Dedicated to Swamiji Ajay Jain ji

Swamiji says …

‘Desires … ambitions … goals are an inseparable part of Man. He is tempted and tantalized by the visions of a glorious life that he sees in his dreams. A life, which he is certain, is resplendent with happiness and one, that will be experienced by him, once he realizes his dreams, and achieves his goal – and this is what exhilarates him, keeps him going. Despite the gauntlet of challenges that these dreams and aspirations throw at him, calling out to him mockingly – ‘catch me if you can’ – he faces them readily, knowing that it is best to tackle them immediately, and realise them at the earliest, otherwise, they will unfailingly have an unsettling effect on his sense of inner peace. But he continues unabashed, and dares to dream. ‘Dream I must!’ – he says to himself.”

“It is essential to set goals and achievable targets for ourselves, as they make our lives purpose-filled, and we chase our aspirations with focus and single minded determination … ‘aur hum apne aap, apne sapno ko poora karne ka prayaas karte hain … apni mehnat se apni pehchaan banana chahte hain … aur aisa hi hona chahiye! Apne bal se apna naam banana chahiye ! ”

“We are thus motivated to dream the impossible – to reach for the stars, test our limits and are encouraged to make that one more attempt before accepting defeat. And as we strive to work diligently to realize our dreams, we must maintain the core values of life; keep life simple and straight and see for ourselves how enjoyable and rewarding it is then. The satisfaction of creating our own identity with perseverance and diligence is the most valuable possession that we can ever own, and we owe it to ourselves to ensure that nothing ever scars it. God has bestowed a lot on us, given us what is best for us and we should be grateful for His Grace. But then, are we thankful enough to Him or do the overpowering wants and needs of our bucket list make us buckle under the pressure of ‘I need some more?”

“Our downfall, however, begins when we aspire for something that we are incapable of achieving. Each one of us has a choice of making our lives either pleasurable or miserable. Dissatisfaction with one’s lifestyle and too many expectations from life make him look hither-tither, and in no time he begins enjoying what he sees on the other side of the fence. Shortly, he starts taking take great interest in other people’s accumulations and acquisitions – ‘aur tab woh ashaant rehne lagta hai !’ This restless attitude in us brings about a negative change in us- of being inquisitive in the other person’s personal wealth and possessions.”

“Our vision which could otherwise be blurred to this imperfection in us – of yearning for what belongs to others – acquires perfect clarity while looking at the other person’s platter, and we are tormented on seeing it overflow with exotica – everything imaginable and unimaginable – and more than what is needed for his plate and palate. And before we know it – ‘humari niyat doosron ke paise par lag jaati hai, aur humey doosron ki thaali mein zyaada ghee nazar aata hai…’ and from here begin our days of doom and gloom.”

“Time and energy that was earlier spent fruitfully in productive work, in earning money in an honest manner, is now ill – spent on hankering for the impossible, and planning and scheming evil designs by which one could get a hold and control on the other person’s wealth and property… ‘Kuch log doosron ki property ya paise ko hadapne ki koshish karte hain! Yeh aadat theek nahi hai! ‘ It doesn’t matter then as to whose material possessions or bank statements could be on the hit list! Parents, siblings, friends or acquaintances – everyone could be a target.”

“ In some cases relationships – the meaning and value of family ties – take a backseat once the mind is obsessed with the ‘excessive’ possessions of others – and then the worst possible thoughts begin to form in their mind… ‘ aur woh doosron ka anishtha chahane lagtey hai !’ They wish that their kith and kin meet their end soon, thus, making it viable for them to lay their hands on ‘their’ possessions as quickly as possible. ‘The earlier, the better!’ is the refrain echoed by them, at times, as they think of illegal ways and means by which they can stake ‘their’ claim on the assets of others, at the required time. Why should we allow such horrible thoughts to raise their ugly heads within us? Are we incapable of fending for ourselves and for our loved ones? Rather than wasting time by …’ parivaar ke doosre sadasyon ki dhan-sampatti par nazar rakhne ke bajaye’ – can’t we fulfil our wishes by working hard ? Is wishing ill for others the only way out ? Could anything else cause God greater sorrow than to see His creation sink to the lowest depths of inhumanity by thinking on such lines?”

“The large sums of money that one had whimsically taken from his near and dear ones in the form of a loan, to present a deceptively false image of himself to the world, which he needs to return to the creditors later – is conveniently forgotten by him, and he pockets it without any qualms. Promises of returning the money within a specific time period are broken repeatedly, and one lie leads to another. Greed, jealousy and craving for more lead us, at times, to a point of no return…’ Apni aadaton ko sudhaaro ! – before  you become slaves to a habit as obnoxious as this, and become repeat offenders.”