Self realization is the ultimate goal of life. First of all learn to remain happy from within and serve the society and feel the connection with the divine.

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Brooding over impure thoughts adds to their evil force. Do not become prey to these haunting dangerous thoughts. Entertain counter-thoughts: good sublime thoughts of God and His Divine Glory. By Japa, fasting, charity and selfless service, you can easily destroy the impurities of the complex mind. The evil thoughts, for lack of attention and by the pressure of good thoughts, will die a natural death.

~Swami Sivananda

Selfishness clouds understanding.

Even if a man has a tinge of selfishness, he cannot find out what is right and wrong. A very pure, subtle sharp intellect is needed for this purpose, besides destroying selfishness.

You should possess a well-purified heart. You must have a balanced mind. You must be indifferent to heat and cold, pleasure and pain, praise and censure, success and failure. You must be well-trained in selfless service for several years. Then you can get over selfishness and acquire real understanding.

~Swami Sivananda

When an evil thought harasses the mind, the best method of conquering it is by ignoring it. How can we ignore an evil thought? By forgetting it. How can we forget? By not indulging in it again, and also by not brooding over it. How can we prevent the mind from indulging in it again or brooding over it? By thinking of something very interesting, something sublime and inspiring.

Ignoring, Forgetting, Thinking, of something inspiring, - these three constitute the great Sadhana for establishing mastery over evil thoughts.

~Swami Sivananda

God is an unknown entity. God is an unseen entity. We have not seen God. We've only heard about Him. We can only imagine Him. But, if we are able to see in a human individual, manifestations of holiness, of sanctity, something out of the ordinary, something extraordinary, something special, we begin to realise: "Yes, God I have not seen,but godliness I have seen."

Such a being becomes for us visible God. God reveals Himself through the Guru.

~ Swami Chidananda

During the night Satsang, some of the people assembled got up in the middle. Torches flashed: and the centre of attention was shirted to an insect moving on the floor.

‘What is it, scorpion?’ asked Siva. ‘No, Swamiji, It is another variety of....’ Vishnuji fumbled for the proper word.

‘Another variety of Vishnu?’ remarked Siva and we all had a hearty laugh.

Truth in jest. Lord Vishnu is the Indwelling Presence in even the tiniest or the most venomous insect. See Him in all. Or, as the remarks were addressed particularly to Vishnuswamiji, see your own Self, Vishnu, in this insect, too. It is only another variety of the same thing called Vishnuswamiji. What a fountain of wisdom and philosophy in humour.

~ Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda, Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda