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Swami ji said… Through out history, man’s depiction of God, has mostly been of one – who is perfect ; who is almighty ; all-conquering; ever capable. It is so, because we with our imperfections, would have found it very difficult to put our faith in anything that would have been short of perfection. Lord Ram was ‘मर्यादा पुरूषोत्तम ‘ – unwavering in his ways, resolute and dedicated to His ‘dharma’. Lord Hanuman was a depiction of strength and purity – like none other. Even Lord Krishna, who was soft in appearance, relentlessly pursued the ‘truth’ – something which we humans find very difficult to do. Such perfection, is something that man can only dream of. It is almost impossible for him to be anywhere close to the way God appeared on this Earth. Thus, it is no wonder that man always feels inferior to God. One is bound to feel small and fearful in the presence of the infinite and source of all power. But we must ask ourselves. When has God ever asked us to fear Him? When has God ever threatened us? Yes, He is all powerful and perfect, but, isn’t He all loving and caring too ? Why then, do we not look at Him as our companion? The only one who is constantly by our side. Why don’t we try and have conversations with Him like we do with our friends? It is ironic, that despite there being so many of us, society is afflicted with loneliness. We are unable to ‘connect’ with people because we are too busy ‘judging’ others or are being ‘judged’ ourselves. There are no such problems with God. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and, yet , He is the last one to shun us for our imperfections. Why then, do we not try to befriend Him? God is not just to be prayed to for forgiveness or for boons. He is, most importantly, there to guide us. If there is anyone who would like to give us honest , sincere advise ; if there is anyone who would want to stop us from taking wrong steps – it is God. Doesn’t a true friend not do this? Why then do we not try to befriend Him ? We spend so much time with our own thoughts. Struggling with decisions, struggling with thoughts of the future. Perhaps we should try and have ‘internal’ discussions with God. Admit to Him why we seek something ; what our fears are. Yes, the conversations
would not be like those that we are used to, but, trust me, we will hear answers, we will feel distinct nudges. If we want to complain about how hard our life is, complain to Him. Tell Him why it has been a rough day, and why we feel we were treated in an unfair manner. He will make us see the reason behind it ; the main cause. He will make us feel better with His words. If we are happy ; we must tell Him how good we feel and why. If we feel that we are doing something bad, let us tell Him of our struggle and He will tell us what should be done by us and show us the way out of the situation in which we find ourselves. There should be absolutely nothing going in our mind that should not be revealed to Him. He knows who we are and we should not be afraid of revealing our true colours to Him ; rather should be brave to openly admit our weaknesses to Him and seek His help to overcome them. Such a friendship will liberate us. We will be more accepting of who we are and only then will we be able to take control of ourselves and improve ourselves – just the way any good friend would want us to. We need to remember that the true nature of certain things can be experienced – automatically – just by going close to them – ‘ Jaise ki गुलाब से सुगंध, अग्नि से गर्माहट और बर्फ से शीतलता…’ In a similar manner – ‘ईश्वर से निकटता बढ़ाने से, हमें हमारा सबसे अच्छा मित्र मिल जाएग…’

