Month: February 2020

Swamiji says …

” Listen to the good that others want to teach you, without getting into an argument.”

” Logon ki achchai ko grahan karo … Bekaar mein tark vitark mat karo !”

” Arguments … We love to get into an argument at the drop of a hat ! Don’t we ? Illogical, senseless debates. We have all the time under the sun to force our point of view on others – but refuse to listen to others with an open mind. Heated discussions – as each of us believes blindly that ‘I am the one who knows it all !’ ‘ I am always right ! ‘ ‘ I don’t have to listen to anyone and heed to anybody’s advice !’ Most of us suffer from this superiority complex, as we simply love our own voice, love listening to it and do not want our set, fixed flow of thoughts to be disturbed by the discordant notes of someone else’s jarring voice counseling us… and the moment we feel threatened that the other person might score a point in the debate – we pretend that we are suffering from impaired hearing, raise our voice to a higher pitch and get into the mode enjoyed by us the most – argumentative , rigid and insanely, foolishly crazy.”

” The barricades of rigidity and stubbornness that we have created in our mind, disallow the entry of views, opinions and beliefs of others. In our rush to drown out the other person’s voice, we do not pause for a second to see the weight and wealth of meaning behind the words being said – but escalate the issue and rebut the wisdom of those educative words callously , with senseless talk. Why is it so difficult for us to understand the crux of the matter at once? Is goodness so difficult to comprehend ? And what should have been understood by us in a few minutes, takes hours to be assimilated by us, as we stubbornly endeavour to prove the other person wrong; uncaring, that we could be causing emotional unrest in the other person’s mind – causing him to doubt his own meaningful words, lose confidence in himself and fall into depression on our account – and he starts feeling ki ‘ Woh hi galat bol raha hai! ‘ But it doesn’t make any difference to us as we are adamant in our resolve – ‘ Unki baat , unki achchai ko grahan nahi karna hai … ‘ and no way will we absorb his goodness !”

“A well intentioned person could try to talk to us about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle by going to sleep early, waking up early, exercising regularly, devoting some time to yoga, performing ‘Surya Namaskar’ and the necessity of following a routine – but , will we listen to him and follow his advice. No. We have to disagree with him by putting up some kind of defense – lame and weak. ‘Oh! It is not possible for us to wake up early as we are in the habit of sleeping at midnight and waking up late in the morning!’ We play with the words said by the other person , twist and convolute them in such a manner, that we deviate completely from the moot point, and take the conversation to a totally different level by talking about trivial, insignificant issues, whiling away time by indulging in nonsensical chatter that can never benefit anyone in any way … ‘ Hum unki kahi hui baat ko kahaan se kahaan leja teh hain, aur fizool ki bekaar baaton mein samay barbaad karte hain …”

“We should make a determined attempt to douse the first sparks of what could be a senseless, fiery argument – where neither of the parties concerned are willing to withdraw, as that would mean a loss of face for both of them ; and instead of adding fuel to the fire, walk away from discussions where our voice goes unheard or our participation is not acknowledged. But we must remain sharp and alert to all situations wherein we get an opportunity to learn something new, that could transform us and make us embark on the remaining journey of this lifetime with faith in the goodness of everything around us. We must win over people with our calm, controlled, telling silence – which conveys more than verbosity and the endless words said by us in a desperate attempt, to prove, that we are better than the rest.”

Swamiji says …

” Do not waste your life by letting lethargy and laziness get the better of you.”
” ‘Aalas’ humey deemak ki tarah jakad leta hai aur hum uske shikaar ho jaate hain ! ‘

” Laziness… Lethargy … Dullness… Inactivity ! The whimsical desire to do nothing ; nothing at all, at times, rises strongly within us. It is but natural and normal for each one of us to be engulfed by this inexplicable feeling of not wanting to do anything at all. ‘No , I can’t do it right now. I don’t want to do anything at the moment. I don’t feel like doing anything!’ – we complain.There is nothing wrong in feeling lazy at times. We could be tired to the bones after a long , gruelling day that might have sapped us of all our energy and strength, and the mere thought of moving a limb, even fractionally, appears to be a monumental mission.”

