A collection of quotes and teachings of Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamigal
The greatest impediment to Bhakti is the ego, which repeatedly asserts itself and prevents self-surrender. Thus a man can truly surrender himself to Ishvara only if he annihilates his ego. Repeatedly thinking of Ishvara and practicing spiritual discipline precisely in the manner indicated by the Guru go a long way in effacing the ego and engendering devotion.
The light of a lamp falls on its surroundings. One may study Sastras in that light, while another may, paying no attention to it, spend time sleeping. Similarly, great souls are always showering their grace. Each one can derive benefit depending on one’s mentality.
Tendencies develop, regardless of the characteristics of the action performed. Hence, he who wishes to lead a proper life will do well to avoid evil deeds and repeatedly perform virtuous deeds.
People say that thoughts keep coming to their minds. They can hardly conceive of a situation where the mind is quiet. However, this surprises Me. As I see it, the mind should be quiet and just rest on the Self, unless a thought is needed for any task. When the necessity ends, the mind should revert to the state of tranquility. Even when a task is at hand, active thinking is generally not needed all the time. For instance, when reading a book, the mind ought to become quiet when a page is being turned.
The need for mind control is quite obvious. Only he who has control over his mind can be successful in worldly pursuits and be happy. Such being the case, what need be said about the need for mind control in the case of spiritual aspirants? To study, to work, and even to play well, the mind must be concentrated on the task in hand and this is possible only if one has control over the mind.
One should perform all one’s actions in a meticulous manner. Even a minor task ought not to be performed carelessly. The time allocated to it may be small and other tasks may receive priority over it but, when one is engaged in it, one must treat it as important.
The greatest impediment to Bhakti is the ego, which repeatedly asserts itself and prevents self-surrender. Thus a man can truly surrender himself to Ishvara only if he annihilates his ego. Repeatedly thinking of Ishvara and practicing spiritual discipline precisely in the manner indicated by the Guru go a long way in effacing the ego and engendering devotion.
The light of a lamp falls on its surroundings. One may study Sastras in that light, while another may, paying no attention to it, spend time sleeping. Similarly, great souls are always showering their grace. Each one can derive benefit depending on one’s mentality.
Tendencies develop, regardless of the characteristics of the action performed. Hence, he who wishes to lead a proper life will do well to avoid evil deeds and repeatedly perform virtuous deeds.
People say that thoughts keep coming to their minds. They can hardly conceive of a situation where the mind is quiet. However, this surprises Me. As I see it, the mind should be quiet and just rest on the Self, unless a thought is needed for any task. When the necessity ends, the mind should revert to the state of tranquility. Even when a task is at hand, active thinking is generally not needed all the time. For instance, when reading a book, the mind ought to become quiet when a page is being turned.
The need for mind control is quite obvious. Only he who has control over his mind can be successful in worldly pursuits and be happy. Such being the case, what need be said about the need for mind control in the case of spiritual aspirants? To study, to work, and even to play well, the mind must be concentrated on the task in hand and this is possible only if one has control over the mind.
One should perform all one’s actions in a meticulous manner. Even a minor task ought not to be performed carelessly. The time allocated to it may be small and other tasks may receive priority over it but, when one is engaged in it, one must treat it as important.
Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamigal – the 35th
pontiff of Sringeri Sharada Peetham
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