Month: May 2023

Swami ji said…

It is rightly said – ‘Half the battles are won – in the mind…’ And, if we were to deliberate on these words, we wouldn’t fail to agree with their resounding truth – as it would be impossible for us to recount the number of times – that rather than winning – we consecutively lose the mental battle that rages in our mind. An imminent
battle when played
out in the mind – only – makes us feel defeated ; a loser ; the vanquished one – even before we’ve made the feeblest of effort to stand up to the issue and challenge – that awaits a valiant response from us.

But, to be honest are we anywhere close to being courageous, confident and combative to stand firm against the deluge of problems which will undoubtedly attack us in the most unexpected way during our lifetime ? Don’t we buckle under the imaginary onslaught of demoralising and weakening thoughts? Where is that self – confidence … ‘आत्मविश्वास’ – that belief in ourselves – of living up at least to our expectations , if , not to that of others ?

In real life – we will be defeated or drubbed, many a times, be it on the sports field or the professional field of our choice. We win some rounds and we lose some. That is the way life goes. But, the context of defeat needs to be understood – ‘मैदान में एक हारा हुआ इंसान फिर से जीत सकता है … लेकीन मन से हारा हुआ इंसान कभी जीत नहीं सकता ‘…It is a curse that one has to live with – as nothing can be worse than lack of self confidence as – ‘ हमारा आत्मविश्वास ही हमारी सर्वश्रेष्ठ पूँजी है…’ We are nothing without it. Low self esteem tends to make us feel insecure , incapable of enduring the struggles of life – as we start believing that we are not equipped and competent enough to cross the twists and turns of every day life. Over confidence can, at times, be the end of a person – but to make new beginnings, breakthroughs and burrows – the only key that can unlock the above – is self – confidence. Rather than getting into a shell – we should welcome the ‘challenges’ that come our way – as they alone can bring about unprecedented ‘changes’ in us – when we grow aware of the need of mustering up confidence from within ourselves – and are pleasantly surprised to see ourselves rise stronger than expected.

We must strive to possess the mental strength that was displayed by Lord Ram at many stages of His life. Although born a prince , He dutifully obeyed the Queen Mother – Kaikeyi’s instruction, to live in exile in the forest for fourteen long years, without asking any questions or putting up any resistance. Armed with self – confidence, not only did He complete His period of exile , but also, vanquished Ravan, the demon king – with a small ‘वानर सेना’. The misconception under which most of us live that only – power, position and golden robes – can instill self – confidence in us needs to be corrected at the earliest. Possessing only an impressive physical appearance – devoid of self – confidence doesn’t help in the long run. It is better to be simple and plain – and , yet , be sure , certain and self – confident.

Swami ji said …

“ Truth will set you free…” “Honesty is the best policy…” All of us have heard these sayings ever since our childhood. Our school textbooks are filled with stories teaching us about choosing the path of honesty as it will always serve us well. We are told that God is observing us and that we must not lie. To be dishonest is equated to being ‘evil’. We are told that under no circumstances are we to ever lie or cheat others , for , there will be ‘hell’ to pay later.

Yet, when we observe people around us – family, friends, society at large – what comes out vividly is that none of these teachings are being truly practised in letter or spirit. At least not by the majority of the masses. We see untruth and hypocrisy being practised all around. In fact, lies and untruths are many times used to earn a living. Even the law of the land is manipulated and twisted to let the ‘guilty’ escape with their ‘lies’. We might be working for a company that could be deceitful to its customers; or , even to its own employees. We might notice our superiors or subordinates double dealing and cheating. We might see family members engaging in ignoble behaviour at work. We too might be coerced to lie – to save a loved one ; to protect our livelihood, or , to avoid an unpleasant situation. In such a case, what is the meaning of ‘satya’ in our lives and how do we go about incorporating it in our lives ?