” And thus we procrastinate ! Postpone things for a later day and date. How we love to convince ourselves of the sense of satisfaction, mental peace that can be derived by us due to that ‘one’ extra day – those ‘few’ extra hours – during which we will not work – to complete an unfinished task or meet a deadline. We think of every possible reason and excuse for not attending to something that requires our attention, immediately. We are willing to sit idle and bear the constant weighty burden of the unfinished job – but the haze of dewy pleasure of lazing around and not completing the task at hand, encloses our mind, and we submit to those few carefree moments of lethargy with utmost delight. What happens to our sense of responsibility then! Does it blow away with the first breeze of wily laziness that tempts us to capitulate to its promises of rest , respite and recoup.This is nothing but an escapist measure ! Why dilly dally and postpone a thing for tomorrow when we know we have the time to do it at that very moment ! What will we gain by postponing it for another day? Won’t it lead to further tension?”

” It is here that we need to be careful and not allow our mind to become a slave to the frequent calls of ‘surrendering to laziness’ ; a demand transmitted to the mind by the tired body; and before long we commit the offence of postponing things for the next day or later without thinking of its repercussions. We need to fight and ward off these bouts of laziness which, otherwise, could within a short period, make procrastination settle comfortably within us, tantalize us with promises of restful, joyous moments and have us completely at its mercy …’ Aalasya humey deemak ki tarah jakadd leta hai ! ‘ It is too late, at times, for a person to change himself, as by then he has fallen prey to the inviting moments of rest, comfort and impassivity – which unfortunately start taking precedence over everything else. His duties, obligations and commitments take a back seat as his misplaced priorities disallow him to do anything gainful , fruitful ..’aur woh aalas ka shikaar ho jaata hai.’ And before long, he reaches a stage in life when he is unable to do anything , even for himself. A task as simple as getting a glass of water or a plate of food for himself, appears to be a task so laborious, that he either postpones it or just sits waiting for someone to get him some water to drink and forgoes his meal, until someone serves him food.”

” Yeh jeevan anmol hai ! ‘ This life that we have been blessed with is God’s greatest gift to us and it should have a purpose, meaning and direction. We cannot afford to wear a cloak of indolence and sluggishness, get lost within its folds, close our eyes and since we have nothing to do, we sleep for hours at a stretch, be it morning , noon or night…’ Aur dheere dheere hum naastik hotey jaate hain…!’ We have to stop ourselves, at all costs, from succumbing to the immediate returns of laziness and get rid of this habit immediately.We should aspire to live a life that is meaningful – has a purpose, so that we are able to help others, support and benefit them and take them along with us.”

” Remember, first and foremost, we have to love ourselves, and the moment we start doing that, we will unfailingly see the appalling manner in which we are wasting our life, and, also, the abyss of disaster that we are plummeting into. We can always make an effort to correct and improve ourselves – ‘aur humey apna aacharan achcha karna chahiye’ – and live a life based on principles of morals and values. Believe me , before it is too late , everything will work out fine for us.”

Swamiji says …

” Free yourself from attachment to illusionary wealth and beauty. Do good , be good and develop an attachment to God .”

” Na ‘kaya’, na ‘maya’ – kuch kaam nahi aata hai , sivaay humarein ‘achche vicharon’ ke aur ‘nek raaste’ par chalney ke…”

” Lure of the lucre – the insatiable yearning to be extremely wealthy and accumulate unlimited possessions – suppplemented with an incessant need to maintain alluring, good looks – to look good and young , always, has had a stranglehold on man since eternity. Man has been trapped in its web, forever, and he loves to get enveloped in it – happily and knowingly all the time. ‘Insaan ‘mayajaal’ mein phansta jaata hai.’ He starts believing that he has taken birth only to enjoy ‘maya’and ‘kaaya’ and he makes them the pivots on which his life revolves.”

