Daily Readings from the Works of Swami Venkatesananda


Venkatesa Daily Readings Vol 1 — Spirit, Like A River

October 14, 2025

Spirit, Like A River

      If we are sincere we shall discover that the teachings of the great men of God are all the same. Differences were invented because we wanted to build walls around their personalities and teachings. We need to remind ourselves constantly that the walls make the house, we do not live in the walls, we live in the space which was there even before the walls went up.

      The spirit of man is like a river. The waters of the ocean (God) rise and fall over the land but their destination is always "back to the ocean". Humanity is constantly moving toward that destination — and that is the religious spirit. Religion is constant yet ever-changing like the river. The same water in the same stream may be called different names at different places and there may even be superficial differences in the appearance and behavior of the river. But it is the same river, the same water, the same spirit of religion, the same human aspiration to merge in the source, whatever we call that source.

      When this is realized, we realize that we are all brothers and sisters. Inner conflict and external hostility cease. In harmony we discover a new dimension called love.

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