Question: Are there steps between 'normal' and 'enlightened'? If you are doing sadhana but don't reach the goal, do you have to start again at the beginning at your next birth?
Babaji:
By 'normal' you mean 'unenlightened'? No, if you do not finish the sadhana and reach the goal, that sadhana is like a fixed deposit. If you die, it is still held there.
Question: Can you please talk about the steps to Enlightenment, the stages of progress?
Babaji:
As one progresses, then one will find mental agitations decreasing and the ego reducing. The progress is gradual, for instance you will find over time you will see the mind becoming more and more peaceful. The ego must vanish.
Question: You say that through evolution we will ultimately go to Self-Realization, so eventually we go back to the beginning?
Babaji:
Yes.