Swami Shivapadananda Puri on self-sacrifice

‘Sacrifice’ is the word that you must highlight in your life. Are you prepared to sacrifice your feelings? If you are, then that’s all right.

Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, ‘O Arjuna you say it is very difficult to control the mind; you say it is easier to control an elephant. Yes, I agree with you. It is very difficult but it becomes easy through practice and vairagya [dispassion].’ You must not get attached. Dispassion.

Visitor: What happens if in the past one has become attached to lust and one wants to break that old habit? It is very difficult…

Swamiji: Yes, it is difficult. We don’t deny that it is difficult. That is why sacrifice comes into it. In spiritual life our gurus tell us: ‘Adopt the attitude of non-cooperation with your mind.’ Just adopt that idea. You are going to suffer in any case, right? You are going to do something wrong and you are going to suffer. You are a slave. Rather suffer trying to be a master than suffer being a slave.

Swami Vivekananda told his brother disciples a similar thing when his brother disciples said, ‘Look, there is no place to stay. Let’s think about a way out. We are suffering.’ Swami Vivekananda, with firm spiritual strength said, ‘Do you think that if I can’t get milk to drink I will drink filth and eat dirt? Rather I die.’

That’s the phrase: ‘Rather I die.’ For what? For the right thing.