Category: Uncategorized

Swami ji said…

” वो कितना कमाता होगा ?” “How much would he be earning ?” ” उसकी साल भर की कमाई कितनी होगी?” – are queries and questions that we are accustomed to hearing; as most of us have a deep-rooted and mysterious fascination with the ‘pay packages’, salaries, and earnings of others – an issue that keeps us riveted right up till that moment when ‘the figure’ is either figured out by us or told to us. It is bewildering to see us maintain, even today, the same degree of keenness and inquisitiveness that was shown in the other person’s ‘कमाई’ – say around fifty years back. After all some habits of man are eternal – very difficult to change – and, thus so is the case with this. Our interest in another person’s earnings remains undiminished. The words – ” वह अच्छा कमाता है ” – “He earns a good amount”- are often the magical words needed to successfully seal matrimonial alliances for many a young men. Parents rile at their young offspring on seeing their inability to earn at an age when they should be working – and remind them about it by rebuking them angrily- ” कुछ कमाते तो हो नहीं तुम…” … “You barely earn anything…”

Money matters. There is no doubt about that as it provides us with our daily bread and butter; with basic comfort ; even with luxury – and all of this can only be planned and attained when we are in a position to earn an income of our own. The ironical part is that – ” इंसान को अपनी कमाई हमेशा कम और दूसरे की कमाई हमेशा ज्यादा लगती है…” And he is always looking for avenues that could help him increase his source of income. Social conversations mostly veer around property, land and other acquisitions, and the unasked question – ” How much is he making ?” – can be literally seen hanging in the air. And since most of the time we feel – the pasture is greener on the other side – we assume that the other person must be earning much more as compared to us. And just the thought of that is good enough to give us sleepless nights and a disgruntled look on our faces.

Interestingly, from our perspective, one’s ‘कमाई .. ‘earnings’ – have always been compartmentalised ; bound by a figure, an amount and that is how we have always defined it. ‘This’ per say is the amount of money that ‘he’ makes and – ‘this’ is what ‘we’ make. And, this in a way sums it up for us. Period. And the rest is up to us – whether we are happy or unhappy – on knowing about his earnings. But, if, only for a minute – we tried to rise above our habit of defining -‘कमाई’ only in monetary terms, financial gains and profits – but also looked above and beyond these – and tried to recollect – “ ऐसा और क्या है जो जीवन में हमने किसी और रूप में कमाया है?” ” ” हमारा परिवार” – which is bound by love and happiness… “हमारे मित्र” – who are more than family to us … ” हमारे अनुभव, लोगों की दुआएं, हमने अपनी मेहनत से जो मान सम्मान कमाया है …“ What about all these other blessings?

Isn’t every experience of ours unique to us – be it good or the not so good ? Didn’t we learn from every experience of ours ? “अपने हर एक अनुभव से hum ne kuch seekha hai …”
“जब हमने किसी की मदद की – तब हमने क्या उनकी दुआ नहीं पाई?” Our polite behaviour with whoever we interact with ; be it those who matter and are known to us – and even ‘those’ who wouldn’t fall in the category of family and friends – would undoubtedly earn us their respect and a good name. Aren’t we the wealthiest when we are blessed with children who are respectful, helpful and caring – even when we turn old and are dependant on them for quite a many things ? ” जो हमेशा अपने माता-पिता का सम्मान करते हैं, चाहे उनकी आर्थिक स्थिति कैसी भी हो…” And what about the presence of good friends in our life – those who have stood by us through thick and thin – and with whom we are able to share close details about the events in our life in an unguarded manner. Haven’t we earned all this too ? Are not these just as valuable, if not even more?

The spiritual seeker, in this day and age, could also find it difficult to stop himself from evaluating the monetary worth of all those he interacts with – with the same ‘lens’ of ‘कमाई’ –
with which others judge people around them. His mind too has been conditioned by society to consider those with more wealth to be somehow superior than those with less. To see the true value of a person, he will first have to abandon his own ideas of ‘what’ and ‘who’ is truly wealthy. He will have to shift his gaze from the ‘material’ to that which is ‘subtle’ and which cannot be measured in monetary terms. He will have to learn to value honesty, integrity, decency and simplicity above mere wealth. Such a change in perspective will be challenged by societal norms and current day practices. All of a sudden, those who were deemed ‘uninteresting’ and ‘useless’ by society will appear to be more ‘likeable’ and ‘praiseworthy’.

