LESSON TO OVERCOME GREED, TEMPTATION AND ATTACHMENT

LESSON TO OVERCOME GREED, TEMPTATION AND ATTACHMENT


Baba always wanted to see that his devotees were not subject to Raga-Dwesha. As Rege sat near Baba at the mosque once, bunches of red plantains were brought by some one. Rege was fond of them, and he thought that he was going to have a good time of it. Baba of course knew that passed in his heart. So, when the fruits came, Baba took up one fruit, peeled it off gave the pulp to others, and the skin was thrown to Rege with the word Khav – for him to eat, as it was the red skin that attracted him. The same thing was done a second time and third time. All the three skins were quietly swallowed up by Rege on account of his powerful bhakti to his Guru. At last, Baba took up one plantain and turning to him, said, ‘Have I given you nothing?’ Then, after peeling off the skin of one plantain, he bit off a portion and said it was nice. He presented it to the mouth of Rege for him to bite off. Rege bit off a portion and Baba bit off the next portion; so that, between the two, that fruit was finished. so, Baba gave Rege a very well remembered and impressive lesson on greed in the matter of eating.

Baba’s identity with him was the matter on which Rege was most keen in 1912, probably on Guru Poornima day, when he went to Shirdi, he carried no garland. All the other went and garlanded Baba. Noting the absence of a garland in his own hand, Rege felt mortified. Baba at once knew his hear, and lifted up a bundle of garlands in his hands, and told Rege, ‘All these are yours.’

Rege, on account of his great love for Baba, did not mind spending Rs. 85/- on the purchase of a beautiful muslin, which when folded could be contained in one’s hand. On a Ramanavami Day in 1916, all of Baba’s devotees presented a piece of cloth each to Baba and got it back. But Rege, with his muslin inside his shirt, bowed to Baba, and stealthily thrust it under Baba’s gaddi so that no one would notice it. He came back. When all the other clothes were presented and returned, Baba got up, and said, ‘The Gaddi must be dusted. Remove it.’ The muslin was there under it. Baba said, ‘Whose is this? I am not going to return it. This is mine. '’Baba took it up, looked at Rege, spread out the muslin, put it over his shoulders, and asked Rege, ‘Do I not look nice in this!’ That was just what Rege wanted him to do, namely, to keep it – as there was no difference between Rege and Baba. His identity with the Guru was established in this practical way.

In another way also Baba granted this identity. This was in about 1916. Rege had gone to Shirdi and was staying with Ayi. when Baba was alone, he sent for him, and said, ‘The key of my treasury is now placed in your hands. Ask anything you want, Rs. 5, Rs. 100 or what you like. I will give it to you.’ This was a temptation, but Rege declined to ask for anything. Sai Baba knew what was necessary, good or useful for Rege and it was for Baba to decide what to give or what to withhold, and not for Rege to ask. So, Rege would not ask. Then Baba held him by the chin and coaxed him to ask for something, because he was anxious to give. Then Rege said, ‘Is it agreed, Baba, that you grant anything I ask for?’. ‘Yes’, Baba answered. Rege said, ‘Then Baba I want this. In this and in any future birth that may befall me, you should never part from me. You should always be with me’. Baba was full of joy and petting him said ‘Yes, I shall be with you, inside you and outside you, whatever you may be or do’ Rege felt then and feels even now, Baba is always with him. Baba also shows his form visibly to him occasionally to reassure him and guide him.

