Month: November 2022

Swami ji said…

Let us visualise, just for an instant, what the word ‘enemy’ describes. It is someone who has ill-intent towards us, attacks us when we are at our weakest and in the end leaves us for the worse. And while unfortunately there are enemies like this around us who we are mostly aware of and avoid; there are some that are unseen and are to be found within us. One such enemy is ‘anger’ – क्रोध – a vice – within nearly each one of us.

‘ To see red ‘ ; ‘ to seethe with anger ‘ – these are discomforting descriptions of an emotion through which we transit – rather easily. In no way can they be good for us. And yet, we often find ourselves in the clutches of anger. Sometimes while driving through a busy road or traffic ; sometimes while waiting in a queue. It takes over our being at any moment. A slight incident, the smallest of nudges is all it takes for us to lose our cool ; to make our blood boil. If we were to introspect honestly, we will realise that quite often, it might not be the actions of others, but , anger fuelled actions with which we retaliate – that truly hurt us.

Yes, anger is sometimes justified, but , what should not be acceptable is losing our control due to it. Anger rises within us when we feel wronged, when we feel that an injustice has been carried out … ‘जब हमारी कामना पूरी नहीं होती …’ But , like everything , patience is the key. We must always pause and let the swell of this strong emotion within us subside, and, then reflect on our anger. During such moments it would hold us in good stead to understand the situation in which we find ourselves poised and – giving ourselves some time to breathe easy – could help us avoid taking actions that we will only later regret. A little more reflection helps us identify what exactly made us angry and whether we were justified in expressing it vocally or otherwise.

This process of reflection over time will help us understand ourselves better. Do we have an inflated ego that keeps getting hurt ? Or are we being taken advantage of for our decency ?While the former will make us learn the importance of humility for our mental peace, the latter will make us learn to be stern with those who seek to harm us.

Impatience as a characteristic also leads to anger. Our inability to accept things not happening the way we want them to should not be a cause of anger. Venting – whenever a situation is unfavourable for us – only shows a weak spirit and an inability to adapt to unpredictable, unexpected actions and responses of others.

While anger is often portrayed as a sign of strength and aggression, in reality, it means that we are mentally so weak that anyone’s words or actions, any situation can turn our state of mind for the worse. Being angry only portrays a lack of control over our own actions when under duress. We should ask ourselves – would we like to be such a person? Would we be able to trust such a person who cannot control himself ?

Anger leads to bad ‘karma’ – and bad ‘karma’ leads to an even worse future. We must draw comparisons from the stories of Shri Krishna and ‘Karna’. Circumstances led both to be separated and abandoned by their parents as babies. Despite being born into royalty, they were recognised as a cowherd and charioteer respectively. Despite being mighty and having the greatest of skills and knowledge, neither was given the respect of a ‘Kshatriya’. While Shri Krishna was never made King, Karna had to be awarded a Kingdom and could gain none through his right. Yet, their reactions towards their circumstances defined their legacies. ‘Karna’ was forever bitter towards his life and circumstances, always believing he had been wronged and betrayed. His anger led him to pick arms against his brothers and be slain at the hands of one. On the other hand, Shri Krishna became a king maker instead. Not once did he complain about what life had to offer , and , instead, with a serene smile on his face ensured that society would be ruled by a lineage of just and principled kings who upheld ‘dharma’. In doing so, he rose beyond the heights of any other that walked this Earth and is even today worshipped by millions.

This is why it is important for us to be wary of anger – ‘क्रोध’ – that sits impatiently within us – waiting for just about anything to trigger it – for, we do not even realise when it takes control of us, feeds our ego and takes us away from the path of God. It is important to remember that one blinded by anger cannot see the light of God. We need to remember – ‘ ‘क्रोध’ हमारी कमज़ोरी का बयान करती है …’

Swami ji said …

In today’s world man is busy chasing dreams. Dreams of wealth, fame, fortune and other finer things in life. Everyday is a hustle. He deals with others around him the way it suits him – smiles at some, frowns at others ; makes promises to some and excuses to others. In this hullabaloo of life he forgets to do something extremely important – वह स्वयं का ‘आत्मनिरिक्षण’
करना भूल जाता है … which he must do time and time again , regularly and unfailingly. He seems to find time to do everything that interests him – but , somehow , fails to spare those few minutes needed to sit awhile , and , interact with the ‘self ‘, and , ask himself how he has been doing ? How does he really feel about himself ? What has he become ? His reluctance to do so makes one feel that he is afraid to face the honest answers that he would receive from his ‘self ‘.

