Respecting devotees is equivalent to worshipping God. Devotees belong to the Siva family and without them there is no God. You should serve them. We should give more importance to devotees then to relatives, as relatives won’t give us liberation! Relatives bind us, and it enough if we only do small deeds for them.

Some people don’t love God and neither do they love people. The poet saint Tiruvalluvar referred to them as skeletons with shirts on. That means there is no content inside.

If you want instant moksha (like instant coffee) doership should be given up. If the thought of doership goes – then at that very instant you will get liberation. Within the time frame that a person who is sitting, stands up - you will get moksha!

The misery caused by doership is considerably more than the misery arising out of poverty or family problems. Doership wants a body. Even if you have a hundred million dollars or are appointed the President, still if there is the sense of doership, there will be no end to misery. We are present everywhere but we think we are present in the body only. Doership imposes limitations.

Anjaneya asked Sita the names of people who created problems for her in Lanka so that he could go and punish them. She refused to say anything because she knew that to err is human and those people who created the problems should be forgiven. Krishna says out of compassion, ‘Arjuna! If with ego you disregard my words, you will perish!’

Gandhiji’s friends taught Gandhi the habit of smoking cigarettes. He used to take money from home without his elder’s permission. His father never doubted him. Once his father casually mentioned to him about the missing money. Then Gandhi confessed that he had stolen the money and promised never to lie or go against his father’s faith in him. He never stole again in his life. His father’s faith made Gandhi a mahatma.

Practice is done to correct a mistake. It is common for an individual to err once in a while. In order not to repeat the mistake practice is required. Truth is very simple. If we live in a simple manner, truth will be known. Some people lead a simple life even though they may have millions of dollars because the money doesn’t bind them. If we want to imitate others what we have will also be lost.

Rajaji used to criticise Nehru’s policies. Rajaji used to say that, ‘Because Nehru has the civility to admit and correct his own mistakes when criticised – I am criticising him.’ If others don’t have the civility of changing their ways when the mistake is pointed out, it is a waste of speech. What we think – we become. We get rebirth based on the thoughts during our death.

Three things will put you on the right path:-

1. Do spiritual practice according to your own liking.
2. Be in the company of saints.
3. Serve humanity.

Feeding the hungry is also a great thing. Some people say, ‘First have food. We can talk later.’ Body is based on food only. If we don’t take food for ten days the body will become very weak. Even after we have completed cooking, if a guest arrives at a late hour, to cook and serve the guest without impatience is a great thing.

• It is thought that brings misery to an individual. Placing mind in the heart is upasana. Doing this even gradually will melt away the mind.

• Sadhana is letting go of acquired thoughts. If the acquired is given up, the Self remains.