God Makes the Rivers to Flow: An Anthology of the World's Sacred Poetry and Prose (Essential Easwaran Library Book 4)

by Eknath Easwaran

RABBI ABRAHAM ISAAC KOOK

Radiant Is the World Soul Radiant is the world soul, Full of splendor and beauty, Full of life, Of souls hidden, Of treasures of the holy spirit, Of fountains of strength, Of greatness and beauty. Proudly I ascend Toward the heights of the world soul That gives life to the universe. How majestic the vision – Come, enjoy, Come, find peace, Embrace delight, Taste and see that God is good. Why spend your substance on what does not nourish And your labor on what cannot satisfy? Listen to me, and you will enjoy what is good, And find delight in what is truly precious.

The Temple of the Lord As oil is in the oil seed, And fire is in the flint, So is the Lord within thee, unrevealed. Follow thy Master’s simple and true instructions, Keep vigil strict at midnight and so find Him. As fragrance is within the flower’s blossom, So is the Lord within thee, unrevealed. But as the musk-deer searches for musk in forest grass, So does man search for Him outside And finds Him not. As the pupil is within the eye itself, So is the Lord within thy body; But fools know not this simple fact, And search for Him elsewhere. As air pervades all space, But none can see it, So does the Lord pervade the body; But He remains to each one unrevealed, Since the lodestone of the heart is not attached to Him. O man, the object of supremest value, For which you search throughout the world,

Is here within you, But the veil of Illusion ever separates you from Him. Tear the veil boldly asunder and you will find Him. My Lord is living in each human being; There is no bridal bed without the Bridegroom. But blessed is the body In which He reveals Himself. As fragrance is in the flower, So is the Lord within thee. But He reveals Himself in His beloved Saints; That is all you need to know. Go forth and meet them.

The River of God Spiritual aspirants ask their

teacher: What is the cause of the cosmos? Is it Brahman? From where do we come? By what live? Where shall we find peace at last? What power governs the duality Of pleasure and pain by which we are driven? Time, nature, necessity, accident, Elements, energy, intelligence – None of these can be the first cause. They are effects, whose only purpose is To help the self to rise above pleasure and pain. In the depths of meditation, sages Saw within themselves the Lord of Love, Who dwells in the heart of every creature. Deep in the hearts of all he dwells, hidden Behind the gunas of law, energy, And inertia. He is One. He it is Who rules over time, space, and causality. The world is the wheel of God, turning round And round with all living creatures upon The wheel. The world is the river of God, Flowing from him and flowing back to him. On this ever-revolving wheel of life

The individual self goes round and round Through life after life, believing itself To be a separate creature, until It sees its identity with the Lord Of Love and attains immortality In the indivisible Whole. He is the eternal reality, sing The scriptures, and the ground of existence. They who perceive him in every creature Merge in him and are released from the wheel Of birth and death. The Lord of Love holds in his hand the world, Composed of the changing and the changeless, The manifest and the unmanifest. The individual self, not yet aware Of the Lord, goes after pleasure, to become Bound more and more. When it sees the Lord, There comes the end of its bondage. Conscious spirit and unconscious matter Both have existed since the dawn of time, ...

All is change in the world of the senses, But changeless is the supreme Lord of Love. Meditate on him, be absorbed in him, Wake up from this dream of separateness. Know God and all fetters will fall away. No longer identifying yourself With the body, go beyond birth and death. All your desires will be fulfilled in him Who is One without a second. Know him to be enshrined within your heart Always. Truly there is nothing more To know in life. Meditate and realize The world is filled with the presence of God. Fire is not seen until one firestick rubs Against another, though the fire remains Hidden in the firestick. So does the Lord Remain hidden in the body until He is revealed through the mystic mantram. Let your body be the low...

In a firestick, so dwells the Lord of Love, The Self, in the very depths of consciousness. Realize him through truth and meditation. The Self is hidden in the hearts of all, As butter lies hidden in cream. Realize The Self in the depths of meditation, The Lord of Love, supreme reality, Who is the goal of all knowl...