Swami ji said… “If we were to scrutinise ourselves – not through tinted glasses, but a clear, opaque lens – we would unfailingly detect some characteristics –
peculiar and typical to us. Worried constantly about the future – that is when we are not lamenting about how cruel life has been to us in the present moment – we seem to draw a strange comfort, a sense of security from the amount of money that our bank accounts hold; the number of houses and vehicles we possess; the plots of land that we have invested in – and we leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we put down the name of the nominee or nominees – the name of the person or persons – to whom we intend to bequeath all our material possessions – on our passing away. A lot of time and effort is put in by most of us in ensuring that foolproof, legally sound ‘wills’ are made by us – in the name of our rightful heir or heirs … ‘हमारे सही उत्तराधिकारी या उत्तराधिकारियों
का नाम ही हम अपनी वसीयत और बाकी कानूनी कागज में लिखते हैं…’ and we are so greatly relieved and satisfied on accomplishing the task in the right manner – by dividing our assets fairly…”हमारे उत्तराधिकारियों के बीच में…” Wealth and property, all things tangible, can both – be inherited by , or , bequeathed to one or more individuals – as it can be shared and divided among a few. Very often, so elated are we merely at the thought of an imminent inheritance – that many of us start planning a rosy future – in anticipation of the wealth that we would inherit in the not too distant time. Our involvement with materialism is so complete these days – that every other aspect of life seems to have taken a back seat. We somehow are unable to see that the ‘one’ most important thing… “जिसके लिए हम स्वयं उत्तराधिकारी हैं – वह है हमारा ‘कर्म’…” that is projected through every thought, word, deed and action of ours. We must remember that our ‘कर्म’ is that one thing that cannot be divided or shared with anyone…”इस में हमारा कोई भागीदार नहीं होता है!” Since it is we who are the doers of our ‘कर्म ‘- we alone are solely accountable, responsible and answerable – for it. No one else can be held accountable for it. Many a times, we wilfully do whatever we want to do or feel like doing – even when we know – that what we are doing or intend to do is not right, is not correct …”जो कर्म
हम करने जा रहे हैं, वो ठीक नहीं है, सही नहीं है – गलत है…” So foolishly impulsive and irresponsible do we become that we don’t even pause for a second to think …”हमारे इस ‘कर्म’ का हमें क्या फल मिलेगा…?” Rather than deliberating on the final outcome of our ‘karma’ – we rashly do or say whatever we want to – and then when we are faced with the consequences of our ‘कर्म ‘ – we question God and blame Him. We are so adept at fault finding – that we don’t shy away from openly cursing Him for all the problems and challenges that come our way. What a beautiful life we would lead if we exercised a slight amount of careful thought, caution and constraint on ourselves before doing a wrong ‘कर्म’. Aren’t we more than happy at weighing and calculating the profit margin in every business transaction that we make ; the return or profit that any investment could fetch us ? Why can’t we then also deliberate on and try to envision the results of every action made by us ? Many times, even a little bit of moral application would tell us whether our course of action is good or not. Being empathetic towards others makes us mindful of the effect our words and actions have on others. Making small adjustments to facilitate the assistance of others goes a long way in keeping our ‘karmic’ accounts clean. Good ‘karma’ of course is borne of good thought. The more we steer ourselves to think of God ; the more we seek God’s guidance and blessings in our endeavours – the better will be our actions. The more we surrender ourselves to God ; the more we request him to take over us, the easier it will be to do right.

Swami ji said…

Man lives his life completely immersed in it. On perceiving that everything is going well with him and his loved ones, he begins to think of himself as a master strategist – ‘the’ one who had called all the right shots and had taken all the right calls at the right time. He attributes his success solely to himself, his brilliance and greatness. He tells himself proudly that he is a winner in the game of life and will always remain so. All the people around him too heap praise on him and shower him with admiration. Don’t most of us feel these emotions course through our being too when we succeed ? Don’t we feel proud of ‘ourselves’? In fact, so busy are we in
self-admiration , that we completely forget – or are perhaps too egoistic and proud to admit – that whatever we are today – was not just due to the result of our actions, but also, because of every little circumstance that was created by an ‘invisible hand’ – that is always guiding us, nudging us in the right direction – to the point – where success is literally carried by Him – to us ; for us. But, we are somehow hesitant in acknowledging His role ; the constant support that He not only provides but carries for us.

If we laud and cheer for only ‘ourselves’ in the good times, we are bound to feel ‘alone’ and ‘isolated’ in the ‘bad’ times too. A mind that cannot acknowledge the blessings of God in victory, will be unable to seek His solace in defeat. Even an atheist will find it hard to believe that ‘chance’ or ‘luck’ can only be bad and not good. If we attribute our failures to ‘bad luck’, then, surely our victories are a result of some ‘good luck’ too.

It is not failure alone that hurts or pains us. It is the feeling of loneliness, the pangs of despair and uncertainty that one experiences – while frantically looking for some support and direction – from those who matter to him. It is that sense of being isolated that make the mind and heart suffer. If only we had humbly given God His due earlier, when basking in glory, He too would have been able to give us His light in times of darkness and obscurity.

