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Swamiji said…

” ‘एक ‘सच्चा संत’, एक आध्यात्मिक गुरू अपने शिष्यों को, अपने भक्तों को सौ मांओं का प्यार देते हैं।’ The pure, divine love that an enlightened, self realised ‘guru’ bears for His devotees is equivalent to the love of a hundred mothers…and love is all that ‘He’ expects from His devotees in return. One of the most wondrous gifts that God has blessed us with is ‘love’ ; an emotion as divine and beautiful as ‘He’ Himself is! ‘He’ loves each one of us, unconditionally; and it is this feeling of ‘love’ within us, which vividly expresses ‘His’ presence in us, that ‘He’ wants us to relate with; and ‘give’ to others in abundance, with generosity and in a large measure.”

” प्यार की भाषा तो हर कोई समझता है ! The language of love is universal, for the emotion of love is the easiest to convey. A smile, a kind act, a helping hand; all these gestures are small acts of love which bring happiness to all. Consider, on the contrary, how difficult it is to convey hate. It entails harbouring harsh thoughts, being violent. It is God’s and Nature’s wish that we all love one another.”

” Neither is the heart nor the ‘atman’ an arid desert which allows only dry, thorny cacti and bushes to exist on its hard, cracked surface; but rather both, the heart and ‘atman’ are akin to fertile lands on which flowers of ‘प्रेम’, ‘स्नेह’, love and affection can blossom, and , should be grown aplenty. And, when love is inherently present in us, why shouldn’t we shower it on God, others, and ourselves joyfully and happily? After all, we can give something to others, only when we have it in us, and, are in possession of it. So, the best is to ‘give’ and ‘share’ love with others as it makes us magnanimous and generous; caring, compassionate and teaches us to rejoice in the act of doing something selflessly for the good of others.”

“A life devoid of this warm feeling of love would be worthless and colourless. Love that suffuses us, exhilarates us and brings a look of utter joy on our face, on receiving love from our family members; pure happiness in our eyes while giving love to our friends, and , experiencing soul-stirring bliss while expressing divine love for God or ‘Guru’. Love is perennial. It increases exponentially as we spread it among others.The more one gives and spreads it, the more one receives and benefits by doing so.”

” Intense and deep devotion…‘Bhakti’ is nothing but love for the Supreme Soul, the परमात्मा | We must strive to cultivate this love in our hearts for God and express our adoration and affection for ‘Him’ while worshipping Him. It is only when we love God that we also truly begin to appreciate His creation; the world around us. Do we truly understand what it is that God would like to receive from us? ‘He’ is certainly not looking for donations and expensive offerings from us, which at times, we offer to Him in the form of a bribe for answering our prayers. All that our Master, our Sustainer and Nourisher needs from us is pure love and devotion…’Aur ‘Ishwar’ se apaar prem karne mein jo anand milta hai, uss mein divyata hoti hai !’ When love for God lights up our body, mind and soul, we are energised to endlessly keep repeating ‘His’ name and singing ‘His’ glory. Can we forget the unwavering love that a young child like ‘Prahlad’ bore in his being for Lord Vishnu ? We are here because of ‘His’ will alone, as ‘He’ infused life into us, as and when, He wanted to! Isn’t this a good enough reason to love ‘Him’, thank ‘Him’…’शुक्रिया अदा करने के लिए, हमें मनुश्य योनि में जन्म देने के लिए’ and to make the most of every moment of this lifetime and finally exit this world with gratitude and love for Him, as the spark of life in us, too, will be extinguished by Him at ‘His’ will.”

“Once, we succeed in realising God’s presence in us, we understand that the same light of divinity is inherently present in others too, and , accept them and love them for what they are as … ‘हम सब उस नीली छत्रीवाले के ही बच्चे हैं!’ Colour, class, religion or race should not be allowed an inch to blur our already clouded vision which could bring an abrupt end to our emotions of love for others. Rather, differences that exist between us, should be embraced without any hesitation. Unfortunately, at times, the love that we had for our elders and parents, when they were younger, begins to recede as they age and become dependent on us. We should draw strength from the rare and exemplary love that ‘Shravan Kumar’ nurtured for his visually impaired parents till the last breath of his life…loving, serving and respecting them till he met his fateful end ; and emulate the love that he always had for his parents.”