Source of Our Existence O Thou Compassionate, All-loving Spirit! Thou art the sustaining power of our life. Thou art the unalterable source of our existence. Thou art eternally abiding within us. Thou art above us and below us; Thou art before us and behind us; Thou art all about us. Unfold our understanding that we may comprehend Thy vastness. Reveal unto us Thy Divine Grace that we may be sustained by the knowledge of Thy Presence within us. Fill our hearts with Thy holy inspiration that we may follow Thy path with unwavering faith and undaunted courage. Consecrate and sanctify our life. Make us like little children, gentle, sweet and free from all blemish. Fill our whole being with Thy Divine Light that we may know all things in that Light. Bestow upon us the gift of true vision that we may love in Thy Love and live in Thy Life. Teach us how we may partake of Thy blessedness. We come to Thee with humility and devotion. Grant unto us Thy abiding protection and surround us with Thine all-enfolding peace.

SWAMI PARAMANANDA O Infinite Being! O Infinite Being! O Supreme Lord! Teach us how to pray and how to meditate. Make our thoughts so one-pointed, deep and unwavering that they may penetrate the inner depths of our being and perceive Thee. Lift our mind to that plane where there is no heaviness, where there is no darkness, but only illumination and bliss. Lead us from delusion to the Light of Wisdom. Grant that we may feel Thy Divine Presence within us; That our soul may awaken from the sense-slumber of unreality and be ready to hear Thy call; That our heart may be full of tolerance and compassion; That peace and tranquility may pervade our whole being. May Thy peace and blessing abide with us and protect us from all unworthy thoughts and actions.

Peace! Peace! Peace be upon all living beings.

SWAMI PARAMANANDA Origin of All O Supreme Deity, Mother of the moving and unmoving, come, manifest Thyself to us. Thou art nameless, formless, but Thou comest when there is the genuine call. That call Thou answerest. Thou art the Giver of all blessing, of all understanding. Thou art the origin of all. Thou art all. Through Thy grace the dumb become eloquent, the lame run. Thou art the only Doer. Give us strength, purity, and inspiration. Teach us how to surrender to Thee, how to call Thee. Thou art the Supreme Lord. Thou art the Source of all Bliss. Manifest Thyself to us. Come to us. Make Thy Divine Presence felt in our hearts. Grant unto us Thy peace and blessing.

FAKHRUDDIN ARAQI The Shining Essence I look into the mirror and see my own beauty; I see the truth of the universe revealing itself as me. I rise in the sky as the morning Sun, do not be surprised, Every particle of creation is me alone. What are the holy spirits? my essence revealed. And the human body? the vessel of my own form. What is the ocean that encircles the world? A drop of my abundant Grace; And the purest light that fills every soul? A spark of my own illumination. I am Light itself, reflected in the heart of everyone; I am the treasure of the Divine Name, the shining Essence of all things. I am every light that shines, Every ray that illumines the world. From the highest heavens to the bedrock of the earth All is but a shadow of my splendor. If I dropped the veil covering my true essence The world would be gone – lost in a brilliant light. What is the water that gives eternal life? A drop of my divine nectar. And the breath that brings the dead back to life? A puff of my breath, the breath of all life.

PSALMS Lord, Thou Hast Searched Me O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou measurest my going about and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before, and laid Thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in the netherworld, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there would Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand would hold me. And if I say: “Surely the darkness shall envelop me, and the light about me shall be night,” Even the darkness is not too dark for Thee, but the night

shineth as the day; the darkness is even as the light. For Thou hast made my reins; Thou hast knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks unto Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My frame was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance, and in Thy book they were all written – even the days that were fashioned when as yet there was none of them. How weighty also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand; Were I to come to the end of them, I would still be with Thee. Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any way in me that is grievous, and lead me in the way everlasting.

SAINT ANSELM Teach Me Be it mine to look up to thy light, even from afar, even from the depths. Teach me to seek thee, and reveal thyself to me when I seek thee, for I cannot seek thee except thou teach me, nor find thee, except thou reveal thyself. Let me seek thee in longing, let me long for thee in seeking; let me find thee in love, and love thee in finding. Lord, I acknowledge and I thank thee that thou hast created me in this thine image, in order that I may be mindful of thee, may conceive of thee, and love thee; but that image has been so consumed and wasted away by vices, and obscured by the smoke of wrong-doing, that it cannot achieve that for which it was made, except thou renew it, and create it anew. I do not endeavor, O Lord, to penetrate thy sublimity, for in no wise do I compare my understanding with that; but I long to understand in some degree thy truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe: that unless I believed I should not understand.

