Question: You often say that we are cherishing undivine things, consciously or unconsciously. If we are cherishing them unconsciously, how can we know it?

Sri Chinmoy: When you are cherishing undivine things consciously, when you stop, automatically the force that you have applied for a negative purpose is free and can be used for a divine purpose. The force you had been using for a negative purpose can immediately be used positively. But how can you conquer unconsciously cherished undivine forces? Every day when the morning starts, try to feel that you are in a very high state of consciousness, and that I am also in a very high state of consciousness; or feel that you are in an ordinary consciousness, but that I am observing you like an impartial judge who will give you a grade. Pretend at every moment that you are sitting for an examination. You know that there are millions of things which you would not do in front of me. When these things come to your mind, say to yourself, "This thing I can't say, I can't feel, I can't think, I can't do in front of Guru."

If you are conscious at each moment that there is a judge in front of you, you will not be careless. If you see me for five minutes a day, you will be on your best behaviour during those five minutes, but the rest of the day you may be in a most deplorable consciousness. Very often you want to be the best disciple only when you are in front of me. It is not that you want to show off, but your aspiration is not strong enough to make you care to be the best disciple for twenty-four hours a day. But you should have the conscious desire to be the best disciple, not only when I am in front of you, but always.

When we aspire we can never say that we are unconscious. When we aspire we do the right thing consciously at every moment. When we don't aspire, that is when we are unconscious. So whenever you are sincerely aspiring feel that you are conscious. When you are not sincerely aspiring, you are unconscious. When you are unconscious, how will you conquer the undivine forces? So let us always aspire. It is in our aspiration that we can be always conscious. Aspiration and our conscious awareness always go together. When we are consciously aspiring, we cannot be unconsciously cherishing undivine thoughts.