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waste our energies and land us in disaster. We have, by our discretion of mind and strength of heart, to choose the object worthy of our sustained love and obedience. Where head predominates heart with an ego-propelled action, the heart needs to be looked to, for guidance. Where heart runs into a sentimental riot of preconceived notions, thoughtlessly chasing objects of self-gratification, the head needs to direct the course of action. In a perfect balance of head and heart lies the aim of correct movement.

By the law of karma, we get birth in a human body—but an occasion for the birth of true love and obedience to a Sadguru is a rare event in life of which we hardly deem ourselves worthy! Except by acts of most unselfish love and most selfless obedience, there cannot be a greater landmark in the journey of life, than to resolve to give all our love and obedience to the Master.

Choose your Beloved thoughtfully and with the warmth of heart sufficient to enlighten your thought! But beware—not all that glistens everywhere is gold. Not all that looks unworldly is Truth. Not all that carries with it volumes of teachings and pleasantries of Sadhus is real. Not all that seclusion, posturized in Dhyan and Dharma, is Godly. Not all that ashramized yoga is Nirvikalpa. Not all that parroting of Mantra is Ananda. Not all that reading of Pathi is Knowledge. The Master may present all of these or none of them at all. He is the Master of time, space and circumstances, and makes use of them towards raising humanity to the Highest.

However, the world is never without true Sadhus, real Saints, honest aspirants, and enlightened Wayfarers on the Path. Every generation gives birth to a few God-realized souls; and to a very few who can make others God-realized. In the last category are the Perfect Masters, Sadgurus, or Qutubs. Rising from the dust of materiality, crossing over every stage of spirituality, they reach the highest peak of Divinity.

An Avatar, besides being a Sadguru, is the only One who has as his orbit of work, the whole world. Unlike all souls, worldly or unworldly, or other-worldly, ethereal, elemental, or spiritually advanced—Saints, Rishis, Munis, and Sat-Purushas—the Avatar did not, does not, and need not pass through the stages of evolutionary development, either in the sub-human or human form. He descends from the disembodied Sat-Chit-Ananda state, retaining this same Divine state of consciousness, to the human form, from time to time throughout eternity—about once in every 700 to 1200* [sic] years. He sets right the balance of the world, which has once again tilted to the extreme of disastrous materiality and egoism.

*Adi K. Irani wrote this in 1954. God Speaks was first published in 1955; page 272: "One cycle lasts for about 700-1400 years and is made up of 11 ages." -webmaster, JK