| Overcoming Obstacles |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 06 July 2010 21:43 | |||
|
Video-satsang: Sunday 11th April 2010 Topic: Overcoming Obstacles
Poojya Swamiji: Hari Om Tat Sat, Jai Guru, Jai Guru. Are you able to hear me?
Participants: Yes, Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Are you all well?
Participants: Yes, Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Very well or just well?
Participants: Very well, Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Very good, very good. Carry on.
Kuhan: Praanaams Swamiji. Pranaams to Nutan Swamiji and Ma.
Poojya Swamiji: Asirvaad, Asirvaad,
Kuhan: My name is Kuhan. I will be putting forward the questions on behalf of the devotees here at the centre in Malaysia. Can I start putting forwards the questions now Swamiji?
Poojya Swamiji: Yes.
Kuhan: The first question: In business we take risks but when we know that we will be losing money we would withdraw. Are such people to be categorized as mandaas?
Poojya Swamiji: See, the questions are with regard to a very important statement, evaluation, made by the sage poet, Bartrhari. He says there are three categories of people: the low-witted, the middling people and also the best. The low-witted people will not undertake anything, counting and recounting about the obstacles that they are likely to confront. The middle level will start the undertaking and when they are beset with obstacles they withdraw. And the best category of people are those who will make an endeavour and no matter how many obstacles they meet and face, they will still continue till the end and they will achieve the goal. These are the three categories of human beings. It is just like men and women, the sex difference in all the creature kingdoms is something that the nature institutes and preserves. In the same manner, these three categories of people with regard to their performancial commitment and excellence will also be there. Just like nature abounds in variety in every walk of life, here also this variety is bound to be there. Are you hearing me?
Kuhan: Yes, very clear, Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Your video is frozen, you are all still.
Kuhan: Yes, It is very clear. We are restarting the video.
Poojya Swamiji: Ah! Now it should be alright! So far What I spoke, is it clear?
Kuhan: Yes, very clear, Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Okay, so your questions are with regard to these three propositions, applied questions. So the first question is: When in business venture, when the businessman finds he is going to lose money, he winds it up, withdraws. Is it wrong, is it right? Will he fall into the category of low-witted people? Certainly not! What is a business venture? A business venture is a venture which can survive only when it is able to have some surplus over the expenditure which is incurred for the total business. Whenever you want to survive in any undertaking whatsoever, it has to be self-sustaining.
Suppose you start a business with a million ringgit and at the end of the year or end of three years the one million has reduced to 500,000, then how long will you be able to continue? For a business to survive there must always be whatever is put into it, the output should be more than the input. If a business is found to be not doing so, there are two options before him. Either to find the errors, mistakes, etc. set them right and make it viable or to close it. Suppose he refuses to close it, it will automatically get closed. So it is the right decision; he doesn’t belong to the third category at all.
Now this principle is not merely applicable for business; it is applicable to all disciplines. You know in our dharma sastras, there is a dictum, I would like to say that in Sanskrit. What is that dictum?
Atmanam satatam raksha. Always preserve and protect yourself.
Preserve and protect yourself. Suppose I want to practice a dharma, a discipline, and in pursuing that discipline, I lose myself; then what is the point of pursuing the disciple? All dharmas are suppose to sustain us and sustain our life. When the life itself is going to be threatened and destroyed, then you can avoid the dharma and protect yourself. That self-protection or self-preservation is considered to be the fundamental as well as ultimate dharma. That principle is applicable here.
So it is very prudent on the part of the business man to stop his business if he is going to lose money and there is no possibility of setting matters right. He can strive an alternate item. Why did he lose the money? What is the reason? Is it because his product was substandard or it is not a product which the people would demand or has he incurred over-expenditure in producing something? Did he not get the right material, was the processing all right? So where was the mistake? So a thorough evaluation has to be done with regard to the people employed, the processes adopted and the manner in which the finished products are dealt with or the services dealt. All this have to be gone into, so that study is important.
But let me tell you very clearly, a losing business cannot run for long, so it is better to wind it up. By running it you are wasting even national money. Any business will become a business only when it becomes viable and viability means that expenditure should be lesser than income. The income should be more than the expenditure; the purpose of the business is that. This is not merely applicable to business. I will tell you, in Kerala we had a lot of paddy cultivation. We also have coconuts and other things. Sometimes we are reaching a situation where our coconut trees are not at all productive. Every year we incur X amount in order to look after the garden. Then unless we get an income X plus, how much is this plus? At least 50% because it is a once a year calculation. So in one year at least 50% it should bring, or 25%. If the coconut prices fall and the coconut growers are not able to get whatever they have spent, they will simply abandon the cultivation.
