Awareness of self-realization as main goal

February 10, 1983

India has to give the knowledge of the roots, while the West has the knowledge of the tree. But those (gurus) who are exported from here (India) I wonder how many of them are really genuine or they know anything about the roots. So I just can’t say that those that are going there are the people who can deliver the knowledge which is not yet known to the West. Whatever is unknown is not divine. To understand logically the difference between India and the West is this – that India has still retained the fundamentals as the goal of life and the fundamental goal is that one should get self realization, that one should try to lead a life of balance of dharma because there is so much of knowledge of the roots in this country. People can become very hypocritical, they can be very dishonest and can misuse that knowledge to exploit the western people who are naïve about this knowledge. My idea of bringing some of the sahaja yogis from the West to India in the villages of India was to make them understand that comfort is not the goal of life because we have villagers who are realized souls who do not have any comforts which are so important to the western people but are very happy, satisfied and peaceful people and are extremely good yogis. But that does not mean that you give up your comforts and you become godly, it’s all a mental behaviour. If you think that by negation you can become godly then that is not the way, but when you come to India you understand that this habit of seeking comfort must be given up, if you have any it’s alright but don’t let the comfort sit on your head. Let your spirit rule and not the idea that you should be comfortable or affluent; that idea should not rule you.