Ramakrishna Mission Singapore Nirvana Magazine (Oct 2020 - Dec 2020) -107

There was a Sufi mystic saint called Rabia Basri (714-801 CE). She used to say, I love God with all my heart and soul. Once she was asked, “Do you hate Satan?” Then she replied, “if there was any part of my heart which could hate Satan, with that very part also, I will love God.” So, there is no place for hatred for the lovers of God. Whoever is on the path of renunciation there is no question of hatred for anything for them. If hatred is there, then it is not at all a path approaching towards God! Detachment is the ideal state of mind for spiritual seekers. Whoever has too much of attachment or hatred cannot practice spirituality.

God-centric life is the life which revolves around God and godly thoughts. If all the activities we do, is done with the attitude of service to God then our life can become God-centric.

If we do all work for Sri Ramakrishna it means that the fruits of actions also belong to Him. There are two results of this attitude.

Firstly, we are unaffected by the success or failure of the action.

Secondly, we would be able to perform selfless actions. We can work for Him, we can repeat His name, we can sing His name and glory. Then God takes a centre stage in our life. Glorifying one’s own name, working for self-appeasement or appeasement of others/superiors cannot be called selfless action.

Sometimes some people are de-motivated by not being able to see the effect of selfless work which is purification of mind. Holy Mother gave a beautiful example. Suppose a person is in deep sleep, sleeping on a cot. In that state if he is shifted from one place to another, he will not realize that change of place because he is in deep sleep. When he wakes up, he notices where he has come. Same happens with us also. Faith in the power of goodness and faith in the words of the wise people are the real treasures for the spiritual seeker.

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