PATH OF LOVE

In the spiritual phase, faith in the guru or the master starts when the sadhak begins to feel that whatever the teacher gives out is correct and to his advantage. When it is so he accepts it with submission. By and by when he begins to feel more and more convinced and satisfied by experience and association, his reliance on the master grows stronger and his submission increases. Faith thus begins to develop in a way and he begins to assume an unquestioning attitude. This usual routine is applicable to those who aspire for the realisation of God and proceed on the path with their eyes wide open.

But for one like myself, I may assure you that I did not step into this field with an object of realising God. I had no such intention, or purpose or aim. I was blind to everything except the one I sought for. I sought for Him and Him alone, my master. He was to me all in all. Nothing else was in my view. His image alone was implanted deep within my heart. I never looked to anything but to His form. I never craved for the joy and comfort of the world nor even of heaven. I felt perfectly unconcerned with God. All that I craved for was the attainment of an end like that of His, nothing short of it and nothing beyond. I had absolutely no desire for the realisation of God, even if it be, on my part, an act of blasphemy in the popular sense. I was so mad with love for Him that I had lost my power of vision for all things. People may condemn it as blind faith, but my love-madness pulled me up to it, and I liked to linger within the dark gloomy atmosphere of love, rather than enjoy the blissful state of anandam But I like to keep it reserved exclusively for myself and I do not induce any other to follow this mad course. His every gesture was to me the revelation of the Divine mystery, his every word a volume of spirituality, and his every action the exposition of the ‘Unknown'. I had no choice or liking nor even a sense of discrimination between the right and the wrong. To me everything of his was what it ought to be. I was in complete submission to his will and could never think otherwise even for a moment. I literally followed the following concept:

“If your spiritual guide asks you to dye your prayer carpet with wine, do it; for he, having travelled himself the entire distance, is well aware of all ups and downs of the path!”

One might think it a serious blunder on my part. My simple answer to it would be that like Majnun. I was beside myself with the madness of love, and a Majnun can best be judged from the viewpoint of Laila. I was concerned solely with my beloved Laila. This is in a word about me and my condition, but for others I do not insist upon their taking up the same course of mad love.

The shastras may be of value to those who aspire for the realisation God or attain the bliss of paradise and the joyful company of the houris (celestial damsels). Since I had no such aspirations they were not of much avail to me. Besides, though the shastras deal with topics related with the Divine, and for that reason great importance is attached to them, there is also admittedly a good deal of ambiguity in them for the safeguard of which the sage Manu has laid down in clear terms that whatever is not appealing to reason in the Vedas should not be accepted and followed. Regarding their spiritual merit I can safely say that since they deal with elementary rules and principles, they are really meant for the beginners of spirituality. If you take into account any of its srutis you will find that it relates to the necessary requisites of the elementary stage. They may however be studied for the sake of theoretical knowledge to make one a learned pundit or a philosopher, but their utility in the practical field is not of much account.

In fact the sphere of spirituality begins from the point when one has reached the shores of the Infinite ocean. Whatever seems to be there before that point may be deemed to be a mere reflection of spirituality. All the srutis positively relate to conditions below that level. Besides they are for the most part influenced by the effect of environment and the geographical conditions of the places where they were composed. For example if any of the shastras had been written in the polar region, surely there would have been no insistence on daily bath or restriction on meat diet. As a matter of fact they offer general rules of conduct and discipline, based on the personal experiences of the Rishis who composed them, in close collaboration with the environment and conditions of the place.

Now to return to my point: as for the relative position of the guru and God I may say that this question crops up only when one means to aspire for the realisation of God through the help and guidance of the guru. When such is the case it is evident that the two, God and guru are both in his view. In that case the third one (i.e. the self of the devotee) also can by no means be ignored. Thus it comes to a trinity like that of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. He thus remains fixed in this trinity which may otherwise mean multiplicity. But so far as spirituality is concerned, our real purpose is to march from diversity to unity, and then beyond it to whatever ‘It' might be. But the course we thus take up leads to the reverse of what we aspire for. What is to be done under the circumstances is for each one to decide for himself. For myself I solved the problem in my own way by resorting to madness — the madness of love for a fellow being. The same may be a solution for another provided he gets a Master like Him, who is infallible, super-human and Divine in the true sense.

They say that one must love his guru as much as he loves God. In my view that is quite impracticable for there can never be two parallel objects of love. The human heart is not a caravan serai where any and every one may come in to have his stay. Love admits of no dual loyalties not to speak of multiplicity. It has no room even for the duality of the lover and the beloved

“Jab mai thaa tab too naheen
ab too hai mai naheen.
Prem galee ati sankaree
taame dho na samahi.”

“When I was there thou wert not;
now thou art there I am not.
The love-lane is very narrow and
cannot contain two (I and Thou)”.

Such is the path of love. It is also an answer to the question regarding the relative position of guru and God. That means we have to ignore either of the two. For this Swami Vivekananda reminds us saying, “Know thy guru as Brahm.” That is the only solution. But this does not apply to professional gurus who teach and preach for their earning or who are after name, fame and riches.

