Teachings and Commentaries – Swami Shivananda

1. Spiritual efforts without sincere love for God are fruitless. Sincere love is what counts. Sri Ramakrishna used to say that when the three attachments- that of a devoted wife for her husband, of a mother for her child and of a miser for his wealth - become one, then one realizes God. If anyone feels the same intense longing as would result if these three attachments were united, only then does he have God-vision. Sincere love brings God-realization and in that alone is genuine peace and joy. ‘Of course, without the grace of God one cannot have such love overnight, and that is why regular practice is necessary. One should cry to God, laying bare the heart. “O Lord, be merciful to me. I am an ordinary man. How can I hope to realize Thee unless Thou vouchsafest to appear before me? Have mercy on me, O Lord; have mercy on this weak being!” Pray this way to Him every day. The more you cry to Him the more your mind will be cleansed. The Lord will reveal Himself to the pure transparent mind.
2. Real peace is very difficult - full of thorns. “Sharp as the blade of a razor and hard to cross is the way to self-knowledge-so the sages have described it.” These are the actual words of the illumined seers. The path is indeed extremely difficult, however easy it may seem to those who have not entered it. Great effort is required to make progress in the realm of the Spirit. But if one sincerely wants to realize God, it is certainly true that he will receive His grace. In the life of Sri Ramakrishna that even he had to go through tremendous spiritual discipline before gaining the vision of the Mother.