Like any journey, the journey of life , too, makes a traveller weary – and that traveller in this case is the ‘soul’. The numerous ups and downs; trials and tribulations; joys and successes leave their mark on a person’s character. What one sets out as – is nowhere close to how one emerges – at the end of this journey. It thus becomes important to stop once in a while and take stock of our ‘self.’ Self – reflection thus becomes important. Do we pay attention to what we are evolving and turning into ? Are we very happy with the kind of individuals that we are becoming ? Most of us love ourselves the way we are – our nature , temperament – every single thing about ourselves – and do not hesitate in declaring that we are perfect ; that there is nothing wrong in us. If this is not a delusional thought – then what is ? A thought of this kind can only be a figment of our imagination ! There is always room for a lot of improvement in ourselves.

Do we raise some honest, critical questions to ourselves ? ‘ Am I as good as I project myself to those around me ! Do I play games with people – of pretence, deception, dishonesty ? Do I tell people that I like them on their face and talk ill behind their back ? Do I find it easy to lie ? What sort of a person am I ? Am I the sort of person I would like to see around me ?’
Believe me , you will find all the answers within yourself, as similar to the manner in which a mirror never lies – the conscience too only speaks the truth.

Repeated failures can make some of us highly negative and we might not even realise it. Some of us might have become very comfort-minded over time and not seen the subtle changes in our behaviour. Some of us might have become susceptible to dishonesty in order to escape the various stresses of life. It is only periodic self-reflection that can make us stay alert and aware of these changes that take place in our character.

Just like in our childhood – when we used to clean and decorate our classrooms for inspections and make rigorous efforts to ensure that our class was awarded the prize for the best classroom – we must also make regular efforts to inspect ‘ourselves’ – and just like we used to clean away the dust and cobwebs that had begun to spread – we must curtail the growth of bad characteristics, wrong habits , weaknesses in us – overcome them and be an honest, genuine version’ of ourselves.

For the spiritual practioner, ‘self- reflection’ – and on seeing his shortcomings – constantly improve and correct himself ; overcome his weaknesses and purify his ‘soul’ further – is what leads to self-realisation. It is only when we observe ourselves keenly – our mind, its thoughts, the actions that these thoughts yield – it is only then that we start the process of understanding who and what we are – and also the main purpose of our life – which is to merge our ‘soul’ with our Creator.

Swami ji said…

We are all unique and have our own skills and talents. Some are born with them , while , others develop and hone them with time. Whatever the case may be – these abilities are what, rather often than not, enable us to earn a living, become wealthy, or even become famous. Some of us have artistic talents ; some are blessed with physical and mental prowess, and, others have exceptional gifts, that serve them well in their respective circumstances and situations. The tonal quality of a singer’s voice can win him fame and acclaim. The sharp mind of a stock trader could make him fabulously rich. Greater oratory skills could make a politician a great orator and extremely popular with his countrymen. Smart managerial abilities could make one a CEO of an international company. Hours and hours of practice at improving one’s skill or ability can pay rich dividends over time, and , there are many of us who are doing so now – enjoying the fruits of our abilities and skill. We are confident of our abilities and thereby assured of the successful outcome of our actions.

But, in all this hay and glory, we often let confidence turn into arrogance; and let our success make us feel invincible. The ego takes control over the mind, it tells us – ‘ See what YOU have achieved. Only YOU could have done this. This is all YOUR doing.’ And suddenly we hold ‘ourselves’ in great esteem and develop an air of self-importance. We hold our heads proudly and show the world what WE have created. This is the time that काल is hovering around our head – for it takes away our ‘बुद्धि’. We forget that our abilities and skills are God’s gifts to us and instead of attributing all our joys and successes to God’s grace – we instead congratulate ourselves and put ourselves on a pedestal. Our actions and words follow suit – they are egoistic and arrogant. We behave like know-alls.

The humility and patience that was once our trademark and which had helped us to reach where we are today, seem to have been shed off by us during our ‘ego trip’. We reach a stage when we refuse to listen to anyone but ourselves. Those days of the past appear to be lost somewhere , when we had always been eager to listen to others’ perspectives and feedback.
Businessmen who believe they know more than their customers; artists who feel they know better than the audience – such is the typical behavior exhibited by those heady in their own success.