This change in perspective however, is a must, as only then will we open our eyes to the world around us. Only then will we get a chance to experience and learn from others, and not from just a certain kind of people. God himself never prioritised wealth when He lived on Earth. We do not remember Lord Ram and Lord Krishna as the wealthiest of Kings. We remember them for the qualities and principles they lived by and espoused. Why then must we consider other peoples’ greatness through the limited view of wealth only?

Swami ji said…

Remember the good old days of yore , when ‘valuable possessions’ – far and few in any home – could be counted on one’s finger tips. One took great pride in having worked tenaciously to buy any such ‘कीमती वस्तु’ and such a possession would be treasured and cherished and always held a special place in one’s heart. At times, months and sometimes even years of planning and saving were required to acquire a valuable thing – and the joy experienced on finally possessing it made one feel it was worth all the sweat and toil. Parents saved money, to buy bicycles, clothes and gifts for their children to reward them for getting good marks in their exams or on their birthdays.
These were preserved by children for as long as possible.
People worked hard and saved whatever they could. They did not look to spend on anything unnecessary or frivolous.

Homes were basic and simple – with hygiene and cleanliness being given great importance. But what made them really ‘valuable’ was the peace, love and happiness that resided in the hearts of all those living there. Of course, certain material possessions did matter – but not to the extent where many would be willing to sell their ‘soul’ to the devil. They were men of integrity and their aim was to live an honourable life. Undue importance was not given to one’s physical appearance. People mostly kept it simple, wearing only that what they could afford to wear. They did not feel the need to create an ‘impression’ on anyone with their attire. Younger ones in the family would often wear ‘hand me downs’ from older siblings. The elders of the family would often step out of the house to meet various social obligations wearing the same very clothes that they would be donning at home. Issues of this nature were rather insignificant to them – as they were more focussed on ‘investing’ their energy in inculcating good ‘values’ in their offspring.

However, staying healthy and happy were the top priorities during those days – as they were considered to be one’s most ‘valuable’ assets. ” हम सब के परिवार थोड़े में ही खुश रहते थे…” ” कम में भी काम बन जाता था…” – as everyone was willing to sacrifice for one another and truly believed in sharing and caring.

But gone are those days now. All of us have been bitten by the bug that has made us extremely conscious of the ‘image’ that we need to project to others ; to the outside world – to be considered ‘worthy’. And, to achieve that we are more than willing
to go to extreme lengths to appear sharp, and project a sense of power and wealth that we might nowhere be close to possessing.

And, thus, irrespective of the fact whether we can afford to or not – we are desirous of wearing expensive, branded clothes, costly watches, exorbitantly priced shoes ; ensconce ourselves in all these ‘valuables’ – step out of resplendent homes and luxurious cars – and on seeing that we have succeeded in impressing others – by our ‘valuables’ – we feel that this false projection was worth it – even if it came at the cost of taking a loan. There is no denying the fact that the ‘valuables’ we carry may ‘impress’ others – but , what we need to remember is that – it is the ‘values’ that we hold – that can ‘inspire’ others. It is upto us to decide – what is more important – ‘impressing’ or ‘inspiring’ others?

As man becomes more and more embroiled in materialistic gains – the lesser he focusses on the ‘values’ that were an essential part of his life till then. As he fills his coffers with gold; his ideals, principles, belief in an honest way of life – slip out of his heart and mind – and get buried beneath the numerous ideas and greed to acquire more and more. But this definition of success is wrong. A bigger house does not make the ‘man’ bigger in any way. It is his behaviour, his actions and words that define how big or small a man he is. We might remember or recollect the name of the person who owned and drove a fancy car in our neighbourhood, but , we would admire the person who made an effort to help us in our time of need or said kind words when we were completely down and out. It is our values and principles that dictate our words and deeds. Any compromise in our values has a direct bearing on the quality of our actions. Good deeds arise out of a belief that doing the right thing, irrespective of the cost, is what matters. Kind words are said when one is secure in enabling another person feel good and confident. And, this only happens when one has strong and empowering ‘values’.

Swami ji said…

” हम बहुत जल्दी दूसरों पर संदेह करते हैं …” ” हम सब पर विश्वास नहीं कर पाते हैं
…” “हमें लोगों पर भरोसा करने में काफी समय लगता है…”Why? Why do we find it so difficult to trust others? Why do we always suspect and doubt the motives of others ? Man today places no trust in his own brother. It is very hard for him to believe that there is not some self-serving agenda in everyone else’s heart – which could turn out to be perilous for him.

