GURUDEV 7

We must avoid the paralysing, weakening culture imparted to us by even great poets, composers and writers as also false philosophy propagated by self-proclaimed prophets and avatars if we are to progress spiritually towards the eventual goal of freedom. All fantastic notions of godhead must be discarded, all hypocrisy laid waste and all infatuation about the sensory life renounced if any advance is to be made in this path which has been likened to the razor's edge where a single misstep leads to a precipitous fall into the yawning chasm of death and destruction. The observance of perfect continence will energise the aspirant's soul to such a degree that all weakness will vanish from his mind and he will be well on the way towards attainment of the goal. But eternal vigilance is the price of freedom and such vigilance must be maintained and discrimination applied to all inputs of sensory impression irrespective of the direction they come from.

Great poets, writers, composers and philosophers are so often so deluded in their spiritual thinking that they mistake refined materialism to be the substance of spirituality and, consequently, their disciples and followers come to grief in the spiritual path. To pose as a Guru or God or prophet or incarnation divine is one and to be so is another. The litmus test is the abstinence from connections with the opposite gender and the observance of absolute continence. Also, such a one must be devoid of material possessions of any sort and must be completely free of the desire for fame. No amount of hypocrisy in the name of high-sounding philosophy with fantastic claims attached to its material realisation will gain ground with God nor will such succeed in winning public support in the long run, for truth alone abides and none else. One may fool one's disciples for all time, the nation for some time but one cannot fool the wide world forever. Eventually truth reveals itself to the discerning mind and history casts aside such profane attempts to secure one's place in the pantheon of spiritual giants of the world.

In summation, thus, it may be reiterated that devotees who aspire to progress in the spiritual path ought to be careful of the gross pitfalls of the flesh for sure but more should they be wary of the intellectuals and 'divine incarnations' who inject their thought-poison into the nervous system of the unsuspecting lay person from which a lifetime of effort may not be enough to awake or arise to shake off its delusive effect. Hence arises the need for a realised soul to guide the way and help the disciple to steer clear of all such nefarious nonsense that masquerades as culture, true, but also deals the death-blow in the final analysis as material agents helping Maya. Seek, my friends, those of you who are sincere about your spiritual pursuit, the guidance of an adept in spiritual realisation, and soar safe through this material maze unto freedom. Jai Gurudev!