SWAMI SIVANANDA Universal Prayer O adorable Lord of mercy and love, Salutations and prostrations unto Thee. Thou art omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient; Thou art Satchidananda, Truth, Knowledge, and Bliss; Thou art the Indweller of all beings. Grant us an understanding heart, Equal vision, balanced mind, Faith, devotion, and wisdom. Grant us inner spiritual strength To resist temptations and to control the mind. Free us from egoism, lust, greed, and hatred, Fill our hearts with divine virtues. Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms, Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms, Let us ever remember Thee, Let us ever sing Thy glories, Let Thy name be ever on our lips, Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.

SENG TS’AN Believing in Mind

The great Way has no impediments; It does not pick and choose. When you abandon attachment and aversion You see it plainly. Make a thousandth of an inch distinction, Heaven and earth swing apart. If you want it to appear before your eyes, Cherish neither for nor against. To compare what you like with what you dislike, That is the disease of the mind. You pass over the hidden meaning; Peace of mind is needlessly troubled. It is round and perfect like vast space, Lacks nothing, never overflows. Only because we take and reject Do we lose the means to know its Suchness. Don’t get tangled in outward desire Or get caught within yourself. Once you plant deep the longing for peace Confusion leaves of itself. Return to the root and find meaning;

Follow sense objects, you lose the goal. Just one instant of inner enlightenment Will take you far beyond the emptiness of the world. Selfish attachment forgets all limits; It always leads down evil roads. When you let go of it, things happen of themselves; The substance neither goes nor abides. If the eye does not sleep All dreams will naturally stop. If the mind does not differentiate All things are of one Suchness. When you fathom the realm of Suchness You instantly forget all selfish desire. Having seen ten thousand things as one You return to your natural state. Without meditation Consciousness and feeling are hard to grasp. In the realm ...

If belief and mind are made the same And there is no division between belief and mind The road of words comes to a...

SAINT SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN I Know That He Reveals Himself I sit alone apart from all the world and see before me Him who transcends the world. I see Him and He sees me; I love Him and I believe that He loves me; I am nourished and satisfied only with His vision. United with Him I go beyond heaven. All this I know beyond any doubt, but where my body is I do not know. I know that He who is immovable descends; I know that He who is invisible appears to me; I know that He who transcends all creation takes me into Himself and hides me in His arms apart from all the world; and then I, small and mortal in this world, I see the Creator of the world within me and know that I can never die because I am within all life and all of life wells up in me. He is in my heart, He is in heaven; both here and there He reveals Himself to me in equal glory.

DOV BAER OF MEZHIRECH You Must Forget Yourself in Prayer You must forget yourself in prayer. Think of yourself as nothing and pray only for the sake of God. In such prayer you may come to transcend time, entering the highest realms of the World of Thought. There all things are as one; Distinctions between “life” and “death,” “land” and “sea,” have lost their meaning. But none of this can happen as long as you remain attached to the reality of the material world. Here you are bound to the distinctions between good and evil that emerge only in the lower realms of God. How can one who remains attached to his own self go beyond time to the world where all is one?

KATHA UPANISHAD Perennial Joy THE KING OF DEATH: The joy of the spirit ever abides, But not what seems pleasant to the senses. Both these, differing in their purpose, prompt us To action. All is well for those who choose The joy of the spirit, but they miss The goal of life who prefer the pleasant. Perennial joy or passing pleasure? This is the choice one is to make always. The wise recognize this, but not The ignorant. The first welcome what leads to joy Abiding, even though painful at the time. The latter run, goaded by their senses, After what seems immediate pleasure. Well have you renounced these passing pleasures So dear to the senses, Nachiketa, And turned your back on the way of the world Which makes mankind forget the goal of life. Far apart are wisdom and ignorance: The first leads one to Self-realization; The second makes one more and more Estranged from one’s real Self. I regard you,

Nachiketa, as worthy of instruction, For passing pleasures tempt you not at all. Ignorant of their ignorance yet wise In their own esteem, deluded people Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind. Far beyond Their eyes, hypnotized by the world of sense, Opens the way to immortality. “I am my body; when my body dies, I die.” Living in this superstition they fall, Life after life, under my sway. It is but few who hear about the Self. Fewer still dedicate their lives to its Realization. Wonderful is the one Who speaks of the Self. Rare are they Who make it the supreme goal of their life. Blessed are they who, through an illumined Teacher, attain to Self-realization. The truth of the Self cannot come through one Who has not realized that he is the Self. The intellect can never reach the Self, Beyond its duality of subject And object. He who sees himself in all And all in him helps one through spiritual Osmosis to realize the Self oneself. This awakening you have known comes not

