Dedicated to Swamiji Ajay Jain ji

Swami ji said… Many a times, one can hear people complain that life is harsh, life is cruel. They complain about the never – ending drudgery of work; backstabbing by people they meet in their lives; cruel twists of fate and a multitude of other ‘offences’ that life has committed on them. Agreed ! All these things do happen. And, while we may not really believe this to be true – instances and incidents which do not bring happiness – do happen to ‘all’ of us and with all of ‘us’. Even kings and saints suffer at the hands of life. Whether it was Ram or Krishna – even God had to ‘suffer’ on this Earth. Such is the law of ‘life’ in this world. But does that make life ‘cruel’? Does it make ‘life’ itself unworthy of our respect , appreciation and love ? Should we constantly be sulking, bear a glum face and complain loudly about the way life has treated us – in an unfair and unjust manner – from our perspective ? Life can be difficult and challenging. Yes, that is true ! But it is not cruel. It only reflects the ‘truth’ about us – clearly. What we experience on a moment to moment basis in our daily lives – is nothing but a reflection of our past ‘karma’. Every little slip, every little dip, every little bump – all are our own doing. There are no two ways about it. Yes, if we have hardships today, it is the result of our bad ‘karma’ of the past. And, if , we are in ‘luck’ today, it , too , is because of our ‘good actions’ of the past. Accepting this, surrendering to the theory of ‘karma’ might seem very difficult for quite a many of us to relate with and comprehend. To concede to this would mean admitting – that perhaps we were not ‘that good’ in our past lives – and, we, who refuse to see any wrong being done by us in the present lifetime – will most certainly find it difficult to swallow, that we could have done anything wrong, in our previous lifetimes. It would be frustrating for us too. It is possible that at a certain moment – just for an instant – we might feel – that we could have been a ‘dacoit ’ in our past life – when we come across some confounding and complicated situations. But , gradually, such flashes of the past, will also enable us to handle ourselves better in the present moment. We will be more accepting of our situation, and , that in itself will help us to overcome the feeling of helplessness and despair in alarming circumstances. And, we should also not forget that while our present condition is due to the result of our past actions – how we react to them today is solely in our control. Heroes are remembered not for the ‘good times’ that they had, but, for how they handled the ‘bad’. When alone and in pain, be it physical or mental – even then – we must not give up. Because, always remember – God is watching us. And for His admiration alone, we must stay valiant and brave. We must find a reason to smile and cheer up.That is how life must be lived. Life can be cruel – only when we want to make it cruel for ourselves – by being over ambitious, impractical and stubborn. Our never ending desires and our inability to realise them can cause a lot of misery in our lives. Our habit of refusing to see good in others ; letting ‘doubt’ replace ‘faith’ in us ; being unreasonable and arrogant in relationships – all of the above can make us undergo a lot of mental stress unnecessarily. But, we are willing to lose our peace of mind over things that are truly of no consequence to us – as we have made these inconsequential issues the focal points of our life. We openly express dissatisfaction at the state of things and people around us at random – causing ourselves unnecessary frustration and despair to ourselves.The earlier we accept the fact – that things don’t change – and, instead, it is, we, who should change the way we look at them – the better it will be for us – as we will feel much at ease and experience mental peace. At times we wish that life was not a struggle and that we could remain untouched by grief, sorrow and suffering. What we fail to understand is that – ‘ ‘दुःख’और ‘परिश्रम’ जीवन के लिए अत्यंत आवश्यक है , क्योंकि ‘दुःख’ के बिना हृदय निर्मल नहीं हो सकता और ‘परिश्रम’ के बिना मनुष्य का विकास नहीं हो सकता…’ Life is not cruel. It is just the way it was meant to be.

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 ?