6 August 2025
Wednesday
The flower symbolises the heart. Flowers are offered only to the Lord or those whom you revere. The flower of the heart is subject to infestation by two evil creatures: One is ahamkara (self-conceit); the other is asuya (envy). Self-conceit is based on eight different factors: wealth, physical prowess, birth, scholarship, beauty, power, youth and penance. Of these, the arrogance born of wealth is to be despised most. As long as this ahamkara is predominant, it is impossible to recognise the Divine or one's spiritual reality. Self-conceit is a great barrier between the individual and God. It has to be utterly demolished. All forms of pride, based on birth, wealth, power, scholarship and so on, have to be totally given up. Only when egoistic pride is offered as a sacrifice at the altar of the Divine can man discover his true nature. This is the dedication that is called for as the first step in the spiritual journey.
From Swami’s discourse of 16 January 1988
The flower symbolises the heart. Flowers are offered only to the Lord or those whom you revere. The flower of the heart is subject to infestation by two evil creatures: One is ahamkara (self-conceit); the other is asuya (envy). Self-conceit is based on eight different factors: wealth, physical prowess, birth, scholarship, beauty, power, youth and penance. Of these, the arrogance born of wealth is to be despised most. As long as this ahamkara is predominant, it is impossible to recognise the Divine or one's spiritual reality. Self-conceit is a great barrier between the individual and God. It has to be utterly demolished. All forms of pride, based on birth, wealth, power, scholarship and so on, have to be totally given up. Only when egoistic pride is offered as a sacrifice at the altar of the Divine can man discover his true nature. This is the dedication that is called for as the first step in the spiritual journey.