ANANDAMAYI MA QUOTES

"Enquire: 'Who am I?' and you will find the answer. Look at a tree: from one seed arises a huge tree; from it comes numerous seeds, each one of which in its turn grows into a tree. No two fruits are alike. Yet it is one life that throbs in every particle of the tree. So, it is the same Atman everywhere."

Once the Guru has accepted a disciple, He will never leave him until the goal has been attained. The question of leaving does not arise at all.

He is the Father, Mother, Guru, Friend, Creator, Preserver, Destroyer – everything.
He is the fountain of Peace and the treasure-house of real Happiness.
His essence is Being, Consciousness and Bliss.

Who are the truly wealthy? Those who are possessed of the Supreme Treasure —they alone are really rich and live in abundance. Poor and destitute must be called the man in whose heart the remembrance of God abides not. To depend solely on Him is man’s one and only duty.
Verily, abounding sorrow is the essential characteristic of life in this world. Fix your mind on God.

Who are the truly wealthy? Those who are possessed of the Supreme Treasure —they alone are really rich and live in abundance. Poor and destitute must be called the man in whose heart the remembrance of God abides not. To depend solely on Him is man’s one and only duty.
Verily, abounding sorrow is the essential characteristic of life in this world. Fix your mind on God.

Do not allow your mind to wander here and there; endeavor to make it one-pointed; have one single end in view.

A worldly desire, if unfulfilled, makes you miserable; if fulfilled, it is almost invariably followed by some other desire and the chain of desire disturbs your peace of mind. You will have peace only if you can rise above worldly desires.

What does Atma-darshana, the direct perception of the Self, imply? The seer, the seen and the act of seeing where these three are One, there the Brahman is realized.

There is One unchanging indivisible Reality which, though unmanifest, reveals Itself in infinite multiplicity and diversity.

Question: You say all moments are contained in the one supreme moment. I cannot understand this.
Sri Anandamayi Ma: In reality there is nothing but the one moment all along. Just as one single tree contains numberless trees, innumerable leaves, infinite movement, and untold static states, so does one moment contain an infinite number of moments, and within all these countless moments lies the one single moment. Look, there is motion as well as rest in that supreme moment. Why then should the revelation of the moment be spoken of? Because, misled by your perception of differences, you think of yourself and of each and every creature or object in the world as being apart from one another. This is why, for you, separateness exists

The intense desire for God-realization is itself the way to it.

Don't sit idle. Always be engaged in doing something useful. Either chant God's Name in silence or read a good book, or discuss good topic. But don't waste your valuable time in idle gossip.

“As you love your own body, so regard everyone as equal to your own body. When the Supreme Experience supervenes, everyone’s service is revealed as one’s own service. Call it a bird, an insect, an animal or a man, call it by any name you please, one serve’s one’s own Self in every one of them.”

The right sustenance for the mind cannot be had from anything that is of this world and hence perishable, but solely from that which is Eternal. The taste of the Eternal will still the mind. The Universe was created out of joy and this is why you find joy in the fleeting things of the world. Without joy life is an ordeal. You must try to attain to that great Joy which has brought forth the world.

God Almighty is nameless and formless; yet all names and forms are His.

As the confining prison walls of the ego are broken down, you will become more and more persistent and wholehearted in your pursuit of 'Reality.' Then all the manifold pictures you perceive will merge into one single picture and all your divergent moods and sentiments will be engulfed in the one great Ocean of Bliss.

God is without form, without quality as well as with form and quality.
Watch and see with what endless variety of beautiful forms
He plays the play of his maya with Himself alone.
The lila of the all pervading One goes on and on in this way in infinite diversity.
He is without beginning and without end.
He is the whole and also the part.
The whole and part together make up real Perfection.

Love and serve you consort and children as Divine manifestations. Perform all works as God’s service.

In whichever direction you may turn your gaze you will find One Eternal Indivisible Being manifested.

Meditation should be practiced every day of one's life. Look, what is there in this world? Absolutely nothing that is lasting; therefore direct your longing towards the Eternal.

All creation is that: There is beauty in the birds and in the animals. They too eat and drink like us, mate and multiply; but there is this difference: we can realize our true nature, the Atman. Having been born as human beings, we must not waste this opportunity. At least for a few seconds every day, we must enquire as to who we are. It is no use taking a return ticket over and over again. From birth to death, and death to birth is samsara. But really we have no birth and death. We must realize that.”

