Passage 7

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In plain words

There is no other so calm, so virtuous, so strong. What strength? The Name of Rāma itself is the great strength. Today many repeat the Name of Rāma. But they confine the Name to the lips alone. But Hanumān was not like that; he remembered it with his whole heart. That is true Bhakti.

At the time of Śrī Rāma's coronation, Sītā gave Hanumān as a gift a precious pearl necklace that her father, King Janaka, had given her. But Hanumān began to bite each pearl of that necklace, hold it to his ear, and throw it away. Seeing this, Sītā was greatly astonished. “Alas, he is biting and throwing away the precious pearl necklace my father gave me! Hanumān still has not given up his monkey tricks,” she thought. Rāma knew the inner meaning of what Hanumān was doing. But with the intention that Sītā too should understand: “Hanumā! Why are you biting these precious pearls and throwing them away like this?” he asked. Hanumān: “Swami! I am seeing whether the Name of Rāma is in them or not. Whatever has no Name of Rāma in it, be it pearl or coral, is the same as a stone to me,” he said. Rāma was filled with joy: “My dear! I give you My own self,” he said, and embraced him with Prema.

Thinking of God is only for purity of mind

However precious the gold vessel you pour poison into, it takes life; it does not save it. Pour nectar into an ordinary brass vessel, and it does not lose its fragrance and sweetness. A brass vessel holding nectar is more to be wished for than a gold vessel holding poison. That is, purity of mind is what matters. What is thinking of God for? Only for purity of mind. But if the Name of God comes only from the lips, there is no use; it must come from the heart. Whatever you do, do it with the feeling of offering it to God. Some people pay a priest and have him do the pūjā. The fruit of the pūjā the priest did goes to the priest; how can it come to you?