Why should we perform our spiritual practices consistently? Bhagawan lovingly explains to us with memorable and relatable examples so that we be diligent and sincere in our practice.
I am told that you are aspirants of spirituality (sadhakas), and so I shall speak to you about sadhana (spiritual practice). Well. What is sadhana fundamentally? It is ‘upavasa’, ‘upasana’. Upa means near, Asana means sitting and Vasam means residing. We sit near a cooler so that we may feel cool. We sit near God, so that we might derive some Godly qualities and get rid of ungodly characteristics. God is not an external contrivance or convenience like the air cooler. He is the Antaryamin, the Inner Director, the Inner Reality, the Unseen Basis on which all this seeable world is built. He is like the fire-principle that is latent in wood, which can be made manifest, when one piece is rubbed vigorously against another. The heat that is produced consumes the wood in fire! Satsangh (Company of the good and the godly) makes you meet with other individuals of a like nature, and creates the contact that manifests the Inner Fire!
– Divine Discourse, May 10, 1969.
It is not enough if you merely associate with sacred company; suffuse your heart with sacred teachings of such exalted company. – BABA
