& BAPA said... "The Enlightened Ones can chart the route, but it is you who have to tread the path.
An Enlightened Being may talk of food, but that will not fill your stomach.
Discussing water does not quench thirst.
It can only inspire you to look for water, reinforce your search for it.
Discussing hunger will augment it so much that you will set everything aside and look for food.
This is the only purpose of satsang.
By listening to the Sadguru's satsang and studying the scriptures, a deep yearning for God is created; a craving so profound that all other desires and passions are lost in it.
Only one desire, one goal, a single wish, remains and all energy gets channelised towards it..."
& BAPA said... "So long as you are asleep, so long as you are unaware even while you are awake during the day, it will not be possible for you to sleep with awareness.
Therefore, be alert, and consciously cultivate awareness.
As your love for awareness matures and your practice becomes intense, your awareness will bloom, and when awareness blooms, you shall attain a state of enlightenment..."
& BAPA said... "Sanyas has no correlation with age; it is only concerned with your inner readiness.
The moment one awakens and is ready to turn his back towards the world, to go within, that is the right time for sanyas; it may be childhood, youth or old age..."
& BAPA said... "Go close to a lamp, you see light. Near a flower, you smell the sweet fragrance.
Similarly, as the proximity with the Enlightened One grows, the light of knowledge and the fragrance of virtues sets in.
This is association with the Enlightened or Satsang.
The one who does so, clearly sees that focusing on the Self undoubtedly leads to success.
Abiding by the commandment of the Sadguru,focusing on the Self, he experiences Supreme Joy.
And that is why he does not forget the Sadguru even for a moment..."
& BAPA said... "So long as you believe that joy can come from something or someone outside, you will get sorrow.
Happiness is your innate nature. And by going within, you will attain it..."
& BAPA said... "Meeting one who has experienced the Divine marks the commencement of the spiritual journey.
Though the destination is yet far, and out of sight, He has seen it.
It is towards Him, that we move.
This movement of an unlit lamp towards a lit one is known as satsang..."
& BAPA said... "The Sadguru turns your dark, moonless night into a breathtaking full moon night.
He shows you your true nature and brightens up your gloomy life.
By the Guru's Grace alone, you realise you true Self and your life is filled with peace and joy..."
& BAPA said... "If you wish to progress, then to begin with, understand your own expectations.
Examine the roots.
Accept your faults instead of trying to hide them.
This is the first step on the path of liberation..."
& BAPA said... "You have kept all your hopes tied to darkness.
Untie them and the lamp will light up on its own.
It is waiting to light up but cannot do so on account of your attachment to darkness.
Many lives have passed.
You left the way you came.
Only if you become a true aspirant will there be light within..."
& BAPA said... "Owning an object does not make us possessive, but unawareness towards its effect on us, does.
To develop non-possessiveness, to remain unaffected by an object, the awareness of the self is very important.
we must seek it.
With the development of awareness and alertness we can realise the self..."
& BAPA said... "Discipleship is an elevated form of love.
No one can stop its manifestation, not even the Guru.
Therefore, the Guru does not make disciples.
When a disciple develops intense love, faith and a feeling of surrendering to an Enlightened Soul, his discipleship manifests; and the moment this happens, that Enlightened One becomes a sadguru.
That is why, it is said that it is not the Guru who makes the disciple; rather it is the disciple who makes the Guru..."
& BAPA said... "In order to realise the blessings of the saints, you will have to show your willingness.
You will have to become worthy of these blessings.
You will have to change your way of life because it is full of mistakes.
If you continue to live the same way, it will be impossible for these auspicious blessings of the saints to come true.
They can be fulfilled only when you desire so.
If you become religious in the true sense, you will inevitably become joyful.
To be ever-joyful is religiousness..."
& BAPA said... "Through your Sadguru a sweet echo has emerged in your heart.
You will be able to understand that echo only when you succeed in creating an echo in someone else's heart.
The Sadguru has touched the strings of your heart.
You will have faith in this only when you touch the strings of someone else's heart through religious discussions..."
& BAPA said... "The three forms of Divinity are in the context of the world; but a disciple experiences all these three forms in his Sadguru, in the context of his inner world.
Brahma - as a creator, the initiator of his spiritual world; Vishnu as the protector of his spiritual inclinations; and Mahesh as the destroyer of his obstructing tendencies.
The real sadguru is one who has all of these three forms inherent within him..."
& BAPA said... "It is essential to focus your energy to strive for a thought-free state through introspection.
By staying free of thoughts through the practice of meditation and making your inner disposition pure, the focus becomes subtle, calm, resulting in the attainment of self-realisation..."
