Month: May 2022

Swami ji said..

” We live in the ‘kalyug’, where deceit and treachery are rampant. We are not what we appear to be on the surface. We are capable of saying very sweet, honey laced words to a person , while entertaining
wicked thoughts about him at the same time. These days a man’s word has little value , and , his honor – even less. Cases of scams and theft dominate news headlines regularly. It is believed that beneath great wealth lies a great crime.”

” Such surroundings and beliefs make it difficult for anyone to believe that they can get to anywhere in this world by being a good old ‘truth sayer’. And, this is true to a large extent. All of us speak a lie , or , hide the truth, or , mis-represent a fact, at some point, in a day, to move forward with our lives. Being cent percent truthful seems impractical and self – destructive in today’s competitive world. In some cases, it seems justified to speak a lie, than to speak the truth. This is what we tell ourselves to feel less guilty. Sometimes this is done at work to get out of a tough spot , or , with a family member to avoid a tumultuous situation. While our ‘wisdom’ might tell us that such ‘good, well intended lies’ can do no harm, we should be mindful that it is only God who can truly judge our actions and their effects.”

” But, the true danger from such suppositions is that this acceptance of falsehood creeps into our own behaviour. Slowly, but surely, we begin to tell ourselves lies. Whenever, the small voice of truth in us speaks up and tries to remind us that we are lying, the loud noise made by untruth and lies – drowns out the honest, truthful voice within us. This is where true danger lies. Once we play a deaf ear to the honest voice , it becomes easy for dishonesty to rule over us with ease.”

” A smoker, fully aware of the consequences of smoking, convinces himself with endless excuses of – why smoking cannot hurt him , but , hides from the truth that he is addicted to smoking. An alcoholic tells himself the lie that the drink that he has at the moment is the last drink he will ever have – but, hides from the truth that he has no control over himself on seeing a bottle of liquor in front of him. A weak student always tells himself that he will start studying seriously from the next exam – and refuses to accept the fact that he is distracted and is prirotizing other things over studies. Even a kleptomaniac hides from the truth that he will be caught someday and will have to face the consequences of his dishonest actions. We must stop living in denial mode and stop feeding lies to ourselves.”

” The ‘ truth ‘, however, like medicine, is bitter. But, ‘it’ is what cures us of all evils. Often, it is someone else who sheds light on the hard hitting ‘truth’ about us – from which we have been trying to hide. A co-worker or a senior might highlight our professional drawbacks which we might never have tried to address ourselves, despite being fully aware of them. A parent or sibling might call out to our poor behaviour that we have never tried to work on. In such situations, our ego is hurt, our self-esteem takes a hit. But, we must also find liberation in such situations. We must eat humble pie and face ‘our’ reality.”

” A good way to begin working on knowing the real ‘ us’ – is to sit in silence and reflect. We must listen to what bothers our heart. All the years of lying to ourselves and deceiving ourselves, often , makes us deaf to the one voice that matters the most – the voice of our heart – which never lies and much like a judge, ticks a right or wrong on the nature of every action we take. Listening to the heart’s concerns will make us aware of what we need to do. For some, it might mean taking greater care of their health by giving up their wrong habits ; for others it might mean to stop stealing ; for the third person, it might mean coming out clean, to family and friends, on matters they had hidden from them in the past.”

” While the process could seem hard, impossible and arduous in the beginning ; seeking a life of truthfulness by first being honest and truthful to ourselves – about ourselves, will give us purity of mind and joy in spirit. Always remember – ‘Truth’ cannot remain hidden, it shall always prevail in the end….’सत्य’ चुभ सकता है पर ‘छुप’ नही सकता…”

Swami ji said…

” Societal changes happen at a fast pace alongwith the changing generational mindset and needs. The present time is witnessing a chase by people for money, fame, and success. There are millions of us, who prefer to live in our own worlds, concerned with only our issues and problems. We do not seem to have much time, when, it comes to relating with the problems and issues of others. In today’s world, we form opinions of others through social media – photos and status; videos and posts. A news headline, a piece of gossip, is more than enough for us, to form a strong view of another person’s character, actions or situation , without pausing to reflect, what could really be underneath the surface.”

