Karma causes success or disappointment. Action performed without desire is dharma. Dharma is appreciation of what is. Dharma is to be at rest, at peace, contented and natural.

“Uma is also mother Saraswati, the benevolent and beautiful. She is gloriously riding a swan and playing music on the vina. Saraswati gives birth to imagination, poetry, music, arts, crafts, and the creativity of people and nature.

“Restraint is the key: think less, speak less, do less. Be more, meditate more. Practise silence and serve others.”

“The world is a mystery, knowledge is limited, life is a journey of constant discoveries. One need not fear uncertainty and unpredictability. What we know is relative and constrained by the facts available to us at any given time. When we discover new facts we need to discover ourselves in a fresh manner. This is the way to keep our knowledge renew

“Focus on the moment between the in-breath and the out-breath. Observe the subtle point when you are neither inhaling nor exhaling. No need to prolong that moment, no need to hold the breath. Just observe.”

We can make the sorrow and suffering into a compost out of which the roses of joy can grow. This is a continuous quest, and we have to keep sowing the rose seeds and not just get overwhelmed by compost.

“Is there a way out of this karmic maze?” a disciple asked. Tulsi answered, “Yes there is. It is living in compassion, dharma. As karma captures, binds and holds our physical and mental interactions, dharma liberates us from all conditioning and all trappings. Dharma is the spiritual sustenance, and is the antidote to karma.

“Should I pay attention to my feet touching the earth or to my breathing? I can’t do them both at once, can I?” I remember asking Mother. “Yes, you can. Don’t think about breathing, nor think about walking. Meditation is not about thinking on these things. Just let it happen.” Only much later did I understand what she was saying: that meditation is

‘this is true and that is also true’.