0:00 Introduction
0:12 Why do we yearn for happiness?
1:45 When Babaji as a young boy wondered why happiness is not there at all times
6:08 Why is there no opposite to the highest happiness from the Self?
10:45 Can any imagination give us a permanent happiness?
14:47 The importance to ‘adjust and manage’
18:25 How do we cultivate a strong desire for a permanent and real happiness?
24:00 So anything that is changing cannot give a permanent happiness?
26:30 Thinking in a noble way
28:15 How to make sure we don’t jump from a desire into a craving or a greed
32:20 How to avoid getting affected by people with negative energy
34:30 Is the ‘book of life’ written at the time of birth?
37:03 If we are content with everything in life, does that prevent is from seeking anything higher?
41:06 When there are physical disturbances like an itch or a scratch during meditation

Discourse: Thus Spake Babaji – Online Q and A No. 173 Q&A
The Way to Permanent Happiness
Recorded: 24 June 2023 with worldwide participants

Start of Questions and Answers

Question:   Babaji, the theme for today is ‘The Way to Permanent Happiness.’  So, the first question Babaji – Babaji has said before we are knowingly or unknowingly all looking for happiness and that we do anything in this world because we think it will make us happy.  So, Babaji can You explain why do we yearn for happiness?

Babaji Maharaj:   In my experience mind is looking for the same happiness that which it had enjoyed by remaining in the Self.  Now that it has come out, it is looking but it has forgotten the path; just it has to go back, settle in the Self, remain quiet.  So that’s why it is looking for that peace and also it doesn’t stop anywhere – you give anything else, you give the entire universe, emperorship, make it a billionaire, it will look for something else for an excitement, for an enjoyment, for some happiness.  Because also your own real existence is itself the source of supreme peace.  When supreme peace is there, there is happiness. 

Question:   Thank You Babaji.  So Babaji, as a young boy Baba wondered about this fluctuation from happiness to unhappiness in the world, and Baba had the question “Why is happiness not there twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year?”  Did this question just spontaneously come into Baba’s mind? How did that come about?

Babaji Maharaj:   Yes, when I saw sometimes an excitement, sometimes an unknown fear, “What will happen next and what will happen to our kith and kin, people who are dearer to us, our parents or siblings”, or any such thing.  So, when it used to come, that was when this thought also came, “If the happiness is there, it must be at all times, twelve months, twenty-four hours.  Why this fluctuation? Sometimes there is excitement, there is happiness, we look forward, and sometimes there is an unknown fear, some pain is there.  Why is this?” I used to think. “Is there something wrong within me, in my habits or my thinking, my mind, whatever it is, or is this world very wrong?”  Was not sure at that time, nothing; it was like fifty-fifty for me. So that has how I used to keep wondering.

Question:   So, Baba, did this set Babaji on to the spiritual path to try and find the answer to that?

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, eventually as I got introduced to Adi Shankara and when I heard His Bhaja Govindam song saying “When death occurs to the body, none of your worldly wealth, power, anything cannot come to your rescue.”  That meant “This is what makes us to lose peace.  Why should one die?”  When we die, our own existence is threatened, so that’s when everybody gets panicked, or painful, fearful whatever it is; all these things come, and the same thing happens if we are going to lose any of our dear ones.  When they are gone, we won’t be able to see them physically.  So, these types of thoughts used to come.  

So, then the fear and the loss of peace, all these things happen.  “What happens when death happens and am I born with this body; am I going to become extinct, finished when the body dies, or am I going to exist in some other form?”  See, this secure existence is one of the basic problems for humanity to lose peace or go into any conflict also.  Any creature when its existence is threatened, then it goes into conflict; it becomes agitated, it will fight, want to survive, whatever is possible.  So, these types of thoughts used to come.  So, I used to wonder, “Why is that?”  Also this thought came that day; “If we have all such things which we will not lose ever, permanently once for all it is there, then maybe I will have a supreme permanent peace, final highest peace.”  ‘Highest’ was the word I used to think in those days, and then the peace is always there.  

So, it seems that this loss of peace happens only when we feel threatened that we can lose, we can be losing, we are going to lose, somebody will make us lose.  So, “If we lose this body or we lose this world…”; these types of thoughts used to occur.  

Question:   Thank You Babaji.  So, Baba, the happiness that one gets from the awareness of the Self is the highest, as Babaji says; the highest happiness beyond the dualities of the world, and there’s no opposite, of course to this highest happiness.  Why is that Babaji?

Babaji Maharaj:   One important thing, you see, contentment is the most elusive thing to achieve, to have, either naturally, effortlessly or even to achieve also; achieve is much more difficult if you don’t have contentment.  So, when the mind looks for that contentment, that satisfaction in this world with the objects, with the work including our own physical body, that’s when we realize the entire universe including our own physical body is all impermanent.  When it is impermanent, it cannot give us contentment; we cannot be totally contented when we are in need of something.  That means we depend on that thing for our happiness.  That’s why we need that one.  So, all these things come simultaneously; one is connected to the other.  

So, that’s when we lose peace also.  If we lose peace we lose that contentment, craving happens.  So, thus, as we got introduced to philosophy of Adi Shankaracharya’s teachings, Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharishi and eventually to my Guru Swamiji, we became spiritually more interested when it talks of things like jnana, bhakti, vairagya. That means there is something of that thing we need to be aware; knowledgably we need to be aware of that, and we need to be devoted to that.  Means, say, if I have come out as the mind, that means I’m not devoted to myself, real Self; I am devoted to whatever the mind thinks, I have become preoccupied to that, I am always attracted to what the mind wants.  

So that is what is the devotion we learnt; we need to be devoted to ourselves.  Means we need to be aware at all times.  In our consciousness that awareness needs to be there, then we are devoted to ourselves. And for this you need vairagya, detachment. That which keeps you away from your real Self and that which is impermanent, you need to become detached to that impermanent thing, then automatically you will be devoted to yourself. And when you are devoted to yourself, that awareness, knowledge-awareness of yourself is there, and then you have peace and contentment.  Like this, one is connected to the other.  All the things that you need to achieve spiritually, this is what, whatever you do. All religious practices, all spiritual practices, everything is taught so that you can achieve this one.  

That’s what we understood by the teachings of these great Masters, “O, it is the ‘I’ which I need to know, then the problem can be solved.”  These things came.  So, that’s when I started praying – had not yet met my Guru, Swamiji – to the Divine, “Please bless me to have a Guru who would have liberated Himself, and who can lead me to liberation.”  So as long as we need some peace and we are looking for that happiness, so we are bound; we are not totally free, independent – we are bound that we want something; that itself is a binding.  Until then we don’t have peace or rest.  So, these are the things which we learnt and went deeply into spirituality, wanted to achieve that one with proper guidance, blessings, grace and practice.

Question:   Thank You Babaji.  So, if we yearn for what we imagine is happiness, or any assumption of what peace and happiness is, it will not take us there; any imagination cannot lead us to that. 

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, that’s what we keep trying.  See, we have an imagination that “If we obtain a million dollars, I will be happy.”  Until you don’t get, you are anxious, you are restless, “What to do, how to do, at any cost”; these type of head-banging type of things keep coming.  Suppose by chance if at all you achieve, you get a million dollars, we have seen people, they don’t stop there, they want more money, they want to earn more; they cannot be satisfied, and they don’t seem to have any contentment at all.  So, that’s what made us think, “Things of this world is not the thing which will give us any contentment.  We need to remain contented. Whatever is the situation, whatever we have – if we are contented. So then we are in ourselves.  When we are in ourselves, we have that awareness of the Self, and we have the supreme peace also.  That is the final highest peace; beyond that there cannot be any other peace.”  These thoughts used to come, “If at all we can have a further peace, then even when we do tapas or meditate or any such thing,  obtain the Self-realization also, then we won’t have any satisfaction.”  When I used to see Ramana Maharishi with just a loin cloth, in His face such an aura, beautiful aura of contentment, and just as if He is in Himself, I used to wonder “What is it that He has achieved?  He looks so contented.  How to achieve that contentment?”  

