Day: January 27, 2024

Swami ji said…

From the moment we are born, our allotted time on earth starts ticking away. There is nothing we can do to stop it. Neither pause it – in times of joy and happiness; nor, make it go faster – in times of pain and suffering. It moves at its own pace – undisturbed – beyond our commands or wishes ;
reigning supreme over us all. But, each day that dawns does come to an end ; unlike – ‘मनुष्य की व्यथा जिसका शायद कोई अंत ही नही है…”

‘Time and tide wait for none’. These simple words of wisdom are known to all, but, rarely are they ever acknowledged and imbibed. The constant churn of disturbing, troublesome thoughts and emotions in our heart and mind – ‘हमारे मन की व्यथा ‘ – leaves us immobile in mind and body, distracting us ; making us waste precious time – that could otherwise have been utilised in doing something worthwhile and constructive.

Maybe, ‘man’ has evolved into a creature quite different from God’s expectations. Wouldn’t God have liked to see us as – ‘मनुष्य जो शांत हो, शांतिप्रिय हो और सब के साथ शांतिपूर्वक रहे… व्यथित ना रहे?’ But, are we anywhere close to meeting any such expectation of His ? Many of us – most of the time – are in an agitated state of nerves; disturbed and confused.” क्या हम कभी भी अपने मन की व्यथा पर नियंत्रण पा सकेंगे?” At times, we are angry over nothing, in particular, but – angry with life, in general, as it is unable to meet the expectations set by us.

At the core of our frustrations and anger lies our inability to accept that it is simply not possible for happiness to wait for us with open arms at every crossing of our life. ‘हम हमेशा सुख ही देखेंगे – ऐसा होना बहुत मुश्किल है…’ It takes only a hiccup of hardship to get us all worked up ; to begin lamenting that Doomsday is round the corner to get us. Why have we driven contentment and satisfaction away from our lives? If we wanted to – we would without fail – see a lot to be happy about in the present moment ; but, in a foolish way, we are determined not to do so. Are we worried that if we do so – ‘हमे व्यथित रहने का कोई कारण ही नही मिलेगा ?’ The number of precious hours that are wasted in thinking about – ‘how’, ‘when’ , ‘if only’ – which are related to the unknown, unseen future – rather than gaining satisfaction from the living moment – should make us change our mindset. We must make a determined effort to gain control over the pain, agony and suffering that we needlessly take upon ourselves ‘today’ – for a perceived, perfect ‘tomorrow’. Our biggest loss while going through all this self – created turbulence is our failure to see God’s blessings and love for us.

The only thing in our hands, at any moment in time, is our ‘karma’ – our actions. A farmer never knows what the weather will bring. Yet, he does not stop laying seeds for his next crop. Come hot or cold, pleasant or dreary, he always goes out to plough his fields. Sitting still – will serve him nothing. Going out and working, struggling – most certainly will. We too must focus not on the ‘what ifs’ and ‘what nots’, but, rather, on what we can do. The more we focus solely on our ‘karma’, the better will its quality be. In times of stress and duress, we must tell the mind – “Do not worry ! This too shall pass – onwards and upwards it is !”

The spiritual seeker must realise that the mind will not always sit idle at one’s command. It is in its nature to worry about the past or future. But , what we can do is to not pay much heed to it. We should instead console it like we console a scared child. We must tell it that it is only by going through today – can we get away from yesterday and reach tomorrow. So, we must do the best we can in the present – that is the only way we can be best prepared for what comes later and best compensate for what we have left behind. Prosperity and adversity will always be part and parcel of our life – but we must continue on the spiritual path with equanimity.