” We see , but , rarely do we ‘observe’ those around us. We continue living with our assumptions about others and tend to classify them immediately. How many of us have ever given a second thought to the mental state and physical plight of the handicapped beggars who come to us, winding their way through heavy traffic, at a traffic light, in the hope of getting alms from us ? Do we ever wonder about the emvironmental conditions in which he would be living ? We drive past them often enough, but , ignore them, as if they did not exist. We think of them as only desperate and criminal elements and , hence, want to be far away from them. But, do we ever ponder as to how do they pass their days while we enjoy the comforts of our home ? How do they keep themselves cool in the heat of summers or stay warm in the cold of winters ? We believe that a 10 rupee note will take care of them and promptly forget about them. Do we ever thank God for the cool air of our air conditioners, and, the warm water in our geysers, and , pause to think of the living conditions of the less fortunate who live on the streets, and, pray to God to give them the strength to face the difficulties of their life ?”

” More often than not we show our displeasure to the delivery boys, who get delayed for whatever reason, in delivering food to us, in the scorching heat and do not bother to ask them if they were thirsty and would like to have a glass of water. Just for a minute, visualise what would be our state, if we were at the receiving end of such behaviour. We shout at call centre executives who call us up in the middle of the day. We are irritated by their calls and very often speak rudely to them. But, do we ever think that they too are trying to earn a living by putting in hours of work for a nominal salary? We must not make feel them feel small by humiliating or insulting them with our arrogance.”

” Empathy is often mistaken as a sign of weakness, and , hence, people develop a blind eye to the troubles and problems of others.This becomes an impediment to their spiritual development. If the soul is not stirred by the suffering of others, do we deserve to be called human beings ? Being empathetic does not entail solving everyone’s troubles. It is neither practical nor possible for us to live a life solving other people’s problems only. However, what we can do is to be understanding and respectful. Once we learn to truly walk in someone’s shoes and see life through their eyes, we will have a kinder and more considerate attitude towards them. We will be able to feel their pain and joy, and , understand what makes them behave the way we do. It is only then that we will begin to think of serving others in whatever capacity we can, and , realise that there is divine joy in doing so ; when tears well up in our eyes and the ‘soul’ feels that it has being cleansed further by the purity of our action.”

” Empathy leads to humility. Once we feel the pain that others experience while going through their trials and tribulations in life, we realize that we truly have been blessed by God with what we have. We realise that others also struggle as much, if not more than us , and , yet seem to have much less than us. We realize then that it is not our efforts , but , only God who ultimately ensures our well being. This only motivates us to continue to do good ‘karma’ and keep our faith in God.”

” The spiritual seeker must be empathetic to those around him. He can only see God’s miracles at play – if and when, he places himself in the sad and unfortunate situations of others and realises how fortunate he is to be blessed with His abundant blessings.”

Swami ji said…

” It is very difficult to define life. If It is complicated and complex, it is colourful and comforting too. If, life’s surprises are fascinating and funny ; its shocks
are frightening and formidable. None of us can throw a challenge at ‘life’ and say mockingly – ‘ I know you !’ ‘I understand you !’ A few learned men, who, made an attempt to understand ‘it’ by reading every word of the Holy scriptures, humbly agreed later – ‘ The only thing certain about life is that it cannot be understood !’ The same mind, the same brain, that can create an application that is used by millions all over the world, is unable to understand the unpredictable nature of life. All of us are at a loss of words when it comes to stating with certainty about what ‘zindagi’ has to offer us the next day.”

” Life in itself is ironic.The contrasting nature of emotions that it makes us live through, whether we race joyfully or struggle complainingly through it, are beyond one’s understanding. One thing that cannot be refuted about life is that it takes sadness to know what happiness is, noise to appreciate silence and absence to value presence. It leaves us feeling confused, doesn’t it ? What are we but puppets with our drawstrings in the hands of ‘zindagi’ – life.”

” But, amidst this confusion, not for a moment should we forget, to be thankful to God and feel indebted to Him for giving us this…’ Zindagi – jiss ke har rang mein hummein dhal jaana chahiye !’ The ‘beauty’ of life ; to be alive in the moment ; to soak in the visual beauty of all that ‘He’ has gifted us with, the blessings that He has showered us with are to be treasured; whether it is an event that we are celebrating, or, a crisis that we are trying to fix. ‘ Humara kartavya banta hai ki jis bhi stithi mein hum apne aap ko paate hain , har haal mein hum khush rahein. Dukh – sukh hamesha saath chalte hain!’ But, ultimately ‘one’ always gives way to the other, making us accept and emerge from both.”

