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9 Apr 2005 | 0h 08m | English

Success comes in continuity on your path

Success requires continuity on a single path.

A seeker spent decades with various masters, achieving nothing and becoming bitter. He returned to his first master, blaming him for the wasted time. The master promised realization in one week if the man obeyed completely. Each day, the master had him dig a well in a new spot, destroying the garden. On the eighth day, the frustrated seeker declared that continuous digging in one place would have found water. The master revealed this was the answer: by constantly changing masters, the man had destroyed his trust and achieved nothing. Had he persisted with one path for all those years, he would have attained enlightenment. The seeker asked for advice and was told to practice yoga in daily life with continuity. Master one thing; chasing everything loses everything. All aspects of a tree depend on its root. Water the root to nourish the whole tree. Have one focus, and all is included.

"Have one God, one Gurudev, one belief, and all the goddesses will be happy with you."

"If you take one, then you can master everything. And when you try to have everything, then you will lose everything."

Filming location: Sydney, Australia

How successful you can be only if you are continuing your path. One man went to get Self-realization from a master and stayed ten years with him, but didn’t get Self-realization. He said, β€œMy God, I will go to another master; this master is not so good.” He went to another master and stayed five years with him. He didn’t get itβ€”not even his MΕ«lādhāra was purified. β€œThis is not a master.” He went to a third master and stayed there for fifteen years, and he could not even meditate. β€œThis is terrible. This is not a master. I should search for a real master.” So he went to another master and stayed there a few years more, and nothing happened. What happened now? The result of this was that he became a very, very negative person, angry at all masters. β€œThis is nothing, this is only a lie, and this is not, and there is no God, there is no reality, there is no realization.” Finished. β€œBut I will go to every master and tell them, β€˜Do not do this at all; this is stupid.’” So systematically, he wanted to go from one master to another master. He went to the first master and said, β€œMaster, what you taught me was stupid, nothing. There is no Self-realization. There is no liberation. Everything is nothing. I wasted my time. You told me that you could give me the right way, the right answer, but you didn’t give it to me.” The master said, β€œNow is the time to give you the right answer. I will get the right answer, yes.” β€œBut I have no time. My time is wasted.” The master said, β€œOnly one week. In one week, you will come on the right way, and then you can get realization.” β€œWhen so many years I wasted, one weekβ€”let’s have it.” The master said, β€œOne week, but you have to do whatever I ask you to do.” β€œOkay, I will do anything you want. But only one week. On the ninth day, if you ask me to do something, I will not do anything.” The master said, β€œOkay. Well, agree?” β€œAgree.” β€œSleep peacefully.” Next day morning, at breakfast time, the master told him, β€œWe don’t have water here in our āśrama. Can you help to dig a water well?” He said, β€œYes, sir, I will do it. Where should I dig?” He said, β€œJust here in the garden.” So the whole day he was working, very hard working, and he dug about two meters. He slept like anything. You see, don’t take sleeping tablets. When you can’t sleep, then work physically hard. Oh, you will sleep like anything. That’s it. Next morning at breakfast, the master came. β€œGood morning.” The disciples stood up and said, β€œPraṇām Gurudev, how are you?” He said, β€œFine. Had a breakfast.” The master said, β€œIn the corner where you are digging for the water well, there is no water. Dig on the other corner.” So he began to dig on the other corner. The whole day, he was working very hard. He dug about two and a half meters there. In the evening, he slept deeply. Next day, again they met at breakfast. After breakfast, the master said, β€œYou see, where you are digging, there is a rock. It will come, and you will not be able to break the rock. So dig on that corner, the other side.” So he began to dig there. Every day, the master comes and tells him, β€œThere I was meditating, there is salty water, there is a rock, there is no water, it is too deep.” On the eighth day, when the master came for breakfast, the disciples stood up, and the man said, β€œStop, don’t tell me anymore to dig the well.” The master said, β€œWhy?” β€œYes, I waste my time. I destroyed the whole garden, and there is no water at all. Why didn’t you meditate first, where I should dig? Then I could have gotten the water now for breakfast, a glass of nice fresh water. Why? In one week, if I would have dug continuously for water, I would have reached the water.” So the master said, β€œThat is the answer to your questions. So many years you wasted running here and there, and this master and that master, and this master, and now the result is this: you are nowhere. You destroy the garden of your trust, and then there is no water of any result of success. And in your heart, you develop again the doubts, and the time is wasted. If you had worked now, 55 years you were running here and there, in 55 years you would be already enlightened, a spiritual Mahātmā.” He said, β€œThen what should I do, Master, now? Can you advise me what I should do? I will do everything. I accept it was my mistake, not a mistake of the Master’s. What should I do?” So the Master said, β€œGo and do yoga in daily life.” So continuity, one thing, not jumping here and there. If you take one, then you can master everything. And when you try to have everything, then you will lose everything. Dāl, patΔ«, peḍ, phΕ«l, sabβ€”all, all the tree, the branches, the leaves, the branches, everythingβ€”they are depending on the root. When you have roots in your hands, then you don’t need to go to the leaves there. Everything is a root. If you want to give water to the tree, give it to the roots. If you take cotton and put water on every leaf, you can’t finish the whole day, and the tree will not get water. Put it in the roots. Everything will be gotten. Have one God, one Gurudev, one belief, and all the goddesses will be happy with you. One in all, all in.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture: