Karma – Satsung 1 (7 February 1999)

Bandauṁ guru pad kanja kṛpā sindhu nar rūpa hari,
Mahāmoh tam puñja jāsu bacan ravi kar nikar,
Jāke sasaka guru dhanī to kahā kari sake aur,
Hari rūṭhe to ṭhaur hai, guru rūṭhe nahīṁ ṭhaur,
Yah tan viṣ kī belṛī, guru amṛt kī khan,
Śīś diyo gar guru milai to bhī sastā jān,

I bow to the lotus feet of the Guru,
who is an ocean of grace and the Lord Hari in human form.
Whose words are like the sun’s rays that dispel the dense darkness of delusion.
If the Guru is supportive, what harm can others do?
If the Lord is displeased, there is still a refuge,
but if the Guru is displeased, there is no refuge.
This body is like a vine of poison, but the Guru is a mine of nectar.
Even if one has to give one’s head to attain the Guru, it is still a small price to pay.

Just now, you were listening to our learned Acharya Ji and before him, to the great scholar of the Ramayana, Pandit Vidvan Sat Ji. The Vedas, Puranas, and Smritis have all sung the glory of the Guru. Baba Nanak Dev Ji wrote in essence, “The greatness of saints is not known to the Vedas; as much as they have heard, they have spoken.” The Vedas themselves could not fully grasp the greatness of saints and the Guru. If the Vedas could not comprehend it, then, O lovers of Satsang, how can you and I hope to understand it? We can only accept it in faith. We should not try to understand it.

Bala Mardana once said, “Baba! How can you have the Guru’s greatness written down when you do not even know it?” He replied, “As much as I have heard in Satsang, in sacred texts, and from saints, that much I am having written down.”

Sant śaraṇ meṁ jo paṛe so jan uddhāraṇahār,
Sant kī nindā Nānaka bahar bahar avatar

Those who take refuge in a saint become the saviours of others.
O Nanak, those who slander a saint will be reborn again and again.

Simply by taking refuge in a saint, one is saved. By accepting them, one is redeemed. However, in trying to understand this, we may stray from the path of righteousness and fail to reach our destination. The saints’ words, as stated in the sacred Sukhamani Sahib, declare:

Pārajāt prabhu Hari ke nāūṁ,
Kalpavṛkṣa Hari ke guṇ gāūṁ

The divine name of Lord Hari is like the celestial Pārijāta tree.
Singing the virtues of Lord Hari is like the wish-fulfilling Kalpavriksha tree.

The wish-fulfilling tree (Kalpavriksha) praises Lord Shri Hari, and the wish-fulfilling cow (Kamadhenu) narrates His stories, meditates on Him, and performs kirtan (devotional singing). The words of the saints are more persistent than even the remembrance of the Lord’s name, meaning that they repeatedly emphasize this. The speech of saints, their path, and their words are the true dharma. Let us fulfil their words and sing the praises of Lord Shrimannarayana for two minutes.

Mahimā jāsu jān gaṇarāū,
Pratham pūjiat nām prabhāū,
Sumiri Pavanasut pāvan nāmū,
Apne bas kari rākhe Rāmū,
Mantra mahāmaṇi viṣay vyāl ke,
Megat kaṭhin kuṅakuṅ bhāl ke,

The greatness of whom even Ganesha acknowledges,
And whose name is worshipped first due to its power.
Remembering the pure name of the son of the wind (Hanuman),
Even Lord Rama is brought under one’s control.
The mantra is like a great gem that controls the venomous serpents of worldly desires,
It can extinguish the difficult and intense flames of suffering.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji declares that this servant Nanak has understood only one thing: that a person who does not chant the name of the Supreme Being Shri Hari, who does not worship Him or serve Him, has wasted their life. He expressed this essence in the Guru Granth Sahib in the following way—

Rām Rām Rām Rām Rām Rām Rāmā ur dhāriye,
Govind Keśav Madan Gopāl,
Ek khan na bisāriye,
Binvant Nānak sarve ras karatāṁ bhogatā,
Ek Nārāyaṇ

Chant the name of Rama repeatedly, hold Rama in your heart.
Do not forget, even for a moment, Govind, Keshav, Madan Gopal.
Nanak humbly says, all pleasures and enjoyments come from the One Narayana.

It is beautifully said that whether you chant Ram-Ram, Krishna-Krishna, Govind, or Gopal, there is no difference. It is like a confectioner who makes fifty toys out of sugar and we, by our own choice, buy toys from that shop. When we come home, we start arguing among ourselves that I bought this beautiful toy for the same price, and another person says, no, this one is better, while a third says, this one is better. But all, when we start eating it together, the taste will be of sugar. The taste is of sugar; the toys are different—what’s the harm? Similarly, there is no difference between Ram and Krishna. Their essence is one—’Narayan.’ Just as the main ingredient in those toys is sugar, which is then shaped into various toys, the saints have said that Narayan is the essence of everything—He is the enjoyer of all tastes. In the Guru Granth Sahib, the glory of Narayan is beautifully described—

If we don’t get our meal in the afternoon, we consider it a great suffering. If we lose a few coins, we think it’s a great sorrow. A small quarrel at home leads us to declare our home as hell. But this is not true suffering. These are just ordinary, passing events. When clouds cover the sun and then move away, it’s not a matter of great sorrow. The greatest suffering is the cycle of birth and death for the soul. When the soul is in the womb during the gestation period (inside a small sac), it hangs upside down, surrounded by waste and urine. The mother eats hot and cold foods, salty foods, and chili chutney—imagine what the soul endures in that situation.

Today, when we build a house, we first call an architect and use our intelligence to ensure that the house has proper ventilation and sunlight. But in the small sac of the mother’s womb, there is no such thing as “ventilation”; rather, the soul hangs upside down in a plastic-like sac, known as the “zair.” How much suffering it must endure, or how much suffering we must have endured, is a profound thought. The soul prays to God, saying, “I will do nothing but chant Your name. I will live in the world, follow the world’s rules, gather material pleasures, but I will never forget Your name.” Yet, upon arrival here, it forgets.

We have forgotten that memory. We have prayed countless times to the 33 crore deities, to Yama, Dharmaraj, Indra, and many other gods.

We prayed to many powers, “Give my testimony, be my witness, release me from this womb-like prison.” But no deity believes him because he has made such promises countless times. Who will believe him? Who will give him bail once, twice, or repeatedly? Who will testify for a lying soul? But Varun Dev, the god of water, gives testimony for that soul; for mine, for yours, for every living being, he says, “I testify that this soul should be released from the great prison, freed from great suffering. I am a witness.”

That is why, in our homes, in various regions, according to our customs, we perform water worship after a child is born. In Rajasthan, they worship the well, which essentially means they worship the water. For whom? Because Varun Dev gave our testimony. He says, “O Lord! I will not say much about this soul because it is a big liar, very selfish, and deceitful. But I will testify this much that whenever it comes to me, O Supreme Lord, it will definitely take your name.”

So, no matter how much of an atheist he is, during these days, in the cold or heat, whenever he bathes in the Ganges, the Yamuna, or any water body, after the water falls on him, he definitely takes the name of Ram—Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare; Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Then Varun Dev says, “When he comes to me, I will make him take your name.” But I cannot guarantee the remaining twenty-four hours. So, Varun Dev testifies for this soul and brings it out, but we forget that pledge. We forget that the witness will not testify for us again. We do not think at all and start doing whatever we please. We treat God like a stone.

People start calling saints frauds and hypocrites; they call them all sorts of names, which society has given them, and only they know. Our feelings have developed in this way. We do not remember how many vows we made and how we came into this world with a witness. What was our promise? Baba Nanak Dev Ji says—

Ek bhagati Bhagwān, jinhi prāṇī ke nāhīṁ man,
Jaise suar swān, Nānak mānhu tāhī tan

Those who have no devotion to God in their hearts,
Are like pigs and dogs, O Nanak, consider such a body as worthless.

You came with the vow of devotion, you came with the vow to serve God, you came with the vow to serve the saints. Have you fulfilled even one of those promises? We do not think like this. Our thoughts remain focused on how we can harm, beat, and insult others, and how we can accumulate wealth. Oh, these are your past life’s accumulated deeds, they will happen regardless, so why do you need to commit sinful acts in them? But we don’t consider this. Instead, we think of everything else. We forget the real promise, and this is the greatest sorrow. The suffering of death is even greater than the suffering of life. The scriptures say that the pain from being stung by a thousand scorpions is equivalent to the suffering at the time of death. Just think of the pain from the sting of one scorpion, how much is that, and how much more would it be from the stings of a thousand scorpions?

