Each and every man – whatever his status of life, whatever his psychic or spiritual status – each and every human being wants success in life. Whenever you are doing something, success is not in your hands. Success comes as a reaction. When the original action is good, the reaction is also good, and that reaction is the success. For a spiritual man, for a spiritual aspirant, for a good soul who renders service to the Society, the service itself is the prize. He wants no other prize, no other success.

Suppose a man is dying. You are nursing and helping him, and finally he is cured. This cure is the prize. You require no other better prize.

Now, everybody wants success. Human activities, human existence is trifarious. Man is present in physical stratum, his body is something physical. For the material, physical body, he requires physical things – water, air, and light. His existence is also psychic, and for this, he requires psychic stimulation. His existence is also spiritual; and for this, he wants union with the Supreme, which is the goal of life.

Now, in Saḿskrt, there are three different words for success in the three different strata. As human existence is trifarious, so human expression and human activity are also trifarious. Human success in physical strata is called Pratiśt́há in Saḿskrt. Human success in psychic strata is called Sarvajiṋatá in Saḿskrt, and human success in spiritual strata is called Siddhi in Saḿskt.

Now, I told you that man wants success in all three spheres of life. Once Párvatii asked Shiva, “O Lord, what is the secret of success?” Here, success means Siddhi; that is, success in spiritual strata. An ordinary man wants success in physical strata. That success is known as Pratiśt́há. An ordinary man is always obsessed with this. A bit developed man, a wise man, an intellectual, wants success in psychic strata, which is known as Sarvajiṋatá. He has got more attachment to Sarvajiṋatá than to Pratiśt́há. And a devotee is always after success in spiritual strata, that is, he wants Siddhi. Párvati’s question was, “What are the secrets of Siddhi, success in the sense of Siddhi?”

In reply, Shiva said, “You know, there are seven secrets of success, seven secrets of Siddhi.” He said, “phaliśyatiiti vishvásah siddhirprathamalaksanam” – “I must be successful in my Mission.” “This firm determination is the first secret of success”. Suppose, you have got a lofty goal, but you haven’t got the mental stamina to move towards that ideological goal. Then you will never be crowned with success. You must have the high ideology, and at the same time, you must develop the stamina to move along that path. So Shiva said, suppose you want to do something, but your friends, relatives, or enemies don’t want that you should do that job. In that case, only if you have got the stamina to fight against so many attachments, only under such circumstances will you be successful. So Shiva said, phaliśyatiti vishvásah siddherprathama lakśańańam. “‘I must be successful in my Mission’ is the first secret of success.”

“Dvitiiyaḿ shraddhayá yuktam.” You should develop some Shraddhá for your Ideology. What is Shraddhá? In Saḿskrta, Shrat means the authentic spirit of veracity. When truth has got universal recognition, then that truth is called Shrad, and the mental movement towards that Shrat, towards that Supreme Truth is represented by the word dhá. Shraddhá means acceptng the Ideology as Supreme Truth, and moving towards that Truth is Shraddhá. A spiritual aspirant must have Shraddhá for his goal. This is the second requisite. The third one is Gurupújanam. One should have proper respect for one’s Guru. What is Guru? The Saḿskrt word Guru has got two parts. It is a compound word. The first portion “Gu” means darkness. “Ru” means dispelling entity. He who dispels is called Ru. Guru means the entity who dispels darkness from the mind.

Now, Parama Puruśa teaches the spiritual secret known only to Him. His secret is known to Him and to no one else. Parama Puruśa teaches His secret through a physical medium. So the physical medium through which Parama Puruśa dispels all darkness of the mind of the spiritual aspirant is Guru. So a spiritual aspirant must have proper regard for the Guru. Gurupújanam is the third secret.

“Samatá Bhávo” means psychic equilibrium or psychic equipoise. Now, the Supreme Entity, the Parama Puruśa is the Supreme Progenitor, the Supreme Creator, the Supreme Father. I think you know the meaning of the word God. The Supreme Entity, the Parama Puruśa creates everything. He is the generator. The first letter of generator is G. He is the operator of everything. The first letter of operator is O. Finally, everything is destroyed by Him. Everything is coming back to Him. This destruction is not a horrible destruction. It’s a sweet destruction, going back to the lap of Parama Puruśa. So He destroys. The first letter is D. G-O-D. That word is God.

He is the Supreme Progenitor, and everything in this Universe is His progeny. He is the Supreme Father, and others are His children. Then, when all are the children of the Supreme Father, the relationship between man and man is that of fraternal bond. You have got a universal tie of brotherhood because everything created has got the same father. The source is the same. When the spiritual aspirant knows this fact, he cannot get any kind of inferiority complex or superiority complex in his mind. He is not inferior to anyone, as he is one with his brothers and sisters. Samatá Bhávo, the fourth factor, means that the spiritual aspirant must develop a sense of equipoise.

Indriya Nigrahah means, one should have proper restraint over afferent and efferent organs. While thinking you should have proper control over your thoughts. While doing anything, you should have proper control over your dealings. This all-round self restraint is known as Indriya Nigraha. This is the fifth requisite factor.

Pramitáhárah: to maintain the physical body, you require physical food, air, water, light. But physical food is not simply for the physical body. It has got its effect on the spiritual body. The cells of your physical body are created from the cells that you receive from your physical food, and your psychic body is also influenced by these cells. So while taking food, you should be very careful. You should always try to take sentient food, and on rare occasions you may take mutative food. You should never take static food. Not only that, but your diet should be balanced. You must not take too much or too little. The food should be substantial. When it is balanced or measured, and, at the same time, substantial, that type of food is called Pramitáhára in Sanskrit. The sixth factor is Pramitáhárah. The sixth requisite factor is balanced and substantial, sentient food. A voracious man can’t attain success. A voracious man always suffers from so many stomach diseases. So, you should neither encourage voracity, nor should you undergo fasting for a long period of time. I have prescribed that our monks should undergo fasting four days per month, two Ekádashiis, one Amávasyá, and one Púrńimá, and Grhiis, non-monks or family men are to undergo two fasts in a month, two Ekádashiis in a month. Fasting is also included in the scope of Pramitáhára because it gives rest to the digestive organs and frees the body from so many ailments. So the sixth requisite factor is Pramitáhára.

Then the Lord Shiva says, there is no seventh factor. The sixth one is the last one. Now, this reply by Lord Shiva 7000 years ago has got its value even today. You, boys and girls, should remember the points and do accordingly. It will help you in your all-around success, in your attainment of Siddhi.