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Fire eats the sacrificial ghee when offered to it and consumes
the sins of the offerer. The sage eats the food offered to him by others
but he burns up their past and future impurities.
Fire is one though it enters fuels of various sorts.
One Atma pervades all beings, however different they may
appear by the action of Avidya.
Birth, death, and other affections are states of the body, not of
Atma. The moon looks full, diminished and gone, though it is the
same in all these states.
The sun draws water by its rays and gives it all away in time.
The sage takes in order to give, and not in order to add to his own
possessions.
The sun i effected on different surfaces appears to the ignorant
as many and various. The Atma in different bodies, even appears
as such.
Too much attachment is bad. This I have learned from a pair
of pigeons. They lived in a forest. One day they left their young ones
in the nest and went about in search of food for them. When they
returned they found the young ones netted by a hunter. The mother
had too much affection for the young ones. She fell into the net of her
own accord. The father also followed suit and the hunter was pleased
to have them all without any exertion of his own.
The huge Ajagara serpent remains where he is and is content
with whatever food comes to him.
The sage is calm and deep, not to be fathomed or measured.
He is limitless (as the unconditioned self is manifested in him). He is
not to be disturbed even like the tranquil ocean. The ocean may re-
ceive volumes of water from the rivers at times or may receive no
water at other times. But it remains the same, even as the sage at
all times.
He who is tempted by woman is destroyed like an insect falling
into fire.
The bee takes a little from every flower. The Sanyasl should
take only a little from each Grihastha, so that the Grihastha may
not suffer.
The bee extracts honey from all flowers big or small. The
Sage should extract wisdom from all Sastras big or small. Do not
store anything for the evening or for the morrow. Have only so much
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