Month: February 2022

” A ‘sadguru’…’a saccha sant ‘ should be in an eternal state of gratitude and thankfulness to God for blessing him with a life that enables him to make God his focal point, his epicentre. No other talk, except conversation related to God, ‘dharma’ – religion, and , spirituality interests a ‘guru’ and can hold his attention for long. He should seek detachment from ‘ I ‘ – his ego and also inculcate in his devotees the necessity of comprehending the Real Truth; the fact that the life and existence with which they relate themselves is just a myth. Since none of us ‘really’ exist, then with ‘which’ and ‘whose’ ego do we attach and associate ourselves.”

” Gradually, an enlightened ‘guru’ starts developing a sense of detachment from his exterior self, his physical being, his family, his loved ones and reaches a stage when no worldly possessions matter to him. He is able to master his emotions and senses and does not depend on any external factor to gain happiness. His happiness lies in the happiness of his devotees.”

” God loves us all equally and it is thus the duty of a ‘guru’, too, to treat all his devotees in an equal , fair and impartial manner. It does not befit a ‘guru’ to give more importance and special blessings to devotees from an influential and affluent background and treat the less fortunate devotees in a discriminatory manner. So involved, should a ‘sachcha sant’ be in doing good for his devotees, that he should willingly take upon himself the suffering of his devotees – heedless, uncaring about the cycle of life and death. His sole intent should be to be ‘connected’ with every devotee of his – every moment of the day and night. When his devotees are fast asleep, after a hard day’s work, it is then the time for the ‘guru’ to remain awake and keep watch on each one of them. It is during those unguarded moments , when his devotees are asleep that a ‘guru’ should ward off the obstacles that could come their way , thereby ensuring from his side that all is well with his devotees. A ‘guru’ should be willing to have poison’ – so that his devotees can have ‘amrit’ – holy nectar !”

” ‘Gyaan’…True Knowledge imparted by a self realised ‘guru’ to one pure, good soul – one who derives great joy in meditating, experiences ecstasy in God’s presence, doesn’t tire of chanting God’s name repeatedly, whose sole aim in life is to attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death…can benefit ten other people by propagating the sacred words that had been passed on, bequeathed to ‘him’ by his ‘guru’ and continue his selfless, noble work.Ten to twenty dedicated, devoted and disciplined followers of a ‘guru’ can ensure that the divine words and work of their ‘guru’ can be preserved for posterity. The divine love and commitment borne by a disciple for his ‘guru’ can galvanize him to move mountains in order to immortalise his ‘guru’s’ name for eternity.”

Swami ji said…

“ ‘The truth will set you free! ” These words, set in gold, have been heard by most of us at some time or the other. And, while they sound philosophical and wise, they are seldom applied by us in our own lives.”

” The reason behind this is quite simple. The ‘truth’ can be hard to hear, difficult to bear and deal with. In an illusionary world, where our senses are constantly engaged with ‘maya’, the ‘truth’ often comes as a rude shock and awakening. However, it is only by acknowledging the ‘truth’ that one can find happiness in one’s life.”

” Speaking the ‘truth’ is difficult, especially when it is not ‘self-serving’ and means admittance of a mistake or guilt. However, it is the pain, the suffering of that guilt that reminds one to avoid making mistakes, to become better. The truth, thus only leads to one’s betterment , happiness and mental peace.”

” However, just speaking the truth is not enough. Often, one does not acknowledge one’s own truth, which is perhaps an even greater crime than speaking a lie. We all are guilty of running away from ourselves; for not listening to ourselves. We all know when we are doing something wrong or right. We are well aware of the nature of every action of ours. But, very often, we simply push aside the ‘truth’ deliberately; refuse to accept that our actions might be wrong, and , simply go on doing them as they are self-serving or easier to do than otherwise.”

” We are also guilty of not accepting the situations we are in, or , those that we foresee ourselves to be in, as we find making the effort to change them a very difficult task. We simply turn a blind eye to our own circumstances out of laziness. While the ‘truth’ simply tells us to make an effort, our lethargy makes us look the other way.”

” It is the fear of change, fear of hard work and effort that makes us oblivious to the truth. However, we must realise that it is only by listening to our conscience, our ‘inner voice’, that our life turns into an adventure. Yes, there will be challenges when we are forced to change and improve ourselves, or , our circumstances for the better. There will be pain and sacrifice. However, there will not be the unending monotony and dreariness that afflicts comfort-seeking modern society today.”

“We must trust the fact that pursuing the truth, though challenging, will not ever hurt us or impair us. While society at large might not, God will most definitely lookout for those who follow the path of ‘truth’ and that is the faith that one must live with. It is only then that we will be able to make our lives truly meaningful and happy.”

“A person’s thoughts play a vital role in shaping not only, him, but also, his future – as the thoughts that arise in his mind alone have the power to direct and guide him to pursue a particular course of action ; act in a particular manner; encourage him to achieve what he desires in the future. His optimistic thoughts mould him accordingly; propel and motivate him to design a better, brighter future. Our positive thoughts have the power to eliminate all negativity and negative elements within us enabling us to overcome the obstacles that stand in our path and change things for an improved tomorrow. Negative thoughts, on the other hand, only pull us down.”

