In plain words
Though the Names Differ, the Ātma Is One Alone
So, first of all, recognise the Prema of one mother. Experience the Prema of one mother. That itself is the divinity of the Mother of this Navarātri. The power of the Mother Goddess is this: Prema itself is Her very life. The power of this Prema is itself the learning of the world. This learning of the world is itself the conduct of the world. This saṃskāra of the heart is itself the measure of life, so first of all we must try to recognise the saṃskāra of life. What is this culture? We think that culture means practices. It is not practices. It is nothing but the divine nature that springs from the heart. However many substances there are in this world, however many kinds of the power of consciousness there are, all this power of consciousness is in the one heart alone. But the measures may appear different. The chief saṃskāra is one alone. In God's heart there is one thing called a body. What is the nature of this body? That is itself without guṇas, stainless, eternal. No one can give it a name. To give God a name, someone must be there before God, must they not? There was no creation at all. For some crores of years it was nothing but darkness. Even the sun and the moon had not been created. There were no living beings. No form was to be seen. Then rain fell for some lakhs of years, and the oceans were formed. When those oceans were formed, rivers were formed. Only then did a little light begin in the world. After the light began, the sun, the moon and the rest appeared. After this had gone on for many crores of years, humanness began. How is man to recognise such divinity? The tamoguṇa nature in man must be put away. God has not a single guṇa. You all know this. Water appears as very cool, clear water. But when you pour pure, stainless water into a red bottle, it looks red. When you pour this pure water into a black bottle, it looks black. When you pour this pure water into a white bottle, it looks white. But is this colour in the water? No, no. Because of the bottle's colour, this water takes on that form.