When we try to focus our minds on God we find that our minds are filled with thoughts of the day, activities that we need to do or problems that may be worrying us. We have to stretch our minds to stay in God whereas worldly thoughts flow freely. But we see that Guruhari Param Pujya Pappaji and the swaroopo are constantly lost in God. In fact they have to stretch their minds to undertake worldly activities.
Shreeji Maharaj in Vachanamrut G I 49 has stated that it is by the process of antardrashti that we can remain constantly lost in God. Antardrashti is to see God within our heart, but Maharaj has also advocated that antardrashti can also be considered to be keeping our minds full of memories of the manifest form of God.
Param Pujya Pappaji has further explained that when the manifest God and the God who is within our heart become one, then that is the end of our sadhana.
Once a Jyot sister asked Pappaji whether he would stay with us for 101 years (this was our sankalp at that time). Pappaji said, make your spiritual status such that whether Pappa is here or not makes no difference to you. But how can we attain this type of stiti?
Pappaji has given us the answer: ‘Pragat prabhu ne pratyaksh karo’. Once Param Pujya Ben asked Pappaji what the difference is between pragat and pratyaksh. Pappaji replied that He who is pragat is in Gondal (meaning Yogi Maharaj) and He who is pratyaksh is here in our hearts. In the same way, we have to make Pappaji pratyaksh in our hearts such that we see nothing but Him. We have to make Pappaji our soul.
If we fill our minds with fond memories of Pappaji and satsang, then gradually we can absorb His murti into our heart, mind and soul such that we can quite literally feel or see Him all the time. In everything we do we will then remember Hai Pappaji, Hai Maharaj and we live in Him and for Him. We will then rely upon Him for everything.
When Shree Krishna bhagwan left to go to Mathura, the gopis were totally vexed as their daily activities were centred on Krishna only. The gopis questioned how they would be able to live without their beloved God. But Krishna bhagwan said, “It is my desire that you truly keep Me from within”. It is only then that we can see God always and everywhere.
Pappaji has said that one thing that Jogi Bapa had taught him was that without expectations of Him (i.e. Yogi Maharaj) if he had expectation of his own intellect and understanding then he would experience troubles and crossings. In the same way, if we have expectations from anything other than Pappaji, then we will experience the same. If we believe that God resides only in heaven, or that God is only manifest in Vidyanagar and we fail to see that God within ourselves in our everyday lives, then Pappaji will create scenarios and situations that will cause us distress until we totally and unreservedly surrender unto Him from within.
Once Yogi Maharaj was with Param Pujya Kakashri in Mumbai at Chopati Beach. Yogi Bapa pointed out to the sea and asked Kakashri what he could see. Kakashri said, ‘Bapa, there is nothing there except the sea’. Yogibapa replied, ‘Is that so? Can you not see Shastraji Maharaj?’ Kakashri then submitted and said, ‘Bapa, it is only you!’ In this way if we keep Pappaji and make Him the most important thing in our lives such that only He is, then the pragat becomes pratyaksh. We will be totally lost in God and will constantly receive inspiration from Him (anuvrati). He will then use us how He sees fit for His service and this will be the end of spiritual journey.
*Written whilst Param Pujya Pappaji was physically manifest.