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Swami ji said …

” Society today is obsessed with ‘success’. We are constantly told that we must be ‘successful’. We idolise and worship anyone who society considers to be ‘successful’. Money, wealth, beauty, fame, power – are the general parameters used by us to measure ‘success’.”

” Where are you in your career? How much money do you make? What hold and influence do you have over others? It is answers to these questions that tend to define whether or not you are successful. And it is these questions that drive man to keep toiling and working hard at whatever he decides to pursue.”

” Let us think of success in terms of money. Is having a large bank balance ‘success’ in itself ? For some period of time, it could be. But, then will the joy of this success last forever ? Would it not feel better to have an even larger bank balance? Why are we comparing ourselves with others who are richer than us? The chase would hence begin again. Are joy and happiness thus supposed to be only temporary pit stops in this race towards success? And, what if we are unable to achieve the standards that we have set out for ourselves? Has then all our effort and toil been a complete waste?”

” It would thus appear that we live life only to ‘achieve’ certain results – with much time spent in only hoping and praying that we ‘make it’. It is such a way of living ; such an approach towards life that creates stress and tension.”

” Today, people are constantly stressed. In a world where everyone knows what the other person is upto – they put in everything to be one up. They work hard tirelessly – only with the constant pressure to outdo others and to make a name for themselves. Such a life, though initially thrilling – is one that is shortlived in terms of mental peace and joy – as everyday there will be someone doing better than us at work , or , in their social life, or , in some other aspect. On the other hand being unhappy with our personal set up, status and slow success rate ; and envying the other person’s fate will only keep us up at night leading to further unhappiness and ill health.”

” It is thus important to understand that happiness is not something we need to earn or receive from external factors. it is something we need to bring about ourselves ; find it within ourselves. Just because we did not hit a target today, or, some unexpected obstacle presented itself – does not mean that we cannot be happy. We make life morose and depressive by sweating about every other problem or shortcoming we face. Instead, we must learn to shut our minds from all these at the end of the day , and , simply seek to enjoy the time we have to ourselves. Infact, we must strive to smile even in the trenches. Facing and solving problems with a smile more often than not sees half the battle won.”

” We live only in the present moment and if we are not happy in that moment, then we should be asking ourselves – why that is so ? Life must be lived with the aim to be as joyous and blissful as we can be.This will direct us to perform our actions in a better and thoughtful manner. We will automatically gravitate towards good ‘karma’ and no matter how hard the task – we will be motivated to tackle it efficiently. Our actions will make us ‘happy’ and ‘joy’ will drive our actions. A happy mind is one that knows it is not doing anything wrong. We will thus work as hard as we must; we will stop when we know we must; we will also be responsible and dutiful, as our conscience will not allow it otherwise. At the end of the day- if our heart is satisfied with our efforts – we will be happy – and that would mean being ‘successful’.”

” It is thus important for us to recalibrate and think in terms of ‘true’ happiness. It is only then that we will no longer feel the pressure to ‘compete’ and always ‘win’. We will instead simply be doing what we had come to do in this world happily – God’s work – and, that in itself, is all the reward and ‘success’ in this world.”

Swami ji said…

” In every pride of lions, the alpha male is generally the biggest and the fiercest. Yet, with time, it gets old and the aura of invincibility and domniation around it diminishes. What once seemed indomitable, becomes fragile and old, with time. In the world of sports, there are stories of many athletes, who look all set to conquer the world with their fine talent and physical traits; yet, a freak accident or injury derails all their plans and leaves them in a state of utmost
helplessness.With time, even mountains erode and the biggest of rivers run dry.”

” If we look, we will observe this phenomenon – happening again and again, everywhere in life – all around us. But despite this if we pause and consider how most of us live our lives – it would appear that we are almost certain that our ‘today’ will play out exactly in the same way ‘tomorrow’. Be it the good or the bad times – our actions, plans and decisions will belie our foolish assumption that there will be no change in the status quo of the pattern of our life tomorrow.This is where we are wrong. There will be a change.”

” It is often the case that when we hit a rough patch, we curse our luck and lament our fate, and, assume that the sun will never rise again in our dark and dismal life. Similarly, when time is favourable and good for us – it becomes difficult for us to comprehend why things could turn bad for us in any way.”