So, these types of thoughts used to come.  So, all this let me deeply into spirituality.  I was blessed to have such a great Guru like Shivabalayogi, and then we learned, if we become quiet mentally, we are at peace.  This ‘we are at peace’, that means we are contented, we have no desires; whatever we get, we are happy.  So that was how.  No craving that we need to have only a particular food only; what food we got, that’s fine. Today it might be four or five items, tomorrow it might be just one item.  Anything, any situation.  Today somebody is caring for you, they are so loving, but tomorrow nobody might care for you.  Both situations are okay, no problem.  Why should we blame somebody?  Today some people are with me to serve and help and assist me in my Mission work, tomorrow they are not there.  Why should I crave for that, why should I curse?  There is nothing.  It’s fine, that’s all.  If this is what the Divine wants, we are happy, we are at peace, we are contented.  Somebody is there to do it, that thing will happen; somebody is not there to do it, that thing will not happen.  Say, if somebody is there to pay for my airfare, we will travel to create the awareness; if there is nobody to pay for airfare, we don’t travel, that’s it.  So that type of thing, we learn and remain contented at all times, under all situations.

Question:   Like Baba has said, “Those who can adjust and manage are the happiest.”  This is so important for us to be happy while living in the world. 

Babaji Maharaj:   Yes, yes, wonderful – this is what we thought always in the beginning itself. That’s what we try to teach; ‘adjustment and management’. You adjust with whatever you get. Don’t have any brooding, “O no, no, I cannot adjust with this one, I want.”  If it’s possible you obtain, no problem. If it’s not possible, it’s okay, no problem.  So, like that, that’s how you adjust in life, then you have happiness.  So, you have somebody with you and you adjust with them, accept them as they are; “It’s fine”, then you have happiness – there is no craving.  Some devotee is ready to help, ready to sacrifice their time and give their time to me and work for me, so we are happy, that’s fine.  Somebody is not ready to give their time and they want to stay away, go away, they cannot give time to me; they say, “We don’t have time.”  No problem, that’s also fine; simply that thing will not happen, that’s it.  Or somebody else will come and do it.  It’s like we hear, ‘One door closes, another door opens’.  So, like this we adjust in life, we have to do some adjustments. And one time comes, this body may give way, may not be helpful for us to travel, it might become difficult. So we will adjust, no problem, it’s the aging process, what to do? That’s natural, it has to happen.  When this was twenty-years old, it served the Master, it worked, it ran, did everything, now at seventy, it’s not possible.  This body will not be so much helpful, it will trouble.  So, whatever is possible we try to do that adjustment, we adjust.  And manage – management also almost same, simply a slightly different terminology; whatever you have got, you manage with that one.  You have ten pounds today, you manage with that, tomorrow you may get twenty pounds, you manage with that.  So, thus you are happy always, whether you have a million pounds or ten pounds or hundred pounds, or whatever you have got, you are happy.  So, that is management.  You are able to manage with that one.  

Question:   So, Babaji, in that way the mind can be quiet at all times?  

Babaji Maharaj:   Thus, the mind is quiet, thus, you see?  When we are adjusting and managing with that thing, no craving, no hitting on the head or no banging of the head, “O God, why is that that person is not doing it for me, what will I do now?  O God it will all…”  The world is not going to disappear.  Nothing will happen. Simply, that’s it.  So, that is what adjustment and management is. We are happy.  The mind recedes, mind is quiet.  Mind doesn’t go into craving.  When the mind recedes and remains quiet, it is contentment.  When there is contentment, it’s awareness is into itself; that’s what is Self-realization.  You are in the Self, in yourself, Self-awareness. 

Question:   Babaji, how do we cultivate this strong desire for a permanent real happiness in this world? Most people are involved with the happiness of objects and situations in this world, but how can we develop the desire for the permanent happiness?

