Allow few minutes of silence

Once, there was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.

 

After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside barn.

 

He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.

 

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

 

The farmer looked at him and thought, "Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough."

 

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

 

The boy replied, "I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of watch and just looked for it in that direction."

 

Baba said that a contented mind is the surest sign of association with the holy, further He continued how can a wandering mind be considered as being surrendered to God? In Shri Sai Samarth Satchrita, chapter 6 Ovi 41. Let us try to control our wandering mind towards the One Holy in silence and try to find out God's watch ticking sound.

Appreciate each day that comes from God!

There are very many occasions in life which call for celebration and gratitude – special events like a birth or a wedding in the family, birthdays, promotions, taking possessions of a new home etc., But let us not forget that each and every day is filled with numerous things which deserve our appreciations and gratitude. If only we would pause, reflect and consider life's countless blessings, we would realize how much there is to be appreciated in life!

 

Let us appreciate Nature, She is always there with us, in many moods, many hues. The blue sky above us, the green grass at our feet, the magnificent hills, the vast seas, life-giving, life generating rivers and the beauty and grandeur of gardens and woods…

 

Appreciate each day that comes to us out of the Spotless Hands of God, think of all that we take for granted – our life which is itself a great gift, our good health, which is a blessing, our family which is precious, and the joy and love that come to us from all around. Learn to appreciate all the beauty and warmth and all the loving relationships which we so often ignore, or take for granted!"

 

Let us take our hearts to Baba's simple mantra: Shraddha and Sabhuri.

.

The Nuri Granth

The Nuri Granth

 

You are the ocean, and I am a fish in Your waters,

Every moment of my life, is dependent on Your grace!

Pray, grant me the dust of Your Lotus Feet,

For which I beg, at Your door, says Nuri Nimani.

 

Fain, I could get the saint's guidance,

Each and every moment,

May He come and bestow his treasure on this beggar maid.

May He, granting me His love,

Make me meek and humble, says Nuri.

 

Day and night, I have remembered Him within my heart,

But since many, many days

He is far away in some foreign land.

O! When with His loving steps,

Will He come unto my abode? Asks Nuri.

 

Hundreds of thousands have been washed away,

In the illusory waves of mind,

Many are the books and volumes that they did read,

But they foundered in midstream. 

But those who, in silence, dived deep within themselves,

Realized the Truth Immutable, says Nuri.

 

-Nuri Granth pages 67-68

(Songs of Sadhu Vaswani in Sindhi, 

Translated by Shri H.T Sadhwani).

 

Give Them Their Happiness and You will Get Yours

Baba said, "Everyone is fully aware of the shruti which says that

" Unless one gives, one does not receive ". Unless you have

given earlier you do not get it now" in Shri Sai Samartha Satcharita, Ch 35, Ovi 135.

Once a group of 50 people was attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and started giving each one a balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room. 

Now these delegates were let in that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written, within 5 minutes. 

Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos. At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon. 

Now each other was asked to randomly select a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon. 

The speaker began: This is exactly what's happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it was. Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness and you will get your own happiness.

This is not only true for happiness, but also for love, peace, respect, care, kindness, etc., whatever you give, that will come back to you.

 

God is there around you

A bus full of passengers was travelling while suddenly the weather changed and there was a huge downpour and lightning all around. 

They could see that the lightening would appear to come towards the bus and then go elsewhere. 

After 2 or 3 instances, the driver stopped the bus about fifty feet away from a tree and said: We have somebody in the bus whose death is a certainty today. Because of that person everybody else will also get killed. I want each person to go one-by-one and touch the tree trunk and come back. Whom so ever death is certain will get caught up by the lightening and will die. But everybody else will be saved." 

They had to force the 1^st person go and touch the tree and come back. He reluctantly got down from the bus and went and touched the tree. His hear leaped with joy when nothing happened and he was still alive. 

This continued for rest of the passengers who were all relieved when they touched the tree and nothing happened. 

When the lqast passenger's turn came, everybody looked at him with accusing eyes. This passenger was also afraid and reluctant. 

Everybody forced him to get down and go and touch the tree. With a fear of death, the laqst passenger walked to the tree and touched it. 

There was a huge sound of thunder and the lightening came down and hit the bus – yes the lightening hit the bus, and killed each and every passenger inside the bus. 

It was because of the presence of this passenger that earlier, the entire bus was safe and the lightening could not strike the bus. 

