Evolution of love

On Suicide

Once a devotee asked whether he would be able to join his beloved wife who had recently died if he himself committed suicide. Anandamayi Ma replied very strongly against the idea:
"To whom belongs the body that you speak of destroying? Is this the way a human being talks? For shame!" Suicide is nothing but a foolish attempt to escape one's karma. It only retards further spiritual progress.

Importance of State of Mind at Time of Death:
"Man's spiritual evolution is greatly affected by the thought he harbors at the time of death: Just as a leech does not leave its place without hooking on to something else, so the soul at the time of leaving the body hooks on to some kind of new existence according to the state of mind of the dying person."
Potent affect of contact with a Holy Person
"Just as water cleanses everything by its mere contact, even so the sight, touch, blessing , nay the very remembrance of a real sadhu, little by little, clears away all impure desires and longings."

On Service:
"Widen your shriveled heart, make the interests of others your own and serve them as much as you can by sympathy, kindness, presents and so forth. So long as one enjoys the things of this world and has needs and wants, it is necessary to minister to the needs of one's fellow men. Otherwise one cannot be called a human being. Whenever you have the opportunity, give to the poor, feed the hungry, nurse the sick - do service as a religious duty and you will come to know by direct perception that the person served, the one who serves and the act of service are separate only in appearance."
"In order to be able to really serve the whole world in a universal manner, it is necessary to pray to the Fountainhead of all Power or to repeat His Name or to contemplate on Him. Without full power full success does not come."
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Parable of the Necklace, A Story Told by Anandamayi Ma

A precious necklace was seen flashing from the bottom of a lake. Many felt tempted to recover the valuable ornament and dived deep into the water for it, but found no necklace anywhere. Yet it was clearly visible to everyone from the edge of the lake. They were all puzzled. Eventually they realized that there was no necklace at the bottom of the lake; what they saw was its reflection in the water. They looked up and discovered the precious ornament hanging from a tree. A bird must have picked it up from somewhere and deposited it there.
God who dwells within you is the source of true happiness. In the objects of the senses this happiness is merely reflected. The individual, misled by birth after birth by having only a glimpse of this reflected joy, thinks that this is the real thing, namely sensuous delight. So long as one believes that true happiness can be had in sense objects without searching within, one will never taste true happiness. The kingdom of God, hence of happiness, is within you.