Truth and the World

Discarding the path and wasting one’s life is an insult to the very name of the species! Instead of getting enslaved to the evanescent and the false, and wasting precious time in their pursuit, dedicate every minute to discovering truth and contemplating on the everlasting, ever-true Lord. Such dedication is the real function of the soul. On the other hand, spending time in illusory appetites is the drag of the world. One shouldn’t fall victim to the poisonous attractions of worldly luxuries or the wiles of seductive beauty. One day, all these fascinating scenes will vanish as a story unfolded in dream! The characteristic of a spiritual aspirant is the attainment of truth, not the search of the unreal in this evanescent world. In this false world, there can be no true living (sathya-achara). There can be only false living (mithya-achara). True living consists in the realization of the Lord. This must be borne in mind by everyone every moment of their life.

Baba (thought for the day)

Swami’s teaching and our world are not two different things, the difference is only to us and if we focus on real values or on that which is not real. 

If we focus on the evanescent and the false and we waste precious time in that pursuit, we forget the truth. If we are focused on truth, the world is still happening, only our focus is slightly different.

We don’t focus on the values which are not real and just passing by and there is no lasting reality in it, we focus on that what is real, ever-true and never changing.

And does that exist in a relative world in which nothing seems to have lasting value?

Such dedication is the real function of the soul.

If we watch and observe, we get in touch with the soul and our individual soul is not of the nature of change and darkness and the evanescent and false, it is of the nature of the light and it is permanent and ever-lasting.

Discarding the path and wasting one’s life is an insult to the very name of the species! Instead of getting enslaved to the evanescent and the false, and wasting precious time in their pursuit, dedicate every minute to discovering truth and contemplating on the everlasting, ever-true Lord.

Success with Six Precious Qualities

Embodiments of love! Where the six qualities of zeal, determination, courage, intelligence, ability and heroism are present, there Divine help will manifest. In any field, at any time, success is assured to the person endowed with all these six precious qualities. They help you confront various difficulties from time to time and contribute to your all-round well-being. Just as a student must pass various tests and examinations, these qualities are also subject to trials. Such trials are your stepping stones to high achievements. These trials come in the form of losses, troubles, pains, sufferings and calumny. Unfortunately, many students and elderly alike, lack self-confidence and have become a prey to peacelessness because of their involvement in sensual pleasures. Youth, students and everyone must develop self-confidence. In fact, self-confidence should be the life-breath of every person. Develop self-confidence and embark on the journey of life with faith in God.

Baba (thought for the day)

Six precious qualities and how do we remember them? How do we listen and think it over? 

Embodiments of love! Where the six qualities of zeal, determination, courage, intelligence, ability and heroism are present, there Divine help will manifest.

It does sound good, doesn't it, but we should remember it to make sure that it will be good. We can learn it by heart if we don't remember it and next time when someone asks a question about it, we know how to answer it and we will tell, there are six precious qualities like precious stones, we just have to remember it. 

We ask, how do we think it over? What does it mean to think it over and seeing it in our own life? 

External and Internal Control

External control helps internal control in many ways. To succeed in external controls is more difficult than to achieve success in controlling the internal! A turn of the steering wheel in one's hand in any direction makes the wheels of the car, which are not in one's hand, move in the same direction. The wheels won't turn in one direction when the steering is turned in another; this is the natural. But sometimes, when the steering is turned one way, the wheels may drag another way, but this is due to the giving up of the natural characteristic. The internal wheels, if they have no air, which is the true essence, may behave as if there is no relationship with the steering. But they can't go beyond the bounds of steering; the steering in the hand is related to the wheels below. If there is no such relation, the journey becomes impossible. Therefore for the one who has struggled with and conquered the external tendencies, the internal tendencies become easily controllable.

Baba (thought for the day) 

How does external control help internal control? 

We have to see it in our own experience or in our own life to understand it. If we don’t have the experience of the difference between external control and internal control, we have maybe the feeling to know what Swami is talking about, but in reality we don’t know, we just think we know.

