Month: May 2021

‘ ‘Dhyan’ – kewal ‘tann’ aur ‘mann’ se hi nahi , ‘atman’ se bhi karna chahiye …’

Swamiji said …

“Once, on being faced with the question – ‘Tum tedhe kyun khade hote ho?’ ‘तुम टेढ़े क्यों खड़े होते हो?’ – Lord Krishna, answered in his usual mischievous manner, ‘Main toh aisa hi hoon ! Tedha ! Main andar mushkil see hee aata hoon, lekin ek baar agar kisi ke bhitar chala jaata hoon, toh uske baad bahar nahi aa sakta; usey kabhi apne se alag nahi karta hoon!’ ‘मैं तो ऐसा ही हूं! Tedha ! मैं मुश्किल से ही अंदर आता हूं, लेकिन एक बार अगर किसी के भीतर चला जाता हूं, तो उसके बाद बाहर नहीं आ सकता, उसे कभी अपने से अलग नहीं करता हूं!’

“How wonderful must it be for those chosen few who are showered with the divine blessings of ‘Kanha’,’Ishwar’, ‘Allah’, ‘Christ’ इस अद्भुत तरीके से ! And, this is precisely what we should aim for ! ‘Dhyaan’ karte huey humey ‘Bhagwan’ ko apne andar, apni ‘atman’ mein, utaarne ki poori koshish karni chahiye.”

“However, as is in most endeavours of life, things are easier said than done. Success comes not to those who simply wish, but those who develop a burning desire and fan those flames to keep it going. Similarly, those on the path of spirituality must strive to kindle the desire to attain self realisation. Chanting God’s name or one’s ‘Guru mantra’ is no doubt essential and extremely beneficial; but one must learn to push himself beyond, as simply saying the ‘mantras’ mechanically is not enough. We must awaken the ‘jivatman’ from its slumber and motivate it to participate wholeheartedly along with our physical being while meditating.’ Bahut zaroori hota hai – ‘Aatman’ ki ‘chetna’ ko jagana!’ We need to call out to ‘Him’ from the deep recesses of our inner being while yearning for His ‘darshan’.”

” Every precious moment spent in ‘dhyan’ – while meditating on ‘His’ glorious form of our choice, gives us a golden opportunity to understand the divine nature of the ‘spiritual’ path. We understand the importance of meditating not only with our eyes closed and by trying to control a distracted mind that wanders in all directions, but also, by reaching a stage when our ‘atman’ is able to provide us with the insight and strength needed to experience the feeling of being ‘one’ with ‘Him’ – ‘Kyunki inhi kshon ke dauran humey ‘Ishwar’ ka ansh’ hona ka adbhut ehsaas, anubhooti hoti hai !’ “

“ While this is certainly not easy,  the struggle of focussing one’s ‘entire’ being on God must continue.The meaning and significance of each syllable of the sacred ‘guru mantra’ needs to be absorbed by us and every recital of the ‘guru mantra’ must make us aware of the cleansing of the ‘jivatman’ that begins to take place within us. A few, among us, very keen and alert can detect the cleansing process of the ‘ruh’ that sets in motion.The blissful reward of seeking liberation from the cycle of life and death is revealed to us, when our inner being, the ‘jivatman’, allows us to see a vision most beautiful; ‘its’ existence within us in the form of ‘pure’ light ; fascinatingly different from the colourful lights of divinity that we see emitting from our outer being while meditating.”

“ Meditation should not be considered as an ordinary task that is to be accomplished by us within a particular time frame. No. Rather, it is the most valuable ladder that can help us reach God’s abode. It is during those quiet moments when we sit in ‘dhyan mudra’ that we are able to hear our soul speak to us; connecting us, mentally and emotionally, to God and ‘Guru’, and, listen we must to our soul, as it is older than our heart, and wiser than our mind.”

Video courtesy : Shashwat Bhardwaj

🌺🌺🌺🙏🌺🌺🌺🙏🌺🌺🌺🙏🌺🌺🌺

‘Shikhar’ par vijay paa kar bhi ‘kritgya’ raho, ‘vinamra’ raho…’

Swamiji said…

“The emotions of happiness and elation, the surge of excitement that courses through our heart and mind on achieving the unattainable; on scaling the unconquerable; on breaking the glass ceiling; on fulfilling our dreams is indescribable. Praiseworthy are those who are finally able to make it to the top…’Joh apni lagan se, anganit prayason ke baad, bina haar maane, apni manzil, apne chahe hue ‘shikhar’ par jeet haasil karte hain!’ – and, all the more so, as the number in this ‘elite’ club is limited.”Kaun nahi chahta hai aisa karna!’ After all, how many of us are able to see the light of a day as fruitful and fulfilling as this! It requires focused effort, resilience and self-motivation to summit the peaks of one’s ambition; overcome all odds with a systematic plan, unflinching confidence and a passion to prove a point not only to others but above all to oneself also!”

“It is human frailty that makes all of us long to create a mark in this world and leave behind a legacy; be it in society as a socialite or a philanthropist; or as an exemplary
business leader, achieving unprecedented success, in a highly competitive corporate world. We toil and work hard smilingly, make innumerable sacrifices without complaining, overcome hardships; all the while being patient and approachable; take others along with us; work as a team- and do all this to inch closer to our goal- to reach the top.”

