July 2020 – Dedicated to Swamiji Ajay Jain ji

Cover song – Daya ki na hoti to

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020 1 Comment

कृपा की न होती जो आदत तुम्हारी।
तो सूनी ही रहती अदालत तुम्हारी।
ओ दोनों के दिल में जगह तुम न पाते।
तो किस दिल में होती हिफाजत तुम्हारी।
ग़रीबों की दुनिया है आबाद तुमसे।
ग़रीबों से है बादशाहत तुम्हारी।
न मुल्जिम ही होते न तुम होते हाकिम।
न घर-घर में होती इबादत तुम्हारी।
तुम्हारी उल्फ़त के दृग ‘बिन्दु’ हैं वे।
तुम्हें सौंपते है अमानत तुम्हारी।

Sung By : Mrs Anita Sharma

‘ Vyarth ki baaton mein samay nasht nahi karna chahiye …’

July 25, 2020July 25, 2020 19 Comments

Swamiji says …

” We derive great pleasure and joy in whiling away time in non-stop gossip, catching up on the neighbourhood and office grapevine, indulging in some completely undesirable, scandalous talk – ‘ Vyarth ki baatein kartein hain !’ – as we are not only curious and consumed with the desire of knowing about the personal affairs of others, but also, for some inexplicable reason, experience a strange sense of gratification in watching time pass by, as it slips through our fingers, without any feeling of remorse or regret …’aur samay ko nasht kartein hain! ‘

“All that we need is the slightest of distractions to divert our attention from the task at hand, and draw us towards anything that is worthless and meaningless. We are so besotted with all the insignificant trivia around us that it appears to be as rejuvenating as fresh oxygen for a few of us, and brings a whiff of fresh air to our otherwise self-proclaimed ‘ever so boring lives!’ Thus we try to escape to this world of nonsensical rubbish that is fabricated by us – as often as we can – by losing the required perspective of what should be done by us at the right time, forgetting completely that time is in a constant state of motion, and every second lost by us – is time, that is lost forever. But do we give time its due ? Do we value time and give it the respect it should be accorded ? ”

“The irresistible temptation of spending a few hours extra, now and then, in an absolutely futile, meaningless manner can be so strong and enticing, that one could develop an attitude of laxity and lethargy towards his work – result – oriented and concrete work, and tend to forget about the commitment that we need to put into the work that we do – as it plays a major role in building our lives. Work that should be attended to immediately or completed by a certain period of time takes a backseat, as one’s priorities begin to get misplaced and he/she starts resorting to the oldest trick in the book by pushing things forward for either the later part of the day, or for the next day, or for the day after next … ‘Woh aaj ka kal kar deta hai, aur phir kal ka parson!’ The process of postponing, procrastinating, and delaying begins from thereon. He begins displaying traits of his foolhardy behaviour and tries to oversimplify things by reassuring himself … ‘If not today, I will definitely complete the task tomorrow!’ But when, and if that day will ever dawn finally, is known only to him!”

“One can literally see him trying to feel desperately sure and secure with the insincerity of those hopelessly deceptive words, ringing clearly in his ears, even as he says them to himself ; and then he accepts them as honest, truthful words – but by then it is too late, as before long – postponing things becomes a regular habit with him. He is ready to handle the pressure of the incomplete work, hang above his head like the Damocles’ sword, but will not miss out on an opportunity to while away time in needless ways.”

” ‘Time flies’ are words with which we are very familiar, but it seems that some of us, unfortunately, are under the misconception that time is at our beck and call , and that clocks will stop chiming at our command, and start ticking again at the snap of our fingers. The case, in fact, is reverse. It is we who are governed by time. But are we willing to accept this reality, or will we continue to treat time with apathy and arrogance by taking it for granted? The choice is ours to make.”

“We must make an attempt to catch every fleeting second – the way we used to catch butterflies as children – lest they fly away, and convert them into colourful moments of creativity and optimal utility. Time is precious. The moment that has passed by, is lost in eternity, never to return, nor to be relived by us ever again as it has registered itself in the echelons of time, that is now our past. A fruitful, rich, worthy past – could make ‘time’ itself feel proud of us, as we had utilised it in the most rewarding manner ! ”

“ We all are participants in the race against time because of which…’Samay ka sadupyog kar na bahut zaroori hai… Har kshann ka mahatva samjho…Sirf baatein karney mein samay nikal jaata hai !’ While many of us are petrified at the prospect of running out of money one day – what could be truly terrifying is when one needs and requires time, he finds himself in want of it , and has none left to invest in meaningful activities that can help him in his overall growth – personal, as well as, professional. At times, parents are unable to devote enough time to their children, as they are busy socialising. Some students do not give enough time to their academics, as they are distracted with their friends and gadgets. Some officegoers could be spending more time chatting with their colleagues, pushing deadlines further ; rather than finishing their work early and spending more time with their family at home or pursue a hobby. Time is passing by faster than we think it is, but we are yet to awaken to the reality of this truth in our lives. If there is one thing that is truly limited in life – it is time, and we must thus invest every moment of it wisely.”

