we become servants to others, and our freedom is lost.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: This egotism, this sense of “I” that exists in all beings, has been bound by the deluding power of maya. This ego is continually inviting maya. Maya covers and deludes the ego of every individual.

      – from from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: Because of the deluding power of Maya, our “I” is like a small cloud which obstructs the sun. When the cloud of egotism is removed, you can see the light of God.

      – from from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: If even once you can fully leave your identification with “I and mine” at the feet of the Guru, then you will have the vision of God.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • According to Kashyapa, we are seeking the highest victory in order to destroy the pain of desire. Victory destroys pain. The highest victory destroys the greatest pain, the feeling that we are separate. The greatest victory is victory over the ego, that which defines individuality.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Wherever there is desire, there is pain. The greatest pain is the feeling of separation. The greatest desire is to realize we are one with God.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

    • February 5 – February 11

  • Love is an energy that takes us to God.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Realization comes about through intuitive awareness, not through egotistical action. If you want to earn that grace, then refine and purify your awareness through selfless service.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • God is always working through us, and we have to be prepared. When the time for action comes we will not think, “I am helping this person” or “I am doing a good deed,” but what happens will just be the natural order of things.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • When we live in truth and purity every second, every moment is a miracle. You are living with God. You are God! Isn’t it beautiful? – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

  • We came to this world to do God’s work. We came to this world to do our real duty. G-O-D: Go On Duty.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • In this culture you feel you have to do everything yourself and you have to be involved in the materialistic world. In India we are taught that spirituality comes first, then we do our work in the world. But we do it for God. – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

  • If you want God, you have to use willpower to reach him. Also faith is important. You need faith.

      – from Before Becoming This

    • February 12 – February 18

  • Dharma is extremely subtle. If any egotism remains you can miss divine grace.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • The idea that you don’t have to do anything to move toward enlightenment may apply to the Satya Yuga, but in this age of activity we have to act. When we act, there are two possibilities: either we act for ourselves or we act for God.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • When we let go of the hope that we will attain enlightenment, then we can become enlightened.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • So long as we are striving for that conception, (enlightenment) we are putting an obstacle in our own path.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Swamiji – There is really no end to loving. I remember when Jonathan Livingston Seagull rose to heaven and said, “This isn’t the end of it all. This is just the beginning!” There is just more and more love.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • The greatest danger is living without God. The greatest danger is taking whatever knowledge we attain and making it an appendage to the ego and walking around proclaiming our own greatness. In the Sanatana Dharma, the eternal ideal of perfection, we teach how to live with God in every moment.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • When we are doubting, we often aren’t aware we are doubting. The doubting thoughts seem very reasonable to us. What do you do when you are in a state of doubt?

    “Where there is doubt, have faith.” Those are the words of St. Francis

      – from Before Becoming This

    • February 19 – February 25

  • Renounce the burdens of life and enjoy the privilege of demonstrating your love for God.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Kundalini is always moving otherwise we would be a corpse. The image of the sleeping serpent at the base of the spine is only poetry.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • The more we doubt, the more it’s impossible to perform effectively and take control of our lives. We become servants of the ego.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • When we find the process is our sadhana, and we enjoy the process, then it doesn’t matter if we get to the goal or not. The goal is merely the direction.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • When you find that you can’t imagine anything more wonderful, that’s where you begin to define enlightenment.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Grace comes about by what you do.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • It (love) starts with one pure soul, like Shree Maa, who without selfish desires, who ignites other souls ablaze with the same inspiration, shakti, and the sincere longing to serve this creation with pure devotion.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

    • February 26 – March 3

  • Respect means to pay attention. The more we love the more we pay attention.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • If we act with attachment in duality, then we can only produce egotistical or attached behavior. If we can surrender that action, free from attachment, we can aspire to live in accordance with the laws of universal dharma.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • “Look for the teaching behind the illness”, says the sage.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • That man/woman who in this world turns his/her thoughts to Brahman and adheres faithfully to the truth is above all a man/woman of good deeds. Such a one knows the Supreme, and is blest in all the worlds.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Whoever drinks the water from the gurus feet removes the root of ignorance and purifies the karma (activities) from birth, obtains perfection, wisdom, and renunciation.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • The Supreme Divinity resides in the mouth of the Guru, which is obtained as Prasad. Always perform meditation upon the Guru just as a loving woman dreams of her family.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Ramakrishna: The devotion that sadhus derive from their sadhana is not the same as the devotion of worldly people. Worldly devotion always calculates, “I have to do this much japa. I have to sit for so many hours in meditation. I have to do that much worship.” They keep an account of how much they do.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

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Inspiring Quotes By ShreeMaa

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    November 4 – November 10

  • The seventh region is in the Sahasrara at the top of the head. If your contemplation goes there, then you go into Samadhi. All the knowers of the Supreme Divinity have the actual vision of divine communion with God.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • People want realization and liberation, to become enlightened. Do not think it is something different from doing for others as you would have them do for you.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: Human beings are of four kinds: those who are bound to the world of desires and attachments, those who renounce the world, those who are liberated, and those rare souls who are eternally free.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Shree Maa performs worship at the sacred fire. Residing in the hearts of devotees, the flame of devotion is burning. In the agnya chakra, the light of meditation is shining. Yagya comes from the Sanskrit word to unite and the fire ceremony is the union of the fire within and the fire outside.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Just as humans inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, and plants inhale carbon dioxide and produce oxygen into the atmosphere, in the same way, in the sacred fire ceremony, devotees surrender all negativities and receive the blessing of divine illumination.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • All thoughts of duality are sacrificed in the sacred fire and the joyous love of unity takes birth in the hearts of the participants. When Shree Maa sits for worship, the silence creates such stillness, that all observers are conducted to her vibration.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

    • November 11 – November 17

  • Udas means a servant of circumstance. Whoever remains satisfied with whatever situation arises is established in wisdom.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: Men and women who are liberated are not infatuated with this world of objects and relationships. That is why, after becoming free, some just leave their bodies.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • There is another characteristic of a bound soul. If you were to take that individual out of the world he is use to and put him into a holy environment, he would probably die of boredom.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Who has extreme renunciation? Those whose life force is totally dedicated to God with the sincere dedication a mother has for the child in her womb. He who has extreme dedication desires nothing other than God.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • As you practice tapasya, your ego becomes less attached to thought. The thoughts are not becoming more pure. In reality you have the same thoughts, but you have less attachment to them.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • The asuras will teach us selfishness, the Gods will awaken consciousness. This conflict between selfishness and divinity is the perpetual cause of confusion, until we become one with the Light.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Our ancestors provided us with all that we needed to progress in our search. And for that purpose we are beholden to seven generations previous to us, while seven generations to come will benefit from our attainment of understanding. Whether or not our ancestors knew what they were doing, they cultivated within us certain qualities which we needed in order to manifest our highest ideal of perfection.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

    • November 18 – November 24

  • True wisdom makes a man humble.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • If you don’t have the physical presence of a person who inspires you, read a scripture. Sit by a symbol of divinity and listen to the wisdom of the wise.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • The feeling of devotion is what fosters our spiritual development; such things as reading books are not enough. When we do puja or other forms of worship, it’s best to sing loudly and enthusiastically so the Gods will hear us! Furthermore, our worship is even more meaningful when we feel gratitude that we have the impulse and the opportunity to perform these devotions.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Mother’s love helps you realize that is not the words that are important but the actions.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Keep your life simple, always be truthful, and give pure love to all, recognizing all as God.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • The influence of maya is so strong, always pulling you out. Tapasya, purifying austerities, are very necessary.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • When I think of Maa, I think of Truth. She is what Truth is, powerful and absolute, but Maa is also gentle and kind. I was a stranger and she took me in. I was hungry and she fed me.

      – Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

    • November 25 – December 1

  • Our responses should be calculated to take us to a better place than we are already at and help us to accomplish our objectives. If we could stop and put one instant of discrimination between the stimulus and the response, then we could live life perfectly.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • A realized being sees that the God within you is the God within me. If I lift you up in any way, I am doing good to myself an I am doing good to my world. It benefits me to do good to others. It is all me.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • The power that comes from the feeling that we are being blessed allows us to move forward with renewed vigor. We have more strength and courage. We have a different attitude that makes things work better. Every time we take the name of God, We get a blessing.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • The pujas allow us to expand our consciousness to that awareness (of divinity) and cultivate that relationship. We begin by seeing God in little things. We practice seeing God in a flower, in a candle, in an altar of worship, in a form of deity that we put our love and devotion into. Then the relationship increases exponentially.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Each one of the deities is an embodiment of a whole set of spiritual and philosophical aspirations. They are an embodiment of an entire school of philosophy and a whole set of spiritual practices which are designed to bring us to the realization of that philosophy. So the various arms, weapons and mudras (gestures) are all indicative of aspects of spiritual disciplines.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • There are many levels of meaning to dharma. Some people speak of dharma as a religion: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or Jewish. Other people speak of dharma as the universal laws of nature. Everything in between is included in the definition. On every level of the evolution of consciousness you will find an expanded definition until you are one with God, and then you will know the real meaning of dharma.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Ramakrishna: It is very difficult to take on the responsibilities of a teacher. Without being given the authority from God, it is very difficult to teach. If you begin to give instruction without authority from God, people will not listen to you. Such teachings have no power. First you do sadhana. In some way you have to attain to God. When you get the authority from God, then you may lecture.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

    • December 2 – December 8

  • Always maintain the highest ideal of behavior, and surrender your life unto the ideal.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Physical enjoyment in the world is like the strike of a cobra. Learn to keep the cobra far away or under control. The comfort of the senses is and illusion, which bears no sustaining reality. In the senses there is no comfort. Only there exists the reflection of Nature.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Perform all actions with Love and respect for Truth, and maintain the great power of the non-attachment of asceticism.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Love and Trust in God. Do not ask for anything else.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Always and with all your might, recite and study books of Dharma.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Have no fear of anything is this world. The world is the examination grounds for detachment form pleasure and pain. Do not give disruption an opportunity to dwell in your mind. God dwells in your heart. With the greatest faith, always remember God.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Always keep your mind in an attitude of purity. Then peace will come. Do not allow your inner attitude to be deflected by the pains and difficulties of the external world. This is known as Peace. When your inside and outside exhibit peace, then you have found the fruits of sadhana.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

    • December 9 – December 15

  • If you only desire the fruit of your actions then you won’t enjoy the fruit or the process. This is a lose, lose proposition. But if you enjoy the process you can’t lose. Then your work becomes worship. We are praying for the joy of prayer. Try to take that attitude into your actions and make this world a better place.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • If you have your own goal and a plan you will certainly enjoy life more because it is your plan and does not belong to anybody else.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Question: What does a person do who doesn’t have a purpose?

    Swamiji: I suggest that a person without a purpose better find one. Without a purpose it is difficult to have a meaningful life. How can you accomplish anything if you don’t know what your purpose is? We need to find a goal that would be worthy of our commitment.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • The best thing to do is to stop and think, “What would be a commitment worthy of my dedication. What do I want to give to this world?”

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Shree Maa: Ultimately we have to change, and that is God’s blessing.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • When you love so much that you don’t think about the distractions and you think only about your beloved, then you really are a lover.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Satsangha is a bonding process, so that people within the congregation try to network their skills and talents and opportunities.

      – from Before Becoming This

    • December 16 – December 22

  • We are not seeking communion only at the time of puja or worship, but in every breath, in every activity. It does not matter whether we are digging a ditch, teaching in school, appearing in court, negotiating a contract or performing a homa (fire ceremony). Our attitude with which we perform these functions is the most important aspect of worship.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • By means of her compassion, we become liberated. She is the one who binds all to worldliness, and She is the one who liberates.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Maa says to us. “Ok, kids go out and play in this world.” What is the fault of the mind? If she is compassionate to us, then She’ll bring our minds back to Her. Then we find liberation from all these worldly thoughts, and we keep our minds at the Lotus Feet of the Divine.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • After you have attained the perfection of discrimination and renunciation, only then should you enter the world. In the ocean of worldliness, there are many crocodiles with names like desire, attachments, and anger. If you rub turmeric on your body and submerge yourself in the waters, you have no fear of crocodiles. If you rub the turmeric of discrimination and renunciation over your body, you can submerge yourself in the ocean of worldliness without any fear at all. God is Truth. That is the eternal phenomenon. Everything else is transient. It is impermanent.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • In the Sundar Kanda of the Ramayan, Tulasidas wrote a beautiful verse:

    “Dear one, take all the pleasure between heaven and earth and count them as one. As great a delight as that might be, it can’t possibly be as enjoyable as satsanga.”

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Through satsanga we have the opportunity to improve ourselves, to really make significant changes in our lives, to become the individual we respect. No other pleasure could be equal to becoming the person we love. That s why satsanga is so important.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Extract the nectar from the tapasya that you are performing. Tapas literally means heat, but implies any act of purification in which our negative tendencies are burned away

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

    • December 23 – December 29

  • Swamiji: Look for those mantras that say, “I belong to you, I am the echo of the vibration that is your soul.” As you practice those particular sections, other parts will call you as well. If you don’t pronounce the mantras correctly, don’t worry. Put yourself in the attitude of surrender to the will of God and try to come as close as possible.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • “Always study words of wisdom, with all your capacity act in accordance and perform the discipline of these words, and following the systems of worship they enumerate, make the worship of the Supreme Lord, and don’t allow your consciousness to contemplate adverse desires.”  – Shankar Acharya, 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • “Wipe all the dross of sin from your mind, search for the faults in the pleasures of the world, search your own soul for true knowledge, and very quickly try to renounce the attachments to your home.”  – Shankar Acharya, 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • “Maintain the association of true people, take refuge with devotion in the Supreme Divinity, and with all your capacity try to befriend the universe, and very quickly renounce the fruits of your labors.”  – Shankar Acharya, 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • “Whenever possible seek out the company of the true and knowledgeable people, and serve the sandals of their lotus feet, and ask from them even one letter of the knowledge of the Bhraman, and listen to the great words of wisdom from the Vedas.”  – Shankar Acharya, 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • “Take the cure for the illness of uncontrolled desire, and serve your doctor as a beggar would serve a Lord, don’t seek the association of pleasure-seekers or self-centered individuals.”  – Shankar Acharya, 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • “Remain contented with whatever you receive in a divine union, that which God has consented to give.”  – Shankar Acharya, 700 A.D.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

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Inspiring Quotes from Shree Maa and Swamiji

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    September 2 – September 8

  • During those first months in America Shree Maa said very little in English. I was Her translator, and most frequently She spoke to me in our own personal mixture of languages which I would strive to interpret into English. One day She stood in front of an altar of Goddess Kali and in extremely clear English said to the Goddess, “All right, are you going to speak or not?” We were all amazed to hear Her utterance and even more impressed when She turned around and began to speak English so sweetly and clearly that there was no further use of a translator.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Shree Maa: I am always happy. When you live with divinity, you are always happy. It makes me even happier when my children are happy.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • The difference between a disciple and a devotee is that the devotee comes to sit at the feet of the Guru but doesn’t change his life. But the disciple takes the wisdom of the Guru and changes his life striving to become a mirror image of the Guru.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: Protect the Divine Mother in your heart. May you see Her as I see Her and nobody else. You take away all my desires and my anger and my passion.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: Give me the eyes of wisdom as protectors so that I am always protected and always be careful not to accede to bad desires and bad thoughts.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Currently, I like to translate dharma as the ideal of perfection, because every atom of existence has its own ideal of perfection towards which it is striving. Every individual soul is destined to manifest its own ideal of perfection. Dharma is its individual path and every individual has its own.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and The Goddess

  • Swamiji is so down to earth and unpretentious that he won’t let himself get stuck in a “holy man” role. In fact, he is constantly breaking the rules about how an enlightened teacher should act. In the Tibetan tradition this is called “crazy wisdom”, a quality many great masters possess.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

    • September 9 – September 15

  • Shree Maa told us that we must work on ourselves that the desire to “fix things” or help people is part of our attachment to the idea that we have the answers and the solutions our ego.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Shree Maa: If you want peace, see no fault in anyone. Find all mistakes within yourself.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Shree Maa: If you call on God in a true and simple manner, you will know that all you are doing is divine work.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Whatever promotes the health and happiness of those around us can be seen as divine work.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Just doing our best each moment, and completing our tasks so that we don’t leave a mess or problem for someone else to deal with, is the way to live each day fully.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Regular practice is important for the growth of our spiritual lives – there are no short cuts.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Maa’s way is to live in complete simplicity. Her whole life is statement that the important elements of life are the spiritual ones.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

    • September 16 – September 22

  • One of Swamiji’s main teachings is that Mother Nature is constantly changing, as is her nature. Change She will and change She must. When we identify with the changes we suffer. When we desperately try to hold on and keep the changes from happening we feel pain. Only when we learn to watch those changes with equilibrium, with the feeling in our hearts and minds that this is the nature of existence, only then do we begin to free ourselves from actions and reactions, which merely prolong the pain of attachment and sow more seeds of the same.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Shree Maa: Nowadays, there is no one doing intensive sadhana like Swamiji did so many years ago in India. One of the reasons Swamiji has come to this country is to show how to do sadhana, how to pull ourselves out of the muck of materialism and confusion.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Swamiji does not teach one spiritual technique to incorporate into life, but rather, like Shree Maa lives a deeply spiritual way of life, and teaches through his example. His concept of spiritual life is one in which we give more than we take and add value to others peoples lives.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Each moment is a festival. Each breath we take is a cause to celebrate. Each breath we take is another chance to remember God.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Swamiji is an open channel for receiving divine grace. Whoever is fortunate enough to be open to the divine flow will undoubtedly receive it. It remains up to us to direct the gift toward changing our own lives and sharing our love with all people we meet.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • When you worship any of the deities, you are worshipping all the other deities.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Spiritual practices are valuable, because they remind us to live a spiritual life.

