Swami ji said…
The greatest blessing, the greatest gift that the ‘नीली छतरीवाले’ has bestowed upon us, and endowed us with, is our बुद्धि—the amazing ability with which He has equipped us to think, to reason, to distinguish, and to accept or reject before making any action, before doing karma of any kind. And when we are complimented by others on our intelligence, our wisdom, and the sharp manner in which our mind works, we do not really shy away from taking the entire credit of being bright and brilliant—forgetting, very conveniently, that “पिता परमेश्वर ने हमें उस तीव्र बुद्धि से नवाज़ा है और हमें इस लायक बनाया है कि हमारी अक्ल तेज़ गति से चल सकती है…”
We might have heard of a few cases where an individual—once lauded and referred to for his acumen and agile mind, for doing exceedingly well—at a point in time, is later spoken of in hushed tones, about the downturn his life has taken due to the debatable choices he made in the recent past. Well-wishers are left wondering, filled with sorrow: “What is wrong with him?”
“उसकी अक्ल पर पत्थर पड़ गए हैं क्या?”
It is very possible that we find ourselves at a juncture when we reach a breaking point—caused by personal or professional reasons—when all hope seems lost. The mind becomes numb, refuses to function under pressure and stress, and we feel that we are about to crack. It is at that crucial moment that we must revive the light of the mind, remove all elements of darkness from it, and, with determination, steer it to strengthen us and fortify our willpower to battle any impulsive action that we might be tempted to submit to. Directing the mind to do the right thing at the right time is our paramount duty, as it always plays an integral role in guiding every action of ours—be it right or wrong.
But then again, we come back to the moot point: “How many of us are willing to stay resolute on the ‘straight’ path and miss out on the adrenaline rush that a path with ‘twists’ and ‘turns’ can give us?”
The mind, greatly tempted by the frenzy and hysteria of the never-ending distractions around it, feels that it is meant to lose itself in the pleasures of the world and mistakes them to be the true sources of eternal happiness—not realising that these mirages only provide momentary pleasure.
The mind has to be disciplined, trained to understand that life is not meant to be only enjoyed or indulged in revelry, but to also seek answers to more significant questions, such as:
“What is the purpose of our birth?”
“Do we know who we are?”
“When will we move our awestruck gaze away from the artificial lights of the world and see the beauty of the true, radiant light that illuminates our inner being?”
How many times have we let our ego run riot within us—refusing to accept our mistakes and instead repeating them, deriving some strange satisfaction in doing so? We remain adamant and refuse to change. We see nothing wrong in our age-old habit of getting angry over trivial issues, not accepting the fact that we were wrong, and instead insisting forcefully that we can never be wrong—and therefore must always be right. A few among us may have been fortunate enough to make a fortune, but does that mean
“हमारे अंदर अहंकार भर जाए और हम दूसरों को अपने से छोटा समझने लगें? हमें सही और ग़लत में फर्क लगना बंद हो जाए?” Would not such obnoxious behaviour from our end make people say, “उसका दिमाग़ भ्रष्ट हो गया है? अब वह अपने विवेक का इस्तेमाल ही नहीं करता है?”
In spite of knowing that the mind delivers effective results when it functions calmly, we allow it to become agitated—resulting in zero efficiency. But strange is man and his behaviour, isn’t it? And what he gains by behaving in such an erratic manner is known only to him.
Amidst all the mental chaos and confusion in which we live today, what we need to remember are God’s words:
“मुझसे अगर कुछ माँगना ही है, तो सुबुद्धि माँगो…”
Dedicated to Swamiji Ajay Jain ji 