The whole universe is full of bliss. In fact, nothing really exists except bliss. But ordinary mortals cannot achieve it and they run after material happiness, trying to extract pleasure out of the world by acquiring possessions. Man tries one pleasure after another, but all fade away and he is never satisfied. When he is fed up with one, he tries another. When that one proves distasteful, something else is tried, and so on. For ages on end, mortal beings have tried in vain, birth after birth, to gain happiness from the world.
But where is this bliss found? What is man to do if all his efforts are in vain even after ages? How is he to find real bliss? Only the Sadgurus and Avatars enjoy this divine bliss. If you need something, then you have to approach the person who has it. Similarly, to acquire this bliss one must go to those who have it, and who continuously experience and enjoy it — the Realized, Perfect Ones. Only they can give it to you, and for that you must remain with them.
Satsang [the company] of these Perfect Ones is the best medium and path to the attainment of bliss. By the grace of the Sadguru, you can gain this bliss in a moment. So the Master’s grace is essential, but you have to earn it by staying with him and serving him with all your heart.
Elucidating further, Baba stated:
These Realized personalities are of two kinds: saliks or Sadgurus, and majzoobs. Both are Realized and enjoy perfect bliss; but outwardly, there is a vast difference between these two types. The majzoobs, though God-realized, go about in rags or are completely naked; they remain in dirty surroundings and are oblivious to the world and people, to whom they appear to be crackpot beggars. On the other hand, saliks and Perfect Masters, though fully God-realized, act just like ordinary mortals. They eat, drink, sleep, talk and appear to suffer like any other ordinary man.
But how can you recognize them? Among 100,000 so-called saints, there may be only one who is real. What is the test? The best test is to have his company. Maintain your connection with him; stay with him. Then you can know him and, even in your own limited way, judge him by your standards, understanding him to some degree.
For example, there are two glasses full of water.
One glass contains a little salt in it. But how can you know which is which? For that, you have to taste the water and only then are you able to know the difference. Similarly, by keeping the close company with a so-called saint or Master, you will come to know who is real and who is false.
Someone asked, “But how can we acquire the desire for the company of saints?”
Baba replied, “By killing all desires except one — longing for real bliss. Thus only by longing for bliss will you have the chance to come in contact with a Perfect Master and then, as I said before, his sahavas, his contact and his service will do the rest. You will gain real bliss.”
Someone else asked, “But how do we earn that opportunity? All of us cannot think of God and have the intense desire for real bliss.”
Baba explained at length:
Naturally, this depends on one’s sanskaras. There is a course of experience through which every being must pass to realize God. Suppose an ordinary person who has no thought of God or desire for real bliss gives something to charity out of his philanthropic nature and feelings for the poor. This is a good deed, and due to that and his mercy for those suffering, he is helped inwardly and progresses. His kind and generous mentality enables him to progress further and further until a time comes when the desire for real bliss is created. The desire for bliss is born in him automatically. This desire leads him to a Sadguru and, by thus reaching the Original Source of everything, he is eventually able to attain bliss. But before achieving this state of being able to create a desire for real bliss, he has to pass through a succession of experiences, both good and bad.
Amplifying this point, Baba continued:
In fact, there is nothing such as happiness and misery, virtue and vice, or good and bad. Only bliss exists! The experiences of happiness, misery, virtue, vice, good and bad are nothing. But they are the necessary stepping stones on the course to higher things which, though illusory, everyone has to pass through.
Only the Sadguru can alter, divert, or destroy this “course.” That is, he can change the course of a person’s destiny. This automatically occurs once a person comes in contact with such a Master.
Sourced from Lord Meher, online edition (multiple pages)