19

The greatest evil habit is worldly life. 

It is called the "Great Addiction". 

By force of this addiction to worldly life,

Paramatman is made to believe 

that He is an individual, and is compelled 

to live a worldly life as if in prison. 

All bad habits can be dropped, 

but the addiction to mundane life 

is the most difficult to drop. 

The wife is dear to her husband 

so long as she obeys him. 

The mundane worldly life is called 

the blindingly dark life. 

The greatest inticement of Illusion is 

this mundane life. 

However great may be one's sorrow, 

this addiction cannot be dropped. 

One is greatly lucky if this addiction 

is dropped. 

There is only one person who condemns 

the worldly life, and he is a Saint. 

Nobody else does that. 

One does not even think of this earthly life, 

even if one suffers the utmost difficulties. 

People try to strengthen their ties with others 

by speaking to them respectfully and 

congratulating each other over small things. 

People compete with each other 

for earning more honors and status. 

In this way, they feel that they are happy in life. 

They act as if this is a respectable bad habit. 

The God of Death is happy to give you 

many kinds of bodies and various troubles. 

Give up the sense of "mine". 

Know that the body is your enemy. 

Very few are those who have truly understood. 

Only those who are lucky enough to receive 

the blessings of the Guru, 

who is the Self, can escape 

from this Illusion by right efforts. 

All others are bound to the treadmill of life 

in various incarnations 

and they make houses of bodies 

of various shapes and duration.

From "Master of Self-Realization, 

An Ultimate Understanding", ch. 41

🌺 Siddharameshwar Maharaj