Surrender and Acceptance | Thus Spake Babaji No.68

Babaji is asked questions on surrender and acceptance, working for world peace and how to sacrifice the ego.

Thus Spake Babaji - online Q&A, No. 68 -  A themed Q&A recorded on 20 November 2021, with worldwide participants.

0:13 Do we surrender our imagination?
7:32 Along with inner surrender is it also important to show outer surrender?
9:20 Should we work for worldly peace or should we accept the world as it is?
12:37 Is the ability to adjust and manage a part of surrender and acceptance?
18:27 The story of Jadabharata
30:43 Not to give up and renouce everything, but to mentally surrender
34:20 Sacrificing the ego

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Transcript

Discourse: Thus Spake Babaji - online Q and A No. 68
 Surrender and Acceptance
You tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9R0-SHSdxY
Recorded: 20 November 2021

Start of Questions and Answers

Question:   So, the theme is about surrender and acceptance.  But you talked about the imagination.  So, is it that we surrender up our imagination?

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, the real surrender happens when we can stop our imagination, because this imagination makes thoughts to arise, analyzing what is right and what is wrong, what is happiness, what is unhappiness?  So this is a very great fundamental question, but all of us will not be able to decide exactly what is the real happiness.  If all others are happy then how are you going to be happy?  If you want to put all others unhappy then you will become happy?   So these things are all never ending arguments can happen. Somebody might think, “I want to put everybody unhappy, I don't mind but I want all the world, so then I will be happy.”  Somebody might think, “God make everybody happy, only then I will be happy, until then I'm unable to be happy.”  So all these things, like what is the criteria to be happy?  So, this is why the happiness doesn't come or consideration doesn't happen - surrender.  As long as we have imagination, we will have, every individual has a definition for our own happiness.  I don't imagine anything about happiness.  But definitely whenever I have to pray, I pray to Divine, “Enough, enough, please let everybody be happy.  Let sufferings come to an end.  Okay, no problem, body is born and body has to die.  I agree with you my Lord, I accept.  But let them live happily, peacefully together like brothers, like one family, everybody in the world.”  How nice it would be.  They don't have to cut each other's head.  There can be so many other things that can sustain our life.  So that is how we have to try to live.  We pray.  I know that single-handedly I cannot do this, I cannot influence everybody in the world - to live, to have a universal, what we call it as universal brotherhood, means we are all one.  We all belong to one space.  That's what I have always dreamt in my own way.  Like, we belong to a small home.  But as we go on thinking where we belong, slowly our consciousness expands from a small home, small street to a big town and a big state and a big country and a big world.  And the space - means this realization has to occur for all of us.  We all live in one home.  In one family we are, and in one world, in one space.  So we all belong to space, that is one; you cannot divide the space.  You might draw a line, “This is my airspace, I don't want anybody else to come.  I'm scared.”  So that's what happens.  But space is infinite.  You cannot cut into two pieces with the scissors like that.  So we dream like that always that we all belong to one, “Let there be happiness,” but as many as possible, if possible everybody practice purification of their own minds first.  I practiced purification of my mind by doing tapas or meditation.  Not that I can purify somebody else's mind.  Nobody can do it.  No yogi or no guru, no master, they all have come.  But they have given clue, they have tried to teach the path - you have to meditate.  Our own Swamiji also said that “You meditate and know yourself, then your mind gets purified.”  That's what we try to influence.  If everybody can practice this purification of the mind, whichever way they like.  They can address the Ultimate Truth in whichever way, whatever way they want, and they can try to purify.  When it's purified means, that also has to be understood.  If it's purified, instantly it comes; “Let all beings in all the worlds be happy.”  A small ant is going, it has been made, but one let it be happy on its path.  Why should I disturb it?  Let me give way and at least I have the wisdom.  So let me not trouble by going on its path.  If possible, let me just take it away and keep somewhere else so that it doesn't trouble us as much as possible.  But if it troubles, then we have to defend, all these things.  There are never ending subjects these things when we try.  But at least if we all can meditate, that's one sentence, finally.  We all can be purified and the world can be happy.  So that is the surrender.  

