The aspirant for Divine grace has to remember this day of Shivaratri with gratitude. He must not exult when his happiness is promoted, nor be disheartened when misery becomes his lot. ‘Thy will, not mine’ shall be his constant assertion to himself. This is seldom the case. Few seekers seek to unravel the intention of God, to tread the path that leads to Him, to follow the ideals He lays down. They follow their own instincts and judgements and get distress and despair as reward. They are not aware of the sacrilege they commit. They proclaim that God is the inner motivator and that He is present everywhere but they behave as if He is absent in the places they do not like Him to be. They fritter away precious time in dry discussions and controversies about God.
Each one can explore the Truth of God only as far as his capacity-moral, intellectual and mental-can delve into the mystery. One can collect from the ocean only as much water as his vessel holds. God is immeasurably vast; He is beyond the reach of the most daring imagination. A pupil of a particular standard in school has to study the texts prescribed for pupils of that level of intelligence. Annamacharya, the mystic poet, realised the limitation imposed by one’s own failings, He sang: ‘To what extent our minds do reach; To that extent our vision we get’. God appears to each one in the Form and the magnitude of glory, which he can contain. The feeling of separation from God, the Source and Sustenance, is a laudable quality. Nursing it and fostering it can help to consecrate one’s heart. Do not allow the mind to dwell on the faults and vices of others; it will be contaminated thereby. Fix it on the fairness and virtues of others; it will be sanctified thereby. (SSS Vol.17, pp. 30-31)