” ‘नर्क’ और ‘स्वर्ग’, दोनों यहीं हैं …”

Swamiji said …

” Life is what we make out of it. Every moment of our life plays out to the chords of the tune set by us, which in turn, depends completely on our interpretation of life. How we look at life is what matters the most ! Our temperament, belief, attitude and outlook play a pivotal role in making us compose either a lilting, lively melody for the joyous ‘song’ of our life, or , fabricate a grieving, melancholic strain for the sad ‘dirge’ called life. Life is all about making choices and so does the choice, whether we intend to make it blissful or stressful, rests only with us.”

“Mere mortals like us have no knowledge of what lies beyond the realm of human life, but, the often heard vivid and detailed descriptions of ‘Swarg’, ‘Narak’…’Heaven’ and ‘Hell’ have always held an undeniable, peculiar fascination for us.The narratives of ‘The Abode of The Lord ‘ and ‘ The Darkness of The Devil’ fill us either with sensations; pleasurable and divine at the very attempt of trying to create a visual of wondrous ‘Heaven’, or , at the same time could overwhelm us with feelings of morbid fear and trepidation at the very mention of ‘Hell’.” Whether ‘heaven’ is wondrous or ‘hell’ is hot, we do not know. But what we do know is – ‘what’ we experience in the ‘now’ ; at the moment, in this life. And, it is here – as we wade through the journey of life, in everyday life situations, that we can find and realise …’Jivan ke har pal mein ! Jis tarah hum har kshan ko jeete hain, ussi se hum apni zindagi ko swayam ‘swarg’ ya ‘nark’ banate hain.”

” Our perceptions differ when we look at a glass filled halfway to the brim. It can be viewed as half full by an optimist , or , half empty by a pessimist. In a similar manner, it is how we choose to view and experience our lives, our circumstances – that make life either ‘hell’ or ‘heaven’ for us.”

“Our past ‘karma’, not only determines the family in which we take birth, but also, pre-decides the obstacles and opportunities that we will come across in life. The one power that we are given is the ability to control our thoughts and actions. And, it is these thoughts and actions that determine how we experience and live life. A calm mind that surrenders to the will of God , and , a heart that is content and soaked in love and gratitude for God’s divine plan…’Aisa mehsoos karta hai jaise ki woh ‘swarg ‘ mein ho…’ and a restless mind that questions God at every step, discontent and clamours for more incessantly…’Apne liye ‘narak’ bana leta hai !”

“ ‘कमल कीचड़ में खिलता है ” – Much like the lotus that blooms in a stagnant pool of mud, we too should have the strength to live joyous and blissful lives in the most dreary, demanding and challenging circumstances. With belief in God and the willingness to work hard, any one of us can live the most liberating and happy lives, irrespective of our surroundings. We only have to create those magical moments of happiness, for ourselves, as well as, for everyone around us. Learn to untie the knots of hatred and instead cultivate forgiveness and kindness in ourselves.
Remember that hatred is taught ; kindness is spontaneous, natural. We must create every opportunity to appreciate others and make the windows of their ‘souls’…the eyes…light up with happiness and joy.”

” Ultimately, it is the mind which is the source of all happiness and misery. The mind can always easily find ‘that’ which is lacking in our lives, and make us ‘want’ more, making us feel dissatisfied with life. But with careful thought and meditation, one can control one’s reactions to such thoughts, and, carefully assess what one truly ‘needs’ for his life to be more fulfilling and act accordingly.”

” The more we learn to discipline the mind, control our impuses, make it wise with the knowledge of the ancient texts and ‘gyan’ of great teachers, the more we will learn to be unaffected by the ‘moh-maya’ of the world. It is only with an enlightened mind that we will succeed in pushing away the darkness of ‘hell’ and negativity from our existence, and , create ‘heaven’ for ourselves on earth with a positive, happy mindset.”

” ‘Jivan’ ko ‘swarg’ ya ‘narak’ banana humare haath mein hai ! Jis parivar mein chahe bahut dhan na ho, parantu prem ho, vishwas ho, ek doosre ka khayal rakhte hon, sukh-dukh ek doosre ke saath baant te hon, unke liye yahin ‘swarg’ hai … aur woh parivar joh dhani hai, parantu parivar ke sadasyon mein prem na ho, swarth ho, ladai jhagda ho, vishwasghat ho, woh maano ‘narak’ mein hi reh rahe hain’!”