Dedicated to Swamiji Ajay Jain ji

Swamiji said…

“If someone were to ask us – ‘How well prepared are you to tread the spiritual path?’ – we would most likely give him a puzzled look and wonder about the peculiarity of such a question.
However, serious reflection on it, would reveal the sobering truth underlying this relevant, pertinent question. The never ending preparation for success in academics, jobs, business, health etc. barely leaves us with any time to prepare ourselves to know about God, to attain spiritual knowledge. Preparing for our so-called ‘life goals’ takes so much of our time, that we are not left with any to prepare ourselves to attain spiritual knowledge.”

“When we can spend a lifetime preparing for activities ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary; then an even greater initiative should be taken to prepare the mind to be in a state of readiness to acquire and absorb the light of the loftiest thoughts of God and Guru. We must be watchful and question ourselves – How much time are we able to devote to the study of our ancient scriptures and Holy Books? Do we direct our thoughts on knowing our Real Self? Does the paucity of time make it difficult for us to attend Satsang? Are we inclined towards spending time in ‘Swadhyaya’, ‘jap’, ‘tap’?”

“The choice is ours to make, and, once we make up our mind and begin to prepare ourselves to know about our Creator and who we are, we find a marked improvement in the quality of our life, as we begin to work on improving our nature and temperament. We begin to understand the importance of being pure in mind, body and heart. The essence of the word – ‘purity’ dawns on us in its true context and we endeavour to be pure – internally and externally. We not only ensure the cleanliness and purity of our physical body, but, also begin to steer the mind to stay focused on pure thoughts; draw it inwards; try to remain calm, unaffected by worldly distractions, so that while acquiring knowledge, from our self realised Guru, in an environment that is sanctified and sacred, we do not get restive, but remain focused on Him; His divinity.”

” All of us can access God’s word, spiritual knowledge through various means – at a Guru’s Darbar, by reading a Holy Scripture, hearing sermons etc. yet, not all of us receive, retain and imbibe the same essence of the knowledge imparted to us. Why? Because our minds are not alike. Not all are prepared to understand the holy knowledge that is imparted to them.”

” For those seeking spiritual knowledge – आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान – the mind is like a window.The dirtier it is, dimmer is the light of knowledge that seeps through. Thus, one must keep the mind clear – free from distractions, wants – to not in any way blemish, color or misunderstand the knowledge of the mind, heart and soul that one receives.
A mind preoccupied with making money will end up looking for ways to attain wealth even in the stories of great charity and sacrifice.A mind obsessed with familial relationships will see loneliness, and , not solitude in an ascetic’s life. Any spiritual knowledge is lost upon such souls.The seeds of spiritual knowledge will manifest into bliss, peace and success only for those whose minds are prepared, akin to the fertile soil that is made ready for the cultivation of crops.”

” Unfortunately many superstitions, inequality, and discrimination plaguing society , today, are often founded on the basis of misinterpretation of religious teachings – a result of ‘spiritual knowledge falling on unprepared minds’.”

“When seeking Knowledge, we must free our hearts from prejudice and let it overflow with love and thankfulness for God. But, are we willing to let love for God, Guru and every living being reign in our hearts? Are we ready to surrender and accept every decision that God makes for us? The impure, restless, agitated mind has to be controlled and calmed down, and, once we begin to do so, our ‘well prepared’ mind learns to be at peace, is filled with positive energy, stays focused, and concentrates on God’s and Guru’s teachings. Preparation matters the most.”

Swamiji said …

“A ‘sadguru’, a ‘saccha Sant’,’ an ‘aadhyatmik Guru’, waits patiently for those ‘seekers’ of knowledge, who are destined to find a place at His Lotus Feet, in a particular lifetime, and, seeing their devotion and faith in Him, accepts them as His devotees. ‘God’ and ‘ Guru’ alone know about the journeys that a ‘jiv atman’ has evolved through and the lessons it has learnt from them. Only a ‘Guru’ can tell whether a soul has progressed and improved itself to attain a state of readiness to receive “ज्ञान”.. knowledge… from a ‘Guru’.
Both, God’s grace and the boon bestowing hand of a ‘guru’, work in tandem, to provide the physical strength needed by a devotee, to endure the tumultous upheaval that the awakening of the ‘kundalini’ requires.Once a ‘sadguru’ accepts us as His devotee, we are His till eternity.”

