A really successful life!

Here are a few quotes from this speech.

• Recently my youngest son, Amar, asked me, "What is our religion?" Amar asked me this question. And I replied – "God is our religion." What other religion can be there? What is the need of a middle man or a broker between us? Whatever feelings are evoked in our heart for our God, are our feelings. Why should we hire the feelings of other people? And they also tell us how to worship God! … Nobody is required to be instructed how to love God, or to be taught how to worship God. – So what is Rawat's role to his followers and why have they paid him millions of dollars hiring him? If he is not the middle-man then He is either God incarnate or he is an irrelevant charlatan. If people do not require instruction then why does Rawat continually instruct them and insist they must need his "Knowledge" and why does he teach people how to worship him?
• Somebody is a devotee of his son and the other is of his stomach. And there are people who are devotees of the money. I mean, everyone is a devotee of something or the other. There are people who do not get a respite from eating. They are always after food that they have to eat. It is not really all that easy to see what Rawat is a devotee of. It looks like food of course as he has always been so obese but he has also been constantly requesting the money from his followers and then there is his obsession with owning his own jets and flying.

Dear Premies,

You know the year 2,000 A.D. is drawing near. Now it is the beginning of 1990, and all of us have got this opportunity to listen again. You have just heard a bhajan entitled as–

Tum sharnai ayo thakur…
(0' Master, I have taken refuge in you!)

All our saints and Mahatmas have put forward so many beautiful things, that there should be fulfilment in this life, there should be Knowledge in this life, this life should be made successful. All these things we tell each other, and also hear from others. But what is the purpose of all these things?

An oft-repeated story

I want to tell you a story. You will not be able to find this story in books. It's a different kind of story.

So here is the story and it is quite unconventional.

There is a boy and there is a girl. The boy is born somewhere. He has got his parents. The girl also comes into this world at-another place and she has her own parents. Gradually the boy grows up. The girl is also growing. In their childhood both of them play their games with their different kinds of toys and dolls. The parents of the boy provide different kinds of toys to him, while the girl is given other sorts of toys like dolls etc. They try to teach the girl womanly tasks like how to prepare food, how to knead flour or clean the house. The boy is

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also being taught in his childhood but that is something different. And all this is taught in a playful mood, and thus both of them are growing and learning all the while.

And in this story the boy now begins to think and reason, and goes to school. When he was a small child, his problems were few, but as he grows up, his problems become larger and numerous. The same is happening with the girl. When the boy has grown up, the people begin to tell him–"You better find a job now. You do this, you do that." So he tries to find a job. Sometimes he is able to get a good job and sometimes not. The parents also try to help him find a good job. So just try to visualize his position. Now he starts to feel something in his heart. But, well, the time is such a factor that doesn't relinquish its hold on anyone. In this way the boy and the girl get advanced in age. And then by some coincidence they realize that there is something in their hearts which insists that there should be something in their lives. That this life should be successful. But how to make the life a success, how can this life be made a successful one–that is quite incomprehensible to the boy, as well as the girl. And yet there is a feeling inside that somehow or the other this life should be fulfilled.

With these feelings both of them grow up. Nothing untoward happens to them. When they are of age, then by some coincidence they are united together in marital bonds with each other. And after sometime they have a child of their own.

So this is such a story, which you will not find in a book. Because this is your story. If you want to understand this story, you better have a look at your life. Then what happens after that? Then the boy goes on doing his job and his wife cooks food and remains in the house. Now, as they have their child, they love it. And they treat the child in the same way as they were treated in their early age. They also tell him to go to school. They also say, "You do this, you do that. When you are grown-up you will become this." Every mother says to her son, "Well, you are my prince. You will be a king one day." Just imagine, if so many children become kings then what will happen to that coun-

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try? Because there are already so many kings, so there is no need to have another king. But each and every mother wants her child to be successful in life.

Now, if any child doesn't study well, they admonish him–"Look here, my parents did not educate me quite sufficiently, that is why I had

to do service and then get education as well. And I am doing all this for you. Why don't you read and study? I had even to clean utensils in order to get education. There was not sufficient light in our house to enable me to read at night, so I had to go in the streets to study, where there was some light available. But every thing is available to you. So you must read."

