Baba says, “You mustn’t get tired and stop studying such an elevated study.” 

For half a cycle, I performed devotion. I went on arduous pilgrimages, observed fasts and countless other rituals all in an effort to please God. I was made to believe that should I not observe any of the rituals, I might displease God and get cursed. And so, more than love, I had a fear of God, of what He might do if He ever became unhappy with me. That life was physically and emotionally tiring. Now, I have received knowledge from the Father Himself about who He really is, of His nature, of His character. I know and understand that the Father could never cause His children sorrow. In fact, He is the only One who always gives happiness. I now understand that we ourselves cause each other sorrow because of our nature or sanskars. Having taken many births, we forgot who we are and fell prey to the vices. Our thoughts, words and actions became corrupted by the vices and we started hurt each other.

So now that I have this knowledge, there is no question of being tired in this study, says Baba. In fact, there is happiness because I now understand the problem and I am receiving directions from the Father, who is also my Teacher and Satguru, about how to tackle it. I no longer live in fear of the unknown or of the wrongly known, I now live in peace of having found the truth. I now remember, no more difficulty or stumbling. I used to fear the Father, now, I remember Him with a lot of love. I have an intimate relationship with Him. He is available to me 24/7 for anything and everything. In fact, He has come especially for me and longs to be part of every tiniest aspect of my life. So the conscience says, I must definitely be tireless. I must stay on this pilgrimage of remembrance, no matter what.

Sure, the sanskars are still there, people are still there- none of that goes away just because I become God’s child. In fact, the more I stay on the pilgrimage, the more the illnesses start to come out. They have to come out before they can leave me. But it doesn’t help to get afraid and stop the treatment. In fact, I should be happy on seeing the sign that the treatment is indeed working and stay put and finish the full dose! To sulk with the self or with others and to stop studying is unwise; I only cause a loss to myself. Sometimes I sulk with the instrument teacher and think: “If it was another student, that would be one thing but the teacher itself is rude/unkind/biased…” and so I stop coming to class. I hardly go once a week. But again, I am causing a loss only to myself because while I only attend Murli once a week, Baba gives advice in the Murli daily. Often my argument is: “Well, I read the murli at home later…” but then there is a fixed time at which Baba, the Teacher, conducts class and gives love and remembrances. By missing the murli, I miss receiving the blessings and love.

Sometimes, it’s plain laziness. I think: “I had a late night yesterday. This isn’t hatha yoga…God won’t mind if I miss class one day” and with that, I promptly go back to sleep. I am earning an income here, Baba reminds me. In the world, a student has to finish studying to start earning an income. Here, I earn an income during my study! And so when I am earning an income, there cannot be drowsiness or laziness, Baba points out. Laziness comes, He teaches, when dharna is weak and there is no recognition of the value of this knowledge. If there was an opportunity to earn the temporary physical income, I’d jump out of bed no matter how tired I was! This is imperishable income that will serve me for half a cycle. How much more willing and enthusiastic must I be! Even on the path of bhakti, many scholars, when they have free time, they learn the scriptures by heart and start a spiritual gathering. There is no aim there and yet, they continue to study. On the contrary, through this study, Baba points out, everyone’s boat can go across. So, never get tired, He says.

Then some think: “Well, He is God! Why can’t He just make all these sanskars go away, or why can’t He cure this illness, He can do anything He wants!” No, clarifies Baba. “My part too is fixed in the Drama. There is no question of magic or asking for blessings or mercy in this“, He explains. I am the Purifier, and I purify through knowledge and yoga. As the Father, I also sustain you through knowledge and yoga. You have to study in order to liberate yourself from all the various bondages of body consciousness, He explains. And I get to study while living at home, while working my job i.e. while continuing to live in the midst of the world. But I live in the world while following the directions the Father gives me daily. I live as a trustee with the consciousness: Baba, all of this is Yours. I take His directions for everything- from the moment I wake up to when I go to bed. This is how I stay safe, liberated from Maya. If I forget I am a trustee, that I belong to Baba, and start to mix in my own dictates into His directions, then that’s when I make mistakes and become tied into bondage again.

The more I stay in remembrance, the more the lock on my intellect will open, the more enlightened I become and the more strength I receive from Baba. So, He says: Don’t become tired. Your remembrance is a race. Those are physical races, this is a spiritual race. When a wife’s husband is lost and is then found, she runs frantically through the streets to meet him. This is the unlimited Husband of all husbands, the Father of all fathers. You should come running to meet the One from whom you receive the inheritance of heaven! Your faces should bloom with happiness!