- The idea ‘I am the doer,’ comes from ignorance. ‘Oh Lord, You are the doer’ – this is knowledge. The Lord alone is the doer and all others are non-doers. You bring upon yourself such trouble if you say, ‘I, I.’
- I am the doer’: this is ignorance. ‘O Lord, You are the doer, I do nothing; You are the operator, I am the machine’: this is knowledge.
- Go beyond knowledge and ignorance. Only then will you be able to know God. Knowledge of many things is ignorance. Pride of learning is also ignorance. ‘God pervades all’ – this conviction is knowledge. Knowing Him intimately is called vijnana.
- A thorn has stuck into your foot. You need another thorn to take it out. When you have taken out the thorn that pricked you, you throw them both away. To remove the thorn of ignorance, you first have to acquire the thorn of knowledge. Then both the thorns of knowledge and ignorance have to be thrown away. (BG 7.14)
- I and mine: these are both born of ignorance. My house, my money, my learning, all these are my riches – this feeling is a result of ignorance. Oh Lord, You are the doer and all these belong to You – house, family, sons, children, acquaintances, and friends. Such a feeling arises from knowledge.
- I say, ‘Mother, I am an instrument and You are the Being who uses the instrument. I am inert and You make me conscious. I act as You make me act. I speak as You make me speak.’ The ignorant man says, ‘I am responsible for doing some actions and God is responsible for others.’
- What use is it to know God only a little? Even Vaishishtha, though a rishi, suffered at the death of his son. Seeing this, Lakshmana was surprised and asked Rama about it. Rama said, ‘Brother, what is strange? He who has knowledge also has ignorance.’ When a thorn is embedded in your foot, you have to look for another thorn to pull out the first one. Having done that, you should throw away both thorns. The thorn of jnana is needed to get rid of the thorn of ignorance. And then you should go beyond both.
- The ignorant who live in the world without having faith in God are like people living in a house made of mud walls. They can see only a little of the inside of the house in its dim light. But those who live a householder’s life after attaining spiritual knowledge, having realized God, are like people living in a house made of glass. They can see both inside and outside the house. The light of the sun of Knowledge lights up the inside of the house well. Such a man sees everything inside the house very clearly – what is good and what is bad, what is permanent and what is transitory.