They Lived With God Quotes

“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

“You should practise calling on God every day. It is not possible to succeed in one day; through daily prayer you will come to long for God. . . . How can you feel that restlessness if you are immersed in worldliness day and night?”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“The younger Naren asked the Master: “Sir, have we any free will?” Master: “Just try to find out who this ‘I’ is. While you are searching for ‘I,’ ‘He’ comes out. ‘I am the machine and He is the Operator.’ You have heard of a mechanical toy that goes into a store with a letter in its hand. You are like that toy. God alone is the Doer. Do your duties in the world as if you are the doer, but knowing all the time that God alone is the Doer and you are the instrument. “As long as the upadhi [limitation or attribute] exists there is ignorance. ‘I am a scholar,’ ‘I am a jnani,’ ‘I am wealthy,’ ‘I am honourable,’ ‘I am the master, father, and teacher’—all these ideas are begotten of ignorance. ‘I am the machine and You are the Operator’ — that is Knowledge. In the state of Knowledge all upadhis are destroyed. When the log is burnt up entirely, there is no more sound; no heat either. Everything cools down. Peace! Peace! Peace!”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“a large extent progress in spiritual life depends on the intensity of one’s effort. Yet it still takes time to eradicate past samskaras(impressions of the mind). In Girish’s case, however, his faith and love were so intense that a transformation in his life was brought about very quickly. In spite of this, Sri Ramakrishna once remarked about Girish to another devotee, “You may wash a thousand times a cup that has held a solution of garlic; but is it ever possible to get rid of the smell altogether?” Girish heard about it and he was hurt. He went to Sri Ramakrishna and asked, “Will this smell of garlic go?” “Yes, it will.” “So you say it will.” “All smell disappears when a blazing fire is lighted. If you heat a cup smelling of garlic, you get rid of the smell; it becomes a new cup.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Complete self-surrender is more binding than the observance of strict disciplines.”
― 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

“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

“Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone. Rejoice, and men will seek you; Grieve, and they turn and go. Be glad, and your friends are many; Be sad, and you lose them all.”
― 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

“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

“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

“In the world’s busy market place, O Shyama, Thou art flying kites; High up they soar on the wind of hope, held fast by maya’s string. The Master explained: “Maya’s string means wife and children. . . . The three gunas — sattva, rajas, and tamas — have men under their control. . . . The three gunas are so many robbers. Tamas kills and rajas binds. Sattva no doubt releases man from his bondage, but it cannot take him to God. It shows him the way.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“There are eight fetters with which man is bound: shame, hatred, fear, pride of caste, hesitation, the desire to conceal, and so forth.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“But a wife endowed with spiritual wisdom is a real partner in life. She greatly helps her husband to follow the religious path.”
― 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

“As both blades of a pair of scissors are needed to cut a piece of cloth, so both self-effort and grace are needed to realize God. The grace of God is always blowing, like the wind over the sea. A sailor who unfurls the boat’s sail catches the wind and reaches the destination smoothly.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“The mind becomes impure when it is involved with mundane things, and it becomes pure when it becomes desire less. The impure mind suffers, and the pure mind enjoys bliss. It is very difficult to give the mind to God if it is preoccupied with many worldly possessions.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“this realm of mystical experience, verbal expression,mental cognition, and intellectual reasoning do not function. The only consciousness is the direct consciousness of God.”
― 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

“Spiritual life is not a matter of show. The more hidden it is, the stronger and more fruitful it becomes; the more it is expressed, the weaker and more superficial it becomes.”
― 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

“According to the Bhagavad Gita, four kinds of people worship God: those who are afflicted, those who seek knowledge, those who crave wealth, and those endowed with wisdom.1 All four kinds are worthy because their actions and thoughts are in some way connected with God, even though some of them seek worldly prosperity. No doubt God is the Kalpataru (the wish-fulfilling tree), but this does not mean that He automatically fulfills all desires. As a wise doctor will not prescribe poison to alleviate a patient’s pain, similarly the omniscient Lord answers only those prayers which will ultimately benefit the devotee.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Just as a man loves to live near his beloved and derives much joy from constantly seeing her, in the same way, in our meditation we try to live near the Chosen Deity and see Him clearly. Meditation increases the power of concentration, and without concentration no great work can be performed.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Struggle is the beauty of life. This beauty vanishes as soon as our struggle ends. In spiritual life one moves backwards and forwards, but in this way one gradually makes progress. No line is perfectly straight in this world. The mind fluctuates like the waves of the ocean. Don’t be upset when the mind goes down. It will rise again. There is nothing more harmful than to be despondent. Trials and tribulations make our minds strong, but despondency does not do us any good. Rather, it takes away our strength.”
― 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

“Look at the Milky Way. It is just like a stream of milk. Do you know that every moment millions of suns and moons are being formed within it? That is the source of the stars. Just imagine what an inconceivable Being is the ruler of this vast universe! And a tiny man with his limited intellect is trying to fathom and comprehend Him! Is He so easily obtainable?”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“Doubt contracts the heart and causes stagnation in life, whereas faith expands the heart and creates motion.”
― Chetanananda, They Lived with God: Life Stories of Some Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna

“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

“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