From "The Near and the Dear" by Dada Mukerjee

About Asking God

Babaji commented, "How nicely Ojhaji has explained everything to you. He is right when he says that nothing should be asked from God, nor is there anything with which God needs to be acquainted. When one knows everything, what new thing can you bring to His notice? It is useless to try to do this. Moreover, God is gracious and always shows His mercy to everyone. When you get what you want without asking Him for it, what is the use of asking? You always ask for useless things, wrong things, and sometimes for harmful things, that is why you do not get them. You ask for things out of ignorance. He knows what is useful for you and what should be given, and what is useless and harmful and should be denied. And you people accuse God, without caring to know why your desire was not fulfilled. This is your habit, your practice. You must have full faith in God; He attends to everything when you have faith and depend on Him.

"The main purpose for your religious practices of pujas, prayers, bhajan and kirtan is not for asking or begging from Him, but to be with Him. There are people who never think of God or sit silently and meditate on Him. But when they do their rituals, like singing bhajan and kirtan and visiting temples, they take this to be their worship and time with God.

"This is helpful for them, as they keep aside time and money and other things for God and for His puja and prasad. When they are not doing these pujas and prayers, they spend their time and money in other ways, not directly for God or for spending time with Him. So this helps them to round out their whole lives. It brings discipline to do all of one's duties and then save something in time and resources to be spent for God. In the beginning it might start in a small way, but with regular observance, it becomes very dear to them. They feel it is their time with God, and they spend more and more time in their pujas and prayers.

"It is feeling of being with God and working for Him brings devotion to their hearts. He becomes dear to them. They become interested in pleasing and serving Him out of their love for Him, not for asking anything for themselves. They spend more and more time in pujas and rituals, and many others begin to derive benefit from them They draw more persons toward God, help to teach them discipline in their lives, and to devote their lives to the service of God and His children.

"This is the best form of religious education for the people. They learn from demonstration and practice, not from books and lectures. How many persons can read? How many persons can purchase books? Those who are to teach you must know what they are to teach and what you need and can understand. And they must teach you out of their love of God and love for you, not for making money by taking the name of God. It is difficult for most people to find such persons and be taught by them. The best way is to go on with one's pujas and prayers. Meditation and yoga are not for everyone, but bhajan and kirtan are for everyone without any distinction."


A Gift from Babaji | Baba, You are the Saint of Saints | Maharaj-ji's Surprising Appearance at Panki | Help for the Old Mother of the Maharaj of Vizianagrarn | Hanuman in Prayag | Police Superintendent Gets His Post | Maharaj-ji Saved the Governor | The Story of Bhabania | Babaji Leaves at Night | Talaya Baba | Sanctity of Prasad | Story of the Leaf Plates | The Temple is a Place of God | About the Role of Sadhus | About Asking God | Maharaj-ji Asks for a Car | An Old Lady Remembers Maharaj-ji from Long Ago | About Running Ashram | Faith in God | A Few Quotes

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