Ramayana-2:

Truth is the greatest 'dharma', law, in the world; it is said to be the source of all good. Truth rules the world, prosperity is established in Truth. All things have their origin in Truth, there is nothing higher than Truth.

Gems from Thirukkural-3:

Those who hold His Feet, who likes or loathes, are free from woes of human births.

Gems from Gandhiji-3:

Scientists tell us that without the presence of the cohesive force amongst the atoms that comprise this globe of ours, it would crumble to pieces and we cease to exist; and even as there is cohesive force in blind matter, so must there be in all things animate; and the name for that cohesive force among animate things is LOVE. We notice it between father and son, between brother and sister, friend and friend. But we have to learn to use that force among all that lives, and in the use of it consists our knowledge of God. Where there is Love, there is Life; hatred leads to destruction. - Young India, May 5, 1920.

Gems from Jainism-6:

Sensuous enjoyments yield momentary pleasures but cause prolonged misery. By their very nature, they give maximum sorrow and minimum happiness. They are an obstacle to emancipation.

Gems from Swami Chidbhavananda-8:

The word 'Dharma' has no equivalent term in other languages. A few at least of its connotations require to be studied. The core of a thing is its dharma. The dharma of fire is to burn. The dharma of water is to wet. The dharma of life is to express itself. The dharma of the lion is to prey on the deer. The dharma of the deer is to flee to save its life. The dharma of man is to be a social being.

Gems from the Vedanta-13:

Austerity is the means to change the material man into the spiritual man.

Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-16:

Perform your prescribed duties, for action is superior to inaction.

Gems from Swami Vivekananda-21:

...humanity travels not from error to truth, but truth to truth; it may be, if you like it better, from lower truth to higher truth, but never from error to truth.

Prayer of the day-21:

Om.
From the unreal lead us to the Real.
From darkness lead us to Light.
From death lead us to Immortality.
Om Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!

From My Spiritual Diary-54:

1. Man decays and dies like corn and emerges again like corn.

2. The preferable is different indeed; and so, indeed, is the pleasurable different. These two, serving divergent purposes, (as they do), bind men. Good befalls him who accepts the preferable out of these two. He who selects the pleasurable falls from the true end.

3. The preferable and the pleasurable approach mankind. The man of intelligence having considered them, separates the two. The intelligent one selects the electable in preference to the delectable; the non-intelligent one selects the delectable for the sake of growth and protection (of the body etc.)

4. One who has not desisted from bad conduct, whose senses are not under control, whose mind is not concentrated, whose mind is not free from anxiety (about the result of concentration), cannot attain this Self through knowledge.

5. Know the (individual) Self as the master of the chariot, and the body as the chariot. Know the intellect as the charioteer and the mind as verily the bridle.

- Katha Upanishad

From My Spiritual Diary-53:

1. Do not covet the wealth of anyone.

2. The wise man who realizes all beings not distinct from his own Self, and his Self as the Self of all beings, does not, by virtue of that perception, hate anyone.

3. What delusion, what sorry, can there be for that wise man who realizes the unity of all existence by perceiving all beings as his own Self?

- Isavasya Upanishad

Prayer of the day-20:

O' God help me that:

1. I shall not get angry
2. I stay blissful, calm and happy
3. I get strength to raise mind high above daily trifles.
4. I get energy to surrender myself to "Thy Will with Love"
5. I do all actions earnestly without thinking of "Fruit"

Om Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!

Gems from Swami Vivekananda-20:

"Come, do something heroic. Brother, what if you do not attain mukti, what if you suffer damnation a few times? Is the saying untrue: 'There are some saints who, full of holiness in thought, word and deed, please the whole world by their numerous beneficent acts, and who develop their own hearts by magnifying an atom of virtue in otters as if it were as great as a mountain?"

Gems from the Vedanta-12:

Renouncing all self-will, be an instrument in the hands of the Almighty. Great achievements and emancipation are possible that way.

Gems from the Buddha-8:

Never build your faith on miracles. But look for truth in everlasting principles.

Gems from Swami Vivekananda-19:

To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. "I will drink the ocean," says the persevering soul, "at my will mountains will crumble up." Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard, and you will reach the goal.

Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-15:

I am seated in the heart of all beings - Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.

Gems from Swami Chidbhavananda-7:

Converging the faculties of the mind to one point is concentration. It is obtained by constant practice. Fibres are tender and powerless. But if they are twisted into a rope, they assume the power to tie an elephant. Disciplined mind is like the rope. The sunbeams converge to a point through the lens and put forth the maximum light and heat. Likewise, concentrated mind evinces the maximum power of grasp.

From My Spiritual Diary-52:

* In doing evil, we injure ourselves and others also. In doing good we do good to ourselves and to others as well. According to karma-yoga, the action one has done cannot be destroyed until it has borne its fruit; no power in nature can stop it from yielding its results. If I do an evil action, I must suffer for it; there is no power in this universe to stop or stay it. Similarly, if I do a good action, there is no power in the universe which can stop its bearing good results - Swami Vivekananda.

* As the different strams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee. - Swami Vivekananda.

* Men do not realize how far they are dragged down by women. Once I went to the Fort in a carriage, feeling all the while that I was going along a level road. At last I found that I had gone four storeys down. It was sloping road. - Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

* Truth is the last end for the entire universe and the contemplation of truth is the chief occupation of wisdom. - St.Thomas Aquinas.