Now, what you have taught and instructed to your child, that very child when he grows up will repeat the same process. He will also teach those very things to his offsprings. You are busy now in teaching him various things but the same process will be repeated in his life as well. Whatever has happened in your life will occur in his life also. Because the age goes on advancing, and the time factor is there to influence the life of everyone. The time is such an element which is never still.It never relents because a man is beset with so many problems in his life. Time never says, "Oh, this man has already got many troubles, so let me leave him alone."

Then slowly and gradually both the girl and the boy get older. These are the same children who were born as little babies before–so many years ago. Now they are forty or fifty years of age. They are no more children now. They have become middle-aged people. They have their own child now and they are treating him in the same way as they were treated in their childhood.

So, you see, this story will never come to end. Because everyone in this story is facing the same events. Everyone is destined to undergo the same fate. And then the time comes. It is the time when the Yama, the Lord of death knocks at the door.

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When it knocks at the door it means that it is the end. The death never leaves anybody. Look, there are two things unavoidable in a man's life. One is birth and the other is death. Nobody is free from them. If you are born, you will have to die some day. I mean, nobody is an exception. But inbetween these two factors of birth and death, people try to free themselves from the clutches of death. They try to become immortal. But nobody in this world is immortal. There are people who have got such names and there are sculptures of some people too, which have now turned into perches of pigeons. and you know, the pigeons come and sit on them and so those sculptures are now full of their droppings.

So, there are sculptures, no doubt about it. And some names of people are famous too, but neither you, nor those people whose names are famous today will be able to come and declare after their death–"Oh, that is very good. That is very nice that my name is famous!" The thing which could say these words that "how nice it is," which could brag, is now no more. It is quite immaterial whether people remember you by your name or not. That makes no difference. The element of earth has turned into earth, that of water has mingled with water and the element of air is also mixed with the air. All the elements from which this body was formedhave now fused into their mother elements. Then what else is left in this story?

This story is in fact a very boring story. There is no fun in it, no joy in it. There is nothing in this story which may interest anybody and induce him to like it.Which means that there is nothing worthwhile in this story. It appears to be a mechanical one. You are born, you endeavour, and then you die. Born, endeavoured and then died? Then what is there to enjoy in this story? And this story will go on repeating itself. The Creator by His grace

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shall go on creating. He will go on giving chances to every one. And till there is this grace, this story will continue.

But there can be a turn!

But there can also be a turn, a change in this monotonous story when a man tries to understand that he has got this life and it has to be made successful. And what is the meaning of this 'success' or being 'successful?' Well, there are two kinds of successes. One is a material success. In this success there should be a house to live in, a good job and a car to drive. Then of course a man is regarded to be successful, to become successful in life. But the saints and Mahatmas have defined 'success' in different terms. In this definition of success there is no car, no house, no fame. There is something else in that sort of success. Because there is a different kind of call in the hearts of all of us which cannot be understood by the mind. This clamour of the heart cannot be understood by the mind and on the other hand the call of the mind cannot be comprehended by the heart. Which means, they a e not on speaking terms with each other. The mind speaks a different language. It says that you should do whatever has been told to you to be done in this world. So apparently we are obeying someone else all the time. That is not our demand. That is the bidding of someone else. Those are the instructions and things taught by our parents, that–"Yes, my son, you have to become a big man one day."–And even if the son turns to be a dwarf, they will insist, "Never mind, you may be a dwarf but even then you can become a big man." And if the son has become very tall, 8 feet tall, and yet he is still an imbecile, even then they will insist, "No, no you will have to become a genius, a talented person."

It means that the Creator has not made us complete, so we have still to shape ourselves. But what more can we become after being created in our present form? People imag-

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ine that they will go to heaven after death. Now, I will tell you one thing. You take any of the religions. It may be Christianity. It may be Muslim religion or any other religion. And then you cut off this item called 'hell' from it. Nothing much will be left. Because they teach us, they tell us that if you will not do such and such things in your life, you will really go to hell. And what will happen to you in the hell? For that purpose every religion has a hell of it's own. Different kinds of hells. In some religions this hell is a very bad place. In others it is somewhat better but not so good. And there are such hells in which the victim is being boiled–boiled in blood! I mean, what a bizzare place this hell is? And they dictate to people that they should go to the paradise. They have to go to heaven. And what is there? "Oh, you will get delicious food to eat there. You

will get good clothing. You will get all those things you had imagined in your life to get, but had been unable to get them. Those things will be provided constantly to you." Therefore, if you take away both these items--viz. heaven and hell, then what is left there? If you cut off this heaven and hell business from the Hindu religion, then what is left in the name of religion?

