Baba says, ‘The first law is that, while seeing everything, your intellect should not be disturbed by any of it. Stay in remembrance of the one Father.’

I give you no difficulty, says Baba, don’t even close your eyes. He comes and teaches me Raja yoga, the pilgrimage of remembrance. All I have to do is remember Him; He, who is my Father, my Teacher, my Satguru, my Friend, my Beloved. I don’t have to remember Him while sitting down in one place or with my eyes closed. Remembrance is something I continue do when I am walking, moving around, sitting, eating, going about my tasks. ‘Don’t be afraid to keep your eyes open‘, He says, ‘keep your eyes open and keep the remembrance of the Beloved in your intellects. That’s all.‘ To sit with my eyes closed, He points out, is not the system here. That’s something they do in bhakti. There they are used to sitting with their eyes closed and turning the beads of a rosary etc. Sages too sit with their eyes closed. They don’t even look women because they think that their mind would cause mischief.

But that’s them. They don’t know the Father, I do. They try to remember the Brahm element, that’s not easy- to remember an empty space! But I remember the sweetest, most beloved Father, that’s easy. Its natural to stay in the remembrance of someone I love, it’s difficult to forget them. The Father comes and adopts me as His own child, through Brahma. He makes me belong to Him. I find the One I had been searching for half a cycle and say: “All of this is for You. I too am Yours.” Sannyasis don’t get to say this to the Father. Nor do they get to hear Him say: “and all that is Mine is Yours. I too am Yours.” What is His is heaven! and He comes to make me the master of that heaven! I have so much to remember! Do I have this intoxication?

‘So if you close your eyes, how would the Father be able to see you? Never close your eyes‘, He says. If I close my eyes, there must be something wrong, He reasons, I must be remembering someone else. The Father says: ‘If you remember your friends and relatives, you can’t be a true lover. Only when you become a true lover can you claim a high status. All the effort is in having remembrance.‘

It is said that Surdas (the hindu poet) plucked his eyes out so that he wouldn’t be distracted from remembering his beloved Krishna. Here, this is not hatha yoga, Baba explains. Here, I don’t have to pluck my eyes out, I need to check myself. Of all the sense organs, indeed it is the eyes that deceive me the most. When my eyes see something, anger emerges and I want to hit someone. It is when my eyes see something that there is greed and attachment too. ‘You have to keep guard over your eyes’, says Baba, ‘when you receive knowledge, all your criminal behavior has to stop. It isn’t that you have to remove your eyes or even close your eyes. Rather, you have to make your criminal eyes civil.’

‘Write in your chart which physical organs deceived you today’, teaches Baba: ‘Today, I saw so-and-so and wanted to touch her.’ Examine each of the physical organs, He teaches. Often I hear this and take it lightly: ‘Not me!’, I think; ‘I would never have this problem’. But Baba cautions: ‘Maya deceives even the best of the best’. Even though I might do great service, my eyes can still deceive me. They can easily make me destroy my status. ‘Sensible children‘, Baba says, ‘would note this down very well; keep a dairy in your pocket.’ On the path of devotion too, when the mind and intellect wander in the wrong direction, devotees pinch themselves. You too have to remain cautious and keep a chart to help you stay on the right track, He says. If you realize that your eyes are deceiving you, He teaches, don’t remain standing there, leave. That means that even if I need to make changes to where I work, I should do that before it is too late. This is not a question of this one birth, Baba reminds me. ‘Whatever you earn now becomes your imperishable inheritance for birth after birth. So pay attention.‘

To become Lakshmi and Narayan is everyone’s aim but it isn’t like going to your aunty’s home. I have to make effort to become completely pure and elevated; their very praise is completely viceless and righteous. ‘So check your chart everyday, He urges, because this too is a business.’ The Father explains: ‘If you want to do business with Me, if you want to claim a high status, follow Shrimat.’ The Father gives me directions but Maya puts obstacles in my way. My duty is to pay attention, keep a chart and stay on the pilgrimage. ‘Look at your chart for the whole day, many mistakes continue to be made‘, observes Baba. Sometimes, I feel pity for someone and want to give them some food or a gift. This is my eyes deceiving me again. ‘A great deal of time is wasted in this‘, says Baba, ‘it takes great effort to become a bead of the rosary.’ Don’t attach your heart to anything, He says. While seeing everything, you mustn’t see it. But I can only do that if I am soul conscious. I am a soul and others are also souls playing their roles. We are all brothers, children of the same Father. Unless I have this vision, my eyes will continue to deceive me, they will continue to be criminal.

With the power of remembrance, you can be liberated from being deceived by any of your physical organs. A great deal of effort is required. Follow the Father’s directions and write your chart. ‘This is my wife’- there shouldn’t be this thought, He teaches. We are Brahma Kumars and Kumaris; we are grandchildren of Shiv Baba. I will definitely claim the full inheritance from the Father and study fully with the Teacher. Through my effort at this time, I, the soul, will become golden-aged. Only then will I return home. I have to pass with honors and return home, the same as Mama and Baba.