My Greetings to all Pious Souls…..

I begin today’s programme with a parable from the life of Lord Ram. The work of building a bridge to reach Lanka (now Sri Lanka) was going on at the sea-shore. Lord Ram was seated on a stone nearby with an arrow in his hand. And as he sat there, he was scratching aimlessly at the ground with the arrow. There was no reason or intention behind it. Just as a person goes on scratching the ground with his big toe when he is uneasy, he was scraping the ground with the arrow. He went on poking like that for some time and after some time he noticed blood coming out of the place where he had been scratching. He scratched some more and saw that a frog was trapped there. Lord Ram was amazed. He said to the frog, “What was the need to bear so much pain when my arrow was hurting you, and hurting so much that you started bleeding? You should have complained, made a noise about it, and indicated in some way that you were being crushed! That my arrow was pricking you, that you were hurting and in pain! And I hurt you so much that you started bleeding! You should have spoken, said something at least. How was I to know? I was just digging aimlessly and you got wounded. I have unknowingly committed a mistake.”

The frog did not say anything in reply. Lord Ram said, “Arrey Baba! Why aren’t you speaking? What has happened? Are you angry?” The frog replied, “What complaint can I have against you? I am thanking you. No matter what the reason! At least your Grace, your compassion, your attention reached me! I have obtained everything in life now. I have enjoyed all the joys of life. When I have received so much in life through your Grace, so much through your compassion then why should I complain about a small prick that I receive? I am not making any complaint. I am just quietly experiencing and enjoying your proximity.”

Can we not make this frog our Guru? God has given us such a lot in life. But our attention does not go to what He has given us. Once in a while if we face some problem or have to bear some pain, are we going to complain to God about it? We should be positive and realize how much God has given us. Look towards what you have been given. You will not be aware of what you have not received, and minor things are not even worth remembering. That is why you should only look at what you are receiving in life; then you will be filled with a positive feeling within yourself. We will not progress spiritually if we complain to God about what we should receive in life or what we have not received. I’m not saying that you should ignore something that seems wrong; that if you see something that is wrong, something that is not proper, you should close your eyes in that direction. It is not my intention to say that. My intention is that together with the complaint you should also give suggestions. Whenever you have a complaint, wherever you find something lacking, you should immediately think about how you can improve on what is lacking, about the way to solve that problem. How can the deficiency be taken care of and through which medium can it be done? I’m not talking about the present but am just talking in general about it. Whenever you come to the Ashram and find something lacking, some irregularity, you should think about how it can be removed, how you can improve things. In short you should change your complaints into suggestions. Make them positive. Make the feelings that arise in your heart when you find irregularities, positive. Day by day the number of people visiting the Ashram is growing very fast. But the number of people who are working there is not increasing. There is a great lack of workers. The same four to six people who were working earlier still continue to work there. There is no change in that. That is why you should also give your suggestions together with your complaints. What should be done and how you can help in that; what format you have about it. In short you should give a new direction, a new path to the Energies that are entering your life.

On no account, and I’m repeating, on no account should you lose your peace of mind. It often happens that insignificant quarrels and little things disturb our peace. This is not a good thing. You should maintain your peace; maintain your peace of mind and your spiritual level will also be maintained. And if your spiritual level can be maintained, then all other states and situations will undergo a change. Thus one’s state of mind is very important.

Whenever a big programme is held, you really shake me up for two or three days. There is a continuous confusion … Leave your house in peace and walk calmly. Why don’t you leave your house early? Don’t hurry on the way! The road is not meant for hurrying! The road is just a road. Forget about what could have happened, what could not take place. Start from home with a calm mind and reach with a calm mind. Be at peace and leave calmly. You are always in a rush while coming! And in a rush while leaving! What time will Swamiji’s programme get over? No, let it get over by 2 o’clock! That is, we wish to go at 2 0’clock. That is why the programme should get over at 2 o’clock. Why this haste and hurry? Keep at least one place, one area where you can sit peacefully, where you will maintain peace! Because when your mind is disturbed, the body is disturbed; and when your body is disturbed, then you get distracted. There are several facts which are worth considering – where we are situated, in whose proximity we are present, where we are present, and what is the purpose behind reaching here? What are we absorbing and what are we not able to attain?

