Destroy your ego

This meeting took place in her ashram located about 15 kilometers from Mysore. Set in a village, it is an extraordinary place with two small temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha and Lord Murugan, another temple to Lord Krishna and another to Shirdi Sai Baba.  She was introduced to the world by Sri Sathya Sai who had told her that she would begin her mission after attaining the age of fifty. She said that she often quarreled with Sathya Sai. She said that she was not like him. He would easily forgive and he would always love those who came to him.

She said her nature was different and that he was Mother of the Universe and as mother it was her job to correct, instruct and guide.

That was how she began her splendid discourse. She said it was useless to chant mantras without devotion. It was equally futile to read the Gita and other similar scriptures and parade your intelligence to the world around you.

We impress nobody. She said it was enough if we pray to the Sun God every morning and thank Him for extending our life by yet another day. Or gracefully accept what is happening to you is a result of your karmas. Surrender is essential.

What should be surrendered? She said it was the deadly ego. This was the principal enemy. If you keep reciting the Gita to a group of listeners, it was more likely to increase your pride and ego and puff you up.

On the contrary it was better to shut your mouth and shut your thoughts. She then said that she will give us a simple formula and it was this: “Deploy all your will to become nil and if you do that, you will become full!”

It was a sacred yet sobering message: empty your petty self consisting of your limited intelligence and your individuality and I will fill you! Destroy your ego! Receive life with gratitude! Understand that it is your karmas that are at work and allow that work to go on with equanimity.

Learn to accept what is given to you by the Almighty and your single prayer should be: “My beloved Lord! Let your will be done! Let what you want to happen, happen! This is my sole prayer to you!” She ended by saying that she believed that spirituality was about practice, not theory. Theory is empty headed nonsense.

Practice is what counts in spiritual life. There was no spirituality if there was no practice.