The innocence of a child, Ganpatipule (India), 31 December 1985. I had a special purpose in coming to Ganpatipule, apart from that it was a very beautiful place and very relaxing for all of you. The reason is - I found this place had vibrations which will clear you out very easily, first of all. But you have to desire it, really, ardently. You should have that desire otherwise the Kundalini may not rise. That is a very important point; that you have to desire your ascent, nothing else. It's not a place you have come for a holiday or just for some sort of a relaxation or for some enjoyment or sleeping or anything, but you have come here for a penance, for a tapasya, to clear out yourself completely. This is a place of Shri Ganesha's temple which is not very much frequented by people and it's still very, very pure. And I thought that the Ganesh principle will be awakened in you which is the source of everything. Shri Ganesha's principle, as you know, in a very large way or expansive way, we call it ‘the innocence’, but we do not know the intricacies and the details to which it can go and work it out. Shri Ganesha's innocence has a tremendous power to purify people, to make you holy, to make you auspicious. A person who has got Shri Ganesha's principle awakened is auspicious in his presence. Such a person, whenever he moves, things move in a direction that the coefficience works out, it becomes absolutely auspicious; auspiciousness which cannot be achieved without Shri Ganesha's help. Now this auspiciousness, now we Sahaja Yogis believe into; that there is something like auspiciousness by which everything works out smoothly. Everything we feel is done by God's power, that we are all the time wanted by nature, loved by surroundings and the atmosphere. But this understanding can only come if you have that pure desire within you, that you have to ascend. You have come here to ascend, not to enjoy yourself or a place of resort or something like that. This principle is very much awakened, as you see, in the local people here. And how spartan they are, how hard working. They've been awake for days together and nights together but still they are very, very relaxed and they do not need any help. Just in that enthusiasm they are working out! So the second blessing of Ganesha is that He's playful, He's prasanna, He's always a pleasing personality. He dances. He pleases you. He has ways and methods of pleasing you. And in the same way, a person who has that awakened Ganesha within him is all the time a very pleasing personality, not a drawn-out face, not a face that repels you, the face that makes you feel unhappy, but is a personality that makes you very easy, very understandable, likeable: that sort of a personality you develop. But, so far as the life has been abroad, I have seen that the situation has been very different. And the aggressiveness and the quarrelsomeness, we can say, the hurting capacity, is so over-developed that you have to somehow or other, succumb completely to the auspiciousness of Shri Ganesha. Because all the instruments that were to be used for spreading Sahaja Yoga or for spreading the love of God, for spreading auspiciousness of God, working out His designs and plans and adjusting yourself to the laws of God's desires - it was very important that we should have had our instruments done in such a way that they were absolutely useful. On the contrary we have misused them, spoiled them and have completely made them unholy. So that's another point: we have to look at ourselves here, what have we been doing to ourselves, what is the need for us to make ourselves unholy and why should we be unholy. When Shri Ganesha is there, we can make ourselves very holy, auspicious. Now no use believing that we are perfect! Those who believe like that cannot ascend. Everybody must know there are lots of imperfections and, “These imperfections in me that are [there] should be conquered and [are] to be found out.” Only in the light of Shri Ganesha's innocence you can see. A little child can show you how we are stupid and foolish and how we behave. So many times you must have seen [that] children come out with such utterances that the elders are put to shame! So the child-like temperament can be developed if we awaken the Shri Ganesha's principle within ourselves; which is a very, very powerful, very, very powerful Deity. A very powerful Deity. Because a child, supposing one child is lost, say a child runs away or if a child is hanging somewhere on a tree - the whole community will rush to take out the child, the concern will be there. Even in the Western countries, I have seen, if one little girl is tortured, everybody is worried about the child, everybody opposes that. Maybe there are some horrible people, no doubt, maybe there are more than they are here, but one gets concerned. So a child, itself, is a very sort of a source of getting all the protection from everywhere. Because