In the Samvat yea 1826 in the evening of the full moon day of the month of Paush. Shreeji Maharaj was seated on a wooden bedstead laid in the veranda in front of  the hall facing the west in the Durbar of Dada Khachar in Gadhada. He had put a white turban on His head sod- a white upper garment over His Shoulders. He had covered His body with a white cotton sheet. Garlands of white flowers adorned his neck. A tassel of white flowers was hanging from His turban. Saints and devotees from various places had gathered before Him in an assembly.

Then Shreeji Maharaj told the assembly to ask Him questions. There upon Gopalanand Swami said. “Please tell us how our devotion, accompanied by morality, knowledge and non-attachment, can grow in intensity.”

Shreeji Maharaj replied, ‘There are four factors which can intensify the strength of devotion: sacred place, auspicious time, auspicious actions and company of saintly persons. Out of these four factors, the effect of auspicious actions is very little. But the effect of time, place and company is very great. Actions are bound to be auspicious if the place is sacred, time is auspicious and there is company of saints. But if the place is evil like that of Sindh and time is also evil, and there is company of sinful persons who consume meat and liquor, or there is company of prostitutes and pimps, then actions are bound to be wicked. You must stay in a sacred place. If the times turn evil you must vacate that place and leave for some where else. You must always seek the company of  saints who have realized God, and who observe their sacred vows strictly. Only then Your devotion will grow strong. This is my answer to your question.”

Then Muktanand Swami said, “In the beginning one feels a little filthy in his heart. But then his heart becomes absolutely pure. Is this change of heart due to some good deeds done by him in his previous life? Or is it due to the grace of God? or

due to his own efforts?”

Shreeji Maharaj replied, “If something good or bad happens on account of good deeds of previous life, the whole world will come to know about it. It is like the case of sage Bharat He developed an attachment for a baby deer. Now this can be taken as something predestined. If a pauper becomes the ruler of a great kingdom, the whole world comes to know about it. This is to be considered as predestined.”

Then, Shreeji Maharaj talked about Himself. He said, “I have undergone so many ordeals in search of God that this body would not have survived at all. And yet this body has survived. We may call this predestination. As for example. when I was in Purushottampuri I had to pass some months only by the intake of air. Once I left myself drifting in a river seven or eight miles broad. I have passed summer, winter and monsoon with only a loin cloth on my body, in (places without shack. I have passed through jungles in company of tigers, elephants. wild buffaloes and deer. I had to pass through innumerable such frightful places. But this body did not come to an end. In such cases we

take the destiny to be the cause. In other cases, the son of a Brahmin named Sandeepani was redeemed from hell, and five year old Dhruv prayed to God so that meanings of Vedas and other scriptures were instinctively revealed to him. God was pleased with, them on account of their purest love for Him. Their hearts became pure on account of His blessings. In such cases the grace of God must be taken to be the cause. And when a person’s heart becomes pure by the company of great saints, and by one’s own thinking, then one’s own efforts must be considered to be the cause. “With these words Shreeji

Maharaj concluded His discourse, and with a smiling face uttered ‘Jay Sachichidanand’ and retired to His residence.