Sayings
My ideal,
indeed, can be put into a few words, and that is to preach unto
mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every
movement of life.
Religion is the
manifestation of the divinity already in man.
Religion is the
idea which is raising the brute unto man, and man unto
God.
The secret of
religion lies not in theories but in practice. To be good and do
good - that is the whole of religion.
Man is higher
than all animals, than all angels; none is greater than
man.
One may gain
political and social independence, but if one is a slave to his
passions and desires, one cannot feel the pure joy of real
freedom.
Look at the
wall. Did the wall ever tell a lie? It is always the wall. Man tells
a lie and becomes a god, too.
After so much
austerity, I have understood this as the real truth - God is present
in every jiva; there is no other God besides that. 'Who serves jiva,
serves God indeed.'
Cut out the word
help from your mind. You cannot help; it is blasphemy! You worship.
When you give a morsel of food to a dog, you worship the dog as God.
He is all, and is in all.
Unselfishness is
God. One may live on a throne, in a palace, and be perfectly
unselfish; and then he is in God. Another may live in a hut and wear
rags, and have nothing in the world; yet if he is selfish, he is
intensely merged in the world.
All nations have
attained greatness by paying proper respect to women. That country
and that nation which do not respect women have never become great,
nor will ever be in future.
With five
hundred men, ... the conquest of India might take fifty years: with
as many women, not more than a few weeks.
Religion and
religion alone is the life of India, and when that goes, India will
die, in spite of politics, in spite of social reforms, in spite of
Kubera's wealth poured upon the head of every one of her
children.
Before flooding
India with socialistic or political ideas, first deluge the land
with spiritual ideas.
We want to lead
mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the
Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonizing the
Vedas, the Bible, and the Koran.
Mankind ought to
be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of THE
RELIGION, which is Oneness, so that each may choose the path that
suits him best.
Who will give
the world light? Sacrifice in the past has been the Law, it will be,
alas, for ages to come. The earth's bravest and best will have to
sacrifice themselves for the good of many, for the welfare of
all.
Truth, purity,
and unselfishness - whenever these are present, there is no power
below or above the sun to crush the possessor thereof. Equipped with
these, one individual is able to face the whole universe in
opposition.
Everything can
be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for
anything.
The highest
ideal is eternal and entire self-abnegation, where there is no 'I',
but is Thou'.
All expansion is
life, all contraction is death.
All love is
expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the
only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying.
Therefore love for love's sake, because it is law of life, just as
you breathe to live.
The national
ideals of India are Renunciation and Service. Intensity her in those
channels, and the rest will take care of itself.
Good motives,
sincerity, and infinite love can conquer the world. One single soul
possessed of these virtues can destroy the dark designs of millions
of hypocrites and brutes.
Take up one
idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live
on idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be
full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is
the way to success. |