We think we know the difference between external and internal control, but if we don’t have the experience of it, we cannot know it, it is not what we imagine in our mind.

External control helps internal control in many ways. To succeed in external controls is more difficult than to achieve success in controlling the internal! A turn of the steering wheel in one's hand in any direction makes the wheels of the car, which are not in one's hand, move in the same direction. The wheels won't turn in one direction when the steering is turned in another; this is the natural. But sometimes, when the steering is turned one way, the wheels may drag another way, but this is due to the giving up of the natural characteristic.

Engaged in Contemplation of the Lord

Aspirants are engaged in contemplation of the Lord (Sarveswara-chinthana) as ceaselessly as the waves of the sea; they accumulate the wealth of equality and equal love to all, and are content in the thought that all is the Lord’s and nothing is theirs. Unlike the regular person, the spiritual seeker won’t easily bend before grief or loss, anger or hatred or selfishness, hunger, thirst or fickleness. One should master all the above good things as much as possible and journey through life in fortitude, courage, joy, peace, charity, and humility. Realising that tending the body is not all-important, one has to bear even hunger and thirst patiently and be engaged uninterruptedly in contemplation of the Lord. Quarreling at every tiny little thing, losing one’s temper, becoming sad at the slightest provocation, getting angry at the smallest insult, worried at thirst, hunger, and loss of sleep — these can never be the characteristics of an aspirant.

Baba (thought for the day)

Work, worship, wisdom, the three w’s. The body level is work, it is writing, that is also work on body level and worship is the mind and if we listen, think over Baba’s words and absorb, it turns into worship and the result is wisdom.

The wisdom is in his words, by thinking it over and by worshipping, we get aware of the depth and the power in his words that transforms into wisdom.

Aspirants are engaged in contemplation of the Lord (Sarveswara-chinthana) as ceaselessly as the waves of the sea; they accumulate the wealth of equality and equal love to all, and are content in the thought that all is the Lord’s and nothing is theirs.

World and Heaven will Merge

This human birth is the consequence of countless good deeds, and it should not be cast aside; the chance must be fully exploited. As the Kenopanishad says, "This present precious life should not be thrown away (Na Chath Iha Avedheen Mahathee Vinashtih)". When there are many chances of saving oneself, isn't it a big loss if no thought is spent on ways of escape? The Kathopanishad exhorts, "Arise, awake! (Uttishthata! Jagratha!)." Those who are agitated by doubts about what to accept and what to reject, those who are blinded by illusion, and those who cannot distinguish between darkness and light, death and immortality —all these should approach great people who can show the path to understand the eternal truth, the self-illumined basis of all creation. Then both this world and heaven will be merged in the same effulgence! For the sake of this realisation, you should have deep yearning and hard, disciplined practice.

This words of Baba are wonderful, he is telling us why we should just go for it and do it and if we don't do it, we actually don't know what we are missing.

I hope you don't expect me to be perfect, as you can see I am not and I had some therapy work behind me and it was about the inner child and that is now about seven years ago and it was just the beginning as we just realize now.

We don't get it until we are there, but when we are there it is just great. I had during that workshop lots of insights and practically no answers, but I got the right insights by the man who is in our dreams to awake us and Baba said that he is the man who comes in our dreams to awake us. 

It is kind of amazing to realize that he from the insight told me what was not clear during the inner child workshop and now years later it makes totally sense.   

This human birth is the consequence of countless good deeds, and it should not be cast aside; the chance must be fully exploited. As the Kenopanishad says, "This present precious life should not be thrown away (Na Chath Iha Avedheen Mahathee Vinashtih)". 