For a start, it is important to acknowledge that the world we live in – unlike the world in our books – is infinitely more complex. We live within the boundaries of society – समाज – and we have to adjust accordingly for our own survival and well being. But , that being said , we must fight the urge of giving into the thought – that since everyone lies – why can’t I ? And, while we might see people blatantly profiteering from dishonesty, we must resist the temptation to indulge in such behaviour ourselves. At such times, it will seem that being truthful is ‘hurting’ us in a material sense, but , we must realise that any such materialistic sacrifice that we make , to stay on the path of honesty , will only benefit us spiritually.

We see groups of people around us today referring to each other as ‘friends’, but , many a times, they could be bickering and gossiping – behind each other’s backs. Social media is used to show the world our ‘good side’ and our ‘great lives’. These so called friends only compare each other’s lives and possessions. Is there any ‘reliability’ and ‘truth’ in such relationships ? Can there be any trust and comfort between such people? It is only when people are honest – when they are willing to speak their actual minds and open their hearts, show their vulnerability, can they invite empathy and understanding ; markings of true friendship, into their lives.

Many times, it is difficult to keep one’s word. We see people giving false excuses.This is often because it is inconvenient for them to stay true to their word and maybe they do not want to go through the struggle of doing so. It is easier for them to break their promise and deceive others. But, it is precisely this effort and struggle to honour our commitments, act in alignment with our values, and remain true to ourselves, that cultivates steadfastness in us.This integrity that we develop becomes the compass that navigates our choices, leading us to a state of fulfilment and an assured confidence in ourselves while speaking the truth.

There is a general perception and fear that the path of honesty is difficult and demands great sacrifice. But, in reality, it is one that unmasks all the illusions and facades – that life surrounds us with. Honesty is not just about speaking the truth , but , is also about having truthful internal conversations – accepting our faults and limitations and looking into the deep recesses of our mind. Yes, seeing our drawbacks hurts ; accepting our failures also hurts ; but, just like the body’s muscles must first be broken to grow stronger and bigger again, the breaking of our – भ्रम – of what we are in reality – gives us an opportunity to make our character stronger and better.

We must remember that a truly honest person becomes highly self-aware, and, develops the self-mastery needed to progress in life on the simple and noble path of ‘satya’. The spiritual seeker must embrace honesty, at all times, as it is only continuous and determined attempts to stay honest ; to speak the truth – that will reveal to him the true nature of this world. He will develop clarity, and strive to be honest ; gradually peel away all the layers of ignorance to discover his true original self – unspoilt by untruth and dishonesty – the way God had meant him to be. Honesty is the one virtue that can grant us liberation from this world. ‘ सत्य के पथ पर सदैव चलने से ही हम सम्पूर्ण सत्य को प्राप्त कर सकते हैं … ‘

Swami ji said …

How many of us can honestly say that we have never said – ‘ किस्मत ने हमारा साथ नहीं दिया ‘ – Luck did not go our way. Just a handful , maybe. Most of us are guilty of having said these words at some point of our lives. Some of us have not only said this many times, but also in many different ways. We lament our lack of good fortune – which in sharp contrast – is enjoyed by the other lucky ones. In fact, some of us even while away precious time – only talking about all the ‘misses’ in our life. We love mentioning how if ‘this’ had happened or ‘that’ had not happened, our life would have been so much better. What we do not realise is – that by saying this – we are unburdening ourselves of the guilt and fear of thinking that perhaps it was we who did not give it our best when we had the chance. Our complaining is our way of turning away from facing our own truth.

But such false lamentation is nothing but a waste of time. And, to add to our woes – is the conclusion that we have drawn up about ‘kismet’ being some kind of an exotic dish – that is served hot and ready on a platter – without us having to raise a finger. What we need to remember at all times is that – ‘kismet’ will never reward us with any success – until we are intelligent to see the possibilities, and , seize the opportunity – that it unfolds before us – every day of our lives , but , we fail to see it and do not make any effort to turn the tide in our favour by following it up with determined efforts.

