The greatest defect today is the absence of inquiry into the nature of the Self. That is the root cause of all this restlessness. If you are eager to know the truth about yourself, then, even if you do not believe in God, you will not go astray. All agitations must cease one day, isn’t it? Inquiry into the nature of your Self is best explained in the Upanishads. Just as a river’s flow is regulated by bunds and flood waters, and is directed to the sea, so too the Upanishads regulate and restrict the senses, the mind, and the intellect and help one to reach the sea and merge one’s individuality in the Absolute. Will scanning a map or turning over a guidebook give you the thrill of the actual visit? Will it even give you a fraction of the joy and knowledge of a journey through that land? Upanishads and the Gita are your maps and guidebooks. Study Upanishads and scriptures with the goal to put the advice into practice and experience them.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 23, 1958.