Never dance to the World’s Tune

II

I have led a householder’s life. You also should live in the world, but there is no need to add to its degradation, and to your own. Women in the home should maintain it properly with cleanliness and tidy habits, look after the children with interest, and serve their husbands wholeheartedly. This is also a dharma – principle of righteous living. To him whose home is Heaven, the whole world is Heaven. How can anyone hope to realise the Lord if they declare they serve Him and ignore the needs of others? Does it mean that we dislike God in some forms?

Those personalities who are Truth personified never advise the seekers to leave their hearths and homes to take up vigil in the jungles and lonely places. This is not at all necessary.

When you meet a complete Satguru, competent is His method; laughing, playing, eating, wearing, you will gain salvation by following Him.

It is not a matter of leaving the condition wherein God has placed you; there is no need to change your location, but simply change your angle of vision. Bow down to the Satguru’s words, not His body only, or you will remain very far away – from Him and from your aim.

There is a very explanatory example of obedience during the life of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. There was a Jat farmer by the name of Bela, who came to Guru Gobind Singh and said, I wish to serve you. The Guru asked him what he could do, and Bela replied that he knew how to look after horses. The use of horses was extensive and common in those days, and so the Guru gave Bela the service. He worked diligently and with Love, and even the Guru saw the difference in the horses’ condition, and He asked, Who is taking care of the horses these days? He was told that Bela was the groom, and the Guru sent for him, congratulated him, and told him how pleased He was with his service. In further token of His pleasure, the Guru said, Come to me daily, and I will give you one stanza from the Jap Ji Sahib, to learn and digest. So each morning, Bela would go to the Master and receive his lesson, and then spend the whole day repeating the words with full concentration on his Master, while doing his work in the stables.

One day Guru Gobind Singh decided to leave early on some urgent work, and was about to gallop away when Bela ran up to the Guru and cried, But what about my lesson? The Guru replied, Oh brother Bela, do you not see the time or opportunity? and he galloped off. Brother Bela accepted what the Guru had said without question in his heart, and in all sincerity started learning the words with full attention – Oh brother Bela, do you not see the time or opportunity? Guru Gobind Singh’s attention had been so fierce when uttering these words that the full force of it went deep into them. The result was that on repeating them, Bela began to go into samadhi – began to leave the body. One of the senior disciples, who had long been chief reader of the Guru Granth Sahib and was the Guru’s constant companion, even in the fighting during the war, was a very learned man and would not only read but explain the words and their meaning. On hearing that Bela had gone into samadhi, he went to the Master and said, Maharaj, there is injustice in your court, for this Jat Bela who arrived here only a few days ago and who is an illiterate and understands nothing, has gone into deep samadhi; whereas we who are with you constantly even in the wars, have sacrificed our lives and lived under terrible conditions, and have studied the books for countless hours, and yet we cannot meditate as successfully as this man.

Do you understand what this all means? It is a question of the person’s attitude of mind. If you do not absorb the teachings practically into your very lives, you will gain nothing. It is not achieved by dancing and jumping around – professing devotion outwardly. Some people go as far as to say, ‘The Master came from Sat Lok and gave me fruit as a parshad.’ This type of people is only interested in impressing others – but this is how we can drift away from the Truth.

See what is right with your own eyes, and do not be led astray by the prattle of others.

This is what Farid Sahib means when he talks of the world dancing to its own tune.

He says further,

He does not dance who takes the Lord’s protection.

When you get something, be content with what you have received, and practise it properly so that it may increase. If you can find anything better than what you have been given, then I will also go with you.

Our Hazur used to say,

Whatever I had, I have given you; if you find anything better, you are welcome to take it, and let me know that I may also benefit.

So truly celebrating Divali does not lie in getting parshad or any outer action, but rather in taking the Truth of Divali into yourself and practising it. You will see that your life will change in a matter of months. If up to now you have not done this, and are not going to do it, you will remain in darkness. If you have done something and have received a little Light, but do not devote your full attention and do not practise It, daily in all expressions of life, you will not increase whatever you have.

I will now take a short hymn of Guru Ram Das Ji, on the subject of Divali – how to light the lamps of Divali within you.

“To realise God, we have sold our body to a Complete Master.”

The words are very clear; but why a Complete Master? Because today the world is full of people who are not what they profess to be. Who in fact is the Guru? The God Himself is the Guru. When Guru Nanak Sahib was asked about this, He said,

Shabd is the Guru, and the surat (attention) is the disciple.