I have died many times, but I don’t remember. Just like you say these days that there is some poison that after consuming, no one has ever been able to write down its name or describe its taste. It is as if this has become my condition. I understand the pain of dying to this extent that the money earned through one month, two months, ten months, ten days, or twenty-four hours of hard work creates so much attachment that I am unwilling to let go. Or if I have a dear one, meeting them for just an hour, I shed tears when we part. I see this happening. Now, if someone has accumulated wealth, sin, and virtue from childhood to a hundred years of age, built houses, bought cars, raised children, and developed attachments to sons, grandsons, and great-grandchildren, how much more painful it must be to leave all that behind—more painful than the sting of a thousand scorpions. To alleviate such pains, Baba Nanak Dev Ji instructs—

To all my visiting devotees! Lovers of Satsang! Devotees of God and those present on the stage, our most learned Swami Ji Maharaj! Ramayani Ji! And all the scholars! My heartfelt greetings on your auspicious arrival. I say that the true auspicious arrival is when

You have come here. When you get married, you write “Shubhaagaman” (auspicious arrival); when you perform a yajna (sacrificial ritual), you write it; you write it on all auspicious occasions. But the most important Shubhaagaman is that you have come for the Supreme Being, for the name of the Supreme Being, that is, for Satsang. Satsang is a thousand times more valuable than great deeds like yajna, charity, and good deeds. Saint Shiromani Tulsidas Ji even says—

Binu satsaṅg bibek na hoi,
Rām kṛipā binu sulabh na soi

Without the company of the wise (satsang), true wisdom does not arise.
Without the grace of Rama, even that (wisdom) is not easily attained.

Without Satsang, wisdom can never develop, no matter how many scriptures you study. You may become a scholar, obtain thousands or millions of degrees, but wisdom will not arise. An elephant stays in water for six hours, and it showers itself with water using its trunk countless times, but as soon as it comes out, it throws dirt on itself with the same trunk. The study of knowledge is just like this. After gaining education, you may earn degrees, become a scholar, and achieve greatness, but at the same time, the scholar does not realize that the ego has been born within him. That same ego will later turn into arrogance, and as arrogance grows further, it will give rise to anger and greed. Perhaps these scholars do not experience this from the beginning. Due to this, we only become scholars but not humble servants; we do not enter the supreme religion. The ego arises, thinking, “I am educated, this person is illiterate, less educated, why should I respect him?” But the essence of those scriptures, those degrees, is one thing—the knowledge of the Supreme Being, His name, love for His name, service to Him. That’s all there is; nothing beyond this. This is the ultimate essence for everyone; nothing else can possibly exist beyond it.

Ved Purāṇ sant mat ehū, sakal sukṛit phal Rām sanehū

The teachings of the Vedas, Puranas, and the saints are all in agreement:
The greatest fruit of all righteous actions is love for Lord Rama.

So, to all the visiting devotees, my warm welcome. You must have left behind many things at home to come here. On Sundays, relatives often come over, and it’s a day off. So, you might have had to tell them not to come today, or if they did come, no problem, you would come back from the Satsang quickly, even if it means reaching Baba’s place by six o’clock. But you say, “I’ll be back soon.” There are many programs on television, and you leave behind your favorite shows as well. Sisters, daughters, what false assurances do they give their children to come here? Who knows! They might say, “I’ll bring sweets from Baba’s place, I’ll bring blessings from Baba’s place.” You stay home because children are not allowed at Baba’s place. Otherwise, I would have taken you along. Speaking such half-truths, you come. For what? For Satsang. This is called an auspicious arrival—Shubhaagaman. These moments are the true moments of our lives. These moments will be counted in the house of the Lord, in the essence of human life, in the ultimate goal of human existence. Whether we listen or not, speak or not, do anything or not, the mere resolve to come here fulfills our purpose. It’s like going for a bath in the Ganges, and even if you catch a fever or get too cold there and end up just washing your hands and face, you still receive the full benefits of the Ganges bath. This is the teaching of the scriptures. So, for those who come to Satsang, the Satsang itself

You received the full benefit because you left your home with the feelings, desires, or goal of Satsang. On your auspicious arrival, I extend my repeated warm greetings and best wishes for a blessed life.

My dear ones! Again and again, since you started coming to the ashram, I have repeated one word—human. Why? Because we have body parts, and we remember them again and again. We remember to eat, whether it is twice a day, three times, or once, whatever it may be. We remember food every day; we remember to sleep every day; we remember what to wear. Today you have to go to the office, you remember that. If you have to fight with someone, you remember that as well. Today you plan to meet your neighbor and say this and that, you’ve even prepared what to say. You don’t forget that. If you forget, it becomes a joke. You don’t forget anything. We remember everything every day. This human body of ours is priceless; it has no value, and God has bestowed it upon us with great grace. This human body is a treasure of grace. My dear ones! Without grace, you cannot obtain it—this cannot be achieved through virtues or penance. The human body cannot be attained through penance. Performing yajna does not guarantee that you will attain a human body. It is not certain that you will be reborn as a human. Even after giving donations worth millions, you cannot ensure that you will be reborn as a human. I have not heard such a principle in any scripture or doctrine. If humans started being reborn as humans, who would experience the 8.4 million life forms? This body, entangled in the cycle of ‘rebirth and death,’ assures us that a human does not necessarily become human after death, but can be reborn in any other form.

There is a clear example in the Shrimad Bhagavatam that despite Jadabharat’s deep tapasya (penance), he became attached to a deer, and as a result, he was reborn as a deer. Such a great ascetic, such a great yogi, yet he was not reborn as a human. This body is a gift of grace.

Kahahuṅk kari karunā nar dehīṅ,
Det Īs binu hetu sanehī

The Lord, full of compassion, grants the human body.
The loving and selfless God gives without any motive.

The Lord has no selfish reason for creating your body or mine. It is not that by making Swami Sudarshanacharya an Acharya or making you a human, He will be worshipped. Absolutely not. He is not incomplete without your or my worship. There are 33 crore deities, the sun, the moon, constantly worshipping Him. Would He be pleased only by your or my worship? If we do not bathe Thakur Ji, it is not that He will remain unbathed. He is the one who manifests the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati; the touch of His feet creates the Ganga. What kind of bath can we give Him? What offerings can we make to Him who is the Lord of Annapurna, the husband of Bhakti (devotion), the master of Maya, and the master of all forms? What can we offer to the Lord of the universe? What worship can we perform? But in this lies our salvation. Our salvation is that we do not get separated from God. That we do not become estranged from Him, for which we perform archana (worship), vandana (praise), build temples, and establish rituals. These are means to keep us reminded of Him and stay connected to Him. In staying connected lies our salvation. He doesn’t need it. Just like when a branch breaks away from the tree in its pride, it withers away, and the fruits on it and the flowers wither too. As long as it remains attached, it continues to bear countless fruits and flowers. But when does this happen? When the branch remains attached to the trunk. The salvation of a human lies in staying attached to the Supreme Being.

If we continue to serve, worship, and adore the Supreme Being, Shri Manna Narayan, our humanity will be preserved. Maintaining humanity requires following daily practices, which are essential to keep us from forgetting. Imagine, a man goes abroad. Until his wife writes to him, she cannot find peace. And even after writing a letter, she does not feel at ease until she receives news from him. This soul is the wife of the Supreme Being. Think about it, we have locked her away in a vault, not allowing her to take her husband’s name. And if she does speak his name, she does so after death because the husband is beaten by the wife, and the wife by the husband. They say, “Why are you involved in this nonsense?” Some women say, “Why are you getting involved with those fake babas?” How much pain are we causing to that soul by locking her in a vault? Think about it. She cries out for her husband, seeks her husband’s love, wants to meet her husband, but we do not let her meet him. This is not our humanity. We are doing injustice to her. Therefore, I repeatedly say in Satsang, “Oh human! You are nothing on your own; your body is full of grace, meaning you became human by the grace of the Supreme Being. By taking this body full of grace, you have become worthy of grace, do not become unworthy of grace. Do not call the Supreme Being a fraud, do not call Him a stone, and become unworthy of grace. Be worthy of grace! After attaining knowledge, Yamaraj, the Lord of Death, is the one who accepts the one who is worthy of grace.

