How did Maharaj typically provide guidance to his followers? Did he give complex philosophical lectures?

Maharaj did not deliver complex philosophical lectures or discourses on the Upanishads. As Chapter 0 explains, his method of providing guidance was primarily ethical and practical. He held three sittings a day where he would give advice through stories, which often addressed the specific concerns on the minds of the people present. His approach was to first purify the disciple's ground with general ethical principles. The text notes that the unspoken advice gained from direct experience with him was considered infinitely more valuable for a devotee's ultimate welfare.