Month: June 2024

Swami ji said…

If we were to ask the wise men of old – what would be the cornerstones of a good and happy life – one of the answers could be – to
to be critical of only oneself ; to be honest with others and
have patience with God’s plans for us. Indeed, if , one could lead a life based on this ‘mantra’, or , build one’s life on these principles, that person indeed would find Heaven – both on Earth and beyond.

But, somehow , we caused some confusion for ourselves and seem to have lost our way while trying to follow these simple requirements to live a simple and happy life.
Nowadays, even during the most basic interaction with others – we tend to observe them keenly ; form one – sided opinions about them, and, are either dismissive of them, or , admire them at an instant. Our interaction with others is highly superficial at times. Very rarely do we talk openly and honestly about ourselves. But, we have the most discerning ear – while listening to others or hearing about others. What we actually think of them – and how we make them feel while communicating with them – could be completely different. But, more often than not, such behaviour only leaves us feeling lonely and isolated.

So critical are we of others, that we rarely develop any true friendship or a feeling of kinship with them. How then, can we ever even know what others are truly going through ? How can we ever hope to develop spiritually – if we continue to only judge others – rather than – accept the differences that will always be found in each one of us ? Will it be possible for us to befriend and empathise with our fellow beings, if , our only aim is to study them and analyse them ? Passing judgment on others – inhibits us from accepting them as others are ; the way they are ! In such a world, man is bound to suffer from loneliness.

Isn’t it rather strange, that this policy of judgement, that we profess to adhere to – seems to be solely reserved for judging others ? Rare is the man who sees his true self in the mirror and criticises himself unsparingly. Patience is our greatest virtue – when it comes to dealing with ourselves. Anything that is wrong with our behaviour, our thinking – we give ‘time’ aplenty – to change. The same is unacceptable while dealing with others imperfections. This ‘patience’ that we show ourselves – is highly dangerous. We should be hawk – eyed while analysing our own ‘कर्मा ’. We must immediately correct any misbehaviour or mistakes on our part. Only then will we see a marked improvement in our own lives , or else, leniency in disciplining ourselves, will only lead to stagnation – where we will not see any scope for further personal or spiritual growth.

And lastly, the ‘patience’ that we have for ourselves – seems to lack the most – when we talk about God or think of Him. In our ignorance, we, either , keep on directing God to do things for us, or , blame Him for what He has not done for us. Very rarely do we experience the bliss of being alive by placing our faith and trust in Him. When we pray to Him – we expect instant results from Him. Don’t we ? We are always on the look out for what He has done for us or is doing for us. Just like a child finds peace in his mother’s embrace, we, too, should seek to experience His embrace around us and find peace in it. And , this can only be felt – ‘जब हम में इश्वर के लिए नि:स्वार्थ प्रेम भाव हो…’

Let us remember the way Shri Ram lived a life based on these strong principles. He was only focussed on analysing His own actions. He gave great thought to everything that was said or done by Him. Even in the most stressful of situations, He, always remained calm and collected ; never uttered a word that was not weighed and vetted by Himself first. Even when Sugriv seemed to have forgotten his promise to help Him – Shri Ram, did not react and retaliate in an angry manner. He possessed patience of a kind that was noteworthy, exemplary and impossible to emulate. Whenever Laxman ji would get agitated – और दूसरों की समीक्षा करने की कोशिश करते थे … Shri Ram would always chide Him gently and remind Him not to talk about anyone in a disrespectful manner.

Swami ji said…

“We all are one … We all are children of God …” – is the declaration made repeatedly by the wisest; the greatest religious founders and teachers – as they spread the message of God. The divine beauty underlying this Gospel Truth, should inspire us to live a life – filled with love, compassion and understanding for every one around us. We need to remember that – “ We are one and the same”.. “हम सब एक हैं औऱ एक जैसे भी हैं…” We all laugh, we all cry ; we all fret and fume. We share similar emotions; react in very much the same way to different life situations.

And, yet, we come to the same point again – “If we are all one, then why are we still so different? What is it that makes us different from each other ? Separates us from each other ?” The answer to this question wouldn’t be very difficult to find – if we were honest with ourselves.

It is our ego, fears and beliefs that separate us from each other. Life can be lived in a congenial manner ; taking everyone along with us ; being happy and spreading happiness; avoiding conflicts and verbal disagreements. But, instead of creating happy situations for ourselves – we have nurtured our ‘egos’ – which makes us take everything personally; allowed our ‘fears’ to loom large over us and held on to our ‘beliefs’ with rigidity – whether we are right or wrong in doing so – is something that stops mattering to us – as we get so caught up in our own way of thinking.

