edited by Swami Chetananda

(from "A Guide to Spiritual Life" by Swami Brahmananda)

Everyone wants happiness. Who wants pain and misery?

But how do we attain happiness?

Can anyone attain it by running after the fleeting pleasures of the world and ignoring God, who is the source of all happiness?

He has created many playthings to delude human beings. Throw away all these and pray to him. He will then hasten to take you in His arms. Choose either God or His playthings. You can't have both.

You have had much play in your life. It is now time to give it up and call on the Divine Mother. A mother provides toys for the child who is fond of playing, but she picks up the child who does not care for toys or playing. The child who sits on the mother's lap is happy. Moreover, toys create various problems. A child feels bad when a toy falls from his hand and breaks. Again, he feels bad if he gets beaten while fighting over a toy with a playmate. But the child in the mother's lap has no such troubles. He knows the mother will supply all his needs.

The Master (Shri Ramakrishna) used to tell the story of the mango grove, saying,

"You have come here to eat mangoes. Why do bother yourself by calculating the number of trees, branches, and leaves? Eat the mangoes and be satisfied."

You have come to this world for God-realization. Accomplish this first. Solve your own problems and equip yourself for life of journey. Ask yourself, "Why have I come to this world? Struggle hard. Jump into the ocean of Satchitananda and be immortal. Pray to the Lord day and night. In whatever way you call on or think of him, it will certainly do you good. You will get his vision.

Once Parvati asked Shiva, "Lord, how can one experience Satchitananda?"

"Through faith," answered Shiva.

You have been shown the right path. Now follow it with faith. Be up and doing. Assimilate these precious teaching into your life. Waste no more time in discussing the forms and details of your sadhana (spiritual practice). In whatever way you call on him, you will get the result.

The Master used to say,

"One may eat a cake with icing either straight or sideways. It will taste sweet either way."

You are all seated under the Kalpataru (the wish-fulfilling tree), and you will get whatever you ask for.

Do not think yourselves too clever. The crow thinks that it is very clever, but it lives on filth. Those who try to be very shrewd in this world are cheated in the long run. Dive deep in to the ocean of Satchidananda with faith, and you will surly reach him. Don't be discouraged if after a little practice you do not realize God. The ocean is full of precious pearls. If you don't get them in one dive, that does not mean the ocean is without pearls.

The Master used to say,

"There is a kind of oyster that constantly floats about on the surface of the sea with its shell wide open. But when it catches a raindrop while the star Svati is in the ascendant, it dives down to the bottom of the sea and does not come up again."

Similarly, you have received the precious mantram from your guru. Now dive deep into the sea of devotion without looking further at worldly things.

Practice your sadhana with patience and perseverance. Positively, God's grace will dawn on you in due time. As one has to follow certain protocols and satisfy the guards in order to visit a wealthy man, so one has to undergo many spiritual practices and keep the company of the holy in order to have God-realization. Know for certain that God is your very own. Pray to him for his vision. Cry to him for his grace like a little child. Can the mother stay away after hearing the cry of her child? So it is with the Lord. He reveals himself to that devotee who has longing.

Exert yourself whole-heartedly for God realization. Make the mind one-pointed like the mariner's compass. In whatever direction the ship sails, the compass always points to the north, keeping the ship on its course. Similarly, if a man's mind is fixed on God, he has nothing to fear. He never loses his faith and devotion even when surrounded by worldly people. The moment he hears any talk about God, he becomes intoxicated with devotion and love. Do you know what he is like? He is like a flint which may remain under water for a hundred years but will still ignite as soon as it is struck. He who has realized God cannot put his mind on worldly affairs anymore. He remains absorbed in divine bliss. He does not care for anything in this world except spiritual talk and holy company. He lives in the world like a cast-off leaf in a gale, blown according to the direction of the wind. He does not have any desire of his own or any ego. Such a person can live in the world as well as in the realm of Satchitananda.

Your minds are still simple, pure, and devoid of worldly desires. Try to make this state of mind permanent. Once the mind is stained it is almost impossible to clean it. The spotless mind is like a dry match stick; it ignites the moment it is struck. But if it is wet, it won't light though you strike it a thousand times. It is extremely difficult to erase bad impressions from the mind.