TEACHINGS OF SRI SARADA DEVI

CHAPTER-V:  SELF-EFFORT AND DIVINE GRACE

1. Disciple: "How does one get the vision of God?"

Mother: "It is only through His grace. But one must practise meditation and

Sri Sarada Devi

Japa. These remove the impurities of the mind. One must practise spiritual disciplines such as worship and so forth. As one gets the fragrance of a flower by handling it, or as one gets the smell of sandalwood by rubbing it against a stone, in the same way one gets spiritual awakening by constantly thinking of God. But you can realize Him right now if you become desireless."

2. "The mind gets purified after hard Tapasya. Without regular practice nothing can be attained."

3. "The mind is rendered pure as the result of many austerities. 'God who is purity itself cannot be attained without austerities.' What else does one obtain by the realization of God? Does he grow two horns? No, his mind becomes pure, and through a pure mind one attains knowledge and spiritual awakening."

4. "The purpose of initiation is to try to realize God through sincere spiritual effort."

5. Disciple: "What is the need of Tapasya ?"

Mother: "It is very necessary. . .. The Master practised all kinds of disciplines. He used to say, 'I have made the mould; now you may cast the image.' ... To cast the image means to meditate and contemplate on the Master, to think of the various incidents of his life. By meditating on him, one gets all the spiritual moods."

6. "Spiritual practices are meant to keep the mind steady at the feet of God, to keep it immersed in His thought. Repeat His Name."

7. "If you practise spiritual discipline for some time in a solitary place, you will find that your mind has become strong, and then you can live in any place or society without being in the least affected by it. When the plant is tender, it should be hedged around. But when it has grown big, not even cows and goats can injure it. Spiritual practices in a solitary place are essential."

8. "Sit for meditation in the morning and the evening. Keep your head cool and practise meditation and prayer. It is very difficult to do so. It is rather easy to dig the earth with a spade." Looking at the picture of the Master, she said, "You will achieve nothing without His grace."

9. "Devotees who come nowadays simply keep on saying 'Show us God'. They have no spiritual practice, no prayer, no austerity — and past sins must be many. These have to be removed step by step, and then only God can be seen. The moon in the sky is covered with clouds; wind will blow away the clouds, and then only can you see the moon. Do the clouds scatter away all of a sudden? Exactly the same here. The Karmas get exhausted slowly. When God is realized, He illumines the soul internally — one knows this internally."

10. "My child, you have been extremely fortunate in getting this human birth. Have intense devotion to God. One must work hard. Can one achieve anything without effort? You must devote some time for prayer even in the midst of the busiest hours of the day. I used to be very busy during my days at Dakshineswar; yet I did my prayer and meditation." 

SOURCE: saradadevi.info/THM_book