And similarly, our paddy growing has become very expensive and there is no profit at all. Normally our landlords and even the tillers, all of them depend on the paddy cultivation. Now the paddy growers abandon the paddy land simply because the expenses incurred are matching with the price of the paddy they get. So nobody in Kerala is interested in growing paddy now. So that is also a business. So let me be very clear, no venture whatsoever, suppose you look after a garden, a coconut garden and every year we spend something like Rs500 or Rs750, if all the coconuts are sold and other items, if we are not able to get more than Rs750, say Rs1,000 or Rs1,500, how can people look after the garden? So at present, the rating is that 1 acre of any kind of a palm product, I acre, it cannot give more than Rs10,000 in a year. So in order to look after a family, how many acres they must have? Whereas if a person goes for employment, he gets Rs10,000 per month. So these are points to be looked after, actually it is a complex subject for economists to deal with and discuss. How to keep every area of activity viable? So it is a very prudent decision to deal with the business in a manner in which it is required. There are investors who invest money; when they find investment in India is not good, all the multi-national investors, they take away the money and go to another country, it is a very normal process. So they cannot be considered as the low-witted people. They are the most sensitive people who should understand the pulse of the business, the pulse of business prospects, etc. and take decisions. Does it answer you, is it clear?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji, very clear.
Poojya Swamiji: Very clear. My voice is clear or the answer is clear?
Kuhan: Both Swamiji, both.
Poojya Swamiji: Okay, very good. Let us go to the next question.
Kuhan: Question 2 Swamiji: What principles can we follow to influence people so that they can move from a lower category to a higher category?
Poojya Swamiji: See, in any area of human life, the one important method to bring about improvement in any walk of life, is to enlighten the people properly. Tell them that there are three categories. One is the lowest, another is the middle, other is the best the topmost. Understand that there are three categories. And anyone is free to identify or discover his category and strive for improving to the next category. Explain to them that there are three categories and you have every option and potential to improve from one to the other. This explanation should be give. Now, in order to influence him, you be the example for him. See, you should explain that “Swamiji told me about the three categories, I started thinking about. I was wondering whether I belong to the lowest or the middle. Now, I can safely say I am the middle category”. Or you can say “I am the higher category”. So make yourself as an example for him, explain to him, and whenever you get an opportunity, talk in an enlightening and informing manner.
See, a society becomes educated only when educational efforts are made. In India we have for the first time passed a national legislation, national legislation (Swamiji repeats), have you heard?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: See, we have passed a national legislation very recently in which the government is duty bound to educate the children between the age of 5 and 16, is it not? Between 5 and 16, all the children of India have to be educated and all the families will have to cooperate in this endeavor. If you go to the North Indian states you will find many of the children, the eldest in the family do not like to be sent to the schools. The reason is they want to go for work and the elder children should look after the younger ones; this is what we found in Delhi.
Now what is the idea? The idea is all people will have to be educated. Education means what? Making them understand what is life, what is the world, what is the role and task of a human being, what should be our behavioral pattern. So it is informing them with regard to everything. Now, people do not have a clear evaluation about education. Will you agree when I say our body has to be given food and nourishment for its health and well-being?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Just like our body requires health and well-being, and food and nourishment are necessary, but the body itself is to be employed by the mind. So the mind also require… The mind has to be directed by the intelligence, so the intelligence also must have necessary inputs to keep it healthy and have well-being.
So to ensure the health and well-being of the mind and intelligence, is education and enlightenment. So enlightenment and education are very, very important. You have to tell the people “You know that knowledge, it is something to be revived and re-instilled every time. There are many people who have done engineering graduation. When they are put to work, all that they have learnt, they may not be able to use. After many years, if we ask them “What have you learnt?”; “I have forgotten” they will say.
So knowledge is something which requires rekindling, re-institution, re-instilling. So every generation will have to be educated, will have to be enlightened. So we must have some eternal sources of wisdom. Now that one sloka that I quoted and explained about the three categories of people, it is one of the poem of Bartrhari, the great sage poet. He has written 300 verses called trichendu. This is one verse from there. Somehow or another, our country has been able to preserve this literature up to know. Now they have eternal relevance. All these maxims are coming to you in the form of mental and intellectual nourishment. So the one way will be to tell people, when I first happen to read this sloka, I don’t know when I read it, I felt it was so relevant for encouraging, enlightening, invigorating the people in their performancial field. I by-hearted it, now and then quote it to people. So the one way will be enlighten them, educate them about these things. And what is this primary education centred on? It is centred on the human mind and the human intelligence, the potential and possibility of the human mind, the potential and possibility of the human intelligence. A human mind is capable of doing this, a human intelligence is capable of doing this (Swamiji repeats). So we have got enormous scope within our body, in the field or in the sector called the mind and intelligence, and everybody should be told. And spirituality is actually an effort to expose people to this enormous inner resources. Am I clear?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji, very clear.
Poojya Swamiji: Okay.
Kuhan: Can I start with question 3 Swamiji?
Poojya Swamiji: Yes, yes.
Kuhan: What is the role of God in handling obstacles?
