Swami ji ‘s Sandesh… ” ईश्वर में अटूट आस्था रखो… वह ही हमारे असली आश्रय हैँ…”

Swami ji said…

Man lives his life completely immersed in it. On perceiving that everything is going well with him and his loved ones, he begins to think of himself as a master strategist – ‘the’ one who had called all the right shots and had taken all the right calls at the right time. He attributes his success solely to himself, his brilliance and greatness. He tells himself proudly that he is a winner in the game of life and will always remain so. All the people around him too heap praise on him and shower him with admiration. Don’t most of us feel these emotions course through our being too when we succeed ? Don’t we feel proud of ‘ourselves’? In fact, so busy are we in
self-admiration , that we completely forget – or are perhaps too egoistic and proud to admit – that whatever we are today – was not just due to the result of our actions, but also, because of every little circumstance that was created by an ‘invisible hand’ – that is always guiding us, nudging us in the right direction – to the point – where success is literally carried by Him – to us ; for us. But, we are somehow hesitant in acknowledging His role ; the constant support that He not only provides but carries for us.

If we laud and cheer for only ‘ourselves’ in the good times, we are bound to feel ‘alone’ and ‘isolated’ in the ‘bad’ times too. A mind that cannot acknowledge the blessings of God in victory, will be unable to seek His solace in defeat. Even an atheist will find it hard to believe that ‘chance’ or ‘luck’ can only be bad and not good. If we attribute our failures to ‘bad luck’, then, surely our victories are a result of some ‘good luck’ too.

It is not failure alone that hurts or pains us. It is the feeling of loneliness, the pangs of despair and uncertainty that one experiences – while frantically looking for some support and direction – from those who matter to him. It is that sense of being isolated that make the mind and heart suffer. If only we had humbly given God His due earlier, when basking in glory, He too would have been able to give us His light in times of darkness and obscurity.

Then , there are those among us who proudly make ‘back up’ plans. They bank their confidence and expectation on their loved ones, family, accumulated wealth – convinced that the great support system that they have to back them will get them through the toughest of times. All these reassuring factors make them feel that all of these are their very reliable , dependable support system…’ हमें इन्ही चीजें का सहारा चाहिए होता है – क्यूंकि हमें लगता है कि यह सारी चीजें ही हमारा असली सहारा है और इनके सहारे से ही हमारा जीवन बहुत अच्छी तरह से निकल जाएगा…’
It is nearly bizarre that we have such great confidence in ‘maya’ but not in the One who has created it. And, while we certainly need food, clothing and shelter to sustain and shelter ourselves, to live a life with dignity – these still cannot nourish and strengthen the mind and soul – spiritually. It takes only a few misspoken words for relationships to turn sour and only a few mindless actions to lose our wealth. How can one be sure of strong support from that which is so fragile and fickle ?

The spiritual seeker must practice gratitude to God ; gratitude for even the smallest of joys and kindness that comes his way. It is this practice that gives one the vision to see God’s hand in our daily lives. The more we see this, the more we will surrender to His will. Life becomes a playground of sorts for us. We become curious, rather than fearful when the unexpected befalls us. Our belief in the fact that as long as we do right – God will do us no wrong begins to strengthen further – and we simply take the next best step to see what He has to unravel to us. In such a state we do not experience the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of life, but , rather begin to take joy in our actions. We then begin to devote our work, our dreams, our aspirations, our struggles – everything to God. Success for us becomes not the results of our actions purely, but, also how successful He wants us to at that particular point in life. When we face failure too – and although it hurts us a lot then – we realise later that it was because He had willed it that way – and while extending His support to us, He , guides us to what is destined for us.