Yet, what is that characteristic in them by which we can know that even if they face difficult times, they will not deviate from dharma dharma 1) Universal law or principle that 'sustains' or 'upholds' the entire world. Righteousness, morality, religion, Tap to open in glossary → Gopinath Purani Swami was there, Shastriji Maharaj used to say, that he observed all the vows that were there in Satsangi Satsangi A person who practises satsang. Tap to open in glossary → In every word. To perform the ritual of all the words at least once. There must be such an intention within. Otherwise, it is not compulsory or in the management that everyone has to pass this much. If it is for all these children, then they have to give exams for all subjects and 35 marks are compulsory in all. Are all the vows mentioned in Satsangi Satsangi A person who practises satsang. Tap to open in glossary → Why did he observe them? Shastriji Maharaj says, "I, for many... up to water and that only, not cooked on the stove." Cooked on the stove means grain to eat. If it is not cooked on the stove, now all facilities have increased a lot. That means better facilities than before. But for many years, he ate wheat for one month, rice for one month, millet for one month, like that. Why do that? Is it compulsory to do that? Is it compulsory to do that? Why? Some intention must arise from within, right? If the intention does not arise and they just go on, it means that when difficult times come, they will not survive. The intention to please God must arise from within, right? If his intention is proper and he has strengthened it in this way, then Maharaj says even if difficult times go out, nothing will happen. If a firm intention has not been made, and if a firm intention is to be made, it happens here. It happens by staying within limits. Will that firm intention be made after going out? It will just vanish somewhere. Suppose we sadhus here observe ektana (eating once a day) and we go to another institution and sit, don't we sit with our own? What is it? That here it is because of the management. So, because the atmosphere here is like that, it is by management. Once outside, then with everyone, yes. The intention has not been made from within that we want to follow every single word of Maharaj in our life. We do not want to let any be broken. It is not about following once, a vow is to be observed once, but that we do not want to let it be broken. When there is such an intention, then it happens, otherwise it does not. If there is such a nature, then in this, Maharaj has mostly taken it on nature. Next, the question after this. One who has such a nature, meaning interest, and it has become deep-rooted, that if a commandment is violated, he gets troubled by it. So wherever he goes, goes outside, difficult times come, is in solitude, is anywhere, is in any kind of difficult times, his deep-rooted nature has become such, such an interest has developed to please Maharaj by obeying His commandments. All small and big. Then Maharaj says he will not violate any word. Then Shukmuni asked a question, "All our sadhus remain in the present vows, yet what is that characteristic in them by which we can know that even if they face difficult times, they will not deviate from dharma dharma 1) Universal law or principle that 'sustains' or 'upholds' the entire world. Righteousness, morality, religion, Tap to open in glossary → Then Shreeji Maharaj said, "One whose vision constantly remains on all the small and big words of God, but if he has to step outside the word, he finds it extremely difficult, and..." Maharaj wrote that it is extremely difficult. Such is his nature, such is his intention, when he strengthens the intention, it becomes nature. There is no other meaning of nature. When he makes the intention extremely strong and by repeatedly putting it into practice, strengthens the intention, it becomes his nature. One whose vision constantly remains on all the small and big words of God, but if he has to step outside the word, he finds it extremely difficult, and beyond that word... Very difficult, what was said? If he has to step outside the word, he finds it extremely difficult. How? It is difficult in his nature. It is not that someone stops him and punishes him. But his interest has become like that. If you do not like bitter gourd curry and someone forces it on you? Then you cannot throw it away, and if you have to eat it? What to do? It is extremely difficult. It is extremely difficult. He finds it that difficult. His interest has become like that. And how does interest develop? No one is born with it. If he develops such an interest himself, then it happens. And it happens when he does it by performing rituals. Even if it is from a past birth, it is useless. No certainty about it. What is done in this birth has value. Just as a son born rich does not value money, and the one who has earned by his own hands knows how a rupee is spent. Maharaj has said in one place, right? That if one gets good and fine clothes, gets good food, then... it troubles him. What? Then he gets troubled. He gets troubled. His mind gets troubled. So he has made such a nature. That is made by both intention and ritual. If he only keeps the intention and does not perform the ritual, it will not happen. Then the nature will not go. And he keeps performing rituals but has no intention, in the flow of everyone, we all perform rituals. Now when Chaturmas starts, everyone enters the field. And they perform so much penance but do not obey Maharaj's commandment. They do not do what obeys Maharaj's commandment. Even if they throw their body with struggles, they do not obey Maharaj's commandment. All our sadhus observe those vows of eating only three morsels. Some even eat raw peanut seeds and also keep coriander seeds in it. They also keep coriander seeds in it. But if they are told to eat a full meal once a day, they will not do it. So, there is no connection with Maharaj's commandment in what they do. What? They do not do less. On the contrary, they do more. But the connection is not that 'I am doing it by commandment'. Even if they perform Chandrayana, they do not do it with the connection of the commandment, let them do the three morsels. Let them even fast for a month. But there is no connection with the commandment. Otherwise, those who can fast for a month, can't they eat once a day? What? Those who can perform Chandrayana of three morsels, can't they eat once a day? Commandment... Chandrayana of three morsels is just a spiritual practice. It is not a commandment. And this is a commandment. So if he has an interest from within to do anything by obeying the commandment of nature, then he will go that way too, he will not go that way. AI translation of the Gujarati transcript above, produced in the same pass that transcribed the audio, one English segment per Gujarati segment. Devotional and technical terms with no precise English equivalent (kirtan, satsang, vasana, samskara, and similar) are kept as their plain transliteration rather than force-translated. Not human-proofread., AI-translated, unverified · Source details