If you cooked for 100 people, different taste buds will react differently and that’s fine. Nothing more. Their feedback will be based on that. Some will praise your cooking, others will complain. Or some of them may hate you and purposely say it was bad. Either way, all are opinions only. Plus ‘you’ did not really cook the food. But see how each opinion impacts you. When praised you feel good. When criticized you get upset. Since the ‘you’ that cooked the food is itself an illusion, the Happiness and Sorrow that come from their praising or criticizing the food are also mere opinions based on that illusion. Nothing to do with reality. Unbelievably Stupid! Aiiyyo! So leave opinions, and live on facts. Existence, or Energy as a nameless, formless Being is Existing here and now without the help of anyone to know it is here, and IT helps you know you are here and now; that Existence is NOT AN OPINION. It is a fact. So it is Common to All. That I am an individual, male, father, husband are all OPINIONS only. From these come your happiness and sorrows, which are also opinions. They seem real but are entirely ILLUSIONS, like a mirage. YOU ARE ALSO AN ILLUSION. Understanding this ignorance and getting rid of this ignorance is called Self-Realization.

So, first you must change your entire lifestyle. Right now you have a clear understanding that happiness and sorrow, pleasure and pain are all opinions, illusions, not facts. This understanding that you have must lead to a thirst to remove this ignorance. This understanding must become a habit and this understanding must come to your remembrance when you slip. But ‘you’ cannot bring it to your remembrance when you slip. It needs the blessing of God, Guru, Elders, Parents, Well wishers etc. But above all when you are blessed by an enlightened master it will nullify everything and give you the boost. That is why it is said: Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo, Maheshwaraha. Guru Sakshat Param Brahmam, Tasmai Sri Gurave namaha. And the great saint, Thiru Moolar has said: Seeing a Master, Hearing his words, Repeating a Master’s name – or at least remembering him in your heart: All will give you that clarity. Then that understanding will come at the right moment and protect you, if you have sincere devotion and do dedicated service to your Guru. Even now, see how many times you forget this in day-to-day activities. Therefore, more devotion, and more service is needed to get more Arul (Grace). Keep on begging in prayer for that Arul, Ayya Arul thaa. O Lord, Please shower your Grace on me. Kelungal Kodukka Padum, Ask and it shall be given. You must ask. Only that Arul carries forward from birth to birth.

Grace has to be earned

Grace is there, but you have to earn it. It is like a person who is in jail for a life sentence. He wants a pardon, and the pardon option is there. But he has to work tremendously hard for it in prison. Only then there is even a chance that he is eligible for it. For Mahaprabu also, he could not remember it by effort. It was Grace alone. But until that point, only God knows how many janmas of all kinds of effort he has put in. You have to keep trying to remember, keep on trying, and one fine day when you have given up, then Arul comes in the form of the Guru, coming down to work for you, to help you get the Grace. Then you have surrendered. Everything before that is an effort by the Ego. That effort is always short-lived since the ego has expectations, which always ends in frustration, so you will give up. Only after you surrender, the real work starts. All efforts before that are preparation.

The ego wants to be without ego! This is ego-effort. But one day that ego also will drop. That will only come with Grace.

Grace requires Surrender

To ask for Grace you cannot have ego. The great master Yogi Ram Surat Kumar came to Tiruvannamalai after enlightenment and yet begged for his food. In Sri Bhagavan’s Arunachala Siva song he begs Arunachala: I am just a piece of iron, you are the magnet! Imagine. This is Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. To get Grace, Surrender is the only way. Then when pleasure and pain come you will remember. Especially when pleasure comes it is very difficult to remember since you are enjoying and will easily forget. Blessing is needed. For that blessing, be prepared to do anything. Even give your life. I have got that blessing so many times. Bhagavan, Osho, especially Avudai Akkal.

Grace comes through the Guru

All Jnanis’ Grace comes through your Guru only. It is like this, A Tahsildhar (worker relatively low in the ranks) wants his salary. The District Collector has to sign the papers and only then it will be released, but it is not happening for some reason. Even if the Tahsildar goes to the Chief Minister, the CM will simply say ‘Go to the District Collector’. The thing is, even the District Collector knows that it is not his money, yet only if he signs, the money will be released. Mahaprabu is like that District Collector. This is to emphasize how through the Guru alone, the blessings of all Brahma Jnanis will come. That is why I invoke “Anaithu Brahma Jnaanigalin Arul Undagattum. May all the Brahma Jnanis shower their blessings.“ (Note: Every Satsang with Mahaprabu ends with these words of blessings from him.) So love and serve with total dedication. This earth is a temporary tourist place. Use everything, but with the right approach that nothing is mine. Since you don’t own anything. You came empty and will go empty.

Then Sri Mahaprabu urged us with these words

It is a free-flowing system, a Happening.
I and Mine were the obstacles to the flow.
I am Gone.
Now I am free with the flow.
I am giving my best due to love and gratitude.
Kindly accept it with Surrender.