      – from Before Becoming This

    • September 23 – September 29

  • Worship is the bridge by which we bridge duality and non duality.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Shree Maa: It is very difficult to understand in your head. Therefore, we always say in our country to live in your heart. If you want to change your life, you can do it very quickly with your heart.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Shree Maa: Of all the planets with human life, this planet has the most duality. Therefore, if you perform spiritual practices, you won’t come back for a long time. Now you are thinking, “Oh, this is pleasure and pain, it’s nice.” But when you leave your body, you’ll feel free and you’ll say, “I’m going home!” If you perform good karma here, you will go to a beautiful place and you will not want to come back. But when it’s time to come back and teach people, you will.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Maa says, “If we are gentle, loving, kind and honest in our dealings, that is spiritual.” She teaches that true spirituality does not come wrapped in exotic packages, but in the fabric of everyday deeds and ordinary actions.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Practice discrimination. Ask yourself which desires will bring you closer to God and which ones will take you further away from your goal.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Our teachers are always carrying out their idea of enabling every home to be a place of worship. They show us that it is possible to know God directly through worship, meditation, study of sacred texts, and through serving others.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • There is no one who is not on the path. Every individual soul is progressing in accordance with its own dharma. We have no right to be judgmental about others, even if it appears they lack harmony and balance.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

    • September 30 – October 6

  • A human being is one who can control his mind.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Please decipher and weigh the ultimate principles of all existence. Sort through the ultimate principles of all the ideals of creation. In order to realize the ultimate ideals of existence, life should be dedicated to spiritual discipline.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Real human life is devoted completely to spiritual evolution. In order to devote ourselves to the realization of these ultimate ideals we need to cultivate some attitudes like peacefulness. Peacefulness in your nature is the foremost amongst energies. Cultivate peace. You, yourself, will understand if your actions bring peace, or are actually leading you in another direction.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Cultivate wisdom. In order to know God, it is most efficient to study the Sanskrit language. In the Sanskrit language there is an illumination of the wisdom of the soul. From the study of Sanskrit certain attitudes arise and become illuminated. The attitude of wisdom in all ideals of perfection are One. These vibrations become apparent in the study of Sanskrit.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • When you realize wisdom, then you will illuminate truth, consciousness, and bliss, within which, there exists no distinction of individual attributes. Especially among paths or ideals of perfection, no discrimination exists.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Always strive to maintain a relationship with the attitude of Truth. When we remain steadfast in the attitude of the ideal of perfection, then our ideal becomes firmly rooted in strength, our ideals become stronger. The sense of satisfaction and contentment reside within. When contentment dwells inside, then outside is characterized by the illumination of light, and we disseminate light in every direction. That illumination is the highest Ideal.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Strive to contain ego. Maintain the recollection that God within you is performing all action. Remember who you are. Who am I? I am nobody. Remembering Truth is meditation. In what ever circumstance you reside, remember who is residing there, and there will be no concept of gain or loss, difficulty or comfort.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

    • October 7 – October 13

  • Devotion and wisdom are not separate paths. If you love (bhakti) something or someone then you strive to learn (gyan) more about this object or person.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • When you look at him, (Swamiji) his skin color and everything is totally dissolved, and you’re looking at the personality beyond the caste, creed and color. You see a human being who is what all world leaders and people who are working for world peace want to be. He’s not the physical self, he’s that one universal personality common to the whole world.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • At the same point in his puja every day, and at a different time of day while his eyes were closed and he was performing meditaion and doing japa (reciting the mantra of the deity), a man dressed in orange clothes with an orange turban wrapped on his head went up to Swamiji and put a mala (garland of flowers) around his neck and smeared his forehead with ashes. I witnessed this daily for nine consecutive days. On the last day, Swamiji started his puja while the doors were still locked. And yet, even with the doors bolted shut, the same man still came and placed a garland around Swamiji’s neck and smeared his forehead with ashes.

    After we left the temple and headed back to our rooms that last morning, Shree Maa turned to us and said, “Did you see that man who put ashes on Swamiji’s forehead and put a mala around his neck?”

    “Yes,” we replied.

    “That man was Shiva.”

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • The subtle body contains the samskaras, the tendencies that formulate your next birth. It attaches itself to the causal body.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • We have three levels of consciousness: the gross body the subtle body, and the causal body. The subtle body is called the mind, the world of thoughts, ideas and dreams. The causal body knows the totality, and that allows enlightenment. When the causal body merges into the universal, you become one with God. You become a jivanmukta, liberated while in the body.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Everyone is divine and an avatar of the Supreme Divinity. We just have to wake up to our divine nature.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • She (Shree Maa) shared her nightly routine of feeling herself cradled in the lap of Vishnu, He who sustains and preserves all. On a wakening in the morning, she instructed us, that we were to bow to ourselves in the mirror, while acknowledging the divine energy that resides in each of us, and ask the Goddess to make our eyes her eyes, our hands her hands, and our feet her feet throughout the day.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

    • October 14 – October 20

  • If you raise someone up you yourself find progress. We are not climbing a ladder of success or pulling people down to reach our goal. We are networking and helping each other.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Maa explains that as the mind becomes more absorbed in mantras and one pointed that the world naturally leaves you. You do not renounce the world, the world renounces you. Old patterns knock on your door and you are not home because your mind is currently focused on God.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • When we take birth, we come into this body with its five elements. The body is not eternal. There are five organs and five senses. When we take this body on earth, our actions are different. We forget ourselves when we live in the maya, this duality. Then a certain time comes to wake up.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Question: Does the Guru have a responsibility to her/his disciple.

    Answer: Of Course. If the Guru gives a disciple initiation, it is a big responsibility. You have to take care of the disciple for many lifetimes.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Hinduism says, “Yes, every object of manifested existence is divine. It can reflect divinity to anyone who wishes to perceive it. So worship God in any form you choose to see as divine.” The point is to worship, practice, meditate, contemplate and remember that there is a divine power which is superior to us.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • You become the person your are striving to become. You can see the progress. You can watch yourself and begin to like yourself a little bit more each time you cut a bond. You feel a little bit more independence, a greater freedom every time you put aside one of those bonds of attachment.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • We are endowed with maintaining the ancient traditions by acting as an example to the next generation. We should start by increasing our recovery rate. Let’s first start by cultivating enough resistance so when we fall down we pop right back up again. We are moving towards the ultimate goal of being so rooted in faith, that no one can ever shake our roots.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

    • October 21 – October 27

  • Every being manifested, and every moment that comes to birth, comes to birth because of unfinished business. There is some reason that it comes into manifestation, and the arrows we have shot will land. When the stimulus does come, do we act reflexively, or do we control ourselves and design a response that will bring us closer to what we want in the furtherance of our goals.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • There are many techniques to get more control over yourself. If you can identify the emotion, you can repeat the bija mantra that corresponds to the emotion. In this way you get control of the emotion. Then you can recite the mantra of the attitude that you want to replace the emotion with.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • If we act with attachment in duality, then we can only produce egotistical or attached behavior. If we surrender that action, free from attachment, we can aspire to live with the laws of universal dharma.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Maa says that from your devotion wisdom will be illuminated.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Make peace. The eternal religion is pure love, pure truth. We cannot have world peace without individual peace. Faith in wisdom and God bring the highest peace.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: As long as I remain a devotee and this apprehension of “I”� remains, my identification as a devotee remains. At that time I have a belief that God is a perceivable entity and that I can have a relationship with Her. But if you allow worldly ideas to intrude, then this attitude of “I am a devotee” disappears. Then you believe “I am an actor” instead of “I am a devotee.”