Then , there are those among us who proudly make ‘back up’ plans. They bank their confidence and expectation on their loved ones, family, accumulated wealth – convinced that the great support system that they have to back them will get them through the toughest of times. All these reassuring factors make them feel that all of these are their very reliable , dependable support system…’ हमें इन्ही चीजें का सहारा चाहिए होता है – क्यूंकि हमें लगता है कि यह सारी चीजें ही हमारा असली सहारा है और इनके सहारे से ही हमारा जीवन बहुत अच्छी तरह से निकल जाएगा…’
It is nearly bizarre that we have such great confidence in ‘maya’ but not in the One who has created it. And, while we certainly need food, clothing and shelter to sustain and shelter ourselves, to live a life with dignity – these still cannot nourish and strengthen the mind and soul – spiritually. It takes only a few misspoken words for relationships to turn sour and only a few mindless actions to lose our wealth. How can one be sure of strong support from that which is so fragile and fickle ?

The spiritual seeker must practice gratitude to God ; gratitude for even the smallest of joys and kindness that comes his way. It is this practice that gives one the vision to see God’s hand in our daily lives. The more we see this, the more we will surrender to His will. Life becomes a playground of sorts for us. We become curious, rather than fearful when the unexpected befalls us. Our belief in the fact that as long as we do right – God will do us no wrong begins to strengthen further – and we simply take the next best step to see what He has to unravel to us. In such a state we do not experience the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of life, but , rather begin to take joy in our actions. We then begin to devote our work, our dreams, our aspirations, our struggles – everything to God. Success for us becomes not the results of our actions purely, but, also how successful He wants us to at that particular point in life. When we face failure too – and although it hurts us a lot then – we realise later that it was because He had willed it that way – and while extending His support to us, He , guides us to what is destined for us.

Swami ji said… When we look at or think about others, we are not really surprised at seeing,or, realising that each one of us is an intriguing, fascinating combination of different emotions. Emotions – typical and distinctive to each one of us – that run strong in us – make us interact and deal with people – the way we are made, emotionally. Our behaviour , attitude, beliefs – clearly reflect our emotional characteristics – and that is what makes others – either walk towards us or turn away from us. There are some of us who are so emotional , so direct , forthright and straightforward that we are what we are – inside out – and speak out our mind , aloud – without thinking of the consequences that our clear , honest and direct words could have on others. Then there are a few among us who get so carried away by their emotions of happiness, anger or grief – that they make the mistake of – “आनंद में वचन दे देते हैं, क्रोध में उत्तर दे देते हैं और दुःख में निर्णय ले लेते हैं …” We must remember that the weight of words is measured in gold, and, thus words that are said by us in any situation – do not become meaningless or worthless – but, rather, heal than hurt ; mend than destroy ; convey love than hate. With a little bit of self – control and restraint we can master the skill of using the right words at the right time – thus hurting no one around us. Words once said can never be retrieved or taken back. Utmost caution needs to be exercised with words while we speak – with all those – with whom we have some
relationship or another. Words – incorrect , inappropriate and wrong – said at the spur of the moment – can hurt a person so deep – that regret or repenting over them later – proves to be useless. Misunderstandings that can never be resolved, end up lasting for a lifetime, and, all the goodwill and affection that one had borne for the other is washed away – that very instant and becomes a thing of the past. The power of words – the effect that they have on others – somehow has always been taken lightly by us. In all likelihood , we fail to see the value of commitment in the words that are said by us while making a promise to someone. A spiritual seeker should understand the sacred nature of the words when he says – ‘Gurudev, yes , I will ! ‘ and promises to obey a certain instruction – ‘aadesh’ that his ‘guru’ issues to him for his personal spiritual growth and improvement. How unfortunate would it be , if , we were to make a promise in our ‘guru’s presence – just to please Him and then completely forget to abide by it and make it an integral part of our life on a daily basis from then onwards.Why make a commitment that we are unable to keep ? If we were to reflect, in isolation, on our verbal reaction to others, when we are angry and enraged , and , although we might not admit it – we would actually hang our heads in shame. The contempt and impoliteness in our rude words to, maybe, even an unsuspecting person who might have bumped into us accidentally – could make us feel terrible later ; but then what is the point of being apologetic , unless and until, we promise to transform ourselves into better individuals. Many a times, when we see grief – stricken people around us faced with an unexpected tragedy, we are so greatly affected and overwhelmed by their sorrow – that we decide to stand by them as a pillar of support, and, be with them through thick and thin forever – but then what happens to that hasty, emotional decision of ours shortly – ” कुछ ही समय में हम सोचते हैं कि अपने ऊपर हम ने ये क्या जिम्मेदारी ले ली और अपने निर्णय पर पछताते हैं…” This is how fickle we can be – even to the words that were said by us – to ourselves. Let us remember to be careful and mindful of the words that are used by us while speaking and communicating with others.Hurtful words that had been said a long time back by someone to us are, strangely, never forgotten by us.Relationships that had been built over years are destroyed forever, within seconds, when we use words that cut and wound so deep – that those relationships can never be healed or repaired in future. Why should we ever do that ?