Detach Yourself and You Will be Free

In our country, there is a peculiar method of trapping monkeys. This process consists of bringing a big pot with a small mouth and putting some material which is attractive to the monkey inside that pot. A monkey, out of curiosity would put its hand inside the pot and get a handful of that material. It will be trapped, unable to pull its hand out! The monkey imagines that someone inside the pot is holding its hand. Then it will attempt to run away along with the pot! No one is holding the monkey. The monkey trapped itself, due to its own attachment. The moment it lets the material go, it will be free. Similarly in this big pot of the world with narrow mouth of temporal pleasures, people are tempted! When they are lost with involvement in those pleasures, they think that someone or something is binding them down. No one is responsible for this bondage. The moment you give up the pleasures and detach yourself, you will be free! 

How are we free, if we don’t hold on to the thing in the pot like the monkey? 

The monkey mind is holding on to it and the bad monkey mind has probably hardly a chance to ever let go. That is how we learn to know the difference between monkey mind and bad monkey mind. No one is responsible for this bondage, but he one who is holding on to it and how do we tell a bad monkey mind to let go?

In a different age and century we probably would just have cut off his hand, so he would not be able to hold on to it.

Similarly in this big pot of the world with narrow mouth of temporal pleasures, people are tempted! When they are lost with involvement in those pleasures, they think that someone or something is binding them down. No one is responsible for this bondage. The moment you give up the pleasures and detach yourself, you will be free! 

The problem is for Baba it is a narrow mouth of temporal pleasure we are tempted to hold on to it, but you know for those holding on to it that mouth is not narrow and it is huge and they don’t listen to Baba but close both ears to not have to let go and if we don’t hear it we don’t have to feel bad about it if we don’t let go, don’t we?

I went on with my book, probably Baba was present as John Bradshaw’s work about the inner child and ‘Homecoming’ seems to answer about every insight I had with Baba during that time and even before. Do you expect to get answers in that way?

Where is Baba? He is everywhere, he is not only everywhere, he told us where he is, ‘you and I are we’, so first we have to be ‘we’ and second we have understand, ‘we and you is I’. Do you hear Baba how he is telling it, we find it in YouTube.

Remember the Divine Name

Look at the crane; it walks about pretty fast in water. But while walking, it cannot catch fish. When it wants to catch fish, the very same crane becomes quiet and stands motionless. So also, if you proceed with greed, anger, and similar negative qualities, you can never secure the fish of truth (sathya), righteousness (dharma), and peace (shanti). With any spiritual practice you observe, please add the practice of uninterrupted remembrance of the Lord's precious name (namasmarana). Only then can you master the natural attributes of greed, anger, etc. All the scriptures (sastras) teach but this one key lesson! Since the Lord is the universal goal and this journey of life has Him as the destination for each and every one of you, keep Him constantly in your view and subdue the mind, which makes you wander from the path.

Baba (thought for the day)

Like the crane has to stand still first to catch the fish, the mind has to stand still to be able get to truth (sathya), right action (Dharma), peace (shanti) and as we remember without those three we cannot experience ‘pure love’ and without ‘pure love’ we have no experience of divinity.

Look at the crane; it walks about pretty fast in water. But while walking, it cannot catch fish. When it wants to catch fish, the very same crane becomes quiet and stands motionless. So also, if you proceed with greed, anger, and similar negative qualities, you can never secure the fish of truth (sathya), righteousness (dharma), and peace (shanti). 

We know if we don’t meditate, we will never know the difference between ‘pure being’, non-conceptual and non-limited and mind and world, conceptual and limited beings.

If we observe, watch, he asks us to add the practice of uninterrupted remembrance of the Lord’s precious name, the mantra.

Expand your Sympathies, Serve Others

Just as the body is the house you live in, the world is the body of God. An ant biting the little finger of your foot is able to draw your attention to the spot, and you react to the pain, making an effort to remove the tiny enemy. You must similarly feel the pain, misery, or joy or elation, wherever it is evinced in the entire land; you must make an effort to protect the land from the enemy, however remote may be the place where the enemy has presented himself. Be kind with all your kin. Expand your sympathies, serve others who stand in need to the extent of your skill and resources. Do not fritter away your talents in profitless channels. Respect for the parents, who started you in life and brought you into this world which has enabled you to gather such a vast and varied treasure of experience, is the first lesson that Dharma teaches. Gratitude is the spring which feeds that respect.

