What are the essential qualifications of an aspirant? What is dearest to the Lord? Bhagawan lovingly reminds us today.

Man has to progress every moment; a stagnant style of living does not benefit him. How long can we tolerate a boy staying in the same class at school? He must proceed from one class to the next higher one, year after year.  The spiritual aspirant too should not stagnate in one sadhana. From the master-servant relationship with God, he must advance to the body-limb relationship and reach the stage of merging in the All-inclusive One - that is to say, from dualism, through conditioned non-dualism to monism or non-dualism.  In the initial stages, man worships portraits or idols of God in all the sixteen forms of reverential homage such as preliminary concentration (dhyanam), invocation (avahanam), and so on. Good character, good conduct and virtuous life are essential qualifications for the aspirant. Of course, floral offerings are commendable. The sixteen items are good. But, one should progress from this stage to the awareness of the Atma.