Babaji Maharaj:   Human nature, always we try to have the best things.  Any product comes in the market, a cell phone comes, new one is released, we try to find out, search online, go there, try to find which one is the best that we can buy; we have to buy that one.  Like that, we try to look for that.  In the same way we have to think happiness.  Happiness must not be dependent on another thing other than ourselves.  As long as we depend on another thing, that cannot be guaranteed – that is there today, tomorrow it may not be there. This is the nature of this world.  If we depend on this body for happiness, it is there today, tomorrow it may not be because the change is inevitable.  That’s what we can understand, the impermanence – we saw our own body as ten-year old, twenty-year old, but it came to fifty-year old, sixty, seventy, like that. Another ten years, if at all this is alive, it will be eighty-year old, it will be taking a stick and moving with very great difficulty and the head is moving like this (Babaji nodding His head in a funny way), it’s not stable. So everybody will think “O, Baba has become very old.  Look at it, what has happened.”  So, if we depend on this then we are unhappy.  Ten years ago we were happy, ten years after, now we are unhappy; seventy years ago we were happy when we were born, now we are not happy.  No, not like that.  We are happy.  Even if it becomes eighty-years old, everybody tells “Old man”, we are happy, no problem.  That’s how we are always happy.  

So, that’s what we have to look for, the highest happiness.  So, if I don’t depend on this or anything then I can have the highest happiness – that happiness which nobody can disturb and nobody can tempt and nobody can threaten.  Nobody can tempt me, “You don’t remain in your real Self, Babaji, I’ll give you the emperorship of this world, you will be the emperor.”   Lord Yama told Nachiketa, “You go back to world, you don’t have to die. You remain as a great emperor for five thousand years, enjoy the world.”  He refused, “No. That five thousand years will pass by. Then is there anything to avoid coming back to you?”  His own intelligence started working.  He was in deep meditation – in that only he started thinking about it. “Even if the divine God or Yama, Lord of Death gives me the emperorship of this world, I must refuse, no!  Because that is going to pass by, it will be over.”  So, he keeps demanding in his own consciousness, “Please give that Self-knowledge now and here itself.”  Yama has no answer, “No, you have to die after five thousand years.”  He increases, “Okay, another five thousand years, fifty thousand years”, but he adamantly sticks to it – “That five thousand will be over.” So that is what we have to understand; impermanence, and the passing by of the time.  

The time passing by wouldn’t have bothered us if the things were not changing.  The things are changing. And we are here in this body because things are changing.  Before we were born, if the things had stopped changing, we would not have been born at all; that is also a problem.  Like this, from whichever angle, in whichever way you think about this world, even if God can fulfill your wishes that the change will stop, then He will ask “We will have to go eighty years before you are born and then the change will stop.  Is it acceptable?”  “O, no, no.  Then I won’t be able to be in this world, then where will I be, don’t know.”  So, then again that is a problem.  So whatever God gives us, it is always a problem for us.  That’s what my Guru said once, “Whatever God will give you, you will land up in trouble.  Ask for God only.  When you have God, then there is no trouble, the rest all are troublesome things.”  Jokingly He said, and laughed at it.  So, that is how we need to use our intelligence, try to enquire, try to understand about the permanent peace, how it can be. How can any impermanent thing give happiness permanently when it itself is impermanent? Then we will understand, “Yeah, there is something wrong, a problem in all these things”. So we need to look for the permanent – if there is any permanent existence at all.

Question:   That’s amazing Babaji.  Anything that’s changing cannot give you that permanent happiness, it has to be unchanging.  

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, when it itself goes away, where is that, how can it give you?  As long as this planet Earth is here, it is giving us happiness, all resources are there.  Either tomorrow or a billion years later, once everything finishes, this planet Earth cannot sustain our lives anymore, it cannot give us happiness, any resources, everything would have gone. All satellites, all cell phones, all gadgets, everything, computers, GPS, you, me, our, everything is gone, finished, all history.  So, how can it give happiness?  Though we are grateful when we are getting happiness, we are always grateful whatever that we are given; that’s what is adjustment.  But we shall have understanding, that permanent happiness. Today Earth is there, we are happy and grateful to the Earth; Earth is not there, we are happy and we will understand.  We won’t curse the Earth, “Why the Earth is not there?”  Today somebody is doing my work, you are trying to help me, I’m grateful to you, I’m thankful.  Tomorrow if it’s not possible for you to do it, you will say, “Babaji, I cannot do your work anymore, I’m going.”  No problem, I will understand.  

