Bhagavān Dattātreya continues:

The appearance of a Guru does not matter. He can be a servant working under someone for his living. He may not have adequate educational qualifications. He can be a family person, enjoying the pleasures of material life. (Bhagavān denounces pomp and vanity depicted by various gurus these days. Having beard and wearing saffron clothing do not make a Guru. There are lots of difference between a Guru and a guru.) A Guru should not be judged merely on his qualification (For example, a Guru may not be conversant with recitations of Vedas or may not have oratorical skills. But he could be a Self-realized person). An unpainted boat can also ferry people to the other side of the bank. What is important in a Guru is his capacity to impart the Truth and ability to make people cross the ocean of saṁsāra.

Brahman is always inert. It does not move here and there, as It is omnipresent. It encompasses both sentient and insentient (hence It is omnipresent). As there is no activity in Brahman, It is always calm (again, calm or otherwise is only a general description to make us understand Brahman; as we know that Brahman is subtle and beyond description. As an Avadhūta, he comes down to our level and explains Brahman, so that we can understand It better). As It is calm, It is also unperturbed Conscious (since It is Pure Conscious, Brahman is referred as Consciousness or awareness– consciousness is derived from the word conscious.) When Brahman is both sentient and insentient and when It is full of Consciousness, how can the world be different from me? (This is the essence of Advaita, which leads to Liberation). As I am That (Brahman), I have no birth and death, nor do I have any doubts (birth and death are related to physical body, which is perishable; mind is also related to physical body and ceases to exit at the time of death). I do not see differentiations such as Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva and all gods worship me. (all gods worship me may appear to be dvaita; this should not be taken in literal sense. Even if we assume that there are angels, such angels worship him, as he is Brahman. This also contradicts our understanding, as there is no worship for Brahman. As explained earlier, he is explaining in simple terms for us to understand, by quoting such understandable examples). I am not affected by ignorance or doubts or confusions, as they are all related to mind. They come and go and I do not pay any attention on these. They are like water bubbles, which appear only for some time only to disappear. Even your taste buds are only Brahman.

Brahman is subtler than the subtlest (Kaṭha Upaniṣad) and if you are still associated with your mind and senses, you can never realize Brahman. There is no need for your mind and intellect at this stage (meaning that he has evolved spiritually. Spiritual teachings always varies from person to person depending on the stage of the aspirant and cannot be imparted to a group). When Brahman is inert, how can there be sentient and insentient? The whole universe is pervaded by It, be it water, space, etc. One evolves as yogi after rigorously following eight limbs of yoga known as aṣṭāṅga yoga and at the end of this practice, your mind stubs out and you understand that there is nothing called good or bad (there is nothing called good or bad does not apply to everyone. This is applicable only to evolved yogis, as they will never think bad, due to their impeccant mind). Attachment to the material world is like a poison and antidote for this is the Bliss that you experience when you are with your inner Brahman.

Brahman manifests with shapes and forms as the universe and the cause for this manifestation is Prakṛti.  But you have to realize Brahman within, who is the cause of these both. You should not get attached to the effects of Its Power of illusion known as māyā (focussing on māyā leads to desires, attachments and ego, thus polluting one’s mind. Such a person can never become a yogi). Brahman can be realized only in a pure mind, uninfluenced by sensory organs that are always attached to the external world. (Pure mind is the one, where all the desires including chanting of mantras and desire for meditation cease to exist. It is compared to coconut water within the coconut shell.) Understand that Brahman is without any duality. Take for example full moon. Full moon shines bright and its light falls on various objects. But moon is only one and the light that fall on objects is only its reflection. Similarly, Brahman is always One and everything else that we see is nothing but Its reflection (known as māyā. Generally, sun is taken as example. Here Bhagavān Dattātreya takes the example of moon, which is considered as the source of pure mind). The one who is associated with māyā (the material world) can never realize the Omnipresence of Brahman, who is eternally pure. Only such persons are known as yogis (a yogi is not judged by his sermons, lectures, oratory skills; he is judged by his ever radiating aura and perpetual blissful state. Knower of Vedas is also not recognised as yogi. Brahman has no name and form. Knower of Vedas attribute various shapes and forms to formless Brahman. Vedas have subtle interpretations, which was first revealed by Sri Aurobindo). A true yogi is only interested in the welfare of others and is not influenced by the attractions of the material world. When an ordinary aspirant gives up doubts and desires, that very moment he becomes a yogi (this is a difficult phase. Even if one sheds everything and becomes one with Brahman, he still nurses doubt about his realization. This is a major hindrance in one’s spiritual path. Faith and belief are necessary to understand one’s spiritual status). Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.iii.14) says, “When a person destroys all his desires, he becomes one with Brahman in this birth itself” (at the time of death). The yogi becomes one with Nirguṇa Brahman (It is not Śiva, Śakti, Viṣṇu, etc. These are the forms attributed to Brahman, due to spiritual ignorance). Nirguṇa Brahman cannot be realized through prāṇāyama or dhāraṇa, but only in a tranquil mind. Such a yogi is not bound by any dictums of śāstra-s (śāstra-s are percept of  dos and don’ts for the body and not related to the mind).  Brahman is both good and bad and neither good nor bad. Since the yogi is one with Brahman, no prohibitions apply to him.