It was an old custom in India for princesses to choose husbands in this way. Each princess had certain ideas of the sort of man she wanted for a husband. Some would have the handsomest man, others would have only the most learned, others again the richest, and so on. All the princes of the neighbourhood put on their bravest attire and presented themselves before her. Sometimes they too had their own criers to enumerate their advantages and the reasons why they hoped the princ…
New Age Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 27)
How can this be done? We see that the impression of any action, to which we attach ourselves, remains. I may meet hundred of persons during the day, and among them meet also one whom I love; and when I retire at night, I may try to think of all the faces I saw, but only that face comes before the mind — the face which I met perhaps only for one minute,and which I loved; all the others have vanished. My attachment to this particular person caused a deeper impression on my min…
New Age Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 40 )
It contains one of the highest flights of the Vedanta. When the Vyadha finished his teaching, the Sannyasin felt astonished. He said, “Why are you in that body? With such knowledge as yours why are you in a Vyadha’s body, and doing such filthy, ugly work?” “My son,” replied the Vyadha, “no duty is ugly, no duty is impure. My birth placed me in these circumstances and environments. In my boyhood I learnt the trade;I am unattached, and I try to do my duty well. I try to do my d…
New Age Spirituality Morning Has Been All Night Coming ( Part 14 )
Well, I tell you what, he said. Let me at least drop off a gift for you. What harm can there be in that?
New Age Spirituality Morning Has Been All Night Coming ( Part 94 )
The point I want to make is that although rituals have their place, what is more important is what we do for one another,how much we love and help one another. I do not care for incense or worship as much as I care for people, animals, trees and the other aspects of my creation. When the intent is to give service to the inhabitants of your world, then youll truly find your peace. Only then will you come to truly know yourself and, in so doing, know me better. His voice tra…
Age New Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 87 )
Closely connected with these ideas is the doctrine — which was universal before the Europeans mutilated it — the doctrine of reincarnation. Some of you may have heard of and ignored it. This idea of reincarnation runs parallel with the other doctrine of the eternity of the human soul. Nothing which ends at one point can be without a beginning and nothing that begins at one point can be without an end. We cannot believe in such a monstrous impossibility as the beginning of t…
Age New Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 53 )
Here are two Sanskrit words. The one is Pravritti, which means revolving towards, and the other is Nivritti, which means revolving away. The “revolving towards” is what we call the world, the “I and mine”; it includes all those things which are always enriching that “me” by wealth and money and power, and name and fame, and which are of a grasping nature, always tending to accumulate everything in one centre, that centre being “myself”. That is the Pravritti,the natural tende…
Age New Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 58 )
There was a great sage in India called Vyasa. This Vyasa is known as the author of the Vedanta aphorisms,and was a holy man. His father had tried to become a very perfect man and had failed. His grandfather had also tried and failed. His great – grandfather had similarly tried and failed. He himself did not succeed perfectly, but his son, Shuka, was born perfect. Vyasa taught his son wisdom; and after teaching him the knowledge of truth himself, he sent him to the court of Ki…
Age New Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 59 )
Thus the man that has practised control over himself cannot be acted upon by anything outside; there is no more slavery for him. His mind has become free. Such a man alone is fit to live well in the world. We generally find men holding two opinions regarding the world. Some are pessimists and say, “How horrible this world is, how wicked!” Some others are optimists and say, “How beautiful this world is, how wonderful!” To those who have not controlled their own minds, the worl…
Age New Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 67 )
What does it say? “Work incessantly, but give up all attachment to work.” Do not identify yourself with anything. Hold your mind free. All this that you see, the pains and the miseries, are but the necessary conditions of this world; poverty and wealth and happiness are but momentary; they do not belong to our real nature at all. Our nature is far beyond misery and happiness, beyond every object of the senses, beyond the imagination;and yet we must go on working all the time….
Age New Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 80 )
Absolute equality, that which means a perfect balance of all the struggling forces in all the planes, can never be in this world. Before you attain that state, the world will have become quite unfit for any kind of life, and no one will be there. We find, therefore, that all these ideas of the millennium and of absolute equality are not only impossible but also that, if we try to carry them out, they will lead us surely enough to the day of destruction. What makes the differe…
Spirituality – Inspirational Stories ( Part 68 )
So Karma-Yoga says, first destroy the tendency to project this tentacle of selfishness, and when you have the power of checking it, hold it in and do not allow the mind to get into the ways of selfishness. Then you may go out into the world and work as much as you can. Mix everywhere, go where you please; you will never be contaminated with evil. There is the lotus leaf in the water; the water cannot touch and adhere to it; so will you be in the world. This is called “Vairagy…