“Man enjoys living in this make believe, false , illusionary world of ‘maya’. There is no other world that he aspires to inhabit, as this world of ‘maya’ deliberately misleads him, and makes him oblivious of the stark reality that he has a very short innings to play in this game of life, and that a day will dawn when he will have to depart from this world and neither ‘maya’ nor ‘kaya’ will accompany him. He will leave everything that he considers, and calls his own, behind – one day. “

” The darkness of ignorance blinds him completely – so much so , that he fails to understand that when even his own shadow which is an inseparable part of him, is always with him – can leave him , desert him on a moonless , pitch – dark night and is nowhere to be seen, then ; is there anything else that he can boastfully say is truly ‘His’, and something that will never leave him.’Uski chhaya bhi andhere mein uska saath chhor deti hai.’ “

“Man identifies himself with his physical being , his personality , his looks. The more attractive he is , the more he has to be proud and pleased about. After all , he is so good looking ; that is what his reflection in the mirror assures him of, as he preens at himself and gives himself a thumbs up sign in approval. His great looks boost his confidence and he develops a swag , convinced that his appealing , irresistible looks are here to stay, for ever and ever. But then we are not ageless and the ‘physical’ being will age and follow its natural process of death and decay. Shortly, wrinkles and laughter lines will cause furrows on our face, and the face that had once launched a thousand ships, will neither be the center of attention nor the cause of envy to anyone. So, our ‘kaaya’ also doesn’t stay with us permanently – ‘Kya reh jaata hai us insaan ke pass joh sochta hai ki woh jeevan bhar sundar hi rahega!”

” And , in case , one is ‘fortunate’ enough to have a fat bank balance, and also attains an affluent status – where he gets opportunities to hobnob with the who’s who of society , it doesn’t take too long for the narcissist in him to start suffering with vain pretensions, and, assume falsely, that he has become a permanent citizen of this materialistic blissful haven. But then once again , there is no escaping the Real Truth that ‘maya, aishwarya aur dhan , yeh bhi tumhein tyaag deti hain. Insaan ke saath kya reh jaata hai … Kuch nahi !”

” We should try to seek redemption from the suffering and unbearable sorrow that is caused unnecessarily to us – as we attach ourselves to anything and everything around us. It would be best for us to accept , at the earliest , the bitter but Real truth of the transient nature of things around us. Only an individual who allows good , pure thoughts to reign supreme in his mind – who only thinks for the good and betterment of others – ‘aur achche , nek raaste par chalta hai ‘ – one in whom there is nothing but goodness, and who is neither attached to ‘maya’ nor ‘kaya’ – can enjoy and experience Supreme bliss, both, in this world, as well as in his afterlife. ‘Aise insaan ka , chahey woh jitna bhi buzurg ho – ya apahij ho, uska ‘yahan’ par bhi aur ‘wahan’ par bhi sampoorna uddhaar ho jata hai ! Unhe na ‘maya’ se , na ‘kaaya’ se koi matlab hai…’ Unhe sevak mil jaate hain jo unki seva kartein hain , log jo unko pyaar karte hain ! Aise log sada prasann rehte hain aur doosron ko bhi khush rakhte hain.’ “

” We have to rise above these physical and mental attachments that have been created by us, free ourselves from the bondage in which we find ourselves chained, and instead, develop a permanent attachment to God, and let our love for Him take over us completely.The rewards of this attachment are unimaginably divine.”

Swamiji says …

” The raucous cacophony of raised, angry, loud voices can be heard anywhere and everywhere these days. We don’t have to strain our ears much to hear voices – impatient , shouting and yelling at each other – each trying to drown the other voice. Soft, gentle, polite voices have been stifled in the din of sharp, rough, piercing voices.The art of speaking in a refined, cultured manner seems to have flourished in a bygone era, as we seem to have completely forgotten, that the manner in which we speak, conduct ourselves , interact with others is observed and judged by all who we come across, in our journey of life.”

“We cannot deign ignorance of the fact that an impression is formed about us , by others , during every interaction that we have with them. Our temperament, mannerisms and attitude are constantly being observed as we engage with people around us, speak to them and interact with them. The manner in which we communicate – whether we are soft and refined or crass and forceful; our reactions to success and disappointments, minor irritations and unexpected favours – all these project volumes about our family background, our raising , upbringing and education.”