Sometimes we try to take credit for our achievements, but this could also be because of a person right next to us. Look around you – probably God is there around you in the form of parents, spouse, children, siblings, friends etc., who are saving you from bad things to happen to you.

LET GOD GUIDE YOU !!!

LET GOD GUIDE YOU 

Are you searching for a solution to some situation, hesitant to take action concerning a decision that should be made? Let God guide you! 

Do you yearn for peace of mind, renewed strength, courage, and faith? 

Let God guide you? 

Would you like to live everyday of your life joyously, confident of success, secure in the assurance that the path you are following is God's Will for you? 

Let God guide you? 

"Yes," you may say, "I want to be decisive, confident, able to cope with every situation that arises. I have prayed for guidance, but I still feel insecure, unsure that the right ones. How do I know that God is guiding me? 

The answer to this question may seem complex to the searching heart, yet it is stirringly simple to the one who has discovered the assurance of walking with God. You know that God is guiding you when you have a depth of inner peace and strength, when you can remain calm and poised regardless of how things look or seem. 

There is a blessing in every experience that comes to you. When you realize this, your trust is in God; you ytravel the pathway that follows God' road map for you. Even though this course may contain detours and curves, you will ultimately reach your destination. When you are constantly aware of your oneness with God, constantly aware that God is in you and in all persons that you abide in His presence and power you can be sure that God in his infinite wisdom is guiding and directing you. 

God's Will for each of His children is a happy, healthy, abundant life, a life rich with His blessings. God's good is unlimiyted. When you have an experience that fails to measure up to your expectation of happiness and fulfilment, you can release any feeling of anxiety and rest in the knowledge that God's Will for you is happiness and well-being. The events and experiences in your life increase your spiritual growth and enrich your awareness of God's good in your affairs. 

If there are personal problems and difficult decisions to make, it is encouraging and comforting to know that God is present in all persons and all situations. God understands your deepest needs and desires of everyone concerned by any decision you make or action you take. Regardless of the circumstances of your life, regardless of how the situation of the present moment may seem, you can place your trust in God and His guidance. You can know that He will direct you. You may not always know the channel though which your help will come, or even its method of reaching you, but you can be confident that, through prayer, God's help and guidance will come to you. 

To be an open, receptive channel for God's direction, you need to become quiet and still. You need to centre your thought and attention on God instead of the problem that is troubling you. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee," As you turn within to the presence of God at the centre of your being, our straining and struggling will cease. New depths of peace and tranquillity will be yours. Greater understanding will increase your ability to stabilize your emotions. You will relax and become poised as you commune with God. Your answer will be revealed to you. 

You are never alone. God is with you every moment. God is always there to help you, to encourage you, to direct you. Accept His blessings, abide in His peace. Let God Guide you!

 

 

சாஸ்திரம் தேவையில்லை விழிப்புணர்வே தேவை

சாஸ்திரம் தேவையில்லை விழிப்புணர்வே தேவை

மஞ்சுநாதனுக்கு பெருத்த சந்தேகம். பலகாலமாக குருவுடன் இருக்கிறோம். அவரின் கண் அசைவை புரிந்து கொண்டு செயல்படும் முதல் மாணவனாக இருக்கிறோம். இருந்தும் நமது குரு நம்மை பாரட்டுவதில்லையே. நமக்கு சுகந்திரமாக பொறுப்புகளை கொடுப்பதில்லையே என கவலை. குருவை போல ஆன்மீக விஷயங்கள் பேசுவதற்கும் சாஸ்திர கருத்திகளுக்கு பதில் சொல்ல தெரிந்தாலும் நம்மை அவர் அளவுக்கு யாரும் மதிப்பதில்லையே ஏன் இந்த நிலை என யோசிக்க துவங்கினான்.

குருவுடன் தனியாக பயணப்படும் தருணத்திற்காக காத்திருந்தான். அதற்கான சந்தர்ப்பம் விரைவிலேயே வாய்த்தது. ஓர் தொழிற்சாலையில் உழியர்களுக்கான கூட்டத்தில் அவர்களின் பணியை ஊக்குவிக்கும் பொருட்டு குரு அழைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தார்.