The Sadguru is like a highway, which has to travel a long way and make use of a long road ahead. He has to travel a long distance. A big, wide road is required for a big journey, the final journey. Small lanes, small roads, small paths, will not take one very far. You will need a big highway for a long journey. By highway we mean that path, that road, which is simple and accessible. A road which is clean and on which there are no obstacles; a road on which we can drive our car fast. Such a highway is the Sadguru. But the Sadguru is only a highway and not the destination. When you reach the highway it does not mean that you have reached your destination. The highway is just a highway, and the destination is the destination. To reach the Sadguru means to make use of a very big road. It is like reaching a very big road where the path becomes easy, simple. You take your body in the form of a vehicle and travel on the highway. But no matter how beautiful the highway is, no matter how clean it is; there may be beautiful trees on the highway, beautiful lakes on it; there may be natural beauty; no matter how much there is – we should always remember that we have to go further beyond the highway. You don’t have to sit observing the natural beauty of the highway, the large trees alongside, the lakes along the way. You have to move ahead. You have to use that highway. What do you do? You see a lake along the way and sit there! You see a nice clean place on the highway and sit there! When are you going to cross the highway if you keep on halting at all places along the way? The highway has been constructed for thousands and lakhs of travellers. Several thousands and lakhs of vehicles like yours are going to keep on crossing it. That is why such a large, such a wide and attractive road has been constructed; because there is a large collectivity there and lakhs of people use that highway.

You should similarly make use of the Sadguru’s path. Don’t hold onto the Sadguru; don’t catch hold of the Sadguru, and don’t stop with him, because the purpose of the highway will not be served if you stop there. Just as it is the purpose of the highway to convey you to your destination, it is the purpose of the Sadguru to lead you to Salvation (Moksha). The purpose will not be fulfilled if you stop on the way or sit there. That is why the Sadguru is to be used, and not someone on whom to hang on. You are delaying yourself by sitting on the highway; not only are you held up but you are blocking the way of other vehicles which are following behind. You are creating a traffic jam! Arrey Baba! Thousands and lakhs of Souls are going to come after you. Strengthen the path for them and move forward. You plant yourself in one place and establish yourself there! Thus you don’t reach your destination and don’t allow others to reach there either; the whole place is jammed up!

You should move forward with every sunrise, with every new day. It is possible that some vehicle may be slower, and some vehicle may be faster; someone may have a good vehicle, and someone may have a bad vehicle. But the speed must be maintained. Move ahead little by little. Just don’t catch hold of the Guru and sit in one place. Just as one is attracted by the natural beauty of the highway, one is caught up in the attractive illusion of the Guru’s physical body. It will not allow you to move ahead. You have to leave it and go forward. Lakhs of people are going to move in this direction later on. The road ahead is narrow; there is just a small track ahead and not a highway. The highway is a type of boundary and the road will go as far as the boundary. But the road after that will have to be determined individually. You have not even reached the narrow track as yet and you have stopped there. The Sadguru can show you the way to Salvation, but he cannot give you Salvation. One has to find his own way to it. Thus you should move forward and not stop on the way. The Sadguru cannot personally do anything; you have to do it yourself. For example, a pair of binoculars is used to see far off places and objects. There are beautiful mountains far away, there are beautiful plants, good temples, and one can even see the flag on the temple; lakes too can be seen. Who can see all these things? The person who has the binoculars can do so. A person who has binoculars can see everything. But the person who does not have binoculars cannot see anything. The same scene is present before both persons – there are mountains, the flag, the temple, the lake – but one can see it and the other cannot see it. What is the difference? The difference is that the one who can see it has binoculars in his hands, and the person who cannot see them doesn’t have binoculars. This is the role that the binoculars play by giving you a close-up view of far off things. Then can the pair of binoculars see them by itself? No it cannot. But you can look through them. If you don’t have eyesight, then will you be able to look through the binoculars? You cannot look through binoculars without eyesight.

