Who art Thou that walkest
before me and behind me
And in the hour of sleep
standest in watch beside me?
Wilt Thou not unveil Thy face whose
love hath already made me captive?
Freely I am bound to Thee;
Freely do I remain bound;
For Thou hast poured upon me Thy
unbounded love unasked.
Unasked will I make my offering unto Thee.
~ Swami Paramananda
I never miss you all when I am away, because inwardly you are always with me now, and will be forevermore. Whether we are living here or pass through the portals of death, we shall always be together in God.
~ Paramahansa Yogananda
Thou art born of Spirit,
Not created by thought,
Nor moulded by fancies,
Thou divine spark of unfathomed origin!
As vision Thou enterest in the heart of the prophet;
In the soul of the poet Thou dwellest as raptures of inspiration;
And in the throat of the singer as music.
Soul art Thou in our life;
Life art Thou in our body.
Who can know Thee, Thou subtlest of subtle?
How can we ever know Thee,
Save when Thou dost come to us in Thy glory
And grant unto us our sight?
~ Swami Paramananda
When one has found his Guru, there should be unconditional devotion to him, because he is the vehicle of God. The Guru’s sole purpose is to bring the disciple to Self- Realization; the love a Guru receives from a devotee is given by the Guru to God.
~ Paramahansa Yogananda
Disciple
Compassionate Sire, what nature is this fire
Teach me how to kindle it.
Master
It is flame, without smoke;
It burns without fuel, save what is not visible to the eyes.
It burns in the mouth of the wise.
It dwells in heart of love.
It is the perpetual altar fire where saints pour their oblation of worship.
It is eternal life.
It dwells in thee, though thou knowest it not, dormant, hidden at thy inmost recess.
When thy uncovered heart will catch the spark that cometh out from the mouth that speaketh the Fire of Truth,
Then will be lighted in thee this smokeless, eternal Flame.
~ Swami Paramananda
It is because God wants you that I am here with you, calling you to come Home, where my Beloved is, where Krishna and Christ, and Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteshwarji and the other saints are. “Come,” the Lord is saying, “they are all rejoicing in Me. No worldly joys-the taste of food, the beauty of flowers, the passing pleasure of earthly love-can compare with the divine joys of My home.”
There is only one Reality. It is He. Forget everything else.
~ Paramahansa Yogananda, “ Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda”
Master
When the Fire of Truth burns in the heart,
It purifies the heart.
When its spark comes out of tongue,
It is vibrant with life.
Lo, it falls upon the ear that is not closed to the subtle, spiritual sound,
like far-distant music,
Rousing the soul to a new world.
Fire of Truth,- When it burns in heart,
It purifies the heart.
When it burns in the mouth, it purifies the mouth,
It purifies mind, body, and glorifies the soul.
~ Swami Paramananda