[When the soul prays to God, it must remember all the past favors granted by Him and this is called 'remembering the past' (Kṛtajñatā), which is the true expression of gratefulness for the favors of God. If the soul forgets the past, it is termed 'forgetting the past' (Kṛtaghnatā). Look back at your life—there are hundreds of incidents, where God has helped you. Even if some incidents are dismissed as mere probability of success or the efficiency of your own efforts, there are certainly many instances, where God’s help is clearly evident. At least remember those few incidents and express gratefulness along with praise to God for His kind help already given. Due to inherent selfishness, souls usually remember only the present burning problems and rush to God for relief. In the mind of every soul, the present dominates while the past is forgotten. After asking about the present in prayer, the soul may even add future wants, such as asking God to prevent problems ahead. Thus, a soul is always conscious of present and future only, completely neglecting the past when praying. But if the soul remembers only the past and prays to God for favors already done, God will immediately act regarding the present and future, since they were not asked.]

[Every devotee must prepare one’s own personal specific list of thanks to God for the past favors granted by God in the devotee’s personal life and pray to Him as frequently as possible, reading such personal list before the photo of God. Every devotee must be careful not to present the present wants or the future wants. The devotee can read out in one’s own native language since God understands every language. I assuredly tell all devotees that God will be greatly pleased by such prayer. When you ask something in the present or future, it clearly means you are reminding Him about the corresponding reaction to be immediately implemented. This indirectly means God is not alert as you are, which is insulting Him. Due to such sin, your requirement is not answered. If you ask protection for yourself or others, it indirectly means He is unaware of what must be done, showing irresponsibility, and also implies that He is not as kind as yourself. It suggests that God has potency to help but not kindness to render it. On the contrary, it also means that you lack potency and if you fortunately had it, you could have responded immediately. Thus, whenever you ask anything, it indirectly means that God has some defect, which is absent in you. If you do not want to attain sin by insulting God, never ask Him for anything related to present or future.]

[When you ask God to fulfill a desire, it appears as though your desire is constitutionally justified. Yet God does not respond positively, either due to lack of immediate response, lack of knowledge of the constitution, or lack of kindness to help the needy. These points are very subtle. But, God is the most subtle and thus, the knowledge of this analysis will certainly restrain you from asking for fulfillment of desires. Never bring present or future before God. Confine only to the past before Him. The word ‘Kṛtajñatā’ (faithful) means remembering past help. ‘Kṛta’ means past help done. ‘Jña’ means identifying it by analysis. If you confine yourself to praying and thanking the Lord always for past helps, He will be immensely pleased. Then, the present and future are spontaneously taken care of by God. But, do not adopt this technique with the thought that God will help you in present or future. Truly follow this path and forget present and future.]

[To retain the identity of self is fundamental and not wrong. It is the basic requirement, without which one may be misled to think that he/she is God. There are devotees, who have even forgotten livelihood in the context of God. If one is deeply interested in some topic, he/she may forget meals. To remove selfishness completely, attraction to God must be intensified to the highest level. The power of attraction to God will break the soul’s attraction to oneself and other related selves. Selfishness differs from self-awareness. Self-awareness means knowledge of the reality of one’s own self and other selves. If one knows he/she is not God but only a self created by God, this is self-awareness. Selfishness means attraction to oneself and other selves. Generally, people think that attraction to one’s own self and a few other selves is selfishness. The majority believe that attraction to all selves in the world is not selfishness. This may be correct in a confined view, but in a deep and broad view, it is not correct. Attraction to one’s own self, a few selves, or all selves in creation is selfishness only. Attraction to God alone is not selfishness. Rising above self and a few selves to love all selves leads only to temporary heaven. Permanent place with God comes only by detachment from all selves and attraction to God alone. In attraction to God, there is no attraction to any self, including one’s own. Thus, selfishness disappears only in devotion to God.]

