It is indeed our glorious fortune that Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji has embraced us in his grace. It is also our duty and mission that we prove ourselves as true, dedicated, and sincere disciples. When Shri Maharaj Ji blessed us with the divine wisdom of Brahm Gyan, He also directed us to follow four practices religiously. These are:

• Performing Sadhna (meditation)
• Listening to Satsang (true companionship)
• Performing Service (sewa)
• Guru Darshan (bowing before the Guru)

We all tirelessly endeavor to fulfill these directions of our Gurudev. However, Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji’s expectation of us is above and beyond these activities alone. If we want to fulfill these instructions in the true sense, we must first understand their basic foundation which helps us to steer them to fruition.

This foundation is “Sumiran”, i.e., to dwell upon the name of God, which is awakened in our being by the immense blessing of the True Guru. If we are unfamiliar with sumiran, which is the primary rule on the path of spirituality, then we will be truly unable to realize these directions of Gurudev. We may be able to comply with them ostensibly or behaviorally, but if we wish to truly please our Guru and make a positive contribution to society, then we must work with the basic elements of this journey. This basic element is sumiran.

In this time of the deadly Covid-10 pandemic, every person is gripped by fear and panic. The reason is that everyone fears death. Because of this, people are mostly complying with the guidelines and directives of their respective governments. And that they should, because the more we comply with safety protocols and guidelines, the sooner we can hope to defeat this deadly disease and return to a safe and joyous world. However, let us view this from a spiritual aspect. Of course, we must comply with the call of the State or government in this unusual time. But there is a greater power that is greater than any government around us. That greatest of power is God, the Almighty. This power has also made some spiritual rules and laid out guidelines for His human creation. Are we able to contemplate and comply with these? Now that we have stepped into the arena of spiritualism, let us also abide by the rules made by the greatest power, i.e., God. Only then will we be able to attain liberation from the imminent unraveling of our karmic accumulations.

So, as seekers, along with that of our material demise, we must also remain mindful of the possibility of our spiritual demise. Who knows what kind of karmic impact can push us towards our spiritual demise! Thus, the answer is the practice of continuous sumiran.

These were the thoughts driven by the divine grace of Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji.