6 " " महादेवीका यह मशहूर स्तोत्र मुझे याद आता है। जिसमें जिस देवीका पहले भीश्वर परमात्माके रूपमें वर्णन किया गया है। फिर भिसे गंगा के रूपमें, सरस्वती के रूपमें और बादमें लक्ष्मीके रूपमें बताया है। अक ही श्लोकमें जगत्के प्राणीमात्रमें, शान्ति, शक्ति, बुद्धि, स्मृति, कौशल, समृद्धि, नम्रता, क्षुधा, निद्रा, श्रद्धा, सौन्दर्य और जाग्रतिके रूपमें बताकर अितना और कहा गया है कि वह जीवमात्रमें 'भूल के रूपमें भी मौजूद है । मुझे लगता है कि चाहे जितने भव्य परन्तु अक ही रूपमें वर्णन करनेके बजाय संयुक्त रूपमें रहनेवाली यह विविधता हिन्दुस्तानी भक्तके विश्वासका ज्यादा अच्छा वर्णन है । श्रीमती बेसण्टके लिओ कहता “This woman controls her being from a centre which, to my knowledge, only very few men have ever attained to. Her importance is due to the depth of her being, from which she rules her talents. She controls herself, her powers, her thoughts, her feelings, her volition, so perfectly that she seems to be capable of greater achievements than men of greater gifts. She owes this to Yoga. If Yoga is capable of so much, it may be capable of even more and thus appears entitled to one of the highest places among' the paths to self-perfection. ... The inner truth of this significance (of yogic practice) is so obvious that I am surprised that Yoga practice has not long ago been in- troduced into the curriculum of every educational institution. There is no doubt that the strengthening of all the forces of life is the function of their heightened concentration, and concentration signifies undoubtedly the technical basis of all progress. Concentration undoubtedly is the way of perfection. The value of the second aim of yogic training that of silencing the involuntary psychic activity, is equally convincing. Every superfluous activity wastes stren- gth, All strong minds are marked by the fact that they are not fidgety, that they can relax and contract at will, and that they can give their attention to one problem more continuously than weak minds. . , . It is unbelievable how. important for our inner growth the shortest periods of medi- tation are, provided they are practised regularly. A few minutes of concious abstraction every morning effect more than the severest training of the attention through work. २९८
