personality of the Master. Hence many scriptures emphasize the need for hearing the Divine Truths directly through the spoken word of the Master (Gurumukh). The mode of general meditation which depends upon hearing the expositions of the Divine Truths is undoubtedly the best, when the aspirant has the opportunity to contact a living Master and listen to him.

It is, however, not always possible for the aspirant to contact and listen to a living Master; and it is in this respect that meditation through reading has some advantages of its own. For the generality of aspirants, meditation through reading has hardly any suitable substitute, because it takes its start from written expositions, which are available to them at any time which is convenient to them. The meditation which takes its start from reading about the revealed Truths has this special advantage of being easily accessible to most aspirants.

Meditation through reading has its own handicaps, because most of the written expositions of the Divine Truths are meant for intellectual study rather than for assimilation through meditation. The difficulties which the aspirants experience in connection with this form of meditation, are either (1) due to the fact that the method of meditation is not adapted to the subject-matter of meditation, or (2) due to some flaw in the method which makes it mechanical and uninspiring, or (3) due to the unwieldiness or vagueness of the subject-matter of meditation.

All these causes, which vitiate meditation and make it unsuccessful, have been avoided in the specific meditation, which is explained and recommended in “The Divine Theme for Meditation: Journey of the Soul to the Oversoul."

This article is intended not only to explain the manner of carrying on meditation through reading, but also to provide exposition of the Divine Truths, in order to fulfill the requirements of this form of meditation. The usual difficulties existing in meditation through reading have been removed in this specific meditation, by (1) securing that the process of meditation as well as the subject-matter of meditation are adapted to each other and to the conditions of intelligent meditation, (2) by elaborately explaining the different phases of the meditation which takes its start from reading, and (3) by providing a specially prepared brief exposition of the Divine Truths, which would become a suitable and valuable subject-matter for meditation through reading. (For this special article dictated by Baba, see p.26,_Vol.1,_No.3,_The Awakener.)