Drawing on the Divine that is inherent in you – is the lesson of the Gita. (SSS Vol.7, p. 301)
The very first lesson of Yoga is the conquest of kama or desire. Keep the Name of the Lord always radiant on your tongue and mind. That will keep the antics of mind, under control. When the lamp is kept burning darkness dare not spread its fumes around you. (SSS Vol.7, p. 238)
The body is but an instrument to discover the In-dweller. Withdraw from the outer to the inner and learn to visualise the Motivator, the Atma – that is the lesson that the seers and scriptures teach. To engage ourselves in the purification exercises, to pursue the inquiry into the Reality of God, Nature and Man, and to experience the ecstatic delight of that discovery, the Body is very necessary. It has to be kept healthy and alert, free from passion and sloth, balanced and expectant of victory. (SSS Vol.11, p. 4)
Here is a story to illustrate the maxim, ‘No gains without pains’. There was a gardener who used to water the plants in the garden carrying a pot on his head from dawn to dusk. One day while carrying the pot he got a headache and wanted to lay down the pot and go home. At that moment the pot taught him a valuable lesson. The pot said ‘Oh man! There can be no fruit without labour, no pleasure without pain. Learn the lesson from my own story. In the beginning I was just mere dust and mud, trodden upon by people. The potter gathered the mud, turned it into clay by pressing it under his feet, and made a pot from it by whirling the clay on the wheel. And finally I was placed in a kiln for firing. Whoever came to buy me tapped on my side with strength to test my hardness? It was because I went through these ordeals that I earned the privilege of dancing on the heads of people. If I had not gone through all these trails how could I have achieved this eminence? Likewise, only if you are prepared to go through trials and difficulties will you be able to rise yourself in life. Hence, you should not succumb to difficulties and disappointments. You must strive to overcome them. For this purpose, you have to acquire the grace of God by developing faith. (SSS Vol.22, p. 19)
When the rains come, earth and sky are one in the sheety downpour. It is indeed a beautiful inspiring scene, a scene by which creation itself is teaching you to become One, in unison with it. There are three lessons that can be learnt – the impermanence of created things, the role of Man as the servant, and God as the Master. This creation is wherewithal of the Puja; and Man is the worshipper, and God, the worshipped. The game called Life is played with these. (Prema Vahini, pp. 10-11)
Lord Dakshinamurti conveyed His message through silence. He seldom resorted to speech. By mere sight He could impart the profoundest truths about the Universal and Divine. On one occasion in the course of travels, He reached the shore of the ocean. He was delighted to listen to the Omkara vibrations coming from the ocean. The ocean represents the primal divine sound (ShabdaBrahman). It symbolises the grandeur and majesty of the Divine. Dakshinamurti drew a lesson from the endless waves reaching the shore from the ocean. He noticed that as soon as some rubbish fell on the ocean, it threw it out on the shore by a series of waves without retaining it even for a brief moment. Dakshinamurti questioned the ocean: ‘how selfish you are! You are boundless and fathomless. Can’t you make some room for this poor stuff? It is highly selfish on your part not to tolerate this poor thing despite your vastness. The ocean gave a fitting answer: ‘Lord! There is nothing unknown to you. If today I allow this piece of dirt to remain with me ere long it will be filled with flotsam and jetsam and my entire form will be changed. Hence from the beginning I have to cast off anything that is dirty and polluting. Only then I can remain pure. Likewise, every person should keep out ever the smallest bad thoughts the moment it seeks the mind. To treat it as small and inconsiderable would mean allowing such things to enter the mind and in due course fill it entirely. In the process, the entire nature of the person is changed. His human essence is undermined. Hence every effort must be made to keep out all bad thoughts and feelings and promote human qualities as much as possible. (D3 , p. 41)
Doubts about God may arise sometimes even among staunch believers. This may be illustrated from an incident in the Mahabharata. Once, while the Pandavas were in exile in the forest, Krishna visited them. Krishna was told that the five brothers used to take turns during night to keep vigil over the activities of evil spirits and demons. One night an evil spirit appeared before the Pandava brothers and they had great difficulty in fighting it. In view of this, Dharmaja, the eldest of the Pandavas, tried to dissuade Krishna from participating in the sentry duty. Krishna, however, insisted on taking his share. During that period no evil spirit appeared. Then came Arjuna’s turn and Krishna watched the scene from a distance. To Arjuna’s surprise, no evil spirit appeared while Krishna was there. Krishna then explained to Arjuna that evil spirits were only a reflection of one’s hatred and fear and when one is free from these, no evil spirit will appear or do any harm. Krishna revealed that the Divine existed even in the so-called evil spirits and that if one gets rid of the evil qualities within him, the evil spirits can do no harm. One’s anger assumes the form of a demon. If you develop love, everything you confront will have the form of love. This was the lesson Krishna taught the Pandavas. Students should eschew bad qualities like anger, hatred and envy. By manifesting love, they will enjoy bliss. (SS Feb 98 , pp. 40-41)
The function of the mind is to act as controller of the senses. The role of the senses is to serve the mind. The right relationship is for the servants to obey the master and for the master to rule over the servants. But when the master falls into the hands of his servants, he becomes the victim of all varieties of loss and grief.
The Ramayana provides a fine illustration for this danger.Kaikeyi, the queen, was the mistress; Manthara was her servant, her maid, but since the queen was subservient to her maid, a whole series of tragedies happened. Kaikeyi came from a Royal dynasty; she was the favourite consort of a famous emperor; she was the mother of a son,Bharata, famous for his dutifulness and righteousness; she loved her stepson Rama as dearly as her life-breath; yet, despite her own virtue, learning and authority, since she gave ear to her attendant, Manthara, she drew upon herself eternal infamy from everyone. She landed in a situation where her beloved son came to despise her. Even the name Kaikeyi and Manthara have become obnoxious.
The lesson is: we should not allow the senses, who are only servants, to lord over us. If we do so we invite the fate of Kaikeyi. Wherever you are, however rich, learned or powerful, when you advise someone to do wrong, you invite on yourselves the fate of Manthara. Since men yield to the blandishments of the senses, they are becoming Kaikeyis and losing the Divine Nature, the quality of the Master. (SSS Vol. 15, pp. 253-254)
The foremost lesson to be learnt from the Rama story is how to foster unity and harmony in a family. When each family is united, the village enjoys unit. When villages are united, the Nation basks in prosperity. (SSS Vol.14, p. 64)
A lesson every man should learn. There is the potency of a Mantra (a sacred declaration) in every word. Every plant has a medicinal properties. Every human being is precious. A true individual is one who knows and lives up to this truth. (SSS Vol.18, p. 224)