Month: December 2022

Swami ji said …

Our fascination and obsession with everything expensive and exclusive that our eyes rest on – is clearly visible – as our talks and thoughts are dominated by ways and means of acquiring and possessing them. The more valuable and bankable our assets turn out to be and the weightier our bank statements – greater seems to be our sense of contentment and happiness then. We move around complacently like a Cheshire cat , twirl our mustaches and rub our hands in glee on acquiring the most expensive clothes, fancy cars and luxurious
condominiums. Any expensive item has to barely make its entry in the market – and we make a beeline towards it. ‘ I simply have to own this ‘ – we promise ourselves. The adrenaline rush that we experience while being surrounded by top brands – makes us drift away from
‘reality’ – which tries to remind us time and time again – to value the present moment… हमारा ‘वर्तमान’ – as ‘it’ alone is most expensive and valuable. No amount of money, power or penance can buy back our present time. We thus need to make our present relevant, meaningful and exemplary – without reflecting too much on the past and getting knotted up about the future.

‘ जीवन की चमक धमक मे हम यह भूल गए हैं कि, जीवन की सबसे महँगी चीज़ हमारा वर्तमान है …जो एक बार चला जाता है तो फिर सारे जग की संपत्ति भी उसे खरीद नहीं सकती है।’

The choice is ours – to either understand the immense value of every second that we are fortunate enough to breathe and witness – हमारे वर्तमान मे – by drawing a balance between ‘duties’ and ‘enjoyment’ and do so with equal joy – all the while surrendering to God’s will – or
waste away the precious seconds only in ‘sense’ gratification and pleasure – all this while the needles of the clock tick away unsparingly ; with frightful unbroken
regularity – leaving us to live in regret and repentance for the remaining days of our life – for wasting a life that could have been lived well.

The ‘time’ which truly belongs to us is the present time – now – for the better or worse. Unceasing tears and tension for ‘tomorrow’ ; the next day or the days ahead , which honestly are not guaranteed to us – but , of which strangely, we are very certain will most definitely be seen by us – in many ways take away the joy of the present moment. Although we live in the present time – we seem to constantly plan only for our future. Wouldn’t this style of functioning affect us in the present time ? Burn us out early ; tire us ; overload us and make us unhealthy in the present time ?

Quite a many of us show no hesitation in postponing our spiritual journey for a later day and ‘age’ – as we are petrified of the do’s and dont’s that this journey might entail. Why should we not begin to walk the path of self – discovery immediately and experience personally the wondrous beauty of spirituality , gain proximity to God and ‘Guru’? We create our own destiny every day we live – and thus live each day as if it were our last – to be better than we were the previous day ; have the courage to acknowledge our imperfections and work on them in the ‘present’ time on a regular basis – be aware of every deed, thought and action of ours, as we are accountable for our ‘karma’ and
brick by brick lay the foundation of a ‘nek ‘वर्तमान’ – as it is the ‘present’ which should matter the most to us at any given time.

Swami ji said …

God has been worshipped by man in some form or another ever since his evolution. Right since ancient time, mankind has always acknowledged that – a divine force – powerful and all pervasive has always been watching over us – and, to whom we would be accountable, to , in the end. Different people practiced different ways of worship – some had very complex rituals, some prayed in the privacy of one’s personal space, while many others prayed together with their brethren. Yet, all these methods of worship, though very different in appearance and process, were borne of the same common need – to connect with God, to converse with God – straight from an honest , truthful heart. It was supposed to be as simple as this.

But being the way we are – prone to complicating matters – we have caused some dilemma and confusion by repeatedly asking ourselves and others – ‘भगवान की
पूजा कैसे करूं ?’ – an attempt by us , to find an answer , in fulfilling God’s expectations from us. We tend to forget that much like our parents, would God really expect anything from us ? We all have our fears and troubles, hopes and wishes – and it is through worship that we try to please God, appease Him , and even implore Him to provide us with guidance – मार्ग दर्शन. And, as long as we are true and good at heart, God shows us the way. Whether we have used an adequate number of decorative flowers ; burnt enough incense sticks or clothed His idol with rich robes and jewels – all this does not matter to Him. What matters to Him is the sincerity of our prayers.