   Surrender - when we surrender everything and accept the Divine is playing this world, accept what the world is happening.  Finally, that's when the peace descends, otherwise, we go in to head-on collision, “I'm not happy with whatever is happening in the world.”  Then we have to do that thing which can give us happiness.  That is the real criteria.  So you have to pray.  If collectively everybody can pray to that Divinity, maybe definitely that Divinity will grace upon us.  “Okay, all human beings are wanting peace.  Let me give them peace.  Let them have peace in their mind.”  That might definitely happen, but everybody has to pray in the right direction.  That's important.  So, all of you meditate.  And whenever you have to pray, the highest prayer is “May all beings in all the worlds be happy.”  Let us not simply ask, “I need a job, I need a lottery, I need this, I need that.”  Enough.  May all beings in all the worlds be happy.  That way you can surrender really, not till then.  Simply by bodily doing a saastang, putting our body on the ground and doing a big pranaam, “My Lord, my Guru, I surrender.”  We tell we surrender, but we don't surrender.  In the mind we keep entertaining some other ideas.  That is not surrender.  Surrender means when the mind becomes quiet.  So, when you meditate, a real surrender happens.  When you surrender, the Divine will take over your life.  He will take care of everything.  You will get to experience this, you will see this.  That is the surrender.

Question:   Thank You Babaji.  So, You seem to be talking about surrender being an inner surrender rather than an outer surrender.  But it's also important to show outward surrender, prostrating at the lotus feet of the Guru, etcetera?

Babaji Maharaj:   These are all the manners.  Like as a westerner, you'd like to shake hands with the right hand as a gesture of friendship.  So like that, namaskar - the COVID times, this was recommended by many people that this is the best thing.  So like that these are all the good manners, protocols and paramparas, what we call.  When we come to the Master we show that reverence.  So we do saastang pranaam - means with all the eight limbs and whatever we have in the body, whole body lies down surrendering – “I surrender my Lord.”  So, that's how it happens.  Like twenty years, mentally I definitely surrendered.  That's when I went on doing, didn't bother what I have to do.  So, whether we had to look after the mentally challenged boy or look after the children of Swamiji’s devotees, or dust, or buy anything for them – surrender, simply. Let this service go to Him,  I let my mind be quiet.  So then I had peace and it became quiet.  I saw everything happening according to His wishes, whatever He wanted.  So that is how we if we surrender, definitely we will get to see the Divinity that's working all around.  That will be revealed.

Question:   Thank You.  So, as we live in the world, should we work for worldly peace and to try and spread some peace around us?  Or should we accept the world is the way that it is and it'll never be at peace?  Or is there something in between?

Babaji Maharaj:   In my opinion, we all should try to work for peace.  That is what we want.  If the Divine doesn't give to everybody, or if everybody doesn't achieve or work for it, then we surrender - that's a different thing, we will leave it.  But if at all we have to work, we will work for peace, we will live for peace, we will die for peace.  Wherever we go, we will work out.  Sometimes in our lives, some other people created such conflicts.  All over conflicts, everywhere it's confusion, this person wanting this, that person wanting that, and some people living in the Ashram – they tell that “This has become mine.  And now this has become mine.”  Arrey. Somebody, some lady, some royal person, gave this to Swamiji so that anybody can come and do meditation here.  Swamiji wanted that.  He kept this as a Trust property.  But if anybody says that “This is mine, now I'm going to take,” what is this thinking of human being?  This thing, sometimes we cannot understand, we never thought.  I'm here since fifty years, forty-seven years.  Still, every moment I am aware I'm only a caretaker, a servant of my Lord, my Master, I have to take care of this Ashram so that everybody come peace.  Let me may be smiling all the time, forgiving people, convey my love, welcome them - they all come happily, let them sit.  This is for them only.  So, one day when the Master wants; “You have to leave man,” we leave that.  So if we protest, and if we don't agree then the body dies, then we have to leave.  We don't even know where we will go.  But we have to leave.  We are not going to take away this world with us, this property with us.  There is no other space station for us when the body dies.  For the body there is a space station, there is another moon, there is another planet we try to go.  Where can we go from the death of the body?  So like that we thought and we wanted peace for everyone.  We have always worked.  I have believed, sixty-seven years I have believed in peace.  From young age itself, I have always tried to work as much as possible, while defending my responsibilities, my things or my Guru, any such thing.  We have tried to work for peace, tried to make people see the reason.  If it didn't happen, it's the prarabhda, destiny, finally we recognize.  So all of us must live for peace and work for peace.  Collectively, if many people work for peace in the society, others can be made to listen.