“The divine and mysterious powers vested by the ‘Almighty’ in an ‘adhyatmik guru’ make devotees experience proximity to God, while sharing space with ‘Him’ – their ‘guru’. The purity of a self-realised Guru’s soul – His divine aura – makes the devotees sense ‘God’s’ presence around them… ‘भक्त अपने ‘गुरु’ में ‘भगवान’ का प्रतिबिंब देखते हैं !’ Their senses, sharp and alive, inhale the fragrance of divinity around them, and, their faith and devotion make them feel – “ जब वो एक ‘सद्गुरु’ से बात करते हैं, उनकी मीठी वाणी सुन ते है, तब unhe ऐसा लगता है जैसे उस वक्त वो ‘ईश्वर’, ‘अल्लाह’ या ‘इसामासिह’ से बात कर रहे हैं। !”

“The whole hearted, honest attempts made by the ‘soul’ to redeem itself from its past sins are recognised and rewarded by God in a manner most divine. He blesses such ‘souls’ by leading them to ‘self-realised gurus’, who in turn guide them to progress on the spiritual path.This divine connection between a ‘guru’ and ‘devotee’ is ordained by God.’जब एक अटूट ‘दिव्य’ तार जुड़ता है एक ‘सच्चे संत’ और उनके ‘सच्चे’ भक्तों के बीच में… ‘मृत्यु’ भी उस तार को तोड़ नहीं पाती है! ‘The meaning and depth of this eternal bond can only be understood by us on experiencing it personally. Theoretical knowledge, reading about the importance of an ‘adhyatmik guru’ in our lives makes us ‘aware’, but, it is ‘True knowledge’ alone, obtained from Him, that can truly enlighten us.”

” God’s ways are known only to Him, and, thus, in His inimitable manner, He ensures that the ‘Darbar’ of a ‘sadguru’ maintains the sanctity, as that of ‘His own abode, by pervading the ‘sanctum sanctorum’ of the ‘guru’s ‘Darbaar’ with His radiance and invisible presence ; so much so that -“गुरु के ‘दरबार’ में जो प्रसाद ‘गुरु’ प्रेम से अपने भक्तों को अपने हाथ से खिलाते हैं, वो प्रसाद और तीर्थ स्थान में दिया प्रसाद एक समान माना जाता है!” That moment is more than blessed as it appears that God, Himself is feeding His child through the ‘Guru’s’ hands.”

” Above all, God, knew very well that ‘He’ could not be everywhere and thus He blessed us with mothers, who taught us to keep our ‘outer’ physical form clean. But, apart from His greatest gift, ‘He’ also earmarked specific ‘sadgurus’, who not only bless us with love – pure and divine – which is equivalent to the love of seven mothers, but, also take upon themselves the responsibility of purifying their bhakts’ ‘inner’ being – their ‘ruh’ – by removing the layers of impurities that cover the soul, and,thus,enable the devotees to see the ‘light’ of divinity within them. And, just like a mother who does not give up on her child, irrespective of his shortcomings
and imperfections – ‘ Ek ‘sacche sant’ bhi apne bhakton ke saath har pal rehte hain…’ and never leaves them in dire straits to fend for themselves.”

Swamiji said …

” हमारा जीवन हमारी ‘कर्मभूमि’ है
और हमारे ‘कर्म’ हमेशा याद रखे जाते हैं।’ This world that we take birth in is our ‘कर्मभूमि’ – ‘karmbhoomi’ – where the soul performs various good’ deeds, using the body that it inhabits, in the hope of freeing itself from the cycle of rebirth.Yet, we, remain enamoured by the ‘maya’ of the world. We seek money, wealth, fame and fortune.
We work endlessly for these. Everyday we spend hours on end working, doing one कर्म after another, in the hope of getting a ‘return’ for the fruits of our labour; of our ‘कर्म’।”

“We tend to forget that our happiness and sorrow is pre-destined. The ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ‘कर्म’ that we have accumulated over our past lives will catch up with us, one way or the other, at a certain point in time.There is no escape from one’s past ‘कर्म’ and we have to bear the consequences and repercussions of every कर्म of ours.The only thing, thus, left for us to do is to control the quality, nature and intent of our actions now and not seek any benefits from the ‘कर्म’ that is being done by us.”

“Unfortunately, man does not exercise such wisdom or mindfulness in his actions. He acts only ‘to get’. Even before completing the task on hand, he starts thinking about the profit that he will make on completion of his ‘कर्म’.Instead, why don’t we try to ensure that the blank pages of ‘The Book of our ”कर्म” are filled with vivid accounts of our actions and deeds ; pure, selfless, devoid of all expectations and without any vested interest ; so much so that God too feels vindicated and proud on seeing His creation doing his ‘कर्म” without giving a thought to the ‘कर्म फल’ !”

” Consider a student who studies hard to score the highest marks in the exam. While such an achievement will surely bring him fame and pride, one must look deeper and ask – Does the thought of topping the class or college serve as the only motivator for a student? Would he not be better off without the stress of such a heavy burden? Would he, who in such a case, studies solely to top the examination, ever develop a thirst for knowledge far beyond his student years? Would such a student have even truly imbibed and understood the various lessons studied by him or were the lessons learnt only to score high in the exam and earn appreciation from others? Did the importance of receiving education fade somewhere in the background?”

