Uplift your consciousness! Receive daily spiritual quotes from great Rishis. Subscribe to the Spiritual Bee on WhatsApp.
The following teaching of Paramahansa Yogananda has been excerpted from the book: Man’s Eternal Quest.
One of the three basic qualities predominates in every man, according to Hindu philosophy. Sattva is the quality of those who have spiritual tendencies. They eat properly, cultivate good habits, and are devoted to the Lord. The rajas quality is manifested in those who are active, such persons keep busy with work until they die.
Those in whom the tamas quality is uppermost fill their lives with quarrelling, anger, jealousy, sensuality, and laziness. Any habit that holds you from spiritual attainment should be overcome. You must be the master of your thoughts and actions.
It is better to be the active rajasic type and to have your habits under control than to be the tamasic type; but the sattvic type in whom goodness manifests itself is ideal. Those who want to improve themselves should mix more with sattvic types.
Very few people know in what lies their own good. By this one criterion you can judge anyone. Ninety-nine percent of all people fail under this test. Tell a person, for his own good, to do a particular thing, and he will do exactly the opposite.
Why? Because he can’t help himself; his materialistic habits are too strong. Very often people won’t do what you suggest, even though they know it is good for them, just to prove that you can’t influence them.
Those who really want to improve should mix more with those who are calm and self-controlled. Try to mix with people who are normal, and better still, with people who are supernormal. The weak should seek out the strong and the strong should seek out those who are even stronger.
A wrestler will never increase his strength unless he works out with a stronger man. After judging the mental qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas in others, you can analyse their physical behaviour.
What kind of yogic powers do God-realized sages possess? How are they able to help devotees even after giving up the body? Find out by subscribing to our Yogic Powers of Pandit Shriram Sharma Newsletter.