What kind of fate they will face, only they know. I have read about 27 hells. I have accepted that God comes to the temple, and I am speaking before Him that I have seen the face of Yamaraj (the god of death) many times; I have seen his 27 departments countless times. People are being thrown into fire, into boiling cauldrons, they are being sliced open, and salt and pepper are being rubbed into their wounds. The way they are beaten is utterly merciless. Their beauty is completely destroyed. They do not fear breaking noses, or splitting lips—they are utterly merciless. I have seen this countless times. Even now, when I go on the path of meditation, it is true, my dear ones! I continue to witness this. Seeing it is not a sin, but I should not enter it. We must not fall into the hands of Yamaraj, and when we become unworthy of grace after being worthy, we will surely fall under Yamaraj’s jurisdiction. We must become worthy, and the one who embodies the virtues of God, true love, and altruism is truly worthy. We are human, but we must become worthy humans. After becoming worthy, devotion, strength, the love of the Guru, true love, and the arrival of all the deities at our door happen automatically. There is no need to summon them. Once we become worthy, God Himself, Lakshmi (goddess of wealth), and everyone else begin to come to us. All the deities start loving us, and they distance themselves from those who are unworthy of grace.

As long as Ravana remained worthy, he continued to perform penance. But after receiving boons, he turned from being worthy to being unworthy and started committing wrongful acts. We are humans. Therefore, let us pray to the Supreme Being, let us go to the saints and pray that, O Lord! May this body full of grace not become unworthy. Otherwise, this vessel will, If we do not attain it, we will fall into the hands of Yamaraj. Therefore, let us not lose our humanity and continue to fulfill the duties of humanity. The duty of a human being is love, the duty of a human being is to serve other humans, the duty of a human being is to serve society, the duty of a human being is to serve their home and family, and to serve Lord Narayan. This is the duty of humanity. The duties of inhumanity are entirely different—they involve strange and inappropriate behavior, like drinking alcohol.

My dear ones! Our Rameshwar Singh Ji said that Maharaj Ji, we have not been able to understand what karma is? What is the explanation of the mystery of karma? What should we do? And we need to understand what karma really is. This came to me in written form. I did not say you should ask. This is the desire of this devotee or our trust, the trust members. Because we follow their words. However, it is written that ‘gahan karmano gati:’—the ways of karma are mysterious, very deep, and no one has understood them to this day. Even Lord Rama came, he came to do good to others, he came to establish dharma, but even he could not fully understand the mysterious ways of karma. Perhaps he understood, but he showed us that he did not. Instead of being crowned king, he was sent to the forest, Sita was abducted, his father died, and he was separated from his mother. He did not seem to know. They must have known, but they showed us this by taking a human form. They knew everything. They gave many examples of their knowledge.

Haṅs bole Raghuvaṅśa kumārā,
Vidhikar likhe ko meṭanahārā

The prince of the Raghu dynasty (Lord Rama) spoke with a smile:
Who can erase what is written by the hand of destiny (Brahma)?

That is, when Lakshman Ji was weeping, it was not the time for laughter. If a brother lies dead, and someone laughs, it is not appropriate. But still, with a smile, the scion of the Raghu dynasty said, “I can erase what fate has written in a minute; my name itself can erase it, but I am bound by dharma, so I cannot do anything.” The word “Ko” referred to himself, indicating that the one who can erase the writings of fate, I, the Lord of the three worlds, am sitting here. I create Brahma, can I not erase his writings? But, no the topic of karma is that any action performed by the senses, by the mind and intellect, by the body is called karma. As our Acharya Ji often asks us, “Swami Ji! Have you completed your bodily functions?” Yes, I have. “Have you completed your worship rituals?” Yes, I have. In other words, anything done by the senses, by the mind, by the intellect, by the body, is called karma. The creation of living beings in the world occurs in four ways: through eggs, through seeds, through the womb, and through sweat. Even the worm in the dirty drain is engaged in its karma, the elephant is engaged, the lion is engaged. And a poor man is also engaged, the king is also engaged. That is, any action performed by the senses, by the mind, by the intellect, is called karma. And there is nothing as such called karma. What is conscious will do something or the other. So karma has become the name for the actions performed by our senses, body, mind, and intellect. Karma is divided into three types—Rajoguna karma (action with passion), Tamoguna karma (action with ignorance), and Sattoguna karma (action with goodness).

Karma. In other words, we cannot change karma; if karma is associated with sin, it becomes sinful karma. If it is associated with goodness, it becomes good karma. We cannot erase karma. Karma is a word. The word karma will remain. Now, whether that karma is Rajoguna (associated with passion), Tamoguna (associated with ignorance), or Sattoguna (associated with goodness). The karmas that are Tamoguna will be referred to as sinful or inauspicious karma, but they are still karma. For example, demonic beings perform actions without scriptural guidance, they undertake actions without the Vedas, they violate the principles of the Vedic scriptures, and they act contrary to them. The karma remains karma, but it is called inauspicious karma. Rajoguna is where both sin and virtue are included. It includes good karma as well as inauspicious karma. Sattoguna karma is where there is no trace of sin or inauspicious karma. If something happens that is unworthy, it does not count. It automatically becomes good, meaning those are called good karma.

The word karma remains the same. The act of doing is called karma. Its explanations have evolved—Rajoguna, Tamoguna, Sattoguna, meaning what is the intention behind that karma for a human being. From here, merit, good, and bad start. If our goal is that we will enjoy pleasures, and for that, we start performing karma, then we will not witness anyone’s murder, nor will we see anyone’s wealth being robbed, nor will we see anyone’s dishonor, nor will we see any other kind of karma. We want our own happiness. For that, even if millions of people die or millions lose their honor, even if millions of pockets are emptied, whatever happens, we don’t care, we want happiness. The karma that is done for oneself is not karma; it becomes inauspicious karma, it becomes sinful karma. Ravana in his own, he did it for himself. He built a golden Lanka—was that a bad deed? Even today, people are building mansions worth tens of crores; did he do anything wrong? But he desired it for himself. He wanted it for his followers, for his family. Therefore, any action or deed done solely for oneself cannot be considered karma. It can be called a business, it can be called a trade. You can use other words to describe it. The definition of karma does not fit into it. It is an action, but it is an inauspicious action. That is why it is not written in the scriptures as karma.

I saw the example of Lord Krishna’s Gita hanging in offices. I saw it in the homes of householders—’Karmanye vadhikaraste, ma phaleshu kadachana’. I saw it written in so many places. I read it everywhere, in offices. It is written above, ‘Karmanye vadhikaraste, ma phaleshu kadachana’, but within 28 days they start asking for their salary. Oh, you have written—’Karmanye vadhikaraste, ma phaleshu kadachana’, then why are you desiring the fruit, brother, of your monthly salary? Tell them there—’ma phaleshu kadachana’. They do not accept it. Just writing it is not enough, understand its meaning. That means the worldly actions do not include what the Lord said to Arjuna, the fruits of which we enjoy here. The actions we perform for the enjoyment of the senses or for the family do not fall under the definition of pure karma. It is an action, but it is not a worthy action to be written in the spiritual realm of the Supreme Being because that action was done, but you enjoyed its fruit. The second karma I described, Ravana’s desire was for happiness, but that action was a great sin. Further, it is written, we have not understood what karma is. What is karma? Karma is when a person acts for the welfare of others while maintaining their humanity. Now, the question arises: you classified this as Rajoguna; how will you now classify it as Sattoguna? Oh, if we live by the river and drink water from it, after quenching our thirst with one pot of water, we haven’t taken ownership of the river, have we? Similarly, if we keep working for the Supreme Being, for the Guru Maharaj, for the welfare of society, for the nation’s interest, then we will indeed receive our wages—meaning we will eat bread and drink water. If you hire a servant, a sweeper, or a cook, will they go without food? They will eat, but their primary goal is to serve you, for the Supreme Being, for democracy, and for the Prakriti Purusha. You all have the Lord residing in your hearts, so act for them. Act for their happiness. Act for their benefit. The Lord, who is present in every particle, will He let me go hungry? I keep observing how disciples have ordinary shawls on their bodies, but for Guru Maharaj, they bring Pashmina shawls. This I have seen with my own eyes. Thousands of shawls have come to me. Whether the children have shawls or not, whether I have a shawl or not, but a Pashmina shawl is brought for Guru Maharaj. This example of mine is not out of ego. The master loves the servant. When we make a resolution, when we set our goal for democracy, for God, then will you let me remain poor? Will you not give me bread? Will you not give me clothes? Will you let me suffer, O my loving ones?

When I go to his house, what is in his house, only God knows. How much? Is it immense wealth or little, but in front of Guru Maharaj, so much is placed that I cannot even count—various types of dried fruits, various types of sweets, various types of vegetables. How much can I count? We have to eat simple lentils and bread, but Babaji? So, what I mean to say is that when you people have accepted me as your servant, you have accepted me as your companion, then why would you keep me behind? Just in the same way, when we set our goal for the welfare of others, for public service, for God, then God Himself remains hungry for His servant, He does not let His servant go hungry. This is called karma—actions done for others, actions done for the welfare of others, actions done for God without expecting any reward in return. Meaning, it is not that I did the work of a devotee and received a son as a blessing; why didn’t he give me a donation? Then, what karma did you do? It is his karma how much he struggles at this place, what he does for this place. This is his karma. My karma ended there when I gave him emotion in his deprivation and did not desire its reward, that is karma. You have written that today you want to understand karma. The explanation of karma is that whatever is done is karma. The differences and variations in karma are your goals. What is your goal in performing karma? Karma is there for all, but karma is based on the goal.

Lord Krishna did not impart the knowledge of the Gita in a room. He did not give the knowledge of the Gita in a mansion. The knowledge of the Gita was given between the two armies. Arjuna gave the order. Lord Krishna was the driver. In pure language, He is called the charioteer. In today’s language, a driver.

He says, “Lord Krishna was their driver, wasn’t He? He was the charioteer.” Arjuna gives a very clear command, orders, “Krishna!

Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me’cyuta

O Achyuta (Krishna), place my chariot between the two armies.

Stop my chariot between the two armies, in the middle of death and life, and there He imparted the knowledge of the Gita. There, He discussed karma. There, He said, “Arjuna!

Karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana

You have the right to perform your duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions.

Which karma is your right, if you want to ask, then ask. The karma is the one that is done for Me. If you do it for yourself, it will not be karma. It will be called by other names, like business, non-karma, trade, occupation, whatever you call it. But the karma done is for Me! So Arjuna! Your right is to perform karma, but do not desire the fruits. For whom do you perform karma? Do it for Me. If you perform the worldly karma, you will have to take the fruits. If you do business, you will have to keep a profit of ten, five, or twenty-five percent. If you work for someone, you will have to take a salary.

We have two worlds, the spiritual world and the material world. In the material world, you and I are sitting in the mortal world and earning our daily bread. But the explanation of karma does not end here. The true explanation of karma is being given by God where there was no business, no occupation, no job. On one side stood death and

On the other side stood life. That is, life was on the side of the Lord and death stood on the side of Duryodhana. So, in the midst of the struggle between life and death, the Lord is imparting knowledge. There, He is not talking about jobs or business; there, He is giving directions—Arjuna! The work you do for Me will be called karma; here, it will be called karma; here, it will reach. The rest, you can keep doing worldly karma, but it is not Brahma karma, it is Maya-created karma, and Maya-created karma does not go with you. Even if it is karma, it is connected with Maya, it is Maya-bound. And the karma that is done for the Lord or in the name of the Lord, that is true karma, that is Brahma karma. The soul receives the fruit of that. Now, if you are doing worldly karma, will you not get its fruit? You will get its fruit too, but it is a Maya-generated fruit. We worked day and night, meaning we became employees earning ₹100, or ₹200, or ₹2000, whatever it is. We are earning ₹20,000 a month in our job and have started overtime. We earned ₹10,000 in overtime. We earned ₹30,000. From that ₹30,000, we bought good clothes, tied a tie, dyed our hair, went to the beauty parlor, and bought a car. That ended here. But the karma described in the Gita does not get destroyed here. It becomes solid. Its fruit continues for many births, whether you live in Vaikuntha, whether you live in the divine realms, wherever you live. Its impact is felt, its merit is received. So, Rameshwar Singh Ji, the explanation of karma is that the karma done for the Lord is the real karma. The same explanation was given by Kumbh that you do it for Me—

Matkarmakṛitna yā kṛiṣhṇārpaṇamastu

May all my actions be dedicated to Krishna.

These people too (pointing to the saints sitting on the stage) when they perform their rituals and worship, they say “Shri Narayanarpanamastu, Krishnarpanamastu, Ramarpanamastu,” and so on. Because I am a sinful intellectual! I am a greedy being. I think that if I enjoy the fruits of my actions here, what harm does it do to me? That is, what will I get? I will settle it here. The enjoyment of the fruits of actions done with Maya remains confined to materialism; it does not go beyond.

Karma is said to be that which brings happiness here and there, and this being should remain happy wherever it is. The experience of supreme bliss is called karma, and that karma should be done for the Lord; only then can this be achieved.

The goal of karma should be to make us excellent. Our goal should be the Lord. Do not be afraid, or do not think that Babaji is teaching us something wrong. You will work for the Lord. The Lord does not say that you should not wear clothes, you should not eat bread, you should not make kheer, you should not buy a car; He does not say this at all. The example of His supreme power can be taken from the Gopis. The Gopis regularly milked cows. O Lord Krishna! They are milking the cows for You. They used to curdle milk, and they would pray, “May my curd set well.” Although their mind was set on selling it in Mathura, they prayed to the Lord, “The curd should set sweet.” They would say, “Come to my house, I will feed you sweet curd.” If it turns sour, there will be trouble. The curd set sweet, by the grace of the Lord.

And Krishna also reached there. But the Gopis did not even feed Him curd, nor did they give Him buttermilk. They would say, “We will take the curd to Mathura and sell it to Kamsa. We will get some money from there to cover our expenses. What will we gain by feeding you curd? What work will you do for us? Do you herd our cows? On the contrary, you make our children work for free and even herd your cows.” This was their supreme power. That is, their entire focus was on Krishna. And they also did other tasks. Nowhere is it written that they said, “You should become a renunciant.” That was the interpretation of karma that whatever work we do, we do it for the Lord, for God’s sake. They did the work for which they were sent, with devotion like the one who is without a mind, like a pig or a dog.

That Lord has sent us for devotion, so we should do that, and for the prosperity of materialism, we should also do business, trade, and other work; God does not prohibit this. Arjuna had the same doubt that may be arising in your heart. The Lord tells Arjuna, “Listen.” Arjuna said, “What is it, Maharaj? Tell me.”

Mām anusmara yuddhya ca

Remember Me and fight.

You will have to fight the war, but keep remembering me. Immediately, He said, “Do not fear that I am stopping you from your business, stopping you from your work, stopping you from your office, or stopping your sisters and daughters from anything, not at all. The true karma is that you should continue doing worldly tasks but also keep remembering me and doing it through me.”

With the wealth that has been given to you, serve this community in any way you can—whether with your wealth, with your mind, or with your words! That is karma. If we do it and consume it, that is not karma.

Karma is divided into three parts: kriyamāṇa karma, sañcita karma, and prārabdha karma. Kriyamāṇa karma is what you are doing right now based on your goal. My goal is to build a temple, so I am building a temple; I am working for the temple. Your goal may be to buy a mansion, to buy a television, to buy a car, and you are working for that. You are not working for the Guru or for God, but for the car. You will buy the car, and the fruit of that karma will be here and now; you have enjoyed it here. You performed kriyamāṇa karma, and you consumed it. Sañcita karma means you performed your karma and accumulated a little bit from it, whether it is for this world or the other world. I am talking about both worlds. The karma of this world is born of illusion (māyā), and the karma of that world is born of Nārāyaṇa, of Brahman. In the karma of this world, you eat, drink, have fun, and then move on. Everything ends here just as it started.

People say, “What did you bring, and what will you take with you?” This is a verse from the Gita, and saints also say this. But I say, you brought a lot with you, and my brother, you will take a lot with you. You didn’t come empty-handed, and you will not leave empty-handed. Why? You came with the fruits of your good and bad karma, connected with the umbilical cord, and you are enjoying those fruits now. And from here, you will take even more. Whether it is the immense weight of sinful karma or something else will take with him either the fruits of his virtuous deeds or the burden of his sinful actions. He won’t be able to take the material possessions of this illusory world with him. This temple of Swami Sudarshanacharya won’t be carried away on his head. It belongs to you, for your own benefit. However, the services we have offered, and the devotion we have accumulated through serving with our bodies, we have already stored up. We are not mere donkeys who carry loads on our backs. We have already deposited our load. That’s why we will play joyfully. When we reach the destination, we will find everything ready for us. So, man takes much with him, whether it’s a collection of sins or virtuous deeds.

We should perform such deeds that are accepted both here and in the hereafter, and that yield fruits in both realms. Not those deeds that bring pleasure in one place and suffering in another. That is why the definition of karma has been written so profoundly. The definition of karma is unique because it determines that the primary goal of our karma must be decided. It should be clear whether I am setting a goal based on my own desires, the guidance of a saint, the direction of a Guru, or the scriptures. If you are performing deeds based on your own desires, it can’t be said that you aren’t doing any work; you are working, and you will continue to work. But those deeds won’t be acknowledged. They will only be recognized within society. But they won’t be accepted because you are acting according to your own desires. If you are performing deeds as directed by a Guru or a saint, then they will bring you virtue. The saint has said that if you do this, it will bring you goodness. The saint will bear the consequences of the deeds, whether good or bad. So, if the work is done as directed by the saint, the Guru, or for God, then it is the secret of karma. You asked about the secret of karma. The secret lies hidden in this.