Through logic and scholarship, but from Close association with a realized teacher. Wise are you, Nachiketa, because you Seek the Self eternal. May we have more Seekers like you! NACHIKETA: I know that earthly treasures are transient, And never can I reach the Eternal Through them. Hence have I renounced All the desires of Nachiketa for earthly treasures To win the Eternal through your instruction. THE KING OF DEATH: I spread before your eyes, Nachiketa, The fulfillment of all worldly desires: Power to dominate the earth, delights Celestial gained through religious rites, and Miraculous powers beyond time and space. These with will and wisdom have you renounced. The wise, realizing through meditation The timeless Self, beyond all perception, Hidden in the cave of th...

Abiding. I see the gates of joy Are opening for you, Nachiketa. NACHIKETA: Teach me of That you see as beyond right And wrong, cause and effect, past and future. THE KING OF DEATH: I will give you the Word all the scriptures Glorify, all spiritual disciplines Express, to attain which aspirants lead A life of sense-restraint and self-naughting. It is om. This symbol of the Godhead Is the highest. Realizing it, one finds Complete fulfillment of all one’s longings. It is the greatest support to all seekers. When om reverberates unceasingly Within one’s heart, that one is indeed blessed And greatly loved as one who is the Self. The all-knowing Self was never born, Nor will it die. Beyond cause and effect, This Self is eternal and immutable. When th...

Hidden in the heart of every creature Exists the Self, subtler than the subtlest, Greater than the greatest. They go beyond All sorrow who extinguish their self-will And behold the glory of the Self Through the grace of the Lord of Love. Though one sits in meditation in a Particular place, the Self within can Exercise its influence far away. Though still, it moves everything everywhere. When the wise realize the Self, formless In the midst of forms, changeless in the midst Of change, omnipresent and supreme, They go beyond all sorrow. The Self cannot be known through the study Of the scriptures, nor through the intellect, Nor through hearing discourses about it. It can be attained only by those Whom the Self chooses. Verily unto them Does the Self reveal it...

Whose glory sweeps away the rituals of The priest and the prowess of the warrior And p...

A SONG OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA Dwell, O Mind, Within Yourself Dwell, O mind, within yourself; Enter no other’s home. If you but seek there, you will find All you are searching for. God, the true Philosopher’s Stone, Who answers every prayer, Lies hidden deep within your heart, The richest gem of all. How many pearls and precious stones Are scattered all about The outer court that lies before The chamber of your heart!

The Shining Self Let us meditate on the shining Self, Changeless, underlying the world of change, And realized in the heart in samadhi. Hard to reach is the supreme goal of life, Hard to describe and hard to abide in. They alone attain samadhi who have Mastered their senses and are free from anger, Free from self-will and from likes and dislikes, Without selfish bonds to people and things. They alone attain samadhi who are Prepared to face challenge after challenge In the three stages of meditation. Under an illumined teacher’s guidance They become united with the Lord of Love, Called Vishnu, who is present everywhere. Though the three gunas emanate from him, He is infinite and invisible. Though all the galaxies emerge from him, He is without form and unconditioned. To be united with the Lord of Love

Is to be freed from all conditioning. This is the state of Self-realization, Far beyond the reach of words and thoughts. To be united with the Lord of Love, Imperishable, changeless, beyond cause And effect, is to find infinite joy. Brahman is beyond all duality, Beyond the reach of thinker and of thought. Let us meditate on the shining Self, The ultimate reality, who is Realized by the sages in samadhi. Brahman cannot be realized by those Who are subject to greed, fear, and anger. Brahman cannot be realized by those Who are subject to the pride of name and fame Or to the vanity of scholarship. Brahman cannot be realized by those Who are enmeshed in life’s duality. But to all those who pierce this duality, Whose hearts are given to the Lord of Love, He gives himself through his infinite grace; He gives himself through his infinite grace.

In Me Thou Livest Take, Lord, unto Thyself My sense of self; and let it vanish utterly. Take, Lord, my life, Live Thou my life through me. I live no longer, Lord, But in me now Thou livest. Aye, between Thee and me, my God, There is no longer room for “I” and “mine.”