This statement that Baba is always with Rege, and Rege always with Baba, came from Sai Baba in a very forceful way again in 1916. on one occasion Baba showed his deep concern for M.B. Rege’s comfort and happiness. It was about a child that was the first child that Rege had. when in 1914 a child was still in the womb, both Rege and his wife went to Baba for darshan. then Baba cryptically said, ‘You have got one of my gifts with you.’ When the child was born, it was taken to Baba. Baba then caressed it, and asked Rege, ‘Is the child yours or mine?’ ‘Yours Baba,’ replied Rege. Then Baba said, ‘Keep him with you as a charge from me.’ One might wonder, with what object this was said. Baba fully knew what the future of that child was to be and how it was to leave Rege and cause him much pain, being his very first child. A year and half after that, the child got pneumonia, and the doctors were saying that the danger was over. But just then it started sinking. Rege took the child to the prayer room in his house and prayed to Baba. ‘The child is yours, Baba. So, please take it and give it rest in you. But having given it its worldly existence, I undertake all its karma’, said Rege. Then Rege put his palm on the head of the child. There was a smile on its face, a last gasp and the crown of the head was drawn in with a hiss, just the way in which the yogis lives would depart, namely, through the crown of the head. To confirm his idea that the child had sadgati, he had an experience, a couple of months later, when he went to Shirdi. as he was in Baba’s presence, the latter asked some one, ‘Who is this man? where does he live?’ pointing to Rege. They said, ‘This is Rege and he lives at Indore.’ ‘No,’ said Baba, ‘You are wrong. he is always here and I am with him.’ Next Baba asked , ‘Has he any children?’ The person present said, ‘No Baba; his child has just now died.’ Baba retorted, ‘Died? No, no. I will tell you what happened. The child was mine, and this man agreed to keep it. One day he said, ‘You keep him with you, and I will take up his karma.’ So, I took the child and kept it here, pointing to his heart’. Baba added, ‘He shall be here eternally’. Eternal with Guru – God means undoubted sadgati. That is how Baba tried to fore-warn Rege from the beginning about this loss of his first child and how he consoled him by giving the child sadgati. This being a memorable event is referred to in Sai Sahasranama in the following words: Rege Sisoh Tathandasya Sada Sadgati Dayakah.


Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

DAS GANU’S OBSTACLES DUE TO POORVA KARMA

DAS GANU’S OBSTACLES DUE TO POORVA KARMA

Das Ganu has been helped in numerous other ways, but it is sufficient here to note that Baba gave him the assurance that he would provide for his temporal welfare (Yogakshema) so that he might bravely and calmly start his spiritual career. And Baba kept his word. Baba always keeps his word. Baba thus provided completely for the temporal welfare of a man without any employment and any property. When he thought there was nothing for him to depend upon, Baba provided everything, and Das Ganu had always been very well off temporally. He has got properties though he has transferred them to his adopted son.

As for the spiritual uplift, it is impossible to conceive of any greater benefit than wrenching one away from the two great ropes that were dragging Ganpat Rao downward namely, the lewd village dramas which Ganpat Rao was playing in and the soul destroying police work, the wickedness of which would be heightened by the ambition to rise to Sub Inspectorship in double quick time. The way in which Baba responded to prayers and saved him, time and again, from dismissal or punishment would quite suffice to impress the mind of Ganpat Rao with the fact that Baba is omnipotent, is everywhere watching and attending to his prayers, and is ever looking after him. Baba watched him at every place to which he went and took the appropriate measure that was urgently needed for his welfare. What else can be God except that which watches us everywhere and further takes adequate steps to see that harm does not befall us but real benefit is conferred on us? What is God except that which hears and grants prayer?

Baba naturally did his very best for this Das Ganu but, unfortunately, (as we see in the cases of most devotees contacting Baba) there are obstacles due perhaps to Poorva Karma which prevent one responding in the correct way to such high influences as Baba’s. Even after so much of proof of Baba’s omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and miraculous help for Ganu’s benefit. Ganu did not fully derive the idea that Baba was God. So many others for whom Baba did even less were full of the faith that Baba was God. No doubt Ganu sang of Baba that he was God in fine terms set to music. But Ganu’s conviction was superficial and not deep.

Das Ganu’s faith being very poor and very weak in Baba’s Divinity, Baba desired to impress on Ganu, His (Baba’s) Godhead and to make him and his other disciples realise him (Baba) properly. For that purpose, he exhibited chamatkars, one of which is as follows. On a certain occasion, Das Ganu wanted to go for a bath to the Godavari river, which in ordinary parlance is termed ‘Ganga’ (the Ganges, the most sacred river). That river is four or five miles away from Shirdi, and when Ganu asked for permission to go to ‘Ganga’, Baba answered, "Why go there? Is not Ganga here? Ganu felt very much dissatisfied. Ganu was the author of the Arati song which runs as follows and which was even being sung at Baba’s puja.

Shirdi Maje Pandaripura
Sai Baba Ramavara

This means, ‘My Pandharpur or place of pilgrimage is Shirdi and the God that sanctifies that place (Vittal) is Sai Baba; that is, Sai is Mahavishnu from whose feet Ganges is perennially flowing. This song is sung by many and at least a few really think in their hearts that Sai Baba is really Maha Vishnu: For, what is Maha Vishnu? Maha Vishnu is the protecting form of God. God has three functions, namely creation, protection and final withdrawal, which also is a form of protection. The protecting aspect of God is called Maha Vishnu. So Sai Baba, the person who has protected Das Ganu and innumerable others, and who is doing it even today on a vast scale from one end of the country to the other, is certainly exercising the functions of Maha Vishnu All Divinity in one. Call it or Him by any name and carry on your worship according to any religion and adopt any set of doctrines or metaphysical or philosophical basis for your ideas and actions, the end reached is the same, the one pure and perfect Bliss. When the goal is reached by the most advanced souls of any country or sect, the experience is the same. But before the end is reached, the modes adopted and the explanations given by sets differ so greatly sometimes as to cause religious differences of a bitter sort – and quarrels, battles or wars are waged on account of religious or sectarian zeal.

The common run of men look to externals alone and the inner kernel of all religion is beyond their grasp. Sri Das Ganu on account of his poorva karma of former births and even the karma of his present earlier life could not rise to this view. Baba had to refine his nature and wash away the effects of birth and past habits.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

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.

Healing Powers of Saibaba

Healing Powers of Saibaba.

Several of our great saints are known to have exercised great healing powers; and the `medicines' they used were often surprising. Similar was the case with Sri Saibaba and Mrs. Manager mentions a few such cases in the following statement of her reminiscences.

"When we had difficulties to get over, we never had to speak-we had merely to go and sit or stand in his presence. He at once knew what the matter was and gave directions exactly meeting our requirements. We had our servant with us Shirdi. He had acute pain his lumbar region and was sorely distressed. My husband went to Saibaba and was standing. Some others were also present. Baba suddenly said, "Hallo, my leg is paining. Great is the pain". Someone suggested that something should be done to relieve the pain.

Green Leaves:

"Yes". Said Baba. "If green leaves are heated and applied over it, it will go away".

"What leaves, Baba?" was query of someone.

"Those green leaves near the Lendi".

One suggested one leaf and another a different leaf. One finally asked if it was korphad.

"Yes." Baba said. "That is it. The leaf has to be split into, slightly heated over the fire and applied. That is all".

The Real Cure:

"Saibaba's cure for our servant was not a medicine for all. Korphad was tried for others and failed. It was Baba's special blessing that operated to cure and not the korphad. On other occasions he had picked up a bit of earth and given it as a remedy and it was successfully used. Similarly Madhav Rao Deshpande's inflammation of the eyes was cured by application of pepper. And Dada Kelkar's growth of a film over the eyes was removed by application of a bit of cokecrust under a baking pan mixed with water as prescribed by Baba.

Drawing Diseases:

"Still more wondrous was his curing deep-seated organic diseases abruptly and suddenly-without any visible application of remedy or treatment. Scientists and medical men may disbelieve this. But having actually experienced it in my own case and noticed that of others who came before Sri Saibaba. I cannot disbelieve such cases and what is most peculiar – the drawing of diseases on to himself by pure will-power.

My eyes have been giving me trouble constantly. On one occasion while I was in Shirdi, they were greatly paining me and water was freely flowing from them. In such a condition, I went and sat up before Baba. He looked at me. My eyes ceased to pain and water. But his eyes were dropping tears".