On my part I am ever prepared to offer myself for any service, be it spiritual or even physical since I find most of the people not in need of my spiritual service. Let them, then, have at least physical service from me so that they might get some comfort and ease. I do not mind if I am put to some inconvenience on that account, for physical afflictions I have already many, so a little addition to it will not matter much. In all physical afflictions I feel a peculiar kind of happiness and joy which is not attainable even by the greatest kings. I have had so far numerous coverings one after the other. But the present one which I now have, if observed minutely, will be found to be only a covering of nakedness which is the last, and which when cast off shall not be replaced by another. I wish you all to be clad in the same covering of nakedness. But that is not possible so long as one remains entangled within the charms and attractions of this outer covering, the physical body.

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NEGLIGENCE

Negligence, being a poison to the pursuit, must be avoided at all cost. If the master's greatness is established upon the mind, and one keeps himself closely connected with him, negligence can possibly never creep in. If however one feels himself short of the mark in that respect he can resort to prayer. These things in fact constitute the elementary steps on the path of mergence. When one has sufficiently advanced with it, the possibility of fall gets considerably reduced. The only effective instrument for avoiding a fall is meditation on the form of the master, a master in the true sense ofcourse. The process shall be much helpful in securing synonymity which is one of the highest attainments on the path, and may be interpreted as an advanced state of mergence.

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PASSIONS

If passions are made extinct, intelligence will altogether be lost. The reason is that passions create impulse, and impulse creates intelligence. They are therefore only to be regularised. In other words the animal passion is to be transformed into human passion.

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OBSTACLES

I cannot say whether in order to help my brethren on the path I am to live long or not, but this much at least is definite, that if one goes on wasting his time doing nothing for his ultimate purpose it would be the greatest blunder. Though there shall definitely be one in my place after me to give you all spiritual uplift just as I do, yet it shall be a source of greatest pleasure to me to see you at the highest pitch of progress in my very lifetime.

I regret to find that some of you do not try to overcome your lazy habits, which is a clear indication of the fact that the ideal has not yet been firmly fixed in your mind. If it is foremost in your view, it can never be that you would shirk or neglect your duty in this respect. Some of the obstacles on the path are exclusively those which have been created by your own misdirected actions. But if you are sincerely attentive to your ideal these things are sure to melt away automatically. I may also be helpful to you in this respect provided you impel me to it by the force of your sincere earnestness.

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COMPLEXITIES AND ENTANGLEMENTS

Verily if I have not begun liking you, I can duly be charged with lack of Divine love. I am happy to learn that you believe in the grace of saints. The belief comes when something corresponding to it is there in the core of your heart. The feeling gets intensified when one begins to realise his own weaknesses. The heart then feels it difficult to tolerate the complexities of its own creation. God gives us that alone which is there in Him, while we gather within us only that which we have created by our efforts. Our efforts are all unconsciously directed towards creating complexities in thought by our close adherence to the physical world. This assumes the form of entanglements, under the effect of which we completely ignore that which has been bestowed on us originally, and begin complaining that it is all from God. If God had been the creator of complexities within us, surely one would never have thought of looking to Him for His mercy and grace, which all religions induce people to depend upon.

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SURRENDER

The ebb and flow in the human system are definitely natural. They get reduced when your nature changes by the effect of spirituality. As for the capacity in me for reading future events, I may frankly say that I do not bother about it. But it is the Master's wish and I do get some inkling of them at times, with which we must, as a matter of human etiquette, remain satisfied. That is but an elementary principle of devotion. If we seek that which relates to our wishes, we can never claim to have surrendered in the true sense. In case of surrender, the abhyasi’s will merges into the Master's will.

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TRANSFORMATION

Being a scientist you must agree that the particles of the body are being continuously made and unmade. It therefore follows that our new particles are being continually made. When we foment them with the warmth of love the particles begin taking the effect thereof and get transformed. A time may come when our entire being thus gets transformed. That is in the real sense the transformation or a complete change-over. The new particles which have replaced the old ones, being charged with the effect of love, are definitely better and superior. But with it the idea of being must also be washed off from the mind. This, though a bit difficult to understand or explain, is not so difficult to achieve and acquire. For that a proper field is necessary. Beautiful plants grow better in a well manured and fertilized field. So when we negate ourselves, the ground becomes favourable for the progressive growth of the plant.

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ALL- ABSORBING LOVE

Having stayed with this insignificant being for sometime, you have actually created in yourself a condition which if further developed can be interpreted as an all-absorbing love. This is the reason why you create deep impressions wherever you go. I am much pleased with whatever service you have been rendering to the samstha so far and I believe success will soon dawn upon you.

You do not consider yourself worthy of being a trainer. When that idea is there, no more time is required for one to be so. By the Master's grace he can then be raised to that level in an instant. It is a great blessing to be a servant for the service of others. Well leave that question to me. When your love is so intense my attraction towards you will naturally grow. You ask me to give you some difficult job. But the difficulty is that there is nothing difficult in it. I wish to lead you on to perfection just in the natural course. May God help me.

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RIGHT THINKING

You say that right-thinking has not yet developed in you. Do you think it will never come at all?