When there is no set goal, the result of aimless actions goes to waste, like the milk of a camel, which is neither for drinking nor for eating, it just goes to waste. It’s like the saying, “The tall date palm tree bears fruit that is far out of reach.” If your actions are not driven by selfish motives but are done for the welfare of others or for God, then those are righteous deeds, and their meaning is recognized in both realms.

The secret behind the word ‘rahasya’ (secret) is that it refers to what your goal is and for whom you are acting. This secret is yours because the world doesn’t know it. You have set your goal yourself. A secret is something hidden. Swami Ji asked a saint, “Is the meaning of ‘rahasya’ simply something hidden, or is it something else?” The saint answered, “We call something secret when it is kept confidential, and that is what we mean by ‘rahasya.’ This secret thing, for whom one is acting, is within their heart. This is the secret. The explanation of that secret is that whether it is for the welfare of others or whether it is done in the name of God, it is still the same. Whether you say it is for God or for others’ welfare, both terms are appropriate for God; they are meant for Him. Thus, the secret of karma is this.”

When we proceed toward sinful deeds, we often say, “Who has seen it? How do we know if we will face the consequences?” But this is not the case. If the computers here were to malfunction or the electricity were to go out, they wouldn’t say anything. But that divine computer records every breath of every living being, keeping track of every moment. It notes every single thought of the heart. The scriptures, saints, and sages have referred to that computer as Chitragupta.

I do not deny the existence of the deity Chitragupta, but I consider Chitragupta to be the one who continuously photographs everything, and God has installed machinery within each one of us. That machine is like the electric meter installed in everyone’s home. If you steal electricity, that’s a different matter; you’ll go to jail. But the meters are installed everywhere. The meter shows how much electricity has been used, and you can use it as you wish. Similarly, while performing actions, we must remember that God has installed His meters everywhere, and the name of that meter is Chitragupta. Inside, such a machine is installed that it notes every moment, every thought in a person’s heart. You can see the clear example of this meter. Just like this body sitting on the throne, this servant, I say this with a smile, why the arrogance? I say, “Why, brother! You’re sitting in a room talking about me, right? And you came here to see what kind of Baba I am and how I speak, right?” That’s why you came, right? And you are all so many people. Maybe that’s why my followers have doubts and think that this Baba is a tantrik (practitioner of occult rituals) or a mantra-chanting mystic. But a tantrik-mantrik is one who creates something artificial or fake. I do not talk about fake things; I speak the truth. A tantrik-mantrik will only create fake things and say fake things. But I say the real thing: so many people were there, standing at such and such a place, talking about this. Now tell me, was I right or not? And he says, “Yes, Maharaj.” Now, you see how I tell. Although many devotees get angry, considering it an insult, considering one’s own insult is not wisdom. They should look within themselves and realize that, in truth, they came with that very sentiment. In truth, a true devotee does not get angry. He came just to see, not to ask. If they are observing, what’s wrong with that? Anyway, this is not the subject of karma. It just came to my mind, so I said it.

The meaning of karma is related to Chitragupta. Chitragupta resides within every person. If Chitragupta does not record and send the reel or image to me, how will I see it? If Chitragupta refuses to send the details of a person’s actions, what can I do? But the direct connection of that Chitragupta is linked to the Gurus. The reel of your recorded deeds reaches us. We get to know that something unfortunate is going to happen at some place, someone is asking for help, someone is about to get burned, “Oh, save them, save them!” That divine light also works. This is karma. By performing such karma, you too can become like this. Who says it can’t happen? It can happen, but the king (goal) must be set. Which king? The king in the form of a goal? What is that goal? We should perform actions for God. As you can see, (pointing to the ashram) there is no room here for Guru Maharaj’s stay, if there is, let me know. It is only for him and for the beings created by him. Such a goal should be there. This is karma. Every human should perform this karma.

There are four fruits of karma. The four fruits are Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire), and Moksha (liberation). These four fruits are the results of those actions. Artha refers to money, and through money, one can follow Dharma. People generally understand Kama as sensual pleasures. But the true meaning of Kama is not mere sensual pleasures. Every sense organ has its own desire. The eyes desire to see the Supreme, to have a glimpse. I want to have a glimpse of Guru Maharaj, to use the pretext of satsang to see the Guru. The subject for the ears is that I listen to the Guru’s words, whether they say good or bad. I listen to the story. The subject of hunger is that I don’t know where you’ll bring it from, but I want jalebi, imarti, or laddoo. The subject of the tongue is taste. The subject of the nose is to smell. Form, taste, smell, touch, sound—these are their qualities. These are their subjects. So, ‘desires are not the name of sensory pleasures’; each sense has its own different desire, and the subject of desires is the mind and intellect. The desire to build a house is not merely a sensory pleasure. It is the subject of my eyes; its subject is that I want beauty. So, these kinds of desires—Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire), and Moksha (liberation)—are the results of our actions.

Two fruits are obtained from new actions and new endeavors. I am revealing the secret of karma. This is the secret of karma. Out of the four, separate two of them. Among them, Dharma and Moksha will both be achieved through our new karmic practices. These two will be achieved through new actions. You must exert effort to follow Dharma. Obstacles will surely arise on the path of Dharma, but you should not be afraid of those obstacles; keep moving forward. King Harishchandra had to sell his son. He had to sell his wife, and he himself was sold to a Chandala’s (outcaste’s) house. Wasn’t that an obstacle in Dharma? King Shivi cut his body piece by piece to offer it to a hawk. He gave up his entire body. Wasn’t that an obstacle in Dharma? Sage Dadhichi sacrificed his body and donated his bones for the welfare of others. There is suffering in Dharma, but it has to be done. Dharma does not occur naturally; it is created through new karma. And the fruit of Dharma is Moksha. Desire and wealth do not need new ventures. The accumulated karma you have stored, whether sin or virtue, is the result of that. It cannot be obtained through effort, intellect, a gun, or a knife. Even if it does come, it is an illusion and will only last momentarily. After that, you will have to go, and you might even end up in jail—this is the accumulated karma of past lives.

Your next question was about the connection between fate and karma. Karma itself creates fate. So, it’s not just a connection; it’s a significant relationship. Like how ghee and milk are related—if a scholar asks, they should first think that ghee is already present in milk. In the same way, the karma we perform is what is called fate. Therefore, these two are inherently connected. You can consider it like a father-son relationship, a brother-brother relationship, however you want. Without karma, there is no fate, no destiny—karma’s fruit is fate. The relationship between these two is profound; think about it. I’m already telling you, but you must think about it too. Their relationship is not just like any other but is as intrinsic as the relationship between a tree and its fruit. If you plant a harsh tree, your fate will be good. If you plant a thorny tree in your courtyard, there will be daily filth, thorns pricking, and clothes tearing. But if you plant a mango or mulberry tree, children will play under it daily, eat mulberries, and suck mangoes. In the same way, the relationship between karma and fate exists. Wealth and desire are self-accumulated—they are created already, and they are self-evident. This means they will definitely be attained, without a doubt. Whatever fixed deposit you have made, you will certainly get it. Whether you’ve deposited millions in the bank or deposit fifty lakhs, or whatever amount you want to save, and it will be there when you need it. Investing a lakh will not result in any loss, and you will earn interest on top of it. Just like getting a bonus. In Rajasthan, we say—Brother! Sister! We have given you the full measure, whatever it is. Along with that, we will give you an extra handful, some chilies, a couple of cabbage leaves, whatever is available. So, you will definitely reap the rewards of your good or bad deeds. Along with that, you will receive even more. Therefore, the relationship between fate and karma is straightforward: fate is shaped by your actions.

When you perform actions (kriyamana karma), whatever you have accumulated gets transformed into fate. And what is this accumulation? Materialistic actions create an accumulation, but it stays here. It cannot be taken with you. If you deposit part of your salary or earnings in a bank, start depositing it in a provident fund, or create a fixed deposit, it cannot be said that you have done something wrong, but it remains in the worldly realm. You may withdraw it and spend it, or leave it behind when you depart from this world. It cannot accompany you. We did it for ourselves, for materialism, for the comfort of materialism. Therefore, it remains here, and its karma cannot be explained.