In other words, that God-Power which came into expression is my Guru. Kabir Sahib was asked where His Guru lived, and He replied,

My Guru resides in the gaggan (seat of the soul), and the disciple in this body; when the surat and Shabd meet, there will be no separation.

To come into contact with that, our attention must rise above the senses.

Guru Gobind Singh has said,

The Ultimate God is One, know Him to be our Guru.

The Lord residing in each being is the Guru.

My Beloved is in each form, no place is without Him; I rejoice in that form where He is manifest.

We should respect the form in which He has manifested – such a personality never declares himself to be the Guru, but always refers to the God in him. It is a very valuable criterion. Whoever says, ‘I am a Guru,’ know him to be yet short of that very status.

Oh Bheeka, the Incomprehensible (Agam) is beyond speaking of or hearing about; he who knows speaks not, he who speaks knows not.

Kabir Sahib describes a Master in this way:

Kabir says we are the knowers of the True Home of your Father, and have brought the Lord’s orders.

It is a beautiful description. He did not say, ‘I am the Guru.’

Who is the Complete Guru? 

Through the Complete Guru, Satsang occurs (comes out). 

And what is the Complete Guru? He is One with the Shabd.

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Also,

He manifests Himself in the Guru, and distributes the Shabd.

It is that manifested God which joins us to Himself – that is the Guru. No son of man can do it.

Christ said,

I am the Light of the world, those that come to me shall never walk in darkness.

It is another criterion: whoever has got the Light can give It to others. It cannot be given by teachers of the outer customs, or by intellectuals, or by any scribe. But He Who is One with the Light can give the Light.

He Who takes the veil from my eye and gives the glimpse – oh Sadhu, that Satguru is to my liking.

When it says we have sold the body, it means that he has given himself over completely and has no further claim on himself. And he did this just to realise God.

Someone should make me meet my Beloved Lord; to Him will I sell myself; I am in torment for darshan of my Lord.

He does not make you a slave, but rejoins you to the Lord Himself. Another Master says the same thing:

Someone should come and join me back to God.

And how is that done?

A strong Guru drags the attention (soul) out.

He is full controller of His attention, and has become therefore the mouthpiece of God. By His single thought, ten, twenty, one hundred, one thousand, can be taken above the senses and shown the Light within.

There should be no misunderstanding of the term selling the body. Through the pralabdh or destiny karmas, God has joined one to a wife, husband, children, friends; so this body belongs to them. But the Lord wishes us to make the best use of it, by being pure and chaste, doing meditation, living righteously, and keeping His commandments; this is the true meaning of giving the body. It does not mean leaving one’s home, family, and so on. Why has the body been given to us? 

The feet of the Lord should reside in this body, and the tongue should repeat His name; oh Nanak, for this reason, take care of the body.

Keep it clean and pure, for cleanliness is next to godliness, but there is no need to be constantly decorating it. Furthermore, cleaning outwardly and remaining dirty inside is useless, for no matter how much perfume is poured on a garbage heap, it will never impart a clean refreshing fragrance. To become clean inside, he tells you that no sins should be committed through this body, and no bad thoughts should enter it. This is what it means to sell one’s body to Him.

Hazrat Ibrahim once bought a slave; it was the custom of those days. When he and the slave reached the house, Hazrat Ibrahim said, What would you like to eat? The slave replied, Whatever food you give, for I have been sold to you. The next day, Ibrahim asked the slave what kind of clothes he wanted to wear, and the slave replied, Whatever you give, for I have been sold. He asked for nothing and claimed no choice, for he knew his body had been sold and surrendered himself to the fact, fully resigned.

Complete obedience is the essence of selling the body to the Guru – it means nothing more nor less.

Christ told His disciples,

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Those who do respect the Guru’s words will most decidedly receive salvation.

Christ also said,

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Whatever words enter your heart, that much have you understood fully.

The words the Guru uttered have I tied into my heart.

But don’t just keep them there – they are not meant for repeating to others as a demonstration of knowledge; they should be lived up to. And how can one reside in his heart?

Keep someone in your heart, and you will reside in his.

If you think of a person, there is always a reaction. When the disciple remembers his Guru, then

Satguru gives protection with remembrance, through His very life.

His attention is His very life’s essence. Though He may be hundreds of miles away, yet He constantly cares for His children – through His attention. The more you remember Him, the greater will be the reaction. As you think, so you become; and if He is truly a Guru, you will gain Spiritual Uplift and salvation.

