It is in love that religion exists and not in the ceremony, in the pure and sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless. The prayers of those that are pure in mind and body will be answered by Shiva, and those that are impure and yet try to teach religion to others will fail in the end. External worship is only a symbol of internal worship, but internal worship and purity are the real things. Without them, external worship would be of no avail. Therefore, you must all try to remember this. Thus Swami Vivekananda

Two short essays by Swami Vivekananda and one long talk by Swami Ranganathananda comprise this discussion on the nature of true worship. The reader will find nothing earth shattering here, only the universal truth that love of and service to others is the Real Worship of God.

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