Chetanananda > Quotes

“The older I get, the less I know. It's wonderful--it makes the world so spacious.”
― Swami Chetanananda

“Let your heart be as big as it can possibly be.”
― Swami Chetanananda

“The choices that we make in our life are the choices that make us.”
― Swami Chetanananda

“Whatever you do, put your inner work first.”
― Swami Chetanananda

“The game of life has one rule: if you play, you lose.”
― Swami Chetanananda

“connect,surrender,and flow.”
― Swami Chetanananda; Swami Chetanananda

“If you want peace, don’t see faults in others. Always try to maintain calmness of the mind. Pray to the Master for good, pure thoughts and guidance.”
― Chetanananda, Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play

“I feel disturbed if I have a misunderstanding with someone. I feel that in that case I am not able to love all.” Master: “Try at the outset to talk to him and establish a friendly relationship with him. If you fail in spite of your efforts, then don’t give it another thought. Take refuge in God. Meditate on Him. There is no use in giving up God and feeling depressed from thinking about others.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“If, out of an uncontrolled desire, a person commits a sinful act, he should not be depressed and carry guilt ever after. He should take refuge in God. Then God will protect him. One good thing happened by those mistakes — the Master has crushed my ego completely.”37 Then Devendra quoted a saying of Swami Vivekananda’s: “True greatness consists not in rising, but in rising every time we fall.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Those who call on Me only in the days of affliction, to them too I bring succour and refuge.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“One way to approach God, according to traditional Hinduism, is by practising any one of five dualistic attitudes, or moods. These attitudes, or moods, are manifested in the relationship between the devotee and God, and they are: shanta bhava, the peace and stillness felt in the presence of God; dasya bhava, the attitude of a servant towards the master; sakhya bhava, the attitude of a friend towards a friend; vatsalya bhava, the attitude of a parent towards a child; madhura bhava, the attitude of a lover towards the beloved. The idea behind this classification is to help spiritual aspirants intensify their relationship with God according to their own inner nature. This”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“The scriptures say that the practices of an illumined soul are meant for spiritual aspirants to emulate.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“There are many opinions about God. Each opinion is a path. There are innumerable opinions and innumerable paths leading to God.” Bhavanath: “Then what should we do?” Master: “You must stick to one path with all your strength. A man can reach the roof of a house by stone stairs or a ladder or a rope-ladder or a rope or even by a bamboo pole. But he cannot reach the roof if he sets foot now on one and now on another. He should firmly follow one path with all his strength.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Sri Ramakrishna welcomed with open arms all the diversities of spiritual life and enriched India by incorporating in it all the new spiritual forces and directing all of them to Advaita [Oneness].”
― Chetanananda, Ramakrishna as We Saw Him

“Blessed are those who thirst after righteousness.”
― Chetanananda, Enlightening Stories

“When the Master first met Kalipada, he remarked, “This man has come here after tormenting his wife for twelve years.” Kalipada was startled but said nothing. Then the Master asked him, “What do you want?” Kalipada asked shamelessly, “Can you give me a little wine?” The Master smiled. “Yes, I can. But the wine I have is so intoxicating that you will not be able to bear it.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Everything happens in the course of time. It takes time for fruit to ripen or for an abscess to mature. Divert all of your attachments towards God and He will be revealed to you.”22”
― Swami Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“There are many obstacles and pitfalls in spiritual life. But even these can be turned to the advantage of spiritual aspirants by increasing their longing and determination, and strengthening their relationship with God.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“If a passionate desire arises and persists during meditation, stop and begin to pray. Earnestly pray to the Lord that this desire be removed, that it not be fulfilled. Any desire coming up in meditation, particularly a repressed one, gradually becomes intensified. And if one or more of our passions are involved, the results can be most disquieting.”47”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“That person is truly great who does not hesitate to confess a mistake and tries to correct it immediately. Sometimes students do not see their own mistakes, so a real teacher always comes forward to correct them.”
― Chetanananda, God Lived With Them

“Keshava kuru karuna dine [O Krishna, bestow mercy on the lowly].”
― Chetanananda, Ramakrishna as We Saw Him

“Holy company is essential. As one gets heat sitting near a fire, so holy company raises the mind to a higher plane. One gets peace and inspiration in the company of the holy.”
― Swami Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“There is some crookedness in your heart.” Girish thought to himself: “Yes, indeed. Plenty of it — of various kinds.” Then he asked the Master, “How shall I get rid of it?” Sri Ramakrishna replied, “Have faith.”25”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“real teacher practises what he preaches.”
― Chetanananda, God Lived With Them

“Swami: “We respect all the current religions of the world, as all of them are equally true and have the same goal in view.”
― Chetanananda, God Lived With Them

“The kernel of every religion is God.”
― Chetanananda, God Lived With Them

“If you desire to live in the world unattached, you should first practise devotional disciplines in solitude for some time.”
― Swami Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“God alone is real; the splendour has but a two-days existence. The magician and his magic. All become speechless with wonder at the magic, but it is all unreal. The magician alone is real.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Sri Ramakrishna did not like to be addressed as ‘guru’. And he was so humble that if anyone bowed down to him, he would also bow down to that person. He said, “I am the servant of all.” He considered all women to be the manifestation of the Divine Mother and bowed down to them. He never hated anyone. His loving embrace transformed even the most horrible sinners. One could attain more virtue by seeing him in ecstasy than by reading scriptures or hearing many sermons.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Jnana and bhakti are twin paths. Whichever you follow, it is God that you will ultimately reach. The jnani looks on God in one way and the bhakta looks on Him in another way. The God of the jnani is full of brilliance, and the God of the bhakta full of sweetness.” After listening to”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna