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Masta

The state of mastāna is a divine intoxication beyond worldly care.

The term mastāna describes being intoxicated in divine love, where nothing matters except God. It is very hard to attain. A saint known as Mastāna Bābā exemplified this. Everyone thought he was mad, living without care for clothes, food, or shelter. If he took a fruit from a vendor, that man would become wealthy. He was indifferent to his body. Once, with mucus and worms on him, a doctor offered treatment. The saint looked at him, removed his skull like a cap, and said, "Do a treatment, please." After stunning the doctor, he left. We are far from this state, complaining over minor pains. A mastāna is always happy. On the name of the Gurudev, I am dīwānā—one who doesn't care. What is made will break. Who is born will die. Then why worry?

"Nothing matters except God, for you are in God consciousness. Mastāna."

"He took off his skull like a cap and said, 'Do a treatment, please.'"

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

The term mastāna is very difficult to translate. It is also an Urdu word. It means to be without any worry, without any sorrow, as if you are intoxicated in divine love. That is called a mastāna. If somebody says someone has stolen from you, it doesn't matter. Your car is broken, it doesn't matter. Someone was talking badly about you, it doesn't matter. Nothing matters except God, for you are in God consciousness. Mastāna. It is very, very hard to attain this realization. There was one sādhu, one saint, known as Mastāna Bābā. When I was small, I saw him a few times. Everyone thought he was mad. Sometimes he had clothes on his body, sometimes none. If you gave him a blanket, he would put it on his shoulder, walk away, and if it fell, he would not turn back to retrieve it. Nobody knew when or what he was eating. If someone offered him food, he would not take it. But if he walked by a fruit lorry, he might take one fruit—and the man whose fruit he took would become a millionaire that very day. That was his blessing. He lived without care: rain, heat, cold, no house, sleeping anywhere, with mosquitoes and flies sitting on his body. Normally, we would call such a man crazy. He was quite old. One day in winter, he was sitting in the sun with a cold wind blowing. Phlegm or mucus was falling from his head, and there were worms inside it. He took the worm and put it back in. Someone saw this and said, "Oh God, he has some tumor or cancer. We must tell a doctor." A doctor came and asked, "Can I give you some medicine or treatment?" Generally, he never looked at people, but this time he looked at the doctor. He didn't say anything. Instead, he took off his skull like a cap and said, "Do a treatment, please." The doctor was stunned. The saint then put his skull back and went away. What do you say to this? We are very far from this state. If we have a little pain in our nail, we say, "Oh! Holy Swāmījī, prasādam, holy Swāmījī!" We complain, "Why do you put all these things here? Swāmījī is always angry." It is easy to say, but difficult to realize. A mastāna is always happy. On the name of the Gurudev, I am dīwānā. Dīwānā means one who doesn't care whether good things or bad things happen. They will happen. What is made will be broken. What is constructed will be dismantled. Who is born will die. Who came will go. What appears will disappear. Then why worry?

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:

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