(His Highness Pujyasri B V Narashima Swamyji in The Wondrous Saint Sai Baba)

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? – Part 5

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? – Part 5

Question: Why is our past karma kept a secret from us?

Answer: Don’t you think it is a great mercy of God that our karmic links are not known t o us> Else, it may be difficult for us to live in the world. Thus, for instance, there may be a man whose wife, in the present incarnation, was his bitter enemy in an earlier incarnation and had now become his wife only to settle previous accounts. If all this were revealed to us, what would be our condition?

Question: How did bad karma originate?

Answer: Man was given free will; he was given the right of choice. He can choose between what the Upanishads call preya and shreya. Preya is the pleasant: the path of preya is the path of pleasure that lures us but leads to our degradation. As a Danish proverb has it: “After pleasant scratching comes unpleasant smarting.” Shreya is the good: the path of shreya may, at first, be difficult to tread but ultimately leads to our betterment and well-being and spiritual unfoldment. At every step man is given this choice. Many of us, alas, choose the easy path, -the path of pleasure, - and so keep on multiplying undesirable karma.

Question: If all that happens today is the result of our past karmas, does it mean that everything is pre-destined?

Answer: No, certainly not! We are the architects of our own destiny. We are the builders of our future. Many of us blame fate, kismet for our misfortune. But let me tell you, dear friends, that you are the builders of your own fate. Therefore, be careful especially of your thoughts. We pay scant attention to our thoughts, believing that they are of no consequence. We say, after all, it was only a thought, what does it matter? Every thought is a seed you are sowing in the field of life, and what you sow today, you will have to reap tomorrow.

God has created a universe of beauty, fullness, happiness and harmony. Each one of us is a child of God. God wishes each one of us to be happy, healthy, prosperous, successful and to enjoy all the good things He has created. We keep ourselves away from all those bounties because of our karma. Change your karma and you will change the conditions in which you live. And you can change your karma by adopting a new pattern of thinking.

Question: Can karmas be wiped off by japa?

Answer: It is believed that the effects of karma can be mitigated through nama japa. In any case, the suffering can be reduced, because nama japa acts as a sort of chloroform. It is like going through an operation. The surgeon puts you under anesthesia and you come out of the operation without feeling the acute pain. Else the pain is so excruciating, that a person could die of it. This is what Nama Japa does to you.

Question: Can saints take over the karma of their disciples?

Answer: They can. However, normally, they do not wish to interfere with the law of karma. For they know that the law of karma is not punitive but reformative. The law of karma does not wish to punish us for what we may have done in the past. The law of karma wishes to reform us and so sends us experiences which may help on our spiritual advancement. It is true there have been cases when men of God have taken the karmas of their devotees upon themselves. It is like having birds released from their cages. A man may purchase the birds and set them free. Likewise, a man who is rich in the wealth of the Spirit may, if he so desires, pay for our karma and released us from the cage of maya.

(Author: Sri J. P. Vaswani)

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? – Part 4

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? – Part 4

Question: Why is our past karma kept a secret from us?

Answer: Don’t you think it is a great mercy of God that our karmic links are not known t o us> Else, it may be difficult for us to live in the world. Thus, for instance, there may be a man whose wife, in the present incarnation, was his bitter enemy in an earlier incarnation and had now become his wife only to settle previous accounts. If all this were revealed to us, what would be our condition?

Question: How did bad karma originate?

Answer: Man was given free will; he was given the right of choice. He can choose between what the Upanishads call preya and shreya. Preya is the pleasant: the path of preya is the path of pleasure that lures us but leads to our degradation. As a Danish proverb has it: “After pleasant scratching comes unpleasant smarting.” Shreya is the good: the path of shreya may, at first, be difficult to tread but ultimately leads to our betterment and well-being and spiritual unfoldment. At every step man is given this choice. Many of us, alas, choose the easy path, -the path of pleasure, - and so keep on multiplying undesirable karma.