The call of the heart

Recently my youngest son, Amar, asked me, "What is our religion?" Amar asked me this question. And I replied–"God is our religion." What other religion can be there? What is the need of a middle man or a broker between us? Whatever feelings are evoked in our heart

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for our God, are our feelings. Why should we hire the feelings of other people?

And they also tell us how to worship God! Just try to understand that if really a person has love in his heart, then does he need to be taught to love? Therefore nobody needs to be told how to love, how to adore somebody. Nobody is required to be instructed how to love God, or to be taught how to worship God.

You know, we have a dog with us where we live, where at least my children live. So there is a dog there with us not one, but two dogs. One has become very, very old. Sometimes we say, "Oh, he is a Mahatma!" But of course,he is a lifelong celibate! He is really a "Bal Brahmachari." Though he cannot see clearly being very old, nor can he hear things. And he goes on sleeping the whole day. Sometimes if he is so inclined, he goes for a stroll once or twice a day and then again goes to sleep. So he is a life-long celibate Mahatma.

And then there is the other dog who follows you when you go outside. He will start wagging his tail. When a dog wags his tail it means that he is very glad. Has anybody instructed him to wag his tail in order to express his delight? It is already known to the dog himself. He knows that this man will give me something to eat. And if I am faithful to him then he will give me food. And only for this reason the dog is in love with the man. Even if you scold him or lash out at him but go on giving him food, the dog will go on wagging its tail.

But I think, we human beings are at least more advanced than the dog. Do we not have that faithfulness in us? Have we become so much ungrateful to the Almighty above us, who is also enshrined in our hearts that we forget to wag our tail before Him in order to show our faith in him? If a dog doesn't require anybody to teach him this lesson, then why should there be someone to teach us? Because it is a natural feeling of the heart. Because we know that it is He who feeds all of us. He has provided food for everybody and He takes care of all of us. Then why should there not be a spontaneous feeling of thanks-giving in our hearts? It is not a thing to

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be taught. Nobody is required to be taught this feeling. But we often find people caught up with different kinds of feelings in them. Though such feelings are generated by the sole idea that this life should be a success. But the question is how this life can be a successful one? It is a fact that you have got this but what do you see in your life, what have you done which enables you to conclude that this life can be a success? What is that thing?

Love & devotion

People say, "Oh, we have to be devotees." Now, what is the mode of their devotion? Just have a look. The way in which people perform devotion is almost a routine. It they are able to adhere to their routine then everything is O.K. with them. For this purpose people want a model devotee, an experienced one, so that they may be able to emulate him in order to reach the stage he has already attained. For instance, there is a path to reach somewhere. And if there is a person who has already trodden on that path and he tells you about all the places you have to go and all the twists and turns in the way–where to move to the left, or to the right in order to reach your destination, then it is O.K. with them. That's why there are more temples of Hanuman than of Ram in India. And that is why there are few churches of Christ in foreign countries in comparison with his saints. Churches of the saints are many more. Because people think that if they are able to find the way by which anyone has already gone and reached his destination then they could copy him. But that is not devotion. It is called 'to tread on a beaten track'. The devotion is something else. And to become a devotee requires love. There can be no devotion without love. Love is essential for devotion. There are several things required for devotion. There should be experience and there should be true love. Devotion enjoines that we must have faith in us.

Look, the devotion is not such a thing which fluctuates all the time. Sometimes it may take you upward and sometime downward. And when it takes you downward then you should have a feeling of patience in yourself. It needs patience.

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So there are so many factors necessary in this process of devotion. And most of all–love. But where from will this love come? It will come from here–from our hearts and not from any other place. Not from books.

I emphasise that the greatest of pilgrimages exists in our heart. Just go and see. If you want to listen to a voice, then listen to the voice of the heart. Then you will be so much over-joyed. Because when you are able to hear the voice of the heart, the whole body is overwhelmed with joy. It is full of joy. Though we have learned to hear by these ears, but we have not learned to hear from our inner ears so far. We have learned to see with these eyes but have yet to learn to look by our inner eyes. We have already learned to love from outside but have not yet learned to love from inside.