“It is rightly said – ‘Real beauty lies beneath the surface’ – and in order to delve deep and understand the correct perspective of these words, we need to outgrow the typical mentality that has always clouded our vision. We declare a person to be ‘ beautiful’ the minute our eyes ‘behold’ a beautiful, handsome individual. We are so greatly enamoured by these individuals’ physical appearance , that we just gape and marvel at their good looks – but are shocked when that beautiful facade is distorted by the mocking, condescending, and disdainful behaviour that they direct at others. How good are these ‘good’ looks then ?
On the other hand, we might pass by an ordinary looking person , without giving him a second look; but, this very person surely catches our attention and we certainly turn to look back at him when we hear him speak – his voice filled with love, respect and politeness. We are unable to prevent ourselves from saying – ‘ Uske moonh se phool jhadh rahe hain!’ ‘He has such a wonderful way of speaking ! ‘ – we chorus, and before long we are smitten, and completely in awe of his style of speaking ! Looks are of no consequence after that.”

“A person who conveys his concern, care and thoughtful attitude for others through his words and voice benefits greatly – as many avenues, and opportunities make way for him on their own accord, without him having to struggle to create a way through unknown ventures and territories. ‘Jis insaan mein ‘vinamrata’ hoti hai, uske raaste apne aap khulte jaate hai !’ Other people too laud this commendable quality of his and wonder as to how is it possible for him to maintain an air of calm and composure in his verbal dealings with others, and not allow an inflection of rudeness to mar the quality of his tone.’ Log bhi uski iss quality ko appreciate kartein hai ! ‘

“The effect of such an individual is so mesmerizing and prolific on ‘those’ who derive great pleasure in speaking in an arrogant , demeaning manner with the others around them, that they are unable to remain unaffected by the positive, pleasant vibes and warm comfort that his soft words provide them. Their frequent , richly rewarding interaction with him, motivates them to imbibe a similar ‘speech ‘ trait and they are more than willing to give up the ‘not so pleasing’, harsh, coarse manner which they might have adopted to dominate or belittle others around them. ‘Woh agar char logon ko bhi milta hai toh apni vinamrata se unko sudhaar deta hai! ‘ The same people who might have earlier sneered at his prim and proper way of speaking and imitated him behind his back – develop a great liking for him and want to be like him – ‘Woh unko achcha lagne lagta hai!’ “

” This ‘good’ person who never waxes eloquent about himself – unknowingly, develops an identity that is associated with his soft approach towards others – and surprisingly, the ‘other’ bandwagon no longer has any reservations in following his footsteps and emulating him. ‘ Vinamrata ‘ uski ek pehchaan ban jaati hai! ‘No one could be a happier person than him, as he holds no grudges against anyone else. He bears love and, only love, for all around him and doesn’t have time to nurture dislike or hatred for anyone. He believes in winning over people with his goodness that is clearly visible to one and all. ‘Uske mann mein sab ke liye pyaar hota hai … Usey kisi se grihna nahi hoti hai! Apni achchai se sab ko jeet teh jaata hai!’ People with an acerbic, malicious tongue and a mean attitude towards others, too , cannot but help like a person like him and are encouraged to change their volatile, disturbing behaviour … ‘Dusht pravrati ke insaan ko bhi woh achcha lag ne lagta hai ! ‘ “

” When it is possible for us to win hearts by speaking gently in a happy , lilting voice, by injecting reassurance and warmth in it ; then why should we turn people away, from us, by hurting them with a vicious, verbal whiplash ? “

Swamiji says…

” We are God’s most intriguing and fascinating creations – wearing the distinctive colors that God had chosen for us, while creating us lovingly, with different shades of individuality for each one of us ; thus making every individual special, in a unique way. Some of us are kind, selfless, generous; while a few could be just the opposite – selfish, self-centred, unkind. We march to different tunes. Some dance to the lively and exhilarating beat of life ; others seek comfort, as they struggle and stumble, in a life devoid of music and rhythm.That’s what we are – different folks imbued with varied traits and characteristics. It is very rare to find two individuals with an identical visage and vision and – it is the interesting interaction with people of different temperaments and nature that makes the journey of life riveting and enthralling.”

