HE HAS TO GIVE A HARD BLOW

 
So many Baba lovers have asked me that same question. How do we know what Baba wants? I tell them to read the books, to obey Baba's orders. When people ask me how to love Baba, I ask, "What is love?" Most people think of love as something we feel, that flows from the heart. But that is not Real Love. Love is there, of course, but there is also attachment. To love Baba is to try to please Baba. And what pleases Baba? Obedience, faith and surrenderance.

So I say that even though Baba is not in the physical body, you know what Baba wants, and Baba is guiding you all the time. It is often difficult to obey Baba. But if we keep trying, gradually it becomes easier. If you fail, try again. And again. Never give up. And when you fail, ask Baba to forgive you — even if you don't mean it. It makes a difference. Also, Baba will let you know when you are displeasing Him.

There is a saying in Gujarati that a goldsmith takes a hundred strokes with the hammer to make a small piece of jewelry, but the hammering is very very light because the work is so delicate. The blacksmith, on the other hand, gives one hard blow. The gold is malleable — it learns. But the iron is hard and requires a firm blow. In the same way Baba has said I forgive you once, I forgive you twice, but I don't forgive you a third time. Of course, He always forgives — even ten times — but what He means is that the third time He has to give a hard blow, like the blacksmith, and it is difficult to bear. But this is not to say that Baba punishes us — that is a very important point that I have discussed in the book [Gift Of Love].