One should seek God, not with any motive but solely for His own sake. Neither should one feel concerned about one's spiritual progress, for that is also not unselfish. Seek God because it is your nature to do so; because you cannot remain without Him. Whether and when He will reveal Himself to you rests with Him. Your duty is to call out to Him constantly and persistently, and not to waste your energy on anything else.

'If the breath and the mind become one-pointed and steady, then the mind expands to infinity.'

You should kindle fire by any means, either with clarified butter or sandalwood or even straw. Once alight, the fire burns on; all worries, darkness and gloom gradually disappear. The fire will burn to ash all obstacles.

It is necessary to try and dedicate to the Supreme every single action of one’s daily life.

By saying I cannot one does not get far. One has to acquire capacity and achieve his end.

All sorrow is due to the fact that many are seen where there is only One.
Duality is pain. So long as man does not wake up to his identity with the One, the cycle of birth and death continues for him.

Are you master even of a single breath? To whatever small degree He makes you feel that you have freedom of action, if you understand that this freedom has to be used to aspire after the realization of Him, it will be for your good.

It is the pure, undefiled flower that finds a place at the Feet of the Lord and nowhere else. Take great care to spend your life in spotless purity, worthy to be dedicated in worship to the Lord. Speak about Him, meditate on His Glory, try to see Him in everyone, Him who is the Self, the breath of life, the heart of hearts. You feel lonely? In very truth you are not alone. Does the Supreme Friend ever forsake His friends?

If you live with the conviction that God is in the closest contact with you, you will gradually discover that there is nothing but God.

Grace is all the time showering like the rain; one should do a little bit of spiritual practice just in order that one is able to grasp it. The little bit of power you have – employ that! Read the sacred texts, take his name, do chanting – as much as you have power to do, go on doing. After that, He is there to do all that is to be done. The stomach does not get filled if the morsel of food is only put into the mouth.

The One Himself assuming the shape of the Guru of His own accord brings about His manifestation or becomes manifestated.!

"My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth, Father, I was the same. As a little girl, I was the same. I grew into womanhood, but still I was the same. When the family in which I had been born made arrangements to have this body married, 'I was the same... And, Father, in front of you now, I am the same. Ever afterward, though the dance of creation change around me in the hall of eternity, I shall be the same."

The signification of the word guru is Jagadguru (World Teacher). A World Teacher is one who diverts men from the path leading to death and puts him on the path of Immortality. He who does this is the inner Guru.

When engaged in japa you are attentively to mark the motions of your breathing – inhaling and exhaling; if your mind tries to stray to and fro, forcibly attune it to your breathing; this will slowly set in the process of calming your mind.

One is born to experience various kinds of joys and sorrows according to one's desire. For the time being, God comes to you in the disguise of suffering. He is purifying you in this manner. The suffering is for your own best. A mother gives a slap to her beloved child for its own good, in order to keep it on the right path. When a fond mother gives her baby a bath, the child may scream desperately, yet the mother will not let the baby go until she has thoroughly washed and scrubbed him.

Whenever you have the chance, laugh as much as you can.
By this all the rigid knots in your body will be loosened. But to laugh superficially is not enough: your whole being must be united in laughter, both inwardly and outwardly. Do you know how this is expressed? You literally shake with merriment from head to foot, so  that it is impossible to tell which part of your body is most affected.
What you usually do is laugh with your mouth, while your emotions are held in check. But I want you to laugh with your whole countenance, with your whole heart and with all the breath of your life.

Whether you like it or not , you will have to make the Eternal your constant companion - just like a remedy which has got to be taken.
Verily, of Him is all that need be said,
The rest but vanity, woe.
Without loving God you will not get anywhere. Remember this at all times.

Man is no other than the Self; but he wrongly thinks of himself as a separate individual centre on his body and identified by a particular name.

The Guru actually emerges from within. When genuine search takes effect, his genuine manifestation is bound to occur; it cannot possibly be otherwise.

