MUZAKRA – 9

PREVENT ILLUSION

SOUL: Are there any traps, Lord?

SELF: Idle curiosity is another trap from which you must free the mind.
Indulging in vain, useless, sometimes even immoral thoughts diverts you from your real
business of God consciousness. Life is very short. Even if you live for a hundred years,
you should not waste a second. One second is of infinite value, because in one second
you can fix your mind on Me. Great Walis did this and thereby perfected their lives. On
the other hand, if you don’t remember Me, you can find your self in hell – in a second.

Therefore, all material activities should be neglected. (Therefore, just material

motivation should be avoided and viewed with suspicion.) Undertake only those things
that enable you to remember Me. Things are neither good nor bad in themselves. How
they relate to My service makes them good or bad, right or wrong. Whatever is favorable
to My service should be accepted, and whatever is unfavorable should be rejected. This
simple rule is the essence of spiritual life and is enough to perfect your life. Following it
will give you complete control over the restless mind and make it insensible to mundane
affairs, be they so-called important project, gossip, or the needless hankering for “news.”

This also holds true for things apparently spiritual. Being discreet and humble,
you should be very determined to serve Me, recite My Holy Name, hear about My
qualities and pastimes from pure devotees, and serve My devotees in every way that you
can. Seek nothing beyond this. This will greatly satisfy your spiritual master. Just
follow his example. Pure devotees want only those things that enable them to serve Me
better. Of course, My instruction is to serve such pure devotees. As Supreme Lord of the
whole universe, I advised all devotees to be the servant of the servant of the servant.
Other desires are often forms of self-love and spiritual pride. They are pitfalls laid for
you by Satan. Be humbler than the grass and more tolerant than the tree. Be ready to
offer all honour to others without expecting any return.

A disciplined life of humble God consciousness can fortify you well against the
attacks of Satan. When personified illusion says that you are determined for devotional
service, he is sure to hurl disruptive thoughts into your consciousness. If you are
unprepared and allow him to enter, he will soon control your thoughts, and thereafter
your entire life.

Beware! Satan attacks even in moments of prayer or other spiritual exercise.

This is especially dangerous when he invades with elevated sentiments and spiritual bliss.
This method works particularly well on those who are speculative by nature, or on those
who are prone to self-conceit and are proud of their big projects in devotional service.
Satan’s purpose, of course, is to divert your attention with idle dreams of great service
and the temporary pleasure it affords. If he can make you proud of your own spiritual
advancement, you will forget to cleanse your heart and mind of the greatest abomination:
spiritual pride. Then, because of your mental idolatry, you will fall with a terrible crash.

SOUL: Why does such a thing happen to apparently good devotees? Is there
hope for anyone? The path home to You seems so tricky and difficult.

SELF: It really is not, My friend. But being averse to consulting proper

authority such misguided souls feel satisfied in themselves. They are thus easy prey to
the subtleties of the mind. The conditioned soul has four defects, one of which is to make
mistakes. Without a standard to consult in the form of a teacher, saintly persons, or
scripture, Quran-o-Sunnah – Murshid – one is sure to be misled.

Pride is a deadly, almost incurable disease. Indeed, spiritual pride is even more
deadly and difficult to eradicate than pride of the flesh. The latter is obvious and can be
corrected by the clear instructions of the scripture and saintly teachers. But when a
person imagines, and continues to maintain, that he knows more than any authority, how
will his self-deception be revealed and shattered? How will he ever realize his error?
Who can tell him anything as long as he thinks himself wise than the rest of the world?

SOUL: Your instructions seem equivocal to me, Lord. Are You saying that the
mind is good or bad?

SELF: It can be either. As I told a great friend and devotee of mine, ‘The mind
is the friend of the conditioned soul and his enemy as well.’ When the mind is
uncontrolled, it is an enemy. Then it drags one quickly to hell. But the mind engaged in
God consciousness is verily Myself.

In other words, if the mind – which is the leader of all the senses – is evil, the
whole body will pursue evil; but if the mind is spiritual, then the whole will be
spiritualized. The mind is like a searchlight for the soul, for it alone can discover and
rectify the vanity of the heart. But if the mind itself is blinded and swollen with pride,
what will correct it?

If light becomes darkness, how great is that darkness? How will you ever see? If
the leader were treacherous, what will become of those who follow? Therefore, I say: Be
aware, be on guard. It is much easier to repel an enemy while he is still outside than to
defeat him after he has come within. You must train yourself to surrender to Me and My
representative, the bona fide spiritual master. Do not think highly of yourself, but be
guided by My higher authority. That authority may be a book, a person, or material
nature. All work under My direction.