” However, we most certainly must enjoy the moment that we get to do a noble, good ‘कर्म’. We must learn to find happiness in the completion of our duties and carry out our responsibilities without any expectations. ‘ ‘कर्म’ karte huey hum ‘कर्म फल’ ki aasha kyun kartein hain ? Why can’t we do our ‘कर्म’ without thinking about the reward, result, the benefit that we could receive on completing it ? Why don’t we offer every ‘कर्म’ of ours to ‘Ishwar’, request him to bless ‘it’ and to give us the strength to focus only on our ‘कर्म’ and not reflect on the fruit of our ”कर्म’ as we get attached to the ‘कर्मफल’ then.”

” ‘ हमारे ‘कर्म’ ही हमारी पहचान हैं –
and when we do our ‘कर्म’ with a sense of detachment – when we are in no way bound and affected by the outcome of our ‘कर्म’ – that particular moment becomes a moment of spiritual awakening as it is then that we realise that..’ ‘कर्मफल ‘ ‘Ishwar’ ke haath mein hota hai !”

Swamiji said…

” ‘True devotion is unwavering. Real belief is persistent.’ And, God on seeing His ‘bhakt’s’ devotion, yearning for His ‘darshan’, responds to his call in the most magical manner. Didn’t ‘He’ reward
‘Shabri’s’ ‘shraddha’ and ‘sabr’ who had waited year after year, patiently, for the glorious ‘darshan’ –
‘दर्शन’ of Shri Ram ! Such is the reward of ‘सब्र’ – patience – and complete surrender of one’s fate and self to God, that brings one closer to the ultimate Supreme Bliss. ‘Shabri’ mein Shri Ram ke liye jo ‘shraddha’ thi, joh ‘sabr’ tah unke darshan praapt karne ke liye, vaisi hi ‘shraddha’, ‘sabr’ aur ‘samarparn’ ka bhaav, hum sab mein ‘ Parampita Parmeshwar’ ke liye hona chahiye!’ “

” Man, for reasons known to him, looks upon God as more of a problem solver. He believes God to be a ‘Supreme’ being who can give him wealth, happiness and fulfil his desires.Thus, man has the utmost respect, undulating love and deep reverence for His Maker. But what happens when man suffers? What goes on in his mind when his ‘wishes are not fulfilled’? Doesn’t he begin to doubt the abilities of his Creator? Does not his faith begin to waver?”

” Can we men, being of many moods and needs, tell ourselves honestly, that our feelings, faith and veneration for God remain constant,and, do not vary with the swiftly changing dates on the calendar and the twists and turns of life, when things do not take a shape as definite as the one perceived by us? Our attitude towards God, on not being granted a wish, could be as abysmal as that of a servant whose master does not pay him on time? The servant’s master is ‘God’ for him, but only till the day the servant does not receive his wages on time. Does he then not besmirch the master’s name? Does he not think of leaving work immediately?”

” We must ask ourselves – Does not the Almighty treat us as his ‘children’? Has he ever made us feel that we are inferior must be servile ? We are his creation. And, while we only realise later in life that all those times we felt betrayed or held back was only because the all knowing God gives us what we desire – at the ‘right’ time and only ‘that’ what is ‘right’ for us.”

” An unbreakable bond can be formed between us and ‘Him’ when we repose unabiding ‘ shraddha’ – faith and belief in Him – that ‘He’ is by our side; watching over us, every living moment of our lives.These values once firmly ingrained within us are our constant companions till the last breath of our lives…so much so that when we bow our heads, it is not in tokenism; but, an honest expression of gratitude; when genuine emotions of pure, divine love and respect – for ‘Him’ – flood our inner being.”

” Impatient that we are, most of us are in a tearing hurry to know about every ‘sukh’ that awaits us; about every positive occurrence and blissful incident that awaits us at every crossroad of the journey of our life. If we had our way, we would be happiest to see the original blueprint of our life, drawn and placed before us, highlighting the heady moments of success and fame, keeping ‘dukh’ and everything unpleasant and untoward at an arm’s distance from us. But, again, life is not a bed of roses. Bright, sunny days are followed by dark, grey days of thunder and lightning. And, so is life, a kaleidoscope of changing colours and situations…But, we tend to forget this, as we treasure the sight of the graph of our lives take an upward curve, and, to see it plateau could be our worst nightmare. We expect God to manoeuvre us through the ups and downs of life in accordance with our wishes. We begin to lose confidence in Him when ‘bad’ days greatly outnumber ‘good’ days.”

