Swami ji’s Sandesh… “ ऊपर बैठे “नीली छतरीवाले” का जादू सब पर चलता है — चाहे वह बड़ा हो या छोटा…”

Swami ji said …

The majority of us love to follow sports. It does not seem to matter that we may never have held a hockey stick, played football, or played tennis — but watch we must, and react vociferously to whichever game we may be watching.

We just cannot seem to have enough of our favourite sport. A few among us have an addiction so strong to the sport of our choice that we have to watch every match ball by ball, shot by shot; count the number of goals that have been posted by our idol till the very end of the match; and respond excitedly to every turn that the match may take.

Emotions run high, not only on the actual field of play between rival teams, but also in the family room, where family members, supporting opposing teams, emote and react to the failure or success of their favourite team and player. We shed tears of joy on seeing them win, and weep copiously over their loss and defeat. Instinctively, we say, “Thank God, they have won,” or “Oh God, how could he not make his century?” Such is our emotional involvement with sports that it makes us take His name eventually. And, what could be better than that?

At the same time, what comes across vividly is the reaction of the players — those who are destined and lucky enough to score a century; those whose accurate kicks see the ball fly into the goalpost; and those whose magical serves across courts enable them to become title-holders.

Their reaction to victories and losses is discernible to all, and, yet distinctive at the same time. Some jump high up in the air, thump their chests, and pointedly show that they are the ones who have single-handedly won the match for their team, or added another feather to their list of accomplishments. Their ‘ego’ is still at play here- as they fail to see His love and blessings which had made them play their best game ever- by enabling them to surpass their previous best and instead let vanity take over them- which makes them feel that they are the ‘doers’.

Some of them scream in joy as they release all the tension that they had been holding within them throughout. And yet, a few among them, after undergoing the gruelling and exhausting battle on the field, do not forget to look up- at the sky above them and, for a second or two, whisper a few words of gratitude and thank their Creator for blessing them in the most magical way.

In fact, it is the first thing that they remember to do. And, that is a sight worth a rethink, as it makes us realise that their celebrity status and the millions and crores that they seem to have earned through their sport, for that ‘sacred’ moment at least, seem to be relegated to a forgotten space, as they temporarily surrender themselves to the Divine Grace of the Almighty- which made them achieve the impossible.

They realise that what has been achieved by them during that priceless, unforgettable moment was only possible as He willed it to happen- which makes them feel grateful and indebted to His blessings.

Simultaneously- the defeated team or the player who failed to make it past the winning line- too look up above at heaven- as though questioning Him- about their failure; seeking answers to- “What had gone wrong?” Why did we lose?” In both instances- ‘He’ is certainly thought of and remembered. Such is the power that God has on both- the winner and the vanquished.

A spiritual seeker must understand the significance of keeping his ‘ego’ at bay- on making rapid progress on the spiritual path, and, not for a second entertain delusions of grandeur that it is ‘he’- who should be given the credit for his commendable progress- which in reality would not have been possible without God and ‘guru’s’ Divine Grace on him. All that he has gained and acquired from his ‘guru’ ‘विद्या’, ‘ज्ञान’, in accordance with God’s will can be taken away from him in an instant- on displaying the first signs of arrogance and condescension in his attitude and treatment of others and- maybe towards his ‘guru’ as well. He needs to understand that the point at which he finds himself today, has been designed by God and what is required by him is to love God and follow His instructions- with humility and surrender to God’s love for Him- instead of showing his superiority and ‘know all’ behaviour. At the same time, another devotee- who could be considered a ‘misfit’ by others- simply because of his simplicity and ignorant ways- could be the first one to benefit immensely from ‘guru-gyaan’ and experience God’s ‘darshan’- within no time- only due to the purity of his soul and complete surrender to God.