” The reason for this is that we underestimate the ever changing nature of ‘time’. With time, our surroundings, our situation – everything can and will change – sometimes, gradually ; sometimes, in an instant – but, change, it surely will.Thus, it becomes important to be mindful of this while living our lives.”

” One way to do this, is by learning from, and , observing the lives of others around us. We will see some in despair, and, some having the time of their lives. But the possibility of ‘time’, turning tables on their fate and fortune, in the near future, cannot be over – ruled. What we should glean from this – is the immense power of time to change our lives – and that it cannot be subjugated by anyone’s will. We should then think about – What we can do to prepare ourselves to face the changing moods and nature of time ? The puzzling question – ‘How can we remain unaffected in ‘mind’ and ‘soul’ by the ups and downs of life?’ – needs to find a solution at the earliest.”

” The first step is to accept that we can never know what tomorrow truly has in store for us. The acceptance of this eternal truth will cast a rein on the mind and will make us look at everything with a sense of stoicity. Our actions will then always be measured, and , not be extreme in any way.”

” We should also not be foolish to pray to God to keep hard times away from us. Even Shri Krishna had to flee from the battlefield, when fighting Jarasandh, simply because, it was not yet time for Jarasandh’s death. God himself had to respect ‘time’ and let it follow its own course. What then – are we trying to change? We should instead make the ‘mind’ and ‘spirit’ strong through meditation and reflection. We should detach ourselves from the material world – and rid ourselves of the fear of ‘losing’ things such as money, position, wealth. We must focus rather on our abilities, our skills, our mental strength ; those – that will enable us to ease through the toughest of times. If we want to ask God for anything – then ask Him – to make us capable in the face of adversity.”

” And, most importantly, we should empathize with others – in bad and the good times. We should try to share others sorrows, help whenever we can, give words of encouragement , give a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind. This will also keep us grounded and make us appreciate our own lives and thank God for all the good things He gives us. We must also celebrate others success. This will enable us to better ourselves too, and , strengthen the belief that we have a better life awaiting us.”

Swami ji said…

“The urgency to earn appreciation, approval and to be accepted by one and all, is experienced by nearly all of us in today’s scenario. We crave to get a thumbs up sign from those in particular who matter to us and those who have succeeded in impressing us greatly. Modern man constantly seeks validation from society. What others think of us, how others perceive us has taken front row in our hearts and minds. And, thus we endure great pains to ensure that we do not lag behind in projecting our outer self to the world in a blitzkrieg way.Be it through photos and videos on social media ; attending social functions, or other attention grabbing methods. We have to be seen everywhere, make our ‘presence’ felt everywhere.The gap between who we really our, and , how we want the world must see us – is constantly growing. This widening gap, however, is what creates an internal turmoil within us, and places great stress on the mind and soul as our physical looks begin to take precedence. The thoughts – ‘How fair or tall am I ? Am I beautiful or handsome enough ? Why am I so fat ? ‘ – plague us constantly.”

” As is often the case, we associate fame and glory with a sense of happiness and joy. And , yes, words of appreciation do make us feel good.They give our ego quite a boost. But the ‘happiness’ we experience is such cases is only momentary and superficial. As a result, we feel we need to do something to earn this appreciation again and again. And, as is often the case, this means we begin to look at ways to get the world’s attention, to do that, which would be appreciated by it. As a result, people stop living and experiencing their lives and rather ‘project’ one for the world – one that is false and full of pretence. Can we guarantee that the most beautiful person on Earth is truly a happy person within ?”

” Unfortunately, society also appreciates only ‘physical’ beauty, wealth and power. It is no wonder that people thus become obsessed with ‘looks’ and ‘money’. Sincerity, honesty, simplicity on the other hand are barely acknowledged and even ridiculed. Complex about one’s plain looks are good enough to make him lose his self confidence and maybe feel depressed too ? Is it worth it ?”

” Amazingly, just like ‘maya’, we too create a different picture of our lives for others – than what it ‘truly’ is. Is such behaviour not counterintuitive for a true spiritual seeker? How can one who depends on others for his measure of happiness ever even begin looking ‘within’? Yes, one should not strive to be a pariah in society, but, just as importantly, one must also not let one’s nature and soul be enslaved by it. God has a thousand forms – at times He takes the form of an ‘avatar ‘, when He wishes, He takes the form of a ‘vanar’, sometimes the form of a ‘tree’ – and we accept Him in all forms. Why then can we also not accept that we too are different from the others in rest of the world, in various ways, and , embrace our originality ?”

