There is no better karma or bhakti than enquiry into the Self

[Guest guest]

Day by Day with Bhagavan________23-8-45 Morning 10 a.m.Mr. Kundanlal Mahatani, of Karachi, who has beenstaying here for about eight months, asked Bhagavan for directupadesa, urging that all the books emphasise that nothing canbe achieved by anybody except with the help of upadesa froma guru and that though he has read all the directions given byBhagavan for Self-enquiry and attaining stillness of mindwhere God can be realised as `I', he still did not know whatwas the best method for him individually. This was not thefirst time he had made such a request. At least twice before,once in June and again in July, he had done so. Neither thennor now did Bhagavan make any reply. The gentleman wasvery much dejected and was worried whether he was not fitto receive any reply and whether he had committed any offenceon account of which Bhagavan was not pleased to reply.Later in the day, in the evening, Bhagavan in connectionwith some other matter, referred to a Tamil poem, and to look ata translation of it, Mr. Mahatani borrowed my note book on 24-8-45. As often happens to devotees, who indirectly receivenecessary instructions, Mr. Mahatani found in the note bookinstructions which suited him. Further, on 25-8-45 about 2 p.m.,when he was having a nap he had a vision in his dream in whichBhagavan appeared and quoted a Sanskrit sloka and interpretedit as meaning, `There is no better karma or bhakti than enquiryinto the Self'. He was greatly delighted and later in the samedream another devotee put the same question to Bhagavan andMahatani repeated the above answer to him and laughed heartily.All this was reported to Bhagavan on the 25th by Mahatani.