Question: If all that happens today is the result of our past karmas, does it mean that everything is pre-destined?

Answer: No, certainly not! We are the architects of our own destiny. We are the builders of our future. Many of us blame fate, kismet for our misfortune. But let me tell you, dear friends, that you are the builders of your own fate. Therefore, be careful especially of your thoughts. We pay scant attention to our thoughts, believing that they are of no consequence. We say, after all, it was only a thought, what does it matter? Every thought is a seed you are sowing in the field of life, and what you sow today, you will have to reap tomorrow.

God has created a universe of beauty, fullness, happiness and harmony. Each one of us is a child of God. God wishes each one of us to be happy, healthy, prosperous, successful and to enjoy all the good things He has created. We keep ourselves away from all those bounties because of our karma. Change your karma and you will change the conditions in which you live. And you can change your karma by adopting a new pattern of thinking.

Question: Can karmas be wiped off by japa?

Answer: It is believed that the effects of karma can be mitigated through nama japa. In any case, the suffering can be reduced, because nama japa acts as a sort of chloroform. It is like going through an operation. The surgeon puts you under anesthesia and you come out of the operation without feeling the acute pain. Else the pain is so excruciating, that a person could die of it. This is what Nama Japa does to you.

Question: Can saints take over the karma of their disciples?

Answer: They can. However, normally, they do not wish to interfere with the law of karma. For they know that the law of karma is not punitive but reformative. The law of karma does not wish to punish us for what we may have done in the past. The law of karma wishes to reform us and so sends us experiences which may help on our spiritual advancement. It is true there have been cases when men of God have taken the karmas of their devotees upon themselves. It is like having birds released from their cages. A man may purchase the birds and set them free. Likewise, a man who is rich in the wealth of the Spirit may, if he so desires, pay for our karma and released us from the cage of maya.

(Author: Sri J. P. Vaswani)

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? – Part 3

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? – Part 3

Question: What is the concrete proof for this?

Answer: You will get concrete proof when you practice silence and enter the depths within you. The meaning of the mystery of the endless adventure of existence is there within you. As you enter into the depths within, the mystery is unravelled.

Question: Can you give us some concrete example?

Answer: An example has been given in the Mahabharata. It concerns the blind King Dhritarashtra. After the Mahabharata war was over, Sri Krishna said to Pandavas and Kauravas and all others: “It is time for me to return to Dwaraka. But before I leave, tell me if there is anything I can do for you?” The blind King Dhritarashtra said to him: “I have bee good to everyone: I have not been cruel or unjust to anyone. Why is it that I am blind and have lost all my hundred children?” And Sri Krishna said to him: “I would wish you to get the answer for yourself. Meditate, go deep within yourself until you touch the astral self, and you will know!”

Dhritarashtra entered into deep meditation and contacted his astral self. The astral self keeps a record of our earlier incarnations. Dhritarashtra discovered that in an earlier incarnation, he had been a tyrant king. One day as he walked by a lake side, he saw a swan-bird surrounded by a hundred signets. He asked his people to remove the eyes of the swan-bird and kill all the hundred signets just to please his passing fancy! He then understood why he was blind and had to suffer the loss of his hundred sons.

Question: But isn’t that a very lengthy process of getting to know?

Answer: It is well worth it. You do not acquire a post graduate degree overnight. You have to put in years of study. Just as there is the science of nature, so also there is the science of the spirit.

The rishis of ancient India called it Atmavidya. Vidya means science. As natural sciences have their laws, so does Atmavidya, - the science of the spirit, - have its laws. One of those laws is the law of karma; another is the law of re-incarnation.

Question: Could you explain this law of karma?

