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by Swami Sivananda

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"I thank you all for coming here on this occasion and for sitting through this performance in the cold. I am indebted to you for this.

"Lord Yama sends four letters to man, but each time man is misguided by his worldly friends and ignores these letters. The hair turns grey, but man blackens it with dye; the teeth fall, so he uses false teeth; the eyesight fails, and he is tempted to put on spectacles; his vitality is exhausted, so he resorts to tonics. He does not realise that death is inevitable and that only God's Name will really help him in the end. When the time of his departure comes, he repents. Who can help him? There is only selfish friendship in the world. Note this point well. None but the Lord Himself is your real friend. Everyone else loves you for his or her own purpose. Understand this moral well.

"Always repeat the Name of the Lord. Merely doing one or two malas of Japa will not do. Throughout the day you should repeat His Name. Then only will His Grace descend on you and save you. This is a very easy form of Sadhana. It is the safest Sadhana, too. Even if you don't realise God in this birth, but if you go on repeating His Name, you will continue the thread in the next birth. The spiritual impressions will be there and you will soon realise Him."

The Master then sang his favourite Kirtan: Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise; Be good, do good, be kind, be compassionate.

"This is the essence of all the Vedas, of all the Shastras and Puranas. It is the essence not only of the Hindu religion but of all the religions of the world. Always aspire to purify the mind. Service alone can purify the heart. Service gives you opportunities of analysing yourself and finding out the impurities lurking within. You should gradually develop all the divine qualities.

"'Isavasyam idam sarvam--the Supreme Lord alone pervades the whole of creation'. Realise this well. Feel this. Bow to all. Be kind to all. When you have some sweet­meats, distribute them to the children of others. This is the way to develop the heart. Give to the 'health officer' (the scavenger in the Master's dictionary!) the same fruit that you yourself take. Do not give him stale plantains fit only to be thrown away. Always analyse yourself. See how many good, spiritual impressions you have developed. Look at the auditor's wife! Even in this cold she goes to the Ganga daily in the morning for her bath. Find out how many good impressions you have implanted in yourself. Perfection is not an easy thing, but you need not despair. You will surely attain it if you purify yourself every moment."

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