Similarly, if your mind is not concentrated, if you have kept your inner eyes closed, then the Sadguru like the binoculars will not be of any use to you. You have to move forward and progress spiritually. Thus one will have to open one’s eyes. You will not be able to see the outer scenery just by holding the binoculars and looking at them. We will have to open our eyes to see the far-off scenery. In the same way if we do not purify our mind and keep it clean, the Sadguru like the binoculars cannot do anything. Ultimately it is you who will have to do everything.

You must be wondering that Swamiji talks about Sadguru.., Sadguru.., in every discourse …Swamiji just keeps on talking about anything! But that is not so. Inspite of everyone knowing everything, I still keep on talking about Sadguru to them. Now a devotee may bow or not bow before a Sadguru; whether he absorbs anything or does not absorb it; it makes no difference to the Sadguru. But it does make a difference to the devotee. He realizes that both his ‘I’ and his ego are the root cause of all his problems in life, of all his troubles. And just as camphor is destroyed after going close to the fire, one’s ego is destroyed in the proximity of the Sadguru. Sadguru and ‘ego’ cannot exist together. That is why I keep on asking you again and again to bow before the Guru-Energies. To bow (to be humble) and to believe in the Sadguru is a very big event. But we have turned this great event into something very ordinary. We have made it very commonplace. To bow before someone, to bend before some Sadguru, is a very revolutionary event in one’s life. But we have taken it very lightly. We are not at fault in this, because this has been our value system right from our childhood. We accept it at the physical level. I have often observed that when devotees have a baby, they bring the child to me. The newborn child is so small that it cannot move its head or even turn over on its side. They hold the tiny baby’s head and make it bow before me. But by forcefully doing so it will send a wrong message, give wrong information and a wrong indication in the child’s life, that bowing is only a physical act. That bowing respectfully (namaskar) means doing so physically. Our mother used to force us to bow our head in our childhood, and tell us to always do so. Here it means bowing on your own, without your mother. Thus whenever he (the baby) bows he will do so at the physical level, because his mother had forced him to do so. But the inner change that should take place after one bows, the inner Soulful experience one should get, does not occur. This is because we have taken the event of bowing at the physical level. Just as walking is an activity, bowing respectfully is also an activity. It has been accepted as, and given the form of an activity. If one accepts it at the physical level it will affect one physically.

But bowing is not just a physical act. There is a great inner Energy involved in it. You are in a great hurry to bow – you keep on bowing here and you bow there as if you have no hip bones. Stand erect, and when you bow, let it be with your Soul; what is the use of bending your body! When you bend, it means to wipe out one’s identity, to make oneself void, to merge one’s existence into that of the one who is before you. This activity should not take place at the physical level. This is an event which will take place automatically. Whenever you are standing before an enormous Energy, you gradually become aware that your mind has stopped functioning. You realize that you are not getting any thoughts; either of the past, or of the future and that you have reached a state of void (shunya).

“One hears Celestial music at the Sahastrar chakra when one reaches a state of void” – the sound of Kundalini is heard at the Sahastrar chakra and as you perceive it, your body slowly relaxes. Gradually, the body cannot bear the weight of its own head and the head bows down. You don’t try to bend it, it bows automatically. There is a great difference between bowing on its own and making it bow. When you bow down, the ego of ‘I’ also bows down. I have bowed, I have bowed respectfully - this is an incident of bowing taking place on its own. The neck should bend on its own because the body cannot bear the weight of the neck; so heavy has it become. There is no physical act involved in this; here it takes place automatically. But you should allow that activity to take place. You just don’t allow it to occur. You go to the physical level and scuttle it. Then how will it reach the Soul level? Wait, have patience; wait for it to bow down. When the neck bends, when then the head bows, it means establishing your whole existence in it, becoming one with it. This ego of ‘I’ does not allow you to bow. It will try different ploys; it will try several intelligent arguments. When you are full of ego your state is like a drop, like a tiny drop of water. Together with your ego, your existence is only as much as a drop of water. And as soon as you let go of your ego, your existence becomes as gigantic as the sea, because you have wiped out yourself; you have destroyed your existence. If you succeed in bowing before someone, if you bow in some place, bend down your head, you will be transformed into a sea from the drop of water. Then who will bother about the drop? That is why your ego always tries to turn you into a drop. And your self-image will never allow your transformation into an ocean. It will always try to keep you in the past.