“We do as we think and we become what we think. Everything is in our mind. Our mind has total control over us and, we, to a certain extent pamper it, by allowing it take complete possession over us. It is here that we need to be very careful. We must never permit our mind to gain supremacy over us. In fact, it is ‘we’ who need to put in everything possible to gain complete and absolute control over it and not allow it to control us. We cannot be enslaved by our mind. We should be the master of our mind and our mind should be our slave. Once we are able to conquer the whimsical mind, exercise restraint on our senses, we will experience great mental peace and equilibrium. We will see the best come out of us.”

“Don’t let emotions sway you. You cannot be a puppet in the hands of your emotions ; at the mercy of the many negative thoughts that your mind dwells on. Don’t let negative situations and circumstances gain an upper hand or a stranglehold on your mood. Be resolute and obdurate when you feel that things are not in your favour. Be stubborn while facing the challenge as you have made up your mind that you will not give up , and , instead face it boldly, filled with surety that your faith in your resolve, determination – will not blow away with the first gust of a strong wind heralding the brewing of a storm.”

“Always remember – the only thing permanent is ‘change’. Seasons change and so will things. Life could be placid or tumultous on different days. Be practical and logical in both situations. Work towards attaining complete mastery over your senses, your mind – which will tempt you, entice you and distract you to succumb to them…give in to them. You cannot be a weakling – enslaved and entrapped by them, at their beck and call. You have to master this skill, this art ; make your mind strong, as you progress on the spiritual path.”

” Your mind exults on seeing you acquire material comforts and benefits ; reach an exalted state in society, but ‘you’ must remind ‘it’ not to get too carried away on seeing the fulfilment of your materialistic desires. The ‘mind’ needs to be awakened to the fact that fulfilment of such desires is a clear indication that you are still some distance away from ‘realising’ God, but, if these desires are not fulfilled, then, there is a possibility that you might find ‘Him’ one day.”

Swami ji said…

” The epic – ‘Mahabharat’ imparts many a great lesson to those who ‘study’ it. One such crucial lesson can be learnt from an interaction between Lord Krishna, Arjun and Duryodhan.”

” It is said that Shri Krishna – seeking to be impartial – had promised both sides assistance in the war. He had thus offered his large ‘Narayani Sena’ (army) to one side, and , his presence and support as a ‘saarthi’ and advisor to the other side.”

” When the time to choose between the two presented itself, Arjun, who was given the right to choose first, unblinkingly, chose Shri Krishna’s presence by his side, instead of the large army. It is believed that Duryodhan, who was delighted at the prospect of getting the support of thousands of soldiers, went away very pleased with the way events had turned out for him.”

” While many today would tell us that the mistake made by Duryodhan in choosing the ‘sena’ and not Lord Krishna possibly cost him the war, let us stop for a moment and reflect on the nature of choices that are made by us today ! The choice that Duryodhan made that day is a choice made by many of us, today , repeatedly and knowingly. If we put ourselves in Duryodhan’s shoes – we can clearly see what he saw – a seemingly unbeatable army on one side and a wisdom – preaching ‘man’ on the other side. He was certain that he had made the right choice by choosing the strong army, as according to him a massive army alone could make him victorious in the battle. Having Lord Krishna’s wisdom, guidance and blessings on his side meant nothing to him ; all that mattered to him was the size of the army ; as he felt that his enemy would find it difficult to fight a larger army. Unfortunately for him, his decision proved to be wrong.”

” We too often make such choices in life. We simply take the ‘easier’ path. We do not pause to think whether the ‘difficult’ path might actually be the right path; the path that could lead us to our destination. We do not stop to listen to our ‘heart’ to see whether our moral compass also points in that very direction that our logic tells us to move towards. In such cases, the right path is often the difficult, challenging path.”

” While it is easy to say that God is on our side, it is difficult to implement that belief and faith in our actions. A clerk who does not take bribes, but, diligently works every day, appears to be a fool when compared to his greedy counterparts, who need to get their palms greased even before pushing a file.Yet, why does he continue to work in an honest manner ? Would his family not be better off if he too turned corrupt and took money offered to him as a bribe ? What then does his honesty, his faith that God will support him – bring him? Why does he make life ‘difficult’ for himself by following his ‘dharma’? It is because, like Arjun, he knows, that victory will be his in the end. No matter what hardships and challenges his chosen ‘path’ bring him – it will make sure he reaches his ‘destination’.”

” In the material world, it is difficult to discern the ‘intangible’. We see people around us taking shortcuts, making deals, being ‘smart’. We see numerous choices being made, similar to the one that Duryodhan would have made. Yet, we rarely see anyone with the belief and spirituality of Arjun. Rarely do we come across those who remain steadfast to their principles. It is upon us, the spiritual seeker, to not straightaway opt for the easy path. Sometimes the path is clear , sometimes not so much. Every twist , every turn can challenge our sense of direction. But it is the choice that we make when we reach the fork in the path that define who we are !The path to God…the path to Krishna, will be winding and long – and the destination too might not be in sight ; however, our faith in God, in our principles, must act as our guiding light and keep pushing us forward – towards Him. Only then will we emerge victorious from the struggle of life.”