Question:   So sometimes You talk about ‘adjust and manage.’  I've heard You say ‘adjust and manage.’  Is that part of this acceptance and surrender?

Babaji Maharaj:   Exactly.  Means if we see practically, things or everything may not happen according to our wishes.  We want everybody to live peacefully.  A dream I'll tell you all, you see. Every human being is smiling all the time and loving each other and just considerate to each other.  “Bhai I am eating, do you want to eat and I'm living here, you want to live peacefully.  Let us live all peacefully  Bhai.”Peace, peace, quiet, quiet! Just remember God and just eat your bread and remember God.  Work for your bread and remember God.  Like that let us all the time.  So if I have earned an extra bread, let me give this to you.  You also take.  Like that we have dreamt.  We all try to work if possible, like that one.  And then if still it doesn't happen, not easy to influence somebody else’s mind.  One person may not listen - he has his own arrogance, “Ah no, I don't believe in this.  I want to break the head of the other person and snatch that one.”  So then only we get.  We will have to adjust with such temperaments, mentalities in the world if somebody doesn't behave.  So whatever we get, we have to adjust with this.  Sometimes we get bread and butter, sometimes there is no butter and we get only bread.  Adjust with that.  So that is adjustment, so that we can be happy.  If there is butter with the bread also we are damn happy.  There is no butter available, only bread is available we are damn happy.  If the bread also is not available, damn happy.  That damn happy is always there.  That is the adjustment we learned.  That's what I have spoken always, ‘adjustment and manage.’

   Now manage also.  So whatever we have, we have to manage.  Five of us are there, brothers.  Only bread is available brothers, there is no butter, let us manage with this.  Let all of us have the bread.  At least you can fill your belly, sustain your body, you don't have to worry. But don't cry that we don't have butter today.  It's okay, tomorrow it may come, the day after it may come. That is life, we have to accept. We have to take dry rotis today, some other time it can come.  But the world is very funny.  Sometimes when we want, it doesn't come, when we don't want, so many people are ready to pour so much butter on our bread, but we cannot eat that much.  How much can we eat?  How much how much can we live.  This one property - in this one property in one room I can live.  How many rooms I can occupy, how many Ashrams I can occupy, how many buildings I can occupy?   Any one place at a time, that is all.  So understand this thing and adjust and manage and go, then we are always happy, whatever.  So people would have seen me, I have seen them - Babaji eating only the bread, there used to be no butter available.  So, we happily ate; there was no brooding.  There was no unhappiness.  That's it, fine.  Like that, ‘adjustment and management’ in everything of the life, not simply with the bread.  If we had to wait two hours for a bus, and then go also is there, and if we could travel in a car, it's the same.  So, there's no choice, we cannot help.  If we are unable to travel also, we had to wait.  For two years we could not go to America, we could not go to England, we could not go to Europe, or we could not go to Australia - adjust, manage.  So then we found this Zoom; we have managed to be with you all again.  God has blessed that live I am able to talk to you all, listen to your questions and just be with you all.  It's like, without traveling, the traveling has happened and I am here.  So that's how we adjust and manage everything in life as much as is possible.  It's your capacity now.  How much - from smaller things to big challenges also come; it can increase, it won't stay with just the bread.  There can be a humiliating and so many other things, big, big things can happen, it can grow, the challenges can grow.  How much that you can adjust and manage - you are happy.  If you are unable to be, you are not happy.  You have to develop, update yourself.  We are updating.  I'm not just sitting.  We are updating.  Challenges are coming, more challenges are coming, unexpected things happen.  We have to adjust, we have to manage with that one.  Okay, this person behaved like this.  He didn't like me, he went away, I have to manage without that person.  It's no problem.  Some other person wanted to come and suddenly decided not to come.  No problem.  We keep working as long as this body is available.  As long as this body is my friend, we will work.  If this body also gives away, I'm sorry.  More, further, we cannot do anything, like that.  So we keep adjusting, managing.  So it's your capacity, how much you can adjust, how much you can manage with whatever you have.  I don't have a helicopter but a car is possible.  So we had to adjust with the car and manage with that car to travel.