[One must have self-awareness during devotion to God. If self-awareness is absent, there is danger that one may think he/she is God. Earning livelihood belongs to self-awareness only and not selfishness. One must maintain oneself and other selves in the family so that the entire family remains alive to be in devotion to God. Without livelihood, the self disappears, thus one must maintain the self to preserve at least self-awareness. One can also help any hungry soul by providing food so that the soul maintains itself and becomes devoted to God. God created souls for His entertainment. The life of His entertainment is devotion, for which maintenance of the soul is essential. Hence, God created the natural instinct in every soul to earn livelihood for sustaining life. If any soul resists this instinct and does not act accordingly, such a soul faces God’s displeasure. If a soul follows the instinct, it co-operates with the drama of God’s entertainment. Selfishness lies in unnecessary extra earning for luxuries. Environmental sciences prove that luxury harms not only the individual but also society. Medical science proves that absence of luxury maintains perfect health of any human being. Thus, selfishness arises from ignorance of scientific knowledge. True scientific knowledge can eradicate selfishness and spiritual knowledge is not required for this purpose. Selfishness is the harmful love towards yourself and other selves.]

[Sacrifice is the best medicine for the disease of selfishness. Selfishness is the excess of love to self, which is the extra love. The love to self that is required for maintenance through earning livelihood is appreciable by God also. Attraction to luxuries shows unnecessary extra love to self, where love to God finds no place. When a water tank is full and overflowing, where is the space for more water to be pumped in? Thus, the heart must be vacant to be filled with love to God. The minimum water level, which is instinct for livelihood, is essential. To make a pump work for sucking ground water, some water must be poured into it. This poured water is the essential requirement for sucking ground water. Selfishness is not material to be blown away by physical instruments or forces. It is conceptual nervous energy in the mind and the concept is wrong. A wrong concept can only be removed by a right concept. A diamond can be cut only by another diamond. While cutting a diamond, another diamond is required along with force. Another diamond is true spiritual knowledge and the force is one’s devotion to God. Thus, right concept with devotion destroys selfishness. When selfishness is cut at the root, service to God becomes perfect and pleases Him. Service with selfishness brings no real grace, it only brings boons that increase selfishness, like fire growing with ghee. Pacification increases selfishness. True suppression happens only through the spiritual knowledge with devotion from the divine preacher. Then, service without selfishness fetches immense grace from God.]

[The spiritual knowledge is of two types: i) Knowledge of God, meaning information about the material of which God is made, the size and form in which He exists, etc. This is unimaginable as declared in the Veda. Even scientific logic leads to this conclusion. God is the generator of space. Space or anything cannot exist before its generation. God exists prior to the generation of space. Hence, space cannot exist in God before its generation. Without space, there are no spatial dimensions. Thus, God is beyond space. Since nothing beyond space can be imagined, God is unimaginable. ii) Knowledge given by God for humanity, which is imaginable and open to logical analysis. This does not mean that one must analyze God’s knowledge with doubt. Yet, it must be analyzed because divine knowledge is polluted by insertions from ignorant and selfish human scholars. Such inserted knowledge appears as if it were divine. Distinguishing divine knowledge from inserted knowledge is difficult, like separating fake notes from genuine currency notes in a bundle. The Reserve Bank provides procedures to identify genuine notes. Similarly, God has given intelligence to all souls, that is capable of logical analysis to distinguish between these two types of knowledge.]

[Everyone must use one’s intelligence in this context because it is the highest faculty that gives the right direction. God declares in the Veda that intelligence or Buddhi is the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle is the body, the senses are the wheels, the steering rod is the mind and the owner of the vehicle is the soul. The safety of both vehicle and owner lies entirely in the hands of the driver. If the driver is inactive, there is no movement. If the driver acts wrongly, both vehicle and owner perish. Thus, the right direction of body and soul depends solely on intelligence or driver (Buddhiṃ tu sārathiṃ...). Intelligence ceases to function under Tamas, where no activity exists. If intelligence functions wrongly due to Rajas or ego, the fate of soul and body is destroyed. Therefore, logical analysis is as vital as the driver in the journey for both worldly (Pravṛtti) or spiritual (Nivṛtti) paths. God remains unimaginable since the knowledge of Him is impossible to any soul. The Veda states that scholars attempt to know God through scripture (Tametaṃ vedānuvacanena Brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti...). The word ‘Vividiṣanti’ means they like or attempt to know God, not that they know Him. Yet the knowledge of God is possible to God Himself because He fully knows Himself. Hence, He is omniscient (Sarvajña). We speak only with reference to souls in this context (Sandarbha), which must never be forgotten. The word ‘Prajñānam’ refers to worldly knowledge for souls, but with God, it means both knowledge of Himself and of guidance for souls.]

