On the 8th and 9th July, Guru Puja celebrations were held in England for the first time ever in the presence of a living Satguru. This was a most wonderful event for the premies in this country, who knew how strong would be the love of the Indian premies at this time, and what danger there would be of us losing our Lord on the first aeroplane to Bihar. But the time had come and He was still with us. Great bliss and joy! On the 8th, a programme was held at the Hindi Centre in Leicester – an occasion for the manifestation of great love and a beautiful holy satsang in His native tongue. Arti was sung at the end, then the Lord drove away, His car bedecked with coloured cloth and flowers. On the 9th July it was the turn of the British devotees to arrange a Guru Puja celebra–tion for Maharaj Ji. He had only given His permission at the last minute because He did not feel that the English premies knew enough about devotion to be able to arrange such a festival. But they were persistent and our Lord relented. Three or four hundred attended this function with flowers and gifts for Him. There was much singing and dancing. There was great great happiness. Musical instruments were played. The premies who had just finished a hard day in the offices and factories of London were filled with a divine love which one would have thought impossible to find in this materialistic country. This was really a most sublime ecstacy, and greatly privileged were those who witnessed it.

It is said that the one who becomes a devotee or one who really seeks after truth is only he who has battered his head on the four corners of the earth and is tired of the world. Only he has got love enough to receive this knowledge, only he is tired of affections, attachments and the duties of this world, he is the one who tries to find this Knowledge. Well, for this man any festival is a common day; the biggest festival in the world is just another day for that devotee. But there are some special occasions just for devotees and the most valuable of these is Guru Puja. Actually guru means … you know what guru means … and puja means prayer. Prayer is not a good definition because we won't get an answer from prayer, but puja is done by the heart and not spoken by the mouth. And inspiration is such a thing that it comes only from the heart.

When a man slowly bows his head at the lotus feet of Satgurudev it is only a sign that a man has surrendered himself. As a word is only an indication for what that word means, so our bowing to Guru Maharaj Ji is only a sign that we are surrendering ourselves. Devotees have seen that this world is a sea with many little boats sailing upon it, a vast sea; and every time a high wave comes it takes the boat up and then down. One day money comes and we are happy and the next day it goes and we are sad. The devotee has actually seen this process taking place and he wants to be away from it. This is the way we can keep away from this process. With this Knowledge we can be away from worldly things and live in the world like a lotus. The lotus grows in muddy waters but its colour is never muddy – it is as clear as a rose. In the same way we are in the muddy waters of the world but we will not indulge ourselves in materialism. Because we are meditating our hearts will go miles and miles away from materialistic things. We will not love them. We will only love one thing – Satgurudev, God, Meditation, the True Way.

Actually Guru Puja was also held on the 8th in Leicester, and in Patna in India now thousands and thousands of premies are receiving the darshan of Mataji; the whole Delhi staff has gone there on behalf of me, and a photo is there representing my body. But not myself. This year you have broken the sequence for the first time in thousands and thousands of years. Whenever the Holy Master., has come into the world Guru Puja has been held in India but this year the sequence is broken, Guru Puja is happening in London and you are very lucky to have the opportunity, but because you've been away from Guru Puja for about two thousand years you don't realize this. A little boy can't speak English, he must learn slowly how to make a sentence, and so you will learn slowly and slowly the importance

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of Guru Puja, slowly as you come across, more and more, because now you are in the ways of Satgurudev – you are free from materialistic ways. You have been freed from materialistic ideas, and now you have to take an oath to obey Guru Maharaj Ji's orders because He will take us and guide us and our minds through the crooked ways of materialism. We have to obey Guru Maharaj Ji. He knows better than us. He knows better than anyone. If you tell a boy that a tiger is coming he will weep because he knows that maybe it'll be dangerous; and the boy's mother will see the tiger coming and protect her boy. In the same way Guru Maharaj Ji will guide us from the ways of this world; these ways are so horrible that wherever we go we weep because of them. A poor man will think that a rich man is very happy and a rich man will think that a poor man is very happy, but who is happy? The people think that the King is very happy and the King thinks that the people are very happy but who is happy? Only those who have devoted their lives, only those with Knowledge, who have actually realized what is happiness and what is truth. Only they are happy who have this true Knowledge and are meditating.

Lord Krishna was asked, "You are a yogi, you are a mahatma, why do you involve yourself in these materialistic things?" and He answered, "I am setting an example for people – I am in the world but I am not involved. People who are involved cannot do meditation, they do not have time.They are rich without being King". Lord Krishna said, "I am the King of Truth. I am setting the example". Does mercury become dirty When it is put in sand? We have seen a lotus growing in muddy water but do we see and smell just the lotus, do we just enjoy the beauty of.the lotus? No. Because we see the muddy water. We have not realized the importance of the lotus. So don't look at these materialistic forms. Has one got life in order to observe the good deeds and bad deeds of another? Have I the right to say a rose is good?

I have to obtain something from this world goodness. And goodness can only emanate from someone who is good. Who is good? The Holy Master. This is why it is said that Guru is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of the universe, that Guru is everything. Holy Sat Guru I surrender myself to His Holy Lotus Feet. That is why it is important to go to Guru Puja. Guru is not a word in a dictionary. If a devotee has a guru then puja is his life. Understood? He has seen that this Knowledge doesn't take a man into any religion–that is the first realization.

So know that Name and meditate constantly on that Name. Meditate and go on meditating and see what fruits you gain. When we sow a seed we don't know if the apple will be sweet or sour. So wait and meditate and see whether meditation is sweet or sour. And I'll bet you it will be sweet. A banana is never sour, it is always sweet; so a man who sows a banana knows it will be sweet. A lemon is never sweet, it is always sour, and a man who sows a lemon knows it will be sour. Knowledge has a sweet seed and it will also be sweet. Just meditate. All you need is water, mud and meditation. Satsang is water, and Knowledge is mud. Now our meditation has to grow as we grow, and watch for birds who are trying to take away the seeds. This is the deed, this is the task we now have to do. Side by side with the tasks of the world we must meditate.

And what is the importance of Guru? Suppose my father put £70,000 under the floor for me but I didh't know where. My father only said you can have it when you grow older. But suppose a man is living there who saw my father putting it under the floor – when I go to him and he tells me where it is then I can go and get it. Before, even though I was there and the money was there it was no use to me. So that man who shows it to me is very valuable to me. In the same way you are there and the Knowledge is there and–God is there, we are all there. But do we know it? No. But who comes into our lives to give us that Knowledge which reveals to us the Truth? The Guru. Only Guru. When Guru comes into our life He reveals true Knowledge and we are satisfied from our very hearts.

So now you must take this mission further. Keep carrying it on. Go on and go on. Don't think this road will lead you to hell. No. This road will lead you to heaven. And to reach heaven we must go up, not down. Up and up and up. If you want to reach heaven increase your meditation; If you want to reach hell decrease your meditation. You can go either way. Decrease your meditation if you want to go to hell. Increase your meditation if you want to go to heaven. Use the reverse gear and the car will go backwards, use the forward gear and the car will go forwards. Because of one thing only the whole thing is changed. So now we have to increase meditation and go to heaven.

Try and try and try. If the Americans hadn't tried they wouldn't have reached the moon. Only trying did it. When a man tried he made the car, when he tried he made the aeroplane. When a man doesn't try he never knows his own ability. In the Middle Ages they didn't have an aeroplane because they never tried to make one.

So it is when a man comes to Knowledge. Now he knows how to meditate. So keep trying and you will gain something. Slowly by slowly, if we really try, inner satisfaction will come to us.

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