Month: January 2021

Swamiji says …

” Our ‘Sanskriti’, our culture is steeped in the idea of ‘service’. In ‘prakriti’, Nature – the ‘law of the jungle’ prevails, wherein, the strong rule; and, the timid, the weak perish. But Indian culture ; our ‘sanskriti’ – reminds us not to develop a nature, a temperament; as base, as selfish as this. It encourages us to serve those in need, to assist those who are less fortunate than us; thereby, enabling a sense of equality to be experienced, to a certain degree, by society at large.”

“Humari sanskriti vishwa mein sabse oonchi hai aur hamesha hi humari sanskriti ne sabko achcha hee sikhaya hai ! Humari ‘sanskriti’ hum mein seva ki bhavna ko ujaagar karti hai ! Sabki seva ki oer lejaati hai ! Jo kamzor hain unki seva karo…Badon ke prati aadar, sammaan rakho, yeh sikhaati hai ! Humari ‘sanskriti’ ne har kissi ko maan diya hai ! Insaano ko bhi aur baaki jeev ko bhi ! ‘ ‘Gau’ ko mata ka darja diya hai !
Har chotey jeev ki raksha karna sikhayi hai!’ “

“The age old practice of touching the feet of elders in the house and seeking their blessings, instill a sense of deep respect for elders in children. This respect is evident later, too, during their interaction with their seniors, at their workplace, when these children grow into adults.”

“Our ‘sanskars’ teach us to look upon flora and fauna too with reverence.There are not many traditions or belief systems that give humans the perspective to look at animals through such a humane lens. It is because our ancient texts and scriptures have given animals and plants, a Godly status, that many among us feed strays near our homes, give donations to cow shelters and remain strictly vegetarian. But most importantly, such practices develop in us a deep sense of empathy towards all living creation around us.”

” In a society that is growing more Westernised every day, it is important not to lose sight of preserving and having belief in our ancient and glorious culture. The world around us witnesses war, hatred and violence at sporadic intervals. It is important for us to realise that such sections of society have gone back to the ‘jungle law’ where only might is right; and everyone is concerned only about themselves.
However, it is due to the strong values of our heritage, our culture, our ‘sanskriti’ – that our beliefs are uniquely different from the rest, and unlike others, we believe in bridging hate with love ; war with peace and violence’ with ‘ahimsa’. It is our ‘sanskriti’ that teaches us the principle that service to others is service to God, thus aligning our spiritual and material life beautifully.”

“Can a person who is selfish, desirous of fulfilling only his personal wants, uncaring of others around him – ever be a pleasant person to be acquainted with? Yet modern culture tends to celebrate the ‘individual’ who has amassed wealth, speaks in an unabashedly uncouth manner, and seems to be focussed only on his growth. Wouldn’t the mere thought of knowing such a person make us feel uncomfortable?”

” It is here that our ‘sanskriti’ saves us ! Anyone who is raised in the old traditional way, will always be kind, caring and respectful. In other words – ‘Woh ek ‘sabhya’ insaan hoga!’ – a decent, polite, respectful person. And a society that stresses upon,and, gives importance to its ‘sanskriti’ ensures that such ‘sabhyata’- decency, is always present in its people ; thereby, making it a Shangrila to live in !”

Swamiji says…

“The proverbial saying, ‘Pride comes before a fall’ – is a warning that haughtiness and hubris lead to failure and loss. But man pays no heed to the underlying message of these words ; and shrugs them off without as much as giving them a second thought, as he believes that he has a lot to be proud about. Pride and arrogance – his twin enemies – make him gloat over his superior knowledge, skills and powers, and instigate him to develop an ego; inflated and self-opinionated, by constantly hammering into his being that there is none other more powerful or stronger than him;  and within no time, supremacy and smugness encase themselves over such persons.”

“Conceit makes them forget that they are flesh and blood, just like their brethren, and that their position in society ; the wealth that has been accumulated by them ; the power that their position has brought them, is all transient. People filled with pride and arrogance see themselves superior to others, and, thus are unable to feel empathy or a sense of kinship with others, which makes it more difficult for them to understand and alleviate the pain and suffering of others, thus taking them further away from God. It is no wonder that Man’s ego is identified as the biggest obstacle in the path to self-realization. They fail to understand that
pride and arrogance will be the cause of their undoing one day and take them towards their downfall ! “

” Jis insaan mein ‘abhimaan’ aur ‘ahankaar’ aaya hai, ussey woh patan ki oer hi legaya hai ! Ravan  kitna vidwan tha ! Agar woh apni ‘vidya’ aur ‘gyan’ ka achcha upyog karta, toh sab uski pooja karte !’ Ravan’s egotistical behaviour and pride in his knowledge, powers and strength had made him commit unpardonable acts of ‘adharma’ which had brought him in the crosshairs of Shri Ram’s bow. Similarly, it was King Parikshit’s ego and pride in being a great king that were used by ‘Kaal’ to compel him to commit senseless acts of atrocity that had ultimately resulted in his death.None can be spared from an ignominious end, if, they and pride become  inseparable or always walk side by side.Their time of glory; of shining in the Sun; is
obliterated swiftly due to their own doing.The sense of false pride that one begins to nurture within himself makes him rigid and stubborn and he starts assuming wrongly that he is way above others and looks down on others condescendingly. He alludes himself into believing that it is his decisions alone that are always right and leaves no space for others to express themselves. Arrogance is that treacherous quality – ‘joh ki ek baar jab kisi pe hawi ho jaata hai, toh woh uss insaan ko patan ki oer hi le jaati hai !’ and he himself is responsible for his ruin.”

” Insaan ne ussi ko maana hai jo ‘satya’ pe, vinamrata se chala hai ! Jiss ne jan kalyan ke baare mein socha hai !” Don’t we remember only those from the annals of history who had seamlessly won over the hearts of people and society, at large, with their humility and simplicity ; as not only did their selfless work speak for itself ; but also the exemplary way in which they took others along with themselves, to bring about social reforms and change in society, conveys volumes about their character.The names of all those who had only worked to fulfil their own personal ambitions and done as demanded by their ego, to satisfy the megalomaniac streak in them, is taken with great dislike and resentment even today.”

” Remember – Pride, an inflated ego and arrogance bring the mightiest, the richest and most powerful of men to their knees. Such is the potency of pride and arrogance.”