Gems from Thirukkural-1:

'A' leads letters; the Ancident Lord
Leads and lords the entire world. (Thirukkural 1.1)

Translated by Yogi Shuddhananda Bharati

Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-11:

That person who goes about unattached giving up all sense-objects, devoid of the idea of ownership and free from egotism, he attains peace.

Gems from Swami Chidbhavananda-3:

Integrity elevates man to divinity.

Gems from Paramahamsa Yogananda-2:

We should learn how to visualize our thoughts - how to recharge them with the energy of concentration until they become visible manifestations. Proper visualization by the exercise of concentration and will power enables us to materialize thoughts, not only as dreams or visions in the mental realm, but also as experiences in the material realm. - "Man's Eternal Quest" by Sri Sri Paramahamsa Yogananda.

Gems from the Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi-3:

One realizes God in proportion to the intensity of one's feeling for Him.

Gems from Vedanta-8:

Obstructed desire turns into anger. It is the worst enemy of man.

Gems from Swami Vivekananda-15:

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.

Q&A-25: "Why does man suffer when God has created man in His own image?"

The question is put in Biblical terms. According to the Bible, the original man Adam, was no doubt created in the Divine image, and he had then no suffering. But he disobeyed the Divine commandment and thereby incurred sin. But this did not end with him, sin was inherited by man, his progeny. All the trials and tribulations of mankind are attributed to this original sin of his ancestor which has been inherited by man. This is understandable and acceptable to people who have been brought up in certain traditions and who accept them unquestioningly. To others it seem very queer.

The Hindu mind has thought of it in more philosophic terms. Unlike the Christian, the Hindu will make a hard and fast distinction between the spirit (Atman) and the body-mind. The Atman, the essence in man, is never created, it is held by some to be an aspect of His being, or by other thinkers as a spiritual centre distinct from Him but still inseparably related with Him. Samsara or involvement of the Atman as Jiva, i.e. in association with body-mind is without a beginning. The association is brought about and determined by Karma or the effects and tendencies brought about by action. But how this association originally came? No thinker or scripture answers because it is unanswerable. They only point out that, as this association is without a beginning in the cyclic process of Samsara, it would be more profitable to bring abut its end than search for its beginning. The Atman is blissful, but Karma, which has brought it into indistinguishable association with body-mind, is the cause of all its sufferings. But even these joys and sufferings have a great meaning. Through the experiences of repeated lives, more and more refined body-minds are evolved, with which the Jiva is ultimately enabled to attain freedom and be established in his blissful nature. So according to this theory we will attain bliss if we find our identity in the Atman, but a mixed condition of sufferings and happiness will be our lot so long as we are identified with the body-mind.

Courtesy: "Spiritual Quest: Questions & Answers" by Swami Tapasyananda, Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai-600004.

From my Spiritual Diary-49:

* Guru Purnima or Vyasa Purnima falls this year on July 21st (written in 1986). The sacred occasion serves to remind us of the massive contribution of the myriad-minded Vyasa to our philosophy and literature. He edited and classified the Vedas, composed the Brahmasutras, wrote the Mahabharata with its crest jewel of the Gita, and gave us the innumerable Puranas crowned by Srimad Bhagavata. To Vyasa, we owe everything in our culture.

* ....today 'varna' is wrongly interpreted as caste. The Gita clearly defines 'varna' as determined by Guna and Karma.

* The excellence of a person depends on the perfection with which he does his job. It does not depend on the nature of the job as long as it is socially useful.

* That which takes us from our present state to the transcendent state is comprehensively called Dharma. The word means that which sustains, that which nourishes, that which protects, and that which gives us the beautitude. (C.S.Ramakrishnan).

Q&A-24: "How to see God?"

God can make Himself visible and appear in any form at any time. Since God is not limited to any one manifestation, it is all right to visualize Him in whatever form is dearest to your heart. He will appear to you in a form representative of one of His divine attributes...or as any avatar, saint, or great soul that you love. The first step in drawing that divine response is to visualize, with eyes closed in meditation, the image of the...saint. If your meditation is deep and your effort is persistent, you will draw God to you - Yogoda Magazine.

Courtesy: SELF-REALIZATION from YOGODA SATSANGA SOCIETY OF INDIA , KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL.

Grateful thanks to Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.