In order to live life fully and harmoniously as the divine wishes us to live, discrimination is an essential factor; it means to discern differences, to distinguish things or ideas by their own characteristics. The fundamental act of this faculty is to note differences and resemblances – thus preparing oneself for the higher and more complex forms of perception, conception or classification. And this act of intellect is discrimination; it enables us to understand what is right and what is wrong. This understanding is necessary to live life fully.

One may be intelligent but not wise, as the greatest factor of wisdom is discrimination. No wisdom is possible without discrimination. A man may be full of feelings without discrimination; but it leads to disastrous results and the life lived by intellect or feelings only is incomplete without discrimination.

The discriminative faculty is like a judge, who whenever there is a conflict as to whether a thing is right or wrong, hears, takes into consideration, weighs the pros and cons of both the sides, understands their arguments and finally decides like a third person unconcerned with either side. Life is incomplete without it. With out it life has no meaning whatsoever, no purpose, no aim. It has no grandeur, no joy; without discrimination we fumble at every step.

In order to be discriminative, we have to approach our problems like a judge free from all preconceived notions – depending on facts presented to us concerning that particular problem. Very often we succumb to the powerful forces of our emotions and are merged so completely in them that we are unable to extricate ourselves from those emotions and decide as the emotions force us to. These emotions cling with growing intensity to our consciousness and cloud it so completely that our discriminative faculty is stunted and we live in the apparently sublime happiness created by our emotions. We are slowly drawn into the whirlpool of these emotions and as time proceeds we get more and more entangled in it. We go on dreaming, conjecturing, guessing and thinking as driven by these emotions and no doubt there is a kind of pleasure felt in it; but if anything happens to disturb that whirlpool, if we feel ourselves being drawn out of that deadly grip of feelings, if human influences try to stop us from going further down to ruin, then we all at once jump up and revolt against those influences like a lion or a wolf. We cling still more strenuously to that emotional force. This happens because we have lost our individuality in that force and we believe very sincerely that that emotional force is our own individuality, that we are right, ours is the only correct course, others do not understand us, our circumstances, our sentiments, our feelings and our thoughts. We feel as if the whole world is against us and is forming into a detestable group to thwart our designs. To be guided in this way, to remain in this condition blind-folded, is only a sign of perverted individuality. And whenever we find ourselves in this condition, through any human or sub-human agency, we ought to bring all our forces of prayer together and try to let the light of discrimination penetrate into ourselves by making an opening through that emotional envelope.

Intellectual envelope without discrimination is perhaps a greater hindrance for the complete manifestation of the Lord in man that an emotional one, because intellect is very often more persisting that emotion; the clinging power of intellect is as great as, if not greater than, that of emotion. An intelligent person is caught by an obsession and goes on stunting his life and its fulfillments by his intellectual obsession. Examples of this want of discrimination on account of intellectual obsession are to be found in every branch of knowledge whether it is theology, philosophy or science.

Delicate and complex problems are constantly arising on the path of our life. We are puzzled, perplexed and sometimes are on the verge of disappointment; but suddenly in an auspicious moment a ray penetrates into our hearts, and the puzzling and perplexing emotions and thoughts are grouped into a beautiful pattern and out of chaos emerges a full-bloomed lotus. This ray is the ray of discrimination; it enables us slowly to harmonize our reason and feelings and to give correct value to them. Our reason alone creates only doubts, the intellect dazzles and feelings lead astray; but a rhythmic adjustment of all theses three emerges out of the faculty of discrimination, and it enables one to judge the intrinsic problems rightly and to act accordingly.

Discrimination is our real eye to see rightly, our real heart to feel correctly, our real intellect to guide justly. It is the guiding stick of the blind personality. It is the only real friend in real need. As this faculty, this harmonizing influence on us develops, it becomes a powerful force and never allows to falter on our path. It keeps us straight. It points out pitfalls and ditches. The faith in this faculty is the firm rock on which the children of god stand unshaken when everything else totters.

But as this faculty develops, it reveals to us our blunders, our blind mistakes, our clumsy follies and gives rude shocks to dogmatic pre-conceived notions and foolish sentimental ideas. This faculty includes self-analysis and leads us to contemplation; and what is prayer but deep emotional contemplation of an ideal? It inspires, strengthens and ennobles.

But no development of this faculty is possible in a cheating, hypocritic personality. It is only on a clear conscience that the noble structure to live a full life in could be built. Equilibrium, firmness and steadiness of mind and feelings are necessary for discrimination; but discrimination – the desire to be discriminative – considerably helps us in inducing these qualities of the mind and heart. Sometimes it shows us the futility of our desires, efforts and apparent achievements and then causes a touch of disappointment. But if we progress on the path it infuses in us a fearless spirit, fills our whole being with divine lustre, increases faith in ourselves and develops true courage and confidence.

Discrimination always scrutinizes every thought, feeling, sentiment and idea of our mind and that too as harshly as truth and as uncompromisingly as justice. It takes out its feathers, its skin, its bones, its blood and then sees the innermost heart and soul of it, judges its inner motives and finally shows it in its true perspective. It fathoms its unseen and unknown depths and correctly guides us.

Discrimination never judges anything by its visible superficialities, because it fully realizes that everything that glitters is not gold. It thoroughly understands that though manure smells horrid, it has its own purpose in life; it knows that the honey-bee stings, but it also realizes that as the creator of honey; the cuckoo is black no doubt, but we enjoy its melodious music.

This sublime faculty which lets us live a full life is within the capacity of everyone to develop. It increases constantly by being used, in the most insignificant as well as the most important problems of life. As we go on using it, it goes on evolving and universalizing our life and in the end it sublimes itself into what is known as Divine Instinct. This enables us to perceive right or wrong immediately without fault.

Let every idea, feeling, and sentiment strongly, persistently or dominatingly enter your being; do not give it a permanent abode in the temple of the Divine till it has passed through the Divine test of being discriminated.