Karma is when we have performed any worship of God, done good deeds, narrated stories, studied the Ramayana, the Gita, the Bhagavatam, or anything that matches our interest, and we have worshipped God. By worshipping God, we have offered His own creation back to Him. I have deposited it, and even in that, there are two types of actions. Mother! My service is worth lakhs, draw a lottery worth fourteen lakhs, buy me a Mercedes car, and build a gold pillar in front of my house. I will come to see you and perform your rituals. And all those tasks are done. Then she says, give me more to make a better ritual for you, then I will perform your rituals. That too happened, a gold laddu was made, jewelry was also made, a mansion was built, and the Mercedes also arrived, now give me more for the ritual. Now, if it is said that my fortune is bad, oh dear person! Dear devotee! Dear disciple! You have already taken the benefit here. You didn’t even say “Devi Arpanamastu,” didn’t even say “Krishnarpanamastu,” didn’t even say “Guru Arpanamastu.” Here, it was already decided that, “Oh Lord! If my task is done, I will offer four days of service.” And after offering service for eleven days, perhaps no one says that “Guru Arpanamastu”! They offer those eleven days of service to the Guru. They know their task. This is the action where we have done it for society, for the nation, for the welfare of others, and left it without expecting any benefit, that is the action. What we deposit in a fixed deposit is called fate. And that fate, in whatever form or wherever we will be, that action which is in the form of fate, will go with you and with me in the same way.

Now, there are two types of karma—old karma and new karma. New karma is performed, and old karma is experienced. This is the secret of karma. The relationship between fate and karma is that they are interconnected. The old karma that has been performed must be experienced, as every saint has said. Nanak Dev Ji says—

Pūrvajanma kā lahnā pāī

One receives what is due from previous births.

Such was the fortune of past lives. Such were the actions of past lives that they have come to the forefront; in other words, the deeds of past lives are the destiny, whether they are good or bad. Therefore, there is no need for great or lengthy efforts. Look, one must engage in endeavors, that’s certain. God has given water in the well, but it has to be drawn out, and the means have to be prepared. However, for these two things—wealth and desires—there is no need for heavy resources. With a little bit of means, by making some efforts, it can be achieved.

I am a boy from a poor family, a roadside and farmer’s son, but by the grace of my accumulated deeds, I have been adopted in three different places. And a person usually gets adopted in one place, ultimately there is only one son, right? I have been adopted by three, and now I have also been adopted in Haridwar, making it four places. So, the wealth of all four is now mine. What did I earn, tell me. First, I was adopted by the priest of Balaji in Mehandipur Ganesh. My father had three brothers. My uncle (Taoji) had no children. He was the owner of half the property, and he adopted me. After that, in Vrindavan, Guru Maharaj adopted me. And now, when the saints thought about it, all the saints adopted me in Haridwar. They gave me the title of Jagadguru (Universal Teacher), and these people (pointing towards the saints sitting on the stage) adopted me. People say that I have become a Jagadguru. I have not become a Jagadguru, now my world itself has become my Guru. They adopted me, so they have become my mother and father by adopting me.

When one is adopted, they are adorned with a tilak, given new clothes, and bathed as per the ritual. These people have followed the same ritual. I have realized that they are all adopting you. So, this body has been adopted in four different places, and one adoption was from my birth itself when the earring was placed in my ears. In other words, it was my Baba’s adoption, which I have received over many lifetimes. So, this body has been adopted in five different places. This is the result of previous accumulated deeds, known as accumulated karma. For this, I have made no effort. This is called fate. I did not strive for it. When I went to Balaji, did I submit any petition? Did I put in any effort? No, I didn’t. And when a big conflict arose, I didn’t work hard for it; I am speaking the truth. Swami Jayakrishnacharya Ji is still present, and the conflict is not over yet. It’s a big conflict that has been recorded by him. He has made the importance of 42 ashrams. And when any sin from previous actions came, I moved into the household life. Adoption happened. This is what is known as sin and virtue—auspicious and inauspicious deeds. If any inauspicious deed occurred, I moved away from it. If an auspicious deed occurred, I got adopted. And now that we have done it, whether our past deeds are good or bad, we will not come down from the adoption. My point is that if a human desires, they can transform inauspicious deeds into auspicious deeds. We tend to say about small matters that it was written in our fate. We say this for small things. But we should not say this for small matters.

Meṭatā kaṭhin ku’aṅka bāl ke

Erasing the difficult and intense suffering of the young.

The power to erase the negative marks written by fate lies within you, and even more power resides within you all. You can at least have a sense of surrender towards a saint. This does not require any money. Once you surrender to a saint, he shapes you into a capable person. When you maintain a sense of belonging—saying, “I will definitely do it, it will happen, I am doing it,” then, my brother! Balaji does not simply sit idly by; he helps you. He does not refuse. Support means, “I will not withdraw my grace from you.” Stand up with confidence. There are two types of children—one who confidently climbs onto a platform or carries a revolver, and another who walks by holding a finger. The one who walks holding a finger is called a servant. If we accept the title of servant with sincerity, then—’Metata Kathin Kuanka Baal Ke’—the power to erase the negative marks written by fate is naturally generated. That is why I told you that if sins from a previous birth come forth and say to kill someone, and if I understand that I should kill that person because of those sinful actions, then isn’t it simply fate manifesting itself? Done deeds are indeed fate. If it appears, you can erase it if you want. A plan is made 100 percent, out of which 99.9 percent is ready, and only a tiny bit remains, that is, 0.1 percent. If you want, you can sit with a rosary instead of a sword or revolver. Do whatever you want to do; I will not do it. This is not something that lasts a lifetime. It is only for a fleeting moment because it is a sin committed for a moment. Which sins do we keep committing all the time? In between, virtues also come. When virtues come, the mind changes after two hours. Then you say, “O God! You punish, why are you making me kill? I escaped from one murder.” There is so much power within you.

It exists. Someone might say that it doesn’t, but I say it does. Use your power, embrace it. And if you can’t embrace any power, then at least take refuge (sharanagati). In refuge, at least 50 percent of your protection is assured. Just as when a child takes refuge in the mother, even when the child sleeps at night, the mother remains vigilant, ensuring the child doesn’t fall. If the child moves slightly, the mother’s eyes immediately open. Otherwise, during sleep time, one could be disturbed even by the loudest of noises. The child is completely dependent. No matter how deep the child’s sleep, a slight movement or a soft cry would immediately awaken the mother. That child is under the protection (sharanagati). If someone takes such refuge, the one in whom they take refuge will always protect them. Who? The one in whom refuge is taken. A cow cleans its calf by licking, no matter how dirty the calf is from mud, urine, or dung. When the calf goes to drink milk, think about it—the cow not only feeds milk but also licks and cleans the calf, purifying its body. Think about it! The same cow would refuse to eat even the finest fodder mixed with the slightest trace of dirt from a calf that is not under its protection (not sharanagat). Why did the cow lick the dirt and urine of the calf? Because the calf is under her protection, it has taken refuge. And for one who is not under its protection, an outsider, the cow would hit it with its horns and refuse to eat even the cleanest fodder if it has the slightest contamination from that calf.

This is between the soul and God, or between the Guru and the disciple. When one is in refuge, the Guru metaphorically “licks away” the sins, taking on the sinful deeds of the disciple upon himself. The Guru prays, “O Lord, transfer this person’s sins to me; make this person better.” This is assured. I am explaining the intricacies of karma. The profound aspect of karma is refuge (sharanagati). The secret of karma here is that if you retain the sense of doership, karma may or may not protect you; there is no guarantee. But if you act with refuge, your protection is assured. There can be no deceit in this. Even if you have 20 types of vices, refuge will cleanse them. I won’t take more of your time on this topic, but I was reminded of something.