When one can hear sound and voice through radio, across thousands of miles, and can see images through television, then surely the God-Power which is All-Omnipotent, that same Power which is the Guru, surely that can manifest, if one’s needle is tuned in correctly. Just keep your thoughts towards Him and you will benefit from the direct radiation.

This body, this wealth, this mind, I have given to the Master.

It does not mean to give the body literally – that belongs to those with whom you are connected, as a reaction of the past. The Master guides your soul, so your soul should be surrendered to Him, not the body. By giving the mind, you should think as He wants you to think, and your wealth used for good cause – not for misuse, or to harm the lives of others. Share with others, and then eat. Think of everything as being the Guru’s property given in your safe-keeping, and use it in a like manner. If you do all this, what happens? You receive Par Brahm – God beyond Brahmand.

Oh brothers, keep connection with the Satsang, and all your wrongs will be righted. Even your earthly life will be a success.

So Guru Ram Das Ji is giving out some of His own life’s experience. You should know that He was a Great Devotee of His Guru. Devotion therefore is the keynote to success, for as you think, so you become. If you obey His every wish, your success will be beyond words. If He puts His hand on your head – gives you His protection –, then you have got His attention, and what more is wanted?

“To realise God, we have sold our body to a Complete Master; Satguru, the Giver, intuned us with the Naam, and our countenance radiated with this transformation of destiny.”

The True Form, the Master, gives the experience of God within us, through which our whole destiny is awakened. After more than seventy years of searching, Guru Amar Das Ji said,

I was very tired, performing all these karmas; then, without effort, I met the Satguru.

And what type of Guru is the Satguru?

When the Satguru is met, the eye can see and realise the Truth within.

It clearly indicates what the Satguru should be. But we must take our attention from outer things – give Him our body, our mind, and our wealth.

When King Janaka was given an experience by Maharishi Ashtavakra, he was also required to first give his body, mind and wealth. The king had announced that he wanted the experience, and it should be given in as short a time as it takes to mount a horse. A huge gathering of sages and holy men had been called, and a large stage set for the purpose. When the announcement was made, none of the wise men present had the courage to mount the stage and declare himself capable of giving the experience. Many could give fine talks, but only One Who is in Oneness with the Light can give experience of It. These are not words of pride – it is His daily work, or you may call it His vocation, and He has been commanded by God to this purpose. The Lord Himself works through Him.

So from all the great sages present, only Ashtavakra stepped forward and mounted the stage. His body was crippled and deformed in eight places – the name Ashtavakra means ‘eight humps’ or ‘deformities’. When the rest of the holy men saw Him come forward, they laughed and thought He must be mad. They considered His strange figure ridiculous, and His claim of knowledge pretentious, and were not impressed but amused. It was a rare thing, even in those days.

Where can you find such a person today? Go into the world and search for one. Many will give ethical teachings and repeat what is written in books, but Those Who actually give an experience of the beyond are very rare; there have always been only a few, and even now They are rare, but the world is not without Them.

But the amusement died into an embarrassed silence when in a calm clear voice, Ashtavakra turned to the king and said, If you want the knowledge of the beyond, then why are you sitting with a gathering of cobblers, whose eyes are only on my body? All the audience was ashamed. Then He asked the king, Do you really want this experience? The king replied that he did. Then, you will have to make an offering to me of your body, wealth, and mind. The king agreed. In those days, the custom of sealing agreements between men was to pour a little clear water in the person’s hand, and the ceremony was finished. These days, special stamped paper is prepared and typed upon, and even then there remains some doubt as to whether the man is being cheated or not.

So the Rishi said, You have given me your body – go and sit among the shoes at the entrance of this court.

By Indian custom, especially in those days, no one would dream of taking their shoes into a place of worship or respect. One can imagine the depth of humiliation for the king to have to sit among the shoes, with his followers and subjects in full view, sitting on carpets. But the king told himself that his body now belonged to the Guru, and in meek obedience went and sat among the shoes at the entrance.

The Rishi called to him, Oh king, where are you sitting now? The king replied, In the lowest place of all, with the shoes. The Rishi’s purpose was for the king to admit his place. He then said, As you have given all your wealth and possessions, then do not even think of them – they do not belong to you. The king saw his court and palace before him, and his mind wandered from one thing to another, so he closed his eyes. Then he closed his ears so that he would hear no sound, but even then his mind wandered about the palace and his kingdom. He again and again reminded himself that he had given everything to the Rishi, but could not still his mind. The Rishi asked, Where are you now? The king said, My condition is like that of a crow sitting on a ship’s mast. He flies in all directions but can see no land to alight on, and so returns to his perch on the mast, again and again. The Maharishi told him, You have given your mind to me, so do not flit around with my mind. 

