3 August 2026
Monday
The first step on the path of spirituality is the acquisition of anasuya or freedom from envy, jealousy, malice and covetousness. Asuya or jealousy should be completely rooted out of the human heart, and shraddha, or perseverance, should be cultivated instead. The Atma should be visualised through meditation. The sincere and persistent sadhaka will then certainly have spiritual experiences and mystical revelations. We may want to prepare delicious sambar. For this purpose, we may make use of fresh vegetables, good pulses (dal) and clean tamarind. Like Nala or Bhima, the cook may be an expert. But if the brass vessel used for cooking is not properly silvered or coated with tin, all the sambar cooked in it is bound to be poisonous. Similarly, though there are nine modes of worship, unless the devotee has a pure heart, none of them will be effective. Of what use is all the counting and telling of beads if the heart is tainted with envy, jealousy and malice?
From Summer Showers, June 1979, chapter 26
The first step on the path of spirituality is the acquisition of anasuya or freedom from envy, jealousy, malice and covetousness. Asuya or jealousy should be completely rooted out of the human heart, and shraddha, or perseverance, should be cultivated instead. The Atma should be visualised through meditation. The sincere and persistent sadhaka will then certainly have spiritual experiences and mystical revelations. We may want to prepare delicious sambar. For this purpose, we may make use of fresh vegetables, good pulses (dal) and clean tamarind. Like Nala or Bhima, the cook may be an expert. But if the brass vessel used for cooking is not properly silvered or coated with tin, all the sambar cooked in it is bound to be poisonous. Similarly, though there are nine modes of worship, unless the devotee has a pure heart, none of them will be effective. Of what use is all the counting and telling of beads if the heart is tainted with envy, jealousy and malice?