கூட்டத்தில் பேசியது அனைத்தும் மஞ்சுநாதனுக்கு புதிய விஷயமாக தெரியவில்லை. குருவுடன் எப்பொழுதும் இருப்பதால், அவர் பேசிய ஒவ்வொரு வார்த்தைக்கும் அடுத்த வார்த்தை மனதில் உதிக்கும் வண்ணம் அவனுக்கு குருவின் உரை பழகி இருந்தது. அது வரை பொருமையாக இருந்த மஞ்சுநாதன் தனது கேள்வியை இன்று கேட்டே விட வேண்டும் என முடிவு செய்தான்.

அன்று மதிய உணவு அருந்திய பின் குரு ஓய்வு எடுத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும் பொழுது அவரின் கால்களை மெல்ல பிடித்து விட்டபடியே மஞ்சுநாதன் கேட்டான், "குருவே, நான் உங்களிடம் சில கேள்விகள் கேட்கலாமா?".

படுக்கையில் சாய்ந்த நிலையில் அமர்ந்திருந்த குரு ஜன்னலுக்கு வெளியே எங்கோ பார்த்த வண்ணம் இருந்தார். மஞ்சுநாதனின் கேள்விக்கு "ம்" என ஒற்றை வார்த்தையில் பதில் சொன்னாலும் அவரின் கண்கள் வெளியே எங்கோ பார்த்த வண்ணம் இருந்தது.

மஞ்சுநாதன் தனது கேள்விகளை கேட்க துவங்கினான்...

"நீங்கள் சொன்ன அனைத்து ஆன்மீக சாதனைகளையும் செய்து வருகிறேன். மக்களுக்கு நீங்கள் சொன்ன அனைத்து கருத்துகளும் எனக்கு தெரிந்த விஷயம் தான். நானும் குரு நிலையை அடைந்து விட்டேனா? இந்நிலையில் எனக்கும் உங்களுக்கும் என்ன வித்தியாசம்?" என்றான்.

கேள்வி கேட்கும் வரை திரும்பாத அவர் முகம் , கேள்வி கேட்டு முடித்ததும் அவனை பார்த்து திரும்பிய போது சிறிது கலங்கித்தான் போனான் மஞ்சுநாதன்.

அவனது கலக்கத்தை போக்கும் வகையில் அவரின் முகத்தில் ஓர் புன்னகை வெளிப்பட்டது.

"மஞ்சுநாதா, வெளியே ஓர் கட்டிடத்தின் முகப்பில் என்ன எழுதியிருக்கிறது என பார்" என்றார் குரு.

கேட்ட கேள்விக்கு சம்பந்தம் இல்லாத விஷயமாக இருந்தாலும், குருவின் கட்டளைக்காக உட்கார்ந்த நிலையிலேயே எட்டி பார்த்துவிட்டு சொன்னான். "Go Down" - கீழே போ என எழுதியிருக்கிறது குருவே.."

குரு அவனை மேலும் ஓர் அகலமான புன்னகையுடன் பார்த்துவிட்டு சொன்னார்... "மஞ்சு நாதா , இந்த தொழிற்சாலையில் வேலை செய்பவர்களுக்கு அது Godown (கிடங்கு). உனக்கு அது Go Down.(கீழே போ). ஆனால் எனக்கோ அது God Own (கடவுளுக்கு சொந்தமானது).

சாமானிய மனிதர்கள் சாஸ்திரங்களை மூதாதயர்களின் சேமிப்பாக பார்க்கிறார்கள். நீ அதை கீழ் நிலையில் ஓர் புத்தகமாகவோ உரையாகவோ பார்க்கிறாய். நான் அதை கடவுளின் சொந்த பொருளாக பார்க்கிறேன். குரு நிலையை அடைய சாஸ்திரம் தேவையில்லை. விழிப்புணர்வே தேவை".

அன்று முதல் மஞ்சுநாதன் தன்னை கடவுளுக்கு சொந்தமாக்க துவங்கினான்.

குரு நிலை என்பதை நாம் எளிமையாக எண்ணிவிடுகிறோம். பகவத் கீதையையோ அல்லது வேறு ஆன்மீக கருத்துக்களையோ சுவை பட பிரசங்கம் செய்பவர்கள் குரு நிலையில் இருக்கிறார்கள் என நினைத்து கொள்ளுவது தவறு. அதே நேரத்தில் கடவுளை பற்றி சுவை பட பேச தெரியாதவர்கள் எல்லாம் குரு இல்லை என முடிவு செய்வதும் தவறு. குருவை விழிப்புணர்வு நிலையிலேயே புரிந்துகொள்ள முடியும்.