Now, people ask, "Why is there so much sorrow in this world?" Look, the sorrow and happiness, both the elements are present here. If you climb such a wall which is thin and high at the same time, then there is a great likelihood of you falling from it. All the things in this world are the cause of sorrow, as well as happiness. If you indulge in the affairs of the world, you will have to face both of them. But there is another method to face this problem and that is the inner one. If you go inside, you will find that there is no sorrow. There is only happiness. But the outlook of the people is different. They consider things in their own perspective.

I don't know whether the things I am advocating here are being understood by anybody or not. But one thing is definite. And that is not written in any book. That is based on my personal experience. Whatever I experience myself is advocated by me. And that has to be listened to by the heart, understood by the heart itself. If you will try to listen with your inner ears, you will be able to hear another sort of voice.

So I was saying that love is essential for devotion. But what sort of love is required? For devotion

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some offering has to be made. But not the usual offering of sweets or fruits. That is another kind of offering which is made. That is the offering of love. Love is such a treasure from which the more you take out, the more it increases. But have you ever tried to make a search for it? Have you ever tried to find it, to know it? Have you ever even touched your treasure of love? And the treasure does exist.

Do you know to what extent the devotees have gone in their path of devotion? You just listen to their life history. For instance, there was Meera who was a true devotee. For whom did she choose the path of devotion? She chose it for herself, not for anybody else. Her devotion was true. Why was it true? Because she was able to understand love in it's true sense. Whether the love was small or big for her, that doesn matter. But she understood the meaning of love. Love is an incredible element. People call themselves 'premies.' Especially in India they address everyone as a premie. When they meet each other, they wish, "Premie ji, Jai Satchitanand!" But actually they don't know what they are saying.

A habitual response

It has become a sort of a habitual response, a matter of routine. Whenever they meet somebody who wears a badge or something like that, they will address and wish him–"Premie ji Jai Satchitanand!" Which actually means: '0 premie ji–one who loves–I greet you, and victory be to 'Sat Chit and Anand!' The Sat (existence, which is inside the heart of all, which is inside of all the beings), Chit is consciousness. Because we are alive, we have consciousness in us. If we would have died, who knows where the Sat would be? The body is cremated or buried and the consciousness leaves us. Because due to this consciousness we are able to approach that Sat. We are able to know that Sat. And when a human being reaches that Sat through consciousness, only then is he able to experience the bliss! And, therefore 0' premie ji, I applaud and glorify that Sat, that Chit. But now it has become a spontaneous, habitual proc-

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ess with them, just like people wishing each other–"Ji, Namaste!"

Many a time people go and participate in marriage parties. There they meet their different relations. Some of them may be junior in line. And it is incumbent upon the junior to make obeisance to all the seniors. He will have to touch their feet. But as it is a bit cumbersome to touch the feet of so many persons, they usually touch their knees only. I have seen it myself. It means that this show of respect is a mere pretext. Actually there is nothing like a feeling of deep respect within them. "Look, he is your uncle ji." "Oh, is he uncle ji?" And there goes the deception of a pranam (bends and touches the uncle's knee). "Well, this is your aunt's father." He also needs to be… (bows and touches the knee) "He is your grandfather and that is your uncle," and so on and so forth. "Please tell me what are you doing?" "Oh, I am just making an obeisance to him." "Is it your real obeisance or just a pretext of a pranam? What is the purpose of paying obeisance?" They don't know. They have got no appreciation for obeisance. Because it has now become customary that you do this and this in this way.

Just like a parrot is taught to speak. If somebody teaches a parrot to speak 'Ram Ram,' then what is 'Ram Ram' to a parrot and what is its significance to it? Will it be able to comprehend? If by chance a parrot is named as Tota Ram and if it is taught to speak Totaram" and trained to repeat "Totaram, To-taram" then just tell me what is 'Ram' to the parrot? Will it be able to know what is Ram or what is Tota (Parrot) and what is even Totaram? One thing it knows very well, that it should get its food regularly. In it lies its Totaram. In it is it's Ram and in it is it's Tota. And it also includes you as well, who is teaching it. That is all it knows. You ask it just to repeat Totaram and then give it food and if it doesn't say Totaram then don't give it anything. After a few days it will automatically start

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repeating 'Totaram, Totaram.'