There was a Muslim king. In the past, there used to be markets called Meena Bazaars. Everything was sold in these bazaars—servants were bought, and girls were also purchased. Everything available for purchase could be found at Meena Bazaar. The king would always make the first purchase, followed by the ministers, and then other officials, in that order. After them, the general public could make purchases. The king went to Meena Bazaar. He needed a loyal servant. An Arab trader had come to sell children—some for two hundred, some for a thousand, some for two thousand, whatever the price was. This is not an exaggeration; even in Delhi, there used to be Meena Bazaars during the Mughal Empire. Boys and girls were sold there. The king was watching as Arab traders presented the boys and girls for sale, and he took a liking to one boy. The king asked, “What is the price of this boy?” The reply was, “Five thousand gold coins.” The king said, “We will pay that amount, but what qualities does he possess?” Then the boy himself spoke. What quality do you possess, Maharaj? I will never say no in my life. I am ready to give my life for your well-being at any time, day or night. This is my specialty. The king bought the boy. The king asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Bhaleji-Bhuleji.” The king laughed and said, “Oh, Bhaleji-Bhuleji.” The boy said, “Yes, Your Majesty.” Later, when the king inquired about a task that was supposed to be done at night, the boy replied, “Bhaleji forgot, Your Majesty.” The king asked, “What is this?” The boy replied, “I completed 99 tasks, but I forgot the 100th one. I told you before that my name is Bhaleji; I do my tasks well. But Bhuleji, I forgot.” He became so trustworthy that neither the ministers, queens, nor the begums could outshine him. He was a devoted and surrendered soul. He had completely surrendered himself. He would forget the biggest tasks but complete the small ones. The king called out, “Bhaleji-Bhuleji!” He responded, “Yes, Your Majesty!” The king said, “The main task I assigned you wasn’t completed.” The boy replied, “Your Majesty, I keep forgetting, but I have always been forgiven so far.” He remained trustworthy. Slowly, however, he started drinking alcohol, which was a serious issue in a Muslim kingdom. People began to complain. “Bhaleji-Bhuleji has started drinking alcohol,” they said. The king responded, “Yes, yes, he must be drinking, it’s no big deal.” One day they caught him and brought him to the king while he was praying to God, saying, “Oh my Lord, please don’t let them catch me and bring me here to punish me.” Still, they caught him and brought him to the king. Half the bottle was empty, and the other half was full. The king asked, “Hey Bhaleji-Bhuleji! What were you doing?” The boy replied, “Yes, Your Majesty, I was drinking liquor.” The king asked, “Where were you drinking?” The boy replied, “At such and such a place.” The king then asked…The people brought you in? He replied, “Yes, Your Majesty! They brought me in. I had already drunk half of it. I asked them to let me finish the other half, but they said no, they would take it as evidence.” The king then said, “Alright, everyone sit down. From today, I declare him as my successor and appoint him as the chief minister.” What a strange incident! He used to drink, he was working against the rules. People started saying, “This is complete injustice being done to society, to us, and to the ministers.” The king said, “No, this is absolute justice. I know he was drinking, but he spoke the truth. I need a minister who can speak plainly, who can tell it like it is.” I remembered that if we remain in the refuge of God, in the refuge of the Guru, and stay true, then even the greatest of sins will be overlooked by God, and He will grant us His grace. This is the secret of karma. No one will be able to stop you. There was clarity, and he did not abandon his refuge. Our actions should be such that we speak the truth and atone for our sins. We will be granted the highest positions. Is there any shortage of positions in God’s house? Has He created only a limited number of top rooms? Are there 5 rooms or 7 rooms? His Vaikuntha has countless rooms, so many that they cannot be counted. If someone goes there and books a hundred rooms, it’s not forbidden; if they book thousands, it’s still not forbidden. This is the nature of karma; this is the secret of karma. The secret is that we remain in refuge and act for the sake of God. I’m speaking for myself. There are many days when I don’t engage in bhajan, many days when I don’t perform havan. But when the command comes from above, “Hey, Sundarshan?” “Yes, Maharaj!” “Yes, it’s been four days since we conducted the yajna.” “Bhule Ji, sir! Bhule

It happened. Why did I forget? My BP increased, please fix my BP. Baba! I will perform the havan tomorrow itself. That’s the kind of person I am. Now tell me, I didn’t even act for my own gain. I am performing this yajna for their sake. Now that I am sick, how will I do it, tell me. And there are days and days when I don’t even pick up the mala, I completely lose contact with the mala. I don’t even know if there is a mala or not. Why, you fool! You have become an atheist, there is a clear voice that says this. It’s a big truth, clear. We remain silent. Hey, we are telling you! Government! We are listening. Then, ‘Why didn’t you do mala?’ I didn’t do mala because there is tension in my nerves, the mala doesn’t move. Now if the mala doesn’t move, it will cause a rupture, right? You fix my neck, or the pain in my hand. This is karma. This karma is being done for God. He helps in every way. This is the deep nature of karma. One should do such karma. We commit sinful karma and then hide it.

Before performing karma, we should consider God and Guru as witnesses present here, that they are listening. Pujani! (explaining to a disciple) There was a gun aimed at you. How many crores of rupees were in the bag? Pujani said there were one and a quarter crores. At that time, you said, “Guru Maharaj! Protect me!” Despite fifty bullets being fired, did any hit your body? Where were you at that time? In Naideriyeria. And where was I? In Faridabad. Think about it, these are the accumulated karmas from previous births. This is my connection with you people. This relationship is the result of previous karma. Otherwise, why would you come here? You come on foot, spending petrol, diesel. You come. But you come. And how many inconveniences are there here you have to face. But you come, why? Because there is a connection between you and me, it is certain, no one can deny it! Why would you come without a connection? There is a better Surya Kund. It is on the way. It’s a Sunday. Surya Kund is a tourist spot. Why wouldn’t you enjoy there? Why come to this dense jungle? But there is a connection! And why is that connection there? It’s due to the deep movement of actions! The deeds you have done have formed this connection between you and me! And this connection keeps getting stronger. This will happen through actions. In other words, what is the relation between karma and destiny, my beloved, I am telling you. Karma is directly connected to destiny! The deeds done are what come back as fate, as fortune. Whether they are good or bad. The good will come in good forms, and the bad will come in bad forms. Therefore, to accumulate wealth, we do not need to commit great sins or undertake significant efforts. This is something that has already been earned, it will come to you people.

What do we, the gurus, do? The gurus remind you when you stray from the path that your bank balance is substantial! We testify to it, the bank does as well! Otherwise, what does the guru have? It is your deeds and their results, your destiny, that we bring forward by testifying. Or, when a dirty utensil or dirty cloth is there, we use your soap to clean it! Otherwise, what do we have? It’s your Vim (dish soap), your utensil, and cleaning it is our job! In other words, your accumulated deeds that are stored, for those, we recite, see, and testify. “Make this person a millionaire because they have billions stored.” They say that this person is wicked, before was also unable to repay it. We say that we guarantee his repayment. That’s why we tell you to perform the havan, and that’s why we tell you to keep putting in a penny, a small coin, or a new currency in the name of God so that we can continue to advocate for him. We say that he is repaying, but he doesn’t have much. You set a bond of 100 rupees, but he can’t repay, the times are tough with inflation. So, set a bond of 10 rupees. He agreed. He said, this person isn’t even able to pay 10 rupees. We said, then bond it to 1 rupee. He has one lakh, but he can only give one rupee, where will he get the rest from? He has no land or property; what will you confiscate? This is his own house, we won’t let it be confiscated. If the house isn’t there, how will he pay the one rupee? Even that one rupee gets deposited into the one lakh. When it doesn’t get completed, what does one rupee do to a lakh? So, the Guru says wisely, listen! In our Rajasthan, we say – Brother! A hundred barns, but our master has one unit! This means that you now owe us 100 measures of grain. I have a debt; you can repay it with this. This is the rule of Rajasthan, and it still exists. When millions are involved in a party, then he says – Sir! I have a cow, it’s old. And I have nothing else! This is a hut, you can live in it. He takes the cow and says, payment received. In the same way, the Guru people arrange for your payment of one rupee and write it as fully paid, whatever it may be. Though you gave little, it’s still something. I’m talking about the deep movement of karma, the deep effect of karma. What karma did you do? Nothing much! Just gave one rupee. And millions and crores of debt were repaid by the big government.

What karma have you performed? You accepted surrender. You gave respect to the saint. You honored the saint. The saint filled the legal form. The saint advocated for you. This is the intricate nature of karma. Karma has this result: the sins you have committed, the merits you have earned, these come before you. The karma done for God and the karma done for the welfare of others, both fall under the explanation of karma. These give you the pleasure of interest here, while the principal remains there, never depleting. The interest here becomes so much by God’s grace that it multiplies thousands and thousands of times—enjoy happiness here and enjoy happiness there too.

In our society, a very reversed way of thinking has developed—an upside-down one. Sometimes, it causes sorrow. The upside-down thinking has become that we have accepted that God’s devotee is poor, God’s devotee is impoverished. Like many people in Haryana believe that someone who wears a loincloth is called Babaji, or someone who applies ash is called Baba, or someone who smokes a pipe is called Baba. I don’t know the definition of these. Or our society. Who do they consider Babaji? I don’t know. This Babaji is the king of kings, the emperor of emperors, the God of gods. He entrusts everything to God, saying, “Here, take God’s name and remember it!” Tell me, how do you define Babaji? We don’t know that here. Babaji is the emperor of emperors. Whenever he wants, he can, in his bliss, lift everyone and throw them, make them wear a loincloth, or if he wishes, adorn them with diamonds and pearls. What lack does he have? He is Lakshminarayan, the husband of Lakshmi, and he is his devotee. When he speaks to the householder, the housewife comes right away. She won’t refuse him. In two days, she will sulk for four days, or maybe two months, but she won’t get a divorce. After being angry for two to four months, she will come back. She has to return. These are the devotees of Lakshminarayan—Lakshminath Samaranayam. Yāmunacharya Madhyamam Asmadacharyaparyantam Vande Gurushrparam. However, you haven’t thought about how many sufferings from our past lives are coming before us, or how much we have already consumed from our past lives, or how many of our past life deeds are inauspicious. By believing in that God, by believing in the saint, by believing in the Guru, we have been saved, and we are getting our bread. Have you ever thought about this? This is why our thinking is small—if we haven’t received wealth, then Babaji is useless.

