NARRATOR:
[Sound of a conch shell being blown]
HOST:
Greetings, friends. On this auspicious evening, I offer my respects to Mother Bhabatara at Shantikunj, and I also offer my respects to the Guru. Pronam (salutations), Guru.
GURU:
Pronam.
HOST:
Friends, a warm welcome to those new to the "Gupta Sadhak Shyamakhyapa" YouTube channel, and I request our long-time friends to stay with us. As you can see, a sister is sitting beside the Guru. She is an expatriate living in Australia, but her roots are in Bangladesh. She was born and raised there and completed her education there, but she is currently in Australia for higher studies. At this moment, we turn to her. Sister, please tell us your name and a bit about yourself.
MINAKSHI:
Namaskar. My name is Minakshi Chakraborty. As mentioned, I was born and raised in Bangladesh. I completed my schooling and my Bachelorâs and Masterâs degrees in Bangladesh.
GURU:
Where in Bangladesh? Dhaka?
MINAKSHI:
Yes, Dhaka. At Dhaka University. After that, I moved to Australia for higher education, where I am currently pursuing my PhD.
HOST:
Friends, I should mention that the sister you see on screen is the wife of one of the Guruâs disciples. They have come here together today. Sister, your husband has taken initiation (Diksha) from the Guruâwhat is your realization regarding this?
MINAKSHI:
I believe people take initiation only when an inner urge or desire arises. It is that inner pull that leads one to become a disciple. I feel there is no better person than the Guru to receive initiation from. Since my husband came here, he spoke so much about "Dadu" (the Guru) that after arriving in Kolkata, I felt it would be a huge miss if I didn't meet him. When my husband suggested we visit, I felt it was an important thing to do during this trip. After coming here and seeing the kind of person Dadu is, I realize that receiving initiation from him is truly a great achievement. I am definitely happy for my husband. He is a devotee of the Mother, and I always wanted him to be initiated by someone who is a true devotee of the Mother. Who could be a greater devotee than Dadu?
HOST:
You mentioned your husband is a devotee and has taken initiation. Do you have a similar desire?
MINAKSHI:
Of course. When the desire for initiation arises from within me, I will certainly take it. And I will take it from Dadu because there is a tradition that if a husband is initiated by someone, the wife should also receive it from the same person. When that feeling comes to me, I will surely take initiation, and if I do, it will be from Dadu.
GURU:
Right, right. I had seen her previously on a video call. Later, he (the husband) said he would bring his wife to meet me. So, they have come. She has come from Australia. She is doing her PhD, as far as I know. Let her continue. I pray to God that her PhD is successful. That is my constant prayer. As for initiation, that is a matter for later. Her husband liked it, so he took it. She will take it when her mind is ready. Right now is her time for studies; there is no immediate need for initiation. She should focus on her studies with full attention and pass successfully. We can think about other things later. Itâs not a huge issue. If I am alive, I will give it to her. Definitely, why not?
HOST:
Sister, I want to askâwhen your husband performs his spiritual chants or meditations sitting before the Mother, how do you feel? Do you feel like sitting beside him and chanting?
MINAKSHI:
Yes, I certainly do. But I know there are rules for these things. I am learning from him. I haven't officially started yet, but I try to sit beside him and meditate. I will learn the rules of chanting from him gradually, and then Dadu is there to guide me.
GURU:
It will happen fully once you take initiation. For now, focus on your studies and pass well. Complete the PhD. There is plenty of time for initiation; no need to worry.
HOST:
Friends, sometimes we bring new faces to our videos alongside the Guru. We receive various comments about this, but through these videos, we want to convey one thing: let people's attraction toward God increase. In the chaotic state the world is in today, if people do not have a pull toward God, this world will never be peaceful, and people will not become true human beings. Guru, what do you say about that?
GURU:
No, it won't be peaceful. My only point isâdon't forget God. Keep God in front of you, stay in touch with Him, and don't forget Him. Only God can fulfill your heart's desires. You may not see Him, as He is invisible, but He blesses us from the unseen. Manâs biggest mistake is not calling upon God and not knowing Him. We tell parents to introduce their children to God from childhood so that they don't go down the wrong path as they grow up. You just need to introduce them to God. He is there; just let them know Him. Our biggest mistake is that we don't introduce our children to God. Whether out of the arrogance of wealth or whatever the reason, we are very arrogant. We don't explain this to our children. As a result, we don't understand it ourselves, nor can we make our children understand. This has created a gap in societyânot calling on God. If you call on Him, this won't happen. Now people have become arrogant; they send their children to big schools, and they achieve great things... I had four gentlemen visit me recently. One son was studying medicine, three years were done, and only one year was left. That son committed suicide. The only son. The mother was weeping inconsolably here yesterday. Another lady came; her son died in a bike accident. I tried to console her. Then another woman came; her daughter was highly educated, but she also committed suicide. When I see these four or five cases and think about them, I wonderâwhat is the need for this arrogance?
HOST:
Guru, since you brought up the topic of calling on God, I want to askâwhen we are filled with abundance, or highly educated, or have big jobs or businesses, if there is a sudden downfall... perhaps a loved one passes away, or the business closes, or someone becomes mentally disturbed after high education... what do you say about that?