Question:   Thank You Babaji.  I've heard you tell the stories that I think Swamiji used to say to you about Jada Bharata.  I'm not sure if I'm saying that right - Jada Bharata, the story of the person who was very badly treated by his sister-in-law.  And I remember I think You saying that he inspired you the way he was surrendered?  Could You tell us about that please?

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, Swamiji used to tell this story which also comes in the Yoga Vashista, Vashista’s teachings to Sri Rama.  First, it begins with the dangers of the mind’s imaginations.  Because we have to understand in the beginning that whatever we imagine, that becomes the visualization, and we form our destiny to see the future in that way.  Body after body comes - one body comes and that dies, then next body comes, that dies, like that.  Again and again we are born and again and again we have to die, but every life of ours, our surroundings, our nature, our character, our culture, the things that we are going to experience, either a happiness or an unhappiness, a trouble or suffering or whatever it is, or peace inclination.  It all depends on what we would have visualized in the previous lives.  Any the smallest mistake, if a desire, even a little, an iota of imagination comes, that can put you into a trouble of another life undergoing all those things.  So, Jada Bharata was a sage who was doing tapas, totally peacefully achieving his quietness in the mind.  Then one day, near his ashram, a small child of the deer - it came flowing in the water, so he brought it, he became compassionate to that one.  He was very kind.  He tried to give it food and it stood up and it started playing.  He was very happy “At least now I have rescued one child of the deer, but poor child of the deer, what would have happened to its mother?”  So he understands when he sees the body of the mother, some leopard had attacked that one and killed that.  So this deer had become orphaned.  Now he starts looking after, for some time it is there. But slowly, slowly, he becomes so much attached.  So here, what happens?  It's okay, you want to rescue somebody, you want to look after somebody and take out from the suffering if there is nobody to look after, it's a good thing.  It's not a bad karma.  It's a good karma.  But you have to take care of your mind - do not get so much attached that you decrease your tapas now.  You start doing the meditation is decreased, your spirituality can get decreased and you are becoming attached onto the deer’s child.  That's what happened to that sage.  Slowly, slowly, his tapas decreased.  This Swamiji explained like this, “You see, simply he had brought it and given food, not bother mentally, that would have been wonderful.  He wouldn't have been troubled, and he could have looked after the deer’s child also.  But instead, mentally also he became attached.  You look after the world, you give food to somebody, no problem. You would counsel somebody who is in trouble, you listen if somebody is suffering, if they want to convey their sadness you talk to them, you listen to them, no problem.  But if I reduce my tapas and get involved into that one, I'm gone.”  That's what happened to the sage.  He became so much attached.  His meditation all reduced and he became attached to that, then he started thinking, “Without me how can this survive?  Only I have to look after.”   So we get into this ego.  As if the whole world depends on me and I have to look after the world.  The world is being looked after, man.  Morning happens, evening happens, the day passes by, it's going around the sun, and people are being born and they die.  And it happens.  This happens, that happens.  So many things happen.  Nobody really depends on us.  We have to realize - sun doesn't depend on me, that I can tell “O, sun, wait, I'm doing some puja, don't go away anywhere.”  That doesn't happen, nobody listens.  They have their own commands and they are all doing.  So this we have to realize, but the sage started thinking, “Who will look after if anything happens to me?”  And he dies.  His body had to come to an end.  He dies and then last moment also he is thinking about the deer’s child, “O what will happen to the child, who will look after the child now, my God?”  And he dies.  

