Benefits of Penance

People can come to me, only if they have been devout. Once they come to me, I have to grant their prayers. They have shown that commitment to God and I have the power to give them what they want. If they try to act as Bhasmasura did, I have to protect myself.

This is seen in the Puranas. Someone would have obtained a boon from Brahma but would turn against Him. Some other would have got a boon from Vishnu but bear grudge against Him. Their penance has a power.

Whoever performs penance has to get the fruits of his efforts. How can you discriminate against a person when he has really taken up the examination? A person sits in the solitude of the forest, lights up a fire, performs rigorous penance and is prepared to even chop off his head. How can the deity refuse to grant him a boon?

So also, whoever comes to me is linked by previous birth connections. I may owe them something in return. When they come to Samratchana, I give them their due.

Good and bad originate from you only. Love and hate originate from you only. It is the mind that conjures all relationships.