So, we were taught we will serve the Master till the last breath of our life.  Only when death happens – “O Master, I’m sorry, I’m going to die, I cannot serve You anymore.”  That’s what we learned, that’s the last breath; after that I’m helpless.  As long as this body is there, I will look after the Ashram, I will do every work, I will conduct these Zoom classes, whatever is possible, everything is available.  So, if this body itself is gone, then goodbye to you all.  So, that is what we have to think.  No need to get panicked, it should not be scary, it should be the intelligence working; enquiry, that’s what it is. That’s how ancient sages discovered the Self and its existence; “There is something.” 

Question:   Thank You, Babaji.  So, when we’re acting in the world, we use our imagination, and this imagination Babaji has talked of as having three qualities, the three gunas; satvik, rajasic, and tamasic.   So, if we think in a satvik way, is that thinking in a noble, good way where we are in control of our imagination, is this how we act?

Babaji Maharaj:   Both. Thinking noble means a larger cause, better thinking; we are not selfish and narrow minded, we are not evil minded, we are not wicked. We are trying to be a good person means betterment of all – “Let all be happy”, that type of thinking always is there.  So, that’s what is satvik.  Also, that quality of ability to think, imagination to be creative is satvik, as long as it is under our control.  We don’t want to think, we stop it, we should be able to stop it.  It should not go into craving on its own.  “Servant, you just sit on the chair, on the stool here, don’t keep running here and there”, we ask them.  So, the servant should listen to us.  If the servant says, “No, I will sit on your head.  I will sit on your bed”, so then we become a victim.   The servant tries to be the master.  That’s what it is.  Everywhere if we are independent; when we are aware of our real Self. So it’s available, it’s fine; it’s not available, it’s okay. 

Question:   Baba, for those of us who have cravings or acquired habits that are very strong, when we have a desire, Babaji said it’s okay as long as we can accept whether we get something or we don’t get something, but how can we make sure we’re not jumping into a craving or a greed?

Babaji Maharaj:   That’s what you have to practice every day – of just keeping quiet. That practice is what is meditation.  This keeping quiet becomes possible when you are detached to your own imaginations.  You don’t become stubborn; ‘what you imagine is the thing and that must happen, that is the right thing’. Not necessarily be. Just become quiet, you accept it. So then you practice to remain quiet and that is what is meditation.  Simply, you are asked to close the eyes as already there is a world inside the mind and you have to accustom another big world in front of you, so many problems; the problems will increase of imagination.  So, at least you can set aside this world for a while and close the eyes and try to attend to the world that is there (points towards the inside of the head) by becoming detached.  You can become detached when you simply watch; you only witness it is there.  You are not telling whether it is there or not there; you are not bothered whether it is there or not there.  If the thought is there you will not curse the thought, if the thought goes away you will not curse the thought, because you are detached.  That means you are just watching.  That is the practice which is necessary.  Without this practice…. How to bake a bread, how to bake a bread, how to bake a bread you read, you read, you read, you read, you read and tell, “I have been reading for the last thirty-five years, why is that I am unable to bake the bread?”  Man, you have never tried to bake the bread.  You have been simply reading ‘bake the bread, bake the bread, bake the bread’.  

So, that practice is what the Guru teaches.  Our Master taught, “Just watch.  Sit in any comfortable posture.” He was so lenient, “Okay, this is your choice, you sit in any way you want”. But I added “Try to keep back and neck straight”, otherwise “You sit any posture” means they will try to sleep on the ground.  People, they did it.  That is when I learned, no, I have to add, “Keeping the back and next straight”. Then, “Gently close the eyes and just keep watching”.  When you are just watching, so many things happen, you see? When you are just watching, you are practicing to remain silent, you are practicing to remain detached from the things which you had imagined, which had gone into rajasic and tamasic things, stubbornness, to the extent of forgetting your real Self you went into that imagination; all that you are clearing. 

Question:   Thank You Baba.  Meditation is the answer to the problems. 

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, meditation, that’s what – it helps you to keep quiet, that is the thing. That’s what you are practicing.  When you are meditating, you are not trying to break any mountain, you are simply trying to keep quiet. [Puts index finger in front of the mouth] “Shut up!” – tell yourself. [laughs] 

Question:  Babaji, I wanted to ask, You might have come across so many people.  How do you prevent yourself from getting affected by their energy? Sometimes they are not always positive, some people may have negative energy. 

Babaji Maharaj:   By ignoring, just mind your business-type.  We try to poke our fingers unnecessarily here and there – that becomes a habit for people. They try to judge, “O, this is evil, this is good, this is bad, this is positive.”  There is neither positive nor negative, simply an energy is there.  So, when you remain like that one, you see only that energy everywhere. Nobody is positive, nobody is negative for you if you have totally risen above that level, or at least try to be positive for yourself, then you can avoid it.  Nothing can be harmful to you. It is your own ideas, your own imagination which becomes harmful. 

Same Questioner:   Sometimes you cannot avoid those situations, for example, like work or something, people complain or speak negative things or those sort of instances, how do you then ignore?

Babaji Maharaj:   You get affected,  you see that’s why, means your defense forces are not strong enough, they have not practiced the war games properly – your mind, what I am trying to tell.  That happens when you practice meditation thoroughly every day without fail.  Then after some time you will see that your mind is becoming strong and strong.  No power can give you blood pressure.  That is the common language we all use, you see?  That’s what happens.  Then you can remain quiet and that person who is trying to be negative with you will become negative and he will have blood pressure to himself.  Simply practice, there is no other remedy. We have to practice. 

Question:   Nice to see You Babaji.  I start this way – in the Muslim teaching, they are saying that on your day of birth the book of life is written. So when time is an illusion, time doesn’t exist, then our Self-realization is already there, and is it right to think that we have to just find this moment where our Self-realization already exists?  Can You understand what I mean?

Babaji Maharaj:   So, this thing we also discuss in the name of ‘destiny’. If you remember many times we have done this in the Q and A also.  The destiny means that if you are destined, it will happen, so your destiny is written.  So, actually this is a very tricky thing, many debatable things.   People debate and try to understand.  You see, if you are positive, you can shape a better positive book of your own story, if you are negative, you will be writing your own negative story actually.  So, thus, the destiny here, destiny and the book is all the same.  Instead of bothering that the book has been written, you just work what you want.  You want Self-realization, you work for that one. If you go and sit in a corner, that will become the book, your book is written that you will be sitting simply in the corner.  You have to work for that one, so that becomes your book.  Got it?

Same Questioner:   Sorry, I like to expand this a little bit.  I just came to the conclusion that actually time by God, it doesn’t exist, it’s just an illusion.  It’s just something to keep us moving around in this world. So, time, it’s just an illusion, and therefore I start thinking, when time doesn’t exist, then our Self-realization, our search for Self-realization is already there.  We just have to sit there, we just have to find it.

Babaji Maharaj:   You have to become aware, that’s all.  You become quiet, and you become aware mentally.

Same Questioner:   So, then I’m there.  I understand. 

Question:   Pranaams Babaji.  Babaji, so with the regular practice of meditation and in presence of Divine presence, we feel quite happy after that, and staying in the world feels happy with every situation.  But doesn’t that also put us into the loop of not seeking something much higher in happiness?  So, if I’m content with everything in my life, everything’s going fine…

Babaji Maharaj:   You see, what one has to learn here, you are content with whatever you are getting, whatever is happening.  That happens when you are able to settle down into your Self.  Only the Self can give this contentment.  That means you are not bothered whatever comes or goes in this world, all impermanent. So there is nothing other that is highest; the highest, more than this world or anything is you yourself.  So, when you’re contented, you are in yourself, there is nothing other, no other highest thing is there.  Only when you go to the highest, you get contentment, not otherwise.  Until you don’t get contentment, means you’re trying to depend on the things of this world which are all impermanent. So once you discover yourself, that is the highest and total contentment is there.  Then you don’t bother, whatever happens, doesn’t happen.  So, that’s what has to happen.  Otherwise, your point is right.  You need to look for the highest.  That’s why it is important.  So, you look for the Self.  And then you get it, right?