“However, our true character is tested when we reach the zenith and bask in the glory of success. Most of us fail this test as by this point in time we present a new, unfamiliar picture of ours that contradicts our past friendly image. Is it possible that while we are in the race to the top, we ‘pretend’ to be humble and kind! We say the right words to all the ‘right’ people who matter the most to us in in our journey to success. We try our best to come across as likeable persons. Even those, whose nature does not allow them to be truly kind, try to maintain some decorum and decency in their behaviour to get things working in their favour.”

“Yet, it is when we reach the finish line and are declared winners, that, at times, the masks are shed off and our true nature is revealed. Do we then change our colours like a chameleon and reveal a completely never seen before business minded side of ours? Do we abandon humility and forbearance, and simply ignore a voice that counters us, and crush opposition and competition mercilessly? Does the mirror now reflect an image that has hardened and become ruthless? Riding high on the wave of success, looking at the view below from the top, we tend to forget that instead of flying high, we need to plant our feet firmly on the ground for our own good.”

“Unfortunately, many among us, who although are fortunate enough to see the fruition of their dreams, reveal their darker side on reaching an enviable position of success and power. Such people let success go to their head, and within no time, pride and ego take over their mind completely. The time for basic courtesies or exchanging pleasantries with juniors is considered redundant. The delusion of being great takes over them and anyone who is not counted among their peers is not given due respect and attention.”

“We must remember that, many a times, those who are not as fortunate as us are all the more worthy of our respect, love and affection. Those among us who are successful today, are only so, because God allowed it to happen this way. It is shortsighted to feel ‘entitled’ to the fruits of our labour. Our success is thus not only, a culmination of our perseverance, right decisions and blessings of God, but also, the unobtrusive participation and support of others that helped us in achieving our ambition…’Aur tabhi hum apni ichcha ke ‘shikhar’ par jeet haasil kar paaye hain!’ We need to be in an eternal state of thankfulness and gratitude to Him for guiding us to touch the stars and taste sweet success.”

Swamiji said …

“भविष्य को किसने देखा है। ” – Who among us has seen the future? None of us. Yet, we, who are mere puppets in the hands of our Creator ; alive, only till the moment He wishes us to be, continue to derive great pleasure in making end number of plans for the future…our ‘bhavishya’, although unknown and unseen by us in the present moment, holds a mysterious fascination for us. A minute or less is all that it takes us to imagine ourselves in certain roles, places, and positions , in the future, with such ferocious certainty and conviction, that even a fortuneteller would think twice before cutting short our flight of futuristic plans. We constantly talk and dream about the manner in which we intend to go about planning and securing a better future for ourselves.There is nothing wrong in doing so – but we must remember that our ‘future’ is moulded by our habits of today, of the present time ; how conscious and diligent we are towards fulfilling our duties and responsibilities, today, and as we grow, and fulfil our ‘dharma’ towards our family, friends, society or the nation. After all, it is the strong foundation of faith, trust, belief and good values on which we stand today and hold close to our heart that will govern our future actions, thoughts and way of functioning.”

“Planning for the future, verbally, is always easy. It is acting upon one’s plans doggedly that takes effort and true dedication. A few of us; health conscious and troubled by our weight gain, could ‘plan’ to lose five kgs within a month; yet, in a matter of moments after making such a ‘plan’, we find it difficult to resist mouthwatering temptations. We end up pushing our slimming down ‘plans’ ahead by a few days. It is always easy to promise ourselves that we could restart our action plan from the next day. But, isn’t it our ‘duty’ to keep the body, that God has endowed us with, fit and healthy with a nutritious diet ? At such a time, it becomes our duty; an obligation that we owe to ourselves to follow a simple and healthy diet. If we approach our eating habits with the intent of being responsible for our health, the need of the ‘plan’ to lose weight would not have arisen in the first place !”

“ Be it academic recognition, financial reward or societal achievements – all such future ‘goals’ actually need us to live in the ‘present’ moment in a sensible and organised manner. We need to reinforce the thought and make it a part and parcel of our lives that
it is our ‘habits’ and ‘actions’ of ‘today’ that define ‘who’ and ‘where’ we will be tomorrow. Instead of constantly worrying about the future, we must learn to stay focussed on the present. A student who studies dutifully, regularly and completes his homework conscientiously, does not need to worry about getting into a good college later. A small time businessman who understands his ‘ dharma’ towards his customers, on making the needs and requirements of his customers his topmost priority, will most certainly see his business expand and grow in the near future. A farmer who genuinely cares for his crops will water them daily, keep them pest free and do everything that he needs to do as a responsible farmer. Needless to say, not only will he be rewarded with a rich harvest, but also, be successful in securing a better future for himself and his family.”

“While it is important to have goals and plans, one’s effort must also commensurate with them.We must strive to end our day with the satisfaction of knowing that we have done everything that was needed to be done by us – whether it be attending to professonal issues with sincerity ; meeting the emotional requirements of our family sensitively, and above all, by devoting time to spiritual growth earnestly. Success begets success. Life will give us better opportunities, tomorrow, and , in the future, only, if we are able to complete and achieve all that we were supposed to do today, in the present moment.”

” ‘Agar hum yeh aadat bana lete hain ki hum apne ‘aaj’ ke saare ‘kartavya’ karenge, apna ‘dharma’ nibhayenge, achche ‘karma’ karenge, toh avashya hi humara ‘bhavishya’ achcha hoga !”