” The complex that one develops due to his physical shortcomings, seeps into his day to day behaviour too. In schools, obese but intelligent students, are wary of asking questions, as the fear of being ridiculed and being branded ‘fat’ by their peers frightens them. Young college going students spend a large amount of money, much beyond their means, to improve their complexion and skin tone – on anything , to look good – only to be ridden with debt later on. People are fully prepared to lose all sense of dignity just for a few days of fame. All this self-destruction and madness is inflicted on oneself only to gain society’s approval. Yet, in the end, happiness still eludes them ; appears to be missing from their lives.”

” ‘Suparnakha’ was a demon and in order to hide her true features, she assumed the form of a beautiful woman to win over Laxman. What did she gain by doing so in the end ? She suffered the humiliation of getting her nose cut by Laxman. We too must learn from her fate. We must accept who we are – physically, what we are and not care , if , people around us dislike us for how we look. Do they forget that we have been created by God and He loves us the way we are ? We cannot be puppets, with society behaving as the puppeteer, but , rather, we must be the master of all our actions in life – ‘As it is our good ‘karma’ aur ‘achche vihar’ joh humari ‘ruh’ ko aur pavitra, saaf karte hai ‘ – and it is on cleansing of the ‘soul’ that we must focus, as the beauty of the ‘soul’ surpasses physical beauty.”

Swami ji said..

” We live in the ‘kalyug’, where deceit and treachery are rampant. We are not what we appear to be on the surface. We are capable of saying very sweet, honey laced words to a person , while entertaining
wicked thoughts about him at the same time. These days a man’s word has little value , and , his honor – even less. Cases of scams and theft dominate news headlines regularly. It is believed that beneath great wealth lies a great crime.”

” Such surroundings and beliefs make it difficult for anyone to believe that they can get to anywhere in this world by being a good old ‘truth sayer’. And, this is true to a large extent. All of us speak a lie , or , hide the truth, or , mis-represent a fact, at some point, in a day, to move forward with our lives. Being cent percent truthful seems impractical and self – destructive in today’s competitive world. In some cases, it seems justified to speak a lie, than to speak the truth. This is what we tell ourselves to feel less guilty. Sometimes this is done at work to get out of a tough spot , or , with a family member to avoid a tumultuous situation. While our ‘wisdom’ might tell us that such ‘good, well intended lies’ can do no harm, we should be mindful that it is only God who can truly judge our actions and their effects.”

” But, the true danger from such suppositions is that this acceptance of falsehood creeps into our own behaviour. Slowly, but surely, we begin to tell ourselves lies. Whenever, the small voice of truth in us speaks up and tries to remind us that we are lying, the loud noise made by untruth and lies – drowns out the honest, truthful voice within us. This is where true danger lies. Once we play a deaf ear to the honest voice , it becomes easy for dishonesty to rule over us with ease.”

” A smoker, fully aware of the consequences of smoking, convinces himself with endless excuses of – why smoking cannot hurt him , but , hides from the truth that he is addicted to smoking. An alcoholic tells himself the lie that the drink that he has at the moment is the last drink he will ever have – but, hides from the truth that he has no control over himself on seeing a bottle of liquor in front of him. A weak student always tells himself that he will start studying seriously from the next exam – and refuses to accept the fact that he is distracted and is prirotizing other things over studies. Even a kleptomaniac hides from the truth that he will be caught someday and will have to face the consequences of his dishonest actions. We must stop living in denial mode and stop feeding lies to ourselves.”

” The ‘ truth ‘, however, like medicine, is bitter. But, ‘it’ is what cures us of all evils. Often, it is someone else who sheds light on the hard hitting ‘truth’ about us – from which we have been trying to hide. A co-worker or a senior might highlight our professional drawbacks which we might never have tried to address ourselves, despite being fully aware of them. A parent or sibling might call out to our poor behaviour that we have never tried to work on. In such situations, our ego is hurt, our self-esteem takes a hit. But, we must also find liberation in such situations. We must eat humble pie and face ‘our’ reality.”

