Essays

Ego and feelings go together. It is the ego which feels.  Our attitude towards the world is often influenced by our Feelings

A recluse once came to a certain kingdom. Thousands Of people began to visit him. The king heard of all this and was eager to see the recluse. He paid a visit to him and invited him to his palace. The recluse agreed and put up with the king. But his stay in the place became so long that the king began to wonder as to what to do with him.  The recluse did not show any inclination t leave. 

One day the invited him for a walk. They proceeded towards the jungle far away from the palace after a long stroll, the king expressed a desire to return to the place but the recluse decided to retreat into the Forest. King wondered how the comforts of the palace had suddenly ceased to attract the recluse.

When questioned by the king, the recluse replied that the forgets was as good for him as the palace. It was true, He said, that he had lived in the palace for quite some Time, but the comforts of the palace had never captured His imagination.

On the other hand, the king's imagination had been captured by the luxuries the palace had provided and that is why he could never think of relinquishing them.

The recluse had lived in the world or his self even while he had been in the palace. That is why he did not make any distinction between the palace and the forest. 

The more our attitude becomes governed by feeling, The more we become attached to the world. There are two Currents flowing in man—the current of feeling and that of knowledge. We should be careful not to allow tin q to be mixed together,                             

Sadhana and self-knowledge consist in keeping consciousness pure. Sadhana consists in the purity of the soul, and consciousness in its freedom from the el1«fl of feelings, passions, desires, greed, deceit and pride

We should keep two things in mind when we engage ourselves in sadhana. The first is the necessity to keep our knowledge and consciousness pure and unalloyed with feelings. Such knowledge is joy.             

The second is that consciousness should not I eclipsed by passions. Once passions begin to cast their shadow on consciousness, it loses its pristine purity.  The ego gets the upper hand in such a situation

We ought to make a distinction between consciousness hat is pure and consciousness which is overcast with passions. Spiritual achievements are the products of this effort and exertion to keep the self pure.

Gandhiji’s Talisman

"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test:

Recall the face -of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore Him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to Swaraj for the hungry any spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melting away." —Mahatma Gandhi