Answer: The law of karma, simply stated, is the law of cause and effect. My Beloved Master referred to the law of karma as the law of the seed. As you sow, so shall you reap. You cannot sow thrones and reap apples. The law of karma is universal in its application: it applies equally to all. We are sowing seeds everyday in the field of life. Every thought that I think, every word that I utter, every deed I perform, every emotion I arouse within me, every feeling, fancy, wish that awakens within me, are seeds I am sowing in the field of life. In due course, the seeds will germinate and grow into trees, and yield fruit, - bitter or sweet, - which I shall have to eat. No one else can do that for me. There are causes that produce their effect immediately. There are other causes that produce their effect after a long time. As an example, if you go to a party and overeat, it is a cause you have created. This cause produces an immediate effect, - acute indigestion. There are other causes which take very long to produce their effect. But every cause must produce its effect; every seed must yield its fruit. This in simple words is the law of karma.

We are told, all men are created equal. No one can be so blind or foolish as to imagine that there is actual equality of ability or environment or conditions of birth for all. Why, in the same family, all children do not have equality of ability or intelligence. There is a family of which the eldest son is an IAS officer and the younger is unable to pass the SSC examination. We have a proverb in Sindhi which says: “The mother gives birth to children, each brings with himself his destiny.” In other words, each one brings his karma with himself. There is a family of which youngest son is a multi millionaire, while the eldest is so poor that he and his children are virtually starving, literally begging for food.

Two questions arise:
1. Is this inequality the result of karma?
2. And if so, is it fair?

The answer to both, - as the great teachers of India have taught us, - is in the affirmative. You are the architect of your own destiny. You are the builder of your own life. Every thought, emotion, wish, action creates karma: and we have been creating karma for thousands, perhaps millions of years. If our thoughts, emotions and actions are benevolent, so called good karma results. If they are malevolent, evil or difficult karma is created. The good or evil we generate attaches its effect to us and remains in our life current until we have satisfied it by balancing it out.

(Author: Sri J. P. Vaswani)

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? – Part 2

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? – Part 2

A learned Rabbi has written a book titled, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. In this book the Rabbi narrates how his three year old son was afflicted with an incurable disease called Progeria. The effect of this disease, he was told, would be that the boy would not grow taller than three feet, would remain bald, and would age rapidly. Even as a child, he would have the appearance of an old man! Naturally, the father was grief-stricken. “Why has God permitted an innocent child to become the victim of such a disease? He asked. “He has hurt or harmed no one. Why has he been exposed to physical and psychological torture?” The author considers several similar cases and concludes that God is not omnipotent, as we believe Him to be. God has limited power. Within those limitations God can exercise His discretion. But there are forces over which He has no control. If those forces operate, God has no way of helping you out.

Dr. Anne Besant, the founder of the Theosophical Society gave birth to a child who, during his infancy, suffered from convulsions. Suddenly, the fever would shoot up and the infant would have a series of fits. The suffering of the infant was more than the mother could bear. She was at a total loss to understand how the All-Loving, All-Merciful, All-Compassionate God had inflicted so much suffering on a harmless, guileless and perfectly innocent baby. She turned an agnostic and said that she was not sure if there was a God.

She worked on the staff of “The New Review”. One day, she was asked to review ‘The Secret Doctrine’ by Madame H.B. Blavatsky. As she went through this book, she came upon a chapter on Karma and Reincarnation. She read line after line of this chapter with deepening interest and a new awakening dawned on her. She began to understand that the present was not the only life that she or her child had lived; it was but one of the innumerable lives they had lived so far. The present life was but a fragment in the continuity of existence and, therefore what an individual suffered today could be the product of what he (or she) had done in an earlier incarnation. The mystery was unravelled. Her entire attitude towards life changed.

The answer to the opt-repeated question, “Why do good people suffer?” becomes clear when we understand the operation of the law of karma and re-incarnation. The law of karma is the law of cause and effect. Every effect must have a cause. The effect we see now must have a cause, recent or remote. Whatever happens to me today has a cause behind it.

(Author: Sri J. P. Vaswani)

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? - Part 1

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER? - Part 1

The topic for this evening’s talk is, “Why do good people suffer?” The very fact, so many people have gathered here today, is sufficient proof of our interest in the subject. Almost at every place, where I go, in India or abroad, people put to me the question: “Why do good people suffer?”