Then for a while the king’s mind was stilled. Ashtavakra then gave His attention, and the soul withdrew, rose above body consciousness, and the Rishi connected it to the Light and Sound. The king was asked if he was satisfied, and he replied in the affirmative.

Even now, when Naam is given, the instructions are the same: to withdraw one’s attention from outer things and forget the body, etc., and then with a little attention the soul rises. The Maharishi then said, All right, I am giving all these things back to you – body, wealth, and mind – as a parshad, so deal with them remembering that they are mine. Think of the body as mine; keep it clean and pure. Think of the wealth as mine; share with those in need, and use it only for good purpose. Do not entertain any bad thoughts; keep all thoughts pure.

Do you all see the significance of this story? The same teaching is given now; it has not changed at all with the passing of time. It is true that the extent of our success depends upon how obedient we are to His words. If we can concentrate our scattered attention, we will become the controller of that attention, and in due course, the mouthpiece of the Greater Attention. What then will we not be able to do?! Though God is in us, we must become man in God and God in man; this is our aim. Whoever becomes that can then help others, that is, to see the manifestation of the Light of God in him.

He who thinks of the Guru as a human being will come back, birth by birth.

If the Guru seems to be a mere man to you, then what can you expect to receive from Him? Each man sees through his own spectacles: whatever colour the glass is, so will the vision be. In whatever manner you regard the Guru, your benefit will measure accordingly.

“The Guru’s knowledge attached us to the All-Pervading Lord.”

A Guru’s single thought can accomplish vast tasks. Masters are not made in a day; every Saint has His past, and every sinner a future. We can also become Masters – with proper help and guidance. When I was in England, two small boys came to me and I asked them,

What do you want, boys?

They both said,

We want to become Masters.

You have all received the gift – increase it – then you may be selected as a Master, by God. This is not an election by votes; the Lord Himself gives the commission. 

Furthermore,

He manifests Himself in the Guru, and distributes the Shabd.

It is not the kind of work that can be done through the puny power of man. Each man sees only at his own level; he makes mistakes, and then falls. Then he dances to the world’s tune, and others follow his example. Who suffers? One’s own self. What does the Master lose? Does a mirror care if anyone looks into it or not? – so become One with God, this is the very essence of all this teaching. Light can only come from Light. Merely pressing or rubbing the eyes to bring sparks through friction within the physical vision, or trying to visualise Light, will not give anyone a connection with the Light. He Who has that power in His attention can, in one sitting, reveal some Light in others – by withdrawing their attention from outside. This is the only method of connecting the soul with the Light, and that connection increases daily with practice. The Guru’s knowledge attaches usIn each living being the Lord is vibrating; get connected to the Guru’s Shabd.

“I would cut my mind and body as an offering to the Guru; all my doubts are removed by His word.”

I have explained that giving one’s body to the Guru does not mean that one loses it – and cutting the body and mind does not mean they are cut into pieces, but they should work only to obey the Guru’s commands. Why and how are the doubts removed by the Guru’s words?

The whole world is sleeping in attachment and illusion; when will the doubt be removed?

Maya – illusion or forgetfulness – starts when we become identified with the body, for then we begin to see everything from the body’s level. The body is made of matter which is changing every moment. The world is also made of matter, changing at the same speed. When two things, namely body and the world, are made of matter, changing at the same speed, they both appear to be still. Those who are one with them are under a grand delusion. For a simple instance, the world appears to be still, but in actual fact it is moving. We have bound ourselves to this illusion and all it means, with all its effects. How can it be removed? Only by rising above body consciousness.

Oh Lord, some Master-Soul should show me the easy Way.

Only then can the doubts be removed so that the Truth can be seen. The Master-Soul’s vision is correct: He does not dance to anyone’s tune. He can never see anything inaccurately, so naturally He will never do anything wrong, like the depraved man with his smoky spectacles. This is how a man’s character changes from bad to good. But only through the Lord’s blessing. How? By being attached in Love to Him in Whom the Lord Himself has manifested.

If you have good karmas from the beyond, you get the connection to the Name of the Lord.