“Let the beauty of the dawn of the home-land have a bit of make up”. People consider you to be a scientist. It is their look out. But why should you get worried by it? Thank God they consider you to be some thing at least. As for myself, people generally consider me to be a simpleton. I too should have been offended by it because, as I see it, I am not. But in your case I find no reason for this since they mean to think of you as somewhat better or greater. So you too have no right to think like that.

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FAITH IN GOD

People expect God to accede to their wishes for greatest peace and comforts. If He does not, they begin to accuse Him of undeserved neglect towards them, and begin to ignore Him altogether. The result is they remain ever faced with discontentment and dejection, and peace of mind is out of question for them. But this very condition sometimes develops to form a base for the diversion of their thoughts towards God — in certain cases of course — and creates in their mind faith in God.

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JAPA

My humble opinion is that few persons perhaps might be knowing the correct process for practising japa. Most of those who happen to come to me are found to have created in their heart a rigid knot by their wrong way of practice, so that it becomes a very hard task for me to remove its effect settled in their hearts in the form of solidity and grossness which, in certain cases, I have not been able to wash off over the course of years. So long as the method of practice is not subtle, the realisation of the subtlest can never be possible.

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TYPES OF BURNING DESIRE FOR SPIRITUAL ELEVATION

You say that you have a burning desire for spiritual elevation. I also believe it is exactly so. But then the burning may have three aspects. The first is the suppressed smouldering, giving out thick smoke; the second has occasional sparks in it; and the last is the bright burning flame, capable of reducing every thing to ashes in a moment's time. The first two states are subject to the effect of wetness and solidity, while the last is subject to exposure to the combustible matter in the air. When the wetness or solidity which hampers combustion is removed by the effect of inner heating, the final action starts with full force. But then there is the electric fire as well, which bye-passes the first two steps and appears only in the final state, free from smoke or vapours. If you can light up such a fire within yourself, progress shall be by leaps and bounds. But you have to free yourself from wetness and solidity. What may that be due to? It is the result of the actions of Nature which brought us down into our present material form. If you think I can be helpful to you in that respect, I am at your service. But if any of you do not like to undergo a little inconvenience for mending his habits, let him not. But then he must at least exercise himself to develop within himself an intense craving, and to hit upon the proper means for the achievement of the object.

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LEAP TO THE GOAL

You say that you want to cover the entire distance in one leap. That is highly encouraging, but for that you have to adopt proper means which might be helpful to you to the maximum limit. In this connection please recall to your mind the example of Hanuman who is said to have jumped across the sea between India and Ceylon in one leap. How could it have been possible for him? The fact is that usually he remained in a state of forgetfulness all the time. Consequently he was seldom aware of his capabilities unless he was reminded of them at the hour of need. He was ordered to go to Ceylon to bring tidings of Sita and he was so deeply absorbed in that thought (compliance of the Master's orders) that nothing but the object was in his view. He had no idea of the distance, nor of the ocean, nor of any difficulty. A slight recollection of his capabilities having been revived in his mind, he set off on the enterprise. Nothing could then stand in his way and he reached Lanka in one leap. So if you can create a similar state of forgetfulness in you with your thought fixed firmly on the object and not on the intervening things you shall be able to jump up to it in one leap. For Hanuman the focus of his thought was mother Sita and for you, the pursuers of the Divine path, it should be your mother, the guru or master, who takes you along up to God. So if you are able to reach up to your master you can as well find your way to God. The method for bringing yourself up to your master would also be the same i.e. promoting a state of forgetfulness in yourself.

LOVE TOWARDS THE MASTER

Your view relating to Master's love in place of Divine love is quite to the point. Once while transmitting to an abhyasi, promoting in him Divine love, I was advised by my master to infuse into him Master's love instead. My shy nature hinders me from doing so for fear lest one might think I like to be worshipped thus. This is freely preached, rather insisted upon, in most of the other sansthas and also by quacks and charlatans. Though in principle there is nothing wrong in it, yet in practice few perhaps may be found to be up to the mark for this method. The result in all such cases usually is that the teacher and taught both get filled up more and more with grossness. My great master has saved me from this most degrading evil. May he ever protect us all from it!

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ABSORBENCY

A man loving his master devotedly dedicates his every thing to his charge, and absorbing himself in the master in toto shall ever see the same thing all within and around. In the same way a man having secured absorbency in the One and the Real shall witness His manifestation throughout, because every stream of his thought having been mingled with the real current, he shall feel Reality coming out from everything. Absorbency in Reality means one should not feel anything of his own. He should not feel his body, mind, soul or whatever there might be in him. That is in fact the real Godly state. Limitations however remain to some extent, and that is but natural because the knot created by the action of the will to keep things intact is there at work. In case it is removed the world will lose its existence. If you acquire that state of being while having your body, you will feel the same condition in life. It is even today possible for a yogi of high rank to witness it if he comes up to that final state. It is however highly improper to talk about things not witnessed by the heart's eye.

One who sticks to the theory of Advaita in the very beginning sees unity in diversity in the crudest form. When one actually comes into that state, the question dissolves by itself. Shall it ever be proper for one to give himself out as the Prime Minister of India without having lifted himself up to that position?