* A man becomes an animal if he thinks his physical needs are supreme and if he has no mind at all or has a mind vitiated by ill thoughts and feelings. He is a demon if he finds pleasure in doing mischief to others and he is a god if he is totally unselfish and his only pleasure is to do good to others. Most men are between these two extremes...an unselfish man is an asset to society and adds to its strength and glory. An ideal society is one in which every individual takes unselfishness as his ideal and pursues it regardless of what it may cost him - Swami Lokeswarananda.

* Religion gives the incentive to struggle and indicates the steps to be taken. The struggle is not so much physical as mental. It is easy to overcome physical hurdles but very difficult to overcome selfishness, anger, hatred, envy etc. Religion shows the way to overcome these mental drawbacks. - Swami Lokeswarananda.

* The phenomenal world is .... partly real and partly unreal; not absolutely unreal and also of course not absolutely real. - Swami Lokeswarananda.

Q&A-26: How to purify the mind?

Avoid evil thoughts, evil feelings, evil actions, as much as you can. Entertain good thoughts, good feelings and perform good actions. That is the first step. Bear in mind that we are souls, the Atman. This Atman has put on a human personality with a view to playing a part in the cosmic drama of life. Whatever be the part assigned to us, that part has to be played well. That means, we have to perform the duties of life and work in a spirit of detachment, as a form of service to God. But mere moral practice and fulfilment of duties are not enough to purify the mind. We have to meditate on Him, pray to Him, who is the infinite source of Purity, Knowledge, Devotion, Compassion, Love and Bliss. - Swami Yatiswarananda

Gems from Vedanta-11:

When the mental growth of man expands into infinitude his individuality merges in the Absolute Reality, Brahman.

Gems from Swami Chidbhavananda-6:

Our senses are so constituted that we seek for substances extraneous to us. They are of no use for self-analysis. The musk-deer produces musk in its own body. But in search of the fragrance of that stuff, it wanders about. Man's position is akin to it. He has divinity enshrined in himself. But he seeks for It in regions other than himself. Whatever he seeks for is in himself.

Gems from the Buddha-7:

Whatever after due examination and analysis you find to be conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings, that doctrine believe and cling to take it as your guide.

Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-14:

He who performs actions, dedicating them to the Lord and giving up attachment, is not touched by sin, as a lotus leaf by water.

Gems from Swami Vivekananda-18:

The present is determined by our past actions, and the future by the present.

From My Spiritual Diary-51:

* Renounce as much as you can. - Mahapurush Maharaj
* There are pearls in the deep sea, but you must hazard all perils to get them. If you fail to get at them by a single dive, do not conclude that the sea is without them. Dive again and again, and you are sure to be rewarded in the end. So also in the quest for the Lord, if your first attempt to see Him proves fruitless, do not lose heart. - Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
* Be humble! Be the servant of all! Only he who knows how to serve is fit to rule - Swami Turiyananda
* If faults are to be noticed, look at your own. Being aware of the defects in others only serves to show your own defective nature - Swami Turiyananda
* That one is a master who is never crushed or disheartened - Swami Paramananda
* We must climb higher and radiate higher qualities in our life. To do this requires faith and courage - Swami Paramananda
* He is a fool who cannot get angry and he is a wise man who will not. - Swami Turiyananda
* Try to be one with all. Never antagonize. - Swami Turiyananda
* If you should speak, speak what is benevolent. Speak not what is malevolent. - Thiruvalluvar

Gems from Vedanta-10:

Man grows in spiritual excellence when he gives up all attachments to sense-objects which are evanscent.

Gems from Swami Chidbhavananda-5:

The mediocre waits for an opportunity. The enthusiast makes opportunity. He is ever alert. He is up and doing.

Gems from the Bible-14:

He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it - Jesus Christ

Gems from the Buddha-6:

Not by hatred, hatred is appeased. Hatred is appeased by not-hatred. This is an eternal law.

Gems from the Bhagavad Gita-13:

"I am in every religion as the thread through a string of pearls. Wherever thou seest extraordinary power raising and purifying humanity, know that I am there" - Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita

Gems from Swami Vivekananda-17:

None can hate others without degenerating oneself.

From My Spiritual Diary-50:

* To love truly is the greatest triumph of life - Swami Paramananda
* The greatest manifestation of God is in man - Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
* Purity is the foundation of a spiritual life - Mahapurush Maharaj
* Divine grace is already with us; we have only to allow its free play in us by surrendering ourselves to the Divine completely; it will then guide us to our natural birth-right with the aid of external stimulus or without it. - Notes on Narada Bhakti Sutras - Translated by Swami Tyagisananda
* Fear is the greatest sin. Banish all fear and weakness from your mind - Swami Brahmananda
* If a man leads a householder's life, he must have unflagging devotion to truth. God can be realized through truth alone - Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
* The philosopher who has not realized his metaphysics is just an ass bearing a load of books - Prophet Mohamed
* The main factors for God realization are Renunciation, Detachment, Purity and Sincere Hankering (for God) - Mahapurush Maharaj.
* If devotion is wanting, all deeds are null and void - Adhyatmaramayana.
* He who gives up everything voluntarily is happy - Svetasvatara Upanishad.
* That which is not a means of liberation is not to be thought of; it becomes a cause of bondage - Svetasvatara Upanishad.
* The Kingdom of Heaven is within you - Jesus Christ