Baba (thought for the day) 

I am reading the book, Homecoming from John Bradshaw. I read it before and I was always impressed by that inner child work and he uses a very spiritual way to explain it and we feel the spiritual background and he was a priest as well. He described the day before his ordination he left drunk all that behind him and he tells us in the book about the difficult times afterwards and how he felt and how he began that inner child work.

Years ago I did a workshop and we were groups of people talking to each other and all them seemed to have some sad stories and I still thought that my story was not that bad after all. I just wanted to know more about the inner child and believed that it was more interest and less about getting aware of that inner child, but it should end with a surprise I had not expected. 

During the whole time in the workshop I still thought that my life was okay and under control, whatever control, but I thought it was not that bad and I was looking for answers still on the experience and insight level, but somehow I noticed I couldn’t make myself clear and it was impossible to address insights and the dream stage and that was rather frustrating. 

The World the body of the Divine

Just as the body is the house you live in, the world is the body of God. An ant biting the little finger of your foot is able to draw your attention to the spot, and you react to the pain, making an effort to remove the tiny enemy. You must similarly feel the pain, misery, or joy or elation, wherever it is evinced in the entire land; you must make an effort to protect the land from the enemy, however remote may be the place where the enemy has presented himself. Be kind with all your kin. Expand your sympathies, serve others who stand in need to the extent of your skill and resources. Do not fritter away your talents in profitless channels. Respect for the parents, who started you in life and brought you into this world which has enabled you to gather such a vast and varied treasure of experience, is the first lesson that Dharma teaches. Gratitude is the spring which feeds that respect.

Baba

Here Baba calls the world with the body of God and he is the indweller. 

Everything is connected with each other. He asked us to feel the pain, misery or joy or elation as well and we should protect the land from the enemy, however remote may be the place where the enemy has presented himself. 

To be able to do that we need enough discrimination to know what and where the enemy is.

If we are kind with the enemy and not kind with our kin, we have definitely understood something wrong and we see our duty at a wrong place.

How do we expand our sympathies and serve others in need when we don’t know the difference between those in need and the enemy? If we have a lot of skills and resources we also should enjoy doing good to serve others in need and we should not focus on making the enemy stronger.

Do not fritter away your talents in profitless channels. Respect for the parents, who started you in life and brought you into this world which has enabled you to gather such a vast and varied treasure of experience, is the first lesson that Dharma teaches. Gratitude is the spring which feeds that respect.

Joy and the Heart filled with Ignorance

If a person is ill or if his mind is immersed in something else, the taste of food cannot be grasped. So also, if the heart is full of ignorance (tamas) or is wayward, no joy can be experienced even if one is engaged in remembrance of the Lord, devotional singing, recitation of the name, or meditation. The tongue will be sweet as long as there is sugar on it. Likewise, if the pillar of light called devotion continues to burn in the corridor of the heart, there will be no darkness. A bitter thing on the tongue makes the whole tongue bitter. Similarly when greed and anger enter the heart, the brightness disappears, darkness dominates the scene, and one becomes the target of countless griefs and losses. Therefore, those who aspire to attain the holy presence of the Lord must acquire certain habits, disciplines, and qualities. The usual ways of life won’t lead to God. They have to be somewhat modified by means of spiritual discipline.

Baba

More we think about it more we get aware of it why he said it, ‘we and he is I’. 

First it is about ‘you and I are we’, and the dream stage is not that easy to understand in thinking it over we get a feeling for it.