” Similarly, a spiritual aspirant who has given up hope of ever being accepted by a ‘guru’, knows no bounds of happiness, when he is not only blessed with the ‘darshan’ of a ‘guru’ but also receives ‘gyaan’ from Him. It is the lull before the storm that makes us appreciate the difference between noise and silence. A ‘saadhak’ relates with the silence of peace and stillness that permeates his inner being, once the awakened ‘kundalini’ settles down, after whipping up a turbulent spiritual storm within him, and, illuminating him internally. This can only be understood on experiencing it. When a ‘sadguru’ takes ‘samadhi’, His absence is missed greatly by His devotees as He had helped them in understanding the purpose of their life ; the balanced manner in which life should be lived, with a smile on our face, as if telling the world…
” मुस्कुराहट इसलिए है क्योंकि ‘जिंदगी’ से न हारने का वादा हैं।”

Swami ji said…

” We live in a world where people only want to be heard , but, do not want to bother themselves by listening to the views of others around them; where people only want to be seen airing their opinion, but, refuse to see other’s perspectives. Their self – worth is so inflated that they cannot comprehend anything beyond themselves. That is the ‘ego’ at work – leading us to our doom and destruction.”

” Our ‘ego’ can lead us astray by playing devious tricks with us – one of which is by making us stubborn. As an obstinate fool – one cannot bear to hear anyone challenge his views or course of action. The ‘my way or the highway’ attitude rules such a person’s behaviour. Such people are convinced that only their actions will bear fruition, or, that only they have a clear understanding of any and all situations.Their ego dances with glee on seeing them have their own way all the time and encourages them to behave like stubborn mules.”

” Being stubborn or obstinate is not wrong in itself. If one is stubborn for a positive cause, while working towards his goals, his ambitions, then that obstinacy is a wonderful characteristic to possess. But, to be blinded in one’s own admiration and abilities , and , thus disregard other’s opinions is a recipe for self- sabotage. Such obstinacy is also a result of always wanting to be proven right – and the fear of being wrong.”

” An obstinate person is his own enemy. Such a person is unable to accept his mistakes, let alone an error, and, thus cannot improve ; and, if, one cannot improve, then he is bound to live caged within the rigid confines of obstinacy and in misery as ‘अक्सर ‘ज़िद’ को पकड़े रहने से, ‘हाथ’ और ‘साथ’ दोनो छूट जाते हैं।”

” We must beware of becoming ‘हठी ‘ – stubborn. Success in life can also breed ‘जिद्द’ in us. Strangely, we are greatly enamoured with this streak of stubbornness in ourselves, with our aggressive attitude and become over – confident about our overbearing behaviour , as , our ‘ego’ deludes us into believing that it is only ‘we’ who know and can do everything right. Thus, the moment we find ourselves getting annoyed with suggestions made by others ; the moment we find ourselves saying ‘No’ to others’ ideas even before hearing them out; or, the moment we catch ourselves ‘tuning out’ when someone else speaks or presents their views – we must know that we are catching the ‘flu’ of stubbornness.”

” Even if it annoys us, even if it makes our false pride wince – we must make an attempt to listen to the suggestions of others. We must be attentive listeners, pay heed to the views of others and learn something new and different from them. We need to do things that feed our ‘soul’ and not our ‘ego’, but, by being stubborn are we anywhere close to attaining this ?”

” Children can be a victim to stubborness. Their young minds often learn – wrongly – that constant crying and yelling can always get them what they want. Doting parents, out of blind love for their children, give in to their children’s tantrums. As they grow up, a habit of being rewarded for their stubbornness, grows in these children, turning them into hard-headed adults who are diffcult to deal with. Their stubborness ultimately becomes their greatest handicap, and, ultimately costs them their friends and well-wishers who find all their efforts and good advice wasted in the face of obstinacy.”

” A spiritual seeker’s definition of stubbornness takes a completely different meaning , when he refuses to let anything , and , anyone come in the way of his single minded steadfastness of seeking God – otherwise, ‘ज़िद’ – obstinacy in any other form for him, would be much like wearing a blindfold even in the brilliance of God’s divine light.”