Living in Wisdom ARJUNA: Tell me of those who live in wisdom, Ever aware of the Self, O Krishna; How do they talk, how sit, how move about? SRI KRISHNA: They live in wisdom Who see themselves in all and all in them, Whose love for the Lord of Love has consumed Every selfish desire and sense craving Tormenting the heart. Not agitated By grief or hankering after pleasure, They live free from lust and fear and anger. Fettered no more by selfish attachments, They are not elated by good fortune Nor depressed by bad. Such are the seers. Even as a tortoise draws in its limbs, The wise can draw in their senses at will. Aspirants abstain from sense pleasures, But they still crave for them. These cravings all Disappear when they see the Lord of Love. For even of those who tread the path, The stormy senses can sweep off the mind.

But they live in wisdom who subdue them And keep their minds ever absorbed in me. When you keep thinking about sense objects, Attachment comes. Attachment breeds desire, The lust of possession which, when thwarted, Burns to anger. Anger clouds the judgment And robs you of the power to learn from Past mistakes. Lost is the discriminative Faculty, and your life is utter waste. But when you move amidst the world of sense From both attachment and aversion freed, There comes the peace in which all sorrows end, And you live in the wisdom of the Self. The disunited mind is far from wise; How can it meditate? How be at peace? When you know no peace, how can you know joy? When you let your mind follow the Siren Call of the senses, they carry away Your better judgment as a cyclone drives A boat off the charted course to its doom. Use your mighty arms to free the senses From attachment and aversion alike And live in the full wisdom of the Self. Such a sage awakes to light in the night Of all creatures. In which they are awake

Is the night of ignorance to the sage. As the rivers flow into the ocean But cannot make the vast ocean overflow, So flow the magic streams of the sense world Into the sea of peace that is the sage. They are forever free who have broken out Of the ego-cage of I and mine To be united with the Lord of Lov...

Sabbath Prayer Only for God doth my soul wait in stillness; from Him cometh my hope. He alone is my rock and my salvation, I shall not be moved. Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths, guide me in Thy truth. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And having Thee I desire none else upon earth. My flesh and my heart fail, but God is my strength and my portion forever. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let thy heart take courage. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a steadfast spirit within me. When many cares perplex me, Thy comfort delights my soul. My times are in Thy hand, and Thou wilt guide and sustain me even unto the end. With Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light do we see light.

Twin Verses All that we are is the result of what we have thought: we are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfish thoughts cause misery when they speak or act. Sorrows roll over them as the wheels of a cart roll over the tracks of the bullock that draws it. All that we are is the result of what we have thought: we are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy whenever they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them. “He insulted me, he struck me, he cheated me, he robbed me”: those caught in resentful thoughts never find peace. “He insulted me, he struck me, he cheated me, he robbed me”: those who give up resentful thoughts surely find peace. For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love. This is an unalterable law. There are those who forget that death will come to all. For those who remember, quarrels come to an end.

Those who live only for pleasure, who eat intemperately, who are lazy and weak and lack control over their senses, are like a tree with shallow roots. As a strong wind uproots such a tree, Mara the Tempter will throw such a person down. But those who live without looking for pleasure, who eat temperately and control their senses, who are persevering and firm in faith, are like a mountain. As a strong wind cannot uproot a mountain, Mara cannot throw such a person down. Whoever puts on the saffron robe but is self-willed, speaks untruthfully, and lacks self-control is not worthy of that sacred garment. But those who have vanquished self-will, who speak the truth and have mastered themselves, are firmly established on the spiritual path and worthy of the saffron robe. The deluded, imagining trivial things to be vital to life, follow their vain fancies and never attain the highest knowledge. But the wise, knowing what is trivial and what is vital, set their thoughts on the supreme goal and attain the highest knowledge. As rain seeps through a poorly thatched roof, passion

seeps into the untrained mind. As rain cannot seep through a well-thatched roof, passion cannot seep into a well-trained mind. Those who are selfish suffer here and suffer there; they suffer wherever they go. They suffer and fret over the damage they have done. But those who are selfless rejoice here and rejoice there; they rejoice wherever they go. They rejoice and delight in the good they have done. The selfish person suffers here, and he suffers there; he suffers wherever he goes. He suffers as he broods over the damage he has done. He suffers more and more as he travels along the path of sorrow. The selfless person is happy here, and he is happy there; he is happy wherever he goes. He is happy when he thinks of the good he has done. He grows in happiness as he progresses along the path of bliss. Those who recite many scriptures but do not practice their teachings are like a cowherd counting anoth...

without external supports and share in the joys of th...

