If we are to judge what happens in spiritual life, what are the fruits
of spiritual practice, we must remember one thing. In worldly life,
many of those who have had splendid success did not dream that their
success in life would be so great. They began their life in an
ordinary way, they were struggling, and success began to come. The
greater the success, the greater was their boldness. They began to
aspire for more and more. Success leads to success. In the beginning
they were not so bold.

Einstein was dull when young. His father despaired of him. Afterwards
things came out. So also in spiritual life. Let us not, just in the
beginning, think in terms of the highest. Naturally we shall get
frightened. We shall see a great distance between us and the ideal.
That is not the way to reach the ideal.

In mountain climbing, from the foot of the hill you see first a peak
perhaps one thousand feet high, and what lies beyond is covered. When
you go to the top of that peak, you find another thousand or two
thousand feet above you. I remember the first time I went mountain
climbing. From the foot of the hill we could see, at a great height, a
peak covered with forest. When we reached that peak, we saw another
big peak in front of us. That is what happens in mountain climbing,
until you reach Mount Everest.

This is the way one attains the highest worldly success. Why should
you think, as soon as you feel interested in religion, that the
spiritual struggle is not possible for you because you will not be
able to reach the highest?

| Swami Pavitrananda



 You cannot have
religion, as Swami Vivekananda said, like an Oriental vase to decorate
your table. If you have it as a decoration, it will remain a
decoration. Not even that: it will dry up. Cut flowers will dry up
tomorrow or the next day.

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Describing the different stages of spiritual life, Buddha said that
first comes the practice of ethical virtues, then faith, then energy.
But that energy is of a different kind. When you have faith, your
energy becomes different. You assert your claim. "Why should truth be
denied to me?" Conviction has arisen. It is not simply a dreamy idea.
>From that conviction comes energy. Ramakrishna used to say to the
Divine Mother. "Thou didst reveal thyself to Ramprasad, so why not to
me?" This is how one prays when energy comes.

Then afterwards comes concentration, afterwards comes wisdom. These
are the higher stages. But as in ordinary life we find our level, in
spiritual life also, according to our struggle, according to the
intensity of our spiritual practice, we shall find our level. But no
one will go hungry if he has real hunger. One will get one's fruits at
the right time. The greater the hunger, the greater the fulfillment.
That is spiritual life.