Swami ji’s Sandesh…” ‘भय’ डराता है , ‘आशा’ हमें उत्साहित रखती है…”

Swami ji said…

Man’s thoughts are the origin of his ‘karma’. What he thinks ; his way of thinking – is reflected in the nature of his ‘karma’. Much like seeds, which when planted in fertile soil, grow into plants and trees ; thoughts, too, once planted in the mind transform into a lifetime of action. And, just like a tree gives us fruits to eat ; our ‘कर्म’ too gives us ‘कर्मफल ’ – in the form of our destiny in our lives ahead.

Much like we do a quick quality check of a fruit before eating it – in order to ensure that it is not rotten – why don’t we give a
thought to the ‘कर्म’ – that we intend to do – knowing very well that we will have to reap the consequences –
‘कर्मफल ’ – good or bad – of our ‘कर्म’ in the lifetimes ahead. Why do we make bad decisions ? Why do we act in a manner that is rash and selfish?

Clearly, then, there is something wrong with the ‘seeds’ of the thoughts that we give space to grow in our mind. When asked to make a choice between ‘fear’ and ‘hope’ – knowing very well that there is just enough room for only ‘one’ to stay within us – what do we decide to do ? The longer we take in deciding which one to invite ; to accommodate within us – greater the perplexity, as we only add to our misery by being indecisive.Do we find it easier to harbour thoughts which are fearful and anxious in nature , as one could simply succumb to them ?Thoughts that constantly question us in a negative manner – ‘कल मेरा क्या होगा?’ ‘अगर कुछ बुरा हुआ तो क्या होगा?’ – are the thoughts of a fearful mind. These lead us to act in a way that is often self-serving. Our behaviour becomes like that of an animal living in a jungle – concerned only for his own survival. Morals are discarded for the sake of personal safety. One tries to get as much as one can for himself – today – for who knows, what calamity – tomorrow could bring ? There is no time to help and serve others. One is only supposed to think of – oneself. As long as there is a ’net positive’ to oneself, the cost to others – from one’s actions are disregarded in such a state.

Yet, there are those who think differently. While they accept the challenges of today, they act with the true belief in a better tomorrow. They have ‘hope’ in their minds and hearts.They make sacrifices today with the hope that their tomorrow will be better.They share this hope with others. They motivate others with their hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. All their actions are based on the hope that something good will come out of it. It is only those who act with ‘hope’ in their hearts – will, in all likelihood, be the ones to experience any growth in their lives.Their courage to give life a chance, even when it feels burdensome, is what shows them the beauty – that life has to offer.

For the spiritual seeker, this is very important. Their actions will often be based solely on ‘hope’. The hope that what they are doing will actually be ‘good’ for them – even though, at the same time, all of this, might seem foolhardy to those who live in ‘fear’. Sacrifice, sharing, service to the needy – all these are acts done in the ‘hope’ – that they will be set free from the clutches of ‘maya’.These go against the nature of one who lives in fear. In fact, an act of service or compassion is something very frightful to one filled with dread and fear -as he is terrified by the idea of doing anything else that deviates from making them more secure.

Thus, it is of utmost importance to keep ‘fear’ at bay and fill the mind with ‘hope’. Fear is the enemy within us. Yes, it helps us survive, but , it is only courage and freedom that makes us thrive. It is fearing the worst – that is the worst experience of life and not actually going through and facing the difficulties of life. Most of us might have realised by now that we are able to go though the thick and thin in life – and the pain and suffering of those times is often forgotten – once things get easier. Pain is just temporary, but , it is the fear of enduring it that makes us suffer – and on replacing fear with hope – our approach towards life changes for the better – forever.
” ‘भय’ डराता है , ‘आशा’ हमें उत्साहित रखती है…”