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

    • October 28 – November 3

  • In the Puranas it is written that Hanuman was such a strong devotee that for his benefit God assumed the form Rama.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Chanting and studying the scriptures leads us to our divine selves and motivates us to give up our selfishness.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Question: How do you feel about debt?

    Answer: We are seeking freedom. When you incur debt, what you are saying is, “I am going enjoy today and pay tomorrow.” So you are obligating your self tomorrow for today’s pleasure. We would say that’s not a good idea from a spiritual point of view. If you encumber yourself for tomorrow, then you won’t be free today. You have obligated yourself to spend time working in the marketplace in order to pay for yesterday’s enjoyments. You are borrowing karma.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Question: Does debt affect your mediation?

    Answer: Absolutely. You have to go work to do what you don’t want to do to pay off what you enjoyed yesterday.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Inquiry: But even if we didn’t have debt, we’d still have to go to work to pay for lodging and food.

    Response: Not necessarily. You might create a different standard of life and spend less time working. Then you would work for God instead, and whatever you need will come to you.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • When the contemplations rise to the throat, the vishudhi chakra, all ignorance and all foolishness are renounced in favor of listening to the Eternal Truth of God and Words of Wisdom.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • The sixth residence (of consciousness) is the Ajna chakra in the forehead. If your awareness goes there, you have Eternal Vision of the Supreme Divinity. Still a little “I” remains.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

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Inspiring Quotes Archive Page 4

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    July 1 – July 7

  • Be like a fish at the bottom of the ocean. It swims in the mud yet never gets dirty. In the world be like a fish. Do your work but keep your mind on God.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna (in a very relaxed way): The heart of a devotee is filled with love for God. God is present in all existence. You can know that presence tangibly in the heart of a devotee. It’s just like a rich landlord whose authority extends throughout his land, but he stays in one particular house which is his personal estate. People will speak like this, that the heart of a devotee is the special residence of the Lord.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: Do you know what the devotion of a devotee is like? He says, “Hey, Bhagavan, you are the lord and I am your servant. You are the mother and I am your child. You are both my mother and father. You are the whole and perfect and I am a part.” Devotees don’t like to say “I am God.” They like to experience the Divine Presence and have the vision of the Supreme Soul. Their main objective is the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Etrnal Bliss

  • Everyone comes to this world for a different purpose. Everyone comes with their own karma, their own samskaras (tendencies). It is very interesting. – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Many people want to escape from their minds because they don’t like what they are doing. But if you like what you are doing then you don’t want to escape from anything. Only those people who feel themselves bound seek liberation.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Question to Shree Maa: What’s your reason for coming to the United States?

    This whole universe is mine. Where God sends me, that is where I go. For you, this is the United States. For me it is not the United States. For me, it is home.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Every being is a divine incarnation. But caught in the illusion of our own importance, we forget who we really are. And then we search for liberation from our own bondage. This is the illusion of the Lord of Illusions.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

    • July 8 – July 14

  • If we are singing from our hearts for the purpose of sincere prayer, and if we know what we are saying and why we are saying it, and others who can hear our prayers can also understand their meanings, and they also become inspired to pray themselves, then we are doing it correctly. Intention, motivation, sincerity, attention, bhava, and understanding, all go together to make a proper presentation.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Why are we chanting these mantras? Are we professionals who, for a fee, will propitiate the Gods so that our benefactors will not receive the fruit of their karma? In the Chandi Path, Brahma, Vasistha, and Visvamitra, joined others in cursing the recitation of the Chandi performed with selfish motivation. They said the Chandi Path is a very pure and powerful tool of personal growth and transformation. It is a path to self-realization. Whoever will recite the Chandi Path for selfish motivation will have abused their tool and the tool will no longer work for them. Without the tools, the curse is equivalent to a lifetime without God.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Intention and motivation set the stage for actions we are to perform. They are most important.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • The sincerity of our devotion is what determines its intensity. Intensity is the measurement of the sincerity of devotion. We pay attention in direct relation to the amount of devotion we feel, and feel to express. Sometimes we feel devotion, but cannot express it. Sometimes we want to express devotion that we do not feel. Other times it comes from the heart, and is expressed in the most pure means, according to the capacity of the individual.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Sadhana teaches us to express that feeling (devotion) in a regular program of spiritual discipline. After practice, when we sit to create the expression, we automatically feel the sincerity.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Bhava means feeling, emotion, an intensity of reality. How intensely do we feel it? How real is it when we are doing it? Is this our reality? Or is it merely a passing thought? Bhava allows us to grok the feeling, to intuit the feeling, to unite the feeling, to be at oneness with the feeling, to attune to the feeling, until it is ours.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Understanding means we understand what we are saying. It is not just on a verbal level, but we know verbally and non-verbally. It means something to us. In fact it means a lot to us. And not just to us. But anyone who hears what we are saying will also be able to understand at least on some level the meaning of our prayer. They will know that we are praying, and may feel moved to pray themselves. They will become inspired to enter our prayer, and there is a transfer of energy which invites them into the mystery of worship.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

    • July 15 – July 21

  • Behold! God is giving us everything without any selfish desire. If we are searching for God we must also renounce selfish desire. When we are giving to God, ultimately we find pure love embracing us and we become absorbed in Divine consciousness.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Inefficiency comes from selfish desire.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Words inscribed in stone are never erased, while what is written on water cannot remain for a moment. Do not allow anger or enmity to remain in your mind any longer than words written upon water.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Shree Maa: When I am one with the soul of existence, how will any one or any thing cause me harm?

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Swamiji and I used to travel throughout India visiting temples. Whenever we went to a temple, it was our custom to perform puja, chant and do as much sadhanna as possible in these holy places. Swamiji would usually perform the puja and the sacred fire ceremony, while I would sit in meditation beside him, or accompany him with the offerings. Often I went into Samadhi. Often he did too. That was our life. We would chant and sing, and then go into the deepest meditation.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • One time we ran out of flowers for puja, Swamiji told us about times in India when He had no flowers for puja. He would simply use the leaves of trees, offering them in and orderly and artistic patterns with the accompanying mantras. He does the same in the United States when necessary.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • The objective of all of our sadhana and all our practices is to cultivate the tendency to think without selfishness, to think about God.

      – from Before Becoming This

    • July 22 – July 28

  • Everything we are doing is worth doing perfectly or it is not worth doing at all.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • In whatever direction are situated the respected Guru’s feet, oh Beloved, everyday one should bow down in that direction.

      – from The Guru and the Goddess

  • Serve everyone as God. See God in everyone.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • You cut the bonds yourself. All the guru does is sharpen your knife. Become so strong in your faith that you never swerve from you ideal of perfection.

      – from The Gurur and the Goddess

  • Question to Shree Maa: Is praying to you the same as praying to God?

    Yes. There is no doubt about that. The love of the Guru is the same as the love of God. Both are free of selfishness. Any time you pray without selfishness, all that is divine will respond.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Ramakrishna: Certainly there is a means of escape from this world. When you have the opportunity, seek out holy men (and women) and from time to time sit in a quiet place and contemplate God. You must always discriminate between God, who is Real and Eternal, and this world, which is a passing dream. Once you have faith, you have all. There is nothing greater than faith.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: The Vedas have elucidated seven levels of consciousness. The awareness resides in these seven levels of consciousness. When awareness remains in the world of objects and relationships, it is residing in the three lower chakras: the anus, the genitals, and the navel. Then the contemplations don’t move towards the upper chakras. All the mental faculties are devoted to desires and attachments.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Bliss

    • July 29 – August 4

  • Liberation does not mean going against the flow of nature. It means accepting the flow of nature without attachment.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Question to Shree Maa: What about someone who reads this book or comes to see you at a program and really wants to know God?