The Guru never lives in an untrue way; He does not act and pose. When a person tells one lie, then one hundred more lies must be told subsequently, to cover up that one. This sort of thing results in party factions and other undesirable situations. It is not necessary for the Satguru to tell any lies; He will say what He has seen; and that is the Truth.

Kabir Sahib says,

You cannot describe Him Who is above all; but what the Guru gives becomes sweeter day by day. Kabir says, my doubts have been removed by seeing the Everlasting Lord.

It is a very clear statement which gives the situation exactly – if we are still in doubt as to what we should do, then what can be done? Having a lamp in the hand, still we fall in the well.

“In the darkness He lights the lamp when we love the Guru’s knowledge.”

Through getting attached by Love to the Guru, the darkness is dispelled; thousands of suns shine forth with the repetition of Naam. Due to the difficulties of Kali Yuga, this blessing is being given freely. In the past, many restrictions were imposed before connection to Naam was given. After many years of service, the Master would then give the first part of the theory, and so on. But the darker the age, the more Mercy does the Master extend, and today everyone receives an experience from the very beginning. This special concession is due to the bad condition of the world, which is drifting speedily into negativity. A Master would use any means to save the souls from such a terrible fate, but if the soul receives the gift and then wastes it – well, that is a tragic misfortune.

What is the Guru’s knowledge?

The Guru’s knowledge reveals the True Light, and the darkness of ignorance is split asunder.

Light appears in the darkness – the God manifests in the form of Light, and He in Whom the Complete Light is burning, is the True Khalsa – a True and Pure Disciple.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji says,

Know a Khalsa only when the full Light shines in His body.

He also says,

Khalsa is my True Form.

Also,

In the Khalsa I reside,

and also,

Khalsa is the Complete Satguru.

Finally He declares,

These are not words of imaginative lies; I take the Par Brahm Guru Nanak as my witness.

If you have done every other work but this, it will all be of little value; but if you do this work, all other efforts will be fruitful. When the Masters recommend the company of Saints Who can give contact with the True Naam, They do so with infinite purpose. It is a gift which gives benefit both here and hereafter.

Tie with the Gift of Life, which is with you here and there.

In the Hindu religion, when a man is approaching death, his people say,

Quickly light a lamp and place it before him, or he may die without first seeing the light.

People do not realise that the Light should be lit while living – within one, not outside. What is the use at the time of death, when even every-day consciousness is withdrawing?

At Hardwar in northern India, the pilgrims light a small wick in a boat of leaves and flowers, and set this afloat on the sacred River Ganges. If it gets extinguished by the water or a breeze, they light another and float it. The meaning behind this outer ritual is to show that to cross this ocean of life, one needs the guidance of the Light. But that Light is different; it has no wick, no oil; it cannot be overturned or sunk, and remains burning forever.

If someone lights such a Light, oh Nanak, he does not come round in transmigration.

And ahead there is Sound in this Light; it is the basic teaching of all True Masters, irrespective of religions.

“The darkness of ignorance is banished; through that Treasure lying in the house, the mind is awakened.”

The mind is steeped in illusion – a kind of sleep state – and can only be awakened by the connection to Naam.

“The Lord of Death will take reckoning of those imprisoning themselves in illusion.”

Illusion is like a guard with a bow and arrow, keeping the prison closely guarded so that those who have forgotten their freedom in the enjoyments may not escape. The Lord of Death’s toll for these prisoners is very heavy. When one enters a beautiful park, one is free to roam around, relax on the grass, enjoy the beauty of the flowers, plants and trees, but the gardener will deal very severely with anyone attempting to pluck the flowers or steal the plants. A True Sadhu is He Who lives in the garden of the world, but never thinks of claiming anything as His own. Those who live their lives according to their Guru’s commands and remember the Lord continuously will not be under the world’s influence with all its corruption. Those who have not the good fortune of knowing their Guru is with them, remain under the mind’s influence, and they eat, drink, and live according to the dictates of their minds. Even after meeting the Guru, there are those who remain under the influence of the mind.

He is a manmukh (mouthpiece of the mind) who does not recognise the Shabd, and knows not the fear of the Guru.

Such a man has no awe or respect in his heart, and often thinks of the Guru as being on his own level. At times he considers the Guru to be lower than himself; so what can this type of person receive?

The words of a depraved man are like a scorpion’s sting,

the pain of which is like the prick of a driving thorn, but it increases to an unbearable extent. So do not believe such people, as it will give unbearable pain in the long run. The worldly things were given with useful purpose – not for enjoyment’s sake. Those who go on enjoying will have to pay the price; he who plucks the flowers will get the fine.

“The unfortunates who have not sold their heads to the Satguru, will come and go in the world.”

One will go on coming and going until one surrenders one’s whole being to the Guru; and this means living in accordance with His wishes, thinking as He advocates. The keeper of the intellect is the Guru.

Maulana Rumi Sahib prays to God, saying, 

This intellect will turn my face from You; keep Your control on it, and I am saved – otherwise I am lost.

It does not take much time to spoil the milk! The intellect is like that. If your mind obeys the Guru one hundred per cent, you will know then Who the God is. Don’t let your intellect interfere in the slightest fraction with what you know is right. He who is willing to obey Him without a question will receive the treasure.

Naam’s perpetual song, precious jewel of the Lord, is in the Sadhu’s keeping.

You can also say that God has handed over His treasure to the Master. Then?

The Guru places it before him who takes His words as Truth.

To find a Guru Who can do this is the height of good fortune. Without good fortune, the Satguru is not met.

“Please, my Lord, listen to my appeal: I wish only to be at Thy feet.”

To be at His feet means to obey Him – to surrender unto Him. He would like to dye you in the same colour as His own soul. In deep humility He has said I want to be at Your feet. He is wearily acknowledging His defeat in the world; it is not a matter of force. It has also been said that by force you cannot get, and by force you cannot give. You can neither gain the Inner Knowledge by force, nor can you learn to leave the body at will by force. Whoever feels that he can achieve anything through force is welcome to try and see. All is in the Lord’s hands; if He wants to give anything, then you will receive. He most definitely will give to one who will surrender to His feet. Dwell only on the understanding that the Guru has given; imbibe the virtues therein, and as you think, so you will become. In this way you will absorb the radiation.

“Oh Nanak, the Guru looks after my honour here and hereafter; so I have sold my head to the Satguru.”

Our protection and honour is all safe in the Master’s hands – we have sold our heads and our attention to Him.

It reminds me of my own life, about 1917. There is potential for searching out the Truth within all men, some more, some less, according to the sanskaras – background. I used to enjoy an intoxication within, but after two to three months it would cease, for as long as a week sometimes. Naturally I would feel very unhappy during those periods. I went to many Mahatmas for help, so that the intoxication would continue and not break. When I asked for the cure from a certain holy sage, he said,

Yes, but you will have to give your head.

In my heart I felt that the giving of one’s head should happen with one’s own free will, whenever one feels it right, and not by order. Once a person has given himself, there is then no question of rights. But there, whoever searches will one day find, and Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji started coming to me within, seven years before I ever met Him physically. So giving the head must come with one’s own will and pleasure. You can be sure that he who asks for it, is hungry for it – and if he is in such a hungry condition, what will he be able to give? When I finally came to Hazur’s feet, with His Mercy I truly understood what is meant by giving one’s head.

Keep the Guru’s words always before you – they should become part and parcel of your life. You may ask why Hazur said I should do this Spiritual Work; it was His wish, that is all. The people are receiving the benefit, what better evidence is wanted? Property and other things can be given through official papers and man-made laws, but not Spirituality. Fire is lighted from fire, and Light comes from Light. Those who are getting the Light are receiving with Hazur’s blessing – I have not earned it. What did He see in me? It might be that I was very open – I never hide anything from Him. I used to see that He was seeing all my actions – that is really the truth of it. So, to have a clean heart is most necessary, for he who is one thing inside and tries to show he is something different will remain far from this True Wealth. If he has a small part of it, it will stop further progress.

So let each of our days be a Divali day; light the Inner Lamp. If you have any bad thoughts for anyone, stop them, and if anyone has wittingly or unwittingly harmed you, forgive and forget. There is no other cure. If you cannot forgive the misdemeanours of others, your progress will stop, for forgiveness and justice are different. Forget justice, and develop the virtue of forgiveness. Keep your heart clear; do not think badly of anyone, even if they have deliberately harmed you. And do not dance to the world’s tune. Protect yourself from lies and hypocrisy. Everyone has God within them, so have Love for all men. Do selfless service, and regular meditation. As is also usual on Divali day, the houses and shops are cleaned and decorated. Man should also clean himself inside, decorate himself within with the Inner Light, and sit in the Lord’s sweet remembrance. Then only can Divali be truly beautiful.