குரு நிலை அடைய விரும்புனால் விழிப்புணர்வு அடைவதே வழி அதை விடுத்து, சித்துக்களை கற்பதோ- புராணங்களை மனப்பாடம் செய்வதோ முட்டாள் தனம்.

விழிப்புணர்வு பெற்றவர்களுக்கு எதுவம் கற்க வேண்டியதில்லை. விழிப்புணர்வற்றவர்களுக்கு அனைத்தையும் கற்றாலும் எதுவம் பயனில்லை.

வலைமனக்கு வருகை தாரீர்: வாசுகிமஹால்.ப்ளாக்ஸ்பாட்.காம்

WHATEVER GOD WILLS IS THE BEST

WHATEVER GOD WILLS IS THE BEST


Baba said, “God is the sole Proprietor, nobody else is our Protector. His method of work is extra-ordinary, invaluable, and inscrutable. His will will be done and He will show us the way, and satisfy our heart's desires” in Sri Sai Satcharira, Ch. XVIII, XIX.



In the early years around the turn of the century, a scientist worked on barometers, in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Part of his research was the routine task of recording the atmospheric pressure under different conditions of weather and temperature. The various readings were noted down on sheets of paper.

He had laboured on this research for over twenty years. A huge stock of his papers was on his table – twenty years of painstaking records which he had accumulated.

At about this time, his maid-servant of many years took a week’s holiday, leaving a substitute in her place.

On the very first day, the scientist went out for his usual evening walk. On his return, he found the familiar mass of old papers missing from his desk. In their places, were kept fresh, clean white sheets of paper.

He asked the new maid-servant, “Where are my papers which were kept on the desk?”

The maid-servant explained, “O, those old papers? I was cleaning your room, sir, and I found so many of those old, soiled and stained papers cluttering your table and gathering dust. I’ve thrown them into the fire and kept new clean sheets of paper for your use.”

Twenty years of labour and research confined to the flames! It was not enough to make the gentlest man angry! But not this man – for he had learned the lesson that there is always a meaning of mercy in everything happens.

He did not scold the maid-servant. All he said was, “Thy Will be done, Lord!”

How true it is that one of the easiest ways of controlling anger is to believe that whatever God wills for us is the very best, though it may appear to be the contrary.

http://vasukimahal.blogspot.com/

JUST MAKE ME FREE

JUST MAKE ME FREE

Fix the mind in remembering Me always, so that it will not wander elsewhere, towards body, wealth and home. Then it will be calm, peaceful and carefree. - (SSS Ch.VI)

There was a king and he had a friend – a holy man. The king would very often say to his friend, "Just release me from this worldly bondage, just make me free."

The holy man would give instructions. Yet the king was persistent in his request, "Just make me free."

One day the holy man firmly caught hold of a pillar and repeatedly began to request the king, "Friend, just release me."

The king said, "Why don’t you let go the hold."

The holy man replied, "No, you must release me."

The king replied, "A great fun indeed. You yourself clasped the pillar tightly and at will you can leave it off. But now you request me to come to your rescue. Why don’t you yourself give it up?"

Then the holy man left the pillar and said to the king, "It is the same case with you. You yourself are clasping the world and yet you constantly request me to release you from it. Why don’t you yourself give it up?

The king understood.

(Courtesy: The East and West Series, 27-09-2003)

WHO IS DEVOTEE?

WHO IS DEVOTEE?

Baba said, "Renounce worldly honours. Try to get Lord’s grace and blessings and be honoured in His court. Do not be deluded by worldly honour" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Chapter VI.

He alone is a devotee whose heart having been freed from all sins and afflictions has become an eternal abode of his object of worship, the Paramatma.

When the heart of a devotee is free from all tinge of sin, how can there be any possibility of sin in the activities of his body? He who regards himself to be a devotee even though indulging in sin all the twenty four hours does so with a view to deceiving the world, or he is himself deluded by his intellect which is incapable of sound judgment.

One should actually become a devotee or a saint rather than be called as such. One who aspires to become a devotee for reputation alone is duped by sin. Such a person falls an easy prey to hypocrisy in the first instance.

Devotion is cultivated for the happiness of one’s own soul and not for demonstration before the world; where there is a sense of display, there is artificiality.

Sinful persons alone either to extenuate their sin, or as an apology for carrying on sinful activities, indulge in fanciful interpretations of the scriptures and exploit them.

