Could You kindly initiate me into a mantra and bless me to attain self-realization?

[Śrī Guru Maheswaran asked: I request You to kindly initiate me in the mantra of Śrī Guru Dattātreya for attaining self-realization and bless me for the same. With love and regards, Guru]

Swami replied: There is no specific mantra in the path of God Dattātreya. Any concept, feeling or action that you repeat due to your attraction towards God is a mantra. A mantra means that which attracts your mind, making you repeat it again and again. It may be a beautiful concept in spiritual knowledge that you remember again and again. It may be a beautiful song related to God that you repeat again and again. It may even be a beautiful form of service that you repeat again and again. It may also be a beautiful sacrifice that you repeat again and again. The first is jñāna yoga. The second is bhakti yoga. The last two are karma yoga. Karma yoga consists of two parts: (1) karma saṃnyāsa or service to God and (2) karma phala tyāga, which is the sacrifice of the fruit of your work to God. These three, jñāna yoga, bhakti yoga and karma yoga are the real mantras and they will lead you to God Datta. The mere repetition of a word or a sentence with some aspiration, without any real love for God, is only a namesake mantra.

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