There are innumerable logicians. Some say that this is right. Others say that it is not right. We cannot depend on the logicians. So a person should stick to his ideas, pursue his principles, and not depend on what the logicians say.

Nindantu niitinpuńáh yadi vá stuvantu
Lakśmii samávishatu grhaḿ gacchatu vá yatheśt́am;
Adyaeva marańamastu yugántare vá
Nyáyát pathah praticalanti na dhiiráh.

The Shástras say that a person must stick to his ideals irrespective of whether he receives praise or abuse, whether wealth comes or wealth goes, whether he lives a thousand years or suffers death the next moment. Such a person is called “dhiira”. My direction to you is to be Dhiira. You must stick to your ideals in spite to everything. In this lies your spiritual growth.

If you are asked by God, “What do you want?”, what should you say?

You must say, “O Lord, I want your blessings so that my intellect may move along the right path.” You know that the intellect is the cause of your downfall or evolution. So when your mind gets proper direction, what else would you require?

The Vedas say that the creator of the universe is great and that a person’s prayer to God should be that his intellect be attached to blessedness. The gáyattrii prayer says, “O Creator of the universe, guide my intellect towards supreme bliss.”

The Vedas have chandas like gáyatrii, anust́upa, triśt́upa, jagatii, mahatii, etc. The gáyattrii has 3 lines, and there are 8 syllables in each line. Gáyattrii is that which, when sung, leads a person to the path of liberation. Gáyattrii can be used till a person gets Iśt́a mantra sádhaná. Once a person gets the Iśt́a mantra sádhaná, he or she would not need gáyattrii.

–P.R. Sarkar (AKA Shrii Shrii Anandamurtii)

22 August 1978, Patna

Published in:
Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 1