After the meditation session, the villagers asked Daaji many questions on the spot, and he answered each one of them in a way they could relate to. The atmosphere was lively and some of his remarks sent everyone into peals of laughter. Here are a few translated excerpts from the Q&A session.

Anchor: If you have questions for Daaji, please feel free to ask. You can ask in Gujarati, as Daaji is well-versed in it.

Daaji: [after a few moments of silence, when no one ventured forth] If you don’t ask me questions, I will have to ask you some! [laughter] Think about this: why do we meditate? You don’t have to answer, just think about a couple of things: why do we do the morning meditation, the evening cleaning, and the prayer to God at night? Ponder deeply on these three matters.

You have seen photos of Lord Shiva sitting on Mount Kailash, right? What does the image depict? He is sitting in meditation, isn’t he? You must have seen pictures from the  Ramayana, where Lord Ram, Hanuman, Laxman, and Sita are meditating. When the Mahabharata war was about to start, Lord Krishna was meditating. So now think about this: Why did avatar purushas [divine incarnations] like Lord Shiva, Lord Ram and Lord Krishna need to meditate? And whom were they meditating upon?  

One should ask questions—without asking, how will you get answers? Curiosity is key. Small children ask, “Where is God?” Before you answer, they ask, “Who made God?” They don’t seek answers; they are just happy that you are listening to them.

Some people ask questions of a scholarly or philosophical nature, “Is there God?” And we say, “Yes.” But now that they know God exists, what are they going to do about it?

Further than that there is a state called mumukshutva [desire for liberation or final emancipation]—when a man is really craving for Realization and he asks, “Is there a God?” And we say, “Yes.” Then he asks, “How to realize Him?” And when such a mumukshutva awakens in him, he will not rest until he achieves his goal.

If you are thirsty, will you read about water? A chemist will say, “Its formula is H₂O and it has two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen,” but that is not going to quench your thirst, is it? Knowing, or knowledge alone cannot satisfy anything. Similarly, no matter how much knowledge you gather about God, you will still be like a parrot—reciting from rote memory. So in order to know Him, you have to walk towards Him, you have to make efforts for it, and therefore, you have to practice meditation. So go inwards, and experience Him within you.

We must practice meditation consistently, without breaks. If we do it one day and skip the next, it won’t work. What if the sun took a break? Darkness would prevail, and life would perish. Our inner spiritual life is the same—it fades without regular nurture. Then, no matter how many diyas [lamps used in ritual worship of God] you light, there will be darkness within you. So, think deeply about this. Now, if you have any questions, please ask.

Q: What does it mean when during meditation or prayer, I get tears in my eyes?
Daaji: It means the heart is melting. That is a good thing. This condition remains till the end. Congratulations! After all, who sheds tears for God these days?

Q: Here, joint families are common, but I observe that 50% of the family's energy is often lost with women engaging in jealousy and the men trying to appease them. How can spirituality help overcome this?
Daaji: You have asked me a very difficult question! [laughter]. The solution is difficult and not in our hands. Making someone understand is a difficult thing. Take the example of Queen Kaikeyi and King Dashratha in the Ramayana. It was her jealousy and his ego that resulted in Lord Ram being sent into exile. She held him to his promise, but it was his ego that made him do wrong by his son. So if one is sensible, one will not give in to promises that might harm someone. For example, if your child tells you, “Daddy, you promised to let me ride the scooter,” what will you do? If you give the scooter, and your child has an accident, what then? If you are sensible, you will say, “Yes, I promised you, but grow up first.” So, being rigid about promises is foolishness. When needed, you can break your promise. Dashratha could have told his wife, “You are wrong in asking this. Be quiet! Enough!” If she had threatened to go to her maternal home, he could have had the courage to say, “Fine. By all means, go.”

The joint family system can be a blessing, but nowadays, many girls set a condition before marriage: “I won’t live with your parents.” And because the boy is so smitten, he agrees. But he should see this as a red flag—a sign that things may not go well in the future with such a wife. Having elders at home is a blessing, and their value is often realized only when they are no longer there.

Q: Daaji, for 40 years now, I have had major leg issues. Please give me your blessings so that I am able to travel to Kanha and immerse myself deeply into meditation.
Daaji: I will give you blessings, but how will you take them? Have you brought a bag?! [the audience, including the questioner, bursts into laughter] Never ask God or the guru for blessings. If you want blessings, you must prepare yourself—make the heart clean, pure, and simple. When it rains on a rocky and unprepared field, the water is washed off; nothing grows except weeds. But on a well-tilled, fertile field, the rain can reap a bountiful harvest. So, one need never ask for blessings because the guru’s grace and God’s blessings are raining on us at all times within our hearts. All we have to do is keep the heart ready like tilled fields. We have to cultivate the fields of our hearts with our meditative practice. Even God Himself is searching for pure, simple hearts filled with love. We don’t have to search for God; He is searching for us.