The topic of discussion is dharma sádhaná. What is dharma? What is sádhaná? Dharma means “nature”. Sádhaná means “to complete the journey”. Each and every being which has been created in this universe has to complete its journey. Every [ion], every cell, every being which is born will have to complete its journey, because there is an ever-increasing attraction between the unit and the Cosmic, between the jiiva and God. This continuous journey has been going on since the creation of this universe. Whether you like it or not, still you have to continue the journey. To continue this journey is known as dharma sádhaná.

We are all born in this universe. We are all grateful to the Almighty, because He has given us the chance to know Him, to realize our nature. That is the course of our journey. How can we forget the path? The path of knowing Him is so beautiful. It is not only for us, it is for animals also; they are also proceeding on the path. None of them are left behind. Each one of us is moving towards that supreme nature according to our individual dharma, according to our individual nature. Each one of us is motivated by our saḿskáras, our reactive momenta. Every human being is being subjected to the reactions of his or her actions.⁽¹⁾

So saḿskára is motivating you, is propelling you towards or away from Him. If you forget the true nature of yourself then you are being propelled away from the Supreme Entity, from the Divine Being. But if you follow your nature then you are being propelled [towards] the Supreme Entity. It is up to you to select which path you want to go. The selection depends completely on you; but this is not the case for animals. Animals do not have the developed ego, whereas you have the total ego. [You know what you should do; still you do not always do it.] Your dharma, your nature (in Sanskrit dharma means “to hold, to uphold”) is to know that Supreme Entity. That is the nature of human beings.

So today [your] nature is not being upheld properly. You are not following yourself; you are not following your true nature. There are two aspects of your nature: one which is not relevant and one which is relevant. The one which is not relevant is the nature of animals. [We have all evolved out of that.] We are all [possessed of] animal qualities. But that does not mean you have to follow that animal dharma; you do not have to. Even though you have come from that, you have to overcome that animal tendency. Eating, sleeping – all these qualities are there in the human being; they are not to be discarded, but to be overcome. We have got to overcome them by our true nature. Our true nature is to know ourselves thoroughly, to know who we are, where we have come from. So we need to have that energy. We need to have that momentum to know Him; that is known as sádhaná; that is known as intuitional practice – the intuitional practice or the meditation which gives you the momentum, the spiritual momentum, you need to go towards that Supreme Entity. First of all we all have got to know [our] dharma; [our] basic nature is important. You have to know your true nature. Once you [know] it, once you know the true nature of yourself, then you want to perform your sádhaná; then you want to perform your spiritual practices. It is because you do not know your nature that you do not do your spiritual practices. Once you start knowing your nature, once you start knowing your dharma, then you will never stop performing your sádhaná. [Then you will have] to fulfil your sádhaná because you know what you are, you know what you want to do, you know what you want to become. Becoming and knowing is an important part of the human being. First of all know; know what you want to do. Once you have known about what you have to become, then you will become what you want to become.

[You are being propelled] now by your sádhaná. Sádhaná is an important aspect of human [existence]. But dharma is that which protects your sádhaná. Without dharma there is no sádhaná, without sádhaná there is no dharma. The two are interdependent. They move together. So you have to be a dhármika. You have to follow your true nature. By following your true nature you become a true spiritual aspirant. By becoming a true spiritual aspirant you know God in yourself. You know that truth in yourself. That is what your life is to be.

It is truth that is going to save you. It is not untruth that is going to save you. Truth alone will live. In Sanskrit we say Satyameva jayate – “Truth alone will be victorious.” Truth is begotten only through dharma. [Where there is] lack of dharma there is no truth. Where there is no truth there is no victory. So the victory of all human beings is possible only through dharma, only through spiritual practices. It is our duty to perform dharma. It is our duty to perform sádhaná. It is your duty to inspire yourself.

Inspiration comes from inside. [Sometimes] we need inspiration from outside; but that inspiration is not lasting. It is momentary. But in order to inspire yourself you have got to know yourself; by knowing yourself you are inspired always. Inspiration from inside will stand for all time; it will inspire you for all time. That alone is going to help you. And by inspiring yourself you are inspiring others. So be an example. Be a true aspirant by becoming yourself what you are; [and by becoming what you are,] you show others what they have to be. So in order to know everything you know one thing. That one thing is dharma. That one thing is the supreme truth, and that truth is hiding in your heart. You have got to know that truth inside yourself. That is why sádhaná has to be performed.

In order to perform sádhaná you have to observe moral precepts. Without morality, sádhaná is [impossible]. Morality is given to you; it is for you to follow; it is up to you to follow; by observing morality, you follow dharma. By following dharma you practise sádhaná. By practising sádhaná you know yourself totally. The purpose of all creation, the purpose of all human beings, is to know what we are; that is why we are all born in this world. The very purpose of our human existence is to know what we are. There is no other purpose in this universe – remember this point. Remember always that the very purpose of our creation is to know Him, the [Supreme] Entity which is in front of you all the time – even if you forget many times because we are not following our true nature.

