The Path Of Love Is The Noblest

7 April 1993, Kodaikanal

Published English.

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Listening, singing, contemplating on , serving His Lotus Feet, salutation, worship, servitude, friendship, and self-surrender ( , , , , , , , , ). These are the nine paths of devotion. Though the paths are many, the goal is one. Similarly, there are countless human beings, but the in all of them is the same. There are countless waves in the vast ocean. No two waves are alike. Waves assume different forms, but in all the waves, the water of the ocean is the same. In this infinite, vast universe there are countless beings, but the Divinity in the form of Existence- Knowledge-Bliss Absolute ( ) is the same in all. People don’t recognise this broad principle of humanness. They consider themselves separate and call themselves themselves individuals. They lead self-centred lives, indulging in selfishness ( ). means living for one’s own sake.

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People suffer disappointment in life because they consider the body permanent. So, the call upon all, “Arise! Awake! Stop not till the goal is reached.” They urge people to wake up from the slumber of ignorance, visualise the sunrise of wisdom ( ), and uphold humanness. Though people today acquire knowledge of the , undertake spiritual practices, attain scientific knowledge, make investigations and enquiries, yet they are not able to know who they are. They face so many problems because they do not understand their own reality.

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One is not merely a human, though one has a body of a human. One’s reality is the , which is enshrined in the body. So, in relation to the body, one is just a human, but from the point of view of the , one is divine. The body is the temple of God. Consider the body as a temple. When can you call the body a temple? You can call it a temple when God is in it. It cannot be a temple without God. So, in this body. God is present in the form of eternal .

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Reduce desires to make your will power strong One should have good thoughts. Desires originate from thoughts. These desires chain and bind. One’s will power ( ) also emerges from thoughts. This will power is very important, like the life principle of humanity. All other powers like power of intellect, of understanding, of determination, of speech, etc., come out of it. This will power is like the king of all other powers. It will lead one to the sacred path if one makes proper use of it. On the contrary, if one makes improper use of will power, one will become wicked. Will power affects the thoughts, and thoughts influence will power. Bad thoughts make will power weak. Decline in will power makes the desires stronger and stronger. Here is a small example. Suppose a man has the habit of drinking too much coffee or tea, smoking cigarettes, etc. His bad habits will certainly weaken his will power. If he has 20 such bad habits, and if he gives up one habit after another, his will power will become stronger and stronger. If you give up coffee or tea, the power of your intellect will increase.

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Here is a small example. There is a main road. A young man wants to do exercise in the middle of that broad road with a big stick in his hand. If he really wants to do exercise, he can do at his home on the terrace. He has every right there. But if he tries to do exercise on a public road, immediately police will come and arrest him. Why? Because his freedom interferes with the freedom of others. What do you mean by freedom? True freedom lies in not interfering with the freedom of others. If you think you have to exercise freely on a public road, another person has also got equal freedom to save themself from your stick and lead their own life. So, you should have that freedom which does not interfere with the freedom of others. But no one bothers today about the freedom of others. People think of their self-interest and selfishness. Therefore, man today has no . What does mean? + = . means and means desire. So, the desire of the is . It is not the desire of the mind; it is not the desire of the intellect. It is the desire of the .

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( showing handkerchief.) What is this? This is a cloth. It is not a cloth but a bundle of threads. No, it is not a bundle of threads either; it is cotton. First cotton, second threads, third cloth. So, this cloth has threads and cotton in it. What is the mind? First thoughts, second desires, third mind. Mind is nothing but a bundle of desires. Desires constitute the mind.

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If you want to make this cloth disappear, what should you do? Separate out the threads; then there will be no cloth. Similarly, if you remove the desires one after the other, there will be no mind. In , this is called a state devoid of mind ( ). We ourselves create the mind out of desires.

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The mind, which is our own creation, harms us. How? It harms through its bad thoughts. If we have good thoughts, they will protect us. The development of good thoughts is called (good conduct). When we protect , will protect us in turn. If you protect , you will be protected by ( ). If you harm , you will be harmed in turn.

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Therefore, take the time to control the thought process after thorough enquiry. First enquire, then act. Start early, drive slowly, reach safely. If you slow down your thoughts, you can reach safely. But people today are in a great hurry. Undue hurry can put one in danger. Therefore, don’t make haste. Peace, peace, peace ( , , ). For everything, you need peace. Do a little enquiry. Suppose anger overtakes you. Immediately, you start uttering all sorts of things. Sometimes, you try to hit the other person with your hands. This is very dangerous. The anger is caused by temporary emotion. When you understand the truth later, you feel bad and repent at your mistake. Then what is the use? Enquire beforehand as to where the mistake lies? Is it your fault or that of someone else? If you act as per the whims of your mind, you are bound to commit mistakes. These are the things that require rectification in daily life.