& BAPA said... "When you fall in love with a great soul, your ego and attachment get diluted over time, and gradually they disappear.
The Guru is merely an excuse.
The main objective is to surrender your ego.
To look upon the Sadguru as the Divine is to surrender your ego totally.
To consider a living being, divine, amounts to shattering your ego into pieces..."
& BAPA said...of "Prayer is a serene state mind, and not some singing of a composition or chanting of a mantra for the fulfilment of a desire.
Some pray in the belief that if you ask with faith, you will receive it.
They believe that begging is praying.
But the Enlightened Beings say that if we entertain desires such as, 'I hope I get this, I hope I don't get that, let this happen, let this not happen,' and so on, then it is not a prayer, a millstone gets tied around the neck of the bird of prayers.
The wings of worship are clipped.
Now, the bird will not be able to fly.
It will struggle in vain and ultimately die..."
& BAPA said... "Why do people remain the same even after praying?
It is because prayer has been misconstrued.
It is unfortunate that the very word 'prayer' has come to mean, begging.
Asking for anything with faith is misunderstood as a prayer.
If we label a person who begs, as a prayerful person, then whom will we call a beggar?
For centuries begging has been carried out in the name of prayer, that is why such a prayer does not blossom in the heart to give joy..."
& BAPA said..."Keeping the soul in constant focus and practising complete non attachment, is the path of self-realisation.
All of the Enlightened Ones teachings can be summarised into, 'I am not the body, I am a separate entity that knows and sees the body, I am Pure Consciousness, I am the Soul.'
This should not be forgotten when performing any activity - this is the teaching of the sacred Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra..."
& BAPA said... "It is not that you are unhappy because God has written that as your destiny; nor are you unhappy as a result of your past karmas.
In fact, if God had charted out your destiny, he would have filled it with nothing but happiness.
And if karmas had the ability to make you unhappy, nobody would ever have been happy in the face of adversity..."
& BAPA said... "The cause of misery is not money crises, but identity crises _ one has not identified with one's Self, one has not recognised one's Self.
We remain a stranger to our own Self.
We know so many people, but we do not know ourselves!
Religion is the way to become familiar with one's own Self, a method to unite with our true nature, means to reach our own centre..."
& BAPA said... "Remember your past, but do not identify with it.
Look at it as if it has happened in somebody else's life.
Remain neutral like a witness; look at it as if it is being replayed on a screen.
Look at the role in that event.
You are merely an observer, a witness.
If you identify with yourself in that scene, you will feel like defending yourself.
Only if you see someone else there, will you be able to look at it neutrally, as a witness.
When this happens, your learning from it will be extraordinary, the realisation which you will attain will be wonderful.
It will change the course of your entire life..."
& BAPA said... "Prayer expresses itself in different ways, in the form of tears or as dance. It has nothing to do with the vocabulary. Words may or may not be present. Only that heartfelt emotional state is necessary..."
& BAPA said... "Divine feelings arise in the one who, by virtue of his surrender to an Enlightened One, looks upon him as God.
He does not care for what the world says or believes.
His transformed life is his prime proof.
He sees no exaggeration in addressing his Sadguru as the Supreme Soul!
Even the term 'God' does not satisfy him and he helplessly accepts his inability to find a better term for his Sadguru.
Thus, addressing the Guru as God is an exaggeration for the listener and a matter of self-experience for the speaker..."
& BAPA said... "A disciple asked his Guru, 'Do prayers reach God?'
The Guru replied, 'You have not understood the purpose of prayer.
A prayer is meant for you to reach God, not for your prayer to reach God..."
& BAPA said... "A prayer weighed down with demands is not a prayer at all. The sanctity of the prayer lies in desirelessness..."
& BAPA said... "Liberate your consciousness from the burden of the past.
Cleanse it of the filth of the past.
The solution is not difficult; it is simple.
With continuous practice, one day you will suddenly awaken, and your entire past will mean no more than a dream.
You will completely break free from it - detach yourself from it, and never again in life, will there be a reappearance of that stupor..."
& BAPA said... "In the interest of your own spiritual advancement, you should surrender to the one in whose presence all your thoughts subside, your preconceived notions dissolve and your mind becomes calm..."
& BAPA said..."How can reading or verbalising someone else's emotions be called a prayer?
That which is borrowed cannot be a prayer.
No matter how many times you repeat the words, if your heart is not moved or your dormant existence does not start dancing, believing that such a prayer will be beneficial is a mere illusion..."
& BAPA said..."The one in whose presence you realise that you no longer exist, is your Guru.
Stick to the one in whose presence all your barriers of 'I'ness start crumbling.
He is indeed your Guru.
Attain spiritual benefit by surrendering your love to that great soul, because it is rare to come across such a great person..."
