Why do children die? Here is one man who has different kinds of desires; there comes a time when those desires of a particular kind are changed and become desires of another or different kind. For instance, a man lives in some city in America for a long time; he reads such literature, pursues such studies that his inner desires and propensities are altered.
The Scriptures tell us, “The body is the temple of God.”This text is most abused. Indeed the body is the temple of God, but did that text mean that you should make the temple the all-in-all and forget the God within? The object of the temple was not the same as that of the Roman Catholic temples of to-day. People forget the Divinity within and make the temple the all-in-all.
While the intellect cannot grasp the Atman, it can get itself merged in the Atman, like the bubbles in the ocean. The bubbles cannot come out of the ocean, but they can burst and become merged in it. So the intellect cannot comprehend the Atman, but it can lose itself in the Atman, and this is in fact the sum and substance of Maya. The intellect cannot ask the Atman or God,”Why, when, and where did you create this world?”It cannot put the question boldly.
‘Whosoever looked for the Brahman-class elsewhere than in the Self, was abandoned by the Brahman-class. Whosoever looked for the Kshatra-class elsewhere than in the Self, was abandoned by the Kshatra-class. Whosoever looked for the worlds elsewhere than in the Self, was abandoned by the worlds. Whosoever looked for the Devas elsewhere than in the Self, was abandoned by the Devas. Whosoever looked for the creatures elsewhere than in the Self, was abandoned by the creatures. Whosoever looked for anything elsewhere than in the Self, was abandoned by everything. This Brahman-class, this Kshatra class, these worlds, these Devas, these creatures, this everything, all is that Self’
A man had a precious, long necklace round his neck, and at one time he forgot everything about it. He was much grieved at not finding the necklace round his neck, and he went groping about in search of it, but could not get it. Someone told him the necklace was with him, and he was very happy. Now, the necklace was not found in the strict sense of the word, for in reality it was there all the time; it was not lost but was forgotten. Similarly, your real Atman, the”I am,”has always been the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; but the mind, the intellect is to over-come ignorance. When the mind believes that the precious necklace is got, in this sense we might say that you regain your freedom. You have found or obtained your lovely necklace which was, strictly speaking, never lost.