Pure Actions Guarantee Peace

There are many people who are not aware of even the meaning of the word, prasanthi. It is as the backbone to each individual, and for the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) it is the very breath.

The syllable pra in prasanthi means ‘expanding’, ‘enlarging’, and so prasanthi means the type of santhi (peace) that is the absence of desire, anger, greed, and hatred.

Santhi is full of the spiritual uplift and wisdom that is the natural accompaniment of bliss. Genuine santhi is won by the control of the senses only. Then, it can be called prasanthi.

Prasanthi Vahini, pp. 1, 4

The Lord loves both your inner and the outer behavior and actions. But, you should not neglect the outer. Even in the outward behavior and act you should manifest the inner feeling—that gives you a chance to experience the feeling of quietude and santhi in fuller measure. For, the taste of that santhi must be enjoyed through thought, word, gesture, and deed. It is only when santhi is enjoyed in all these four that it becomes complete. In other words, then the manas (mind) fades away, and the stage designated as genuine santhi or yoga is reached.

Prasanthi Vahini, p. 9

Fill the reservoir with water, then, when you turn on the taps, the buckets will be full. Cultivate love and devotion; then your activities will be saturated with compassion and charity; they will yield the golden harvest of joy and peace. The water must be pure; the love must be unselfish and universal. You can yourself judge whether your devotion is shallow or deep. Are you content with your achievement? Examine it yourself, pronounce the verdict on yourself by your own discrimination. Purity of motive is the best guarantee that you will have peace; an uneasy conscience is a tormenting companion. Righteous action will leave no bad effects to disturb your sleep or health.

Digest, p. 217

Until you intelligently fix upon a certain direction for all your thoughts and activities, you will be only building shadow castles in the air and roaming about in them. Why, even your senses will be pursuing contradictory paths and distracting your attention to such an extent, that you cannot easily come to a decision regarding the ideal. They make you feel that their paths are the best; but, you should always strive to change the course of the senses and the imagination to subjects and desires that are conducive to the ideal, whatever be the difficulty, however serious the crisis. That is the sign of real intelligence; that is the road to real santhi.

Prasanthi Vahini, p. 59