” A few traits inevitably inherent in each one of us are selfishness and self – centeredness. Again, nobody teaches us anything about these fallacious characteristics , but we just know how to be so. We want every event or situation that occurs around us, to pan out in such a manner that it adheres cent percent to the ‘suit me ‘ policy that has been framed by us. After all, everything should suit us – our interests and motives. We never pause to think for a moment about the outcome of our actions, our behaviour, our attitude ; whether they have an adverse or detrimental effect on those who bear the brunt of our egoistic and ‘only we matter’ mindset. In fact, a few of us, unfortunately, derive some kind of sadistic pleasure in displaying a behaviour as unbecoming as this – all the time – in the harsh, bitter way in which we speak, communicate and conduct ourselves with others – impervious to the impression that they form about us.”

“It is a sad, veritable truth – ‘Insaan bahut khudgarz aur swaarthi hota hai. Usey har dum apna hi apna dikhta hai.’ His inability to get rid of these undesirable traits can create a situation so sad and tragic for him that – ‘Agar woh achchi vaani bhi bolna chahata hai, toh woh bol hi nahi paata hai , kyunki uss sey vaise shabd hi nahi niklenge.’ It is nearly next to impossible for him to behave in any other manner than the one known to him, and he effortlessly fools himself into believing that the right way to flourish in life is by being notoriously selfish and outwitting others, and thus, this self-centerdness craftily, becomes an inseparable part of his personality.”

“Since he has been successful,so far, in living a life on his mean terms and conditions , he deliberately sees no reason to change his modus operandi. Humility is alien to him and if, for a moment, better sense prevails and he tries to speak in a different vein , it appears as though he is at a loss for words – generous, respectful, meaningful words, which seem to get lodged in his throat as tries to utter them and he is unable to voice them. What a pity ! ‘ Unke muh se achchi vaani nikal hi nahi sakti hai !’ How can one be so unaware of the trap into which he is falling? ‘Woh dheere dheere khai ki ore ja raha hai !’ “

” ‘ ‘Khudgarzi’ aur ‘swaarth’ uske andar itna koot koot kar bhar jaata hai ki woh uske jeevan ko hee thugg leti hai ! ‘ He reaches a point in time when he has no inhibitions in behaving in this narcissistic – ‘ I only care for myself … Nobody else matters to me’ – attitude ; and even if he tries his level best to behave in a manner contrary to his unbearing attitude, he is unable to do so, as these habits have embedded themselves firmly into his system. He entertains illogical notions in his mind and feels that he can behave in this egotistical manner with everyone around him , no matter who it is. Nobody is spared from his the whiplash of his stinging tongue and shocking behaviour. Parents , Guru and God – are all dealt and tackled with in the same selfish manner. He is unable to change his behaviour even in front of ‘Them’. ‘Use and discard them ‘ – is what he has been deluded into believing and that is exactly what he does with clinical precision.”

” Is there a ray of hope of overcoming the odds or the distant possibility of taking a u – return for such individuals? It appears to be very difficult , as try as they might, they are unable to shrug off the cloak of selfishness that now clings to them like a body suit. But again, where there is a will there is a way , and they must do so with utmost urgency. Change themselves into new leaves.
And a few individuals do try to make amends and improve themselves – ‘Woh achcha karna chahte hain, bhalai ki baat karna chahte hain , magar tab tak bahut der ho jaati hai !’ – as people feel that there has to be a selfish personal agenda behind his brand new behavioral pattern. They find it difficult to believe that a transformation of this kind is possible in a person as ungenerous as him…’ aur uski bhalai ki baat mein bhi unhe uski makkari dikhti hai ! ‘ So, do you want to remain wrapped up only in yourself or, on the contrary, open your arms wide and embrace all the goodness that others selflessly want to share with you ?