We experienced how to go beyond the mind in singing. At a certain moment it was clear when it was in the mind and from that moment on it felt like boredom in the mind and it took care of it that we kept our focus on going beyond the mind.
In the dream stage was the ‘I am that’, it means there is no difference we are all the same, it was also in Darshan. During the time Baba left the body during bhajans was that same ‘I am that’ in the air and it was above a devotee, but it was like the intellect needed just that mirror and it switched to all. It had been present first during Darshan in Ooty above Baba in the air and in the dream as we need another person to get aware of the mirror, both the same ‘I am that’ in the dream stage and as that lady was also the same ‘I am that’, it expanded to all, it was clear that all are the same ‘I am that’ and as it is said in the Bible, ‘I am the – I am that’. There is only one, the same it is in the Bible.

The Experience of the All-Pervading Divine Self

God is All-pervading (Sarvavyapi). He loves His devotees (Bhakta-Vatsala). Make your heart the Seat of the Lord. Soil which has veins of mica is valuable, but that which has veins of gold is even more precious. The soil is valued according to the preciousness of the metal in its fold. So too, hearts are evaluated by its contents. Keep God in your hearts; then they will become precious possessions. If God is implanted in the heart, you will see only God everywhere. For, Sarvam Brahmamayam (All is Divine) is a fact. Resolve this day to engage only in virtuous deeds, good thoughts and good company. Let your mind dwell on elevating thoughts. Do not waste a single moment of your waking time in vain boasting or idle gossip or demeaning recreations. While life persists, do good things, speak softly and sweetly, never injure or insult another, serve those in need and keep the image of God ever before the mind's eye.

Baba (thought for the day)

After the great evening with Baba's presence during the program in our Sai center I read just the first sentence letting it go down, settling inside in my mind and still only thinking, 'yes, God is all-pervading and how do we experience it.

That is for us the main thing, that is for us the question if we are happy or not. That is for us the question if we feel good or irritated, like something would be missing. That is on my mind remember last night still, seeing Baba giving Darshan as he had been years ago and admiring the beauty and love.

God is All-pervading (Sarvavyapi). 

That is all the associations coming up in my mind when reading that first sentence, only the first sentence, I still fell Baba's presence due to that Bhajan last night and it is a great feeling, there is joy, there is even bliss, but we have been that long living in his presence that it feels just normal and everything else when he is not present makes we feel restless and not normal.

He loves His devotees (Bhakta-Vatsala). 

The Evil just about Everywhere

Lord Krishna incarnated to destroy evil in a handful of individuals. But now, the evil qualities are not identifiable in a small group of people. They are widespread everywhere. The scorpion has poison only in its tail; the cobra only in its fangs; but people have poison all over them! They have it in their eyes, their tongues, their mind, their intelligence, their gait, their brain – just about everywhere. You may ask, "Oh! When will this poison be counteracted and destroyed?" When the Lord enters your heart, that is the very objective He will accomplish. Offer unto the Lord, the 'flower of your heart' (Hrudaya Pushpam), after cleansing it thoroughly of the dust and pests (desire, anger, envy, doubt, etc.) that infest it. Without effort, can there be victory in any field? Can you become a high ranking official without the appropriate qualifications of scholarship, talent, experience and wisdom? So persevere and succeed! 

Baba (thought for the day)

What does Baba tell us here, that Lord Krishna just incarnated to destroy the evil in a handful individual. It was another time. Lord Krishna incarnated in the Dwapara Yuga and Baba said as much as I remember that evil was in the same family. And Rama was in the Treta Yuga.

In the Kali Yuga, in our Yuga, it seems the evil is in the same body.

What he explains is that the evil qualities cannot be identified in a small group of people as they have widespread everywhere.

The scorpion has poison only in its tail; the cobra only in its fangs; but people have poison all over them! They have it in their eyes, their tongues, their mind, their intelligence, their gait, their brain – just about everywhere. You may ask, "Oh! When will this poison be counteracted and destroyed?" When the Lord enters your heart, that is the very objective He will accomplish. Offer unto the Lord, the 'flower of your heart' (Hrudaya Pushpam),after cleansing it thoroughly of the dust and pests (desire, anger, envy, doubt, etc.) that infest it. Without effort, can there be victory in any field? Can you become a high ranking official without the appropriate qualifications of scholarship, talent, experience and wisdom? So persevere and succeed! 

