In this quotation the ‘slave’ is the seeker and ‘fellow slaves’ are his gurubrethren.

    If a slave ill-treats his fellow slaves it is said that he will go to hell. Similarly, jealousy or hatred for gurubrethren wastes energy. Additionally, the attitudes of the subconscious mind (chittavrutti) start getting engrossed in these matters. The greater the feeling of love for others, the greater will be the bestowal of the Guru’s grace. If a seeker harbors a feeling of hatred towards other seekers, then since this feeling is contrary to that expressed by the Guru, it will definitely hamper his spiritual growth. Hence, it is absolutely essential to foster the feeling of mutual love among all seekers.

    The following example will help to clarify the meaning:

    Three devotees were not singing devotional songs (bhajans) during Baba’s (H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj) bhajan program. Later, one of the gurubrethren said to the other, “Everyone was singing bhajans. Only these three were not.” He implied that they were conceited. Later, in their presence, Baba remarked, “During the bhajans (devotional songs) program the two with their eyes closed had gone into meditation, while the third was experiencing Bliss.” Indeed, the third devotee (H.H. Dr. Jayant Athavale) was really experiencing Bliss at that time. However, instead of humming the bhajans in his mind as usual, he was repeating (chanting*) The Lord’s Name, as Baba has preached through several bhajans that one should ‘repeat (chant) The Lord’s Name’ and was simultaneously experiencing Bliss from the bhajans. Most of the other devotees were merely singing bhajans, but not practicing what was taught through the bhajans, that is repeating (chanting) The Lord’s Name!

* Remembering or repeating The Lord’s Name according to one’s religion or as determined in the experiment in Issue 124, Messages to Seekers section.