We could, of course, quite simply defend ourselves for our lack of trust in others – by citing the prevailing scenario around us – and we would, maybe, not be completely wrong in assuming that no one seems to be trustworthy any more. But it is not just the ‘other’ who is at fault for this. Our own desires, our ambitions of worldly success make us not just ultra-competitive, but, also, insecure and threatened.And, thus, we find ourselves just trusting ourselves and nearly no one else.

Since we now prioritize status, wealth and property over and above everything else – faith, belief and trust have skittled away like nine pins – making us suspicious of each other’s doings. This ‘deficit’ of ‘trust’ – be it among family members, friends, or even spouses – is highly unfortunate and saddening.

And, because of the ‘mistrust’ – we feel that certain issues are best kept ‘safe’ – away from the keen, prying eyes of ‘others’. ‘Good news’ is kept hidden.
‘Happiness’ is shared only with a select few. There is constant fear of someone’s ‘evil eye’ or ‘बुरी नज़र’ causing unnecessary problems for us.

Could there be anything more shameful than what we witness nearly all around us today ? Every one is scared or worried – “Am I doing the right thing by leaving everything in his name?” ” What if he doesn’t take care of me in my old age ?“ ” कोई और मेरा हिस्सा नहीं लेगा ना?” Why can’t we change our thought process by first questioning ourselves as to what is this ‘share’ that we are always thinking about ? And, if and when, we do think on such lines – isn’t it clear that we are unable to ‘trust’ our ‘own’ kith and kin?

Well, this weak aspect of our nature – of not trusting others could be understood – if ‘it’ was only limited to other mortals like us. But, don’t we cross a sacred line when we begin to mistrust God ? When we lose faith in His plans for us; lose faith in His Supreme ‘will’ and even question His ‘safe keeping’ ability – when disconcerting developments in our life make us feel insecure and we don’t feel safe. We feel that although ‘He’ is supposed to be our ‘protector’, He is unable to ‘protect’ us from the catastrophes and mishaps that erupt in our lives; and we no longer feel confident in His ability to rescue us from the darkness of the deep pits into which our jealousy and anger might make us fall. Have we reached a stage when we no longer repose the same conviction , certainty that we had in Him in the past that – ” ‘ईश्वर’ हमारी डूबती हुई नैय्या को बचाएंगे…” as we feel that, now, we have been left to flounder on our own, far too many times, and, our pleas for help have gone unheard. Doesn’t it appear that rather than God testing us – it is we who put Him to the test – again and again. And, our expectations from Him are so high that we expect Him to wish away the tiniest probability of any adversity crossing our path – and we expect Him to do all this for us – with us still doubting Him , unsure whether we can pin our hopes on Him ; trust Him that He will – most certainly and definitely come to our aid.

Infact, we are so full of fear of losing our material and worldly belongings, that we refuse to even consider that there might be some good in the so called ‘hardships’ that God places us in at times. So blinded are we by our ‘logic’ – that we wonder what good can there be in any difficulty that is faced by us! If we, cannot ‘see’ any ‘good’ in a situation – we abandon any belief and hope – that God actually has something fruitful planned for us.

How beautiful can life be when we make it a habit to ‘thank’ God – for keeping us alive in the present moment ; for every little comfort that He has provided us with ; for keeping us disease free and joyful ? But, apart from thanking God for blessing us with a smooth life – it becomes all the more important for us to trust God when without any warning – our lives become difficult and we are faced with challenging times – and we ‘believe’ that this demanding time period shall also pass and we will emerge stonger on realising that it was He who had given us the strength to overcome the obstacles valiantly. When, once in a while, some things go wrong – we must take a moment to be thankful for the many things that have gone right – with His Grace.

For the spiritual seeker, ‘faith’ in His Maker is of utmost importance – as it is the foundation on which his spiritual development is based – which he must ensure remains deep-rooted and firm. He has to believe, through and through, that ‘His’ plan alone – is the best for him. The spiritual seeker does not need to be in a hurry to see light at the end of the tunnel as it is his faith, his belief in God and ‘Guru’ that lights the way – as he takes one step at a time – leading him to ‘His’ divine light.

