Month: April 2020

Swamiji says …

“How we love to hear people around us agree with what we say and do! It appears that our ears our trained to hear the word ‘Yes’ in particular. ‘Words’ that agree with, accept and approve of what we say and do. We experience bliss when others laud our intelligence in hushed voices; praise us for our ingenuity; heap words of appreciation on our brilliant brainchild product; agree with our views and approve of our proposals and perceptions – even though they could silently be doubting or questioning a few things being said or done by us. They dare not dispute us in any way – more out of fear – than respect or love.”

“Our listening agents – our ears – have a field day on hearing these gushing voices and ‘yeses’; bask in the glory of our recognition – hugging with delight every compliment that is audible to them – straining to ensure that every praiseworthy word is absorbed by them and it is only after that do they settle down complacently, smirking mockingly at the other sense organs, as though teasing them – ‘Oh! How wonderful to hear what I just heard! You missed on all the fun !“

“How pleasing the words – ‘Yes, yes!’ ‘What you are saying is absolutely right!’ ‘I agree with you!’ ‘Yes that’s the right way!’ ‘That is perfect!’ – sound to our ears and to us and we conveniently forget for a moment that mostly – ‘Insaan sabki haan mein haan milata rehta hai!’ We must learn to say, ‘No. I don’t agree with what you are saying or doing !’ Imagine the state of your ears now ! They would cringe in shock on hearing words that are disliked the most by them… No!”

“In all honesty – are we always in agreement with what is said by others? Are we always in concurrence with their thoughts? Certainly not. ‘Agar koi baat theek nahi lag rahi hai, toh uss insaan ko toko, usko roko …’
“There are innumerable times when we don’t agree with the other person’s point of view. It could be anyone. It could be our parents, siblings, husband, wife, children, friends, or colleagues. We should, at times, go beyond, and above, the relationship that we share with the other person; let go the emotional bond of love and sympathy that connects us with them, and make them see things in the correct perspective by checking them and telling them where they have erred and how they could overcome this particular weakness at the earliest.”

“Blind love can never be of any good for anyone. On the other hand, it can only harm the other person. It becomes our sacrosanct duty to stop anyone we know, love and care for – to make them aware of the precarious situation in which they could find themselves if they did not mend their ways immediately…’Hummey unke hitt ke liye, unhe rokna chahiye…’ Mothers and fathers blinded by love for their child are very often unable to muster the courage needed to say…’No! What you are doing and saying is wrong!’ The child gets used to having his own way, and unless he is checked and controlled at the right time, by his parents, the pampered child might fail to see the difference between right and wrong and shortly things could get out of control.”

“’Agar woh galti kar raha hai – kuch galat keh raha hai, toh ussey ussi samay par toko, nahi toh woh galti par galti karte jaega. Bahut baar, ma aur pita apne bachchon ko rokte nahin hain. Aise toh unki galat aadat badhti jaegi!’ – Similarly, children too should be able to point out – respectfully and patiently – the shortcomings and weakness that they detect in their parents, so that they too realize that they have to become less rigid and a change in their mindset is needed with changing times.”

“We must dare to disagree with others if their views, personal or professional, are causing them harm and are encouraging them in forming habits which are unhealthy and undesirable; or are detrimental to society. It is essential to disagree, if it benefits and helps them in improving their wayward lifestyle, brings flexibility in their otherwise rigid way of thinking, and changes them into tolerant individuals who are willing to listen to what others,too, have to say to them.”

“Why do we then nod our heads in agreement and submission – subduing the voice within us – which tries to draw our attention to that which is not right in the other person – the flawed words used by him and his unethical behavior and actions ? ‘Woh insaan apni agyaanta mein kuch bhi kehta jaata hai aur karta jaata hai , jab tak ussey koi tokega ya rokega nahi!’ We refrain from saying anything to him, as our love or respect for him, which has become our weakness, prevents us from doing so and we continue to accept him the way he is, fearful that we may hurt him otherwise.The ancient scriptures, too, have clearly stated the relevance of having a strong, independent mind – a mind that is fearless and does not get unduly worried at stating expressly, that he begged to differ from others, as what was being said or done, by the other person, was wrong and unacceptable to him, and the other person had to be made aware of his follies and absurd behaviour.”

“What should be done if a youngster in today’s grim scenario insists on partying and parlaying, and tries to convince his friend that they should go out! What should be the response of his friend? Should he meekly follow this irresponsible person’s behaviour? Or should he try his level best to stop him from stepping out unnecessarily and putting his, as well as the lives of others, at peril. He could remind his friend – ‘Wouldn’t praying be better than partying? – and transform him for ever.”

Swamiji says…

“Nature has adorned Mother Earth with vast oceans, majestic mountains, life sustaining rivers and provided everything else that is required to cater to the needs and wants of the diverse human race. Nature gave us generously, and in abundance, out of its genuine love for us; and we grabbed and took away everything from her, selfishly, without thinking about the repercussions of our insatiable greed. The divine plan between ‘Prithvi’ and ‘Prakriti’ is a glorious sight to behold, as crops and food grains raise their colourful heads on maturing, from tiny seeds and saplings – to treasure stores of nutrition and health – willing to sacrifice themselves -to be roasted, cooked, grilled – all according to man’s palate, to keep man alive and going.”

