Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
25. Honour both spirit and form the sentiment within as well as the symbol without.
26. People of this age care for the essence of everything. They will accept the essentials of religion and not its non-essentials (that is the rituals, ceremonials, dogmas, and creeds).
27. As a toy fruit or a toy elephant reminds one of the real fruit and living animal, so do the images that are worshipped re-mind one of Him who is foremless and eternal.
28. When one sees God, one realises that everything, images and all, is a manifestation of the spirit. To him the image is not made of clay but of Spirit.
29. The companionship of the holy and the wise is one of the main elements of spiritual progress.
30. Even moist wood placed upon a fire soon becomes dry and finally begins to burn. Similarly, the society of the pious drives away the moisture of greed and lust from the hearts of worldly persons, and then the fire if Viveka (discrimination) burns steadily in them.
31. Knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously, in whatever state of mind a man utters God’s ‘name’ he acquires the merit of such utterance. A man who voluntarily goes to a river to bathe therein gets the benefit of the bath; so does he also who has been pushed into the water by another, or who, when sleeping soundly, has water thrown upon him.
32. Sing with Bhakti the hallowed ‘name’ of the Lord, and the mountain of your sins will vanish, just as a mountain of cotton will burn to ashes and disappear if but a spark of fire falls on it.
25. Honour both spirit and form the sentiment within as well as the symbol without.
26. People of this age care for the essence of everything. They will accept the essentials of religion and not its non-essentials (that is the rituals, ceremonials, dogmas, and creeds).
27. As a toy fruit or a toy elephant reminds one of the real fruit and living animal, so do the images that are worshipped re-mind one of Him who is foremless and eternal.
28. When one sees God, one realises that everything, images and all, is a manifestation of the spirit. To him the image is not made of clay but of Spirit.
29. The companionship of the holy and the wise is one of the main elements of spiritual progress.
30. Even moist wood placed upon a fire soon becomes dry and finally begins to burn. Similarly, the society of the pious drives away the moisture of greed and lust from the hearts of worldly persons, and then the fire if Viveka (discrimination) burns steadily in them.
31. Knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously, in whatever state of mind a man utters God’s ‘name’ he acquires the merit of such utterance. A man who voluntarily goes to a river to bathe therein gets the benefit of the bath; so does he also who has been pushed into the water by another, or who, when sleeping soundly, has water thrown upon him.
32. Sing with Bhakti the hallowed ‘name’ of the Lord, and the mountain of your sins will vanish, just as a mountain of cotton will burn to ashes and disappear if but a spark of fire falls on it.
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