Daaji conducted the final preparatory sitting for the 35 trainers in S1, predominantly from Europe, from 6:16 pm to 6:51 pm, after which he distributed prasad to all of them.

On the way back to his home, Deepal Gala, Sr. Features Editor at Response, Times Group, met Daaji and requested an interview. Daaji invited her to join him in the car, and upon arrival at his residence, they were greeted by many practitioners from South America, Spain, and Nigeria who had been invited for dinner. After a brief discussion with Deepal Gala, Daaji decided to conduct the interview after dinner and proceeded to join the practitioners gathered in the lawn area.

Daaji introduced himself to all the members present, and as dinner arrangements were being finalized, he invited Dipal Gala to begin the interview. After some interaction, dinner was served, and Daaji proposed to continue the interview afterward.

Dipal Gala asked Daaji, who has often said that world peace is impossible without inner individual peace, a few questions about spiritual life. 

Q: Daaji, most scientists tell us their instruments have failed to comprehend consciousness, as fundamental as it is to our existence. What is consciousness?

Daaji: I have simplified the word ‘consciousness’ as to the degree of awareness one has. The extent to which one is aware, one is conscious. But there is much more. Consciousness is also about the degree of unawareness. The field of consciousness is very vast, and when one is tapping into the field of consciousness, one’s awareness taps into it based on the filters one has. In meditation, as we move from one chakra to another, filters dissolve and drop, and one becomes more receptive. A stage comes when our awareness and consciousness become one. 

Once dualities at each chakra are transcended, one is in a different zone altogether. Then one begins to see what supports consciousness. In India, we give a lot of importance to the state of bliss, Sat Chit Anand, and even in that state, very few people reach it. The key is to go beyond this extremely blissful stage also and experience what supports consciousness itself. And once you arrive at that, a new field opens up for you. That experience is impossible to describe in words, but once we experience that, everything changes. It is possible for a committed practitioner to walk this entire path in this very life, under proper guidance.

The Heartfulness meditation is designed to take the practitioner through a well-defined pathway of 16 chakras and transcend all of them with the help of 

the energetic transmission, or Pranahuti. 

Q: You give a lot of importance to the attitude with which one walks the spiritual path. 

Daaji: More than intellectual knowledge, the right attitude is very important for growing in one’s practice. Being joyful and open to change is essential. A closed heart works like a filter, resisting all beneficial change. An open heart can see its own shortcomings in a non-judgmental way and is willing to let go of them. Openness is like having sunlight and fresh air streaming into your home, it makes all possibilities happen. Being open, and listening to your own heart’s wisdom, (a quality that many of us have forgotten) makes the journey possible.

The moment you identify your shortcomings, half your work is done. The rest, one works it out with the relationship one has with the divine.  The divine enters one’s heart only through requests and prayer. The source of the divine is within all of us. That’s true irrespective of caste, faith, gender, age, and so on. Meditation can also be described as a way of thanking the inner source, and once you are one with it, all blessings can happen. This is why human life is so precious, and our time is so precious.

Q: In your book, Spiritual Anatomy, you write about the role of the ego. In most spiritual cultures, the ego is seen as a culprit, a bar to one’s growth. You have a different view.

Our ego can be positive or/and negative, how we train it is the key. Many people also say the mind is your biggest enemy. When one does not have any control over it, one starts fighting with it and blaming it. But let’s look at an extraordinary mind, like that of Einstein. Looking at its capacity, one would say, "Oh, I wish I had such a mind.”. Not only can the mind be one’s worst enemy, but it can also be one’s best friend. It depends on us. It depends on how we train our minds.

Likewise, the ego. Stating factual statements about our achievements, and desiring to become better is a good use of ego. Arrogance about the same is not. So, there is a fine line that we can train ourselves to recognize and make our ego our friend. We should know how to use each faculty appropriately.

A little later, Harpreet Bhan and Umesh Amarnani arrived, accompanied by a few people, to participate in a Heartful Adizes session for global leadership. Additionally, a young couple who had recently married was introduced to Daaji, prompting him to gift them the book 'The Wisdom Bridge.' Following discussions and a group photo session with the Heartful Adizes participants and the Kitchen/Canteen team, Umesh Amarnani, the new regional coordinator for several African countries, introduced all of them to Daaji. During their conversation, Daaji encouraged them to introduce the Brighter Minds programs to educational institutes for the benefit of children.

The guests present during this interaction were:

Umesh Amarnani - Adipro, Group Managing Director

Kunal Khanna - CEO, Adipro India

Dapo Keshinro - Global Sales Manager, Adipro

Franklin Oranusih - GM Sales & Technical Adipro Upstream Nigeria

Dr. Raj Duraisamy - Head of Technical Adipro Downstream

Godwin Ejeh - Head of CSR & Operation Pacegate Nigeria

Uday Brid - GM Steel Drum Plant Manager, Nigeria & UAE

Godswill Agoumu - Technical Sales Upstream Nigeria

Wale Thomas - Head of Learning & Development HR

Priyank Kachhiya - Head of Audit

Israel Adetunji - Head of Logistics

Manoj Agrawal - Group Financial Officer, Adipro

Vikram Singh - Finance Manager, India

Vikram Amarnani - Director, Central & South America

Jigesh Patel - Technical Manager, Adipro India

Mervin Naidu - Unichem Sales Manager, Adipro Distributor in South Africa

Sunil Bulchandani

Shaara Bulchandani

Daaji then posed for the group photo with all of them upon their request and then took leave from all.