The Sadguru is an ocean. He has a collectivity of lakhs of people with him. And the existence of one’s ‘I’ comes to an end in it. The ego will try to keep you separated as it knows that the existence of ‘I’ will come to an end (in collectivity). As long as you stay with your ‘I’, you will exist as a drop (of water). The drop is troubled by all the problems in the world - too much heat, or trouble with some place, etc. Similarly, you are also troubled – he did not greet me, maybe he is talking about me, I didn’t like this, I didn’t like that place, I didn’t like the people – ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’, - your identity is being separated by the ‘I’ all the time. And the more you become a slave to your identity, the smaller you will start becoming. That is why I keep on telling you again and again about the Sadguru. The Guru-Energies are an ocean. If you bow before them, then you also will become the sea from a drop of water. Then the existence of your ‘I’ will come to an end. The ego within you will come to end. Your mind (chitta) will become clean and pure. And you will be the master of a pure and holy mind. Generally, there are two paths which can be utilized for spiritual progress. And several religions have been established, based on these two paths; several religious sects have been established. But both the paths are totally different.

The first path is the Devotional path. This path signifies that Paramatma (God) exists somewhere apart from me, and some form of Paramatma is worshipped. This means that it is an external path of worship. In the second path of meditation, one considers Paramatma to be within oneself. The entire journey is internal. Thus the (spiritual) journey on the Devotional path is external and the journey on the path of meditation is internal. The Devotional path is followed in collectivity, through singing of devotional songs, musical recitation, and by going on pilgrimages. The worship will be in collectivity. The meditative path is exactly the opposite. Here people will go into the jungle, they will live in caves, completely alone, without any company, away from collectivity. Thus both the paths are different. In the devotional path, any one form of Paramatma is chosen and there is full concentration on that form. The direction of one’s worship is fully concentrated on one form. But objections have often been raised about this type of worship too. They accept one form, but are irritated by another form.

When I was in school as a child, we had a teacher who was a devotee of Lord Ram. He used to devote a lot of time to the worship of Lord Ram. But he did not like to hear even the name of Lord Krishna. That is why everyone used to call him ‘Radhe Shyam’ in order to tease him (Shyam is another name for Krishna and Radha is his consort). The moment they called him Radhe Shyam, he would pick up a stick and start beating everyone. Thus he caught hold of only one form of Paramatma (God) and went to the other extreme. It is very difficult to worship differently in such an extreme manner while living in society, and living like an ordinary person. One gets separated from society. Similarly if we go and meditate in a cave, in the jungle, or under a tree, we will move away from society. Society and meditation cannot exist together. People go to the jungle in order to meditate. They go to an isolated place. It is an inner quest; an inner journey. To go deeper and deeper within oneself, one needs isolation, an unpopulated place.

Thus the devotional path is not meant for the common man, and neither is the path of meditation. Both are extreme paths; and because they are extreme, they are one-sided. Then which is the path for the common man in society, which is the way by which he can progress spiritually? For that you will first of all have to understand yourself. You will have to analyze yourself; you will have to get to know yourself first, whether you are a common man in society. You are not in a holy state to worship only one God; you cannot sit in a cave and meditate in isolation. You wan to live in society, and progress while living in society. A common man will think like that. First you should get to know yourself; and Samarpan meditation is the most suitable for that.