The grace of God descends in the form of wrath on those who are given to artificially, and in the form of mercy on those who are free from artificiality. Grace in the form of anger purifies the soul by tormenting and subjecting it to suffering, while grace in its tender form descends only on the soul thus purified.

One who aspires to be a devotee of God should purify one’s heart in the first instance, and should daily offer this pitiful prayer to Him in seclusion; "Lord, be pleased so to ordain that seeing You constantly present within my heart, no sinful propensity may ever arise or stay there; let Yourself then be permanently enthroned in that purified heart, so that, beholding You every moment, I may continue to be thoroughly immersed in supreme ecstasy."

Courtesy: Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar in Wavelets of Bliss

THE ABSOLUTE LAW OF KARMA - THE RELATIVITY OF VIRTUES AND SINS

THE ABSOLUTE LAW OF KARMA - THE RELATIVITY OF VIRTUES AND SINS


The qualitative assessment of good and evil is always relative. On the scale of virtue you will find persons, who belong to a grade lower than yours, those who are in the same grade as your own; and others who have a much higher grade than yours. Suppose you are studying in a college. You may consider the persons with the highest character (Satoguni) studying in a class senior to your own, your classmates as students of the intermediate class (Rajoguni) and the juniors, being educated in the lower class (Tamoguni). However, as mentioned earlier, this relationship of moral status is relative.


For instance, in comparison to a bandit, a thief is more virtuous (has more Satogun),
because the latter is more humane. Compared to both the thief and the dacoit, a labourer has more Satogun. A social reformer would have more Satogun than a common man, and a spiritual teacher more than that of the social worker. Thus, on the scale of Satogun, a spiritual teacher stands at a much higher level than a bandit, but he is graded lower than enlightened, liberated soul whose Silent Presence is the greatest of sermons. It does not mean that the dacoit is the most degraded soul. He is better than animal.


The superiority of spiritual status of a person is measured by the number of people being ethically benefited by his altruistic deeds. On the lowest level, a self-centered person acts only for the welfare of his own family. A dacoit does not rob members of his family.

A thief does not commit theft in the house of a friend. For a social worker, welfare activities are confined to a particular class or community. The spiritual teacher works for enlightenment of all human beings. The enlightened souls see all living beings, as manifestations of God, be it man or beast, plant or animal. In a nutshell, in the process of progressive evolution, before attaining self-realization, all living beings are at different stages of conscious awakening. Everyone lives with lack of one virtue or the other.

When all impurities are removed, nothing can stop a person from reaching the ultimate state of liberation from cycles of birth and death. This is the ultimate goal of human existence.


Taken together, virtues in this world are far in excess of vices. No doubt, immorality is also there, but morality is much more prevalent. There is more enlightenment than ignorance in this world. There are bad people everywhere in the world, but they have more virtues than vices in them. We should keep in sight only the goodness of the world, enjoy the beauty of the virtuous and work for enhancement of these virtues.


Nature has made a provision of day and night to teach us how to behave in the world. During the day we keep awake, take advantage of the sunlight for working and prefer to live in an illuminated place, than in darkness. Light gives us the advantage of acquiring knowledge through sight. When darkness of night descends, we go to sleep or, if required to work, use artificial light. Because of the natural structure of eyes, man intrinsically prefers to live in an illuminated environment. Light makes our perspective illuminated. In the light we clearly see objects as they are and dispel our ignorance about them. It shows that we should ignore the dark side of the world and become more enlightened by preferring to look only at the brighter aspects of human personalities i.e. virtues.


We should make an endeavour to enjoy, imbibe and encourage only the virtuous traits in a person. It does not mean that we close our eyes to the blemishes. Be aware of the vices but do not get involved in them. There is that well known story of Rishi Dattatreya.


As long as he continued to compare the bright and dark aspects of life he remained troubled and unhappy. When he concentrated only on the positive aspects of creation, he found that in this world all living creatures were sacred and adorable. He realized that he could learn something from each of them. It is said that he acquired his spiritual insights from twenty-four beings (teachers). Amongst these were insignificant creatures like dog, cat, jackal, spider, fly, vulture, crow etc. He felt that no animate being was despicable, that each one had within it, the soul, which is a spark of that Super-Being, and that each was a link in the spiraling chain of evolution. When we make ourselves receptive to virtues, the field of vision changes. Shortcomings are overlapped by excellence, wickedness by goodness and prevalence of unhappiness by abundance of things of joy.


