A spiritually illumined soul who has scaled the depths of the Divine is a constant source of inspiration to countless other seekers. Swami Shivananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, was such a person whose simple conversations with spiritual seekers were treasured by them as unfailing blessings for the rest of their life. This book has brought together such spiritually illuminating and inspiring conversations for the good of many.
I have been asked many times, Why do you laugh so much and make so many jokes? I become serious sometimes--when I have a stomachache! The Lord is all blissfulness. He is the reality behind all that exists. He is the goodness, the truth in everything. You are His incarnations. That is what is glorious. The nearer you are to Him, the less you will have occasions to cry or weep. The further we are from Him, the more will long faces come. The more we know of Him, the more misery vanishes.
-Swami Vivekananda