” ‘Kunti’, in the ‘Mahabharata’, is said to have told Shri Krishna to ensure that He would always give her some problem or the other to face, as she found it easier to remember Him in difficult times, than when she was not faced with a problem.This is how we too must face the difficult , or , the supposedly ‘unfulfilled’ time of our lives. Thus, Instead of being distracted in the gratification of an achievement, we will stay more focussed on the Almighty Himself, in the hope that he brings our dreams to reality.”

” Do not only the hungry appreciate the value of food? Do not the thirsty truly savour a drop of water? Similarly, God gives us what we truly need at just the right time. Never too early, never too late. Just like the rains need to arrive at the right time for a crop to harvest successfully, God also sends his blessings at the right time so that they have the best impact on our lives. It is only we who need to be patient and gain the ‘wisdom’ to see the miracle of His timing.”

” Ultimately, the hard times are a test ; a test of our ‘love’ for – and ‘belief’ – in the Almighty. Love that is unselfish, selfless is the purest love. We must strive to overcome the fears that ‘माया’ – the material world – instills in us and look beyond.We must have complete faith and trust in God’s divine plan for us, place ourselves in His hands and wait patiently to see our fate – the magic unfold in a particular lifetime.”

Swamiji said…

” ‘गुरु ‘भगवान’ का रूप होते हैं … A Spiritual ‘Guru’, an enlightened ‘Guru’ is God on Earth. And, the divine grace that touches such a Guru’s disciples is no less than ‘ईश्वर का वरदान’ – a divine boon from God Himself – because just like the boons of ‘Brahma’, ‘Vishnu’ and ‘Mahesh’, mentioned in the Puranas, made their receivers worthy of mighty feats, a ‘Guru’s’ grace enables his students to unlock their potential and achieve greatness in their lives.”

” Arjun , Swami Vivekanand and Saint Paul, the Apostle ; all achieved unparalleled success in their lives. Their achievements are often immeasurable.
Arjun emerged as the greatest and most skillful warrior in the Mahabharata.
Swami Vivekananada’s teachings of Vedanta spread like wildfire in the East and West alike. His speech at the Parliament of the World’s Religions is remembered till this day and he remains an inspiration for the youth of the world. Saint Paul on the other hand, witnessed a personal transformation in which he was able to change himself from being a persecutor of Jesus’ followers to becoming not just a follower, but a significantly important apostle of Jesus.”

“Yet, all three had one commonality. The greatest blessing ; divine grace of their respective ‘Gurus’ on them. Arjun, was blessed with ‘Vishnu avatar’, Lord Krishna’s grace, who guided him throughout, on the battlefield, in Kurukshetra. In Swami Vivekanda’s case, it was His Guru, Sri Ramkrishna Paramhans, who made him a beacon of spiritual knowledge for the world to imbibe.
And, in Saint Paul’s case, it was in Jesus’s presence and words that he was able to find his true calling to be a preacher of the Lord’s message.”

” A ‘Guru’s’ presence in his disciple’s lives enables them to become fearless. Secure in the knowledge that they have a guardian angel looking over them, they feel confident in pushing their own limits. Often, when in doubt, or when fearful of taking a perceived risk, a disciple can gather and compose himself, by remembering that his Guru is always there with him and that even failure, as an honest endeavor, will not truly harm him in anyway.”

” In a world where the darkness of fear engulfs most, and, immobilizes them from moving beyond their comfort zone and self-imposed handicaps, a ‘Guru’s’ grace opens one eyes to the numerous possibilities of life and makes one motivated to look for and seize opportunities. A spiritual teacher teaches his disciples to believe in themselves and gives them hope that with the required effort nothing is beyond their reach – be it in their professional or personal lives – and that they are capable of doing what is needed to succeed.”

” Like fuel to fire, a ‘Guru’s’ grace, ‘गुरु – कृपा’ , a treasure most divine, brings positivity to our thoughts, strength to our self-belief and passion to our cause. The most daunting situations no longer threaten us, but rather seem an opportunity to display our valor and ability. Self – doubt is replaced with subtle confidence, and hard work doesn’t seem as painful as one had feared it to be.”

“Just like the presence of Shri Ram brought out numerous magical and powerful abilities of Shri Hanuman to the fore, a Guru’s grace also unleashes within us the power to transform our existence for the better and have as fulfilling an experience of this adventure called life.”

” ‘Guru – kripa’ agar shishya ko ‘surya’ ka ‘tej’ deti hai jiss se woh apne nek ‘karmon’ se, ‘satya’ ke marg par chalkar apne naam ko roshan karte hain ; toh ‘chand’ ki ‘sheetalta’ bhi pradan karti hai, joh unke shishya apni nirmal, meethi ‘vaani’ aur har haal mein apni madhur muskaan se apni ‘santushthi’, ‘khushi’ aur ‘sukh’ zaahir karte hain !”