It is not possible to know the evil in someone, as it is everywhere.

The Devotee, the Formless Supreme and the Form

Explaining the characteristics of a devotee, Rama said to Narada, “Whoever with discrimination and renunciation (viveka and vairagya), and humility and wisdom (vinaya and vijnana) is aware of the knowledge of Reality, whoever is always immersed in the contemplation of My play (leela), whoever dwells on My name at all times and under all conditions, and whoever sheds tears of love whenever the Lord’s name is heard from any lip — these are My genuine devotees.” When the infant grows up into an adult, the mother won’t pay so much attention to its safety. The Lord doesn’t pay much attention to the wise one (jnani). For the jnani, their own strength is enough. Therefore, until one can rely on one’s own strength, one must be an infant in the Lord’s hands, as a devotee of the form, right? No one can become a devotee of the Formless Supreme (Nirguna bhaktha) without having been a devotee of the form (Saguna bhakta). 

Baba (thought for the day)

Baba is explaining the characteristics of a devotee and it is Rama who said it to Narada. We are in the time of Rama and Narada Muni was a wandering sage.

Explaining the characteristics of a devotee, Rama said to Narada, “Whoever with discrimination and renunciation (viveka and vairagya), and humility and wisdom (vinaya and vijnana) is aware of the knowledge of Reality, whoever is always immersed in the contemplation of My play (leela), whoever dwells on My name at all times and under all conditions, and whoever sheds tears of love whenever the Lord’s name is heard from any lip — these are My genuine devotees.”

It is a different time, the characteristics of a devotee has not changed, hasn’t it if we use those old stories as examples for our devotees in the present. Baba said, first discrimination, second seeing it in our own life, third going on no matter what obstacles are there, that is contemplation.

We have to be aware of the knowledge of reality with discrimination, renunciation (is going inside on the level of dream stage and not outside in the mind) humility and wisdom (no ego and using our intelligence) whoever is always immersed in the contemplation of My play (leela), listening to his words, seeing it in our life …

It is still about being aware of the knowledge of reality and where else can we find it than in his words?

Ego and a Rude Shock

Egoism is the most dangerous illusion that has to be exploded and destroyed. Even Arjuna had it! One day, after the battle when Krishna brought the chariot back to camp, he wanted that like all charioteers, Krishna should get down first! The Master must get down later, after the charioteer opened the door for him, isn’t it? Krishna refused, and insisted that Arjuna should alight before He Himself did. At last, Krishna won. Arjuna got down and then as soon as Krishna left His seat and touched the ground, the chariot went up in flames! If only Krishna had got down first! The fact was that the various fiery arrows that had the power of burning the chariot had hit the target, but due to the presence of Krishna, their powers could not manifest themselves. Seeing this Arjuna was humbled; his egoism received a rude shock. He realised that every action of the Lord was full of significance.

Baba (thought for the day)

If our dear Lord tells us we have to destroy the dangerous illusion and the faults within because the result is a faulty vision, we have to listen to him. If we think that he will give all the nice things for sense-gratification we are in the mind and it is the fault within.

He doesn’t give it to us for sense-enjoyment, he gives it to us to get aware of him and he is not the ego and if we get to the wrong conclusion that it is all about gifts for pleasure of the mind we are not on the level of meditation, but the level of the senses.

The first is the waking stage and in that stage we are with the help of the senses directed outwards into the senses and that is not meditation.

Meditation is directing the attention inside and we go with the help of the mantra inside and not outside, also the dream stage is in-faced and always self-contained, it is not the same stage, we cannot get answers in the dream with the mind.

If we fight in the dream a tiger, we cannot go on the waking stage and take a gun to shoot the tiger, we have to shoot the tiger with a dream gun.

But if we try with the mind to understand the waking stage and we get into mind conclusions, we do exactly that, we try with the waking gun to shoot the tiger we had met in the dream stage and that doesn’t work.

We are on a wrong level. 