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Make efforts to know the truth. Whatever is said to you, let it be imprinted on your heart, and it should satisfy your conscience. That is true spiritual practice ( ).

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What is the most important spiritual practice? The most important spiritual practice is to get rid of the feelings of non-Self ( ). Keep away from all that prevents you from pursuing the path of the .

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What are non-Self feelings? The feelings related to the mind, intellect, and mind-stuff () are all non-Self feelings. is one and is present in everyone. Develop these sacred thoughts. Sometimes, people are subjected to depression and confusion. An aspirant suffers from depresssion when getting negative results while performing certain spiritual practices. This depression gives rise to anger. Anger is a weakness. You may lose even the positive results in store for you because of this anger.

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Don’t direct your anger toward God when you meet with failures in your spiritual practice. In spite of your failures, you should always love God. Even in the face of troubles, problems, and difficulties, you should say: it is good for me, it is good for me, it is good for me. Always pray to God, “Whatever You say, whatever You do, it is good for me.” When you develop that spirit of equanimity, you will be at peace. We say, peace, peace, peace ( , , ). In prayer, we repeat this word thrice. Why should we say it three times? Why not once, twice, or four times? The purpose of repeating it three times is to pray for peace at the physical plane, the mental plane, and the Atmic plane. We should have peace at all these three levels. If you have peace at physical level and no peace at the mental level, then what is the use? All the three are essential.

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You are not one person but three: the one you think you are (that is, physical body), the one others think you are (that is, mental body), and the one you really are (that is, the ).

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All religions teach good things also underscores the need for peace at three levels:1 ( , , and . These are the three levels of humanity’s evolution.

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He practised further and realised the principle of unity. Then he said, “I and my Father are one.” Similarly, Zoroaster first said, “I am in the light.” There is no freedom at this stage. This is equal to: “I am the messenger of God.” He practised for some more time and said, “The light is in me.” Then he had authority. After practising further, he declared, “I am the light.” “I am in the light” is the first step. “The light is in me” is the second step. The third state of evolution is, “I am the light.” In (Indian) culture, these three stages of evolution of man are dualism, qualified non-dualism, and non-dualism ( , , ). All three paths are similar in all religions. All religions impart only good teachings. One should understand this truth and act accordingly.

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If (mind) is good, how can any (religion) be bad?

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Listen! Oh valiant sons of . (Telugu poem) It is the mind that is bad, not religion. Differences lie in the mind of people, not in religions. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one religion, the religion of love. There is only one language, the language of the heart.

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There is no better principle of unity than these three principles. The also propound the principle of togetherness.

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May we live in friendship without any conflict! ,

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Have friendship with God Without equality, there is only enmity, differences, and duality. You say peace ( ), peace, peace three times - you should say it softly. When there is enmity in the heart, the chanting of this Peace is of no use. If you chant it harshly, then the chanting loses its effect. Words are not important, the heart is important. Hence, perform all spiritual practices with purity of heart. The path of love is the noblest. It may not be possible for you to do chanting of God’s Name ( ). You may not be able to make the mind steady in meditation. You may not know the path of . But you can develop love in your heart. It is the path of love that is easy and shortcut. So, you have to develop love. When you develop love, you can merge in God, who is the embodiment of love. You may have many qualities, emotions, and habits, but once you merge in God, you become one with Him, losing your individual identity.

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God is the embodiment of eternal bliss, wisdom absolute, beyond the pair of opposites, expansive and pervasive like the sky, the goal indicated by the great aphorism “You are That ( ), one without a second, eternal, pure, unchanging, witness of all functions of the intellect, beyond all mental conditions and the three attributes of purity, passion, and sloth ( ). Friendship with God will give you pure bliss. When you have that bliss, you will attain everything in this world. If you have an army, you can be a king of a kingdom. But if you conquer your senses, you will be the king of kings; you will be the emperor of the world.

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Therefore, control your senses. Offer all your senses to God and do all actions to please God, saying, “I offer it back to You, all that You have given me.” You enter the (river), collect water in your palms, and offer it to while chanting the : . You offer back to inner what she has given to you. It is not your property. What is your property? Your heart is your property. You offer to God what is your own property. If you offer someone else’s, it would amount to cheating. You should offer what is your own. You have right only to your heart. Offer it to God and offer it with love. Then you will have total fulfillment. Do not make your life and time unsacred by going onto an unsacred path. Time is God. Don’t waste time. Time waste is life waste. Lead your life with love.