The world that we earlier thought to be full of wicked people now appears rich with decent, well mannered, altruistic and aspiring persons.


Each individual has his own personal perspective of people, places, things and events. On account of the confusion of perspective, one finds the world bad, whereas the other sees only goodness in it. Throw away the cobwebs of your old biased perspectives.


Use your third eye of wisdom to see through the illusions of your old world. Let your present wicked world (Kaliyug) destroy itself and in its place create your own Golden Age (Satyug) in your inner psyche. Stop being deluded by the darkness of the world (Tamogun) and focus your vision at the brightness (Satogun). You will find the world changing into heaven. When you change your field of vision, you will find your disobedient son/daughter changing into an obedient one. Your worst enemies, quarrelsome wife and hypocritical neighbours will appear totally different. Actually, the factor of negativity in the character or behaviour of a person is usually very small.


Antagonism in the mind of the observer magnifies it manifold. Suppose your husband or wife does not behave as per your expectations because of preoccupation or some other valid reason; when you are not aware of it, you are likely to take it as an affront and become resentful or angry. With the anger, the evil traits lying dormant in the inner recesses of your mind become activated and produce negative mental image of the subject. Darkness makes out a monster out of a bush. Similarly, anger, due to distortion caused by inner turbulence, produces a defiant, disobedient, disrespectful picture of an otherwise simple, innocent person who receives a harsh punishment for a small lapse.

On the other hand, this unjust reaction also infuriates the recipient of the undeserved treatment. The counter-reacting angry person too begins to see wickedness, foolishness, cruelty and many other negative traits in the other person. On repetition of such trivial incidents, the two imaginary ghost personalities continue to grow and their confrontations convert two simple – hearted warmly related persons into bitter antagonists.


On many occasions, I have succeeded in reconciling the differences between bitter adversaries by making them understand the triviality of the root cause, which had made a mountain out of a molehill. Such situations arise because of gap in communication. With mutual understanding, sharing of feelings and objective analysis of each other’s expectations, behaviour and psychological background, ninety percent of estrangements can be amicably resolved. In fact the factors responsible for such estrangements are very minor. We may compare their incidence with the quantity of salt in our food. Salt and pepper themselves are distasteful, but a small quantity of these makes food palatable.


Occasional cooling off of warmth in close relationships is required to break the monotony of life. Given mutual trust, we bounce back into the relationship with deeper understanding and warmth. It has already been discussed that on human birth, the soul brings with it many imperfections and traits of its past lives including its embodiments in sub-human species. The newly born human child is very little qualified to live amongst human beings.


It falls asleep anytime during the day, keeps awake during nights, soils the clothes and makes loud hues and cries for its biological needs of fondling, food and water.


Nevertheless, neither these baby-tantrums disturb the household, nor does addition of one more member make the house unlivable. On the contrary, the innocent and immature child becomes a means of entertainment for the family. The morally less evolved persons of the society should be treated in the same way.


For evolutionary soul growth, it is the duty of each enlightened soul to work for the progress of other persons, who are at lower stages of soul-growth and encourage them, to work for their own upliftment. Wickedness will always be there in this world.


There is no reason to be afraid of it. Whosoever is desirous of self-enlightenment should learn to face and overcome the disturbances caused by the wicked. It is necessary to restrain the evil and prevent the beastly traits from polluting humane values. Flies have to be kept away from sweets. The efficiency of one’s karmas is demonstrated in preventing spread of sinful traits in the society. A great deal of caution is required in this endeavour.


It is like walking on the razor’s edge. This truly is yog-the skill in works- equanimity in the face of all provocations.


What should be our course of action in this world to eliminate evil? The Sun sets an example worth emulating. Its light dispels the darkness. Its heat forms the clouds; clouds bring down rain and cool the heat. When we take food, hunger goes by itself and when we follow laws of health, weakness is removed without much effort. In order to remove ignorance, try to acquire knowledge. For making the world free of evil, we should work for proliferation of virtues. The proper way for eradication of disease is to educate the masses about the significance of laws of hygiene and health. The sick do need the medicines, but hospitals cannot cure the entire society. Law enforcement machinery works like a hospital for the wicked- the morally sick. It takes care of only contingencies. Law cannot remove the root causes of societal ills.