Life is abundant with opportunities – but we need to have the sight to see them. God gives us many blessings. We just have to keep ourselves ready to receive them. This can only be done if we are in a constant state of self-reflection and self-improvement. Only then can we catch the train of luck in time to take us quickly towards success. If we have failed in the past, it is most probably our own fault – but, we must be open to the idea of rectifying the mistakes that were made by us in the past. As long as we learn from even the times we have missed ‘chances’ and ‘opportunities’ – we are on the right track. Once we have truly learnt the cost of not being ready or prepared, it is highly unlikely, we will ever repeat the same mistake again. So instead of blaming luck, and feeling dejected by past rejections, we must use those memories as reminders of staying vigilant and sharp. This will only help us on the way ahead in life.

The power to shape our destiny lies not with the whims of fortune, but, rather within us. Yes, what we face today is a result of our past ‘karma’, but what we do in those circumstances is wholly our own choice. Even when things seem dull, and, we feel that there is nothing positive on the horizon for us, we must believe in the infinite possibilities of life. Karna lived his whole life in bitterness and resentment towards those who belittled him for being the son of a charioteer.His fixation on the past blinded him from following the path of ‘dharma’. In the end, all his skill and strength came to naught because his actions were never those of one who had gratitude and appreciation for what he had in life, but, were of one who always lamented on what could have been. Let us not be held back by the fleeting fancies of fate, but, rather –
let us take courage in the strength of our own hearts and the boundless potential of our being.

Swami ji said…

The mind is fickle, clever , smart and capricious – switching from one thought to another – changing shades of a thought from white to black , at its will – while throughout , it appears to sit back and mock us – watching us react and respond the way it wants us to – as it knows very well that it has complete control over us. And, this could exactly be the case with most of us ! We respond to our mind in exactly the same way that it expects us to. We are so used to being subservient to its commands – that we obey and follow them blindly, at times, without resisting and questioning it.

If any one is to be blamed for the crisis in which we find ourselves – it is us. So, what choice do we have? Either we let the mind control us and keep us adrift ; in an auto pilot state of a constant wanderer or we make determined efforts to rule our mind, harness its positive energy and remain focused on our goal.

The problem is that there are no structured lessons or tutorials that can teach us the skill of controlling our mind.But, a few practices can help us in controlling our thoughts and emotions. Remember the saying – ‘Change the way you look at things and the things you look at – change’. We will most certainly have to curtail the freedom that we have given our mind to dictate everything that we think and do. We have anointed ‘it’ as our ruler and it rules over us – unopposed and masterfully ; and we like slaves – do as it directs us to do. Why don’t we apply the rule of checks and weights to our mind ? Cross check what it is thinking. Weigh the depth of the words – the quality of thoughts – that it is feeding into our inner being – the negativity of which – we, very often , try to hide beneath a false robust exterior.

We know that a change in our inner being will demand us to control our mind – the thoughts that rise in it. It is upto us to exercise that control and make it happen …’अपवित्र विचार जैसे ही दिमाग मे आने लगते हैं, उनको वहीं पर रोक दो। लोगो की निन्दा करने के लिए जैसे ही शब्द दिमाग मे बनने लगते हैं, अपने – आप को टोको और उनकी अच्छाई पर ध्यान केन्द्रित करो…कोशिश करना बहुत जरूरी है।नफरत ki bhavnaon को नकारो और sab ke liye प्रेम ki bhavna rakho …’ We will certainly succeed, if, we begin to train the mind to ‘listen’ to us , rather than being ‘heard’ by us – and, the ensuing results – positive and constructive – would be there for all to see.

Meditation is a time tested method to help us control our mind and prevent random thoughts from popping in it – as and when they want to.Meditation helps us in exploring our destination. It is not that the mind is devoid of thoughts during meditation ; rather, we are able to venture into the workings of our mind ; our emotions – love, hate, desires and understand how the whole mechanism works. While meditating we are not attempting to achieve only a state of eternal calm , but , rather , we are aiming to pay attention to the present divine moment – without judgment – with a clear ‘mind’ – which knows – ‘who’ rules over it finally.