I have noticed that in Sri Swamiji’s sadhana the concept of how to incorporate the qualities of love, affection, compassion and devotion are subtly coming to the forefront. In his own way, he is trying to teach us how to develop these four qualities, so that we can be more at peace with ourselves and more creative in our lives. When we say ‘develop love, compassion’ or any quality, the question always arises, “How do we do it?” The love that we are expressing now, is it not enough? The affection or compassion that we are expressing now, is it not enough? Even in these expressions, we tend to involve our egos, attachments, ambitions and desires, and the purity of the quality is never experienced. Rather, the more we worry about it, it seems the more we distance ourselves from the purity. There is too much ego-identification.
Sri Swamiji is trying to teach us by being an example and the symbol of how we can cultivate these qualities within us, so that eventually we can make this world a better place for ourselves and for future generations. If you can pick up what he is trying to give you on a subtle level, you will see that it is similar to what I have just said. I am not going to say that it will be the same as it is my understanding and feeling; yours may be different. What I have picked up is according to my nature, what you will pick up will be according to your nature.
We have identified and linked ourselves emotionally with a person having or representing some state which we want to achieve in life. We have identified with a body, an image, a concept. I feel that now he is trying to make us identify with the essence which has kept him ticking all this time. It is like he is saying, “Don’t look at the body; look at the force which has kept this body going in a particular direction, on a particular path, and identify with that force rather than with a personality.”
22 November 1994, Ganga Darshan, Munger