If any devotee were to believe Yogi Bapa to be the supreme incarnation of Akshar-purushottam and pray incessantly to Him : “Bapa – please reveal your true self to me! Grant my soul redemption and salvation”
If the devotee continued to pray in this way unceasingly until Bapa heard his prayers, then Maharaj would hear this plea and would take it upon Himself to bless the devotee. He would bestow His blessing :
“My son, from today you are mine, you belong to me”
Just this simple blessing is sufficient. It brings an end to the devotee’s journey. He needs to do nothing more. We need to be assured of this fact. Until we feels assured we need to seek guidance from gunatit swaroops ; we should serve them, obey their commands and continue to pray. One day our prayers will gather the required intensity and will be heard by the Lord. Then begins :
- The purification of our soul
- Swaroop-nishtha : the recognition of muktos, santos and the Lord.
- The understanding and acceptance of the greatness of the swaroop (mahima) Everything which concerns us will now be controlled by Bapa. He will utilise our prarabhdhas in order to purify our soul.
From now on the following applies :
- There is no way to turn back.
- No U-turns on this journey The only way is to go forward. Even if you have to be pushed all the way, so be it.
On our journey, if we become tired then we will be allowed to rest for a while, but as soon as we have regained our energy then we will be pushed forward again. The only thing we control is how we would like our sadhana to progress :
- Sukhé sukhé ? Do we want a journey which is smooth, easy-going and happy?
- Sukhé dukhé ?Do we want a journey which often has its ups and downs ?
- Dukhé dukhé ?Do we want a journey which will be tough, difficult and full of despair ?
This is a decision which we must take ourselves. Each individual has his own preferences according to his own nature and desires. Yogi Bapa accepts each person’s choice.
For those who want to do their sadhana sukhé sukhé :
During the process of purification, if you experience even the slightest feelings of desolation, despair or take offence of other devotees then you should immediately begin to pray. Take the rosary and chant the Swaminarayan mantra. Continue in this way until these feelings have been eliminated. Sing bhajans , perform japyagna, or meditate, do whatever suits your personality. If a fire broke out, one would immediately put it out with a bucket of water, otherwise it would begin to spread and would be uncontrollable. Thus during ‘normal’ times when we are happy and carefree we should form a habit of praying, meditating etc. This will be of great help to us when we are faced with problems, we will be able to turn to prayer immediately to eliminate feelings of despair, gloom and sadness. Gradually, the frequency with which we experience such feelings will diminish. We will be able to experience Bapa at work within us purifying our soul. To remain happy and to experience the happiness of Akshardham we should continue to pray.
For those who want to do their sadhana sukhé dukhé :
During the process of purification when you experience even the slightest feelings of desolation, despair or take offence of other devotees because they do not comply with your expectations, we would have one of two responses :
- Become apathetic – do nothing
- Become frustrated and try to eliminate these feelings by turning to one’s own intellectual mind, knowledge and other scriptures for solutions.
This will only result in an increase in the intensity of the feelings of desolation, despair and sorrow. When Dropadi was attacked she turned to everyone for help, but did not call upon Shree Krishna until the very last moment. As soon as she asked for His help, He instantly came to her aide and saved her.
For as long as we seek alternative ways to solve our problems, the problems will always be there. However only when we turn to Bapa and cry out to him for help from the depths of our heart, will He eliminate our problems and restore happiness and bliss in our hearts. In this way, on each occasion when different parts are being purified, we will always try to find alternative methods of solving our problems, turning to Bapa only as a last resort. Thus we experience the ups and downs in our journey, but the purification is guaranteed.
For those who want to do their sadhana dukhé dukhé :
Those who have come in contact with Bapa will ultimately be redeemed, that is a fact. By hook or by crook, their souls will be purified. Bapa will never give up on them, if required to, he will force them forward in their sadhana. Basically, during the process of purification when we experience feelings of desolation, despair or take offence of other devotees etc., we will try all avenues available to us to eradicate such feelings. We may become tired of the sadhana, but will still continue with our negative approach. Eventually, Bapa will ease the pace of the sadhana, giving us a respite. However, he will not relent. Once we have regained our energy to begin, the sadhana will recommence! The same old events and circumstances which caused us to take offence will be instigated by Bapa. This vicious circle will continue until finally we are ready to plead to Bapa for mercy, asking him to liberate us from such feelings and from our own déhabhav.
Thus each and every stage of the sadhana will be tough, difficult and full of despair. Even if the devotee wishes to die, Bapa will not allow him to. He will only relent when the devotee has been redeemed.
Thus Bapa has said that the most intelligent devotee is one who realises the power of the Sakshat Swaroop and remains ever humble before Him, always obeying His every command and endeavouring to live every moment to please Him.
Therefore, the choice of how we would like to do our sadhana is totally ours – the rest is up to the Lord.