The Fourth Skandha
357. Jnana (Knowledge) does not sustain in an unworthy man. A worthy man cannot shine without knowledge. Wealth and knowledge will be fruitful only in worthy persons.
358. Constructive knowledge gives peace.
359. Whose life is luxurious, he cannot enjoy the happiness of knowledge.
360. All are not entitled to handle Vedanta. Even the Vedas are intended only for the dispassionate.
361. Knowledge will not shine forth without dispassion and self control.
362. Entry for lust into the mind is through the eyes. So do not permit Ravana disguised in the form of lust to come before your eyes.
363. You give up your wealth at the time of death. But Dharama follows you. It is therefore evident that Dharama is superior to wealth. So make your wealth to be in conformity with Dharama.
364. Man’s enemy is not outside, but is in his mind. If you can destroy the internal enemy, you will have no fear for enemies in your life.
365. If you have ill-will towards any body, they will also have ill-will towards you. This is an irrevocable law of the nature. So avoid ill-will, not only to living beings but also to nonliving things.
366. Selfishness will make you mad. When it increases, you begin to hate others. Whose action is detrimental to others; he cannot progress in life.
367. If speaking on a subject is shameful, avoid even the thought of it.
368. Man hides his sins; so his life becomes highly impure.
369. Purity of attitude is a great Thapas(penance). So do not entertain any hatred towards worldly people.
370. If you can treat every one as equals, your good actions will be successful.
371. If you can see divinity in others, others will see divinity in you also.
372. Jealousy and rivalry are two major defects of the intellect. Do not have displeasure towards any one.
373. Your faith has to be firm.
374. If you cannot be friendly with all, don’t worry. Ensure that you have no enmity towards any one. Absence of enmity is as good as friendship.
375. Maintain intense love towards your ‘Ishtamoorthy’ (most favorite form of God) and surrender everything there.
376. Lord Shiva is Acharya (preceptor) for all Mantras. So while practicing Mantras, conceive Lord Shiva in your mind as Acharya. That will give you quick results.
377. It is a sin even to hear some one insulting others.
378. He who has no desires lives a contented life in this world.
379. In spite of having strength to strike back, he who endures all cruelties against him without complaint is a Dhanyatma (one who is rich in soul).He who endures insult without protest will reach God quickly.
380. Discussion of the faults of someone behind his back is sin.
381. Devil will ride on the back of those who worry about their past.
382. God will not enter into a mind which is filled with thoughts on earthly objects and ungodly beings.
383. The mind and intellect wandering along too many subjects cannot be peaceful.
384. If quarrel or disquiet happens in your house on a day, you should not go out that day. You cannot find peace outside also.
385. Pictures which might entice your mind should not be kept at home. The impact of such pictures on your mind can cause hindrance to the service of God.
386. The world may not respect those who lead a very simple life.
387. Spiritual practices cannot bear fruit without the grace of God.
388. Worship your Ishta devatha( form of God which appeals to you most) with total surrender. Keep it in mind that all godly forms are of the same God.
389. Lord Ganesha represents Prithwi Thathwa (principle of the earth element. If you worship your Ishtadevatha in the form of Ganesha, obstacles are removed. Lord Shiva represents Jalathathwa.(principle of the water element).Worship of Ishtadevatha in the form of Shiva brings wealth. Thejastathwa (principle of the fire element) is represented by Parashakti(the Goddess of supreme power. Worship of Ishtadevatha in the form of Parashakti will also bring wealth. Lord Vishnu represents, Akash thathwa. (Principle of ether element. Worship of Ishtadevatha in the form of Vishnuwill increase your Prema (love of God)
390. Do not pamper the body too much. Also avoid too much decoration of the body.
391. Man can enjoy pleasures moderately, using discrimination and also observe penance.
392. Try to observe Godliness in every one. That by itself is a great penance. Speaking the truth and speaking pleasingly are penance of words. Purity, simplicity, celibacy, non-violence etc. constitute penance of the body.
393. Never speak cruel words.
394. Self control, righteous behavior, nobility of culture etc. will give you peace of mind. But wealth does not give peace. Excessive wealth causes enhancement of sensuality and vicious tendencies.
395. Vicious tendencies attract the man towards luxurious life. God-consciousness will not sustain in those who lead a luxurious life. They cannot realize God even after a series of births.
396. Enjoyment of worldly pleasures tends only to increase the desire for gratification of the senses. So, worldly pleasures which are considered to be a source of happiness, in fact turn out to be sources of extreme unhappiness.
397. Small boys are the images of Lord Sri Balakrishna. They should never be insulted.
398. Children are innocent. They should be given opportunity to acquire good culture from the very early age.
399. If your mind does not deviate towards worldly subjects at the time of worshipping God, it means you have acquired a good taste for God-worship.
400. If the Punya (merits of good actions) of all the worlds concentrate in your body, your children will have noble qualities in them.
