Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The effort to remain constantly attached to Truth is devotion

Whenever faith is invaded by contradictory ideas, doubts arise. As soon as faith is overwhelmed by doubts which are again supported by the mind, depression sets in. If one gives up contrary ideas, hears and accepts arguments favouring faith, doubts vanish and depression cannot stand. No contrary thoughts can shake the faith after it has ripened. What can doubts or lethargy do to a true believer? Once doubt is indulged, it attacks the mind like a weevil, and ultimately it begets an extremely worn-out, dirty state of disbelief. To remove doubt and establish faith is to attain knowledge. If you have firm truth, no contrary idea, no incantation, no power other than that of your own faith can overwhelm or bewitch you. Know this for sure. As far off as faith will leave your mind, so much the world will doubt you and lose faith in you, and so much too will distress attack you; it is sure! The kingdom of distress and misery is in the land of disbelief. The land of faith is so fertile. Take care! If you find doubt-like sprouts of the weeds of disbelief, pull them out at once! Otherwise the immortal tree of devotion will not be able to grow. Devotion and faith are twin brothers. If one comes, the other follows. Remove doubt! Place devotion on the throne of faith! Let the kingdom of Heaven be established in your heart! The effort to remain constantly attached to ‘Sat’ (the Source of Existence Incarnate) is ‘bhakti’ (devotion). The devoted is the really wise man. Wisdom without devotion in merely verbal learning. You may say, “He is I”, or “I am He, the Absolute”, but hold on the devotion; then only, that attitude will stand in you. Otherwise, you can achieve nothing by it. As the faith, so the love, and so the wisdom also. First try to be free from vanity; then say, “He is I”. Otherwise, the “He is I” may drag you down more. If you try to keep adhered to enlivening thoughts, your thought, behaviour, habits etc. will become broad and true gradually. These are the signs of a devotee. The mind becomes narrow when it moves to the narrow; when it moves to the expansive, it expands. So, when it goes to a devotee, it broadens, and as much broadness as there is, so much peace there is

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