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GURUR BRAHMA

My experience of spiritual life is almost mature. From your point of view it may be for me a piece of misfortune since I could not have the taste of many things of the world. I had become quite dumb, having laid myself down upon my master's feet; but definitely from that time onwards all my miseries were over. My worldly life was altogether transformed and I began to view an ocean of bliss all around me. That was due to the kind grace of the Master and to my implicit faith in Him. Under the influence of the Divine current flowing into me from His heart, I felt lost within my self. All this brought me closer and closer to Him, ‘my all and everything'. You might question whether or not God was there in any way near about in my thought. To this I can only say that it was the only relation between Him and me, as it must necessarily be with every real abhyasi. The Shastras too give out a similar view — “Know thy guru as Brahm”. Swami Vivekananda also puts it thus, “When we speak of God as He is in His absolute perfection, we meet with miserable failure, as we are limited and bound by our present constitution to think God as man”. It is indeed a childish view to say that it is blasphemy to regard man as God. Really we start from dualism and automatically reach advaita. When we are lost in it, Reality dawns. This is however my anubhava or experience.

Therefore, dear brother, it is only the practical life that is worth having. Reading or writing is of no avail. Faith, devotion and confidence alone can win the race. If you are really in quest of God, seek for an adept then, to free yourself from bondages.

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PRACTICE OF REMEMBRANCE

We proceed on from quality to substance, and thence to its ultimate. For the practice of remembrance we therefore take up the quality and rest our thought upon it, meaning thereby to proceed up to the possessor of the quality, and then further beyond to its Ultimate. This is the natural course and highly effective too.

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DIFFERENT WORLDS

There is hell for the sinful, paradise for those who are ignorant and Brahmaloka for those who are innocent. But, for the wise and the learned there is the artificial paradise of their own making, and for those who are weak, this mortal world. But who may the weak be? They are only those who lack self-reliance and confidence.

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WORSHIP

The Gita says that in whatever form a man worships Him, he gets Him in that very form. But the common difficulty is that people do not worship Him in any form, but instead they worship only the form, whereby the reality at the root disappears altogether. This is really the greatest blunder.

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DESPONDENCY

The abhyasi should always look to the bright side of the picture and should not,at any rate, submit himself to the feeling of despondency which is a great obstacle in the path.

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COURAGE

The real hero in the struggle is one who braves the cares and crosses of life courageously and keeps himself free from their effect. As a matter of fact everything in life is for our ultimate good; only, we have to learn their proper utilisation so as to turn them to our advantage.

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DISPOSITION

In principle the devotee or abhyasi should present himself before the Master in the same manner as a soldier does at the time of parade. At the call of “attention” it is essential for him to keep up the same steady upright pose, looking with attention towards the officer. This indicates alertness, healthy disposition and the freshness of the body.

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TRUST

After having judged fully the capability of the teacher and finding him quite up to the mark, the proper course is to trust and follow him, leaving everything to him. The abhyasi should not dictate terms for his spiritual training, because the teacher alone can understand what is best for him.

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GOAL ORIENTATION

An abhyasi should be one who is blind to the charms of the world, is inspired with one object and one purpose and thinking all the while of that alone which may be helpful to him in the attainment of the ideal. His own inner light helps him a great deal on the path.

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FAITH

Faith is really the foundation of the entire structure of spirituality. Faith in reality, faith in the right course you have adopted for realization, faith in the worthy master whom you have submitted to, this is the rock upon which you must build your edifice of spirituality if you really aim at success. You will thereby be possessed of an internal force, strong enough to shatter all the forces of evil that might be surrounding you. It will help you to draw fresh divine impulse whenever you require it.

Faith in the true sense is a lively link connecting the mortal with the immortal. The link when once connected cannot be broken under any condition and subsists all along during the course of our march up to the final point. True faith is really an unspeakable virtue which is beyond the scope of religion; it is the dauntless cause which leads us on to success; it is that ubiquitous force which makes our path smooth; it is in fact the only thing that solves our problem of life.

Will, faith and confidence are the elementary factors which contribute to an easy success on the path of realisation, strong will to achieve reality means that we are inwardly awakened to the thought of recognising self. But the other important factor of a spiritual life is faith in the master; for the help of a capable master is indispensable for higher spiritual attainments. He is the only medium through whom the divine impulse comes. We must seek in him the real thing we crave for. When we are thus convinced we naturally begin to feel an inward attraction for him and think him to be the very person who can shape our destiny. The feeling gradually develops into faith and we begin to love him. We submit to his views with due regard to his personality and proceed along the path under his guidance. The experience of achievements gained during the course convinces us further of the extraordinary capacities of the master and we begin to look upon him as a super human being. Our faith now is greatly helpful to us in our spiritual progress. It dispels clouds of doubt and uncertainty and removes difficulties and obstructions from the path.