the child is growing, the child is growing. Everybody wants to help the child. So in the same way when this Ganesha principle is developed into you, you realise that you have to grow, you are still growing. A little child learns so many words in such a short time that we cannot learn afterwards when we are grown up. Say, after sixty, if you have to learn even three sentences, it's impossible! So the child is growing and his curiosity and his capacity to know more things is also very much sharp and he starts learning more. He doesn't think he knows everything. The ones who think like that are not yet born properly. “I don't know anything! I have to know this, I have to know that. I have to know that. I don't know anything so far.” And the children do it so easily you must have seen. A little bit you do this way or that way, they immediately follow you. So what you have to do is to know that you are still in a child stage, you are growing. We have to humble down and we have to know a lot. And from wherever we have to know, we have to know. The arrogance, the idea that we know a lot itself is very, very dangerous for the growth, very dangerous. And that is what one has to give up and should know that we do not know anything but we have to know. Many people who come to Sahaja Yoga settle down as, “We are Sahaja Yogis,” but don't know a word about Sahaja Yoga. So many of them! Specially the ladies, I am surprised. They know very little about Sahaja Yoga. It's rather surprising. Now in Sahaja Yoga there's nothing like women or men, everybody has equal rights. It's not the job of women just to sing songs. No! It's not! They have to know each and everything about Sahaja Yoga. They have to know what are the diseases, how they are cured, what are the mental problems, how are these chakras are made. Everything they have to know. The medicines they have to know, the psychology. They have to know the Divine powers. Everything they have to know, how it works out. And that ignorance will never be forgiven because you are the ones who have to talk about it to others. The third thing is: a child is never a silly person, never silly. He never does something in a silly way. While you see many people who are brought up in a very strict way become suddenly very silly at an old age. Very silly. This phenomenon I see much more in the West. Suddenly they become, trying to be very youngish-type and just they'll clap like this and start behaving in a very funny manner. I used to wonder, “What’s wrong with them? Why are they behaving like this?” But it is, I think they are bottled up. And then suddenly they try to behave. But they (children) are not. A child is never a silly person. On the contrary, if there's somebody silly they said, “He's a clown!” They'll come and tell me, “He's a clown, you know. He’s not all right!” or, “He's a buffoon!” Whatever words they know they'll express. They don't like [it]. They start wondering, “What's the matter with this person?” So all these things come to us because we have no idea that we have to grow in a steady, understanding awareness, awareness. Not in how you express yourself in Sahaja Yoga, how you do things in Sahaja Yoga. It is how you are aware of it inside. In the same way emotionally: when I say something, I don't think people understand what I mean. Now I said that, “You put on bindis.” Again I find you are just the same! At least here you should. This is Ganesha's mark. They would not put it. It’s so many times I have said it. I mean, how much time does it take to put it on? Now this is a very common things that are going on. Now another thing is that a child doesn't want to be dishevelled at all. Today one child had gone for a bath and was coming back. His father wanted him to see me, he said, “No, my clothes are not all right. my hair are all dishevelled. How can I see Mother?” So he went back, he put some oil on his hair, properly he dressed up, smartly. When we were young, we always knew all the Western people were very smartly dressed, properly groomed. They would never come with dishevelled hairs. But he said, “No, my hair [is] all dishevelled, how can I go and see Mother?” So we have to give up these funny ideas of fashions and all that, because this will all go away, you'll lose your hair, you'll all become bald-headed to look very funny. There's no wisdom in it. But a child has wisdom! He wouldn't come. He dressed up himself properly, then he came and stood before me. And this is what we have to understand: that our appearances are the expression of our inner being and we have to do certain things because we do not know to accept things, how to do things like a child does. A child if you tell him anything, he obeys and he listens. Otherwise the child is not a normal child. In India if there's a child who doesn't obey, they just thrash him nicely, put him in the room for three days, make him starve and put him right; nothing doing! That doesn't mean the people are harsh here with children. Nobody kills children or anything. But you have to be very, very careful with your children, you shouldn't allow them to be lousy, to be untidy, to be languid, like lotus-eaters or like people who have no smartness about them. You are all Sahaja Yogis and you have to be like that in that way. A child's another attribute is that he hits always the principle of everything. Always the principle. A child sees to the principle of everything. And the questions they ask sometimes are so remarkably collective that I am surprised how they go to that point. They never waste time in frivolous things, never. Never waste time in frivolous things, talking of frivolous things. Nothing of the kind. I haven't seen children talking about their clothes or about the seats they have got or the houses - nothing of the kind. They are busy doing some construction! Very busy, you see. You ask them, “What are you doing?” “You see, we are trying to tie up the whole of the airport,” or the whole of Bombay, like that they will tell you. They are very busy people. If you see Realised souls who are children, they are always worried about the collective. And that's what should be your situation that you should be all the time worried about the collective as a child is: that, “How I will help the collective?” But not worried about yourself, “What is my personality, am I that impressive? If I go to people, will they believe that I'm something? A Realised-soul? Or I am like other women or other men who are going to the hairdressers and having all kinds of hairdressing up and wearing all kinds of funny dresses to impress others? Am I looking like a saint? Am I behaving like a saint?” These things should come to you very easily. If you tell a child, “You are a Sahaja Yogi,” they say so, “I am a Sahaja Yogi, I can't do that way!” All the nonsense starts after they develop their ego. And then they start behaving in a funny way and it develops much more in the West earlier, but here it takes time. And the children are just accepting whatever God gives them. To them alertness is so natural. If there's an aeroplane that's going, they'll say, “Bye bye aeroplane.” Then there are ships are going, “Bye bye.” To the sea they'll say, “All right, sea, we'll come and see you tomorrow!” Everything is within their mind. To them everything is there. They’ll come, you ask them, “How did you like it?” “Oh, we liked the grass very much. It was nice,” and everything they will tell you, the details about everything. So alert! And then they will say, “Oh, Why didn't you do this? You could have put some flowers here, you could have done some flowers, would have looked nice for the hut.” Or something, a suggestion they will give. Very particular on cleanliness, anything. And in childhood children get up very early. All the children in childhood get up very early. It's a nuisance for mothers but they get up very early and that's how I also get up very early. Getting up early is a child-like behaviour. Because the birds are singing, the sun is rising, such beauty in the sky and, “And Why am I sleeping?” They'll wake up the whole house! But people don't like it, sometimes they beat, not in India. In India people try to get up early in the morning. It’s regarded as something very dharmic and good. Even if we sleep late, we’ll get up early in the morning, that's one thing. Then you can sleep in the daytime. But nobody sleeps over this thing like nine o'clock, ten o'clock, nobody sleeps like that. I mean, I have a problem, I don't know what to do with myself. You can sleep in the daytime for a while if you want to overcome the night sleep and all. And you can be quite fresh. And you can be quite all right in the evening if you sleep for a while. But a child doesn't think too much, he doesn't plan too much. He makes fun out of everything. You take them anywhere, say, you take them to an airport. There's nothing to be played about [there]! They'll find out some groove somewhere, they'll jump in that, they'll hide there, play there. They can make play out of any gross stuff that we think is useless, they'll make out of it. They're very constructive and playful and that is what we have to be, Make play out of your life. Everything! You see, meeting people, talking to them: it should come naturally, not artificially. Also some people, I have seen, have a habit of putting up an expression all the time, like a smile or a frown or this thing. Children are never like that. Their muscles are so supple. They react all the time. Sometimes when they are happy, when they are unhappy, everything. The muscles all the time are acting like that. Nobody is tense. That's why we have problems with our faces, because we keep them in one style. And these days the more miserable, you are regarded as more handsome! That’s finished! Or else some people just go on smiling all the time like