” Does not a painter seek appreciation for his work, his paintings? Does not a singer seek appreciation for his songs?
Similarly, would God who created this world not want us to appreciate it? Would ‘He’ not want us to be kind to the world we live in? We are all but guests in this world. And just like a lodge’s owner likes only well behaved guests, so does God like those who spread love in this world that has been lovingly created by Him.”

” And finally us! When God loves us, accepts us the way we are, with our shortcomings and imperfections, why do we not love ourselves! While it is important to be self-critical and seek personal improvement; we must not lose the knack for appreciating ourselves. It is said that God made us in his own image. We are all God’s children. But, then, we often question – How is it possible that we are not as gifted and capable as we desire to be? We must learn to have a positive opinion of ourselves, but, not be blind to our weaknesses, at the same time. What we call flaws in us are certain abilities and strengths that God believed were not needed by us for our journey in a particular lifetime. It is our duty to embrace, unquestioningly, all that God has endowed us with. It is only by loving ourselves that we will learn to understand our strengths and move forward in life.”

‘ ‘Dhyan’ – kewal ‘tann’ aur ‘mann’ se hi nahi , ‘atman’ se bhi karna chahiye …’

Swamiji said …

“Once, on being faced with the question – ‘Tum tedhe kyun khade hote ho?’ ‘तुम टेढ़े क्यों खड़े होते हो?’ – Lord Krishna, answered in his usual mischievous manner, ‘Main toh aisa hi hoon ! Tedha ! Main andar mushkil see hee aata hoon, lekin ek baar agar kisi ke bhitar chala jaata hoon, toh uske baad bahar nahi aa sakta; usey kabhi apne se alag nahi karta hoon!’ ‘मैं तो ऐसा ही हूं! Tedha ! मैं मुश्किल से ही अंदर आता हूं, लेकिन एक बार अगर किसी के भीतर चला जाता हूं, तो उसके बाद बाहर नहीं आ सकता, उसे कभी अपने से अलग नहीं करता हूं!’

“How wonderful must it be for those chosen few who are showered with the divine blessings of ‘Kanha’,’Ishwar’, ‘Allah’, ‘Christ’ इस अद्भुत तरीके से ! And, this is precisely what we should aim for ! ‘Dhyaan’ karte huey humey ‘Bhagwan’ ko apne andar, apni ‘atman’ mein, utaarne ki poori koshish karni chahiye.”

“However, as is in most endeavours of life, things are easier said than done. Success comes not to those who simply wish, but those who develop a burning desire and fan those flames to keep it going. Similarly, those on the path of spirituality must strive to kindle the desire to attain self realisation. Chanting God’s name or one’s ‘Guru mantra’ is no doubt essential and extremely beneficial; but one must learn to push himself beyond, as simply saying the ‘mantras’ mechanically is not enough. We must awaken the ‘jivatman’ from its slumber and motivate it to participate wholeheartedly along with our physical being while meditating.’ Bahut zaroori hota hai – ‘Aatman’ ki ‘chetna’ ko jagana!’ We need to call out to ‘Him’ from the deep recesses of our inner being while yearning for His ‘darshan’.”

” Every precious moment spent in ‘dhyan’ – while meditating on ‘His’ glorious form of our choice, gives us a golden opportunity to understand the divine nature of the ‘spiritual’ path. We understand the importance of meditating not only with our eyes closed and by trying to control a distracted mind that wanders in all directions, but also, by reaching a stage when our ‘atman’ is able to provide us with the insight and strength needed to experience the feeling of being ‘one’ with ‘Him’ – ‘Kyunki inhi kshon ke dauran humey ‘Ishwar’ ka ansh’ hona ka adbhut ehsaas, anubhooti hoti hai !’ “

“ While this is certainly not easy,  the struggle of focussing one’s ‘entire’ being on God must continue.The meaning and significance of each syllable of the sacred ‘guru mantra’ needs to be absorbed by us and every recital of the ‘guru mantra’ must make us aware of the cleansing of the ‘jivatman’ that begins to take place within us. A few, among us, very keen and alert can detect the cleansing process of the ‘ruh’ that sets in motion.The blissful reward of seeking liberation from the cycle of life and death is revealed to us, when our inner being, the ‘jivatman’, allows us to see a vision most beautiful; ‘its’ existence within us in the form of ‘pure’ light ; fascinatingly different from the colourful lights of divinity that we see emitting from our outer being while meditating.”

“ Meditation should not be considered as an ordinary task that is to be accomplished by us within a particular time frame. No. Rather, it is the most valuable ladder that can help us reach God’s abode. It is during those quiet moments when we sit in ‘dhyan mudra’ that we are able to hear our soul speak to us; connecting us, mentally and emotionally, to God and ‘Guru’, and, listen we must to our soul, as it is older than our heart, and wiser than our mind.”

Video courtesy : Shashwat Bhardwaj

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‘Shikhar’ par vijay paa kar bhi ‘kritgya’ raho, ‘vinamra’ raho…’

Swamiji said…

“The emotions of happiness and elation, the surge of excitement that courses through our heart and mind on achieving the unattainable; on scaling the unconquerable; on breaking the glass ceiling; on fulfilling our dreams is indescribable. Praiseworthy are those who are finally able to make it to the top…’Joh apni lagan se, anganit prayason ke baad, bina haar maane, apni manzil, apne chahe hue ‘shikhar’ par jeet haasil karte hain!’ – and, all the more so, as the number in this ‘elite’ club is limited.”Kaun nahi chahta hai aisa karna!’ After all, how many of us are able to see the light of a day as fruitful and fulfilling as this! It requires focused effort, resilience and self-motivation to summit the peaks of one’s ambition; overcome all odds with a systematic plan, unflinching confidence and a passion to prove a point not only to others but above all to oneself also!”

“It is human frailty that makes all of us long to create a mark in this world and leave behind a legacy; be it in society as a socialite or a philanthropist; or as an exemplary
business leader, achieving unprecedented success, in a highly competitive corporate world. We toil and work hard smilingly, make innumerable sacrifices without complaining, overcome hardships; all the while being patient and approachable; take others along with us; work as a team- and do all this to inch closer to our goal- to reach the top.”

“However, our true character is tested when we reach the zenith and bask in the glory of success. Most of us fail this test as by this point in time we present a new, unfamiliar picture of ours that contradicts our past friendly image. Is it possible that while we are in the race to the top, we ‘pretend’ to be humble and kind! We say the right words to all the ‘right’ people who matter the most to us in in our journey to success. We try our best to come across as likeable persons. Even those, whose nature does not allow them to be truly kind, try to maintain some decorum and decency in their behaviour to get things working in their favour.”

“Yet, it is when we reach the finish line and are declared winners, that, at times, the masks are shed off and our true nature is revealed. Do we then change our colours like a chameleon and reveal a completely never seen before business minded side of ours? Do we abandon humility and forbearance, and simply ignore a voice that counters us, and crush opposition and competition mercilessly? Does the mirror now reflect an image that has hardened and become ruthless? Riding high on the wave of success, looking at the view below from the top, we tend to forget that instead of flying high, we need to plant our feet firmly on the ground for our own good.”

“Unfortunately, many among us, who although are fortunate enough to see the fruition of their dreams, reveal their darker side on reaching an enviable position of success and power. Such people let success go to their head, and within no time, pride and ego take over their mind completely. The time for basic courtesies or exchanging pleasantries with juniors is considered redundant. The delusion of being great takes over them and anyone who is not counted among their peers is not given due respect and attention.”

“We must remember that, many a times, those who are not as fortunate as us are all the more worthy of our respect, love and affection. Those among us who are successful today, are only so, because God allowed it to happen this way. It is shortsighted to feel ‘entitled’ to the fruits of our labour. Our success is thus not only, a culmination of our perseverance, right decisions and blessings of God, but also, the unobtrusive participation and support of others that helped us in achieving our ambition…’Aur tabhi hum apni ichcha ke ‘shikhar’ par jeet haasil kar paaye hain!’ We need to be in an eternal state of thankfulness and gratitude to Him for guiding us to touch the stars and taste sweet success.”