401. If the mother is well educated, her child will get the benefit of more than a thousand teachers.
402. God alone is the real friend of man.
403. If you call Him with Prema(love) and Bhava(intense feeling), the merciful Lord will definitely come to you with all His speed.
404. Without earnest desire, you cannot get God. Therefore, worship Him with utmost earnestness.
405. Where there is Suneethi, Kali will not enter that house. (Where there is good sense of justice, there evil thoughts have no place)
406. Swabhava (inherent nature of a person) cannot be easily changed. Swabhava Sudhi (purity of nature) occurs only when Punya (the merits) from sathkarma(good actions) accumulate considerably.
407. Watching of cinema causes impairment to your eye-sight, brings diseases to the body, pollutes your mind and makes the life miserable. Is it not foolish to fall in darkness by spending money for that?
408. A mother who permits her children to watch cinema is their enemy.
409. Children get bad habits due to the fault of their mother, ignorance due to the fault of their father, cowardice due to the fault of their ancestry and penury due to their own fault.
410. Respect all. One who starts form his house with the blessings of all willreceive the blessings of a Mahatma (a godly person) on the way.
411. If you get the touch of Mahatmas on your head, all your mental disturbances will subside.
412. Japa (Repetition of God’s names) and meditation should go side by side with each other. Which Names of God are repeated in Japa, the form of God appropriate to that Name should be meditated on.
413. Sadhana (spiritual practice) performed with Sradha (steadfastness), will yield quick results.
414. Eating of rice as food will increase Rajo Guna. Fruits in food will increase Sattwa Guna.
415. Practice self control step by step. Self control is essential for developing Bhakti.
416. Once you have given up something, take care that your senses do not get attracted towards it again.
417. Those having firm determination will receive God’s help without doubt.
418. Just as a real Vaishnava(devotee) is craving to have the vision of God,God is craving to make Himself visible to those elevated devotees.
419. Continue your spiritual practices. But never be proud of it. A devotee who appeals to God in all humility, with tears in his eyes, will soon receive the mercy of God.
420. God always accompanies those who have taken refuge in Him. You run after God, and then worldly pleasures will run after you, like the shadow behind a person who walks towards the sun.
421. Verbal advices may not yield quick results. But demonstrative advices give instant result.
422. He who cannot see godliness in his brothers and sisters will not have such a view in other creatures or images.
423. Sri Hari the all-embracing Atma, will be extremely pleased with those who cultivate forbearance towards elders, mercy towards youngsters, friendship towards people of equal age and equality towards all beings.
424. Study of Sreemd Bhagavatham liberates you from all fears.
425. Firm determination will enable you to solve even the toughest problems of life.
426. One who has developed the habit of worshipping God at a very early age will be fortunate enough to get the vision of God easily.
427. Intention to do good will be strengthened by the intervention of God.
428. Excessive indulgence in worldly pleasures results in premature ageing.
429. Changes in the body take place in accordance with to vasanas. (Tendencies)
430.Bhakti (Devotion) cannot sustain without purity of mind. 431. Prarabdhas(Accumulated results of past actions) of earlier births have necessarily to be suffered. Better to avoid acquiring new Prarabdhas in this birth.
432. By fixing your thoughts constantly on Atmaswaroopa and avoiding body-consciousness you attain God realization quickly.
433. When you complete your Japa(repeating the Names of God) 130 Million times, you get the direct vision of God. Japa destroys the sins of your previous births. If you do not get the direct result of Japa immediately, understand that it continues to destroy the sins of your earlier births.
434. Soul is not purified until all sins are eradicated. Unless the soul is purified, direct vision of God is impossible.
435. Grihasthasrama (house-holder’s life) is not a hindrance to Bhakti; it actually supports Bhakit.
436. If you can devote at least three hours a day for the worship of God, He will restrain you from the tendency to commit sins.
437. If your mind hesitates to commit sin, know that you have received a little grace of God .Mamatha (possessiveness) is the mother of sin and Lobha (greed) is its father. So you must necessarily avoid both possessiveness, and greed.
438. Without worshipping God, you cannot get the potential or initiative for your actions, nor can you reap their results. 439. Possession of wealth and children depends upon Prarabdha. (Cumulative result of actions in earlier births).So there is no need to feel happy or unhappy about wealth and children.
440. A strong detachment towards worldly subjects should be developed step by step.
441. You cannot make this world happy through your efforts, because it is not under your control.
442. You should forget your meritorious actions then and there. But if a sin is committed, think of it often and repent. Repentance alone will expiate your sins.
443. Do not discuss your good or meritorious actions with anyone.
444. If you can please Paramatman (Supreme Self) then you can please this world also.
445. Even if you do not enjoy worldly pleasures, merely by thinking about them you are heading towards the abysmal cavity of death and destruction.
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