On the waking stage we listen to our own mind and we listen to the senses, in the dream stage we listen to Baba’s words and that is why we have to listen, to contemplate about it to be able to absorb. Baba is in his words on both stages, the waking stage where he is talking and the dream stage which is reflected as Atma.

The Illusion has to be Destroyed

Egoism is the most dangerous illusion that has to be exploded and destroyed. Even Arjuna had it! One day, after the battle when Krishna brought the chariot back to camp, he wanted that like all charioteers, Krishna should get down first! The Master must get down later, after the charioteer opened the door for him, isn’t it? Krishna refused, and insisted that Arjuna should alight before He Himself did. At last, Krishna won. Arjuna got down and then as soon as Krishna left His seat and touched the ground, the chariot went up in flames! If only Krishna had got down first! The fact was that the various fiery arrows that had the power of burning the chariot had hit the target, but due to the presence of Krishna, their powers could not manifest themselves. Seeing this Arjuna was humbled; his egoism received a rude shock. He realised that every action of the Lord was full of significance.

The purpose of listening to Baba’s words is to think it over to be able to absorb. We can think we listen and we don’t listen, we just read it. How do we know the difference between listening and just reading it?

Egoism is the most dangerous illusion that has to be exploded and destroyed.

We remember our own ego and why it is illusion and maybe we don’t know it yet really and think that we will know hopefully in future. If that feeling is present, we project it into the future instead of listening now and ‘past and future’ are in the mind, present is Atman, knowing that we should stay in the present and not think we will understand it sometime in the future. Or we feel we are not sure what he means with egotism and why it is the most dangerous illusion and why and how it has to be exploded and destroyed?

Is exploded the right translation, would it not make more sense if we translate it explored, understood and destroyed? Or does it have to do with the picture in that story and Baba tells exploded because the chariot explodes afterwards?

Even Arjuna had it! One day, after the battle when Krishna brought the chariot back to camp, he wanted that like all charioteers, Krishna should get down first! The Master must get down later, after the charioteer opened the door for him, isn’t it?

Truth, Right Action, Peace and Pure Love

Those devoted to the Lord are full of love; they always stand by righteousness (dharma); they speak the truth; their hearts melt with mercy; they are devoid of wrong; they avoid sin; their nature is well-founded; they will renounce everything gladly; they eat in moderation; they are engaged in doing good to others; they have no selfishness; they aren't worried by doubts. They won't lend their ears to flattery but are eager to listen to the praise of the good nature of others. They have beautiful, strong, and holy character. True spiritual aspirants will endeavor to acquire the above qualities and possess a good character. Anyone who is engaged in repetition of the name (japa), penance (tapas), and sacred vows (vrata), anyone who has self-control (samyama) and discipline (niyama), anyone who has faith, patience, comradeship, kindness, and joy as well as unalloyed love (prema) towards the Lord — such a person is very dear to Me.

Listen, think it over and absorb. How do we get into listening and what is the difference to only reading it?

How do we get into listening? Often I read just the first sentence and I begin to listen.

Those devoted to the Lord are full of love; they always stand by righteousness (dharma); they speak the truth; their hearts melt with mercy; they are devoid of wrong; they avoid sin; their nature is well-founded; they will renounce everything gladly; they eat in moderation; they are engaged in doing good to others; they have no selfishness; they aren't worried by doubts.

Devoted to the Lord we read and first we think about yesterday, what was it, about faults within and we had to get to the conclusion that without being aware of the faults within, the wrong identification with the body is ongoing and we see that in the three Gunas, and in such a mind state we are not full of love.

Why do we stand by righteousness, because without ‘right action’ there is no ‘pure love’ and why we speak the truth? Without accepting truth there is no ‘pure love’. If we have to accept truth and accept right action and understand peace before we can experience ‘pure love’, the devotee has to go for it, no matter what. Right action is right action and not wrong action to make it right we have to know the difference from untruth to truth and it means we have to get aware of the faults within.