God is neither transactional nor petty. He neither expects us to place a golden crown on His idol, nor does He look at us to provide Him with a roof over His head as shelter. He does not stand in judgement if we have a lesser number of fruits as an offering to Him. All He ever desires from us is love and goodness. So instead of worrying about whether we have prayed and worshipped Him correctly, it is more important to observe whether our prayers and thoughts are completely devoted to Him.

Rather than being adorned in gold by us , God would love to see His children perform ‘golden’ acts filled with kindness , love , happiness and compassion for others. ‘He’ would be happiest to see us lit with the radiance of sunny dispositions ; laughter and joy writ on our faces – blessed with the gift of smiling through adversities and day to day life’s challenges ; and above all be a reason for others to smile too. ‘His’ so called ‘expectations’ from us are few and meagre and this is one of the priceless traits that He would be happiest to see us possess and project.

Yes, we have rituals for a reason, and, it is important to follow them, but the success of worship lies not in only following and performing those rituals, but, in being able to concentrate on God for those few moments while offering prayers to Him. As long as we are able to truly surrender ourselves to God in prayer ; as long as we truly acknowledge that – it is only by His will and guidance, that we will be able to achieve – what we have set out to do – then, and only then, does worship attain its true meaning.

The only offering that God ever wants from us is that of love and kindness towards the world ; the only sacrifice He wants us to make is that of our ego and pride ; and the only words he wants to hear from us are those that are joyful and bring a smile to Him and His children. If we are able to do this, our worship will be perfect and our prayers shall always be answered.

Swami ji said …

The wheels of restlessness constantly turn within the mind – and they should,if, they were to do so in the pursuit of noble dreams or improvement of the self. But more often than not it is in – what the other is doing, what others are achieving that causes the brain cells to be ever active. An air of disquiet blows within us – fanning further anxiety, agitation and envy – as we see others do better than us.. ‘ऐसा लगता है जैसे हमें शांत रहना आता ही नहीं है और शायद हम शांत रहना भी नहीं चाहते…’

This narrow and closed mindset of ours – of never wishing well for others, lest, good things stop happening to us – can be nipped in the bud , if , rather than praying only for our personal, our family and loved ones’ welfare, we were to say a prayer for the welfare and upliftment of all – wish well for everyone around us, rise above our selfishness and bear love for all.

But how many of us can honestly say that we wish well for others? We wish the best for ourselves; pray that everything good happens with us – but make it a point to exclude others from it. Why are we so small hearted? What are we scared of? The solution to this is that we must realise and learn to truly believe that no one can take away what is destined to come our way, and that ‘Time’ – the greatest equaliser – will bring to us and give to us what belongs to us and what we deserve. Only then can we learn to be secure in our own skin and circumstances, and begin being happy in the happiness of others.

Freedom from insecurity and being able to rejoice in the success of others is only possible if we are honest at heart. To be able to recognise that someone has deservedly gained what they have received and to be able to celebrate that and take inspiration from that frees us from the futile and draining emotions of envy and jealousy. We must learn that everyone is truly equal in God’s eyes, and that our efforts will be equally rewarded. Feeling disgruntled at someone else’s happiness and success is a sign of weak character and a lack of belief in one’s own ability.

More often than not, we feel that others are lucky and favoured in life to receive what they get. We feel that they do not deserve the gifts they receive from God and that we have to struggle a lot more – even for less. Such thinking is incorrect. We refuse to believe that someone can work harder than us ; make bigger sacrifices than us to achieve what they have ! This is only a reflection of our own inability to push ourselves and inspire ourselves to work harder when we see others succeed.

Taking inspiration from success of others leads to success in our own endeavours.
Jealousy and resentment only lead to one’s downfall, as, one’s actions then onwards will always be misguided and ill-intended. Yes, it is important to compete and a healthy dose of competition does lead to excellence; but we must be wary of becoming envious of others, as it will simply rob us of our peace of mind. And , instead of reflecting on lines of our own self-improvement, we will be only scheming against others.