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DISTRACTING THOUGHTS

Treat unwanted ideas as uninvited guests and be unmindful of them so that they wither away. To reach the infinite absolute is one of the primary duties of man. But so long as the goal is not fixed in one's thought it is very difficult to keep and complete the journey successfully. The Divine help does come, no doubt, but only when the Supreme is convinced of the devotee's earnestness of purpose. If we are able to do everything in life thinking it to be our duty, it shall be a sacred trust from the Supreme Master. The downward tendency of thought indicates that one has descended to a lower plane, assuming a grosser form. In such a case it is quite essential for him to get himself attached to one of his fellow-beings with faith and devotion, so that his downward tendency may be mended by his influence. This will relieve him of all distracting thoughts.

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A FAQIR'S WEALTH

What wealth does a saint possess who is outwardly no better than a beggar in respect of his material possessions? A beggar he is indeed, but one who begs only at the door of the Great Divine Master alone. He stands at His door with his begging bowl in hand but is unconscious of what he is begging for. Such a type of beggar is he.

Let us ponder over the state of mind he is in. He has approached the Master with the object of begging for his bounties, but he is so much lost that he does not even remember that he has approached him for having his bowl filled. The bowl is presented forth without a word of begging, so much so that he is not even aware of whom he stands before. So much lost is he as to have madly rushed in, where even the last spark to illumine the grandeur of the place is extinct. The hands holding the bowl are alone held up, so much lost is he.

Do you think such a beggar can be enriched with the Great Master's greatest bounties? Can such a Great Master keep any thing in reserve from such a true beggar? Definitely not. What shall be the situation? If the Master offers him anything he is not even aware of what he gets, nor is he even conscious of his changed position now. Both the beggar and the Master are there; the only distinction which exists between them is that the beggar has the bowl in his hand. He maintains this position of his till the end. Both are lost — the Master and the beggar. Nothing remains which has not reached unto him. What would then be the condition of the beggar? He shall be permanently residing in a state of contentment which cannot be matched even by the greatest riches of a king. The Master has bestowed what He had, and the beggar has got the same, before which the greatest of kings and saints of high rank would bow down. But one has to become such a beggar. To him everything is naught in comparison to it. It will be easy to understand it if one takes one's heart for the bowl.

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TRAVEL LIGHT

“Travel Light” is the general advice of the Railway Department to all train travellers, with a view to offer greatest convenience to fellow passengers. The same may apply in the case of travellers on the path of Realisation. We know we are proceeding on along the path, over-burdened with the weight of our belongings existing in the form of sanskaras etc. Now in order to have a convenient journey we need to be relieved of it. It can be done in two ways. Firstly, as when travelling by train we book the heavy luggage with the guard of the train, so also in this journey we may give over the heavy luggage to the charge of the master and be relieved of its weight. That, in other words, conveys the idea of surrender. When we have surrendered all our belongings to the master, we are free from the encumbering weight thereof. The other method may be to go on setting them aside bit by bit by undergoing their bhoga. But that would be a long and tedious process and very difficult also. Anyhow we have after all to become lighter than the lightest. I want you all to take this point into consideration and to act accordingly. Time never comes again. We must therefore utilise it to our best advantage. As a true follower of the Great Master I have nothing to offer except a little support together with my good wishes. I do not mean to induce any one to give up his worldly belongings and bid farewell to his domestic living, but only to attend to every thing in the sense of duty entrusted to him by the Divine Master. That is, in fact, the real life and the only solution of all the difficulties, whether spiritual or temporal.

For that I expect every one to put his best efforts. I may also assure you that the attainments you make during the period of my physical existence will be of value to you after I am gone. But if you neglect it now, dwelling in the idea that you shall have it by developing attachment with me even after I am gone from this material world, it may then be a hard nut to crack. A moth burns itself on a live flame, but there may rarely be one that can burn itself on a dead flame, which is almost an impossibility. There may however be exceptions to it — but rare, very rare indeed. The only solution, therefore, will be either to get up to the level where burning in a dead flame may become possible and practicable, or to attain that highest state where the question of burning may not arise at all. But this depends upon God's grace and one's own bold efforts.

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ATTACHMENT AND FAITH

Sita had a parrot. She loved it very much. It died. Her father, Raja Janak loved his daughter Sita greatly. So, because of her he began to be grieved too. That may bring some to the conclusion that a great saint like Raja Janak was unduly attached to the petty parrot. But whatever may be their justification for it, I believe that if one does not feel grieved at the distress of others, he is devoid of the common sense of humanity or, in other words, he is not a man at all. I do not therefore agree with those self-styled jnanis who induce people to consider father, mother, brother or son as their enemies. On my part I shall never be prone to follow that principle at any cost. Whatever may be their view, in my opinion they are but dragging people into entanglements by preaching to them what might finally be ruinous to their sacred cause. The practice, if taken up, would promote feelings of hatred and repulsion which are equally detrimental to our spiritual purpose.

What is really essential for the pursuit is the subjugation of the feelings of mayamoha or physical attachment. But hatred or repulsion is the very opposite of love, and attachment also belongs to the same category or, more appropriately, is the other extremity of the same thing. Thus the replacement of attachment by its opposite, the repulsion or hatred, is absurd and by doing so one can never be free from the feelings of maya-moha. Its right replacement can only be by duty, which is free from both attraction and repulsion. Hence there is nothing wrong if one treats father as father, mother as mother, and son as son looking to the due discharge of one's duty towards them. He shall then be free from both the feelings. That is in fact what it really ought to be.

