This is why books are worshipped. Some worship the Vedas, others the Koran and yet others the Guru Granth. They directed their attention towards the book, and miss what the book points to. The harder you hold on to the book, the further away from the truth you go – the fist gets tighter. For then words become more important; whereas the greatness lies not in the words but in the silence. For through silence alone you can know.

The Vedas say millions have searched and searched,
Only to end in exhaustion.

Man is incompetent when he seeks through his intelligence. All who set out to seek his depths were themselves dissolved, while he whom they sought remained undiscovered. The Vedas are one long story of man’s incapacity. All scriptures agree that whatever man does, his field of action is so small that God cannot be ensnared in the web of his maneuvers. The harder you try to catch him, the emptier you find your hands.

The way of attaining God is different. Your method of grasping will not work; rather, you have to let go of your hold completely. Nor will your thinking and pondering help; you must discard these too. Your reasoning and logic will be a hindrance rather than a help, and your intelligence will act more like a wall than a stepping stone. On this path the more you rely on your understanding, the further astray you go. You have to leave it all to him.

To trust one’s intelligence is the way of the ego. It means that you have taken upon yourself the task of finding him. Have you ever realized that whatever we set out in search of must be less, smaller than ourselves? Whatever you attain or acquire must be small enough for your fist to hold. And if God comes within your grasp, he can no longer be God.

Then how is one to attain God? It is quite the opposite way: he who is ready to lose himself attains him. The only way is to put yourself in the palm of his hand. Our usual attempt is to tie him in a bundle and bring him home to show off to others: See we have attained him! The attempt must fail. Such a vast expanse can’t be tied into a bundle. Space cannot be wrapped up in a packet. The packets and the bundles will reach home, but the space will not. Leave yourself in his hands if you wish to attain him.

Nanak never tires of saying: “Endless sacrifices of myself are too little”, “Whatever pleases you is best for me,” “Whatever you make me do, that is the path,” “Whatever you show me, that is the truth.”

All these statements suggest only one thing: I have removed myself. I shall not intrude myself on you. I have no wish, no goal, no motive. I shall flow within you.

Therefore I say, faith is priceless, reasoning is fatal. To reason means: I shall decide, I am the judge. Faith means: you are the judge.

There are millions of underworlds
And infinite skies above.
The Vedas say millions have searched and searched,
Only to end in exhaustion.