“And thus, he eats. Man eats to his hearts content. More than what his body needs, and one day he realises that he is bored of eating what is served to him day after day. “Roti, chapati, parantha! How distasteful and unexciting is that to the tongue! ‘A change in menu is needed urgently!” – the children complain. Some pizza or pastry to liven their taste-buds is the order of the day. The delectable food items are to be delivered by a delivery person, who puts his life at risk these days, by traveling through the streets of our cities, during this critical time period, to deliver essential goods and supplies to us. But are pizzas and pastry essential food items? That delivery boy too has his family to think and worry about, but he has to do as ordered and delivers the fancy items with a smiling face. Can’t we exercise some self – control on ourselves during these crucial days? Believe me, if we try, it is not as difficult as we imagine it to be.In sharp contrast, a poor man and his family long for that very ‘roti’ or ‘chapati’ and are more than willing to do anything to get their hands onto that ‘roti’ as their fingers have neither felt nor broken bread in the past few days.”

“As little babies we were spoiled rotten by all those who loved us like crazy. We were pampered little brats! The first demanding wail of hunger from us and the entire household would get into a tizzy to ensure that our food requirements were met. But do we react with the same emotion of care and compassion when we see the poor and hungry scavenging food from rotting, stinking piles of garbage? ‘Gareeb ke paas roti nahi hai. Woh bhooka hai aur zameen se uthaa ke khana kha raha hai , chaat raha hai…parantu doosra insaan jis ke paas sab kuch hai , ussey uss sey koi matlab nahi hai aur ussey doosri cheezain chahiye, khoob ! ‘ Do we pay heed to a heart wrenching voice that cries out in agony as the pangs of hunger reach a point beyond human endurance, and he scoops whatever he finds to eat or drink, with his hands, and gulps it ? Is the growl of a poor man’s hungry stomach, which has not received a grain of food, audible to us? Or are we busy stuffing another bite of an imported savoury into our stomach that is absolutely full ? Can we relate with the parched throats, dry tongue and mouths of the poor that have not tasted a morsel of food for several days? ‘ Woh gareeb insaan khaane ke liye taras raha hai , par zyadatar logon ko unki bhook se, unki taqleef se koi matlab nahi hai ! Gareeb insaan mar jaata hai …uski mrityu ho jaati hai …!’ But then do most of us really care? ‘How can we be bothered as long as and my family and I are doing well!’ – is our policy of well-being.”

” Sansaar ne shiksha ko badhaya hai !” The world talks about good education and boasts of an elite class of the educated lot, but it saddens me immensely to see the uncaring, callous behaviour of a few of the educated, affluent, wealthy people. They have developed an abysmally pathetic attitude towards the poor and believe that – ‘Difficulties and difficult times are for the less fortunate and I, the privileged one, do not fall in the category of the mere mortal; thus, I will happily while away precious hours of these extremely crucial and difficult days faced by humanity, in doing what I enjoy doing the most; drinking alcohol, playing cards, planning out my financial future by investing in blue chip shares and make some quick money. I have to make my family secure in every possible manner.This is my first and foremost duty.’ It is thus not possible to think of anyone else in a schedule as busy as this and, most certainly, not about the poor, needy and helpless ! ‘ Woh gareeb insaan ko insaan nahi samajh rahe hain aur apne aap ko hi dekh rahe hain ! Yeh apne aap ko insaan kehte hain ! “

“Some of us live in utopia and have convinced ourselves that we are immortal. We are of the firm opinion that we will live forever and will evade the embrace of death at any cost…’ Sansaar mein kasht hai, par kuch logon ko koi farak nahi padtah hai … Woh kuch achcha ya bhala nahi karenge…!’ They are so involved in their own ‘chamak-dhamak’ that they do not even spare a moment, to cast a glance at a poor person who is picking up bits of dust covered food from the road, and devouring it gratefully…’ Unki nigaah bhi nahi jaati hai gareeb insaan ki oer…!’ Are they contributing in any way to shoulder and relieve the burden of the suffering ? The thought of extending a helping hand might just not strike them, as they somehow manage to remain detached from all that happens around them. Honest effort and true initiative is being taken by only two to four percent of our citizens …’ Bahut kum log hain joh ki desh ke hitt ke liye, shanti aur gareeb ke udhdhaar ke liye kaam kar rahe hain ! ‘ – who are looking into ways and means of helping those who are suffering with disease and staring at death. What have we become? ‘ Insaan ho , insaaniyat toh matt bhoolo …!”

Swamiji says ….

” Devotees play a very important role in taking a spiritual guru’s name to greater heights…”
“‘Aadhyatmik’ guru ka naam, apne ‘bhakton’ ke diye huey maan-sammaan dwaara jaana jaata hai …”

“Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara,
Guru saakshaat para Brahma, tasmay shri guruve namah …”
” ‘Anant anaadi kaal se sant, rishi, muniyon ke aadar mein, unki prashansa mein, unke maan – sammann mein, yeh shabd, dharti par goonjey hain, aur insaan ne unnhey alag, alag naam se sambhodit kiya hai.’ Some devotees addressed them as ‘Guruji’, some as ‘Swamiji’, and some even referred to them as ‘Bhagwaan’!”