Swami ji said…

“My son is studying in the US…” ” My daughter has been accepted at Oxford …” The pride with which parents talk about their children’s education is unmistakable – as they discuss at length about where they could be studying at the moment or plan to study in the future – be it in the country or abroad. And, if we were to be honest about it, then we too would say – “Why not?”
After all, it is the reward of years of preparation, focus and perseverance, that makes it possible for one to turn his dreams to reality. Holding a prized, coveted degree is the culmination of the aspirations of many a children and parents…” क्यूँकि अपनी मेहनत को सफल होते हुए देखना; अपने सपनों को साकार होते हुए, पूरा होते हुए देखने पर- सब को बहुत ख़ुशी मिलती है…” But, at times, rather than just getting carried away by the ‘brand’ from where one is or could be receiving education – we also need to pay attention to the ‘qualitative’ changes and improvement that our childrens’ education is bringing about in their impressionable minds.

” ‘विद्या’ के अर्थ को पूरे तौर से, पूर्णता में समझना – बच्चों और युवाओं के लिए बहुत आवश्यक होता है…” The younger lot must ask themselves that apart from enabling them to stand on their own feet tomorrow and equipping them to become experts in fields of their choice; has all that has been taught to them – brought about that very essential degree of ‘self awareness’ in them? Do they refect on the new and positive changes that have been brought about in them by ‘learning’ in the most prestigious institutions or elsewhere ? Do they analyse once in a while at least – “मैं पहले कैसा था और मैं आज कैसा हूँ ?”- and at the end of their analysis can feel the difference in how empowered and enriched they are today? Do they realise that their ‘gains’ are far greater than their ‘losses’?

Are they able to ask themselves – Are we brave enough to be critical of ourselves – as well as accept the flaws that are pointed by others in us ? Are we able to get along with others, in a way better than before ? Does a more open, flexible and tolerant mindset makes us aware of our foolishness in creating a mental class divide? Has our education helped us evolve into self – reliant and more organised individuals? Are we a more refined and cultured version of ourselves today as compared to what we were in the past? Are we in a better position to understand today that resilience finally pays in the long run? Do we understand that short cuts will not let us grow to our optimum? Have we understood that failure doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a dream – but serves as a reminder to work harder – and that success will not be too far away ? Do we accept the simple reality that success today doesn’t mean that we will never fail in the future ? Are we becoming better by the day at following a routine ; managing time in a manner most rewarding? Have we developed the ability to solve the problems that come out of nowhere in our daily lives – and feel satisfied on seeing that our success ratio at doing this has improved greatly?

But, if, just for a minute, we were to move away from all the external objectives that, we feel, have been met in a manner most satisfactory by the education that has been received by us; and now turn our attention to whether we have encouraged and allowed the most essential ‘qualities’ to grow and flourish within us. Let us now see where we stand … “क्या हमने अपने भीतर ‘विनम्रता’, ‘सहजता’ और ‘सरलता’ को उत्पन्न होने दिया है ? ” Or has the good fortune of receiving education at a world renowned university gone to our head and made us high headed and feel that we are much above others and can look down on the less fortunate ones with disdain? Is it easy to be contemptuous, rude and arrogant now? Do we feel that just because we are educated we have the license to say whatever we want to anyone and treat anyone the way we want to? Have we become less empathetic to the problems and sufferings of others – as maybe in a ‘hard – hearted’ way we feel that the ‘poor’ things were meant to suffer. Has our ‘patience’ of old given into ‘impatience’ – as we feel that time is running fast and there is no time to be lost. Once we are on the path of success – do we find it difficult to express our gratitude to God and others who made it possible for us to be where we find ourselves today ? In case we find ourselves anywhere close to harboring any such newly found traits it is time for us to understand that – “अगर हम में ‘विनम्रता ‘, ‘सहजता ‘ और ‘सरलता ‘ नहीं है- तो हमने जो ‘विद्या’ प्राप्त की है – वह व्यर्थ है …”

Swami ji said…

” I have to send my child to the best school … My child must receive quality education …” is a vow that most parents make to themselves – almost immediately on being blessed with a child. And steps are taken without any delay to gather as much information as possible about the best academic institutions in the town , city and for those who can afford to pay an astronomical amount of fee – to focus on the best schools in the country. Worry and anxiety about whether they will be able to raise the finances that will be needed to meet the tuition fee , donation and other requirements play heavy on their mind – but with determination – they pursue their dream of empowering their child with the best academic knowledge possible – as all of them believe that – ” अच्छे स्कूल में पढ़ाई लिखाई कर के बच्चा कुछ बन जायेगा …” One thing that all parents understand is that – Knowledge is power ‘ – and every parent wants to equip his child with – ” ज्ञान जो की उनके बच्चों को आगे ज़िंदगी में आगे बढ़ने का मौक़ा मिलेगा और वह कुछ बन पाएंगे …”