 So that sat in the mind as an imprint, as an acquired habit.  Because of that, he was reborn again into another body.  When he was reborn, he was born as a deer.  But luckily for him, after all he had meditated for long time, a lot of purification of the mind also had happened.  So being a deer also, he had inclination towards spirituality.  Imagine, amazing thing, because he was getting attracted towards the monasteries, ashrams of the sages and the homa fire sacrifices they were doing.  That smell of the vibrations and things that were happening and the mantra chant, the sound effects, it was getting attracted.  So, it started living around the ashram, and other sages looked after it.  They used to give some food and throughout its life, it lived there and then died like that.  Like that, once or twice it was born but due to some tapas it had already performed, next life it was born as a human being.  So, that quietness had come back.  Consciousness probably had understood.  So it kept quiet.  Because as a deer also, it was going around the monasteries, listening to the mantra chants and watching the fire sacrifice, absorbing that consciously - it was blessed, it was born as a human being, but the mind was at peace, totally satisfied.  There were no wishes.  Whether it is only bread or with butter and bread.  So for that, to test that also, that's what the Divine works; when person achieves that, that is tested.  So such a person is put in the midst of such people who will trouble them.  So, we have to think always when somebody troubles us, they are God's agents after all; they want to test us, that how much commando that we have become, how much we can withstand any such thing mentally, peacefully, how can we do.  So it was the sister-in-law here, her brother, unmindful of the brother, because he did not talk to anybody because he was satisfied totally.  He kept quiet, he had nothing to convey, nothing to ask and nothing to talk.  He kept quiet, though everybody thought that he's an inert.  That's what the jada means.  So, Jada Bharata he came to be known, the inert Bharata was his name, that’s what he came to be.  So, sister-in-law put him to look after the cows and buffaloes, “This is all you are meant for.  You cannot do anything; you just go and look after and bring them in the evening.”  He used to just quietly sit absorbed in the Self and it all used to happen.  So that time, one day when the king's palanquin was going, procession with all the servants and the army, one of the servants who was lifting the palanquin of the king, he saw this boy. “Young man – Oh, this is some inert man.  He doesn't know what it is.”  He said “Come here.” He says that “Hold this.  I just need to meet my relative.  Quickly, I will come and join you after a few kilometers.  You keep walking.”  He accepted because whether his sister-in-law gave him any bread or not, he would never demand; he kept quiet.  When they gave, he used to eat whatever it was; it was the leftover or it was with butter or with no butter or it was given with affection or just thrown, “Hey come on! Eat this, idiot.”  Like that also, she would scold and throw it on the face of the boy and he used to eat.  So here, when this man said “Hold this, come on.  I will come back quickly, keep on moving.”  He simply held that one and started walking, lifting with the other servants of the king.  So what happened, the funny thing, after some time the king experienced the turbulence of the palanquin. Turbulence - he was wondering what's happening, nonsense.  He had his own stubborn arrogance; he looked out, “What is happening to you all?  Can’t you carry peacefully?”  The other servants said, “My Lord I don't know what this boy is such an idiot he is. He is jumping from here to here, and then jumping from here to here.  So that is why this turbulence of the palanquin is happening.”   Then he asked, “Hey, what is it?  Why are you doing like that one?  Then first time probably he speaks. “Your majesty.  I just didn't want to step on the ants and other worms on the ground.  I thought they also have a right to live.  Just wanted to avoid stepping on that.  That's why a little bit jumping is happening.  I'm sorry, don't mind.”  Like that he said.  So then the king realized he has so much of compassion and kindness to other creatures that are just small creatures for a human being. An ant or any such worm is such a small creature, you would be carelessly, arrogantly, “Ah step on it, who would care for them?  They don't have any right to live.” But he realized they also have a right to live peacefully, so that's why it's happening.  So king invites, “You come to my court,  I will take you there.”  Then when he spoke about other spiritual questions, such wonderful knowledge from Jada Bharata came and he realized “This is a Self-Realized soul, not simply an inert man who lived.”  So, that's what - when such a person happens, acceptance comes.