“The rich, fertile soil of our country bears testimony to the indelible, divine footprints of some of the greatest sages and saints, who had crisscrossed the vast area of Mother Earth, over the ages, imparting every grain of knowledge that had been inherited by them, in the form of the most valuable spiritual legacy, from their enlightened ‘gurus’. It is rightly said – ‘Guru bin gyan nahi ‘ and a few blessed fortunate souls who had enjoyed the rare privilege of being handpicked by the greatest ‘gurus’ of a particular time period – had ecstatically soaked in every syllable of spiritual knowledge that was enunciated to them personally by their ‘guru’; had also shared the same holy space in which their ‘guru’ – the representative of God – resided; had inhaled the same air that was breathed by their most learned ‘gurus’ and personally experienced the spiritual aura of their ‘Teachers’. These blessed souls had understood the core message of the ‘guru mantra’ that was whispered in their ear by their revered and esteemed ‘guru’ and on realizing the wealth of True Knowledge -‘gyan’ ka anmol khazaana joh unhe apne ‘guruji’ se praapt hua tha ‘ – that had been absorbed by them, awoke to the true purpose of their life – To spread the message of their ‘gurus’ far and wide ; as far as the eye could see.”

“These noble, selfless souls had willingly taken upon themselves the sacred duty of introducing the simple, relatable and practical teachings of their ‘gurus’ to all those
who were not as privileged as them, and left no stone unturned in spreading the name of their ‘guru’ far and wide. ‘Guru’ was God for them and they immersed themselves completely in serving Him, oblivious to their own physical or material needs; set aflame by the burning desire to illuminate and enlighten the entire world with the light of ‘guru gyan’ aur ‘guru’ ke gunn bhajney mein, apne aap ko bhula dete thay !”

” ‘Jis tarah ‘Bhagwan’ bin ‘bhakt’ nahi, ussi tarah ‘ ‘bhakt’ bin ‘Bhagwaan’ nahi!’
The name of the ‘guru’, ‘Swami’ or ‘Bhagwaan’ is remembered for eternity and transcends both time and space. But do we ever try to go beyond the greatness of the ‘guru’, and reflect as to who made His Name, His Grace, His merciful and forgiving temperament known to the world? Do we give credit to those who truly deserve it? Are we grateful to His ‘shishya’ – devotees – for emphasizing that their ‘guru’s’ knowledge is incomparable; His love and compassion, unsurpassable; and His inspirational teachings as soul- enlightening !”

“ ‘Bhakt ke dwaara hee ‘Bhagwaan’ aur ‘Guru’ jaane jaatey hain!’
Time has been a silent witness to the tireless effort, selfless service, total surrender, complete involvement, devotion, and dedication of devotees that has made it possible for future generations to be acquainted with the worthiness and Godliness of their ‘guru’. Can the Earth resound with the reverberations of the name of a ‘guru’ unless His devotees have sung His name with a pure and devout heart, lovingly weaving lyrics, praising His lofty ideals and teachings? It has always been divine love, unswerving – but not blind faith, that the devoted, loyal ‘bhakts’ nurse for their Gurus – “’jinhone apne ‘guru ‘ ka naam aagey badhaya tha’.”

“Devotees – pure hearted and pious, untouched by fatigue and tiredness, derive divine pleasure in chanting, worshipping and offering prayers to God and Guru…’ Agar bhakt na pooje, toh Bhagwaan aur ‘guru’ ka naam sansaar kaise jaanta!’ Thus, the pivotal role that has been played by devotees should neither be underplayed nor ignored. ‘ ‘Bhakt’ aur ‘shishya’ ka darzaa bhi bahut ooncha hota hai! ‘ The pure, divine, uplifting love that develops between a ‘guru’ and His obedient ‘shishya’, between God and His ardent ‘bhakt’ – ties them, connects them with an inseparable bond – where the ‘shishya’ does not tire of serving his Guru, as the seeds of knowledge that were sown in him, by his ‘guru’, start blossoming and enable him to experience spiritual ecstasy. The devoted ‘bhakt’ rejoices in the hours spent in the divine aura of his ‘ishta dev’, repeats his chosen deity’s name with utmost sincerity and reverence, and realizes that the repetition of God’s name is purifying him as his soul is being cleansed in the process.
“’Bhakt’ ke dwaara hee ‘Bhagwaan’ aur ‘ guru’ jaane jaatey hain, pehchaane jaate hain!”

“ ‘Sant’ hee ‘sant’ nahi hota, ‘guru’ hee ‘guru’ nahi hota , agar ‘bhakt’ nahi hotey… ‘Bhakt’ bahut achche hotey hain !’ – and if it was not for the determination and focus with which such faithful devotees had channelled the divine love and faith that they bore for their ‘guru’, energetically and enthusiastically; it would not have been possible for the world to know about their ‘guru’ and His Grace.”