We must not forget how such a negative attitude led to Duryodhan’s downfall. Despite being a capable prince himself, he was always envious of the Pandavas and constantly plotted of depriving them of their right – to and in the kingdom. He was never at peace with himself and later in life lost everything while wishing ill for his brethren. What was the end result? The Pandavas finally got the kingdom that they had always deserved, whereas, Duryodhan on the other hand, lost all his brothers and his own life in the Battle of Kurukshetra.

Only those who are devoid of love for others – fail to rejoice in the achievements and happiness of others. We must change our mentality and instead of only saying – ‘mera mangal hoye’ – let us learn to say -‘ sabka mangal hoye…’ and we will gradually begin to feel a sense of peace pervade our being.

We must always remember – ‘ ‘शांति’ उसी समय से हमारे जीवन में प्रविष्ट हो जाती है , जिस समय से हमारा मन दूसरों के लिए शुभ सोचना प्रारम्भ कर देता है …’

Swami ji said …

Our time on Earth is precious. The life we are blessed with has to be lived to the fullest , irrespective of the conditions or circumstances that we are born in. There is always something that we can do ; there is always a way to improve our life. We cannot wait for things to happen, it is only we who can try to make things happen.

We all have dreams and aspirations. There is something we want to achieve or become in life. Yet, we often wait – sometimes for a sign, sometimes for support, sometimes for a push – to begin our journey of transformation. We constantly live in hope that someone or something will come along and help us along the way. Often lifetimes are spent only waiting in anticipation.

But life cannot be lived that way. We always have to make the first move. The only expectation we should have is from ourselves. We must encourage ourselves to put our best foot forward in any endeavour. The only person whom we should expect to do the best for us is – oneself.

If we live in the hope that others will help us in this journey ; that someone else will bring or create opportunities for us all the time , without us doing something about it ; that someone will guide us in avoiding the difficulties of life – then we are bound to be disappointed. And such disappointment , down the road , over a period of time , turns into resentment and hatred.

How often have we not heard people saying how someone – a family member, an old friend, a co-worker did not do enough for them ; did not help them out when they should have; did not guide them or mentor them to a better life. Such people forget to ask what they have done for themselves. They live in a constant state of delusion, believing they were cheated of a greater destiny by someone else.
Even the loudest alarm cannot ensure that we wake up on time. Eventually it is we who have to muster up the will to fight the lethargy in the body to wake up and attend to what matters in life. How then can someone else’s lack of effort be the reason for our failures ! Even parents, who care for and raise their children cannot be held responsible forever for what their children eventually become and achieve. Eventually, each individual is solely responsible for what they achieve.

So in the end, it is only us – we are our best friend and ally. There is no one else who knows us better than we do. We know in our hearts whether we are doing the best for ourselves or not. If we are not good to ourselves, if we do not put in the effort to achieve our dreams, then no one’s assistance and help can be of any value to us. If on the other hand we are sincere in our efforts and committed towards this precious life of ours , God himself will guide us to success. Any assistance or help we get on the way is a blessing of His. We need to remember that expectations from ourselves can inspire us a lot , whereas, expectations from others – when not fulfilled or met – can hurt us a lot.

Ekalavya had a dream of being the best archer in the world. Being a tribesman, he was not able to learn from a great teacher like Dronacharya. Yet, he did not sulk about life being cruel to him. He did not cite social injustice or hierarchy as an obstacle in his path. He simply did what he could do himself – to hope that he would be able to teach himself. And lo behold ! We all know what a great archer he became ! So much so that he had to be tricked into giving away his thumb by the great Dronacharya himself ! While many see this story as an example of a grave injustice, it is also a story of the miraculous results that self-reliance can achieve.

For the spiritual seeker, there should be no doubt that his actions are what make his destiny. What we experience now is a result of our past actions.There is no escaping that. The only freedom that we have is – is in doing the actions that we do now. Those actions must be sincere and just. A ‘guru’ too can only show us the path to enlightenment ; the seeker has to walk the path himself sincerely in full earnestness. Thus, if there is any – उम्मीद – it must be from ourselves ; that we will do the best we can to walk into the light of divinity.