Swamiji’s Sandesh – “Bhagwan jis haal mein rakhey , usmey khush raho…”

Swamiji says …

“Pleasure and pain; happiness and grief – are two sides of the same coin – and, if we assume ourselves to be a coin, we’ll undoubtedly find ourselves wearing two completely varying visages on both surfaces – one – lively, cherubic and happy; and the other, bearing signs of worry and sadness on it. Ironically, identical is the demeanour that is worn by us; and similar are the emotions displayed by each one of us – in real life – during the constantly changing scenarios that life surprises or shocks us with ; fun times are interspersed with challenges; laughter could be interrupted abruptly by sudden sobs; a dream run period could come to a screeching halt as a nightmarish phase encloses its firm grip on us… but it is how we receive, respond and react to the minute to minute changes in life that clearly defines us, makes us what we are, and that is what matters the most, at the end of the day!”

“An urgent need to understand God’s Divine plan, His Grace and Will – ‘Jo vidhaata ne humare bhaagya mein likha hai woh hi hoga – Jo sukh hummey bhogna hai, woh hum bhogenge, aur joh dukh humare hissey aana hai woh aayega!‘ – will most certainly make us live life with a more realistic and mature approach. Do we handle the ups and downs of life with the same poise and grace, is a question that needs an immediate answer? Are days of difficulty and duress accepted with the same sense of equanimity with which days overflowing with happiness are welcomed? Each day differs and thus, do we too behave differently! Honey-sugar welcome for happiness, and a bitter-shock treatment for unhappiness!”

“Remember, life can neither be smooth and placid; nor turbulent and disturbed forever. Sharp, rough edges will scrape us for sure. But man seems to forget this, and tries to study it from the point of view best suited to him- one that is of comfort and ease. He rejoices and celebrates in moments of triumph and glory and attributes the success achieved by him to the sheer dint of hard work that had been put in by him, and gains a sense of confidence that with God’s blessings, his life could remain devoid of problems and worries. So grateful is he to God that he chants his name repeatedly in gratitude ; remembers to thank Him profusely for enabling him to achieve his dream and for blessing him in abundance with everything that he could have ever dreamt of! Nothing could give God greater happiness than to see His child worship Him with devotion regularly;  and He continues to shower His blessings on him. The recipient’s faith in God’s greatness increases by leaps and bounds.”

” But the point in question is whether the same individual will look upon God with the same reverence and faith the moment there is a drop in his fortune! Will a changing tide portending hardships, transform him into a completely ‘different’ human being? Happiness and unhappiness, evoke vibes that are startlingly poles apart. In retrospection, it appears that man is engineered to behave in this way. Unforgettable moments of ‘sukh’ – that fit perfectly into our lives like a dream- where wishful thinking, develops wings of fulfilment and takes a concrete shape, reinforces his faith in God. His respectful attitude for God simply states- ‘I am God’s favourite child. Nothing can ever go wrong for me!‘ But do we show the same grace, dignity and faith when faced with challenging situations. Does the joy of experiencing God’s Grace remain intact, or is it replaced by frissons of anxiety on being wrought with worries… on being confronted with ‘dukh’? We alone can answer this question.”

” What is our reaction when the going gets tough? More often than not, we see man behave in a  bewildering manner before our eyes. He becomes morose, questions God, begins the blame game, adds to his woes and agony by refusing to accept the unexpected. He then directs all his negative energies on God, holds Him accountable for his pitiable state, makes Him a target of his wrath and refuses to worship Him. Does God warrant a hostile, accusatory treatment of this kind? He fails to remember – ‘Ussey abhi aur tapna hai… Jeevan neeras ho jata hai jab usmein koi mushkil ya takleef nahi hoti hai!” He forgets the countless times when God had stood by him and saved him in the nick of time from adversities. No, he wouldn’t remember all of that, would he? After all our memory span is very short.”

“We have created this division between happiness and unhappiness as we refuse to understand that come what may, and how much we try, we cannot wish away the ever – changing facets of life. Off and on, it looks at us with hopeful eyes, accompanied with a broad smile, and, at times, sizes us up with a look of worry in its eyes; without any trace of a smile… but our duty is to accept whatever comes our way, to be in an eternal state of gratitude to God to have blessed us with life itself- and live life on the terms and conditions set and framed by Him, as they would be best suited for us … ‘Aur Ishwar ko har paristhiti mein yaad karna chahiye !”