Many of my beloved ones, I remember, when their selfish desires were not fulfilled, they distanced themselves. It didn’t bother me. This is, brother, like a rickety cart, and if you sit in the rickety cart, you will see the Taj Mahal. And if you don’t sit in the rickety cart, then go by airplane, who is stopping you, brother! Sit in the train, but you have to sit. If you sit in Faridabad and get down at Mathura, you won’t see the Taj Mahal. You will see Dwarkadhish, you will see Janmabhoomi, but you won’t see the Taj Mahal. What I mean by the Taj Mahal is—

Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ,
Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

That (supreme abode) is not illumined by the sun, nor by the moon, nor by fire.
Having reached there, one does not return; that is My supreme abode.

You will only see the view of that Taj Mahal if you stick to the rickety cart. Otherwise, my brother! Get off as much as you want. It doesn’t matter to the cart if you get off. If you get off, the weight of the cart will decrease.

It won’t. Or my diesel won’t run out. This vehicle is moving; the amount of diesel that needs to be spent will be spent. Whether I travel alone or the whole ship moves, the diesel expenditure will remain the same. The effort remains the same. If someone wants to get off, they can, no objections. What sorrow do I have? But those who choose to sit in this rickety vehicle, this is a guarantee, this is a vow in deep motion, that they will certainly see the Taj Mahal. I am not talking about the Taj Mahal in Agra. That Taj Mahal is the crown of all. The king of kings is also its king. There, the glory of the sun and moon doesn’t exist. To reach there, stick with this rickety vehicle. Think about how bad my past deeds must have been from which I am being saved. How many of my sins have come before me, from which I am being saved. Why am I being saved? It is by the grace of that Name Maharaj that I am being saved. I am being saved by the grace of Guru Maharaj. I am being saved by the grace of saints, and I am being saved by performing altruistic deeds. The altruism that I am performing is preserving my life. Perhaps no one will think like this. Everyone will say, “Why go there, we attended for 11 days, nothing happened.” They didn’t consider that how many of their sins were reduced by attending for 11 days. And until the sins are reduced, what will they achieve?

O lovers of Satsang! Tell me, do you apply blue dye after cleaning the dirt, or do you apply the blue dye while the clothes are still dirty? (The audience said that they apply the blue dye after cleaning the dirt.) Cleaning the dirt also causes distress to the cloth; it is soaked, it is beaten, it is heated, and it is put in bleaching powder or detergent. Some chemical is applied. If it is dirtier, it is washed again. Then we see if there is a stain, you wash it again. And after so much washing, when you see that it’s fine, then you apply blue dye or Tinopal or whatever it is. If you want to apply the blue dye in the first attendance itself, my brothers! How can I do that, you tell me. The movement of karma is deep—karma has a profound path. I read karma and see that it has this much karma, not too much for now; let’s give it a hand, so it keeps moving with a little support. Because it’s not the right time to give it all. I can’t alter the law of nature that even Lord Ram did not change. Sita’s abduction happened, and Lord Ram abandoned Sita as per what society said was unjust. But he was in human form. He was a king for society. The duty of a king is to protect society. If the king accepts what society says, he is a king; otherwise, he is unjust, oppressive, immoral, or a tyrant. Lord Ram was not a tyrant. He understood society’s voice that society was in distress at that time, upset by my criticism, meaning a foul wave had spread in society. For this, I should remove them. Therefore, his love remained unchanged. Suppose there is some argument or fight, and you send your wife to her parents’ home for a week or two; have you committed a sin? No, if there is a possibility of a fight, or if there is another matter, then you lovingly send her away for 8 days. Go for a while, there is danger; has it become a sin? You assess it based on your age. That God, Anadi Lakshminarayan, is from the beginning of time. He let her go for just a moment from his perspective. Consider this. A day of Brahma is 4.68 billion years long. And in just a moment of Brahma’s time, how many did you assume that Sita was abandoned just like that? If you look at it mathematically, she was away for only a moment. Soon after, Lakshminarayan was with her. To renounce means not to bring her name up again. Seeing that situation, she was sent to the room for a minute. They said, go sit in the room. Stay in the aura of saints, stay in a good place so that people will believe and you will become pure because you might have also been affected by the evil eye. To purify her, she was sent to the bathroom. Saints have their bathhouses, they give baths. So, what was wrong in sending her to the bathhouse? After that, she is in the divine realm, isn’t she, Sitaram? This way, we people got absurd ideas. I am emphasizing that thousands, associated with this ashram, have turned away. We don’t feel the slightest sorrow about it. We all are saying—why? Whoever has to take something, or give something, will disembark at that destination. They will not move forward. If you cling to this broken cart even after experiencing happiness or sorrow, my beloved, the sinful deeds of your past lives cause you suffering; I will cleanse those past sins and make you a resident of the divine realm. This is my vow before my Guru Maharaj.

New karmas are acts of benevolence, devotion to God, which increase your karmic merit. Karmas are said to be of two types—new and old. The old deeds are called destiny, fate. From this, you receive wealth and sensory pleasures, and there is no doubt about it. A little effort is needed, a little labor. The real karma is done for dharma, and the reward for dharma is liberation. These new karmas have to be done, and the old karmas you will have to face the consequences of your actions. If you surrender, even old karmas can be resolved— a debt of a lakh can be settled for just one rupee, or even 10% of it. No matter how many sinful deeds you have, if you accept surrender, your balance account will be settled, without a doubt. For liberation and righteousness, you must cultivate new karmas. And to experience the results of old karmas, the necessary resources will come to you with a little effort. For instance, this body says, “What karma did I perform to be adopted at the age of 5 and by a millionaire no less?” Think about it, when I was 5 years old, I was taken in the arms at Mehndipur Balaji’s temple, later adopted into a big family in Vrindavan, and was already in the arms of my revered Baba. After that, I was also taken into the world’s arms. And finally, in Haridwar, all the saints took me in their arms. So, I wasn’t adopted; rather, I was uplifted into their embrace. Therefore, when you perform good deeds, many will be willing to embrace you, meaning the Divine will take you in His embrace. If He doesn’t, the saints will.

Satt śaraṇ meṁ jo paṛe, so jan uddhāraṇahār,
Satt kī nindā Nānakā bahurī bahurī avatār

Those who take refuge in the truth (Satt) become the saviors of others.
O Nanak, those who slander the truth will be reborn again and again.

Summary

The discourse highlights the supreme role of the Guru in a devotee’s life, stressing that the Guru’s grace is paramount for spiritual progress. The speaker draws from various scriptures to emphasize that true peace and liberation come from selfless devotion to the Supreme Being, Narayan. The Guru’s teachings transcend human intellect, and through service to the Guru and society, one attains spiritual fulfillment. The importance of remembering one’s divine promises made before birth, and the power of service (Kainkaryam), is explored as the means to dissolve ego and attain liberation. The discourse also touches on karma and fate, illustrating how surrender to the Guru can alleviate the consequences of past karma and pave the way to spiritual freedom.

Important Points

1. Guru’s Role: The Guru is essential for spiritual practices, and without the Guru’s grace, even divine interventions are less impactful.
2. Selfless Service: Serving the Guru, society, and the Supreme Being is the highest form of spiritual practice, dissolving the ego.
3. Material Desires: Attachment to material desires leads to bondage, while true peace comes from devotion and renunciation.
4. Grace and Liberation: The Guru’s grace leads to liberation, surpassing the merit of material actions like yajna or charity.
5. Human Body as Grace: The human form is a gift of divine grace and should be utilized for spiritual growth and not wasted on selfish pursuits.
6. Karma and Destiny: Karma defines one’s fate, but surrender to the Guru can mitigate the effects of past karma.
7. Spiritual Attainment: Saints and devotees attain spiritual states through humility and service, not intellectual pursuit.
8. Satsang’s Value: Satsang (association with the wise) is more valuable than material wealth or even ritualistic deeds.
9. Chanting God’s Name: Repetition of the divine name (Ram, Krishna, Narayan) purifies the soul and aligns it with the Supreme Being.
10. Ego and Suffering: Ego leads to suffering, and liberation lies in dissolving it through devotion and service to others.