I wonder how people begin to take even the very primary attainment as all and sufficient for them and become arrogant about it, though on the other hand they would preach a lot against pride and arrogance from their platforms. Their impractical knowledge of the scriptures may probably be responsible for it. Generally, those who undertake to coach others in spirituality before they themselves have made any practical attainment in the spiritual field are often a prey to this evil. Pride or arrogance constitutes an additional link in the existing chain of egoism. As a safeguard against this gross evil one should keep himself directly in touch with God through sincere prayer as it is prescribed in our Mission. If one neglects this elementary principle, I believe he is not the least interested in the pursuit but has taken it up only by way of recreation or amusement.

Firm resolve and dauntless courage are the essential features of a manly character. That is what is required for the final success. But my advice in this respect usually goes unheeded. It may perhaps be because of my insufficiency in literary knowledge which people generally value most in an accomplished soul. Learning and knowledge have their own importance and people having it are often held in high esteem. I too have a regard for them and for that reason I usually behave submissively with them, exalting them in all formal ways. But on my part, I never did hanker after knowledge. Yet, to be quite outspoken, I may say that I do not feel myself lacking in knowledge in any respect, and I do possess it in its fullness. The reason is that my great master had transmitted to me everything that he possessed, and that included knowledge as well. For that reason, I feel myself immensely in possession of every type of knowledge from the lowest to the highest, though I may be lacking in the use of technical words in my expression. But it is my meekness of nature and disposition, which I have copied from my master that keeps it veiled under covering. As a matter of fact knowledge picked up from books or scriptures is no knowledge at all in the real sense of the word. It is simply erudition based upon other's experiences, attainment of the brain alone, and not the practical knowledge based on self experience and attainment of heart. Let this serve as a guiding light to the true seekers of the real knowledge. With me it was so, because instead of striving for the attainment of knowledge, I remained ever in pursuit of Him, my Divine master, who was the store-house of knowledge and perfection. This is the reason why I have never been off from Reality in all my thoughts and expressions. I had entered the field with a burning desire to see the end of love which I bore for my master, and I did have it in full.

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DUTY

“Though it is undoubtedly a folly to think oneself too wise, it is a greater folly to think oneself too foolish or weak. We must try to dedicate ourselves, as we may be, to the remembrance of God, abiding by His commands, which are almost the same for every one. They comprise the essential features of one's normal duties.”

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ADVICE TO LADIES

Punctuality of time for puja is not possible in the case of ladies because of their varied duties, and is hence not insisted upon in their case. They may however utilise their spare time for the purpose. That is a special allowance in their case. Besides, if they go on with their household work with the thought that they are doing their duty in compliance with God's command, it shall all be transformed into puja and they shall be with it all the while without any conscious effort on their part.

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RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA

You say that you often get irritated for petty reasons. you must have read in your books a lot against this evil, still you are not able to overcome it. Then of what avail is your learning to you? It is related of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa that while still a boy at an infant school, he was one day given a certain lesson to learn. It was, ‘Always speak the truth'. He went on with it. Whenever the teacher asked him whether he had learnt the other day's lesson or not, he only replied, ‘Not yet, Sir'. After some time he told the teacher that he had learnt the lesson well. In a sense of surprise the teacher asked him why he took so much time to learn the small line. The boy replied meekly that he could not learn to adopt it in the normal routine of his life till then.

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IDOLATRY

You have written in your letter about five types of idols, defining each of them. I am giving you one more kind of idolatry pointed out by my master. He said that if a man is a slave of his habits he is also an idolater. I go on further to say that if we suppose anything and it does not exist, that is also idolatry. If a man loves his family, children and so on, he is also an idolater. Any attachment towards material things is idolatry. How can it be abolished altogether? It is possible only when the thought does not take any such impressions. If it comes, it is thrown back automatically. But such is the case after a long reach. We should avoid the worship of concrete things so that we may rise above and catch it. There are men who, even if any practical hint for realisation be given, will not leave idolatry of the rocky type. There are a few examples of abhyasis with me to whom I showed practically, but momentarily, the state of Realisation. They felt it and appreciated it very much, but they are not prepared to leave their idols, because they have become habituated to it. And their wisdom has become quite blunt. They have already lost discriminatory power, and that is the cause of our downfall. When the power of discrimination goes away, fear sets in. They will not leave idolatry because their fore-fathers have been doing it all along. This is one thing. Another is this; they think if they leave it, some calamity will befall them. This is our tragic story.

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LAZINESS

It is my strange experience that laziness can also breed cancer. I have come to the point that laziness is surrender to the self. In other words, a lazy man surrenders to the self which is suicidal for spiritual growth. I am also very lazy, but this is only in household work.

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QUESTIONS OF CHANGING OUTER CIRCUMSTANCES

Feeling of withdrawal of power means something akin to nothingness. I do not want to have even power but only its ultimate state. In that condition the power, when it is required, is there.

