Question: I have been reading about different spiritual Masters who you have said have realised God.

Sri Chinmoy: It is good to read writings about spiritual Masters, or by spiritual Masters, if it increases your devotion to your own Master. In my childhood and in my adolescent years, when I used to read Sri Ramakrishna's sayings, or read about Sri Ramakrishna, it immensely increased my love for my Master, Sri Aurobindo. When I used to read the writings of Sri Ramakrishna's disciples, or books about Sri Ramakrishna showing his love for Mother Kali, that helped me so much to increase my devotion for Sri Aurobindo and the Divine Mother.

When you are reading spiritual books written by other Masters or about other Masters, you have to know that the main purpose of your reading is to help you increase your devotion to your path, to your Master. But if you enter into comparison and say, "Oh no, my Master is better and his Master is worse," or "His path is better, mine is worse," or, "This Master is saying something better than my Master," or, "This Master is nothing — my Master is better, my Master is higher," then problems start. Many people get confused when they enter into the world of comparison. No comparison, no comparison!

If you want to read about other Masters at all, it is good sometimes to read when your aspiration is a little bit dry, when you are not getting immediate inspiration. By reading this book or that book if you want to increase your aspiration-intensity, it will be of help.

But once your aspiration is very, very intense, for some weeks or months, at that time you should not read books about other Masters, because already you are going at top speed. At that time you do not need to read about other Masters. If you feel that you are making the fastest progress in your own inner life, at that time it is not at all advisable to read about other Masters. Your train is going at top speed. Only you have to feel that your Master is carrying you, or you are carrying your Master.