Among the many devotees present in Swami Shivananda's room was a group from Barisal, seeking spiritual instruction. An elderly gentleman, as representative of the group, said: 'Maharaj, please give us some advice. Living in the world and having many ties, we are scorched day and night. Please bless us that we may find peace in life.' Seeing the earnestness of the man, Mahapurushji answered with great compassion: 'What advice shall I give you? We have only one piece of advice—do not forget God. This is the essence of all teachings. We ourselves try our best to practise this in life and advise those who seek our counsel to do the same. You are in the world, but what does it matter? Tell me if anyone is out of the world! But see that you do not forget God. Perform your duties, but at the end of the day do not fail to call on God with great yearning at least once. Duties and responsibilities there are, of course. I do not ask you to neglect them; but in the midst of everything think of the Lord, pray to Him, repeat His name and do similar spiritual practices. In the Vaishnava literature there is this advice, "Repeat the Lord's name with your lips as you perform your work with your hands." It is indeed an excellent advice. Just as every work has its purpose and time, you should also have an appointed time for calling on God. At that time you should think of God and commune with Him even though you may have a hundred and one things to attend to. He, the Lord, dwells in every heart and judges a person by what he has in his heart. Whenever you call on Him, even though for a short while, do so whole-heartedly. This is a great secret. It is the only way to enjoy peace in the world. The moment one forgets this, one is in trouble.' *Source:* For Seekers of God by Swami Shivananda