In English
Take each day as a gift of God
The rules I have prescribed for those who come to the may appear strict and even severe, but it is all for your good. Inner Purity first and outer purity later - that is the natural order. You feel full satisfaction when you take a bath first and then wear washed clothes. I have to be strict, because if I excuse one error, the tendency is to commit another. A plant will grow well only when the ground all around the stem is raked up and exposed to the sun and rain. I want you to drop old deep-rooted habits of purposeless talk, vanity, envy, and scandal-mongering. You are not to live like earnest spiritual aspirants just to please Me; it is a duty you owe to yourselves. So you must adhere to those rules wherever you are, not merely within the confines of the . Of course, the , you will have noticed, has no wall or fence around it; for it is not limited by any boundaries, it spreads and spreads until it envelops the universe. Generally, I speak sweetly, but on this matter of discipline, I will not grant any concessions. I do not care whether you come or, having come, go. I will insist on strict obedience. I shall not reduce the rigour to suit your level, for that will only ruin you; I pay attention to your ultimate good. Live peacefully, happily, contentedly, taking each day as a gift from the Lord. Do not rush and scramble, fret and fume. Be vigilant, and do not allow greed or anger to creep in. Attend all the sessions in the Hall: the recitation of (), the singing, the discourses. Do not take shelter behind excuses. If you are ill, devotional singing will help the cure, or, let Me tell you, it is far better to die during devotional singing with the Lord’s name on the lips. Aspirants are led along wrong paths, and the respect due to pious people is dwindling because they are not kept rigorously on the hard path. Concessions have spoiled them. Hereafter, I will not excuse the slightest deviation. You have been here for years, so I have to treat you as grown-ups, not as children. It is on account of the love that I have toward you that I rebuke you when you take a false step. My rays of grace will make the lotus of your heart blossom.