Reminiscences

 If One remains continually absorbed in Nama, One will not be sorry when leaving the body.

A man had lived in a rented house for forty years. At the end of his service he received a good sum of money, with which he built an attractive bungalow for himself. In it he provided a small place as an oratory, .a room for the household gods. When he told ShriMaharaj about this, ShriMaharaj said, "You have allotted a room for the gods in a corner. This seems to convey that God is in that place alone, and not in any other place. But do not think so. Think that the entire house belongs to God, that it is a result of His favours, and of His grace. You did not regret even a little bit when leaving the place in which you had lived for forty years; on the other hand, you were glad to leave it. Likewise, one's real home is where God is. At present we dwell in our bodies. These premises are on hire. One should feel glad when leaving the body, as one felt when leaving the rented house. But when will this be possible ? It will be possible only when one is convinced that God is one's real home. For that, one should continu­ously remain absorbed in nama. By doing so one will feel glad instead of sorry when leaving the body. If one were to learn only this much by building one's own house, the building of the bungalow can be considered to have served a useful purpose."