Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/227

 lining souls. Righteousness is ever lo b§ hankered after ; it is the very sustenance of the soul ; it is the first and foremost, indeed the all-absorbing, concern of life. Life without piety is a shell without the kernel, a rind without the cove, a skeleton without the heart. Religion is the water of life ; it is the true elixir of existence ; it is the heavenly nectar of immortality.

The second truth suggested by this precept is that religion should be accorded undivided sovereignty over our lives. It is worse than useless to attempt to serve two masters* Bound to 'double business', life neglects and fails in both. The soul's eye should be single, if light is to enter it The soul should be conscious of no other beauty, if piety is to be its delight. Religion can be r&generating, only when it i« accepted as the predominating factor of life. All that we think, say and do should have the sanction and the benediction of righteousness. Nothing is worth seeking, nothing is worth possessing, nothing is worth enjoying, unless it subserves, and