They also teach rats in the same way. It is taught that if it pushes a particular button, it will get an electric shock. And if it pushes the second button, it will get something to eat. Do you know what that rat will do? The rat is such a small creature, and you can easily imagine the size of its brain. But even that tiny rat is able to learn tricks. And after sometime it will learn not to push that button which gives it an electric shock. It will begin to push only that button which gets it food.

But the man is such a rat that although he has got such a big brain, but still he goes on pushing the first button in order to get shocks generated by the electric current. Even after knowing that if he pushes that other button, he will get something to eat, he goes on invariably pushing that very button which gives him shocks constantly. And there is that rat which is getting fatter and fatter every day and the man on his part says, "Oh, why am I being so much tortured? Why am I being tormented?" Even if somebody says, "Well, have you ever pushed the second button and observed results?" he will say, "Oh yes, I have pushed it and experienced the result." "Then why are you pushing this one? Why are you still pushing this button?" His reply would be, "Oh, what can I do?It has to be pushed." Please tell me where it has been written that you have to push that very button? Where has it been written that a human being has to remain always miserable?

Heaven and hell

There is one thing which is understood very well. People say that if you want to go to heaven, you should reap the fruits of your good and bad deeds here. Then you will be able to go to heaven. But if you take out this item of 'heaven' from the list of their achievements, then what is left there? Because whatever they do here is for the sake of heaven. They go to the temples with various kinds of offerings to the deity. Some people get the worship performed by somebody else in order to reach heaven. And I have seen people. Whoever comes to the city would say, "I give this. I give that," and then want a ticket for heaven in return of their offerings. Do you know about tickets? People insist, "Oh, give me a ticket or anything which may enable me to enter heaven." They will make provision for several tickets in case of some eventuality. If they are unable to enter with that ticket, they will produce another one. And if that doesn't work, then a third one, and a fourth one will be produced. They have a notion that it would be great to possess as many tickets as possible in this world. Because at least one of them would

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get them through.

But I will tell you what the truth is. I know that many persons won't like it. But I have this experience and that is why I say this. That is why I ask: Tell me where is this heaven? The heaven is not elsewhere. The heaven is here! This earth–it is the greatest of heaven. There is no greater heaven than this earth where we are, where we were born, where we have got this life. You just forget about the heaven up there. There is nothing there. All has been put here–everything--here on this earth! And if there is the greatest of hell, that too is here and not elsewhere in this world. Therefore, the greatest of heaven and the greatest of hell, both are here. And it is such a hell, and it can hurt you so much that you just can't imagine. And there is such a big heaven, such a great joy here which is beyond anybody's conception! That too is here. So both of them are available here. The joy is also here and the men are here. The life is here and nowhere else. The sun rises only here. And the moon too. The view is here and the viewer is here. And the revealer too is here–not elsewhere.

The eyes have been given to look at things and the on-looker has also been created. And when he was created, he was given this life. He has been given the intelligence to distinguish between good and bad. This body which has been given to us is such a body, just think of it!

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You know, the point of a needle, how minute it is. But this body if touched by that point, at once reacts and finds out where it has been pricked by a needle. This body can experience even such a subtle thing. I mean to say it can experience everything including the tip of a needle. We can experience even heat and cold with it here–not elsewhere. And if this body is no more, what experience can we acquire?

The Creator has created everything here and gave us this life this body and said to man: You do whatever you want to do. There is no restriction. If you want to go to hell, you can be in hell while you're still living here. If you want to go to heaven, then alright, you can be in heaven while being alive here. If you want to get joy, you can very well do so. If you want to redeem yourself, you can easily do so. There is no restriction laid upon you, you can do whatever you wish. No restraint has been imposed upon anybody. It doesn't matter if a man has got his own ideas about God or if he does not want to believe in God. No restriction has been put upon such a person. If he doesn't believe in God, it is O.K. Even then this life continues. You are still able to walk, see, think and understand.

