Purified Heart

Meaning: According to the line of Athervaved 5/3/4 — "With a purified heart, and with proper thinking, go on resolving to do honest work. The only objective of human life is to give up bad deeds and to develop good qualities.

Message: Swami Vivekananda has written that, "My ideal, said in a few words is - the human race is to be informed about its divine form and to show men and method of its manifestation in every field of life".

Man is the best creation of God, the Supreme Father and is full of divine qualities. Without constant practice of trying to achieve closeness to God and without experiencing the presence of God during every moment of his existence, neither can one unfold his divine qualities nor is his spiritual development possible. For claiming his divinity is it enough for man to remember God in the morning and evening and forget him for the rest of the day? No, this is not proper. We get a little knowledge by listening to may discourses and advice and from inspiring books, on spiritual events. But after getting the little knowledge, very soon we stray from our objective. We lose again whatever we obtain. Just as the layer of algae covers the surface of water and even after shaking it up, once again it spreads over water's surface, similarly the various types of glamour and temptations all round us, keep us continuously surrounded, and overwhelm again and again whatever we have read and heard. Whenever we listen to spiritual discourses or read excellent books, their effect remains for a little while on us and then immediately starts vanishing.

No, progress of any kind is possible until we spiritualize our daily lives. We have confined God only to the worship-rood. We will have to bring Him our from there into our daily work. The condition of our mind is of one type when we are in the temple and the moment we come out of the temple it changes to a different one. Everywhere spiritual hardships have to be faced because of this dual attitude.

When we constantly experience God, our mind remains pure, and He gives us the capacity to fulfill any resolve that we make. Our mind which climbs the higher rungs of spiritual knowledge does not slip downwards through the outer world's temptations. Then any good thought and resolve approved by discretion, remains firmly planted in the mind and is not forgotten. We cannot benefit at all by mere talks and discussions on principles and philosophy or by false contacts with principles. We must keep our heart in close contact with God by maintaining its cleanliness and purity. In this way desire for gratifying the senses will not be born in our hearts and it will become easy to free ourselves from wicked deeds. With this daily practice only, can we achieve victory over our evil activities?

Mahyum yanjantaam mama yaanishtakutihi

satyaa manaso me astu

eno ma ni gaam katamachyanaahum

vishve devaa abhi rakshantu meha.

(Athervaved 5/3/4)