The story is almost the same everywhere. The people say: “We have been honest and hard working: we have not hurt or exploited anyone: we have done as much good as we could: and yet we have had to suffer. What is the reason?”

I am reminded of a young man. He built up a flourishing business in Mumbai. Then he turned his attention to spiritual things. He, as it were, handed over his business to his assistants, whom he trusted implicitly. They proved to be dishonest. Very soon, this young man found himself in a difficult situation. He was on the verge of bankruptcy. Winding up hi9s business, he went to America, where he opened a shop. Misfortune dogged his footsteps. One afternoon, two black men entered his shop with pistol in their hands. One of them caught hold of him and said: “If you stir or utter a word, you will not be alive!” The other ransacked the shop and filled the booty in a waiting van and, before any action could be taken, the two quickly vanished.

In the course of a letter this young man wrote to me: “Why did this happen to me? I pray many times everyday. I seek God’s help and protection. Every morning, as I get up, I offer a prayer: I spend some time in quiet meditation. Before I open the shop, I pray. Throughout the day I keep thinking of God and offer small prayers to Him. I pray again in night, before I go to sleep. I have hurt no one: I have cheated no one. I have never been dishonest. Why, of all people, did this happen to me?”

I think of a young woman. She stays in Singapore. She is God fearing. She is an active member of a Yoga Society. Some months ago, she came to India, along with her family members. They visited a number of sacred shrines. They met holy men and sought their blessings. Then they returned to Singapore. A few days thereafter, their office premises were gutted by fire, and precious documents were destroyed. The girl, with tear filled eyes exclaimed: “Why is it that this happened to us? We visited India in a spirit of reverence, sought the blessings of a number of holy men and women. Why did this happen to us!”

I read concerning a woman. She went round the world collecting rare and precious antiques. After six laborious years, she returned to her country where she planned to start business in antiques. A week before the inaugural function, a fire broke out, and a number of shops including her own were destroyed. Her hard work of six long years proved futile. Her priceless collections, her irreplaceable curios, were reduced to ashes! No insurance claim could compensate her adequately. She put the same question: “Why did the All-Merciful God permit this to happen to me?”

Let me tell you of another woman. She devoted the best part of her life to social service. She was by nature affable, amiable, energetic, and vivacious. She went out of her way to bring joy and comfort into the lives of many. Suddenly, one day, she found herself losing balance as she walked. A few days later, as she returned home, one night, she stumbled and fell across the threshold of her house. The next day she was examined by a doctor, who, after a thorough check up, diagnosed the disease as multiple sclerosis. She was told that it was a degenerative nerve-disease which, with passage of time, would gather momentum and restrict her mobility. Ultimately, she would not be able to walk without support and she would be confined to a wheel-chair. She might even lose bowel and bladder control and be dependent on others for her routine chores. This lady too, could not understand why this had happened to her, when many of her friends lived normal, healthy lives. “Why did God permit this to happen to me?” she asked.

Some people believe that there are certain obligations they owe to God, and if they fail to fulfill them, they or their dear ones are punished. One such woman met me when I visited Ottawa, Canada. She told me that she recited the second, twelfth and eighteenth chapters of the Bhagavad Gita every day, before taking her lunch. She observed, also, the Satyanarayan fast, every month. But during a whole month, she missed out on the recitation and the fast. The day after Satyanarayan her husband, who was perfectly healthy and normal, suffered a stroke, and has remained paralysed since then. The woman put me the question that was uppermost in her mind: “Has this anything to do with my failure to read from the scriptures and observe the fast? Is there any cause and effect relationship between the two?”

I think of a young man. He was the only son of his parents, who are good and kind, and obliging by nature. With his pleasant manners, the young man easily won over the hearts of many who knew him. One night, the car in which he was returning home, collided against a truck, killing him and three of his other friends. When the news was conveyed to his parents, they cried: “Why did the Merciful Lord allow this happen to us? Why was our only son snatched away from us?”

(Author: Sri J. P. Vaswani)