The tussle between heart & mind

Now when we have been given this body, what do we do in this life? Look, people pray to God, visit temples and other such places. What do they say there? Those who are childless, who haven't got any son or daughter, or who have more daughters or those who have only sons and no daughter… I mean whatever they lack in this world, they pray to get and in that process make such silly requests to God that you will be amazed. If a person has got a donkey, he wants a horse. If he has a horse, he would like to have a donkey. If someone has more sons or more daughters…

Well, when they had no children, they would say, "Oh God give me a child." Now, when they have got many children, they pray to Him to take them away without thinking of

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the consequences. A man who is a bachelor, will pray, "O' God, let me be married." And when he is married, the request is, "0' Lord, take this woman away. I now realize the futility of it. I will never commit such a mistake again." Because there is this mind, the man all the time craves for something or the other, tries to pray to God: "0' God, give me that." What should be given to you? This wealth? Really? Will it give you happiness? You will not get happiness by this wealth. You will be happy by the real happiness. You will get joy with the joy. Not from these other things. These worldly things will not give you joy. They cannot give you joy. Only the joy can give you joy. The peace can give you peace. You require peace in order to achieve peace. You do not require other things. And what does the heart wish?

The heart wants devotion. The heart wants that peace. And what does the mind want? What does it really want? It wants so many things. So first of all decide whether you are a devotee of your mind, of your brain or of your heart? If you are a devotee of the heart, then it is great. Because for devotion, it is necessary to be a devotee first. And everybody here is a devotee of someone or something. All are devotees, there is no doubt about it, but someone is a devotee of his wife and somebody is of her husband. Somebody is a devotee of money. Somebody is the devotee of a job. So everybody is a devotee here. But their pursuit is wrong. Somebody is a devotee of his son and the other is of his stomach. And there are people who are devotees of the money. I mean, everyone is a devotee of something or the other. There are people who do not get a respite from eating. They are always after food that they have to eat. Somebody wants more food and the other wants less food. Someone complains that he doesn't get enough and there is somebody else who says that he has already got so much beyond his requirements.

People make big pretenses. When I observe people, I realize the reality. I can guess what sort of a longing exists in their hearts. And I try to find out whether the craving

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in their hearts is real or not, or whether they are trying to fulfill the longing of their hearts or not. Or whether they are even trying to do something in that direction. Or whether the person is a devotee of his mind and tries to run where his mind takes him. Does he understand anything in his life or not? I find people so much worried, but where is this worry? Because the heaven is here and the hell is here too. All is here. There is no boundary of any son.

To Meera everything here turned into heaven. Meera performed devotion under very adverse conditions. During that period when so much restrictions were imposed upon her, her love surpassed all the torments of jail, the effects of poison administered to her and the taunting remarks made against her, and her heart became immune to all those restrictions and harsh treatment meted out to her and all that she had undergone turned into joy for her. For Hanuman also devotion was the real objective in life. He was a true devotee and he always obeyed his master. Because Hanuman had realized that such a love, such a devotion, such a Knowledge and the love for God was nowhere else to be found. That's why he performed devotion – the real devotion. People want to know the proof of his devotion. They believe that the proof of his devotion was that he brought a mountain on his shoulders. That is what most of the people understand. But no, this was an example of his strength. The proof of his devotion was different. Here is an example. When Ram is throwing stones in the sea and all of them sink in the water, he tells Hanuman–"Why is it so Hanuman that when you drop stones in the sea they float on the water and when I do, they sink everytime?" And it is a devotee who could say, "O Lord, what else do you expect? All those I dropped were bound to float, but those whom you dropped were destined to sink. What else could their fate be?" I mean, what a subtle ex-

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And it is a devotee (Hanuman) who could say, "O Lord, what else do you expect? All those I dropped were bound to float, but those whom you dropped were destined to sink. What else could their fate be?"

planation!

What is devotion? I was telling this to these Mahatmas also. When Tulsidasji was trying to find Ram and was asking people, "How can I meet Ram? How can I be able to reach him?" Then he was told about Hanuman, that he should try to meet Hanuman first and he will be able to join him with Ram. Now, who is Hanuman? How shall I be able to know who is Hanuman? Then somebody told him… Look here, the pandits and pujaris (priests) won't be able to tell you these things. They will tell you different tales, "Oh, he brought that big mountain! He stopped the sun. He swallowed it. He made such a big jump from the coast of the sea," etc.

Recently, last year I went to Egypt. There are some pyramids and they are actually mountains–all of them. They were not there before. Some people might have brought them there–brick by brick, one brick at a time. And now these days it is not a big problem to cross a sea. Hanuman was able to jump from India to Sri Lanka and then back again, but I have myself crossed such oceans which are 2000 and 3000 miles wide. It is true they were crossed in an aeroplane but they were crossed by flying over them. So I was thinking sometime ago that the plane which is with me may be named as "Hanuman, the son of Wind God!"