   Well now, statutory warning.  Don't take Baba granted that he will also keep quiet like that whatever you do, because you see, we learnt in these twenty years, if I keep quiet, they tried to catch hold off my neck, they try to sit on the head and they ask me to do this one, “You meet only these people, you give darshan only to these people whom I recommend.  If other people come, don't give, you don't have to give darshan.  They are not fit to come for your darshan.  You don't have to do.  You answer the question like this only.  You have to do this.  You have to hug, you cannot keep sitting.”  They wanted to dictate.  “OK, this is very troublesome.  My Lord, I will adjust with everything.  Now also, I will adjust.  Just let me do a little bit hissing noise otherwise they will make me do whatever they want in this world.”  So it won't be anything possible.  So then I had to learn.  Generally, I'm compassionate, kind and peaceful.  I don't want to trouble anybody.  I want everybody to live peacefully, but if they try to poke their fingers a little bit [barking noise] I have to do like that one.  That is also necessary what my Guru taught, Swamiji.  “Hey you have to some hissing noise.  If you keep quiet and soft, see? That person will take you granted and he won't even give you one day; you won't even get a bread also, mind you,” He used to scold,  Swamiji used to tell me. “Come and eat now.  I'm here that's why I'm giving, otherwise some other might not even give you bread,” Swamiji told me one day.

Question:   Thank You Babaji.  Difficult to follow that Babaji.  So, we have to understand about surrender, that it's not just give up everything and renounce everything and don't care about anything.  We still have to take care of the body because, for instance some have done tapas and starved …

Babaji Maharaj:  In Bhagavad Gita for this word, surrendering - tyagad shantira nantaram, means when you sacrifice, tyaga means; only when you sacrifice you get peace.  That's what Krishna said.  So many people get confused.  What is it that we have to sacrifice?  Is it the house?  Is it the money?  Is it the family?  Is it the town, that we have to go to forest?  Is it this body or what it is?  Nothing.  You just live a normal life, whatever way of life that you have adopted you have to live.  Like my mother said, “If you're sitting under a tree, you don't need money, ten rupees also you don't need.  But if you establish an ashram, monastery, fifty people are there to eat food and there is a telephone, there is this, there is that thing.  And if it's cold, you have to wear a sweater also, you cannot simply sit with a loin cloth.”  So all these things are there, we have to realize.  So we have to be careful.  We don't have to become greedy, but according to the need, adjust. But mind can keep quiet always.  Mind is not attracted.  If by force, after we put in an effort thoroughly to our satisfaction, if by force of destiny, that thing doesn't happen according to what we want, then we have to accept, finally,  “This is what the Divine wants.”  If Hanumanji wants to come and sit here in a smaller form, not in a big in the temple, “It's okay my Lord, this is the way you want to sit.  But we would have liked you to sit in a temple in a big way.  That would be nice.  Consider if it's possible.  But if it's not, well then we will accept.  I cannot bang my head on to the wall or to Your Lotus feet,  I will accept.”  But we have to try in this world, put an effort always.  Karma must not be sacrificed.  Swamiji said, “Did you put an effort to sit for meditation?  You are telling that the meditation is not coming even after ten years?  What were you doing all these ten years,” Swamiji asked him.  “Did you manage to just watch in-between eyebrows?  Did you manage not to analyze anything?  Did you manage not to repeat anything?  How are you doing all this?  You are repeating something, something, something, and you are analyzing, imagining, imagining?  So how will the meditation come?  Were you watching? You were not watching.  Your mind was running somewhere else.  Just follow these three lines.  Ask yourself “Were you watching in-between eyebrows? And didn't you repeat any mantra or name; you did not imagine anything? Did you do this thing?”   That effort must be there.  Don't give up that effort.  Somebody else will not come and do it for you.  So, that’s how effort and then finally, surrender.  Then when you surrender also, after ten years meditation, that also mind will become quiet, understand?  Surrendering means not giving up the meditation.  Mentally becoming quiet is important.
 
