‘Santushti’

Swamiji says…

” Mujhe yeh chahiye! Mujhe woh chahiye! Mujhe aurr chahiye! Woh cheez mil jaati, toh mujhe santushti ho jaati! I want this! I want that!” These words sound very familiar. Don’t they? Each one of us is surely able to vividly recall the excitement that we had experienced – as infants – on seeing the colourful little toys that were used as a bait by our parents to distract us, to stop us from crying; and how we used to, through our tears, look astutely, with great interest at those fascinating objects – stop crying and throw our tiny arms in the air to get a hold of that toy. And then again would resume crying, disconsolately, until we had acquired possession of that toy. We had to possess it and let it be known to one and all that we possessed it. The game of contentment and discontentment had thus begun. One could argue, but it was right from then that these traits that we possessd had come to the fore !”

“This craving, longing, constant pining to own, possess and hoard more and more, festers within all of us. It is up to us to either let this gross ‘desire’ grow within us, gnaw at our peace of mind, or,get rid of it for once and for all, by simply saying ‘No! I am content and happy with what I have. I don’t need any more of anything !’ Words that are so rare to hear in today’s materialistic world. A few fortunate, sensible ones are able to draw a line and reach a conclusion – ‘I am happy with what I have, and I have enough of everything. No more!’ “

“The ability to say – ‘I have everything that I need and ever wanted, and don’t desire anything more!’ – needs a strong will and courage and, believe me when I say, that it is possible for us to say – ‘No!’ and to understand that the cause of our unhappiness is the desire to possess, acquire and own more – and it is this desire that tempts us, lures us towards itself – and we fail to see that we are wasting our precious lives by procuring inanimate, lifeless objects, senselessly. The irony is that instead of considering our lives as priceless ; we value things to be priceless.”

“Try to visualize the physical and mental state of a person who is satisfied and content …’ joh apne jeevan ke haalat aur paristhitiyon se santushtha hai…” Life is perfect for him. He couldn’t have asked for anything more and is in a constant state of gratefulness to God for giving him all that he ever needed, without him asking God for anything. He is more than satisfied with all that he has and has nothing to complain about. His mind is clear, free of the clutter of the never-ending profit and loss analysis of life. He is in a state of bliss, at peace with himself, and also with others …’Aise insaan ko mann ki shanti hoti hai! ‘He is cheerful and happy as he doesn’t carry the crumbling burden of discontentment, that could have otherwise wreaked unwanted havoc in his life. Frowns of worry find no reason to wipe the smile of pure joy from his face. He doesn’t have to be tense about unpaid loans or lose sleep over troublesome issues that could otherwise have kept him tossing and turning, wide awake through sleepless, nightmarish nights. Dark, depressing thoughts are unable to touch him, as he has customised his recipe of a ‘good’ life – as that is the quality of life lived by him – with an equal measure of positive attitude, happiness in ‘what I have’ and mental peace. He remains unaffected by the changing tides and colours of time and life and welcomes each new day with the same enthusiasm and equanimity.”

“We desire something or the other, always, and find it very difficult to control ourselves on coming face to face with it. We are as helpless and weak as dry leaves, when it comes to gaining an upper hand on our desires. We are puppets in their hands , and once hypnotised by them, move in whichever direction they take us. But once we succeed in thwarting them, not pay any attention to them and let them know that their entry in our inner being is prohibited – they will sheepishly disappear. Let us be Masters of our faculties and not be subservient to illogical, whimsical desires.”

” ‘ Ek santushtha insaan, achcha jivan vyatit karta hai …’ “The time and energy that is lost in focusing on the list of ‘wants’ by a disenchanted person , can be converted into productive, rewarding and satisfactory moments, by a ‘ santushtha’ person , by attending to the rituals that he believes in , with a peaceful mind and heart. Pertinent issues that loom large over various segments of society become relevant for a person who is content and satisfied, as he is able to work on them with sincerity and complete involvement …’aur aisa insaan nek kaarya karta hai, aur nek raaste par badey utsah se chalta hai ‘ – as desires cease to exist for him.”

“The choice is ours to make. We could either continue to hanker and obsess over everything that we do not have, be dissatisfied with the way our personal or professional lives are shaping out, make our lives miserable and meaningless by constantly complaining and cribbing,or, understand the uncertain, transient nature of life, value every precious second of it ; rejoice in being alive, be content and satisfied…’ santushtha’ with His divine plan and everything that He has provided us with, in this birth !”