Same Questioner:   Just one continuation to that.  What if right now the mind is content with whatever money it has, family connections and happiness, and nothing bad has happened in the life to even think that they are not content.  They did not face a fight or war situation, so they don’t know whether they are capable to handle that to the next level.

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, this is a different thing. You see, we depend on this world, so that practice has to happen.  So, now we are content with a small thing, then that might get reduced.  If you have practiced, you will remain content.  So, that’s how this world is a big challenge.  As you are talking, if you have not faced a war, if you have not faced that type of trouble, you are content.  So, you have to practice.  That comes only when you really meditate and become aware of yourself.  Then when you are put to test, when somebody tries to trouble you, try to give you blood pressure. When there is nobody – sitting in a cave, you can tell that “I have won over the anger, I am very happy and at peace”, but when ten people are trying to tell “You are an idiot”, somebody is telling you, “You have more money, give it to me”, somebody is trying to rob your property, like all these things; ‘in all situations can you remain contented?’ is the challenge.  That happens only when you gain the Self-realization, not without that one.  When you simply try to practice with a theory that “I am going to remain contented if ten dollars comes, twenty dollars comes”, tomorrow somebody comes and tries to scratch on your head, you cannot remain contented.  Even if you need to defend yourself, mentally you should have achieved to remain contented.  That’s what we try to teach. 

Same Questioner:   Thank You, Babaji. 

Question:   Pranaams Babaji.  As we sit and settle down for the quietening of mind during the meditation, on occasions there is disturbance, either as a real disturbance, a mosquito biting or an ant crawling or a tick bite, on other occasions it’s a light sensation to either scratch or itch also can be a disturbance.  What I have noticed is when I just don’t respond and continue to ignore, I see that the sensation to move or the scratch and itch is almost like mind trying to fool.  So, is that something like the mind plays tricks because it’s bored and it does not want to come and allow us to sit still?

Babaji Maharaj:   First thing, Patanjali says “Very good.  When you sit for meditation or tapas, you need to adopt such place and such methods that both friend or enemy must not be able to trouble you.”  Sometimes a friend out of too much love; your mother comes,  “Oh my dear, don’t do any tapas, don’t do any meditation, you come home.” “Shaolin lets go back home” type of things happens.  So you have to adopt such method of being strong.  Sometimes some mosquito bites, quickly hit it if it doesn’t listen, you have a right to defend yourself, you don’t have to give your blood, then you will get disturbed here.  So take care of any such places that there are no mosquitoes.  If you want to sit outdoors, you have some incense, something like that one.  Always you have to adopt these type of methods and slowly become strong mentally also that you avoid bothering, but anything that can be disturbing physical health, you need to attend to that one, otherwise a physical deformation, ill health, something can happen.

Sometimes, we have seen great Self-realized Masters who did great tapas,  they could not attend to their body, have become ill or any such things have happened to their bodies, it has been a trouble.  That’s a different thing if they did not bother, they were happy with Self-realization and gone.  But generally, for everybody we cannot tell like that one.  You have to adopt methods so that you are not bothered and you have to be careful. If necessary you sit inside a room, might be better, or outside, you need to have incense sticks so that the mosquito doesn’t bite you, anything, right?

Same Questioner:   But in other instances when we ignore general sensations, is it the mind that is trying to deviate and distract?

Babaji Maharaj:   Often, if smaller itches which are not dangerous things, at that time you just try to watch here and try to feel as if the itching is happening here, then that itching will disappear, because your mind if it can get concentrated, it will stop noticing.  That is also there. 

Same Questioner:   Pranaams Babaji, Thanks.

End of Session