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Man is experiencing joy and misery through the ear. Therefore, avoiding the cruel arrows of hard words, one should use words that are sweet, pleasant and soft; and with that softness, add the sweetness of Truth. To make the word soft, if falsehood is added, it would only clear the way for some more misery: A person who has become a Sadhaka should use very soft, sweet, true and pleasant words. Such persons can be recognised by their good qualities themselves. Thus, of those who have become Sadhakas, the means (mind) is Mathura, the Hrudayam (Heart) is Dwaraka, and the Deha (Body) is Kasi. At the seat of the tenth gate, it is possible to realise the Paranjyothi, the Supreme Effulgence. All efforts are of no avail if the heart is not pure. Look at the fish! Living as it does perpetually in water, has it rid itself of its foul smell to any extent? No. The Vasana of Man will not disappear even if he is immersed in many heart-purifying Sadhanas, so long as the heart is full of the illusion of Egoism. Such a man, if he is desirous of getting rid of the feeling of 'I' and 'Mine', must worship Hari. He must become a Sadhaka, without likes and dislikes. Vikaras like these cannot co-exist in the same heart, with the Sadhu nature. Light and Darkness can never co-exist at the same place, at the same time. He whose heart is ruled by the group of Six Passions can have only Ahamkara as his Manthri (Minister). Those who have such a Manthri are worse than foolish men, however great they claim to be as Pundits, Sadhus or Sanyasins.

"Can a donkey carrying perfume become an elephant?" Can an ass change into an elephant, simply by carrying a bundle of sandalwood? It can appreciate the weight and not the scent! But the elephant pays no regard to the weight; it inhales the sweet scent, isn't it? So too, the Sadhaka or the Sanyasin or the Bhaktha will take in only the pure truth, the pure essence of good activities, of Godliness, and of the Sastras, Vedas and Upanishads. On the other hand, if for the sake of mere scholarship, learning and disputation, one goes on arguing, he will know only the weight of logic, missing the scent of Truth! The on-lookers may praise them as the embodiments of the Sastras and the Vedas; but, where even the essentials are lacking, how can there be an embodiment? For those in search of the essence, the burden is no consideration. If mere reason is employed, nothing worthwhile is gained. Love (Prema) is the one big instrument for the constant remembrance of the Lord. To keep that instrument safe and strong, the Sadhaka needs no other appliance than the scabbard of Viveka, Discrimination.

There are many in the world who utilise their vast learning in disputations and believe that they are superior; this is a great mistake. If they are really so learned, there will not be so much disputation at all. They will assume silence as the honourable course, because, those exalted in learning will have experienced the essence of the Vedas, Sastras and Upanishads. They will see that the nature of that essence, its core, the purity of the Godhead it proclaims, are all One, however one may realise it. They know that God appears in whatever form He is taken to have, and that He manifests in action to any one the feelings which he associates with Him. Next