 

Question:   Sometimes, no matter how hard we try with our spiritual path, the ego can actually take over our spiritual practice so that there's a danger of becoming egotistical about our spirituality.  How can we guard against that and why does that happen?

Babaji Maharaj:   See, ego is a very ticklish thing, tricky thing. What I mean is very difficult to understand.  Sometimes, it appears we might need a little bit of ego in a satvic form so that we do something for our own sustenance, otherwise the world will take you granted.  If you don't do a little bit hissing, they will throw stones on you and they will throw boulders on you and they will kill you.  You keep quiet and they will kill you.  This is one thing, if that is acceptable.  Otherwise, you have to do a little bit dum, dum, dum.  “Bham, Bham Bhavaswa,” Swamiji used to tell.  Like that you have to be careful.  So, this to sustain yourself is necessary; you have to do.  That's how the surrender happens and the ego. But should not become that much of ego that you are doing injustice to yourself and you have become a worst enemy of yourself.  That's what the Bhagavad Gita talks,  Swamiji also told; “You can be your best friend and you can be your worst enemy.”  You did not realize that you need to meditate to achieve your peace and your realization of what you are.  You did not put an effort. You got the technique, in spite of that you got the technique, you understood the science, you got the chance to listen to the Master thousand times repeatedly, yet you are unable to watch.  You are unable to understand that “I have to just watch not to bother anything else”, at least during the time of meditation.  That is how the ego works in so many ways.  It prevents you from achieving the good, from achieving supreme peace for yourself, prevents you from knowing your real Self, merging with the Self.  That is the ego happens.  That's why ego needs to be sacrificed, means you mentally becoming quiet.  Otherwise, the ego makes you to analyze, “Something wrong in the God.  You see? Everybody is suffering.  Nobody seems to be happy.  That means God is wrong.  Somewhere God is wrong.”  And then He says, “You become more egoistic.  ‘I don't accept God as God.  He is no more God, is not there.  There is no God at all.’”   So, like that the ego happens.  “I judge this world.  This is not acceptable to me.  I would accept God as God only if He gives this to me.”  So, like that the ego works in hundred ways.  And tells “For ten years Master I had been meditating and nothing happened.”  So doctor knows why this wound is there, it's not healing.  Something wrong in the blood, something wrong in your habits, something wrong in your body.  Something is there.  You cannot say that “There is nothing wrong doctor.”  You cannot argue with the doctor, “Doctor, everything is alright.  How come this wound is not healing?”  Something wrong is there, that's why it is not healing.  The mind is not healing means something wrong is there.  Either you have not followed what the Master taught you.  You were not listening to the Master when He was talking to you.  You are somewhere else in the mind.  And afterwards also you seriously did not follow.  When He wanted you, after going back from the class - next one week, every day practice watching in-between eyebrows for one hour.  Don't give up practice, don't keep waiting for only Saturday when the Zoom class happens, “When I can see Babaji, only then I will sit for meditation closing my eyes to satisfy Babaji.”  Babaji is satisfied. He is totally whether you close the eyes, whether you watch in-between eyebrows, or you are unable to watch, anything, we are at peace, but you have to do for yourself.  That is what the problem with the ego things happen.  