Because this aeroplane takes a jump also. It also flys and flys very fast. Most probably faster than even Hanuman! And then there is another aeroplane which flys so fast–its name is ' Concord'–it's speed is even faster than a bullet of a rifle. Recently a plane was made to fly from California to Washington in America. It was found that it flew three times the speed of the bullet of a rifle! So at this speed it will be able to reach India within a few hours. It will take not much time–at the most two or three hours. Therefore to take a jump is not such a big phenomenon. Now, they are erecting such big buildings these days. If Hanuman comes and sees them, he will be astonished and exclaim, "Oh, these are even bigger than the mountain I brought!"

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True devotion

But really what is devotion? If you want to know then take the example of Bhilni who had such a great love for Ram. She had real love. She thought, "Oh, my lord will come. So I better taste these plums, so that no sour plum reaches my lord." That is called devotion! That is called love! Not any expectation in her heart that he will give her something or she will get more money. These days the modem devotee's idea of devotion is, "Oh, let me find out whether the plums are good or not, otherwise the lord will give me less money in return." This is the modem concept of devotion. people want money that's why they show this religious fervour to perform all the rituals of devotion. They will ask their wives to do everything in a meticulous way, otherwise maybe the blessings given may get less effective and there may be some confusion in the process of getting a male child. So such are the concepts of people regarding devotion. But the devotion is reflected in the advice of a person given to Tulsidas: "If you want to meet Hanuman then look, it is Hanuman who comes to a Satsang before anyone else and who leaves after everyone." That is devotion.

Today we find that people have got no spare time to attend a Satsang–"Oh, I have no time." When anyone says to me that he has no time, then I get very much irritated. These days I get really annoyed, but previously it was not the case. You have the temerity to say that you have no time to spare? Is it yours? Have you any control over the time that you declare that you have no time? For what purpose have you no time? Will you have the time when you die? Then tell me, what for have you got no time? You have no time to practice Knowledge, to listen to satsang, to do service, to perform devotion? But of course, you have enough time for superflous things. Who wants to attend satsangs? People often look at their watches while sitting in satsang–"Well, what is

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the time now?"–When you go to a theater do you look for time? Who cares to consult the watch at that time? Because there is darkness in the hall and they get so much engrossed there, because that is the• devotion of mind and the result of that mental 'devotion.

When people go to watch movies, they often weep while watching them. Why do you weep, man? I went to a theater. The children pressed me to go there. I said, "I don't want to go." But still they persisted, "No, no, you come along with us." So they took me. And then while watching the movie they began to cry, I looked at them sitting here and there, and such big tears rolling down from their eyes! When I turned back in my seat, I found some people I didn't know. They too were crying. Why were they crying? It was a blatant case of cheating. They were duped, defrauded (by the cinema people). They took their money and made them cry too. If anyone comes and says, "Well, give me five rupees and I will make you cry," then who will give him five rupees? But there are many cheats in this movie business.

Now just see, the actor is crying in the film. But they are actually smiling inside. And why are they smiling? Because they will get so much money for making people cry. So there is, no problem for the actor. He has only to weep. That's why he weeps without any provocation or compulsion. That's why he is called an actor. And there you are, sitting with tears rolling copiously down your cheeks and feeling pain inside. Your throat is choked. Your eyes are smarting. Because you have been duped. You have been tricked into paying your money and they have caused you so much anguish as well. And what is your reaction? "Oh what a good film it was!" No wonder that there is so much sorrow in this world. What else can there be? The world which gives money to people to weep, what else can there be except sorrow?

Those people who conceive happiness in sorrow and weeping say, "Oh he is dead!" and they start crying. But look, he is not dead. That is only a film. He is still living and smiling inside. He is calculating all the while, "Oh, how many people will start weeping when they see me die, and how much remuneration I will get for it!" And the people outside, what do they say? "Oh, he is dead! That is very bad. What will be the result?" And they compose such songs in these films and create such an atmosphere that people go on crying and crying.