It is made up of two words – ‘Samarpan’ (surrender) and ‘dhyan’ (meditation). There is worship in ‘Samarpan’ and mediation in ‘dhyan’. This is a union of both the paths - of devotion and of meditation. And meditation takes place when both these get together. Here one can move inwards in meditation; one does not go inwards by one’s own efforts, but through the Guru’s Grace. Secondly, devotion is a part of it, not of Paramatma but of human beings, of the Guru. The union of both, devotion to the Guru and the Guru’s Grace will lead to your progress in Samarpan meditation. I have experienced all this in the 45 days spiritual undertaking. After going into the deepest state of meditation, I could come out of it. The union of meditation and devotion remained for 45 days. Thus I used to go within and come out of it also. And while going in and out I learnt that Paramatma is everywhere. Paramatma is spread everywhere. What one requires is eyes to perceive Him. Paramatma is one and He is everywhere. As we improve our spiritual level, we start getting visions of that Paramatma. Paramatma is hidden in every human being. There is a form of Paramatma in every person. But if you wish to see Paramatma in every human being, then you will first have to see Paramatma in one person. For example, when you are cooking rice, you will test one grain of rice between your fingers to see if it is cooked. If that is cooked, then all grains would have been cooked. Similarly if you learn to see Paramatma in one person, you will be able to see Paramatma in every human being.

And that one person is the Sadguru. There is a lot of difference between Paramatma and Sadguru. Paramatma is Paramatma; you don’t need to believe in Him, but it is necessary for you to reach up to Him. It is necessary to reach Him. The whole world accepts Paramatma as Paramatma. There is no need to believe in Him. You have also accepted Him, but it is difficult for you to reach up to Him because He is far away. And if you look at the Sadguru there is no distance; he is within your grasp and you can easily catch him. Here (in case of the Sadguru) the problem is of believing, whereas there (in case of Paramatma) the problem is that of reaching Him. Here the problem is of acceptance; when we accept a human being (the Sadguru) as Paramatma, then we reach close to Paramatma. The distance is not present here. The question here is of believing. We can understand this as follows - On one hand there is a picture of a mother breast-feeding her baby, in which the baby has to search for the breast, because the mother is sleeping. There is a distance between the breast and the baby. But there is no such distance in case of the Sadguru. The mother has put the breast in the baby’s mouth and the baby is not even aware of it. The baby will have to suckle on it and the mother cannot do anything more (than offering the baby her breast). There is a distance there and here there is a lack of desire. Both these are completely different, completely separate. Very often, the difference between the Sadguru and God cannot be understood. For example, as I have told you (to imagine), there is a merry-go-round and someone is seated in it. It is moving so fast that the person’s identity has blurred and cannot be recognized; he has merged in the fast-moving wheel, and his identity can no longer be seen separated from it. Both appear one to us. We call that wheel the person, and the person the wheel. The Guru’s condition is similar. The Guru has merged with the Paramatma. We cannot see the Guru and Paramatma separately. We see the Guru as a form of Paramatma. But the Guru knows that he is not Paramatma. He knows that the wheel is different and that he is seated in the wheel. That is why no Guru has ever said that he is Paramatma. This is because you may believe it to be so, but in reality that is not so. When we go before Paramatma and something is available, then it is alright; and if something is not available, then also it is alright. There is no way one can complain here about anything; whereas there is a way of complaining to the Sadguru. Understand the difference between the two! There is a great difference between the Sadguru and Paramatma.

