Talk to God
“No matter who causes you grief, take your complaints to the puja room (family shrine), where your real friend is. In addition to your spouse, you should have a friend — and that friend should be God. Even if your spouse makes you unhappy, confide in God, and not to anyone else. If your neighbour picks up a fight with you, go to the puja room and complain, “Why did you let him treat me like that? Weren’t you happy with me?” Open your heart and tell God everything. Then it becomes a satsang.”
“When someone makes you happy, tell God about that too. Forgetting God in times of happiness and remembering Him only in times of sorrow is not a sign of true devotion. We should be able to see that He gives us both happiness and sorrow.”
“Children, remember God while doing actions (Amma points to a man who is leading ducks through the backwaters as she says this). There is hardly any room in the boat even to keep his legs properly. It is such a small boat. Standing in the boat, he will row with a long oar and lead the ducks as well. Making noise by slapping the oar on the water, the man will guide the ducks if they stray. At intervals, he will smoke a bidi. He will scoop out any water entering the boat with his feet. He will also converse with the people standing on the bank. Even while engaged in all these tasks, his mind will always be on the boat. If his attention wavers even for a moment, losing his balance, the boat will capsize and he will fall in. Children, this is the way to live in this world. Whatever work we are doing, our mind should be centred on God. This is easily possible through practice.”
“You can lead a truly spiritual life while remaining a householder. You will be able to enjoy the bliss of the Self, but your mind has to be on God all the time. Then you can easily attain bliss. A mother bird will be thinking of the young ones in the nest, even when she is out looking for food. Similarly, you have to keep your mind on God, while engaged in all worldly actions. The important thing is to be completely dedicated to God or the Guru. Once you have that dedication, the goal will not be far away.”