Divine Scent
Describing how scented oils were made in that era, Shriji Maharaj says in Vachanamrut Gadhada I-38, “In reality, the mind is saturated with desires for the world. But, in the manner in which sesame seeds are imbued with scent by padding them between alternating layers of flowers, the mind should be similarly saturated with flowers in the form of the constant remembrance of God's divine actions and incidents – coupled with an understanding of His greatness.”
The process of making scented oils involved spreading alternate layers of flower petals and sesame seeds. When pressure is applied to this arrangement, the oil extracted from the sesame seeds picks up the fragrance of the flower petals, thus acquiring its characteristic scent. Similarly, we, too, should engulf our thoughts with the divine episodes of God to give them a divine fragrance.

An Idle Mind
In the same Vachanamrut, Gadhada I-38, Shriji Maharaj mentions the story of a ghost who, when tamed by its master, busied himself in the tasks directed by his master. Soon, though, the master ran out of jobs for the ghost to do. The restless ghost threatened its master, ‘Give me work to do, or I'll eat you up!’ So, the master directed the ghost to erect a pole and climb up and down it all day long. Whenever the master had a job that had to be done, he called the ghost to complete it and then instructed it to return to the pole.
By comparing the restless ghost to the restless nature of the mind, Shriji Maharaj explains that unless the mind is kept busy, it will, like the ghost, eat one up! Thus, He advises, “The mind should constantly be entangled in a web in the form of these divine actions and incidents of God, and thoughts relating to God should be constantly conceived in the mind. As one thought subsides, another thought should be conceived. As the second subsides, a third should be conceived. In this manner, the mind should not be left idle.”

Unbearable Pain
Describing the characteristics of a person who has undivided love for God, Shriji Maharaj says, “A devotee with such total affection for God never has any thoughts other than those related to God. The extent to which he harbours desires other than those of God is the extent to which he lacks in his affection. If, whether knowingly or unknowingly, some thought other than remembering God's form were to arise in a person who has true affection for God, it would be as distressful for him as someone throwing a handful of pebbles and sand into a sumptuous meal he is eating; or as painful as being branded on his forehead by a red-hot branding iron. One who feels this way should be known to have love for God.” (Vachanamrut Gadhada I-44.) Thus, a person who has true affection for God will attempt to remember God at all times.

Kite on a String
By focussing the mind on the form of God, one can visualise Him. Shriji Maharaj describes this in Vachanamrut Vartal-4, “In the same way that a child flies a kite, he would fly a kite in the form of God's form with a string in the form of his vrutti. He would make it rise upwards, then bring it down again, and then make it sweep from side to side. Using his yogic powers in this way, when he becomes alert, he would again behold the form at the tip of his nose, and from there he would bring it between his eyebrows, and then he would draw it into his heart. Then he would merge together both the form of God that resides in his heart as a witness, and the form of God that is outside.”
In this manner, the constant darshan of the murti of God can be attained.

Ever Conscious
Narrating the elevated spiritual state of His paramhansas, Shriji Maharaj says in Vachanamrut Gadhada III-9, “The senior sadhus in My muni-mandal behave in such a manner that the awareness within their hearts is the gateway to the abode of God. It is at this gateway where all of the sadhus remain standing. Consider the following analogy: A king's guards, while standing at the entrance of the king's palace, do not allow any thieves or robbers to come near the king. They courageously believe, 'If anyone comes near the king to cause problems, we will cut them to pieces, but in no way will we let them reach the king.' With such courage, they wait, armed with shields and swords. Similarly, all of these sadhus are standing at the gateway of the abode of God in the form of awareness. Inside that gateway of awareness – in Akshardham – dwells God, of whom they do darshan. There, they do not allow wealth, women, or any other worldly object to enter and infiltrate that form of God in their heart. If any worldly object does forcefully attempt to enter the heart, they destroy that object, but in no way do they allow it to enter the location in their heart where they have secured God. In this manner, they constantly remain alert like a brave warrior.”
Thus, they are always on a state of high alert to ensure that no worldly trappings gain entry to the heart to displace the murti of God they behold.
In the same Vachanamrut, explaining how they are able to carry out their daily duties and still remain engrossed in the murti of God, Shriji Maharaj reveals, “Consider a woman who goes to a well to draw water. There, she places her feet on the edge of the well. On the one hand, she stays cautious of this, lest she falls into the well. However, her vrutti is also fixed upon drawing water from the well. As another example, a man who has mounted a horse is aware of his feet in the horse's stirrups and is also aware of the reins in his hand. While riding, he is also mindful of the trees, ditches, and stones that come along the path. In the same way, all of these sadhus, while introspecting, remain in the service of God and also perform their bodily activities but they are not deflected from their state.”
To take a modern-day example, a car driver is able to control the pedals, the steering wheel and keep an eye on the traffic from all directions at the same time while talking to his passengers and munching a sandwich! Hence, with practice, the murti of God can be beheld in the same way.

Conclusion
Through these wide-ranging analogies, Shriji Maharaj reveals the understanding one must develop and the techniques one can use to perfect the most difficult of spiritual endeavours and maintain a continual association with the divine form of God.

Written by: Sadhu Amrutvijaydas