” A good way to begin working on knowing the real ‘ us’ – is to sit in silence and reflect. We must listen to what bothers our heart. All the years of lying to ourselves and deceiving ourselves, often , makes us deaf to the one voice that matters the most – the voice of our heart – which never lies and much like a judge, ticks a right or wrong on the nature of every action we take. Listening to the heart’s concerns will make us aware of what we need to do. For some, it might mean taking greater care of their health by giving up their wrong habits ; for others it might mean to stop stealing ; for the third person, it might mean coming out clean, to family and friends, on matters they had hidden from them in the past.”

” While the process could seem hard, impossible and arduous in the beginning ; seeking a life of truthfulness by first being honest and truthful to ourselves – about ourselves, will give us purity of mind and joy in spirit. Always remember – ‘Truth’ cannot remain hidden, it shall always prevail in the end….’सत्य’ चुभ सकता है पर ‘छुप’ नही सकता…”

Swami ji said…

” Societal changes happen at a fast pace alongwith the changing generational mindset and needs. The present time is witnessing a chase by people for money, fame, and success. There are millions of us, who prefer to live in our own worlds, concerned with only our issues and problems. We do not seem to have much time, when, it comes to relating with the problems and issues of others. In today’s world, we form opinions of others through social media – photos and status; videos and posts. A news headline, a piece of gossip, is more than enough for us, to form a strong view of another person’s character, actions or situation , without pausing to reflect, what could really be underneath the surface.”

” We see , but , rarely do we ‘observe’ those around us. We continue living with our assumptions about others and tend to classify them immediately. How many of us have ever given a second thought to the mental state and physical plight of the handicapped beggars who come to us, winding their way through heavy traffic, at a traffic light, in the hope of getting alms from us ? Do we ever wonder about the emvironmental conditions in which he would be living ? We drive past them often enough, but , ignore them, as if they did not exist. We think of them as only desperate and criminal elements and , hence, want to be far away from them. But, do we ever ponder as to how do they pass their days while we enjoy the comforts of our home ? How do they keep themselves cool in the heat of summers or stay warm in the cold of winters ? We believe that a 10 rupee note will take care of them and promptly forget about them. Do we ever thank God for the cool air of our air conditioners, and, the warm water in our geysers, and , pause to think of the living conditions of the less fortunate who live on the streets, and, pray to God to give them the strength to face the difficulties of their life ?”

” More often than not we show our displeasure to the delivery boys, who get delayed for whatever reason, in delivering food to us, in the scorching heat and do not bother to ask them if they were thirsty and would like to have a glass of water. Just for a minute, visualise what would be our state, if we were at the receiving end of such behaviour. We shout at call centre executives who call us up in the middle of the day. We are irritated by their calls and very often speak rudely to them. But, do we ever think that they too are trying to earn a living by putting in hours of work for a nominal salary? We must not make feel them feel small by humiliating or insulting them with our arrogance.”

” Empathy is often mistaken as a sign of weakness, and , hence, people develop a blind eye to the troubles and problems of others.This becomes an impediment to their spiritual development. If the soul is not stirred by the suffering of others, do we deserve to be called human beings ? Being empathetic does not entail solving everyone’s troubles. It is neither practical nor possible for us to live a life solving other people’s problems only. However, what we can do is to be understanding and respectful. Once we learn to truly walk in someone’s shoes and see life through their eyes, we will have a kinder and more considerate attitude towards them. We will be able to feel their pain and joy, and , understand what makes them behave the way we do. It is only then that we will begin to think of serving others in whatever capacity we can, and , realise that there is divine joy in doing so ; when tears well up in our eyes and the ‘soul’ feels that it has being cleansed further by the purity of our action.”

” Empathy leads to humility. Once we feel the pain that others experience while going through their trials and tribulations in life, we realize that we truly have been blessed by God with what we have. We realise that others also struggle as much, if not more than us , and , yet seem to have much less than us. We realize then that it is not our efforts , but , only God who ultimately ensures our well being. This only motivates us to continue to do good ‘karma’ and keep our faith in God.”

” The spiritual seeker must be empathetic to those around him. He can only see God’s miracles at play – if and when, he places himself in the sad and unfortunate situations of others and realises how fortunate he is to be blessed with His abundant blessings.”