[One must live in this world according to God’s instructions. Concerning the soul’s journey, the essence of these instructions is: (i) allow yourself to be deceived but never deceive others, (ii) endure harm but never harm anyone, (iii) accept insults but never insult others and (iv) bear abuse but never abuse others. Penance, even for centuries, may or may not lead to God. Yet, there exists the simplest way to attain Him: when deceived, harmed, insulted or abused, God comes to your side, meaning you have attained Him. Therefore, you should thank those, who deceive, harm, insult or abuse you because they have helped you reach God in the easiest way. You must not retaliate by deceiving, harming, insulting or scolding them. Their actions may be God’s will, serving as punishment for your sins. In that case, they have cleared your sins early, preventing them from accumulating interest. Thus, gratitude is owed to them. Some criticize God, claiming good people suffer unnecessarily. But, who can be certain that the one, who appears good, is truly good? Has any soul observed another from birth? Even if one observes, can anyone read the mind and intentions of another? Everyone considers themselves good, but is anyone fully aware of all sins committed since childhood? Even harming an insect in childhood may be forgotten. Mental feelings, though unspoken, are sins because thoughts are the source of words and actions. Intention carries weight in law: a planner of murder is punished more severely than one, who executes it for money. Accidentally killing an ant bears no punishment, but killing it intentionally brings God’s judgment. Thus, the mind is the true source of action.]

[Even if someone harms a truly good person, it is best to leave the matter to God. Seeking revenge is not right because no one can judge the exact nature or facts of any case. A person does not even remember all of his/her own sins. Sometimes a soul commits sin while believing it is doing good and therefore, no soul can be the standard for judging its own actions. Only God can decide. Thus, if someone harms a person, who is genuinely good in God’s view, God Himself will punish the offender. No one should take law and order into their own hands. In society, citizens must refer cases to the court, allowing the judge to decide and punish criminals. Similarly, revenge must be left to God. If revenge is justified, God will certainly punish. He will not punish merely because a soul prays for it, nor excuse a criminal because a devoted soul recommends an unjust case. A soul has neither the power to punish nor to excuse, since it is not omniscient. If a sinner realizes the sin and repents, punishment is reduced. If repentance is followed by avoiding repetition, punishment is cancelled. Without repentance, sins are repeated and such sinners can only be controlled by punishment. Some sinners require severe physical punishment. Otherwise, the police department would serve no purpose. If preaching alone transformed everyone, hell would be unnecessary. God mentions hell in every scripture because some sinners cannot be changed by love or knowledge. Every method is useful in its proper context.]

[Some argue that God should not punish the soul in this world. They believe that if a soul is not transformed here through the love and kindness preached by God, it should be cast into hell permanently after death. This is like saying a teacher should instruct a student and if the student fails, he/she must be executed at the end of the term. Such a notion is absurd. One should not insist that a teacher must never discipline a student with a cane during the learning period. In the same way, before final punishment, temporary punishments must be given to the soul. Just as interim examinations precede the final one, these punishments allow correction before the ultimate judgment. Interim punishments are therefore integral to the coaching process. God employs different methods of coaching in different regions, based on human psychology and attitudes. No one should criticize God’s procedure, even if it differs across religions or regions. God is universal, but human beings vary in their attitudes. The same God adopts different approaches in different regions, which appear as different religions. Some criticize the God of other religions, though one should never criticize God of one’s own or any other religion. God’s external behavior changes according to the internal and external behaviors of human beings. Since form, dress, language, food habits and culture differ regionally, God’s external expression also changes. But, the inner God and His essence remain one and the same in all incarnations across religions and regions.]

[Human beings are bound in the cycle of deeds known as Karma cakra. A thought in the mind is the seed that grows into action and every action inevitably produces its result. Even if one escapes the result of an action in this world, one cannot escape it in the upper world, where the result is more severe due to compounded interest from delay. Hence, blessed are those punished in this world because punishment reduces the thought behind the deed to a tiny seedling. But, the punishment cannot fully destroy the thought, which remains in the subconscious, even unknown to oneself. When the soul returns from hell to earth and enters a new body, the child carries qualities and thoughts from previous births, hidden in the subconscious. Thus, the child appears innocent with thoughts like ungerminated seeds. As the child grows, strong thoughts germinate into plants or trees depending on the external atmosphere, while weaker ones remain small. These thoughts lead to actions, which yield fruits and those fruits are punishments that again reduce the thoughts to seeds. This is the cycle of deeds. When one enjoys the fruit of past actions, it means the deed was punished in hell, reduced to a seed and now grows into action again. The judicial system itself functions under God’s will. Escaping worldly courts is also by His judgment for granting transformation or reserving punishment in hell. Thus, no one can fool justice. The only way to end this cycle is to destroy the initiating thought and only true spiritual knowledge can eliminate wrong thoughts.]