    Answer: Most people are just curious. They come see me to enjoy themselves. Of five thousand people, maybe one soul is touched and feels the desire to change.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Presumably all birth takes place in order to finish karma: the birth of every reaction, the birth of every relationship, the birth of every moment, the birth of everybody. That is our function, our purpose. We are all bound by unfinished karma. With this knowledge it behooves us to perform every action as thoroughly and efficiently as possible, so we don’t have to come back to finish our incomplete work.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Mother Nature is always changing. When we deeply intuit and watch for the changes of nature we cease to feel pain.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • When we actually perform our karma with efficiency and become free of debt, we in effect attain the highest aim of birth, which is victory over death. We manifest an ideal in our lives. We conform our behavior to the ideal of perfection so we are not just saying the words, but we are feeling what they mean.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • The fire is said to burn karma, to purify the actions of the participants, so they become free of the bonds of negativity. All the bondage of thought, the dross of memories, fears and projections, it is all thrown into the fire, along with an assortment of grains mixed with clarified butter.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of the Saint

  • The ancient prescription for a peaceful way of life: simplify your life-style, be free from debt, appreciate what you do have, think about God, study the scriptures, be diligent in your spiritual practices, seek divine interpretation in all experience.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of the Saint

    • August 5 – August 11

  • Consciousness is the infinite capacity of recognition. Maa Says, “You are aware of the existence of beautiful state of Consciousness, but you do not know where it is. In reality it is everywhere. Do not be foolish. Be fertile soil in which good seeds may easily take root.”

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and The Goddess

  • Pure Love is beyond duality. There is no desire. It is the perfection of desire.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • The path to success in any endeavor is to follow these 9 steps: inspiration, study, practice, refinement, nourishment of divine qualities, purity, overcoming egotistical thoughts, light of wisdom, perfection.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Instead of arguing over how it is being said, seekers should be contemplating what is being said.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Consciousness is constantly reflecting so at any one time we may be aware of many levels of consciousness. Traditionally there are seven levels of consciousness: bhuh, bhuvah, svah, mahah, janah, tapah, satya.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • From the story of Sukdeva, as told by Shree Maa

    “Even if you go into the forest with one stick, one asana and one begging bowl, if you maintain attachment, you will constantly be thinking about your possessions. Whereas if you are free from attachment you can rule a country as vast as Mithila and your mind will never be disturbed.”

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • If you can change those around you yourself, your wife, your children, if you make them divine, isn’t that beautiful? If every individual did that, it would be wonderful.

      – from Before Becoming This

    • August 12 – August 18

  • Be true. Say what you mean and do what you say. If you are true you will be without fear. If your conscious is clear your heart will be silent. That is peace, no matter what the result.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Shree Maa: Once we were doing puja in a well known temple in Benares when a group of Brahmin pandits came to me and asked, “Why are you letting a foreigner perform the worship in your festivals? Shouldn’t you honor our traditions and let an Indian Brahmin pandit do your pujas?”

    I replied without hesitation, When you can do puja as perfectly as Swamiji, I will be pleased to take you with me.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Once we had just rented a house in the back hills of Moraga, behind Saint Mary’s College in the San Francisco Bay Area. A few devotees were assisting in building our havan kund, a pit for containing the sacred fire. I took off work early one day to help with the construction. As I came up the drive way, I looked over at the structure and saw Swamiji on his knees in the wet soil, forming the beginnings of our sacrificial fire pit. He was so engrossed in placing the bricks and covering them with mud and cow dung, that he did not notice me. I walked up with wonder, grateful for the privilege being in his company, as he smeared muddy plaster over the bricks with his hands. I thought, “Here indeed is a man who is in love with God.”

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Maa says that if you can renounce all attachment to your actions you are acting in accordance with dharma.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Ultimately, when we become one with God, we become one with all dharma. All join in the realization of divinity.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Sharing in satsanga your devotion grows.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Weapons cannot cut It, fire cannot burn It; water cannot wet It; wind cannot dry It.

      – from Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2:23

    • August 19 – August 25

  • Marriage is a contract to serve each other as a constant reminder that we are divine beings manifesting divinity in the world.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • The purpose of marriage is to become the divine couple, Shiva and Shakti, who are bound together in inherent and essential character, mutually and reciprocally. If a man puts down his shakti, he destroys his own energy. In order to be raised, he must raise others. What better place to begin than in our own divine partnership.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Question to Shree Maa: “Before coming into this life time, do we decide who we are going to have as a partner?”

    Shree Maa: “I believe we do, but it looks like they don’t believe that in this country. They think they choose their partners. But ultimately God does.”

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Shree Maa: All relationships are created by previous karma.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Shree Maa: When we have an experience of a relationship from a past life, it is not necessarily a romantic attraction. It is not because a deficiency is being fulfilled. When we come together out of past life samskaras, it feels like a partnership between two people working towards a common goal.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • “All my life Ramakrishna has been my Guru, says Shree Maa. I never go anywhere without Thakur’s order. He has ordered me to share unselfish divine love, and so I am doing. The most important accomplishment of human life is self realization. It doesn’t matter what we become, it doesn’t matter what we attain, it doesn’t matter what we possess. All of that is so temporary. It will all be left behind after only a moment’s enjoyment. A well-lived life is one that is full of love and joy and peace and compassion.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Practice discrimination. Ask yourself which desires will bring you closer to God and which ones will take you closer to God and which ones will take you further away from the goal.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

    • August 26 – September 1

  • The power of pure love extends equally to all. The knowledge that is gathered from books, the practices of Yoga and Meditation are merely paths to the goal of love. Pure Love is Devotion, Pure Love is our life, Pure Love is Liberation.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • By working for the benefit of others, energy increases within us. If you have feelings for others in your heart you will attain the energy of a lion.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Gods make no distinction as to our birth. Everyone is equal in the eyes of God. That is why the family of this universal existence should strive to maintain universal Love for all and to offer wisdom and devotion to all. Then this world can have peace.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • In the Kali Yuga charity is supreme. Among all types of giving, the offering of Dharma is the highest.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • So much as we search within, so much we find the inner light. That inner light is the delight of our soul and that delight is our Dharma.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • By remembering God the confusions of the heart are removed. That is the greatest medicine.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • One who observes his or her own faults is a sadhu. Respect is the ornament of a sadhu. A sadhu always seeks to assist others.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

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“Timeless Wisdom: Inspiring Quotes for Inner Growth and Spiritual Reflection”

~~OM~~

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    May 6 – May 12

  • The greatest power in the world is the mind. But the mind, like a restless unruly horse, does not remain still. When by the practice of yoga an individual disciplines the mind, the mind is then ruled by the all-pervasive soul. Such a person controls all the powers of the world.

      – from Shree Maa The Life of a Saint

  • Oh,Goddess, Mother of the Universe, to the people who are devoted to you, you give inexpressible Peace and Delight. Give us your form, give us victory, give us welfare, remove all hostility.

      – from Chandi Path

  • Worship does not mean the memorization of mantras, or even the proper placement of the flowers and other objects. Worship is an attitude of respect, of dedication, of devotion to the exclusion of selfishness.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • Shiva is the Guru of all Gurus, and the five lettered mantra (Om Namah Shivaya) is the most basic building block of all Sanskrit sadhana. From the five-lettered mantra, we go to the nine-lettered mantra, to the mantra with eleven syllables, and so on. It grows and grows in complexity, sophistication and in the various qualities that a seeker will want to increase as he or she proceeds along the path. Start with the five-lettered mantra if you don’t have a Guru. If you worship Shiva, He will send the Guru who is appropriate for your personal development.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Only those who perform selfless expressions of love for the Guru have understood the wisdom of the Vedas and Puranas. They have attained to sannyas (the establishment of truth within). Others are merely making a pretense (of renunciation).

      – from The Guru and the Goddess

  • The fruit of the attempt to satisfy desire is either knowledge or ignorance. Whenever we attempt to satisfy a desire we produce action. All action yields either the fruit of ignorance, strengthening the ego, the identification of individuality, or strengthening of unity, surrender of the ego. Either we have knowledge, which is communion, or ignorance, which is division.

      – from The Guru and the Goddess

  • Serve a Guru. When we take material burdens from our example and inspiration, we get the opportunity to see what actions a pure soul performs in the material world. How has he or she organized their life? How do they sit? How do they breathe? How do they chant? How do they meditate? What do they do with their free time? What do they talk about? We get to work with them. What do they think about? What do they share? Do they talk about boats, about sports, about traveling? Or do they talk about inner space and how to go there? As you perform selfless actions, you get the opportunity to cultivate friendship with someone who can share with you inspiration and instruction, who can motivate you to make changes in your life. When we make ourselves into disciples and start effectively applying those changes in our own lives, we are going to find greater organization, a greater efficiency, a greater energy. Don’t be surprised if someone comes along and asks, Can I help you?

