在罗摩斯瓦若神庙关于真实礼拜的演讲
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AI-translated. May contain errors. For accurate text, refer to the original English.
中文
在拉梅斯瓦兰神庙就真实礼敬所发表的演讲
此后，一行人前往拉梅斯瓦兰（Rameswaram）神庙参拜，聚集在那里的民众请求斯瓦米向他们说几句话。他便以如下方式发表了讲话：
宗教存在于爱之中，而非存在于仪式之中；存在于心中纯净而真诚的爱之中。除非一个人在身心两方面都是纯洁的，否则他来到神庙礼敬湿婆（Shiva）是无益的。那些心身纯洁之人的祈祷将得到湿婆的回应；而那些不纯洁却仍试图向他人传授宗教的人，终将失败。外在礼拜不过是内在礼拜的象征；而内在礼拜与纯洁，才是真实的事物。没有它们，外在礼拜将毫无益处。因此，你们所有人都必须努力铭记这一点。
在这迦利时代（Kali Yuga），人们已堕落到这样的程度：他们认为自己可以为所欲为，然后前往一处圣地，他们的罪孽便会得到宽恕。若一人带着不洁之心进入神庙，他便在已有的罪上更添新罪，离开时成为比来时更坏的人。圣地（Tirtha）是充满圣洁事物与圣洁之人的地方。但若圣洁之人居住在某处，而那里并无神庙，那也是一处圣地。若不圣洁之人居住在可能有百座神庙的地方，那里的圣性便已离去。而住在圣地是极为艰难的；因为在普通地方犯下的罪尚可消除，但在圣地犯下的罪则难以消除。这是一切礼拜的精髓——纯洁，并且善待他人。那见贫苦者、软弱者与病患者中有湿婆的人，才是真正在礼拜湿婆；若仅见神像中的湿婆，其礼拜不过是初步之事。那不顾种姓、信条、种族或其他任何因素，见一个贫苦之人身上有湿婆而服侍并帮助了他的人——湿婆对他的喜悦，远胜于那只见神庙中的祂之人。
一位富人有一座花园和两位园丁。其中一位园丁极为懒惰，不事劳作；但当主人来到园中，那懒惰的园丁便会起身合掌，说道："我的主人面容是何等美丽！"并在他面前起舞。另一位园丁话语不多，却努力劳作，培育出各种果蔬，并将它们顶在头上，送往远处主人的住所。这两位园丁中，谁更受主人的爱戴？湿婆便是那位主人，这个世界是祂的花园，这里有两种园丁：一种懒惰、虚伪、无所事事，只知大谈湿婆美丽的眼睛、鼻子与其他容貌；另一种则在照料湿婆的子民——一切贫苦与软弱之人，一切动物，以及祂的一切造化。这两者中，谁更受湿婆的爱戴？当然是那照料祂孩子的人。想要服侍父亲，必先服侍其孩子。想要服侍湿婆，必先服侍祂的孩子——必先服侍这个世界上的一切众生。经典（Shâstra）中有言：那服侍神之仆人者，是祂最伟大的仆人。所以你们要铭记这一点。
再次告诉你们：你们必须纯洁，并尽自己所能地帮助来到你们身边的任何人。这便是善业（good Karma）。通过这种力量，心（Chitta，梵）变得纯净（心清净），那时，住在每一个人之中的湿婆便会显现出来。祂始终住在每一个人的心中。若镜面上有污垢与尘土，我们便无法看见自己的影像。无明与邪恶，正是覆盖我们心镜的污垢与尘土。自私是主要的罪孽——首先想到自己。那想着"我先吃，我要比别人有更多的钱，我要占有一切"的人，那想着"我要比别人先到天堂，我要比别人先得解脱（Mukti）"的人，是自私的人。无私的人说："我愿为最后，我不在乎去天堂；若能以此帮助我的兄弟们，我甚至愿意下地狱。"这种无私是宗教的试金石。拥有更多无私的人，在灵性上更为进步，更接近湿婆。无论他是博学还是无知，他都比任何其他人更接近湿婆，无论他自己知道与否。而若一人是自私的，即便他走遍了所有神庙，见过了所有圣地，将自己涂抹得像一头豹子，他仍与湿婆相去甚远。
English
ADDRESS AT THE RAMESWARAM TEMPLE ON REAL WORSHIP
A visit was subsequently paid to the Rameswaram Temple, where the Swami was asked to address a few words to the people who had assembled there. This he did in the following terms:
It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony, in the pure and sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless. The prayers of those that are pure in mind and body will be answered by Shiva, and those that are impure and yet try to teach religion to others will fail in the end. External worship is only a symbol of internal worship; but internal worship and purity are the real things. Without them, external worship would be of no avail. Therefore you must all try to remember this.
People have become so degraded in this Kali Yuga that they think they can do anything, and then they can go to a holy place, and their sins will be forgiven. If a man goes with an impure mind into a temple, he adds to the sins that he had already, and goes home a worse man than when he left it. Tirtha (place of pilgrimage) is a place which is full of holy things and holy men. But if holy people live in a certain place, and if there is no temple there, even that is a Tirtha. If unholy people live in a place where there may be a hundred temples, the Tirtha has vanished from that place. And it is most difficult to live in a Tirtha; for if sin is committed in any ordinary place it can easily be removed, but sin committed in a Tirtha cannot be removed. This is the gist of all worship — to be pure and to do good to others. He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Shiva; and if he sees Shiva only in the image, his worship is but preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing Shiva in him, without thinking of his caste, or creed, or race, or anything, with him Shiva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples.
A rich man had a garden and two gardeners. One of these gardeners was very lazy and did not work; but when the owner came to the garden, the lazy man would get up and fold his arms and say, "How beautiful is the face of my master", and dance before him. The other gardener would not talk much, but would work hard, and produce all sorts of fruits and vegetables which he would carry on his head to his master who lived a long way off. Of these two gardeners, which would be the more beloved of his master? Shiva is that master, and this world is His garden, and there are two sorts of gardeners here; the one who is lazy, hypocritical, and does nothing, only talking about Shiva's beautiful eyes and nose and other features; and the other, who is taking care of Shiva's children, all those that are poor and weak, all animals, and all His creation. Which of these would be the more beloved of Shiva? Certainly he that serves His children. He who wants to serve the father must serve the children first. He who wants to serve Shiva must serve His children — must serve all creatures in this world first. It is said in the Shâstra that those who serve the servants of God are His greatest servants. So you will bear this in mind.
Let me tell you again that you must be pure and help any one who comes to you, as much as lies in your power. And this is good Karma. By the power of this, the heart becomes pure (Chitta-shuddhi), and then Shiva who is residing in every one will become manifest. He is always in the heart of every one. If there is dirt and dust on a mirror, we cannot see our image. So ignorance and wickedness are the dirt and dust that are on the mirror of our hearts. Selfishness is the chief sin, thinking of ourselves first. He who thinks, "I will eat first, I will have more money than others, and I will possess everything", he who thinks, "I will get to heaven before others I will get Mukti before others" is the selfish man. The unselfish man says, "I will be last, I do not care to go to heaven, I will even go to hell if by doing so I can help my brothers." This unselfishness is the test of religion. He who has more of this unselfishness is more spiritual and nearer to Shiva. Whether he is learned or ignorant, he is nearer to Shiva than anybody else, whether he knows it or not. And if a man is selfish, even though he has visited all the temples, seen all the places of pilgrimage, and painted himself like a leopard, he is still further off from Shiva.
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。