Having forgotten our true nature, we have strayed away from the path. So we have got to know our nature. We have got to know that inner self. Knowing one’s self is the true dharma, our true nature. The inspiration comes from inside, it comes always. So do your spiritual practices. Observe the moral principles. Become yourself an example; and that is possible by doing your spiritual practices in a regular manner, in a regular way. That is why you are all here today. The very purpose of your presence, the very purpose of your action, is to know yourself; is to inspire yourself all the time by your internal entity.

You cannot be inspired by others all the time, you have got to be inspired by yourself. That means you have to follow dharma; you have to follow the path. Because He is always inside of you; He is always outside of you also. The Supreme Truth is hiding; you are chasing Him and He is hiding behind you. And again you are chasing Him and again He is hiding. It is like a hide-and-seek game. And He is happy about that. You are chasing Him and chasing Him and chasing Him and He is hiding [from] you, and you want to chase Him again.

He is like the mother and the baby. The mother hides behind the door and the baby wants to know “Where is my mother?” And the baby chases the mother; the mother again goes back behind the door. The baby wants to know where the mother is; the baby cries a little bit; the mother shouts, “Here I am,” [and] the baby is laughing. This is the same game He is playing with all of us. He is hiding inside your heart. You open your heart and then you know Him. Again He wants to hide. He hides a little bit; now you open your heart still more. So you are to go on opening your window, go on opening your mind, more and more, then you will know Him totally. So in order to open yourself up, the only way is to know your nature, is to know your dharma. To know your dharma, to know your nature, thoroughly, you have got to perform your spiritual practices. There is no second way. There is no second path for a human being. Spiritual practices alone are going to help you, nothing else.

In order to perform spiritual practices you have to follow everything [given by your preceptor]. So try to follow all you have been asked to and try to follow all the disciplines which you need to. Then you will know Him. By knowing Him you will know dharma. By becoming one with dharma you will have completed the true journey of your life. The true journey is completed by knowing Him thoroughly.

So know Him today, not tomorrow. This day is the most beautiful day. This day has been opened to you; opened to all human beings on this planet. No one has been deprived. Everyone has been given the chance equally. No one can say tomorrow, “Oh Lord, You gave a chance only to that person, not to me.” No one is higher, no one is lower. All are equal in the eyes of God. No one is deprived; everyone has been given the opportunity to know Him. So it is for us to grab the opportunity and try to become one in Him. That is why we are all here today.

So the very purpose of our human creation is to follow the true dharma; is to maintain spiritual practices in this very life, and to become one in Him. So dharma sádhaná [means that] by following dharma we follow our sádhaná, we follow our spiritual practices. By following the spiritual practices we become one with Him. That is the final victory. That is the final goal of all human beings on this planet. Men, women, everyone, we are all marching towards that unique goal. That goal has to be realized. In order to realize the goal, you have to continue your spiritual practices. You should practise what you have been asked to. So do not forget your nature. Do not try to follow animal nature. [But at the same time] you have got to eat, you have got to sleep; that is [your] nature too. Having proper restraint over your animal nature, try to follow the true human nature; the true human nature is to know yourself.

So from this day you have been given the chance. Do not waste your time anymore. Do not waste your life anymore. Take it, this opportunity, and try to know that Supreme Consciousness which is in hiding. By knowing Him you know the whole universe; you know everything. That is the final goal of all of us. So dharma has to be practised in human life. Not tomorrow – today. Whether you are a family person or [a single] person, everyone will have to perform dharma sádhaná. Dharma has to be performed; sádhaná has to be performed.

We have been graced by Him. Grace has been showering on you. It is like a continuous rain that He has been showering on you. In order to feel His Grace, you have to remove the little bit of ego which is unnecessarily covering your head like an umbrella. It is your duty to punch a hole in the umbrella. Punch it with courage. Make many holes in the umbrella; then you will be drenched by the rain of His grace. Once you realize His grace, then you are in Him, you are totally absorbed in Him, you have become one with Him. That is a total victory. That is the final victory for all of us.

And let His Grace be always with you, because He loves [all] His sons and daughters equally. His love is perennial. It is always there. It is for you to tap His love. It is up to you because the chance has been given to you. Now it is for you to realize that and open everything. Then you will be able to enjoy the complete love and devotion which has been showering on you for time eternal.

So do not forget your life; do not forget the path; the path is very noble, very beautiful, and it is for you to know that, it is for you to realize that, so do it from today. Do not leave it for tomorrow, tomorrow may not come for you. Who knows? The sun may not rise for you tomorrow. No one can say who is going to live from today till tomorrow. It is up to Him to decide. So as long as we are here today, let us try to take [advantage] of this opportunity and do sádhaná and follow dharma; thereby you will know Him, [you will complete] the beautiful journey of knowing Him. So let us know Him today. In this way we will be able to provide paths for human beings to come. Animals also are marching ahead to know that Supreme Entity. So it is our duty to make the way, to pave the way, in order for everyone to come on this path. Realize Him. Realize that Supreme Being within you. This is your dharma, this is your path; and let this path be yours, and victory will surely be yours.

Footnotes

(1) A few words that were unclear in the original typed notes omitted here. –Eds.