this, it's very bad. Or all the time absolutely feeling unhappy. You should allow the action of your emotions to be expressed on your face. I am told that it is said that, “There should be no emotions shown on your faces.” I mean, I can't understand! What is the use of such a personality who doesn't show any emotions? I mean, you are not a stone are you? So all these foolish, stupid ideas which are given to us should be given up. And we should smile, we should laugh, naturally. We should talk to people in a natural way. And the child is extremely dignified. Shri Ganesha dances with His dignity. He doesn't do frivolous, nonsensical things. In His rise and in His fall and in His movements and His steps, He's nothing but His weight. So something cheapish He doesn't do. In the same way there should be dignity throughout. Dignified behaviour should be within us. Now you have to judge yourself, how far you have become Shri Ganesha within yourself. Are you innocent? You think of cheating others, spoiling others. Like my television, I was amazed! I mean, I can never think of spoiling a television and this and that. These ideas, from where do they come into your heads? Why should we? I have never done it all my life, something like that. You know that I have always paid every duty, everything. Why should we do such a nonsensical [thing], to spoil the television and spoil it, make it look cheaper, for what? How much are you going to save out of it? But all these ideas come into your heads, I just don't know from where. Why cheat? We are Sahaja Yogis. We cannot cheat anyone. I mean, you can tell the customs, “This is the situation is. If you allow we'll go, otherwise we'll stay.” It's a negative attitude. Never comes to children. They are so plain and simple. Once we had gone, I must tell you how children are so simple. Once we had gone inside a port and my nephew gave me two tins of cheese and we were bringing it out. So my daughter who was a very small girl, so when we were coming and he asked, “Do you have anything?” I said, “We have some two tins of cheese.” “Yes, yes and we're going to eat it also. See we have opened one and we are eating!” The customs fellow was so impressed by her innocence. He says, “For your eating?” “Yes, yes for our eating, we have taken it. Is it all right?” He said, “It's all right.” You see, the simplicity and innocence is itself a certificate for you,. Not this cunning methods. What is there? I mean, precisely on the phone I tell them, “Oh baba, for heaven's sake! I’ll pay every duty, you don't have to do anything. Just put this thing there, tell that it is mine. You don't have to do anything. Declare it, this that.” Why? Where is our mind going? It's all right! How much are we going to lose in there? How much have we gained so far in money? What do we have? Saving money here, saving money there. Children don't do like that! No, they don’t. Like my grandson, he was saying, “Why do you stay in this wretched place? Very bad vibrations in London!” I said, “You see, your grandfather has to stay here for earning money.” He said, “Money? Why do you need so much money for, why do you need money, why don't you come to India?” I said, “You need money.” So when my husband came back, he took out a two-p, he said, “You want money? Have it! Now put it on your head! Why do you want to have money?” And my husband didn't know where to look. “You want money, all right, have it, put it on your head!” He was a little boy, you see! But interest in money starts later on. As soon as there’s money we start looking at it, when we grow up, otherwise we don't. All this money interest starts going later on. What is for Ganesha? Money is the dust of His feet. What for Him gold? What for Him anything? Whether He wears a crown of gold or He doesn't wear anything makes no difference! He's is there! His head is just the same. Out of respect, out of adoration, people might give Him gold or anything just to feel satisfied, it’s alright. For Him what does it matter? And any child who is a real child will not accept anything from anybody else, nothing. But if he takes, he will think, “How should I return it back?” Always! I know my own grandchildren have done it. If you give them something, they'll make a heart, put inside that, write it down nicely and when I come out of my bathroom, they'll give me that heart, you see, that, “Thank you very much,” for this and that. But when we grow up we even forget to thank people, we take everything for granted, we don't have that. We just think we have to judge everyone all the time, “That's not good, this is not good, could have been better!” We never think, “This is given to us, be thankful!” Count your blessings. But for children it's not so. If you give them a small thing, they'll keep it, “This is given to me by my grandmother!” I have seen this in my own grandchildren. The eldest one when she was small I gave her a little sari, a very