- Man is insignificant. He cannot perform the difficult duty of a religious teacher without receiving direct power from God.
- Brahman and Shakti (His power) are inseparable. He who is Brahman is Himself Shakti. So long as there is body consciousness, you are conscious of duality.
- Getting only a single ray from the goddess of learning (Saraswati), one attains such strength that even the most learned become like earthworms before him.
- God is present in every being as the all-pervading Spirit, so He is in everything. Just as He is in me, He is in an ant, too. But there is special manifestation of God’s power in some.
- The Gita says: ‘If a person is considered great by many, whether it is because of his learning, his ability to sing and play musical instruments, his oratory, or anything else, know it for certain that he has within him a special power of God.’ (BG 10.41)
- He is everywhere. But this is also true, that there is a difference in manifestation of the divine power. He manifests Himself in some as ignorance and in some as knowledge. In some ‘receptacles’ there is greater power, and in others less. So all men are not equal.
- The fact is that a mere man can do nothing. Only God makes one respect another. Before God’s power, man is a mere straw.
- What can a man do before the will of God? Arjuna said in the battle of Kurukshetra, ‘I won’t fight this battle, I won’t kill my relatives.’ Sri Krishna said, ‘Arjuna, you will have to fight. Your nature will compel you.’ Sri Krishna revealed everything to him – that everyone had already been slain.
- Whatever you see is all His power. Without His power, nobody can do anything. Yet God’s power is not equally manifest everywhere. Vidyasagar asked me, ‘Has God given more power to some?’ I replied, ‘If there was not unequal power, why should we have come to see you? Have you grown two horns?’ Yet this is certain: God is present in all as the all-pervading power – but there is a special manifestation of His power in some.
- God has granted more power to some than to others. In one there is the light of a single earthen lamp, while in another it is a blazing torch.
- There is a special manifestation of God’s power in some. Truly He has become all – but at certain places there is greater manifestation of His power, in others less.
- Vidyasagar asked, ‘So, has God given more of His power to one and less of it to another?’ I said, ‘If it were not so, how could one person defeat fifty others? Besides, why should we have come to see you?’ There is more power of God in that receptacle in which He manifests His lila (divine sport).
- He who meditates on the Lord has substance and God’s power in him. And He who sings well, or plays musical instruments well – anybody who is expert in any branch of knowledge – has divine power within. The Gita says this too. And the Chandi says that one who is endowed with exquisite beauty has substance too, has God’s power in him.
- Certain objects have more light. The rays of the sun fall one way on the ground, another way on trees, and quite another way on glass. On a mirror there is more light. And then think about this: are there devotees here at the same level as Prahlada? The heart and soul of Prahlada were dedicated to God.
- See how wonderful the world is! How many different things there are in this universe: the sun, the moon and the planets! How many kinds of creatures there are: big, small, good and bad! Some have more power, others less.
- He dwells in all beings as the all-pervading Power. He is present even in an ant. But there is a special manifestation of His power in some. If that were not true, how could one man defeat ten, while another person tries to run away from even one?
- Can everybody understand Him? He has created good people as well as bad, devotees as well as non-devotees. He has created believers in God and non-believers. There is such variety in His sport! There is a greater manifestation of His Power at one place than another. There is a greater reflection of the light of the sun on water than on the earth, and again there is more of its reflection in a mirror than on water.
- He dwells in all beings as the All-pervasive Being. But there is a special manifestation of His power in some. In some, there is more power of knowledge; in others, more power of ignorance. Moreover, some have more of His Power than others. Haven’t you noticed that there are gamblers and swindlers? And there are also people as ferocious as tigers. I say that the swindler is Narayana, and so is the tiger.
- You must accept Shakti. Vidyasagar asked, ‘Has God given more power to some?’ I replied, ‘Otherwise, how can one man defeat a hundred men? Why is Queen Victoria respected and honoured if not because of God’s power?’
Primeval Power
- The Primordial Divine Energy creates, preserves, and dissolves. She is known as Kali (the Mother of the Universe). Kali is Brahman and Brahman is Kali, one and the same substance.
- In the dilapidated house, I saw the face of Simhavahini beaming with glory. You have to believe in the divine presence in an image of the Deity.
- The fact is, Brahman and Shakti are inseparable. For example, take a jewel and its lustre. When you talk of the lustre of a jewel, you think of the jewel – and when you talk of the jewel, you think of its lustre.
- Brahman is the same as Kali, the Primal Power. When inactive, I call It Brahman. When creating, preserving, and dissolving, I call It Shakti (Power).
- The One who is Brahman is Kali. Kali is the Primal Power. When It is inactive, I call it Brahman. When It creates, preserves, and dissolves, I call It Shakti, I call It Kali. Whom you call Brahman, I call Kali.
- Adyashakti (the Primordial Power of Brahman) has differentiated into the phenomenal world, living beings and the twenty-four cosmic principles. It is a case of involution and evolution.
- A woman is none other than a form of the maya of the Mother of the Universe. When you have understood this correctly, you no longer wish to lead a worldly life. It is only when you have realized that all women are forms of the Mother that you can lead a spiritual life in the world.
- He who is without attributes also has attributes. He who is Brahman is indeed Shakti. When I see Him inactive, I call Him Brahman; and when I think of Him creating, preserving and destroying, I call Him the Primal Power, or Kali.
- To obtain His grace, one must keep the Primal Energy, Shakti, pleased. She Herself is indeed Mahamaya. By enchanting the world, She creates, preserves and dissolves. It is She who has deluded our spiritual awareness. One can enter the door only when She allows us through. When one is outside, one can see only outer objects – one cannot know the Supreme Eternal Person, Sat-chit-ananda.
- “Shakti is at the root of the universe. She includes both knowledge and ignorance. Ignorance deludes and enchants – it leads to ‘lust and greed’. On the other hand, love and devotion, compassion, jnana and prema, which take one to the Lord, come from knowledge (vidya).
Power of Attorney
- Give God the power of attorney. If you give your burden to a good person, can he ever do you wrong? Give Him your entire burden with a sincere heart, and then be at peace.
- When a person is overwhelmed with spiritual knowledge, he is left with no duties to perform. God takes charge when you are no longer able to do so. When a zemindar dies, leaving behind a minor son, a guardian takes the entire responsibility for the boy.
- Give your general power of attorney to God. Lay the whole burden on Him. If you give responsibility to an honest fellow, will he deceive you?
- Give Him the general power of attorney. If you give the responsibility to a good man, you never suffer any harm. Let His will be done.
- Surrender everything at His feet and give Him the general power of attorney. Let Him do what He considers best for you. If you place your responsibility on a great man, he will never do you any harm.
- If a boy holds his father’s hand while he walks on the balk of a field, he can fall into the ditch. But if the father holds the boy’s hand, he can never fall.
- Give God your general power of attorney. Let Him do what He wills.