In the Samvat year 1876 on the third day of the dark half of the month of Paush in the morning, 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 and a white upper garment over his shoulders. He had covered His body with a white cotton shawl. He had applied sandalwood paste blended with saffron on his forehead. A garland of white flowers adorned His neck and a tassel of white flowers was hanging from His turban. Saints and devotees from various places had gathered before Him in an assembly. Saints were singing devotional songs.

Then Shreeji Maharaj said. “Listen to me. I am going to ask you a question. There upon the saints and the devotees said with one voice. ‘You may please ask, Maharaj.”

Then Shreeji Maharaj pondered for a long time and then said, ‘The lustful souls in this world cannot live without enjoyment of the objects of the five senses. Just as such persons enjoy the objects of the senses, the devotees of God also enjoy the objects of the senses. But there is a difference between the two. The lustful person enjoys vulgar objects

which are not related to God, while the devotee enjoys objects related to God only. For example, the devotee listens to talks about God which is an object of the sense of hearing. He touches the lotus like feet of the Lord or the dust from the feet of the saints which is the object of the sense of touch. He enjoys the sight 6f the Lord or the saints which is the object of the sense of sight. He relishes the taste of food offered to God, or sings the praises of God which are the objects of the organ of taste and speech respectively. i.e. the tongue. He enjoys the smell of the flowers offered to God which is the object of the

sense of smell. This is the difference between the objects enjoyed by a fallen soul and those enjoyed by a devotee.

Even a devotee cannot live without enjoyment of the objects of the five senses. Even Narad, Sanak and other sages who are eternally redeemed souls could not live without the enjoyment of the objects of the five senses. They are able to remain in trance for a long time. But when they come out of the trance they immediately enjoy talks and songs in praise of God.

A bird leaves its nest in search of food. but at night it returns to its nest to take rest. It never forgets its nest, nor does it take rest in the nest of another bird. Similarly a devotee of God after feeding himself on the fodder in the form of talks and songs in praise of God returns to his nest, i.e. the divine image of God and takes rest there. Just as birds and animals and other creatures after feeding themselves return to their own habitat to take rest. man also moves from country to country for his business but in the end he returns to his home and feels comfortable there. I have given these illustrations and now I want to know from you whether you are firmly addicted to the enjoyment of talks and discourses pertaining to God and singing of devotional songs, just as a person who is not a devotee is addicted to the enjoyment of worldly objects of senses and cannot live without them.

My another question is,” Just as birds return to their nests at the end of their search for food, I want to know whether you also return to your nest in the form of the divine image of God after your search for food in the form of listening to the talks about God and singing of devotional songs, or whether you go else where to take rest. An animal belonging to a master returns to its own peg after grazing in the fields. But a stray

animal grazes in anyone’s field and goes to rest anywhere it likes. Then either the master of the field beats it with a rod, or a tiger may come and devour it. Do you also return to your fixed place d rest like the animal having a master, or do you graze in somebody’s field and go to rest wherever you like as the stray cattle ? The senior saints may think over this in their hearts for a while and try to reply to all my questions.”

The saints and the devotees replied separately, one after the other.

“Maharaj, we have become addicted to listening to talks about God and to singing devotional songs. And we never go to take rest anywhere else except our destination i.e. the divine image of God.” Shreeji Maharaj was very much pleased to hear this answer.

Again on the same day in the afternoon Shreeji Maharaj was seated on a wooden bedstead laid under the neem tree in the middle of the open square in the Durbar of Dada Khachar. He was seated facing the temple of Shree Vasudev Narayan. Saints and devotees from various places had gathered before Him in an assembly. The saints were singing devotional songs.

Then Shreeji Maharaj said, “Now let us start questions and answers.”

Thereupon Deenanath Bhatt and Brahmanand Swami asked a question, “Some times the heart is filled with pleasant memories of God and His divine image. At other times the heart seems disturbed and does not feel happy even with the memories of God. What is the reason?”

Shreeji Maharaj replied,” That is because you do not know the proper method of holding the divine image of God in your heart”.

Thereupon Muktanand Swami asked, Wow should we know the proper method?”

Shreeji Maharaj replied. “I will describe the method. The conscience is prevailed upon by three attributes of Maya. When the conscience is prevailed upon by the sattvagun [divine attribute] it becomes clear and feels happy with the memories of God. When rajogun (Pleasure seeking attribute) prevails, the conscience becomes disturbed and is filled with a number of thoughts, and does not feel happy with the memories of   God. And when tamogun (evil attribute) prevails no thoughts arise in the conscience and it experiences a sort of vacuum.

Hence the devotee should identify the attribute of Maya prevailing at the time of meditating on God. He should meditate on God only when sattavagun is prevailing. He should not meditate when tamogun is prevailing because he feels a sort of vacuum in

his heart and no thoughts arise in his mind. He should not meditate also when rajogun is prevailing because numerous thoughts arise in the mind at that time. He should think that he is not one with those thoughts but that he is the observer of the thoughts. He should remember that Lord Purushottam Bhagvan resides in his heart for ever. He should meditate when rajogun subsides. When rajogun prevails, numerous thoughts arise in the mind.. He should not get confused at this time because the mind is like a child or a monkey. It is fickle. It’s nature is to play pranks without purpose. Hence one should not get confused and should not take cognizance of the numerous trivial thoughts that arise in

his mind. He must feel sure that his soul is distinct from his conscience. And with this understanding he should worship God.”