Don’t turn the Sadguru into Paramatma. Paramatma is a closed book. Nothing more can be written on it. Its chapter is finished. But the Sadguru is an open book; you can add something to it. You can ask questions and get to know the answers. There is a distance between the two. As long as we cannot understand this, we will not be able to make use of the proximity of the Sadguru in our lives. That is the reason why I have explained the difference between the Sadguru and Paramatma to you, so that you may understand the difference and move forward. The Guru is a medium through which you have to move forward. He is a Highway; learn to keep the medium as a medium only. Do not make the medium your destination. The moment you think of the Sadguru as Paramatma, everything will end. Where will you go after that? You will not move forward at all. You will create a real traffic jam and not allow even those who are following you to go ahead. Keep the path clear. Let the Sadguru remain a Sadguru only! I’m telling you all these things because a very great event of the year 2007 took place, as I went on doing penance during this 45 days spiritual practice. I continuously kept on repeating – 2007, 2007, 2007! And you are a witness to that event. That event is - this is my last birth and it is also your last birth; after that straightaway there is Liberation (Moksha). After that there is no birth for you. Look! What we get is not just because of ourselves, but because of our 800 years History. The History of 800 years, when the Gurus accumulated Energy but did not keep it confined to them selves, but passed it on to the next generation. That is why, even after 800 years this Energy has been able to reach us. They thought about the future, and today we realize that they had thought about us 800 years ago. And here we have the end of Ages. We will not be going any further. Then who will convey this knowledge into the future? This is an obstacle. Will this experience (Anubhooti) end with us? Will this knowledge of experiences and these incidents of experiences end with us? These experiences are our ancient legacy which has reached us after being preserved age after age. It is also our duty to carry forward this heritage for the next 800 years to come.

The idea is commendable and the desire is also good. When we obtain Prasad (food offered and received as a gift from God), we try to share it with as many people as possible; we distribute it among our neighbours, people whom we meet, as many people as possible. The more people we share it with, the more joy we experience. Similarly, we must not sit with the experiences we have obtained; we should not keep them limited to ourselves, but convey them to the next generation. I keep on wishing again and again that these experiences should be able to reach into the future. What is the way to do it, what technique is to be used, which path? We cannot make anyone a medium because all mediums will end after this age. No one will remain. That is why when I prayed again and again, when I announced it again and again, the Guru-Energies prepared a plan. Such a project had never been undertaken anywhere till today. It was taking place here for the first time. This has happened for the first time that a living Guru has put the Life-Force in an idol during his lifetime. I also had put everything I possessed into it. Everything! As they say, I had prepared my final ‘Will and Testament’ also before entering it (the room with the idol) in case I didn’t come out of it. Nothing was certain, because till today no one had returned from there (after putting their life-force in the idol). There was thus a danger because I was going to do something very different. But this experiment was completely successful because of the co-operation and support of all you people. It often happens that I ask you to do something and you start doing it. Sometimes there is a niggling doubt in your mind. You carry on with the work, but the doubt remains. I went ahead with this experiment because my Guru commanded me to do so. But I also had a question in my mind while doing it - “Why is this taking place with my image?”- I had prayed to my Gurudev that I wished to create his image. And I got the answer to that question also during the 45 days. The answer was that even the smallest place or even the smallest thing cannot exist in our corner. My Guru told me, “You do not need a medium to get my vision (darshan); all you need to do is to close your eyes and you will immediately ‘see’ me”. Thus I did not need any idol of my Guru. But my idol was necessary for the future generations because my Guru said, “you are close to them, you are near them, whereas we (Gurus) are far away. Thus a medium is not necessary for our idol but for yours.” Then I made a deep study of what problems I could face while pouring my Life-Force into the idol. These 45 days were like a research project. I did not feel even for a moment that this was my idol. I was always seeing my Guru in it. I did not bring my identity anywhere into it; so there was no question of my identity existing anywhere. Thus the motive behind putting my Life-Force in the idol during my lifetime is to convey it to the future generations, so that they may be able to receive and absorb the Energy.

Whenever anything new is introduced, it is bound to bring about change. There is going to be a change in the Guru-Element also, but you are ignorant of it. During these 45 days, some devotees have reached their destination. Now they have no need of this discourse, this idol or this message. They have reached! They reached the state of completion (purnatva) in 45 days. All of them had experiences; for some they were less and for some they were more. Those who had had a small experience, held on to it; they kept their attention on the experience and held on to it. But in the meantime other experiences kept on increasing, and some devotees understood their importance. But those who had experienced it only a little, allowed it to go and again had an intense desire for more experiences. This led to dissatisfaction and complaints. They lost the half bread that they had obtained, and they could not obtain the full bread either! Arrey Baba! If you want more, then first at least take care of what you have obtained earlier. Your attention is not on that at all and you have expectations of what you should get!

