734 Those who have one-pointed devotion towards God are like the magnetic needle that always stands facing the north. They will never be perplexed or go astray in the ocean of attachments to this world.
735 Those who live in the world clinging whole-heartedly to God are like children who whirl round and round a pillar, holding it firmly. Since they have a strong and unshakeable hold on God, they are devoid of ego and therefore will never fall a prey to the delusion of the world.
736 If one fixes one’s mind firmly on that pure Supreme Reality that pervades all activities, one will not be affected by any number of activities that are performed.
737 Among all the rice grains, only those that move here and there will be crushed by the hand mill. Those [grains] that do not move away from the centre will not be crushed.(1)
(1) A hand mill in India consists of two stone wheels, one on top of the other, held together by a central axle. Grains are poured between the stones via a hole in the centre of the upper stone. During grinding, the top stone is rotated by means of a handle that is attached near the circumference. When the grinding is over, there are usually grains near the central axle that have not been powdered because the forces exerted there were insufficient to break them down.
Source: Unpublished translation of 'Guru Vachaka Kovai' by Sadhu Om and Michael James, quoted in 'The Power of Presence Part Two' by David Godman.
