(Excerpts from Satsang of Pujya Sant Shri Asharamji Bapu)
One, who seeks to realize God, should assimilate these five rules in his day to day life.
1. One should cleanse one’s mind of the filth of bias and try to remain impartial. If one has to judge, one should be a little liberal towards others while being just towards one’s kin. This will safeguard the purity of one’s heart. Favouring one’s own kin makes the task of God-realization more difficult. In order to maintain peace and harmony in the family, one should avoid partiality and be fair towards all. This is the way to properly manage the affairs of the day to day life. Such impartial and affectionate conduct helps one attain success both in the material as well as in the spiritual world.
2. Keep your heart pure and innocent like that of a child. The truth is innate; falsehood is artificial and requires so many devious means to conceal it, and still it finally comes out in the open. Therefore, try to keep your heart like that of an innocent child. Don’t be too clever. Avoid artificiality. When guests arrive, offer them with affection even if it is only a glass of water. They will appreciate your straightforwardness. If you try to impress them with pomp and ostentation, your honesty and spontaneity will thereby be suppressed. You should neither try to impress anyone nor should you be unduly impressed by others. Deal with others knowing that both you and him are but manifestations of God. Your conduct then will become innocent like that of a child.
3. One should not entertain feelings of superiority or inferiority towards others on the basis of Varna, Ashram, caste or creed.
4. One should not waste one’s time and energy in futile disputes. Speak as little as possible in words full of pith and substance and keep away from controversial debates.
5. Steer clear of all activities, thoughts, detractors, friends and company, which hinder you from devotion to the Lord and from attaining divine enjoyment, divine bliss, divine capabilities and repose in the true Self.
If one observes these five rules of conduct in life, one can make good progress on the path to God-realization. So, these are the rules of worldly conduct. Then, there are 5 rules of spiritual conduct also, which an aspirant ought to observe for God-realization.
These rules are:
1) Be compassionate towards all beings. In your heart of hearts, you should have a feeling of compassion for all, including a criminal. When the magistrate pronounces a punishment but with the well-being of the criminal in his mind, he not only attains the merits of carrying out his duty in right earnest but also gets his heart sanctified by the feelings of compassion and kindness towards the criminal.
2) Do not find faults with Saints, nor should you ever lend an ear to their detractors.
3) Maintain piety of your body as well as mind. Keep your body clean through bathing, etc. and purify the mind through japa and pranayama.
4) Don’t overstrain yourself, nor should you be slothful.
5) Don’t hanker after the transient and trifling sense objects. Even your spiritual and devotional practices should always be free from desires. Don’t pray to the Lord for fulfilment of your temporal desires; rather devote yourself to the Lord for the very sake of His love alone.
One who sincerely and diligently observes these rules of worldly and spiritual conduct, has his heart purified and a pure heart realises the Supreme Self readily.