The divine holds the master plan

Know that the Guru," explains Sadguru Sri Sharavana Baba, "always has a master plan. He functions according to the dictates of Divine Law. The human mind does not have the power to grasp Divine Law. For this to happen, it has to go beyond the body, mind and intellect. Do not use your limited intelligence to understand the working of cosmic laws that are beyond your ken. This is why our scriptures insist of the values of faith, devotion and surrender."

"Do not come to Me and work for my mission and in the same breath bad people. Such behaviour will inevitably invite paying for your karmas. You come to a Guru to deposit your bad karmas. The Guru takes that upon himself to transform them into good karmas through the medium of doing selfless service to others. Do not expend time to evaluate and judge the actions of a Guru as you will not be able to understand them.

"You must bend your ego if you want to gain godliness. You will have to descend from the mountain to serve others. You must get rid of the feeling of I and mine to achieve self-realization. The principle of Subramanya consciousness lies in serving others. If you want His grace, you must ensure that the three planets of Saturn, Rahu and Mars are friendly to you. You must keep them happy. They must be suitably propitiated. The vehicle that helps the seeker reach his or her destination is selfless service.

"It is important to be internally connected to the Guru. This is accomplished by delving inside and exploring inner consciousness. Know that divinity lies within and it must be sought from the inside. To be connected to the Guru at all times is critical if the seeker has to grow in consciousness and spiritual maturity. It is not necessary for you to be physically close to me. You can be far away geographically and yet be deeply connected to me. On the other hand, you can be in my physical proximity and yet not understand me."

Physical proximity is no sign of spiritual maturity. It is living from the inside that matters. Devotion, service and surrender are the key watchwords.