“सुकून”

Swami ji said… We are all aware of what a tornado is. A swirling mass of air that lifts and carries away everything that comes in its path to great heights before they come crashing down to the earth again. Now, imagine being stuck in one such tornado, being mercilessly swept up and thrown in the air like a doll, while we flail our arms desperately in the hope of holding on to something – to stop us from being carried away. The fear, the helplessness, the despair in such moments cannot possibly be imagined and explained, unless one experiences it himself. Yet, a little bit of introspection, will reveal that this is exactly what man’s state of mind is nowadays.
सुकून’ – ‘Kya yeh aaj ek aisa ehsaas hogaya hai , jiss ke anubhav se hum koson dur hote jaa rahe hain !’ If, yes – if the distance between us – our body, heart , mind, soul – and this soothing , calming , relaxing emotion has grown or is growing in leaps and bounds then – who could we blame – but ourselves – for alienating ‘it’ from ‘us’ or to be honest – ‘us’ from ‘it’. Where have those days of peace and quiet; genuine joy and contentment gone? Why have the happy, smiling faces that surfaced around us in a large number, in the days gone by – been replaced by sullen, stressed out, frowning faces? What has brought about these changes in us? The answer lies, of course, in man’s constant need for ‘more’. It appears that we have knowingly taken an oath that – ” रोज़मर्रा की जिंदगी में हम सुकून से अवगत ही नहीं हो सकते; सुकून का एक दिन भी नहीं बीता सकते है…” maybe, because we know that our choices; our priorities; our adopted lifestyle; the overzealous streak of competition that we have in us – does not let us be at peace, be it day or night. At night, with conflict raging in our mind, we toss and turn, desperate to sleep as it evades us. Our physical body, for all practical purposes, could be in a state of limbo – but the mind is overactive – analysing, dissecting the ways and means of procuring and acquiring – more and more – agitated as to why is it unable to surpass the glory achieved by others. The word ‘enough’ seems to be a word suitable for yesteryears. Sadly, today, most of us are unable to relate with the crisp sound of ‘enough’ – even if we were told about the peace and contentment that could be experienced by us on realising – that what we have acquired so far – is more than enough for us. We must question ourselves – ‘क्या हमने अपना सुकून अपनी इच्छाओं को बेच दिया है?’ Has this transaction been worth it? Is not the price at which we brokered this deal costing us and our state of mind dearly ? We truly must give this serious thought and reflection.
In life, God will always guide us. He will tell us, in His own ways, what we must truly strive for. What we don’t need as per Him, He will not allow us to have; but , what He believes is suitable for us ; required and deserved by us – that He will ensure we get unfailingly. When ‘need’ motivates us, we must work hard to achieve our goal. But when ‘greed’ motivates us – we must check ourselves and ask ourselves – ‘what’ we are doing and ‘why’. There is a difference between a businessman who wants to ‘excel’ at his business and one who simply wants to make ‘more money’ from his business. We should judge neither, but , it is important to realise as to what it is that ‘motivates’ their actions. In fact, from the outside , both might appear to be doing the same thing. But, while one acts on the ‘need’ to fulfil his potential; the other ‘wants’ to only ‘fill his pockets’. While the former is fulfilling his role as a ‘karm yogi’, the other comes across as a greedy ‘bhogi’. One will sleep peacefully at night – filled with hope to work harder the next day ; while the other will stay awake – feeling dissatisfied that he was unable to fill his coffers enough – to show to the world. Thus, we must strive to erase ‘greed’ from our heart and mind. We must ceaselessly look for ‘balance’ in our lives. We must try to find constantly that which is enough to sustain us and our loved ones. Such a way of life will make us aware of our ‘needs’ and strip away illusions and fears of not having enough. It is only then that we will be able to truly enjoy life and its gifts to us – with a mind at peace and a heart that is content. It is only then that we will start being grateful for what we have and with all what we get in life.