Three categories were formed. The first category is that of all those who obtained the experience (Anubhooti). They have reached their destination. Now they are no good for any work, as they will not be able to do anything. They are the students who got 100% (marks) and now they are sitting at the back. Now they are of no use (because they are in a thoughtless state). Those of you with 40% (marks) will carry on with the work now. And those who could reach their destination have reached already. The second group is those with 40%. They will carry on with the work in the future because they still possess the use of their senses (and continue thinking). They only drank a little, and those who drank (accepted the experience) fully are lying there (intoxicated with Energy).They are of no use (for Guru- karya). It is at the hands of those incomplete, unsatisfied ones that the work is now going to take place. It is a good thing that they did not drink fully. There has to be someone at least whom I can call to do the work.

Thus the work will now take place through those with the 40% level. There has been a division; why will those with 100%, who don’t have control over their senses do any work for us? It will be enough if they manage to do their own work. They have crossed the ocean of life. And now remains the next generation, the generation which is going to follow us. They are like rudderless ships which keep on wandering in the ocean, searching for the shore. This idol will prove to be their light-house. When we are no longer present in this world, they will all thank you. People will come here from different corners of the world. They will all thank you, that you did something for them in your lifetime. Just as we thank those who preserved what the Gurus gave them for 800 years for us, they will thank all those who preserved it, so that it could reach them. I am informing you about the one and only way of doing it.

All I did was to perform the spiritual practice devotedly for 8 Thursdays. On one Thursday I made a resolution; then for the next 7 Thursdays I performed ‘abhishek’ (pouring water on the idol in a stream, together with chanting of mantras). The whole ritual was completed within 8 Thursdays. I used to meditate specially on every Thursday. I used to take a leaf from a tree, and accept it with the thought that it had the past of all devotees. I used to make a slit in it, and place a flower in the slit. The leaf was the symbol of the past of devotees, and the flower was the symbol of the desires and expectations of all devotees. Then I used to remember all devotees and keeping them in my mind, I would pray and offer the flower at the Guru’s lotus feet with the feeling that all expectations of the devotees’ past were being surrendered. Our whole life goes on between these two. When we are in collectivity, when we are in good company, when we are in the proximity of good people, then everything is good. But the moment we are alone, we go back into the past. No matter how much I keep on telling you to surrender it, you are not able to surrender it. I became a devotee and meditated for 45 days. I came very near, very close to all of you when I became a devotee, and I came to know a lot about all of you in those 45 days. It is necessary to do everything wholeheartedly. You are in a great hurry to do everything; there is confusion in everything. And thus there is no seriousness in whatever you do. The work should take place at the Soul level; but instead, the action takes place at the physical level. This is not just some activity to be completed; this is not a spiritual practice for the idol where puja has to be performed, aarti has to be performed, and rituals have to be followed. You should sit in the proximity of the idol, and absorb the experience you get there. Don’t bow there physically as long as you do not surrender at the Soul level. That is your last chance (for spiritual progress), so don’t try any play-acting there. You have been doing it all this time at other places; at least leave one place (where you are sincere). And the day that you bow automatically on your own, bow down there (physically). Don’t pretend to be humble; otherwise it will go against the truth. That is why a place has been created for those who have not been able to bow sincerely before me. Go and surrender there. What do you take with you when you bow down? You become one with your Sadguru. It means giving up your identity and merging it with the Sadguru, becoming a part of the collectivity. If you succeed in doing so, then you will be able to absorb that Energy.