Doesn’t a ‘self-realised Guru’ accept all those who come to Him to understand – what life is all about? Does He make any distinction between His devotees ?
Never does he differentiate between them – as He knows that – “उनके सारे शिष्य, उन्हीं परमपिता, नीली छत्रीवाले के बच्चे हैं…” The ‘Guru’ loves His devotees in equal measure and believes that the teachings and instructions He imparts to His devotees will be imbibed and implemented by them. In fact, He believes that His devotees will become distinctive – as they will stand by all those who need their support in difficult times… ” लोगों को मुश्क़िल समय में सहारा देंगे, सत्य के मार्ग पे चलके सबको प्रोत्साहित करेंगे और नेक कार्य कर के सबको नेक रास्ते पर चलना सिखाएँगे…” The ‘Guru’ develops faith in His devotees too over a period of time and knows that once He has given a certain duty to a certain devotee – that devotee will abide, obey and follow the ‘guru’s’ directive – till the moment He tells him otherwise.

There are instances when devotees have meandered from the main source, the true fountain of knowledge, from where they were receiving ‘सत्य का ज्ञान ‘- from their ‘गुरु’ – to another enlightened soul – for reasons known only to them. But , the ‘Guru’ who has been abandoned by the devotee will never abandon the devotee, nor, harbour ill – will against him. The ‘Guru’ who has mastered His senses – will not allow His false ego to overwhelm and overpower Him – but accept it as ‘ईश्वर की इच्छा’ – and continue to bless such wayward devotees.

Our fears are greatly misplaced. They are created by our insecurities and complexes – which in turn are created by our lack of faith in ourselves. Our egos make us feel that we must be at the
centre of power for every little thing that happens in life; that we must be appreciated and cheered for the simplest of things being done daily. Wouldn’t we be foolish to develop an attitude like that ?

A spiritual seeker must drop his ego. He must have faith in others. He must live with the belief that all that is happening with him , to him – was supposed to happen, and , that how others behave and act with him – is in accordance with God’s will. Instead, he must develop compassion. Even when others behave in an ungainly manner with him, treat him unfairly – he must not immediately react , but , try to put himself in the other person’s shoes. He must reflect as to why and what made the other person behave in an irate way with him. It is only through such practice – that he will begin to gradually see the ‘soul’ – as being a distinctive part – from the human form that can be seen by him. He will begin to see his own imperfections and understand them. He will also see those very flaws in others, but , instead of judging them, he will be more understanding.He learns to simply acknowledge that others too are struggling to grow out of the shackles of their ego and fears – and these are flaws which have nothing to do with the purity of the soul.

Swami ji said…

‘Man proposes, God disposes…’ – is an age old saying which directs us to focus only on our actions, our ‘कर्म’. In numerous ways, we have been told to follow this one principle in life – with complete faith in the ringing truth of these words. But, despite this wisdom being given to us through the ages – we always fall into the trap of expectations –
big or small. Barely do we start on any task or project, and we start thinking about its outcome ; how our lives could change; how it could benefit others ; the applause and recognition that would come our way.

The blue print that we form in our mind of all that is needed by us, what we must get and when – makes us feel absolutely certain that everything will happen the way we want them to happen and –
any deviation – even the slightest – leads us to feeling disappointed. And, not getting what we expected, is as good as the greatest tragedy having befallen us.

This often leads us to experiencing a sense of failure, shame, sadness – all of which is unfounded. So fixated are we with results – that we forget to celebrate the successful completion of our tasks. Life’s true joys, like most, can be found where we look the least. Taking joy in our ‘karma’ ; नेक , पवित्र , अच्छे कर्म करते हुए – being happy in simply performing our duties selflessly and sincerely – without worrying about the fruit of our labour – with complete faith in God’s will and His plan for us – would do wonders to our way of thinking and functioning. This is a skill we must learn immediately.

All of us must learn to trust God. Once He gives us an idea, some direction, a path to follow – we must rejoice in that moment too ! There are so many in this world who are like lost sheep. They have no idea about what to do with their lives.They simply survive day to day, hour to hour. Atleast we have a routine, a path to follow , a goal to achieve. And we must follow this path shown to us – with the utmost conviction, with the utmost joy – as it is God who has shown us this path!

