The living waters of the Word

Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections, and impede not the flow of the living waters that stream from the fountain of thine heart.

Drink thou as much as thou canst from this overflowing cup of the love of God and then cause others to drink; take thou a portion from this ocean of guidance and then suffer others to share.

God will, no doubt, inspire whosoever detacheth himself from all else but Him, and will cause the pure waters of wisdom and utterance to gush out and flow copiously from his heart.

I pray that through the grace and favors of the Lord of Names you may be the cup-bearer of the wine of immortality that flows from the fountainhead of the Supreme Pen. At all times, drink and give others to drink of this life-giving water in the name of the All-Merciful. Today it is incumbent and obligatory upon souls like yourself to serve the Cause, and His service has been and will continue to be the teaching of His Cause amongst humanity. Consider the heedlessness of the peoples - though the Most Great Luminary shines at its zenith, all walk in darkness, oblivious to it, save whom thy Lord willeth, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Blessed is he who hath cast away vain desire and turned unto guidance, detached from all else but God.

The handmaids of God must rise to such a station that they will, by themselves and unaided, comprehend these inner meanings, and be able to expound at full length every single word; a station where, out of the truth of their inmost hearts, a spring of wisdom will well up, and jet forth even as a fountain that leapeth from its own original source.

As much as thou art able, spend thy time in matters that are the cause of joy to heart and soul, so that in every moment thou mayest find new life, and in every day seek new strength, and in every night kindle an illumined lamp, and become a spring of the water of life to quicken souls.

The steadfast souls must today speak that by which hearts are attracted, and all must occupy themselves with teaching the Cause of God. Although the Cause of Truth has never needed and does not need the assistance of others, and will soon become evident like fire upon a mountain, yet souls like this servant who spend their precious lives engaged in forbidden pursuits must become aware through the revealed verses and occupy themselves with teaching the Cause of God, that perchance they may quicken dead souls with the living waters and adorn the heedless with the ornament of awareness. This is the most great deed and the true elixir, and this is the meaning of "good" in its primary reality.

Regarding the passage from the Hidden Words, the intention is that if a person is not thirsty, no matter how sweet and pleasant the water may be, it will yield him no benefit. Therefore, first thirst must be created, then the sweet and pleasant water given to drink. Today most people are not thirsty. We must make souls thirsty through Baha'i conduct, speech and character, then offer them a cup from the fountain of life.

How happy he who proffers freely the cup of everlasting life to others! How joyous the pure-hearted one who would unloose his tongue and shed the generous jewels of utterance before such souls as are prepared to receive them!

When you arrive in Hindustan, I hope you will vivify that land like unto the fresh, vernal breeze of the mountains.

When the Zephyr of the spring passes over orchards and meadows, the world of nature will be adorned with the daintiest and most graceful draperies. The germinating and growing trees join the bubbling brooks and sighing pines in the singing of their anthems. May you also resuscitate the dead souls with the wafting of the Breeze of Divine Grace!

I implore Thee, by Thy Name which none hath befittingly recognized, and whose import no soul hath fathomed; I beseech Thee, by Him Who is the Fountain-Head of Thy Revelation and the Day-Spring of Thy signs, to make my heart to be a receptacle of Thy love and of remembrance of Thee. Knit it, then, to Thy most great Ocean, that from it may flow out the living waters of Thy wisdom and the crystal streams of Thy glorification and praise.

O thou who journeyest unto God! Take thy portion from this ocean and deprive not thyself of that which hath been ordained therein, and be of them that attain. Were all who are in the heavens and earth to be given but a drop thereof, they would find themselves enriched through the enrichment of God, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Take, with the hand of detachment, a handful from this Living Ocean, then sprinkle it upon all created things, that they may be purified from human limitations and be brought nigh unto the Most Sublime Vision of God, this hallowed and resplendent spot.

O people of God! Righteous men of learning who dedicate themselves to the guidance of others and are freed and well guarded from the promptings of a base and covetous nature are, in the sight of Him Who is the Desire of the world, stars of the heaven of true knowledge. It is essential to treat them with deference.

Everyone must remember that it is the "Holy Spirit that quickens" and therefore the teacher must become like a reed through which the Holy Spirit may reach the seeking soul.

Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified