WHEN DO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE AWAKENED
WHEN DO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE AWAKENED? — When the world
begins to feel like a dream and God becomes the only reality. What
if spiritual awakening does not begin when you leave the world, but
when you finally understand what the world really is? We spend our
lives building businesses, homes, wealth, relationships, reputation and
identity, and none of this is wrong—we must perform our karma—but
somewhere along the journey comes a question that can change
everything: What if I am treating the temporary as permanent? One
timeless verse became the starting point of Dr. Abhishek Gilaraʼs
search: “उमा कहउँ मैं अनुभव अपना। सत हर भजनु जगत सब सपना॥”
“Uma, let me tell you what I have realised through my own experience: devotion to Hari alone is the
Truth; this entire world is but a dream.” Perhaps the most important word is अनुभव — experience. It is
one thing to know that the world is temporary and another to feel it; one thing to believe in God and
another for remembrance of God to become part of our living consciousness. Through five deeply
personal chapters, this book explores the journey from information to practice, practice to discipline,
discipline to experience and experience toward awakening. It asks whether food, sleep, speech and
surroundings can influence our spiritual readiness; why we must stop making criticism our inner occupation;
why Naam requires repetition; why a seeker may eventually need a Guru; how to recognise
genuine guidance without abandoning discernment; and the question that troubles almost every
seeker: How long will it take? The answer may be the most liberating part of the journey: less than a
second, or perhaps many births—the timetable belongs to God, while the preparation belongs to us.
This is not a book about abandoning family, business, ambition or responsibility; it is about learning
to live completely in the world without mistaking the world for permanent reality. Work fully. Love
fully. Build fully. Serve fully. Perform your karma fully. But remember: You are travelling. Perhaps awakening
begins when, while still living inside the dream, you finally recognise that it is a dream. If it takes
one second, be ready. If it takes many births, keep walking.