Personally I am of the opinion that if we are deprived of all things necessary for the upkeep of worldly life, and in its place the inner life which is worth having is given to us, we are in no way the losers.

On this path, I think the question of changing the outer circumstances does not fit in aptly. It is rather that the abhyasi has to adapt himself to circumstances in order to practice submission to the Divine will. The Divine will is predominant, and the circumstances are the results thereof. We have to learn to take them as Divine gifts. Of course, I agree that it is not an easy job for a common man, so the natural limitations appear to be most distressing to him. But instead of worrying over the circumstances which are often beyond his control, it is better to apply his effort for the mending of his grosser self.

But the difficulty is that most of those who come for spiritual pursuit, as they profess, are inwardly actuated by material purposes which they wish to have adjusted according to their liking and taste. If they do not have it, they break off; and even if they have it they will not stick on because their purpose is served. There have been several cases like that. My master's ways of spiritual training are absolutely free from any material touch. I know that certain saints do offer such material allurements, and that they are often successful to some extent. But it is definite that to do this they have to deviate from the right path and resort to unspiritual ways which, for me, would be the bitterest pill to swallow. I strictly abide by the direction laid down by my master, and shall not like to adopt unspiritual ways at any cost.

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BREATHING

You need not stop the breath yourself when meditating. If it stops by itself it is well and good. When the flight gets very high it often happens that there will be no breath for even hours; and when thoughtlessness is created the breathing gets slowed down.

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DUTY AND DESIRE

Desire can be stated as the fulfillment of which brings pleasure to the heart, while its nonfulfillment brings sorrow, misery and pain; and the enjoyer of it is you alone, and yourself alone the doer. Duty is the carrying out of the commandment with non- attachment with the motive. Mohammed Ghazni had a slave named Ayaz whom he loved very much. The other courtiers did not like this behaviour of the King. Someone asked the King, “Why do you love Ayaz so much?” After some time the King asked every one of the courtiers to smash down a very costly tree of diamonds which he had brought from India, and which was hung from the ceiling of the court-hall. But none of his courtiers touched it. Then the King called Ayaz and commanded him to break down the diamond tree. Ayaz obeyed the command immediately and smashed it to pieces. The King told the courtiers, “Only because of this I love Ayaz. He considered it his duty to obey my command, and never bothered about the profit or loss.” Therefore duty cannot be called as desire.

It is my earnest desire that my satsanghis should advance more than myself. But all this depends upon their love, labour and the Grace of God. When there is love and labour then the link does move, and our jingling shall certainly reach the Master.

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WAITING

Waiting is also a sort of intense remembrance which is greatly beneficial to spirituality. A poet too has written, “The delight which I found in waiting for the beloved I could not have in the meeting”.

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ORTHODOXY

I consider orthodoxy to be just like a wall one has erected in front of himself, by which the way is barred. This thing somehow comes. And this defect has come into us by observing the Muslims continuously; otherwise we had such a river flow that not a single particle could stagnate.

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IMPRESSIONABILITY

It is impossible that these things may not make an impression upon the brain at some time. Whatever gets into the mine of salt becomes itself salt. You will come across the intellectual class in some parts of our country. They love their own sentiments.

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I AM YOURS

You have written, “Please give me that thing which you consider essential for me”, and further, “I hope you shall certainly give it”. The worldly answer for this is that when I am yours, everything that is mine is already yours. And my real desire is to sell myself away. But no customer seems to be forthcoming. It is because I have fixed no price for myself. And such are the times that none wants to have me even free. And in a way this too is alright. What should one do with a handful of bones? “Nanak boodhe bail ko kaun bandh bhus de”. O! Nanak, who would maintain and feed an old ox? So, dear brother, please get yourself ready to buy me, so that I may not go on hawking myself from house to house.

And dear brother, the desire for good health and wealth is there in everybody to some extent. This is a fact beyond doubt. But you have got the desire for that which is yours alone and which is with you; and hence you are more worried for it.

You have asked as to how to develop faith. If some trust is put in the trainer, and some benefit is felt due to him, this will begin to develop faith in the heart of a real seeker.

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REASON AND FEELING

You have asked a very intricate question, “When do reason and feeling become one?” The short reply for it would be, “Both Laila and Majnu live in the same place.” (Baham Laila va Majnu ek hi mohamil men rahate hain).

You may consider their combination as that of body and soul, or of mind, manas and intellect, buddhi. Both are almost necessarily co-existent. Further on, reason takes a different form which is called Divine Wisdom. And when this happens, the form of feeling also gets changed; that is the feeling also begins to get in conformity with it. One will be the person who shows and the other will be the informer. I shall say one more thing; the feeling is very closely connected with the soul, and the intellect enjoys the closeness of the feeling. In other words the feeling is nearer to soul while the intellect is nearer to the feeling. Nothing will go away but only its proper use begins. Your constant remembrance is not pertaining to intellect but pertains to the heart. Please, pester the learned about reason and feeling; they shall give a good reply. My reply is that of an unlearned one. Constant remembrance is not felt but it is done, and you already know the method.

