Thought for the Day

Saturday 31 January

A devotee who can call on God while living a householder's life is a hero indeed. God thinks: "They are blessed indeed who pray to Me in the midst of their worldly duties. They are trying to find Me, overcoming a great obstacle, pushing away, as it were, a huge block of stone weighing a ton. Such a one is a real hero."

— Sri Ramakrishna

Eknath Easwaran's Commentary

To find a spiritual path, it is not necessary to give up our job, leave our family, change our religion, or travel to distant lands. We start wherever we are, not running away from society, but right in the midst of life. Whatever context we find ourselves in is a suitable one in which to overcome our problems and grow to our full height. We tend to look upon the other home as peaceful, the other couple as perfect, the other parent-child relationship as ideal, but this is not very likely. Everyone has certain liabilities as well as assets.

Everyone has done some good, and made some mistakes as well. This is part of the human condition. Saints and sages are loving realists. “Don’t wait for ideal conditions. You’ll never find them,” they admonish. “Begin! And the conditions you need will come to you.”

The Thought for the Day is today's entry from Eknath Easwaran's Words to Live By.