Time passes by – with both parents and children investing time, money and energy – not only on ‘bookish’ knowledge but also in other areas in which specific interest is shown by the child – and days pass by in a whirr – with time being given to coaching classes, hobby classes, language classes. And all this is done to ensure that the child gains ‘ knowledge’ – ‘ज्ञान ‘ – in every field and does not lag behind in any way in today’s highly competitive world. Parents feel happy and satisfied on seeing that their children are heading towards a safe, secure and privileged future by literally turning into a – ‘Master of all trades…’ Every aspect of life demands the best from us – and it appears that the youth of today needs to be skilled , poised and refined – with excellence being the benchmark – in academics or in interest related areas – to ‘beat the best’ – in order to survive. “आज़ कल हम अपने बच्चों को हर क्षेत्र में निपुण देखना चाहते हैं …” We believe that a child today should be in a position to use his knowledge of diverse fields – to give solutions to problems of all kinds that could come his way. So, the common ground that we can come to is that – it is only when we gain ‘knowledge’ – study the required instructions, directions , subject material – of any subject or field – it is only then that we are able to understand and become knowledgeable about it. Bookish knowledge is given paramount importance – as it is one’s grades and marks that will see him rise and be successful in life. A child cannot afford to be ignorant in anyway in today’s rapidly changing scenario.

So engrossed are we in ensuring that our children turn into academic intellects that – we hardly find any time to talk to them about the importance of bearing within them sound values, steadfast principles and morals – which, if , they begin to internalise at the earliest – will make them aware of the difference between wrong and right ; between falsehood and truth ; between kindness and cruelty – from a very young age. Sad but true – that it is becoming fashionable to move away from the archaic ‘values’ of the days gone by – as changing times are changing our younger lot – quick and fast. The possibility that the youth could feel that standing by one’s principles of honesty might not benefit them in the long run cannot be over- ruled – but parents must take it upon themselves to remind their children to return to the right track time and time again and they could finally be successful in bringing about a change in them. Children should be made aware of the fact that although they might feel complacent that nobody could know about the ‘wrong’ that they might have indulged in – they are answerable to their ‘conscience’ – which will never lie to them.The importance of good ‘karma’ ; speaking with respect to people of all ranks ; ” ‘घमंड ‘ और’ अहंकार ‘ को त्याग देना ” ; ‘सत्य का साथ नहीं छोढ़ना चाहे जैसी भी परिस्थिति आए; और विचारों को पवित्र रखना “- are values that should be imparted by parents to their children in their formative years. It doesn’t matter if they resist all this in the beginning – but it is possible that they might accept these meaningful principles at a troubled stage of their life – on recalling what was said to them by their elders in the past – and turn into new individuals by implementing them with immediate effect.

And those youngsters who have had the good fortune of being initiated by a ‘सच्चा संत ‘ – ‘ जिन्हें उनके गुरुदेव ने गुरु- मंत्र दिया है…’ – should know that they now have the key to unlock the door to ‘True Knowledge’ – but for that – they need to have the compelling desire and steadfastness – to understand that chanting the ‘गुरु- मंत्र’ regularly – purifies their ‘soul’ and takes them closer to God. Their ‘guru’s effective teachings enable them to understand that the ‘body’ and ‘soul’ – are different ‘entities’ – and rather than being fixated purely on their ‘body’- they now need to focus more on cleansing their ‘soul’ and remove the layers of ignorance which have accumulated on it – which makes them believe in the ‘maya’ that is all around them. ‘Gyan’ imparted by a ‘guru’ is experienced in the most magical way by our ‘inner’ being – as it then starts preparing and readying the worthy ones to finally merge with God. No book ; no theory – can prepare us for the excruciating pain that the physical being undergoes – when the ‘kundalini’ is awakened within us – to infuse our ‘inner’ being with spiritual energy. This can only be experienced by our ‘inner’ being and ‘knowledge’ provided by God and one’s ‘guru’.