The Lord of Life May we harness body and mind to see The Lord of Life, who dwells in everyone. May we ever with a one-pointed mind Strive for blissful union with the Lord. May we train our senses to serve the Lord Through the practice of meditation. Great is the glory of the Lord of Life, Infinite, omnipresent, all-knowing. He is known by the wise who meditate And conserve their vital energy. Hear, O children of immortal bliss! You are born to be united with the Lord. Follow the path of the illumined ones And be united with the Lord of Life. Kindle the fire of kundalini deep In meditation. Bring your mind and breath Under control. Drink deep of divine love, And you will attain the unitive state. Dedicate yourself to the Lord of Life, Who is the cause of the cosmos. He will

Remove the cause of all your suffering And free you from the bondage of karma. Be seated with spinal column erect And turn your mind and senses deep within. With the mantram echoing in your heart, Cross over the dread sea of birth and death. Train your senses to be obedient. Regulate your activities to lead you To the goal. Hold the reins of your mind As you hold the reins of restive horses. Choose a place for meditation that is Clean, quiet, and cool, a cave with a smooth floor Without stones and dust, protected against Wind and rain and pleasing to the eye. In deep meditation aspirants may See forms like snow or smoke. They may feel A strong wind blowing or a wave of heat. They may see within them more and more light: Fireflies, lightning, sun, or moon. These are signs That they are well on their way to Brahman. Health, a light body, freedom from cravings, A glowing skin, sonorous voice, fragrance Of body: these signs indicate progress In the practice of meditation.

As a dusty mirror shines bright when cleansed, So shine those who realize the Self, Attain life’s goal, and pass beyond all sorrow. In the supreme climax of samadhi They realize the presence of the Lord Within their heart. Freed from impurities, They pass forever beyond birth and death. The Lord dwells in the womb of the cosmos, The Creator who is in all creatures. He is that which is born and to be born; His face is everywhere. Let us adore the Lord of ...

Such Is a Saint! When the heart burns at the sufferings of others, That is God’s own heart. When eyes strain to see others happy, Through them God Himself sees. When hands toil for others’ relief, These hands move only by God’s will. When the tongue sings His Name, That voice is the voice of God. Such is a Saint – God’s own image!

The Central Truth Forget not the central truth that God is seated in your own heart. Don’t be disheartened by failures at initial stages. Cultivate the spirit of surrender to the workings of his will, inside you and outside you, until you have completely surrendered up your ego-sense and have known that he is in all, and he is all, and you and he are one. Be patient. The path of self-discipline that leads to God-realization is not an easy path: obstacles and sufferings are on the path; the latter you must bear, and the former overcome – all by his help. His help comes only through concentration. Repetition of God’s name helps concentration.

HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN Khatum O Thou, Who art the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty, The Lord of heaven and earth, Open our hearts, That we may hear Thy Voice, Which constantly cometh from within. Disclose to us Thy Divine Light, Which is hidden in our souls, That we may know and understand life better. Most Merciful and Compassionate God, Give us Thy great Goodness; Teach us Thy loving Forgiveness; Raise us above the distinctions and differences which divide us; Send us the Peace of Thy Divine Spirit, And unite us all in Thy Perfect Being.

THE UPANISHADS Invocations 1 May the Lord of Love protect us. May the Lord of Love nourish us. May the Lord of Love strengthen us. May we realize the Lord of Love. May we live with love for all; May we live in peace with all. 2 May the Lord of day grant us peace. May the Lord of night grant us peace. May the Lord of sight grant us peace. May the Lord of might grant us peace. May the Lord of speech grant us peace. May the Lord of space grant us peace. I bow down to Brahman, source of all power. I will speak the truth and follow the law. Guard me and my teacher against all harm. Guard me and my teacher against all harm.

THE RIG VEDA United in Heart May we be united in heart. May we be united in speech. May we be united in mind. May we perform our duties As did the wise of old. May we be united in our prayer. May we be united in our goal. May we be united in our resolve. May we be united in our understanding. May we be united in our offering. May we be united in our feelings. May we be united in our hearts. May we be united in our thoughts. May there be perfect unity amongst us.