If a person's mind does not attain peace, then wealth and power are of no use. Everyone should remember how to remain pure and behave well. Just as food is necessary for the nourishment of the body, similarly, sadhana (spiritual practice) is necessary for the satisfaction and peace of the mind. It is essential to dedicate some time to it every day. Although it is true that human birth is rare, it is fundamentally born out of desires, and hence, it is natural for the mind to be influenced by desires. Therefore, it is necessary to divert the mind from desires towards development. Along with this, it is essential to perform some sadhana to turn the mind, which is inclined towards downfall due to past actions, away from it and attain knowledge beyond the senses. One should forget the 'I' so that, over time, the mind will attain peace and satisfaction.

Sadhana is the only way to stop the downfall and achieve upward progress. Nama Smarana (chanting the name of God) is a sadhana that everyone can practice. Although it is true that past karmic faults create obstacles in it, they should be removed with effort. Once the mind gets used to sadhana, regularity sets in. When the yearning of the mind increases, one meets the right noble person, and good intellect is created, turning the mind towards the right path. Such a person continues to perform good deeds. Their tendency turns towards constructive work and they spontaneously engage in it in the right way. Often, it happens that some people stop sadhana thinking they have done enough good deeds, which is wrong. Similarly, there is a common flaw among people that they try to divert those who perform such good deeds. However, at least obstacles should not be created in it. On the contrary, if you cannot perform such work, you should assist those who do; that too is a good deed.

If there is a yearning and a tendency to do good work, sadhana becomes easy. One should attain joy through good deeds. This is the path of joy. When work is done with dedication and with the blessings of noble persons, the attainment of joy and peace of mind is certain.

|| shree gurudev datta ||