It is not possible to eradicate evil by violence. Violent opposition would only incite a stronger counter reaction. A surgeon does not act like a butcher. He makes a precise incision. Instead of direct confrontation, blabbing, showing resentment, expressing helplessness, follow the positive path of forgiveness, reformation and love. According to a philosopher, “A word of love creates much greater impact than a blow on the head”.


Everyone has more or less goodness in him. Make an effort to identify your own virtues and make them more effective in life. Also find out the virtues in the other person and try to encourage him to more and more cultivate these virtues. Do not fight your battle in the darkness of ignorance. Make your battlefield illuminated. Do not be disheartened by the spread of immorality. Counter it by promoting morality.


The only way to remove evil from this world is to encourage goodness. Remove the air from the bottle by filling it with water. Do not associate with evil. Why should you like to collect the garbage (evil)? Let others do this dirty job. Your work is to disinfect the rot.

Why should you do skinning of dead animals (finding faults of the evildoers)?

Assume the more dignified role of a teacher. Remember! In this world quite a few persons have a faultfinding attitude. Perhaps there are more persons inclined to punish the guilty than are necessary. When a child teases another one, quite a few of his companions slap him on the cheek. But how many in this world are prepared to give free food and clothes to a needy child? Let the evildoers suffer the consequences of their misdeeds.

Take the venerated seat of the mother, who feeds the infant by the extract of her own blood; who suffers in cold but shields the child in her bosom. Like a learned teacher, distribute the wisdom acquired by you amongst the immature, ignorant and way lost people. The glorious path of reformation is not easy to follow. People may make you suffer, insult you, make fun of you. They may even regard you as a crackbrain, may oppose you and create hurdles in your work for no rhyme or reason. Be least apprehensive about such persons.


Do not deviate from your path. The number of such habitual faultfinders is always insignificant. Against hundreds of appreciators of your good work, the number of denunciators will be very small. Their antagonism, too, will come to you as a token of Divine Grace. It would provide you opportunities for introspection and corrective action.


This will charge you with higher potency energy for speedy progress.


You might have understood that significance of persons, events and objects, which come in our lives in this ever-changing materiel world, is momentary and illusory.


Therefore material objects and relationships are not worthy of blind pursuit for their acquisition or attachment thereto. Such detached attitude would in no way discourage us in performance of our duties. On the contrary, only on being detached to the material world, we can pay attention to our progress without worry. It is a great misconception to regard this world as full of misery. World is full of things of beauty and joy. Had it not been so, the free, spotless, illumined blissful soul, which is spark of the Supreme, would not have chosen it as its abode. Unhappiness is nothing but absence of happiness.


Unhappiness means abandoning a highway and wandering way lost through the thicket
of thorny bushes. As discussed earlier, mostly the unhappiness, antagonism, enmity,
distress and conflict faced by us is illusory and people are not as wicked as we assume them to be. If we clean our minds of prejudices and throw away our coloured glasses,things will appear in their true colours.


The mirror of the world reflects happiness for the virtuous and the optimist, and unhappiness for the pessimistic evildoer. As soon as we change our field of vision, see the virtues only and resolve to convert the unvirtuous with love, the entire world showers us with petals of love. You become a recipient of uninterrupted blessings from the liberated souls of the invisible heavenly world. The glaring and burning blaze of the hot summer changes into the soothing light of the full moon. His creation is full of beauty and joy.


When you look for happiness, each particle of nature is prepared to give you peace and joy. Your mind can give you the taste of dishes from a king’s palace in your own dry morsel of bread. True, in the human experience there is some unhappiness in this world, but it can be tolerated. It underscores the importance of happiness. Whatever is wicked is meant to test your endurance and accelerate the pace of your self-evolution. Without a system of examination, how could one differentiate between a learned person and a rustic illiterate?


In a nutshell, being inert, this material world is incapable of giving us pleasure or pain.

The world is a mirror reflecting the beauty or ugliness of your own mind. When the philosopher calls this world “An existence in virtual reality”, it is implied that one sees the world according to one’s own state of mind. It is like the many blind persons giving their description about the shape of an elephant after feeling only a part of animal’s body. You can change your world by changing your environment. Project your brotherliness, benevolence, love, sympathy and optimism and you will find it reflected back to you as a world full of bliss like the Biblical Garden of Eden.

DOES GOD EXISTS?

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen....

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children?

If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things." The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!" "No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me." "Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."