Whispers Of The Spirit

Seek God first. Then if He directs you into the path of the householder, that is all right. Follow His will. But it must be His wish, not the voice of your desires. Whether or not you are married, get to know Him. Because if you prefer anything to Him, He will not come to you; and without the consciousness of His presence there is no end to the miseries and heartaches that you face. Of first importance is to make sure of that love which will never disappoint you, which will never deceive you; and that is the love of God.

- Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
Solving the Mystery of Life
Christ Consciousness Versus Human Consciousness, page 313

(Verse 40, Ch.6, Commentary Part-4)

All souls, no matter how many times they fall, will ultimately be rescued

NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES a sincere yogi falls down in the path of yoga, he struggles again toward his Goal. The devotee who performs meritorious actions develops divine memory and good karma that impel him to seek liberation in this life or in the beyond. The memory of the divine bliss of yoga practice remains lodged in his subconscious mind. If he is not able to find full liberation in one life, in his next incarnation the hidden memory of his past experiences of yoga sprouts forth in spiritual inclinations even in his infancy.

The fallen yogi should never be driven to despair by failures; instead, he should be glad that he possesses sufficient spiritual fortitude to make the yoga effort. All his good inclinations and divine experiences of the past will be causes for further spiritual development in the next life.

The money-mad person, in spite of lifelong failures, continues to seek wealth; the sense addict, heedless of present or future miseries, repeats his indulgences in evils; the “dope fiend” does not give up narcotics even when warned of certain death. The wise man, similarly, is as stubborn in maintaining good habits as the ignorant man is in evil. Right stubbornness is born of divine stability.

From VERSE 40, CHAPTER VI; *"God Talks With Arjuna - THE BHAGAVAD GITA"* by Paramahansa Yogananda*.

It is harder to be in the world but not of the world, but it can be done. Many are only rationalizing, however, when they say, "I live in the world, but I am not attached to the world." As soon as something is taken away from them, they realize how attached they are. There are so many ways the devil fools us. Test yourself. Do you think you could go into the forest and renounce all material comforts and possessions? Right away you would miss having your warm bed, and your bath and toothbrush in the morning. The dog has no toothbrush, no toothpaste, but that does not make him a renunciant! My point is that you should not fuss so much about outer conditions.

Paramahansa Yogananda
Solving the Mystery of Life
When Will God Come to You!