In 1921 at Varanasi a young monk asked: “Maharaj, I am practising japam and meditation mechanically and am not acquiring any taste for them. What should I do?”
Maharaj replied: “Is it possible to get that taste in the beginning? You will have to struggle hard to attain it. Direct all your energy to that one pursuit… . Every night before you go to bed think for a while about how much time you have spent in doing good deeds, how much you have frittered away doing useless things, how much you have utilized in meditating, and how much you have wasted doing nothing at all.
“In the beginning it is good to make a routine and then follow it strictly. It does not matter whether your mind likes it or dislikes it. You must practise your japam and meditation as a daily routine… . You have received the precious mantram from your guru. Now dive deep into the ocean of Satchidananda. You have no self-reliance. Self-effort is indispensable in spiritual life. Do something for a period of at least four years. Then if you have not made any tangible progress come back and slap my face!” (Source: God Lived with Them)