Swamiji’s Sandesh…. ‘Chinta’ nahi, ‘chintan’ karo…’

July 18, 2020July 18, 2020 16 Comments

PHOTO-2020-07-17-19-16-21

Swamiji says…

” Man’s favourite pass-time seems to be fretting and worrying. Worrying about ‘what’ is known only to him! It could be either about his present life – the prevailing conditions in which he finds himself; or, it could be about his future that is unknown to him…his life ahead of which he has no idea ; but worry he must…as for some strange reason it makes him happy, content and confident , that after investing so much time in just thinking and analysing about his future – some good will surely come out of it, and things will work out perfectly for him – the way he wants life to shape out for him. But will only worrying needlessly make things fine for him ? Doesn’t he need to focus on solving his problems first?”

“The human mind is capable of great creativity. It can think of the most ingenious things in fields as diverse as art, machines, scientific theories. Yet, it is also capable of imagining that it is besieged with problems – problems that it feels are so real, that it keeps people petrified and plagued by these ‘problems’ the entire night. Even in the most normal circumstances, the mind, at times, fabricates its own stories that have no relation to the past, present or future, but we accept them as real, true and feel that we have been touched by them. Man has always feared the unknown.”

” ‘Jeevan, ek sangharsh hai …’ and the earlier we understand this, the better and easier it becomes for each one of us to accept, face and solve problems that come unexpectedly – simply out of nowhere, at various junctures of our life. A certain amount of anxiety about the wellbeing of one’s family, education, career, relationships and finances rises within each one of us, and it is bound to happen that way, but can worrying perpetually about these issues, if they somehow fail to follow the course created by us, truly help us and make us feel strong, either physically or emotionally !”

” Pointless and excessive worrying is exhausting and can drain us of all positive energy. Is it possible for a tired, fatigued mind that always sees its bearer – weighed down by the burden of his over imaginative problems – visualise, even for a fraction of a second, the same person walking with a straight back and look squarely, beyond his problems, at the solution that his ‘working’ mind has thought for him? The ‘thinking’ mind needs to be reprimanded and told sternly to quieten down – as its constant churning and whining, drowns the sensible voice and words of the ‘working’ mind.”

” We must learn to put worries aside and rather concentrate on, and enjoy the tasks that lie ahead of us. A successful attempt should be made by us every day – to ensure that we do not allow worries to get the better of us , but instead develop the art of abandoning the dreadful fear of these so called problems, that we feel, have a strange knack of finding us wherever we may be.”

” The chaotic turmoil and turbulence caused by over- thinking about one’s problems only leads to loss of one’s inner peace, and this needs to be quelled at the earliest. After all, how much can one worry about a particular thing ! What is one gaining by making himself so unhappy ! One has to find the root cause of the issue that is troubling him; think of ways of attending to, and solving these problems without letting them dominate and overpower him. The exhilaration and confidence that he experiences – ‘chintan’ karne par…’ are much more rewarding than all the time that had been wasted on ‘ ‘chinta’ karne par…’ and once he realises that self- motivation had worked wonders, he sees himself as a new, rejuvenated person with the ability of handling problems by finding solutions, effectively and efficiently. His perspective and attitude towards life changes completely.”

“A free, clear, uncluttered mind makes us feel fresh, alert, and energetic and we learn to accept problems as pre-cursors to a joyful, happy life. And this is the best way to treat our worries. Yes, they will come…but one fine day they will go away too. They hover around us – but we must keep our minds calm – and be on guard lest they distress us unnecessarily.”

“A face creased in smiles and a forehead free of furrows of worry and anxiety is a sight of joy for all – and all of us can radiate a similar warm glow of happiness, once we refuse to submit to stormy ‘chinta’ and devote time to result – oriented ‘chintan’.”

śrīguru pādukā stōtram

July 14, 2020July 14, 2020 5 Comments

A humble offering at Swamiji’s lotus feet! The chants are a composition by Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya on the greatness of Guru’s Padukas. It is called Guru Paduka Stotram. The text with meaning is as below.

ananta saṁsāra samudra tāra

naukāyitābhyāṁ guru bhakti dābhyām |

vairāgya sāmrājyada pūjanābhyāṁ

namō namaḥ śrīguru pādukābhyām ||

Let us salute the Padukas (sandals) of the Guru which bestow upon us devotion to the Guru and supreme detachment which act as a boat that takes us across the endless ocean of birth and end of life.

kavitva vārāśi niśākarābhyāṁ

dourbhāgya dāvām budamālikābhyām |

dūrī kr̥tā namra vipattitābhyāṁ