Let us not be bothered by what others have gained. Let us not waste time thinking how we can get the same, or , whether we will get the same as them.The path that God sets us on could be as difficult as the one through dense forests and hills. It might not be possible for us to see where we will end up, but , there are many sights to take in and enjoy – if , we understand that God wants us to tread that path – as it is best for our future growth and development.

We must not forget – that the only life we are experiencing is the one we are living right now ; at this moment. Hence , we must take joy in performing our duty, knowing that God will be pleased with us for doing so, and, His is the only praise we should strive to achieve. How we will experience the future, how today is connected to tomorrow – are questions that only He can answer.

But, even from a pragmatic perspective, those successful in this world, barely spend time fretting over tomorrow. They remain focussed on excellence, which in simpler terms – is ensuring the quality ; the nature of their ‘karma’ or how well they perform their duties. This requires them to focus on the present and not waste thought and energy on the future.While they, too, never are sure of the fruits of their labour , they are well aware that good ‘karma’, dutiful actions, never go to waste…” तुम पूरी इमानदारी से मेहनत करो…परन्तु आगे सब ईश्वर की ईच्छा प़र छोड़ दो… क्यूंकि होगा वही जैसा वो चाहेंगे …”

Swami ji said…

Life – replete with its unpredictable
share of the great , and , not so great happenings ; our inability to deal with the unexpected ; our failure in understanding life’s perplexing and puzzling nature – makes us look for a source of guidance ; seek support, advice and directions – from a ‘soul’ – pure and holy – knowledgeable and wise. And , the conclusion that we come to is – Who could be better than a ‘गुरु’ to answer all our questions ? And, we feel fortunate and lucky on being blessed with the opportunity of being blessed with the presence of a self realised ‘गुरु’ by our side. In our excitement and happiness on establishing a connection with a ‘सच्चा संत’ – we must not forget a point most vital – that it is not ‘we’ who choose a ‘गुरु’, but, in fact it is the ‘गुरु’ – who chooses us, allows us to be His ‘शिष्य’, ‘भक्त’, ‘साधक’ and once He accepts us – we become His responsibility.

Each ‘guru’ has his own unique way of imparting instructions and teachings to his ‘bhakts’. Some ‘gurus’ could address their devotees in numbers of thousands ; some in smaller groups and a few on one – to – one basis through direct interaction.The ‘गुरु’ knows very well that He will be tested many a times by His devotees – who expect every unanswered question of theirs to be addressed by Him – related to all spheres of their life ; expect miracles to take place that could change their time and fortune – further validating the faith that they have placed in their ‘गुरु’.The divine bond that connects a ‘गुरु’ to His devotees is further strengthened during the invaluable moments when He reveals the beauty of the spiritual path to them.

It becomes on us – devotees, to be aware of the immense significance of those precious conversations that take place between a self realised ‘संत; a ‘सच्चा संत’ and His ‘भक्त’ ; a ‘गुरुभक्त’. But then are we alert enough to understand the essence of every word that is said and at times left unsaid by our ‘ गुरु’? Do we understand the meaning of the pauses ; the telling silence between His words while He makes us understand the main purpose of our life ? Do we understand what He is trying to convey to us through His silence ?

Before his crucifixion –
Jesus Christ told one of His followers – Peter – that he (Peter) would disown Christ publicly – thrice before the end of the day. Peter was aghast to hear this – as Christ was his Teacher and he loved Him dearly. He could not believe his teacher’s words. Such was the faith that he had in his love for his teacher, his guide. Yet, just as Christ had foretold – Peter, later on, out of fear for his life, did deny knowing Christ in front of the Roman soldiers. Peter eventually became a saint himself and was regarded as one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.

What we learn from this story is – that a ‘गुरु’; a spiritual teacher ; the One who has taken upon himself the responsibility of showing us the way out of the miseries of this world, knows us better than we know ourselves.That He sees in us – our potential as well as our drawbacks ; our flaws and also our strengths better than us. We are an open book to Him and nothing escapes His eye. Once He allots a task to a devotee of His – He expects His instructions to be followed in letter and spirit – as He knows that the devotee was destined to do it and will benefit from doing so in the long run. He stands by the devotee, giving him the strength and direction needed to perform the divine duty to the best of his ability – without letting him getting attached to the outcome of the ‘karma’ being done by him – as he is not the ‘doer’ but a mere instrument in the ‘guru’s’ master plan.