Question: What do you think of all these new people coming to see you almost daily?
Answer: Nobody is new. They are all familiar to me.
You and I are two persons and yet you and I are one; and the gap between the two of us this also is myself: there can be no question at all of duality. Attachment and hate arise out of the sense of duality.
Everybody's satisfaction is my satisfaction.
Everybody's happiness is my happiness.
Everybody's misery is my misery.
Become drinkers of nectar - all of you - drinkers of the wine of immortality.
Tread the path of immortality, where no death exists and no disease.

Endeavour to concentrate on the breath; this will provide a check on the mind preventing it from wandering away to outer objects.

Let your mind be like a beautiful flower that may be offered to the Lord in worship.

Even though you may want to push God the Mother aside, She will never leave you. Are you not her offspring? A mother does what is good and beneficial for her child. She gives to her scion exactly what is needed, not more and not less. Her forgiveness knows no limits, this is why she is called MOTHER. If with deep faith, devotion and love you can exclaim: 'Mother, come to me, I cannot pass my days without you', rest assured, the Universal Mother will spread out Her arms and clasp you to Her heart. Don't look up to Her only as a mysterious refuge in your hour of distress. Keep in mind, She is always very, very near as the Force that guides your life. She Herself is the supreme refuge of every sentient being. With this conviction proceed. She will take the brunt of your burdens from your shoulders and make them light.

If the Name that appeals most to you is constantly repeated, you will realize that all names are His Names, all forms are His forms.

There is nothing in this world; yet everyone is madly pursuing this nothing some more, some less.

Everything is in God's hands, and you are His tool to be used by Him as He pleases. Try to grasp the significance of 'all is His'. and you will immediately feel free from all burdens. What will be the result of your surrender to Him? None will seem alien, all will be your very own Self.

Duality is pain. So long as man does not wake up to his identity with the One, the cycle of birth and death continues for him.

I say to you that I am a little child and you are my parents. Accept me as such and give me a place in your hearts. By saying Mother, you keep me at a distance. Mothers have to be revered and respected. But a little girl needs to be loved and looked after, and is dear to the heart of everyone. So this is my only request to you: to make a place for me in your hearts!

People meditate in front of a picture. But what is a mere picture? Just paper! Yet if faith is maintained in meditation, the Lord Himself appears in that picture.

If you just place yourself under the protection of a Guru, then the path which is most suitable for you will by itself open up to you.

God is the one great Reality. To know and experience Him is the whole purpose of human existence. So do not hesitate to strive to achieve this great goal. Be patience in all the ups and downs of life. Everything will right itself. Do all that is necessary to be done, but do not be anxious. Do your best and leave the rest to God.

Do not search for the Self for this would be like your eye trying to see your retina. You are Self.

Just as a vigraha must not be regarded as a piece of stone, so the Guru must not the regarded as an ordinary human being.

Unless one has a point of view of one’s own, one will not be classed among the sages.

Widen your shriveled heart, make the interests of others your own and serve them as much as you can by sympathy, kindness, presents and so forth. So long as one enjoys the things of this world and has needs and wants, it is necessary to minister to the needs of one's fellow men. Otherwise one cannot be called a human being.
Whenever you have the opportunity, give to the poor, feed the hungry, nurse the sick - do service as a religious duty and you will come to know by direct perception that the person served, the one who serves and the act of service are separate only in appearance.

“Suffering is sent to remind you to turn your thoughts towards That which is real – to God who will give you solace.”

"The supreme calling of every human being is to aspire to self realization. All other obligations are secondary" and "only actions that kindle man's divine nature are worthy of the name of actions". She often said "to find yourself is to find God, and to find God is to find yourself."

Sustained effort ends in effortless being. What has been attained by constant practice is finally transcended. Then comes spontaneity.

The same inexpressible Truth is experienced in two ways: as Self-luminous Silence, or as the Eternal Play of the One.

Just as a vigraha must not be regarded as a piece of stone, so the Guru must not the regarded as an ordinary human being.

“Acquire a firm will and the utmost patience.”

God is within everyone, but man goes out in search of Him. This is what constitutes God’s Play and God’s Creation.”

Divine happiness, even the tiniest particle of a grain of it, never leaves one again; and when one attains to the essence of things and finds one's Self--this is supreme happiness. When it is found, nothing else remains to be found; the sense of want will not awaken anymore, and the heart's torment will be stilled forever. Do not be satisfied with fragmentary happiness, which is invariably interrupted by shocks and blows of fate; but become complete, and having attained to perfection, be YOURSELF.