The spiritually awakened saint lives in this world as does the non-awakened. The spiritually enlightened saint, however, does not allow this world to overwhelm his mind. He gives the place to the Almighty. What do we do to take the boat forward? We push the water backward with the help of oars. When the water is pushed backward, the boat moves forward. If we push the water forward, the boat is bound to move backward. Similarly, if all that we see in this world, all that we use, is pushed backward, we will move forward. There is no contradiction in staying in the water and pushing the water backward. When I say that water should be pushed backward, I do not mean the entire ocean or the entire tank. The water is very much there. When it is pushed back, the boat moves forward and when the water is pushed forward, the boat goes backward. Similarly, if we are caught in what we see and consider the worldly materials as everything, it will mean that we are pushing them forward while we ourselves are moving backward. In this way, we will be moving away from our near and dear ones. In case we cheat others, misbehave with them, we treat the worldly materials as everything and are proud, it will mean that we are pushing the water forward whereas our boat is moving in the reverse direction instead of going towards the destination. This is why, the great spiritual masters have always advised man to push the worldly materials backward.

Every human being coming to this world wants to be happy. Everybody has the desire that he may receive all pleasures, all comforts. Guided by this desire he makes efforts. He adopts all kinds of means. But still he is unhappy, he finds misery. Why? It means because man searches for tranquility in the worldly materials {Maya] which in fact cannot produce it. What is explained here is that even those who are living in palaces are not happy. They are in distress because they have ambitions even over there. Wherever the lust for worldly materials has the upper hand, there is distress, there is misery. Desires produces unhappiness whether man lives in small hut, a big bungalow or a palace. Then, who is happy? In this world, only a saint is happy, because he controls his mind. He surrenders his mind to God, integrates it with the Almighty. As a result, he receives contentment. Once man is attached and the mind is integrated with the God, who is above all pains and pleasures, he gets contentment. And once there is contentment in life, where is the question of misery? Pleasure comes from contentment, it comes from submission to the divine will. Whether you take Kabir who lived in cottage or Janak who dwelt in palaces, you find both of them happy, because they were saints. The spiritually enlightened saints detach their minds from the worldly wealth and attach the same with this God Nirankar.