The following is a message from Sri Daya Mata, third president and sanghamata of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India/Self-Realization Fellowship, who served in that role from 1955 until her passing in 2010. Daya Mataji entered the ashram of Paramahansa Yogananda at the age of 17 in 1931. This message was originally published as “A Letter From Sri Daya Mata” in Yogoda Satsanga magazine in 1984; such messages being much loved for their encouragement and wise counsel by readers of the magazine over the decades.
Long ago, Gurudeva Paramahansa Yogananda impressed on my consciousness this admonition: “Never be discouraged.” Through the years it has been a source of great strength. It is an important secret of spiritual success.
Discouragement is one of maya’s favourite tools to impede the devotee’s progress. It stifles our desire to make a greater effort, weakening the will to persevere until we succeed. But we must realize that because our goal is the highest — union with God — we will have to overcome limitations. Even repeated manifestations of our shortcomings should not be permitted to dampen our spirits.
Feelings of disheartenment and thoughts of weakness are but maya’s delusive suggestions to check our progress. If we ignore them and just forge on with courage and faith, we shall succeed spiritually. That is Paramahansaji’s ideal. Then, as he has said, “the darkness will vanish as though it had never been.”
As a young devotee, I once experienced a brief period of deep discouragement at a time when Gurudeva was away. Upon his return, while meditating, he had a vision: He saw first the negative forces behind my struggle, and then the Divine Mother herself, surrounding me with a halo of light.
In every difficulty, each of us has a choice: lose heart and yield to maya; or with full faith persevere, knowing that Divine Mother is always near, ready to bestow Her power and grace to help us to overcome delusion.
On the spiritual path it may seem that we often take three steps forward and two backward. But if we are realistic, we will not allow this to dismay us, nor will we waste time brooding over past mistakes.
Paramahansaji taught us to learn from our errors, to determine to change, and then to forget them. The Lord does not condemn us when we stumble, so we should not unduly berate ourselves.
Instead, love God more. Be so in love with Him that your flaws cannot intimidate you, cannot stop you from running to Him.
He is all mercy, all compassion; and no one is more eager than He to see you reach eternal fulfilment in His love. Approach Him with confidence, meditating and seeking Him with persistent devotion, and you shall know Him.