But all this is the sorrow of mind. If you will devote yourself to your mind, what else do you expect to get in return? But if you are a true

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devotee, you will find that there is no fraud in true devotion. The true devotion comes from the heart. When a person listens to satsang, what does happen? This is my own experience. When a man listens to satsang, the mind critices, "What is he saying?" Because nothing is being understood. And the heart says, "Oh-just go on listening, go on listening. I don't want to leave." And the mind is saying, "Now the time is up. Let go. It is too late." So there is a great difference between the two. The mind says one thing and the heart says another. Therefore learn to love. Learn to love–the real love. If you will learn how to love really, you will be able to attain true devotion. So try to do real loving. Love your Creator who has made you, with a true love in your heart.

Try to become a true student

And there is this Knowledge. Through this Knowledge you can reach your goal, you can reach your heart. This Knowledge is such a key which will let you reach your heart. So just reach there. Then you will get that joy. That joy is meant for you only.

Now, so many people have come here. Today is the first day. Tomorrow we will play Holi and then there will be a satsang programme in the evening. And then the day after tomorrow in the morning, and eve- ning as well, there will be more satsang program mes.And look, you people come here whenever there is a programme. You come and assemble here. Because I know one thing that whenever you come here, you return after learning something from here. You must learn something. It is not proper that you come, you take food and pass away your time in merry making and then return back home. So learn something before leaving. Here there is so much to learn, and if you really want to learn and if you can really become a student of Knowledge then become such students. And what sort of students? What sort of learners? Because there are people, such learners who do not utilize their time properly. So keep this in mind that in this life, if we are human beings and if there is some-

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thing to learn, then we should be ready to try to learn that thing.

There were two programmes this year outside India. One was at Los Angeles and the other one at New York. The New York programme was held just before this programme. People came and they sat and did the usual things such as we see here. People just come, sit and start talking with each other: "Hello premie ji, jai Satchitanand!" There they do not wish Jai Satchitanand to each other, but something else–'Hello' or 'How are you' and things like that. So this went on for sometime. And then people spoke whatever they had to say. Then the time came for me to speak. I went on the dais to say something. And I said: Well, listen, amongst you people there is no one who really wants to learn. There is no student among you. If anybody asks me this question today that amongst the premies who have received Knowledge, how many do you think are really those who want to learn? Then what I said there, I will repeat here also. And what will I say? Listen, I do not teach you anything just to please you. My purpose is not merely to make you cheerful. So this is not meant for pleasing you. But for some other purpose. Because you can learn. Because you can know Therefore, I will say frankly that there is no one. They are students only in name. They are simulating to be learners but they are not. Why is it so? What sort of learners are you?

I will give you an example. If a student goes to school and says to the teacher, "You just teach me this, this and this," then would you consider him to be a student at all? If anybody wants to go to a master,

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why should he go? I mean, what is the purpose if there is no desire to learn? First of all the desire to learn should come from the heart. Does your desire to learn really come from your heart? Are you really ready to learn? Or do you want to learn that which you want to learn?

Now as far as I can say, slowly and gradually the plant is growing. Though it has not grown as much yet, but it is growing gradually. And I think people are understanding things steadily. But really I would say that if you start learning, though you have not done so far–people will say, "Sir, I took this Knowledge forty years ago. Then why do you say that I have not learned anything?"

Shri Maharaj Ji used to give an example of a stone. It was about the stone which remained immersed in water for hundred years at a stretch. He said that if you take it out of the water and put it outside, it will get dried in just fifteen minutes. That stone which remained submerged in water constantly for hundred years will take only fifteen minutes to get dry. If there is sunshine and it gets sunshine it will at once become dry. There is no such thing as such that because it remained continuously for hundred years in water, so it should take at least ten hours or hundred hours to dry itself. No. That is the trouble with people. People want to learn that which is already in their minds. But in order to learn, to become a student the whole slate should be completely clean. There should be nothing written on it. Then the teacher, then the mentor will begin to write gradually on it–one word at a time. He begins to write and every word written on the slate is read by the man, the student, word by word. Then his heart gets overwhelmed and there is such a joy! Because there is joy in learning, in listening. So become a student. Become an aspirant–a true seeker, an aspirant of Knowledge, an aspirant of learning, an aspirant of life; and be an aspirant of that Creator. And if you become an aspirant, your life will be really successful.

Though it is the first day, but there is joy for everyone of you. And there are two days more. So enjoy, learn, understand and in it lies your well being.

Blessings to all of you.

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