________________ laying the foundation for a high-rise building. If one fails to prepare a strong foundation, the structure will fall like a pack of cards! Similarly, without surrendering and confessing, your building of sadhana, penance, worship, vows and chanting of mantras will collapse and prove fruitless, yielding no constructive results. One individual may carry out seemingly minor spiritual endeavors and worship, and attains liberation. On the other hand, another individual who completes a series of maskhamans(fasting for a month without food and consuming only on boiled water), and yet, becomes a nonworshipper. Why...? Because, he is not dedicated. A death devoid of the vow of santharo is not a devotee's death! What are the conditions for santharo? You cannot become a devotee until you confess your sins before your Guru. Several days ago, a lady came...she began by saying, "MaharajSaheb, I have completed nine lakh samayiks....five samayiks done in one stretch are equivalent to twenty-five, just as one continual three-day fast(attham) is equivalent to twenty-five days of fasting ! In this way, I have completed nine lakh samayiks." Her daughter-in-law, who was standing behind the lady, gestured to Gurudev to guide and bless her 91V -