for thy shining;
Thou hast ended their despairing;
Thou hast lighted up their pathway;
Thou hast brought again the old Truths
To the hearts of all thy Watchers;
To the souls of them that love thee
Thou dost speak of Joy and Gladness,
Of the peace that comes of Sorrow.
Blessed are they that can see thee,
Weary wanderers in the Night-time;
Blessed they who feel the throbbing,
In their bosoms feel the pulsing
Of a deep Love stirred within them
By the great power of thy shining.
Let us learn thy lesson truly;
Learn it faithfully and humbly;
Learn it meekly, wisely, gladly,
Ancient Star of holy Vishnu,
Light of Krishna, Buddha, Jesus.

THE TWO MASTERS, SELF AND TRUTH

Upon the battlefield of the human soul two masters are ever contending for
the crown of supremacy, for the kingship and dominion of the heart; the
master of self, called also the "Prince of this world," and the master of
Truth, called also the Father God. The master self is that rebellious one
whose weapons are passion, pride, avarice, vanity, self-will, implements of
darkness; the master Truth is that meek and lowly one whose weapons are
gentleness, patience, purity, sacrifice, humility, love, instruments of
Light.

In every soul the battle is waged, and as a soldier cannot engage at once
in two opposing armies, so every heart is enlisted either in the ranks of
self or of Truth. There is no half-and-half course; "There is self and
there is Truth; where self is, Truth is not, where Truth is, self is not."
Thus spake Buddha, the teacher of Truth, and Jesus, the manifested Christ,
declared that "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the
one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon."

Truth is so simple, so absolutely undeviating and uncompromising that it
admits of no complexity, no turning, no qualification. Self is ingenious,
crooked, and, governed by subtle and snaky desire, admits of endless
turnings and qualifications, and the deluded worshipers of self vainly
imagine that they can gratify every worldly desire, and at the same time
possess the Truth. But the lovers of Truth worship Truth with the sacrifice
of self, and ceaselessly guard themselves against worldliness and
self-seeking.

Do you seek to know and to realize Truth? Then you must be prepared to
sacrifice, to renounce to the