This path is difficult for one who has never attempted it before. That is why one needs a guru. The first step has to be taken by the spiritual aspirant who has to wake up and arise from their spiritual slumber. Then, the next 99 steps will be taken by the guru who will hold one’s hand and take one across. A guru will teach one how to manage the mind, how to take care of one’s senses, and how to not allow one’s ego to interfere with God’s will.  Eventually, this path will become effortless.

In this episode, Sadguru describes this path as a gradual process of withdrawal. He says, “When one feels one is the body, it is jñāna ātman, where one is only the servant of God. When one identifies as the jīva, it is mahati ātman, where one feels that they are a part of God and an instrument in God’s hand. Slowly as one becomes totally absorbed in the thought of God, one ascends to the śānta ātmani state and becomes one with the Lord – there is no surrendering anymore.”