13 May 2026
Wednesday
Whatever teachings that you hear and read, you should imbibe them in your heart. Once a Guru called his disciples and said to them, “My dear ones! I am giving all of you a sweet. See to it that it is not spoilt by ants, flies, mosquitoes, cats or rats.” Most of the students tried to preserve it in many ways. But only one student partook of it, digested it and derived strength from it. What is the inner meaning of this? It is not enough if you preserve the divine teachings in books; you should imbibe those nectarous teachings in your heart, digest them and experience them. Only then can you derive pushti and santhusthi (strength and happiness). You should treasure in your heart all the sacred teachings that you hear, read and understand. Whatever you have treasured in your heart, you should put it into practice in your life. Only then will you have fulfilment. Merely eating is not enough; you should digest what you eat. Similarly, merely hearing and reading is not enough; you should put it into practice and experience it in your daily life.
From Swami’s discourse of 27 July 1996
Also on words from this discourse: Love That Only Gives, 16 May 2026, You Are Prema Itself, 14 May 2026
Whatever teachings that you hear and read, you should imbibe them in your heart. Once a Guru called his disciples and said to them, “My dear ones! I am giving all of you a sweet. See to it that it is not spoilt by ants, flies, mosquitoes, cats or rats.” Most of the students tried to preserve it in many ways. But only one student partook of it, digested it and derived strength from it. What is the inner meaning of this? It is not enough if you preserve the divine teachings in books; you should imbibe those nectarous teachings in your heart, digest them and experience them. Only then can you derive pushti and santhusthi (strength and happiness). You should treasure in your heart all the sacred teachings that you hear, read and understand. Whatever you have treasured in your heart, you should put it into practice in your life. Only then will you have fulfilment. Merely eating is not enough; you should digest what you eat. Similarly, merely hearing and reading is not enough; you should put it into practice and experience it in your daily life.