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FAITH

The meaning of faith is that one should firmly link up his thought with the courage of the teacher. Faith itself is existence or substratum (base) on which Realisation begins. Faith is that unbreakable link which, once established, cannot be broken. An abhyasi who does not develop faith can never progress.

We have no faith in the oneness of God. We are partly influenced by environment and partly spoiled by association. The Western culture also made an impact to a certain extent. Thus when it had already deteriorated, wrong spiritual training completed our fall, with the result that we were separated thousands of miles from spirituality.

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THRIFTINESS

Try to be as thrifty as possible. By thrift I do not mean miserliness such as to inconvenience the children.

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DOUBTING

Whosoever comes here goes on doubting only, and keeps on judging it by making his ability the tool of testing its heat and cold. As there is neither heat nor cold here, they then start to take work from their imagination and arrive at some conclusion or other. As they enter with doubt, the same thing takes them to undependable conclusions. Few are found who can tell the truth, and there are many who represent falsehood as reality.

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AVOID MEAT EATING

My master used to say that a spiritual man should not eat meat. I follow the same policy. Indeed, there have been some saints who used to eat meat. Meat eating should be avoided.

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TRAINERS DISCIPLINE

If the trainer lacks discipline, he is no more fit for the job. Trainers insult, if taken seriously, is my master's insult.

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SPIRITUAL SUICIDE

People have no faith in God, and I have no faith in my health. Having no faith in one's health is the sign of weakness, and having no faith in God is the sign of spiritual suicide. People say that the crops now-a-days are not good, which means that God has now grown old, and so He does not remember certain things. But the people do not understand what confusion they have created in His work, with the power given by Him. Actions are proportionately continued. Now, our actions went against the Nature and created a mess in the environment, whereby our own throats are being cut. These things now require to be cleaned, which is being done to a certain extent and will be continued. It has all to be done by you people only, and unknowingly every saint does something. I have courage and by Master's grace there is nothing lacking. It will not require another second to do it. I have written all these things so that you people may also develop courage in yourselves. But I do not do this because those who have created all this mess by misuse of their powers may reap the fruit of their actions. Nature also wants the same thing. Destruction is bound to come, and it has started also, and these are the causes.

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PURIFICATION METHOD

It is seen that people do not get benefit from the evening practice of cleaning. The reason is that they do it in a faulty way. Inform all the persons conducting Satsangh under your centre and explain orally to whomsoever you meet. In fact, people first begin to meditate on grossness, and then think that it is going from the back side in the form of smoke. Really speaking, they ought to throw it out by thought suggestion, in the form of smoke.

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HUMILITY

How beautifully a poet has put it:
“When His mercy reached the Sinners
Those who were not sinners were affronted”.

"Gunahgaron ko pucchajo uski rahamat ne
Bahut khafif huve jo gunahagar na the."

To think oneself a sinner is a mark of humility. But this idea is Islamic. Probably this has not been said in our religion. There is indeed a matter of courtesy in this. When we think ourselves to be sinners our heart begins to drag His mercy, and we will be amply benefitted in this condition when we totally depend upon His mercy. It is a part of surrender. When we proceed towards a great thing we begin to feel our littleness, so much so that we will be looking towards His mercy and we will be a non-entity. It means that we create a vacuum for His mercy. This is about Reality, which the seeker alone can know.

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DEVOTION

Love is praised everywhere. There is a story in the Mahabharata: When Lord Krishna went to Vidura's house, Vidura's wife, who was bathing naked, rapturously opened the door and came out on hearing Krishna's voice. Krishna threw his upper garment and covered her. She began to feed him with plantains in such a way that she gave him the skin (peel) and threw away the fruit. When Vidura came and reminded her as to what she was doing, she came to her senses and began to feed him the fruit. Lord Krishna then said that the taste which he found in the peel was not there in the fruit. So when love and Bhakti take hold to such an extent, the condition which Vidura's wife had is some times experienced by the less advanced.

Shri X has written to me that I must go to Chickmagalore. But my health is not capable of withstanding the strain of purposeless journey. He thinks that he would gain merit by my going there, but it would in fact be gained by Rakat, the meaning of which you know. In short, merit is earned by prayer and devotion.

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GUIDANCE TO A SADHAKA

I have to take a lot of work from you, and also do a lot of work on you. Thus, taking and giving both are involved. In English there is a saying, `Exchange is no robbery!' In your spare time you must be remembering God. You may note as you go on that some changes are taking place. At present, I have just made a beginning of this; in future I hope it may come to your knowledge. For this, you have to be prepared for ‘work' in the space. It happens that some times during meditation the abhyasi feels absorbed, while sometimes he does not. The reason is that the sanskars which are firmly rooted in their ‘field' come towards the heart to go out. This is because meditation creates a vacuum in the heart. As long as all Sanskars are not thrown out, there cannot be Liberation. As a matter of fact I go on cleaning them in the routine course also. I have written an article on this subject somewhere in the Sahaj Marg Patrika.

Whatever condition develops during meditation, whether it is liked by the abhyasi or disliked, is beneficial in every way.

Spirituality is a very easy thing, and its achievement does not take much time. One should only increase faith and devotion. And devotion is generated by remembering again and again.

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