It is said that the poet-sage Valmiki was once informed that even the great Hanuman had written a Ramayana. Intrigued, Valmiki ji set out to lay his eyes on Shri Hanuman’s Ramayana. On reading the words that had been written by Shri Hanuman, tears rolled from his eyes and he began to cry in sorrow. When asked by Shri Hanuman as to why was He crying , it is said that Valmiki ji confessed, that Shri Hanuman’s Ramayana was much better than his own and that he was convinced that no one would be interested in his Ramayana once they had read Shri Hanuman’s treatise. It is said that on hearing this Shri Hanuman immediately tore his own writings, leaving Valmiki ji all the more bewildered. On being asked to explain his actions, Shri Hanuman told Valmiki that he had written his Ramayana only for Shri Ram and not to receive any praise from anyone. If his Ramayana had caused grief to Valmiki ji , there was no reason for the world to see it, as he did not need the fame and accolades of writing a great epic. All that mattered to him was Shri Ram’s blessings and love.

We must learn an everlasting lesson from this story. Not once did it occur to Shri Hanuman that he was the ‘better writer’ nor did he once think of enjoying the fruits of his labor as a writer. He did not take any pride in his knowledge and literary prowess. He did not seek any recognition. What he did, he did only for Shri Ram. We too must learn to attribute all our achievements to God’s grace on us. We must accept that whichever abilities we have – are only a means to an end that God has given us. What we achieve from them are also God’s gifts to us.

हमे हमेशा यह याद रखना चाहिए – ‘ ‘क्षमता’ और ‘ज्ञान’ को, अपना ‘गुरु’ बनाना चाहिए, अपना ‘गुरुर’ नहीं…’

Swami ji said…

The soul is what truly exists… the rest – body, mind, family, friends, society etc. all are destructible and temporary. Yet, we all love to talk and interact with the world around us – rather than making an attempt to interact with our soul. We want to tell others about ourselves – to acquaint people with – what and who we are – our ambitions and achievements. We take it for granted that it is essential for us to make our presence felt. Be it in a social gathering or through social media – there is always an urge to say something. Even if we are too shy to speak up in a large gathering, the mind still thinks of what could have been said. A suggestion here – a piece of advice there.There is always something that can be said or added – we feel.

Yet, all this talk, all this noise is of little value as the world around us is only ‘maya’ – an illusion. It cannot give us true knowledge. True knowledge, however, can only be gained from that which has existed forever, that which has known the world from before its creation – the soul – the आत्मा | Have we ever heard of saints who spent their time like the rest of us? Why did they observe silence – मौन? Why did they meditate in isolation ? ‘ध्यान’ को इतनी महत्वता क्यों दी जाती है ? It was simply to let them hear the voice of their inner self – their soul. They learnt to switch off the thoughts of the mind, the voices of others and simply hear what their soul told them.The greatest spiritual books of the world do not tell us anything new – they only reveal what the soul already knew. The joy and ecstasy we feel on attaining knowledge is not because we have obtained knowledge, but , that the veil of ignorance has been lifted to reveal a little more of what the spirit knows.

This does not mean that we must not talk at all. Such a thought in itself is absurd. But all talk must be thoughtful. Words must be spent wisely, and , that can only be done by one who has had time to think, to reflect well , before speaking. Our words should be a reflection of what our soul reveals to us , during the time, we listen to it attentively – when we are conscious of its communication with us. That is what makes our words truly worth being listened too.

Prayers themselves are a form of dialogue between God and us. Here, it is we who do the talking and God who does the listening. But how much time do we give to the reverse ? Meditation is us listening for God’s signals – our soul’s message to us. Only on listening keenly are we able to understand what we must do, what direction we must take that will be good for us. The answers to our prayers come only in contemplation. Without contemplation, prayers only amount to wishful thinking.

It so happens, that , many a times the mind prods us to ask God to fulfil a desire …’मन’ हमे अक्सर उकसाता है कि ‘ईश्वर’ से कुछ मांग लो, ‘आत्मा’ रोक देती है यह कहकर – कि प्रभु ने जितना दिया है, क्या हम उसके काबिल भी थे।’