German devotees interview  Shri Muniraji in Chilianaula 29.09.2006

taken from The Haidakhan Samaj U.K. Journal http://ombabaji.org.uk/newsletters/News_sheet_05.pdf

Q:  As a German, do I have a special task? Is there a particular duty for me in Germany, or in India?

Shri Muniraji: Everybody has his duty, no matter where he’s been born.

Q: I do Pancha Karma parallel with Navaratri. Do they work together or can there be problems in combining the two? My experience has been that after 8 days both compliment each other – everything that comes up during the Pancha Karma Therapy can then be dissolved in the fire.

M: Everyone can do what they enjoy.

Q: I really enjoy reciting part of the aarti in the German language, such as the Father aarti. Is that o.k.?

M: There is nothing wrong with it.

Q: Babaji said that we should go out into the world and spread what he has said. However, it is my experience that it is very difficult, to talk with people. Many think they know everything already and cannot listen. What shall I do?

M: People believe and follow their paths in different ways. Communicate the path according to the way you do it. If people cannot accept it, then let them go their own way.  Babaji had no interest in people changing their religion or creating a new religion – only that a human being is humane. The highest religion is humanity. When somone is born the first thing is that that they are born as a human being, without already having a religion.

Q: I have heard, that everything that one thinks and says has effects on many different levels. Could you explain this?

M: The mind, our desires are very quick.  However, we need a strength,  a potential, so that we can we put it into something. For example if we want to eat something sweet, we first have to get up, go to the cupboard and get the sweet. So we need the ability to manifest something. Not everyone has that ability. There are endless levels. The stream of thoughts has no end. The mind can travel everywhere, but what really matters is what it can manifest. Rather than running here and there with the mind.

Q: Babaji has said there will be much destruction. I feel there is a lot of fear amongst people around me about this distruction. How can we instill trust?M: I already knew you were going to ask this. You should only make sure that YOU are without fear. What will come, no one will be able to stop. But because of this you should not change your direction. Stay in touch what is going on for you.

Q: How do you see the political situation in Iran?

M: Political situations are ever changing. New things always happen.

Q: I have been given the information that in 2012 the great transformation should already have taken place. Many people around me are already preparing for this and stock up provisions for survival. Is it wrong that I don’t prepare myself for this by stocking up goods?

M: This is another rumour. One person says something and another one spins it on. One should not engage with this.

Q: What is the meaning of Mundan (head shaving). I cannot get into this, because I don’t really understand it. What are it’s spiritual benefits?

M: Apart form some other rituals,  mundan is particularly beneficial for your mental and emotional health. These rituals have been part of religion since time immemorial. Of all 16 Sanskars (important situations for the spiritual search) mundan is the first ritual and therefore should be carried out before anything else. But everyone has to know this for themselves. Everyone who has the feeling that it will be beneficial for them, should do it. Mundan serves also as a protection against physical illness (such as viruses).

Q: Mundan is often carried out on children at the age of 1 and a half to 2 years. How come?

M: The main benefit of mundan for children is for their health.

Q: What makes a yogi a yogi and a sadhu a sadhu?

M: To become a sadhu, it takes a lot. In this yuga there are no real sadhus. Those who appear as Sadhus, only appear as such. To be a sadhu means to renounce everything. In this yuga no one is really able to do this – and it is not what is being asked. The materialistic attraction in this yuga is very strong – like a magnet. People who want to go this path, cannot succeed – or carry it to the end. Anyway, it does not make any sense in this age. There are 8.4 million types of yoga. It is Karma yoga that is appropriate for this age.

Q: What is Karma Yoga?

M: Whatever you do is Karma Yoga. You should not sit around – you should always be enganged in activity. That is Karma Yoga.

Q: When I write my diary, is that also Karma Yoga?

M: That is also part of it, because with that, you can inspire other people. Whoever does something is a Karma Yogi.

Q: I cannot understand what it means to do nothing, when everything is Karma Yoga?

M: When you do something bad, that is not Karma Yoga. You should always be busy. It is important to have a goal in life and to focus your activities accordingly. That is Karma Yoga.

Q: The Germans have always done a lot. Have they not exaggeraterd? Isn’t stillness also a part of it?

M: When a person has set their goal and focuses their entire energy towards that goal, then it transforms into a spiritual exercise. When they follow  that goal with wholeheartedness then they will harvest sweet fruits. The other possibility is: to pursue your goal wholeheartedly only in the beginning, but later only with halfheartedness – with half the energy. Then everything will dissipate and end in a dead-end street. When you set yourself a goal and pursue it  with full determination – then everything is possible. When you complete your intention, you will reap its fruits. Then he is a yogi. It is the same when we build a house. When the house is complete, we can move in and start living in it. Then we can eat the fruit. The scientist does research. When he has discovered something, it will benefit humanity. The same rule applies for the yogi. A yogi does not walk the path for himself, but for the whole of humanity. When you want to make use of a field you first have to irrigate it and sow the seeds…..then

comes the time for the harvest. At harvest time, however, you will reap much more than what you need for your family. It is enough for many more, and they all can benefit.

Q: What are the wisest steps?

M: Everybody should work. Do you only want to travel around? If you want to achieve something – you must do Karma Yoga. You have to give everything. Nothing comes from nothing. If someone sits around,  nothing will happen. Appropriate measures must be taken in order to put things into action.

Q: Surely it isn’t good to sing aarati and bajans all day long or to pray 24 hours a day. Where is the limit? Where does one stop?

M: Everyone should give as much time as they can manage.  Everyone has to decide for themselves how much time they can spare on top of their daily duties and activities. Someone who has to battle with hunger and feed their family cannot sit and meditate. They need to provide for their family so they can eat.If someone offers God a flower with a pure heart, that is wonderful spiritual worship. The most importatnt thing is the feeling with which you do something, not the length. Our hearts need to be pure.

Q: I have read in a book that Babaji wants us to do japa 24 hours a day. The usual kind of praying is too boring. I have another way of communicating with God. I prefer the direct way.

M: I have not heard that someone prays 24 hours a day. All we should do is be conscious that nothing belongs to us and that nothing we do comes from us. Nothing belongs to us. In the end it is only God who is active and present in everything – and we should act out of that awareness.

Q: Is there a mantra to ground us?

M: There are endless mantras, but without action they are of no use. It also requires a particular sanskar (initiation) and a particular culture, to make a mantra effective. It makes no sense to receive a mantra with our mind. There is no use if we run here and there with our mind. To step into action is the only way. That way it bears fruit.

Q: Some people think it is important to protect oneself from negative energies. This is what is being said in light work. Do we really have to be afraid of negative energies?

M: When you purify your own mind, you will be protected. When we are jealous and think negatively about others or act negatively then we get scared that it will backfire on us. Those who purify their own mind don’t need to be frightened. The same is with a thief: the moment he sees a policeman he thinks:  let’s hope I won’t be found out. An innocent person has nothing to worry about.  When you have the feeling your actions have been good actions then there is no room for fear. Your conscience knows whether you’ve done good. Sometimes you do something but you know what you do is not good, but you do it anyway. This power comes from past actions, karma, and can’t be avoided. Look at a school class. All children have the same teacher and the same conditions, but everyone turns out differently. One turns into a minister, the next into a doctor and another into a road sweeper. It is karmic. If we think and act in the right way now, we plant the best seeds into the ground for the future.

It is in our power.

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