      – from The Guru and the Goddess

    • May 13 – May 19

  • The first step in cultivating pure devotion is participating in satsanga.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • We are trying to propagate the dharma by preparing teaching tools. We don’t want to proselytize or start enrolling people and create an organization. We just want to share the dharma and inspire people to make their relationship with God vibrant. – Swamiji

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Realizing the Supreme Divinity within is possible and not some pie in the sky ideal for the privileged few or chosen ones. God is for everyone.

      – from Sahib Sadhu The White Sadhu

  • Shree Maa: Gita is the definition of the goal. It says again and again, What ever you do, do for God. Surrender your attachment. Give up your selfishness. The Chandi shows us how to do that. The Chandi says, sit down in one asana, in one posture and recite. Don’t move your knees until it is complete. Watch the Divine Mother cut down your attachments. Away with your anger, away goes desire. One by one She takes them away. The Chandi is the path to the realization of Gita.

      – Shree Maa The Life of a Saint

  • Ramakrishna: When we attain to wisdom that is full, complete, and perfect, the human mind becomes silent.

      – Ramakrishna The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: So long as you persist in inviting the deluding power of maya into your life, how can you expect to become free of the bondage of I consciousness? Only if you stop inviting maya, will it be possible.

      – Ramakrishna The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: Whether you accept the Divine with form or not, if you have the understanding that God is real, then your prayers will be heard. If you don’t believe that God is real, then you’re wasting your time.

      – from Ramakrishna The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

    • May 20 – May 26

  • If you don’t know the answer, surrender.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Show respect through your every action. If you serve truth, even disregarding all temptation to forsake the truth then you will attain divine strength.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • At the crack of dawn the next morning, we bathed at the banks of the Niranjana River. There were no flowers there to use in our worship, but Swamiji was unperturbed. “We shall do our puja an yagya with sand and leaves”, he told me. The puja went on for the entire day. All we had were leaves and a few sticks of incense. Swamiji drew the yantra in the sand, the sacred symbol which is the seat of the deity, and for each of the mantras of the Chandi Path, he placed a dry leaf on the yantra. – Sushil Choudhury

      – from Sahib Sadhu The White Sadhu

  • This creation is a collection of souls who are making their personal pilgrimages by means of the laws of harmony and unity, of peace and truth. Or we could say that dharma comes about in creation when every individual soul strives in its pilgrimage towards perfection.

      – from The Guru and the Goddess

  • The creation has come about in order to fulfill the quest for perfection. To our limited prejudiced perceptions we may think that others require greater harmony in their lives. In reality they are only fulfilling their dharma, which is the dharma of their particular yatra (pilgrimage).

      – from The Guru and the Goddess

  • Not every one is able to have faith. Everyone has their own samskaras, their own karma. Not everyone will realize their divinity in this lifetime. It is a cycle of life, a cycle of karma. It takes many lifetimes of purification to come to a place where you have real faith. – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Books are filled with the wisdom of those great souls. Read the scriptures and commune with their wisdom. – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

    • May 27 – June 2

  • There are many gifts more valuable than money: a kind word and a friendly smile often are regarded as the greatest wealth.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • It is possible to receive injury or put yourself at a disadvantaged position, if you pronounce incorrectly or say the wrong thing.

    We consider such statements as absurd and useless, tantamount to saying, Unless I direct your prayer, it is of know value at all, or it is not a real prayer unless I lead it. It is absolutely ridiculous to think that God would not appreciate the sincerity of our efforts, even though we may make technical errors. – Swamiji

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Ramakrishna: If you perform your activities in the world without first contemplating God, you are going to fall into worldliness. The burden of responsibility and worldliness will become unbearable.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Be content with small gains.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: The more you contemplate worldly attachments, the more your energy becomes weaker by the day. Before you cut open a jackfruit, cover your hands with oil. The jackfruit is extremely sticky, and without oil your hands will become stuck together. Just so, rub your mind with the oil of devotion to God. Then you can perform your worldly duties.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Everyone is looking for a miracle outside rather than looking at the power within.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna (to Keshab’s devotees): You tell me, who has the capacity to offer a benefit to the world? Is this world so small that you can benefit it? Who are you who can actually do some benefit to the world? In order to really benefit the world, one must realize God through sadhana. Then you gain Godliness. If she gives you the energy, then you can perform welfare for others. In the absence of divine inspiration it’s impossible.

      – Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

    • June 3 – June 9

  • A balanced life consists of 8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep and 8 hours of spiritual practices.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Many people say this is the Kali yuga age or age of darkness. But the yugas are modes of perception. We choose to live in the Satya yuga age, the age of truth.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • The Sanatana Dharma touches on every aspect of life. It is about how you can manifest perfection in every action you perform. The Sanatana Dharma is about spiritual life. It’s not about practices. Practices are tangential to the main thesis. They are tools for reminding ourselves always to be engaged in the spiritual path.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • In the morning remember the divine name in the brilliant lotus in the head, along with the Guru with two eyes and two arms, who grants the boons of freedom from fear and peace.

      – from The Guru and The Goddess

  • Swami Satyananda has said over the years that the true spiritual aspirant gathers together all the loose threads of his or her life in order to focus on the goals and methods to reach them. To be a true sadhu is to be efficient, and give more than one takes.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Ramakrishna: I’m telling you the truth. It’s no fault of yours to be worldly, but you should keep your mind focused of God. If you don’t do that, you won’t be able to achieve your spiritual goals. Do your work with one hand and with the other hand grab onto God. When your karma is complete, then you’ll be able to hold onto God with both hands. The mind is both the source of your liberation as well as the source of your bondage.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: If you wear fancy shoes on your feet, then you will sing or whistle like an Englishman. In whatever way you apply your mind, that way the mind will reflect. If a pundit studies Sanskrit, then from his mouth the shlokas will pour out very quickly. If you keep your mind with bad influences, you’ll begin to think about bad influences. That is the way you’ll begin to think; that is the way you’ll begin to speak. If you keep your mind with devotees, then your mind will think about God. You’ll speak about God.

      – Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

    • June 10 – June 16

  • Become so firm in your faith that you will never swerve from your ideal.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: You may discriminate a thousand times, yet the I who is the thinker does not leave. For devotees to regard me with devotion is a very good thing. To the devotees I am the Supreme Divinity embodied in a human form, meaning that the Supreme Divinity Beyond Form has taken on qualities. When individuals take a form, they express through that form, and God listens to the prayers of a pure individual.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: When a Devotee has a belief in a particular form of God and further develops a living relationship with that form, then there is no more confusion whatsoever. If you have vision of God in any form, then He Himself explains it all to you.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • I was reminded of a time that I had a physical problem and I remarked to Maa that I was slowing down. Rather than commiserating with me Maa smiled sweetly and replied, Your body is getting closer to God! One day we will leave our bodies and be with God. Isn’t that wonderful! At that moment I found a new depth in our mantra, Om Aim Hrim Klim Camundayai Vicce – One who can see birth, preservation, and destruction in all things is enlightened.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • It’s not hard. Every day you need to brush your teeth. In the same way, every day you have to think, I am a child of God.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Outside the temples there were often signs posted that read:
    Entrance for Hindus only. According to the true definition, a Hindu is one who abhors violence in every form, who always practices harmonious behavior, who loves wisdom, who is respects all teachers of wisdom and practices one pointed meditation. Such a one may be said to be a Hindu. Being Hindu has nothing to do with the country of your birth, the color of your skin, or what religion your mother or father practiced. Being a Hindu is an attainment.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Call upon the Divine Mother, sing Her names, narrate the tales of her saints, and become inspired to greater achievement. She is our beautiful, Beloved Mother. She grants the fruit of all karma. Worship Her with all your heart.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

    • June 17 – June 23

  • Throughout the scripture we find an admonition to perform seva to the Guru, selfless service as an expression of love. Seva is different from work in that the performer feels privileged to demonstrate the intensity of love by performing and action, while a worker feels some expectation to receive in return.

      – from The Guru and The Goddess

  • There are three forms of seva. The lowest form is when our respected one asks us, “Would you do this for me?” The middle form is when we divide areas of responsibility and we discharge our duties with an attitude of love. The highest seva is when we see an opportunity to demonstrate our love, and without being told or asked, we go out of our way to add value to another’s life.

      – from The Guru and The Goddess

  • Through seva to the Guru, selfless service as an expression of love, we earn the privilege of learning and performing more karma yoga, and when our fickle minds stop modifications of the objects of consciousness, then we to realize the soul’s inherent union with divinity. We become the Guru. We become Supreme Divinity.

      – from The Guru and The Goddess

  • Surrender the ego so that we can recognize God when he comes rather than passing our time trying to manipulate his creation.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • The fourth residence of awareness is the chakra of the heart. There you get your first glimpse of True Consciousness where on all sides you find the Vision of Light. The individual is mesmerized or astounded by the wonder of this Eternal Light, and he says “What is this?” Then his mind no longer has any tendency to move towards the lower levels of worldly attachments.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • When people have sattwic devotion, they meditate in private. They meditate underneath the mosquito net, while everyone else thinks they are asleep. Actually in the night they are awake, and that’s why they sleep late in the morning. They don’t care too much for their bodies. If they get a little food, it is sufficient. They have no desire for delicacies. They have no desire for expensive clothing. They have simple furnishings and no wish for fine decor. Yet they feel no want.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Just think that while you’re here, your are an actor and then you’ll go home. Be the actor you can and realize it’s a play.

      – from Before Becoming This

    • June 24 – June 30

  • The more we move towards satsanga the closer we come to wise and noble thoughts.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • There are two kinds of love. There’s the love of selfish attachment, and there’s the love of surrender. When we love selfishly, we only think about what’s in it for me: I love you as long as my needs are fulfilled. When we love with unselfish surrender, we abandon all of our own personal considerations and give ourselves over to our beloved.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Question to Swamiji: What is the fastest way to enlightenment?

    As soon as we talk about speed in getting to a destination, we are defining the destination as an attainment. Enlightenment is not an attainment. It is something tangible that you can possess. Enlightenment is a realization in the moment. So the fastest way to enlightenment that I can suggest is to fall in love to the exclusion of all delusion. To fall in love – right now with such force and conviction that you surrender all duality and all attachments to your beloved. Make that love the supreme love of all your loves.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • To be in the presence of our Guru, to be in the presence of God, is just as rewarding after many years as it was on the first day.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Shree Maa:

    I saw a vision of Swamiji coming down from heaven. His two hands were raised in a blessing, and he was chanting the Devi Suktam from the Chandi. He floated down through the air and went before the Shiva statue, and then merged into this idol of worship. On seeing this, I knew he was a divine man and that we must have some important karma together.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Shree Maa has entered my heart. No matter where I am or what I do, Mother’s presence is forever with me.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • The compassionate guru looked at the distressed young man and said, My dear Prapod, no one can run away to become a sannyasi. Sannyas is an attainment. It is a fact of life, not a discipline of life.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

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Words of Wisdom: Profound Quotes to Elevate Your Mind and Spirit by Shreemaa & Swamiji

~~OM~~

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    March 4 – March 10

  • There is only one path and we are all on it. Do not try to dissect spirituality into a number of fragments. Spirituality means giving more than we take. That is the behavior I would like my disciples to practice. – Shree Maa

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Give respect to each and every atom of creation. All are reflections of the Divine Energy and the divine purpose so that all must be attended upon with a respectful attitude.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Every action that we produce in life has two possibilities. It will be for me or for Thee. Either I am acting motivated by selfishness or I am acting motivated by surrender. There are some really fine shades of gray where we think we are surrendering, but are actually enhancing our egotism.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Always pray to God for his grace. If we think we are a child of God all the time, our actions will become divine. Automatically everything will come to us. – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

  • “Swaha” – I am One With God.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • These are the qualities of a disciple: humility, modesty, causing harm to none, patience, the purification of knowledge, worship of the teacher, purity, consistency, self control, constant equanimity of consciousness, unswerving devotion, distaste for the society of gossip, always residing in spiritual wisdom. All that is opposed is ignorance.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Devotee: You mean we can do the work of the world and also contemplate God?

    Ramakrishna: Yes, you will do them both. You have to perform the work of the world, but from time to time go into solitude and pray that you can perform those activities without personal desire. Then you will say, “Hey, God, reduce my worldly desires because when I see that there is so much work in front of me, I forget you. I think that I am acting selflessly, but I actually have lots of desires.” If you are pursuing name, gain, and fame, you cannot be free from desire.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

    • March 11 – March 17

  • The Guru is actually the supreme divinity, and therefore, we bow down to the respected Guru.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Gurus are examples which instruct, inspire, somehow cause us to change the objectives we pursue and or the paths to their attainment.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Wisdom means being totally unselfish. The highest sacrifice is wisdom.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: When you cry to God, cry with the deepest sincerity. People cry with such sincerity for money, wealth, their children, or their families. How many of them cry for God? You have to call for God with real sincerity.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • How do I invite grace to come to me? Krpa (Kree pa) means grace. It means what you do is what you get. Kr (Kree) means do; pa means get. The real grace is that I will receive the fruit of my karma. How do I invite grace to find me in this duality? One way is to pray for the blessing of divine remembrance.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • The attitude of a devotee is like the relationship between a mother and her small child. If the child were to grab hold of a snake, or in any situation of danger, the mother will always protect it. But when the child is bigger, a young man like the wise person, she would think that the child could protect himself. The responsibility does not remain with the mother. Therefore, God will always protect a devotee who is like a small child. And like a grown young man, God will leave wise people to their own devices.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • The Western countries are new countries. India is an old country. It is steeped in Godliness. It is God’s purpose that the West is the way it is and the East is the way it is. Now you can see that the whole world is uniting. God is making oneness. It is so beautiful! In the future the whole world will be very peaceful.

      – from Before Becoming This

    • March 18 – March 24

  • There is only one criteria for Correct� samskrt pronunciation and understanding. Ramakrishna called it Vyakulata, an inner longing, a need or desire which is felt so intensely that we can think of nothing else, being entirely filled with it, expressed with a degree of sincerity that makes us pay attention to the exclusion of all other thoughts.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • There is no balance in this creation. Only each individual has to find his own balance. Through discipline you can find your own balance.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • When you know you are a child of God, that is surrender. If you don’t know who you are, it is hard to surrender. Your heart has to be soft. If you remember you are a child of God, you will become purer day by day. First comes simplicity, later comes respect. When you think I am a child of God, respect will come to you in every moment. – Shree Maa.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • My grandmother told me to wake up early in the morning, look in the mirror and bow down to myself. It’s very simple, but we make it complicated. – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Ramakrishna: At first in sadhana everything is mixed up and confused. But as you go towards God, your burden of activities will be reduced. The time will come when even repeating the names and reciting the qualities of the deities will drop off.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • God has a plan. There is nothing worry about. – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

  • How can someone who reads this book or sees you once a year at one of your programs have a relationship with you?

    Shree Maa gave me a piercing look and said, “If they call for me sincerely in their heart, I will know.” Then she paused for a second and said, “I am the mother of the universe. I am with everyone.”

      – from Before Becoming This

    • March 25 – March 31

  • During the 1960s, Swamiji was one of many westerners who took off for the East in search of true wisdom. He is among the few who, in fact, gained realization and then returned to share with us the wisdom he attained. Swamiji brought not only the wisdom and devotion he gained through more than twenty years of intensive spiritual practices and direct experience of God, but he also brought the most priceless treasure from the heart of India, the respected Divine Mother, Shree Maa

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • The best way to pray is with mantra, literally, that which takes away the mind. Now when you have a stimulus and you are ready to respond, use a mantra and take away your mind. Take a breath and put a mantra with your breath. Hold it for a moment then say the mantra again. Get yourself clear on your objectives, your motivations and your methods.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • I saw deeply in my meditation that Ramakrishna came to me and said, “The Motherland and the Fatherland must be made one. You, my children, shall perform worship in the west as you do in the east. There is no need to build community temples, but a temple should be established in every home and in every heart. For that purpose you shall go to new places to teach people how to worship” – Shree Maa

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Every action should be worship.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • It is very simple. That is why we need to do spiritual practices, to remind ourselves to remember divinity all the time. But performing spiritual practices is no substitute for leading a spiritual life. Every one is God. Mother is everywhere. That’s why I like to keep pictures of Gods and Goddesses around me. It’s fun. – Shree Maa

      – Before Becoming This

  • Over eight hundred years ago there was a great Tibetan Monk named Milarepa. He realized the ultimate goal of existence after performing severe spiritual practices.