small one just for her to wear. So when I went there she said, “You see, nani, I must tell you one thing serious is happening.” I said, “What?" “You see, the sari you gave me, I've kept it very carefully but my mother is trying to be funny!” I said, “What happened?” “You know, she didn't give it to anyone but she showed it to some people, she should not have shown it!” Very seriously! They are so sweet and so beautiful when they say things. Like once I had given her a Wendy house and a Wendy house she made it nicely, she called her mother, “I have made a very nice house for you, come along!” So my daughter is rather tall. She found it difficult, she went inside the Wendy house and sat there and she said, “Haa! So what have you got for me to eat?” She said, “Mummy, when you go to somebody's house you don't say such a thing!” And she laughed. And she laughed so much that she broke all her Wendy house. So she came out and she told Me, “Grandma, you have not given any good training to your daughters! First of all, she comes to my house, asks funny questions and then she breaks my house, do you do like this to anyone else?” How innocent and simple they are! Like that there are so many things I can tell you [that] I have seen. The way they talk and say things, and all that. So simple and so good and so collective and so beautiful. In the same way we have to be. Another thing, a child doesn't have any fear. A child doesn't have any fear. Ganesha has no fear at all. In the same way you should have no fear, no fear at all, no fear. As long as your Mother is with you why should you have any fear? Fear of this, fear of that, “I am frightened.” “I can't do this,” “I can't do that.” That children never do. They'll try everything, if you tell them. You should have no fear. I don't know what fear is. In the same way you should have no fear, no fear of anything. Nothing is going to go wrong with you. But don't do wrong things. If you do wrong things it will repel, it will work out on you. But don't do wrong things, be straight forward and nothing can harm you, nothing can harm you. We have had so many experiences of this, how everywhere laid down for you, everybody is looking after you. There are so many Deities who are working out things out for you. But you have to be, you have to be, extremely careful that you do not develop this fear business. Because fear takes you to the Left side and once you go to the left side, you know the problems of the Left side is - first of all -you go against Ganesha. Ganesha is standing at the base of the Left. And then you develop cancers, you develop all these things, fear, fear, fear and emotional problems and all these things come. In emotions you should be bubbling with joy. Joy is your emotion. In action you should be thoughtless. And in ascent you should be surrendered. That's all, it's very simple, three mantras are very simple for children. They are like that. Today at the base of the Shri Ganesha's hill, we have to think of awakening the Ganesh tattwa within us. For that we have to meditate. We have to think about it. We have to put our time to it. Actually if I were you, I may not sleep at all, I will go to the seashore, sit down there, meditate the whole time! Before breaking the Sahastrara I kept awake for two nights and I was just all alone, all alone near the sea, all alone the whole night, working it out, for two nights. But what do we do? We think about our comforts, we think about this, about that. It's not so! You are here! Such a chance! We get tired because we think too much. We know how to get out of this tiredness and this and that. So this is a very good chance for you [that] we have come here. Of course it's a beautiful place and all that. But it's mainly the thing why I thought of bringing you here [is] that it may suddenly give you a big boost up and you might rise very high; for which I may not be able to really arrange otherwise, this kind of ascent which is possible. Many of the Indians have not even seen this place before. It's such a beautiful place and they are surprised that in India we have such beautiful places! And after coming here they have felt the beauty, the auspiciousness, the wisdom of choosing this place. It's so lovable, so beautiful. But I hope I see the effects of that in you. Now you have to go and have your food. We have a very generous man who is cooking for you. Be careful! You shouldn't spoil your health! Specially for those who have to go with us ahead. So be careful! They’re very generous people. My brother and the gentleman who is cooking for you - both are competing in generosity. So you be careful! Now only the Sahaja Yogis from abroad and non-vegetarians have to go first and then the vegetarians will go and after that we'll have some music program. That's how it is going to be. Tomorrow morning I expect you to go for meditation about five o'clock in the morning. Then have your bath in the sea.