Swami ji said… We are all aware of what a tornado is. A swirling mass of air that lifts and carries away everything that comes in its path to great heights before they come crashing down to the earth again. Now, imagine being stuck in one such tornado, being mercilessly swept up and thrown in the air like a doll, while we flail our arms desperately in the hope of holding on to something – to stop us from being carried away. The fear, the helplessness, the despair in such moments cannot possibly be imagined and explained, unless one experiences it himself. Yet, a little bit of introspection, will reveal that this is exactly what man’s state of mind is nowadays.
सुकून’ – ‘Kya yeh aaj ek aisa ehsaas hogaya hai , jiss ke anubhav se hum koson dur hote jaa rahe hain !’ If, yes – if the distance between us – our body, heart , mind, soul – and this soothing , calming , relaxing emotion has grown or is growing in leaps and bounds then – who could we blame – but ourselves – for alienating ‘it’ from ‘us’ or to be honest – ‘us’ from ‘it’. Where have those days of peace and quiet; genuine joy and contentment gone? Why have the happy, smiling faces that surfaced around us in a large number, in the days gone by – been replaced by sullen, stressed out, frowning faces? What has brought about these changes in us? The answer lies, of course, in man’s constant need for ‘more’. It appears that we have knowingly taken an oath that – ” रोज़मर्रा की जिंदगी में हम सुकून से अवगत ही नहीं हो सकते; सुकून का एक दिन भी नहीं बीता सकते है…” maybe, because we know that our choices; our priorities; our adopted lifestyle; the overzealous streak of competition that we have in us – does not let us be at peace, be it day or night. At night, with conflict raging in our mind, we toss and turn, desperate to sleep as it evades us. Our physical body, for all practical purposes, could be in a state of limbo – but the mind is overactive – analysing, dissecting the ways and means of procuring and acquiring – more and more – agitated as to why is it unable to surpass the glory achieved by others. The word ‘enough’ seems to be a word suitable for yesteryears. Sadly, today, most of us are unable to relate with the crisp sound of ‘enough’ – even if we were told about the peace and contentment that could be experienced by us on realising – that what we have acquired so far – is more than enough for us. We must question ourselves – ‘क्या हमने अपना सुकून अपनी इच्छाओं को बेच दिया है?’ Has this transaction been worth it? Is not the price at which we brokered this deal costing us and our state of mind dearly ? We truly must give this serious thought and reflection.
In life, God will always guide us. He will tell us, in His own ways, what we must truly strive for. What we don’t need as per Him, He will not allow us to have; but , what He believes is suitable for us ; required and deserved by us – that He will ensure we get unfailingly. When ‘need’ motivates us, we must work hard to achieve our goal. But when ‘greed’ motivates us – we must check ourselves and ask ourselves – ‘what’ we are doing and ‘why’. There is a difference between a businessman who wants to ‘excel’ at his business and one who simply wants to make ‘more money’ from his business. We should judge neither, but , it is important to realise as to what it is that ‘motivates’ their actions. In fact, from the outside , both might appear to be doing the same thing. But, while one acts on the ‘need’ to fulfil his potential; the other ‘wants’ to only ‘fill his pockets’. While the former is fulfilling his role as a ‘karm yogi’, the other comes across as a greedy ‘bhogi’. One will sleep peacefully at night – filled with hope to work harder the next day ; while the other will stay awake – feeling dissatisfied that he was unable to fill his coffers enough – to show to the world. Thus, we must strive to erase ‘greed’ from our heart and mind. We must ceaselessly look for ‘balance’ in our lives. We must try to find constantly that which is enough to sustain us and our loved ones. Such a way of life will make us aware of our ‘needs’ and strip away illusions and fears of not having enough. It is only then that we will be able to truly enjoy life and its gifts to us – with a mind at peace and a heart that is content. It is only then that we will start being grateful for what we have and with all what we get in life.