What should be the core of all our spiritual practices and rituals? Bhagawan lovingly and firmly reminds us today quoting a relatable example.

Awareness of one’s identity, of being the Atma, is the sign of wisdom, the lighting of the lamp which scatters darkness. That Atma is the embodiment of Bliss, of Peace, of Love but, without knowing that all these exist in oneself, man seeks them from outside of himself and exhausts himself in that disappointing pursuit. Birds that fly far from the masts of a ship must return to those very masts, for they have no other place to fold their tired wings and stay! Devoid of this wisdom (jnana), all efforts to seek spiritual bliss and peace are futile. You may have rice, lentils, salt, vegetables and tamarind; but without a fire to cook them soft and palatable, they are as good as non-existent! So too, japam, dhyanam, puja, and pilgrimage are all ineffective, if the knowledge of one's basic reality and identity is not there to warm up the process. The Atma is the source and spring of all joy and peace; this must be cognised and dwelt upon. Without this cognition, human life is an opportunity that is lost!