“When you do not crave attention from anyone but are only interested in true souls who love you, when you understand the meaning of true friendship, when you cannot be moved by words of flattery but only by the love of true hearts — then you know the love that God seeks from you and gives to you.” —
Paramahansa Yogananda, God-Communion Man’s Greatest Necessity, Self-Realization Magazine, Winter 2007
You can’t just sit there and wait for success to fall into your lap; once your course is set and your will is firm, you have to make a practical effort. Then you will see that whatever you require for success starts coming to you. Everything will push you in the right direction. In your divinely surcharged will power is the answer to prayer. When you use that will, you open the way through which your prayers can be answered. -
Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda “Man’s Eternal Quest”
“All the evils and miseries of human existence begin when the soul forgets to use the body and the senses as its instruments and servants. When the soul becomes identified with the body, its consciousness is turned senseward, away from the inner intuitive perception of truth. After once attaining ecstasy and communion with God, all devotees must try their uttermost to be conscious of the divine state even during the egoistic or human state. This steady centering of the consciousness will preclude all confusion between good and bad actions.”
- Paramahansa Yogananda, God Talks With Arjuna, The Bhagavad Gita, IV:16
When in doubt about actions, one can seek the aid of his guru, or of certain advanced disciples of the guru who are sanctioned to give such help. The technique of salvation given by the guru enables the disciple to attain divine attunement. By the disciple’s practice of deep, guru-given meditation, God and one’s guru — their power invisibly vibrating within the devotee — will guide him aright.” —
Paramahansa Yogananda, God Talks With Arjuna, The Bhagavad Gita, IV:15
Though God hears all our prayers He does not always respond. Our situation is like that of a child who calls for his mother, but the mother does not think it necessary to come. She sends him a plaything to keep him quiet. But when the child refuses to be comforted by anything except the mother’s presence, she comes. If you want to know God, you must be like the naughty baby who cries till the mother comes.
- Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
“How You Can Talk With God”
“Never consider yourself unfortunate because of difficult circumstances. You may be on the brink of freedom, even though you are suffering. So keep on. Someday, when you find God, He will explain to you the book of life. Do not lose faith in Him.” -
Paramahansa Yogananda, God-Communion Man’s Greatest Necessity, Self-Realization Magazine, Winter 2007
More than in any other relationship we may rightfully and naturally demand a reply from Spirit in Its aspect as the Divine Mother. God is constrained to answer such an appeal; for the essence of a mother is love and forgiveness of her child, no matter how great a sinner he may be. The relationship between mother and child is the most beautiful form of human love that the Lord has given us.
- Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
“How You Can Talk With God”
All the dualities of this world are the tests of God. He wants us to wake up from the illusion of mortal life, to rise to consciousness of our immortality. —
Paramahansa Yogananda
This world will always have some defects…Though Jesus could perform miracles of feeding five thousand with a few fish and loaves of bread, and even raising the dead, still he had to suffer for doing good…We should not expect perfection from ever-changing material conditions, but realize that it is the Father alone who can give lasting happiness. —
Paramahansa Yogananda, God-Communion Man’s Greatest Necessity, Self-Realization Magazine, Winter 2007
As you cannot broadcast through a broken microphone, so you cannot send out prayers through a mental microphone that has been disordered by restlessness. By deep calmness you should repair your mind microphone and increase the receptivity of your intuition. Thus you will be able to broadcast to Him effectively and to receive His answers.
- Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
“The Law of Success”
When God does not respond to your prayers, it is because you are not in earnest. If you offer Him dry imitation prayers, you cannot expect to claim the Heavenly Father’s attention. The only way to reach God through prayer is by persistence, regularity, and depth of earnestness. Cleanse your mind of all negation, such as fear, worry, anger; then fill it with thoughts of love, service, and joyous expectation. In the sanctum of your heart there must be enshrined one power, one joy, one peace - God. -
Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
“Where There Is Light”
Faithfulness in the performance of small duties gives us strength to adhere to difficult determinations that life will someday force us to make.
- Paramahansa Yogananda
The things you need in life are those that will help you to fulfill your dominant purpose. Things you may want but not need may lead you aside from that purpose. It is only by making everything serve your main objective that success is attained.
- Paramahansa Yogananda
Love is the song of the soul singing to God. It is the balanced rhythmic dance of planets - sun and moon lit
- Paramahansa Yogananda
As the vital rays of the sun nurture all, so must you spread the rays of hope in the hearts of the poor and forsaken, kindle courage in the hearts of the despondent, and light a new strength in the hearts of those who think they are failures.
- Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda in a “Para-gram”
Seek to do brave and lovely things that are left undone by the majority of people. Give gifts of love and peace to those whom others pass by. -
Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda Yogoda Satsanga Lessons
Success is not rightly measured by the worldly standards of wealth, prestige and power. None of these bestow happiness unless they are rightly used. To use them rightly one must possess wisdom and love for God and man.
- Paramahansa Yogananda
Many people excuse their own faults but judge other persons harshly. We should reverse this attitude by excusing others’ shortcomings and by harshly examining our own.
- Paramahansa Yogananda
May I not increase the ignorance of wrong doers by my intolerance or vindictiveness. Inspire me to help them by my forgiveness, prayers, and tears of gentle love.
- Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda “Whispers from Eternity”
Most people consider the course of events as natural and inevitable. They little know what radical change are possible through prayer. Every morning I offer my body, my mind and any ability that I posses, to be used by Thee, O infinite creator, in whatever way Thou dost choose to express Thyself through me. I know that all work is Thy work, and that no task is too difficult or too menial when offered to Thee in loving service.
- Paramahansa Yogananda