& BAPA said... "Do not be in a hurry to renounce anything.
Renunciation is not the beginning.
The real beginning is the process of understanding.
First obtain an in-depth insight into the matter.
Understand how, where and why it arose.
If you develop correct understanding, the inevitable result is liberation from it..."
& BAPA said... "There are no rituals for love.
Where there are rituals there is artificiality.
Do you learn how to love?
When you study how to love, it becomes merely an outward act.
This kind of love is not real.
You are born with the innate ability to love; it is not necessary to study how to love.
This music is already present in your existence.
All you need is the opportunity for it to manifest..."
& BAPA said... "May we understand through the medium of the satpurush, the jewel-like-religion, as espoused by the Tirthankaras; permanently eradicating all misery and attaining the ultimate bliss of samadhi..."
& BAPA said... "Prayers seem to have disappeared from this world because they are taught, instead of being kindled.
By teaching, they have become artificial.
And since such prayer is not kindled from within, life remains empty and reeks of filth.
Never teach a prayer to anybody.
The very act of teaching makes it worthless..."
& BAPA said... "A prayer is meant for you to meet God.
It is different for everybody.
Everyone's expression of love is different.
Everyone's prayer may be different but the inner state from where prayers emerge, is the same.
Prayer is an inner dance, an expression of joy, a content state of being..."
& BAPA said... "Make death an instrument to attain immortality, self-realisation.
Neither fear nor love death, but use it to attain that which is beyond death, and you will triumph over it.
Utilise death to proceed on the inward journey.
It is not merely to be used as something to meditate upon, but to go deeper within.
If you are able to think about death, your life will take on a new dimension.
There will be a different meaning to life.
Your mind will start exploring new avenues..."
& BAPA said... "Develop the awareness of death and bring it closer to you, so that you can see it,contemplate upon it.
That observation and contemplation will give you entry into your inner self.
That reflection will create the new necessity for an inward journey, it will open the gates to your Inner Self..."
& BAPA said... "The Enlightened Ones say that it makes no difference whether death is two hours away or twenty years away.
Even if you were given twenty years, nothing would be accomplished.
You would not live longer, only your awareness would live longer.
That is to say, unawareness will eat into the larger part of your life.
Therefore, do not get cheated.
Awaken!
Be aware of death and make your life meaningful..."
& BAPA said... "If a prayer is a prayer, it is enough.
But the real question is, has your prayer come from the heart, or is it borrowed?
Is it something you have learnt or read, or has it come from within?
If it has come from the depths of your heart, then it is certainly enough..."
& BAPA said... "A true prayer begins as a request to change one-self and culminates in a tranquil, silent and thoughtless state of mind.
On the other hand, any request to change circumstances cannot be called a prayer.
That would be sheer begging..."
& BAPA said... "Something has awakened within the person who question himself, 'Can the life I am leading really be called a life?'
This is an auspicious sign, the begining of spirituality.
This is the first step in the journey, the first ray of light, without which the sun of enlightenment cannot rise in your life..."
& BAPA said... "There is no doubt that the teachings of the Enlightened are effective, but when your own knowledge, which has emerged from within, derived from your own experiences, is firmly set within your heart; then the delusion in your beliefs will definitely cease..."
& BAPA said... "Even in the sphere of religion we do not give up the habit of 'I' and 'mine'. We nurture the ego through religion whereas religion really means the dissolution of the ego..."
& BAPA said... "A disciple is one who is ready to lie down on the operation table.
He has such faith in his surgeon, his Guru, that he is ready to be rendered unconscious by him, even to have his stomach cut open by him!
He keeps the faith that, in his Guru's hands lie his true well-being, even if there is some pain associated with it..."
& BAPA said... "Every word of Shrimadji is like a priceless diamond; every letter an invaluable diamond mine. His preaching illuminates the path of liberation..."
& BAPA said... "The Guru takes away worthless things from your house and gives you a diamond.
He endows you with the eternal and robs you of the ephemeral.
You may feel that everything that you had has been destroyed - your dreams, your ego, your world, everything!
But he establishes in your life the Eternal, the essence of life, and takes away the ephemeral and useless..."
& BAPA said... "The enlightened ones bestow blessings. They only have flowers, therefore they can only shower flowers on you. They wish that your life be full of fragrance, that there be music and dance in your life, and that nectar fills your life... but only if you allow it to happen..."
& BAPA said... "Only a worthy seeker is able to recognise and develop certainty about the Enlightened One..."
& BAPA said... "The one who puts in an effort towards being steady in his true self is religious..."
& BAPA said... The grace of the Guru is endless indeed, and the way he showers his grace is simply amazing too!