   Sincerity.  To be sincere to yourself is sacrificing the ego.  If you are sincere, “Yeah, I am wrong.  Something problem is there.  I am not watching in-between eyebrows.  I am analyzing, I am unable to keep quiet.”  Small, small things, people get agitated, it becomes a big issue.  I have seen this here also, everywhere also.  So that person was like this talking, “It's okay.  He was talking like this.  Why do you make it a big issue and take it on your head all the time?   He spoke for only a fraction of a second and forgot or went away somewhere.  You are holding that sentence in the head.  It’s one week now and you are talking the same thing.  It's fifteen days.  You're talking the same topic.  You are unable to forget.  You are wasting your energy man.  You are unable to keep quiet.  You see, you are involved with that world.”  So that's why I tell, “If you call this world very good also beware, mentally you are involving.  If you get involved, call this world bad, also you are involving.”  So ego works like this.  This is also ego.  Every imagination that crops up in the mind is to be considered as an ego.  Because of ego, ‘me,’ ‘mine’ also arises.  ‘Me,’ whatever I think, ‘that is mine’ judgment.  That is the right always.  I think always right.  I know what's going to happen.  Whatever I guess I know because I'm experienced now.  Many people talk like this.  Whatever I am guessing, that is going to be the right thing, that's going to happen.  “You have to be careful Babaji. I am guessing, but I've always guessed rightly.  I don't fail.”  Ego.

   Hundred thousand, fifty-five thousand, millions, difficult to explain what ego is in one sentence, in one definition.  Ego, ego, ego comes.  Practice, practice, practice.  With the Master if you cannot practice - people get annoyed with the Master and go away, “No I'm not going to come to Ashram.  I was not welcomed properly.”  So, all these things happen.  People, ego.  They make it an issue, issue, big issue.  Then the Master has to call, “Sorry please come.”  Ego.  Give up the ego and go to Master.  I saw when Swamiji was in the fag of His life – two, three years he was in dialysis. I thought Swamiji is not good.  How many days He can keep His body, He might like to drop his physical body.  Yet, during those periods because of ego, so many people didn't go to see Him.  I saw this practically.  One was telling, “I don't have money to fly to Bangalore. Going by train is very difficult.”  “Arrey, it's Guru,  it's the Lord.  It's God who had come on this earth.  He might drop the body any time.  Go walking also, if necessary.  Just to see him physically, that's a bonus.  Afterwards, you won't get to see him physically once He drops.  It's in your mind.”  “No, I need to have some money to fly.  Only then I will go,” one thought.  Another thought, “I won't be respected if I go there.  That's why I don't go.”  So like this, silly reasons they gave.  I was laughing in the mind.  I couldn't comment to them what these people are thinking.  They don't want to go to see.  I was writing to Swamiji letter after letter.  “I want to come and see You, I want to come and see you.”  One time just Swamiji says “Yes,” I will run in whatever way that possible.  I will beg somebody to give me some money for a ticket.  I will go.  I want to see Him physically.  I saw Him.  Seeing that body.  We gave food to that body.  We gave massage to that body.  And we gave bathing to that body.  We sat with that body.  We took scoldings, we took that love, that care, that affection. Not even mothers can give to the children, such an affection Swamiji gave.  So that was the time.  

   Finally, one day He said, “Yes, you come.”  But I ran, went to see Swamiji, we met and came.  So that's how the ego also works.  What ego is necessary if you get a chance to meet your Master physically who is a Self-realized like Shivabalayogi, not an ordinary Yogi - a twelve years tapas that He did. It was a fifty-five thousand lifecycles or how many lifecycles opportunity we got to meet a Self-realized Master like that, sit at His lotus feet.  And to see Him you are calculating.  “This is not possible.  This is not possible.  I don't want to go, I cannot go.”   So like that, ego.  So there is no end if we go on talking about ego.

End of Questions and Answers

Babaji Maharaj now concludes the session.

   Bye bye to you all.  So wonderful You all could sit for meditation and you heard me.  Take care of yourself.  Always my love and blessings are with you.  We will pray to our Master to be with you all.  May you all be the most blessed in this world, bhagyam, the most fortunate.  That is the fortune.  The Guru's Grace is the greatest of fortune that you can ask for in this world.  May you all be blessed to have Self-realization one day as soon as possible.  Practice.  Remember, practice the whole week.   

End of Session