[God is the Father of all souls. The love between souls is only brotherly love, while the Father’s love is far greater. No soul should criticize the Father for punishing another soul since His aim is always to transform His child. In the war, Ravana was defeated by Rama on the first day. Rama could have killed him immediately, but Rama asked Ravana to go back and think that night. This shows that God punishes only as a last resort. Even then, His punishment is free from anger or hatred, serving solely as a final method for transformation. The goal remains transformation, unlike when a soul punishes an enemy without such intent. Thus, God’s punishment reflects His divine love and kindness and because of this sacred aim, He alone is authorized to punish. God is like a teacher, who disciplines a student for misbehavior. The teacher incurs no sin because intention determines the nature of action. Likewise, when one lives according to God’s instructions, God is pleased and grants happiness in this world. Such happiness is a sign of His grace and it extends to the upper world as well. God is the Lord of both worlds. If one is unhappy here, one will be unhappy there. If blessed here, one is blessed there also. Therefore, a wise soul follows God’s commandments and remains happy in every world.]

[When a devotee serves the Lord, he/she must be happy in sacrifice. Sacrifice offered with unhappiness displeases God and its result is unhappiness in the upper world. Therefore, it is better not to sacrifice at all if one is not happy. Why should anyone purchase unhappiness through sacrifice? Is anyone unhappy when he/she sacrifices for family members? Hence, sacrifice for God with force or unhappiness is not only wasteful, but also produces negative results. Even sacrifice for family members, if done with unhappiness, is futile. Thus, intention is crucial for God. Sacrifice must not be done with aspiration for return, for such sacrifice is mere business. Business with family may bring gain or loss, but business with God always results in loss. Therefore, one must live according to God’s instructions regarding other human beings and with regard to God, one must sacrifice and serve without force, pain or business motives. One must practically sacrifice both service and fruit of work (Karma Yoga) to the Sadguru or contemporary human incarnation of God, with awareness through the precious knowledge (Jñāna Yoga) that He is God in human form. While performing such sacrifice, one must act with submissive feelings (Bhakti Yoga) of shyness and fear, since donation is to God, who needs nothing. A beggar is in need of donation, so shyness and fear are absent in the case of donor of a beggar. But God, being omnipotent and beyond need, evokes such feelings naturally. King Bali donated with pride instead of shyness and fear and hence, he was suppressed by God. Yet his practical sacrifice earned merit, making God his gatekeeper in the lower world. This is impure theoretical devotion (Bhakti Yoga) mingled with pure practical devotion (Karma Yoga).]

[Ignorant devotees think that God possesses only good qualities called Sattvam (knowledge, goodness) and that Rajas (activity, passion) and Tamas (ignorance, rigidity) should not exist in Him since they are considered bad. The answer is that one should not say that God is associated with good qualities alone, but rather say that whatever quality is linked with God becomes good. Any quality directed toward God is good, while any quality directed toward the creation (world) is bad. Sattvam is knowledge, Rajas is work and Tamas is rigid determination. The knowledge of an atheist opposing God’s existence is bad even though it is Sattvam. The work of a devotee in divine service (Rajas) and his rigid faith in God (Tamas) are good. Knowledge itself is the work of the mind, so it is basically Rajas and belief in knowledge is Tamas. Thus, the three qualities cannot be separated in pure states. The scriptures (Śāstras) affirm this. When God created pure awareness, the three qualities existed in inseparable equilibrium. When the equilibrium is disturbed, one of these three qualities predominates and we call it by the name of the predominant quality. Spiritual effort to attain God must contain all three. The quality is neither in God nor is God in the quality. Any quality exists only based on God, who creates, maintains and destroys it. Creation is Rajas, maintenance is Sattvam and destruction is Tamas. The universe, asylum of all qualities, is sustained by God. Nothing exists without His association. God is beyond the universe and qualities, yet He uses all three for His divine play.]

To be continued…