    Milarepa writes: In horror of death, I took to the mountains – again and again I meditated on the uncertainty of the hour of death, capturing the fortress of the deathless unending nature of mind. Now all fear of death is over and done.

    In the same light as Milarepa, Swamiji has taken this quote and interpreted it according to his ideal of perfection. For me, this is just one more example of the greatness of Swamiji’s attainment.

    Swamiji writes: In honor of life, I took to the mountains—again and again I meditated upon the bliss of being and humankind’s inherent ability to perceive it. Then I captured that imperishable essence, and now all fear has vanished. – Swamiji

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

  • Every woman is a reflection of the Divine Mother. Every woman’s nature is to be like a mother who gives to the world like she gives to her child.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

    • April 1 – April 7

  • Respect is heaven. Respect is liberation.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Our goal is not to train pundits. We are trying to inspire devotees around the world to pray with sincerity for blessings of good health, purity, and peace, inside themselves and around the world, in any language, in any tradition, any where, alone or with their families, in their own temples, in every temple, and to actualize that prayer in their every effort. – Swamiji

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • She (Shree Maa) is divinity in manifest form, and Her light, Her love, and Her silence are a testimony to That Divine Realization.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • The first step is satsanga, good company. Find pure examples of surrendered souls with which to associate in our lives. Serve a guru.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • Ramakrishna: When we sing the name of God even once with devotion and bhava, if you shed tears, then know for certain that all the rituals of worship are completely fulfilled. Then actions are renounced of their own accord. Karma leaves us, and only the name of God remains.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • God will give you everything you desire. – Shree Maa

      – from Before Becoming This

  • It was summer time and very hot. So every afternoon, after he had finished his chanting, Swamiji walked to the edge of the pond, seated himself in the full lotus posture and floated out onto the water. Swamiji stayed in the lotus posture on top of the water for a few hours at a time. People stood on the shore and looked at him in astonishment, but he never paid them any attention. He closed his eyes. His right foot was placed upon his left thigh, and his left foot was placed upon his right thigh, and with his backbone completely straight, he floated on the water.

      – from Sahib Sadhu: The White Sadhu

    • April 8 – April 14

  • There are only three things in a sadhu’s jewelry box: Pure love, inspiration, and appreciation.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Many, many times I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from, but I always knew that God would take care of me. I had no doubt about that what so ever. – Swamiji

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Ramakrishna: Remember that God without form is true, and God with form is just as true. Whichever one you have faith in, hold on to that, and move toward God.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Ramakrishna: When you call with sincerity, She (The Divine Mother) must come and pay attention. When the morning dawns, first the light begins radiate, and then you see the sun. Sincerity is the key to the vision of God.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • Many people say they want God but it is just another desire amongst a multitude.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Wandering senses breeds desire. Therefore control your senses. Learn to sit in an asan and control your breath.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Ramakrishna: Do your work in the world, but keep your mind at the feet of God and leave it there.

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

    • April 15 – April 21

  • Most people perform puja to get a boon. They pray for something like a new car, winning the lottery, etc. In our tradition we just pray because it is a privilege to demonstrate our love for God.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Cultivate the attitude of appreciation for the bounteous gifts of God, especially for the privilege of being able to sit in the presence of God. Cultivate the attitude of gratitude, and carry it with you throughout your daily activities. Only then will worship pervade our lives.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • Ramakrishna: Please think about this very deeply and intensely. There are many forms of desires and many forms of what is required to fulfill them. They are all transient. God is the only true reality. What do you get with money? When you have money, you get rice, clothes, and a place to stay. You don’t get God with money, so money cannot be the goal of life. This is called discrimination between the real and the unreal. Do you understand?

      – from Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • So long as the body may remain, remember your Guru as a worshipful God. Do not give up on the Guru, even if he moves according to his own rhythm.

      – from Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

  • A true guru is always thinking for the welfare of others, whereas a false teacher is always thinking for his or her own personal gain or even of destroying others. A true teacher does good even to those who do him or her harm. Just like the sandlewood tree: if anyone cuts into the tree, even still, the tree gives forth its beautiful fragrance. The saintly being is always engaged in striving for the upliftment and welfare of everyone. An unsaintly being is known by the capacity to do harm to others and do harm even to himself in the process.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • In the Eighteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita it says:
    Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, patience, the purification of knowledge, wisdom, the application of wisdom, and the continuous pursuit of self-realization are the actions natural to a brahmana.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Question to Swamiji:

    Why do you consider Human birth the highest birth?

    Answer: Humanity has the capacity to reason. Humans have the capacity to dedicate their minds to the contemplation of whatever their desired objective is. In so doing, they can perform sadhana and realize their total potential.

      – from Before Becoming This

    • April 22 – April 28

  • There are six karmas allowed to a brahmana: to learn and to teach, to worship for yourself and to worship for others, to pray for others and to lead others in worship, to give what one can and to accept offerings that are given as a token of love and respect.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Through faith we attain everything.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Swamiji describing Shree Maa:

    Shree Maa does not have selfish bone in her body. She walks on the grass in such a way it seems the grass bows when it is stepped on. She has so much humility you might not notice her if she were sitting in a crowd. She carries herself with such poise and such grace that she makes herself diminutive. I think her attitudes, her service, her love, her guidance, her wisdom, her joy, her light, her music, her cooking are all directed towards making this universe a better place. Every activity she performs on Earth is directed towards lifting someone else up. She is constantly thinking of others and never thinking of herself.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • We come with our samskaras, our tendencies. We also come with three debts of karma: to the Gods, to the ancestors, and to the Gurus. We discharge our debt to the Gods by making the world a better place for our having been here. We discharge our debts to the ancestors by respecting the elders the way we would want to be respected when we are old and by nurturing the young people, teaching them the way we would like the world to become. We discharge our debt to the Gurus, all the teachers who gave us a piece of the puzzle from life to life, from birth to birth, by living in accordance with their wisdom.

      – from Before Becoming This

  • Wise people are the instruments of God’s communications. Concern yourself with the message. The messenger is of minor importance.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • The ignorant is like a person who is sitting beside a mountain of gold, yet still remains a beggar. When a person has met their guru, and with an open heart allows the guru to show how to see, that person discovers the wealth that is with them, that person is known as wise. – Shree Maa

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

  • Experience truth for yourself and don’t rely only upon the experiences of others. Truth has only one reference for verification: personal experience.

      – from Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint

    • April 29 – May 5

  • Most people perform puja to get a boon. They pray for something like a new car, winning the lottery, etc. In our tradition we just pray because it is a privilege to demonstrate our love for God.

      – from Gems of Wisdom

  • Cultivate the attitude of appreciation for the bounteous gifts of God, especially for the privilege of being able to sit in the presence of God. Cultivate the attitude of gratitude, and carry it with you throughout your daily activities. Only then will worship pervade our lives.

      – from Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna

  • Ramakrishna: Please think about this very deeply and intensely. There are many forms of desires and many forms of what is required to fulfill them. They are all transient. God is the only true reality. What do you get with money? When you have money, you get rice, clothes, and a place to stay. You don’t get God with money, so money cannot be the goal of life. This is called discrimination between the real and the unreal. Do you understand?

      – from Ramakrishna The Nectar of Eternal Bliss

  • So long as the body may remain, remember your Guru as a worshipful God. Do not give up on the Guru, even if he moves according to his own rhythm.

      – from The Guru and the Goddess

  • A true guru is always thinking for the welfare of others, whereas a false teacher is always thinking for his or her own personal gain or even of destroying others. A true teacher does good even to those who do him or her harm. Just like the sandalwood tree: if anyone cuts into the tree, even still, the tree gives forth its beautiful fragrance. The saintly beingn is always engaged in striving for the upliftment and welfare of everyone. An unsaintly being is known by the capacity to do harm to others and do harm even to himself in the process.

      – from Shree Maa The Life of a Saint

  • In the Eighteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita it says:
    Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, patience, the purification of knowledge, wisdom, the application of wisdom, and the continuous pursuit of self-realization are the actions natural to a brahmana.

      – from Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs

  • Question to Swamiji:

    Why do you consider Human birth the highest birth?

    Humanity has the capacity to reason. Humans have the capacity to dedicate their minds to the contemplation of whatever their desired objective is. In so doing, they can perform sadhana and realize their total potential.

      – from Before Becoming This

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Inspiring Quotes Archive

~~OM~~ June 12 – June 18 Become so firm in your faith that you will never swerve from your ideal. – from Gems of Wisdom   Ramakrishna: You may discriminate a […]