GURU:
You are making a mistake. God is the one running you; you are not running yourself. You don't have that right. You can't even take a step on your own. Not even a leaf falls without His command. But you forget that. Forgetting God, you do many things out of arrogance that God does not tolerate or accept. God stays far away from those who are arrogant. Always remember this. Therefore, we must always remember the one who feeds us, clothes us, provides for us, and controls us. There is nothing greater than this. We are blinded by ego every momentâ"My son works here," "My daughter does that," and so on. This ego is what God breaks. He says, "Look, I am breaking it. You boast so much about your daughter or son? See, I am breaking it." But if you stay with God, keep Him close, and stay in His company, God does not let these things happen. I have seen that people do not become arrogant if God is with them. Arroganceâthis wordâdoes not exist then. Whether it's wealth, friends, or whatever, they have pulled you away from God. My advice is to keep God close at all times. You will see that God will help you in every way. There is no doubt about this.
HOST:
You are saying that if God is with us, a downfall is unlikely.
GURU:
Very unlikely. Downfall almost doesn't happen for those who keep God with them. Yes, you could say one thing: the more you call on God, the more He might test you with sorrow. Remember this and then call on Him. The more you call Him, the more pain and hardship you might face.
HOST:
What kind of sorrow, Guru?
GURU:
Tests. Various kinds of tests. If ego arises while calling on God, He will break it. He will break it immediately if ego develops under any circumstances. Thatâs why you should keep God with you but don't be arrogant. Give up your ego completely and call on Him. He is your controller, your provider. People go to temples and first pull out their money. They don't even think for a second that God is the one feeding them. What can you possibly feed God? You have the power of money and status, so you pull out a hundred or five hundred rupee note and say, "Feed God." But God is feeding you! This is the arrogance that God doesn't tolerate. You come to a temple and give 500 rupees for a prayer. But God is feeding you; what are you feeding Him? This is where ego is born, and this is what God destroys. I have many examples. Millionaires come to me, and so do beggars. I have seen that most of them faced a downfall because of their ego.
HOST:
Sister, you were listening to the Guru. We wanted to introduce you to our viewers, but this conversation about ego came up. What do you think about what the Guru said?
MINAKSHI:
What Dadu said is absolutely true. Ego is the root cause of a person's downfall. When people become overly arrogant, they become "blind" to everything else, as Dadu said. They forget that nothing is possible without God's command. Despite being highly educated, they remain ignorant. No matter how educated someone is, that knowledge has no value if they don't realize who is actually running them and that there is Someone above. That is what Dadu saidâwe must be free of ego. But I also understand that staying free of ego while living in a materialistic world is very difficult. It takes practice. It doesn't happen in a day. For ordinary people like us, keeping the ego away is very hard. But if one practices slowly, itâs not impossible.
GURU:
How do you let go of ego? You come to a temple and give a 500-rupee donation. But you don't even think that the Mother is feeding you. What can you give Her?
MINAKSHI:
People don't realize that by pulling out money and saying, "Do a prayer," they are actually displaying their ego.
GURU:
You are showing off your abundance to the Mother. Your financial abundance. Consequently, that is ego. God will break this ego one day or another.
MINAKSHI:
It's better if that realization comes from within. If it doesn't, it will happen eventually through circumstances.
HOST:
Sister, one more question. You aren't from this country (India), you are from Bangladesh. You belong to the young generation. What message do you have for the Sanatanis or the youth of the world regarding this issue of ego?
MINAKSHI:
I am not a great orator, so I may not be able to explain it well. But it seems to me that the problem with the current generationâeven though I might be slightly older than the very newest generationâis that they are very undisciplined and get everything too easily. Because they don't have to struggle or work hard for things, the idea of achieving something through hardship isn't in their minds. That might be why ego comes so easily to them. But I believe parents play a huge role here, as Dadu said. Parents must make them understand that they should stay close to God. Whatever you do, even while living a worldly life, you must call on God. We who lead worldly lives, don't we call on God? We do, in our own way. Parents want their children to live in comfort and have everything easily, and that's natural. But they shouldn't give them a life that leaves them lost when they face a difficult situation. At the very least, parents should instill the knowledge that "God is with me." If you face a tough time, call on God. Always stay close to Him. Parents shouldn't fail to give this education.
GURU:
That is the parents' responsibility. This education must be given to them.
HOST:
Guru, we won't prolong today's episode. I want to hear your final words. While introducing someone to our viewers, this topic of ego came up. We would like to hear your concluding thoughts.
GURU:
There's not much to add. She is highly educated. We should value their perspective moreâwe are getting old. How do they see God? How do they take His help? This is important to observe. They are educated; how are they calling on Him and keeping Him beside them? That is the real matter. Many children are getting educated and doing PhDs; many such people come to me. I don't care much for just the degree. But an educated person should understand how God is helping them and how they should call on Him. They must remember that there is no other way but God. Nanya pantha vidyate ayanayaâthere is no second path. The only path open is to call on God.
HOST:
Pronam, Guru. We conclude here for today.
GURU:
Pronam.