The act of surrendering is a very big event. It means emptying yourself completely. But that event should not take place at the physical level. You remain at the physical level and see me at the physical level too. You are at the lower level. As I had said in the Rajkot shibir (camp), all of you surrender your physical problems to me; you put them all on me. Arrey Baba! To surrender means to give them up to the Energies! First you should reach the pure level where problems of the Soul cannot exist. Why don’t you go to that level! Get to know yourself first, recognize yourself, because it is imperative that you know yourself. If you don’t do that then there will only be confusion ahead.

Think first – are you really attracted to my physical body? Think! And experience it. One can get experiences only through one’s mind (chitta), not through the eyes. You cannot experience something just by looking at it. Do you come to me only to see me physically? (only for darshan?) Is it because of physical attraction? Ask yourself! Is there any other relationship? Go a little deeper, go inwards. Which is that relationship which makes you reach me under any circumstances whether you wish to reach or not? This relationship cannot be only of one lifetime; it must be related to other past lives. Try to remember the relationship. A second mistake you make is that when you have my proximity, when I am before you, then you look at me. I have observed quite a lot of things in these 45 days. When I used to be in the proximity of some Guru in my lifetime, I would not look at the Guru at all. What was the Guru saying? What were the feelings of the Guru- image? What was his behavior like? What was the Guru saying? What was he speaking? There often used to be discrepancies. He used to say one thing and was actually quite different from within. I used to keep on trying several times to find out what he possessed that made me feel like sitting with him? What is within him that is attracting my Soul? My Soul which is like a witness could recognize him. Move a little within yourself; go inwards and search; shake yourself up, for you know all the answers. But only your Soul knows the answers, not your intellect. You will come to know everything about what the relationship is, if you just move a little inwards, within yourself. You will come to know what is beyond seeing, what is worth seeing and what is not.

I feel sometimes that my body is the barrier here; don’t think of anything new before it. If you wish to think then do so before this image (idol). There is no physical body or the delusion of the body there. The disturbance of the body, the behaviour of the body – there is a little difference between these two. I have understood everything after experiencing your behaviour. I have thrown open everything for you. What did I say about getting Liberation? I said that this is everyone’s last birth. Everyone will reach Salvation (Moksha). The reason why I am saying this is not because of you. But I am aware of the relationship between you and me. Just think over this subject. Think about the relationship, that I care for you. Arrey Baba! If I wanted to obtain Salvation, I would have done so 30 to 35 years back; why would I have come here? I have reached my destination and returned to show you the way!

These 45 days passed very fast in the proximity of nature before one could even realize it. How did I absorb Vibrations and Energy from nature? I will explain to you how this process also took place. The process of cleansing of the idol went on for 8 days. Then from each Thursday I started with every direction – East, West, North and South. I got the vision (darshan) of the Siddhas (those who had attained the state of Unity), Mahatmas (great Souls) and Gurus. Birds from foreign countries used to come here. That is why I used to tell the devotees that you should come here at least once for a visit; spend some moments here. I was enjoying the collectivity and that they should also do so. Secondly, I observed complete silence for 45 days. And because I remained in silence, such energy was created, that I would have gone deep within myself (in meditation) if I had not remained silent. I used to keep on writing messages in order to come out of it, and as a result a whole book has been written.

I myself am not aware of what I have written, because I was in no state to read again what I had written. And because I used to write continuously without stopping, I had to hold my hand with the other. I have never written so much in my whole life! I kept on writing- how I wrote! And the messages were coming with such force that I could not rest till I had put it all down on paper. During this 45 days undertaking, I would come to know about everything that was happening outside. I had written a message for Sanjay (Soni) and sent it outside, informing him that there was going to be a fire in the Ashram. Nothing happened there, but there was a fire in my cottage. Similarly I had come to know that an earthquake was going to take place. The question was where? I didn’t know. But I didn’t tell Sanjay about it because it was not at Dandi.

Thus if we pay a little attention to these facts; go a little deeper, then one can obtain indications in advance, hints in advance about future events. I could get isolation after 7 to 8 years. And those devotees and volunteers who served here for 45 days, all of them shared those days with me.

Namaskar!