In fact, He even sees that – what we do not want to admit about ourselves. He sees us exactly for what and who we are ! We cannot hide anything from Him. In such a situation, can we ever know better – than our ‘गुरु’? What is good for us, what is not ? Will a ‘गुरु’ know better or us? How can we ever claim to know what is beneficial for us, when we are not aware, or, do not want to acknowledge what is lacking in us? Truly, a ‘guru’s’ guidance, thus, is not just an option, but , is the ‘only’ option for us to act upon in life.

If one observes the relationship between cattle and their shepherd ; one will realise that the survival of the cattle depends solely on following the shepherd. The shepherd does not abandon his cattle nor does the cattle abandon the shepherd.They go exactly where he goes. They follow the path that the shepherd takes. Any cattle that strays, often, never survives long on its own. Their only chance at survival is – if , the shepherd comes back looking for them.

In the spiritual journey, the ‘गुरु
is the shepherd, and the disciples are the cattle. Any and all instructions of the ‘गुरु’ should be followed to live a meaningful life. And, this must not be mistaken for rigidity. A ‘guru’s’ instructions, are like guideposts in a maze.They are to help His devotees from getting lost. One can ignore them at one’s own peril. Following them, has always led to delight and wonder.

Swami ji said …

None of us can deny not having heard the elders in our family say – ” जितनी चादर हो, उतने ही पैर पसारो
…” Why did they say this? These words were not said randomly. They were said and are still said – after much deliberation and reflection – and are said to serve as gentle reminders to one’s loved ones; whenever they appear to be going overboard; or show an inclination to stretch themselves too thin while trying to acquire something, or, fulfil a desire that is not within their known means or resources. Someone has to check them. Remind them of the ground reality – before their wings of fantasy make them soar, and, perch on branches which could break under the weight of their aspirations – which would come at a huge cost – by literally abandoning their principles – ‘उनके आदर्श’…’जब हम ऐसे ख्वाब देखने लग जाते हैं जो हमें हमारे उसूलों से दूर लेजाते हैं…’ Who could be better than our wise elders to school us with their experience and sound words of advice ? But are we willing to pay heed to their inputs and opinions?

Of course, we should dare to dream. Dream big. Why not ? There is no harm in dreaming – as dreams have the power to motivate us – thereby making us work very hard with sincerity. They give us the strength to put in effort – that we had never thought that we were capable of drawing from within ourselves and strive to labour everyday with honesty – filled with positivity that – ‘एक दिन हमरा ख्वाब पूरा होगा …’

But , not all dreams can be realised at once. Some take longer than others to take a concrete shape. Some are not meant to be realised at all. We must accept this too. There will always be something bigger and better to set one’s eyes on – at the very next moment. That is the nature of the world.What we have today, will always appear to be less tomorrow. The dreams achieved today, will lose significance tomorrow, for , there will be another mountain to conquer, another aim to meet and accomplish. But, the rush in which we are to see our wish and desire turn into a reality – we feel no compunction in compromising – “अपने उसूलों के साथ …” ‘After all , wouldn’t it be foolhardy for us to stick to our old jaded and faded life of principles and values – and forego realising our shiny dream in the process? ‘- we chide ourselves – and part ways – ‘अपने उसूलों से ‘- without any demur.

When dreams turn to desires ; never – ending desires ; that is when the mind begins to corrupt. For one loses patience and self – control …“
हम अपना ‘संयम’ खो बैठते हैं …”, and the next thing we know – we have made a deal with the devil. To grab and hoard wealth and power ; to fulfil every little whim and fancy of ours – we begin to play fast and loose with the rules. What we would know to be morally wrong – the mind would convince us to do anyway. ‘Everything and anything would fly…’ – जब ‘उसूलों’ से ज़्यादा बड़े हमारे ‘ख़्वाब’ हो जाते हैं …” and then the change in us is so drastic – that we are more than willing to do anything – to acquire and possess whatever it is that has caught our attention; to get what we desire.Scruples and ethics give way to lies and falsehood ; relationships could be sacrificed ; trust could be breached. All these are bound to happen to a person addicted to and intoxicated with the fleeting sense of gratification on obtaining the material desires of this world.

What would make the journey towards realising one’s dreams – most beautiful –
would be- when we remain consistent and stay determined to hold on to the good values, strong ideals and sound principles that had been inculcated in us from our childhood. When despite the challenges, we had refused to waver from the firm principled foundations on which we had built our lives; refusing to loosen the threads – ‘ हमारे उसूलों के ‘- because of which we had not buckled, bowed down – ever – in the face of any dream – however big the dream could have been.