Poojya Swamiji: I am a little sorry that you have raised this question and made it so restricted. “What is the place of God in all our life?”, should be your question. You say “What is the role of God in facing obstacles, in handling obstacles. God has a place in everything, not only in the obstacles. Can you tell me how are you breathing everyday? Is it because of your arrangement or God’s arrangement?
Kuhan: God enlivens.
Poojya Swamiji: Where are you living? On this earth. This planet is thrown into its orbit, the earth as a planet is thrown into its orbit or is brought to its orbit and goes on revolving, producing day and night. Is it because of yours or your grandfather’s merit?
Kuhan: No Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: So I think God has a place in everything, in creating obstacles and also in meeting obstacles. Everywhere God is indispensable. Now I will answer you. “In handling of obstacles, what is the role of God?” You know, there are physical laws and chemical laws. Understood or not?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: The physical and chemical laws are eternally operating processes in the whole universe. Force of gravity, hydrogen and oxygen combining themselves in forming water, sodium reacting with chlorine producing sodium chloride. In all these processes you will find physical and chemical laws operating. Now physical and chemical laws operate in our body. Our personality is a composite personality. Are you following me?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: See, your personality is a composite. It has one part called the body; the body is governed by physical and chemical laws. Along with that you will find biophysical and biochemical laws also are there. And the whole body if you look at it, is a biological matter-energy aggregate. But you are not all the body; this body itself is employed by the mind and intelligence. So in your composite personality, you may think that our body is everything. No! Body is the external visible aggregate, but the external visible part called the body can be employed and acted upon only by the internal mind and intelligence; they are neither matter nor energy.
In the whole human personality, mark…mark my words. In the whole composite personality of yours, if physical and chemical laws are operating in your gross bodily level, similarly there must be some laws imposed in the sphere of the mind, intelligence, ego. Now they are also laws; we call them psychological or psychic laws. I would like to call them psycho-psychic laws. Just like physical and chemical laws, psycho-psychic laws are there, under which our mind, intelligence, ego, etc. come. Now, whenever obstacles are faced, they are faced perhaps, according to physical and chemical laws. Now, in meeting them, in facing them, means the mind and the intelligence have to face them and meet them, there the higher laws come into force. So when obstacles are faced, and the obstacles cannot be met by human will and human power, automatically you will find something else comes up.
Shall I take you to the Ramayana period under the leadership of Angada?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: A large team of vaanaras, they went southward in India, in search of Seeta. They were given one month for completing their search, discover Seeta and come back. They thoroughly made a search everywhere, in all the caves, in all the lakes, in all the rivers, in all the forests, everywhere. But everywhere the answer was no, no, no. They finally reached Kanyakumari, the end of the south, where on the three sides, oceans met them. These monkeys were only used to live in the forest, maximum they will jump from one branch to another, or from one tree to another; they cannot think of anything beyond. And in water they are helpless; so they are land animals, not water animals. So when they found extensive water on the three sides, and they had completed the search and nowhere was Seeta found; they came to a conclusion. We have been deputed to discover Seeta, find her out. We have made the search, but we could not find her. Now, suppose we go back to report the story of failure, of what use will it be? First of all Sugreeva will be very hard on us. Secondly, if Sugreeva is disappointed, and Rama and Lakshmana also are disappointed, all of them will be absolutely disappointed and to see their grief-stricken faces, why should we go? So they decided: “The fidelity we have in our mission will be best when we don’t go back, so let us lie here on the sandbanks.”
And they started saying the story of Sri Rama and so many other things. Right at that time, Sampaati, a bird, saw them from a distance and he said that “I have got some news”. And they heard that Ravana had abducted and had gone towards the island called Sri Lanka. So it was an obstacle that they faced. They could not answer, they could not find any remedy. So when they shoaled, psycho-physical laws came into force and that made them resolve that “We will not go back”. So it was an austere resignation on their part; it was not a resignation of the body, the decision was made by the mind, by the intelligence.
Now the question arose, as to how to cross the waters and reach Lanka. None of them had any scheme. So Angada addressed them: “See, we have to somehow reach Sri Lanka, go there. There is a large stretch of water, so I would like you to tell me, who is capable of jumping over to Lanka?”. Can you imagine, he convened an assembly and asked them; everybody kept quiet.
See, Angada is doing a leadership performance here, so he said, “Why are you keeping quiet?. There are great and heroic people in this assembly, you have done many heroic acts. How much you can jump?”. Then one monkey got up and said, “I will jump ten yojanas”. Ten yojanas, still in water. So another monkey who derived…. ten yojanas, for the time being I don’t have a calculation; it is a certain measure, not ten kilometers, much less than that. So that monkey will still fall in the ocean, what is the point in jumping that much? So in any way, it instilled inspiration in the others. So another person got up and said, “I will jump twenty yojanas”. Now a third man got up, “I will go jump fifty” he said. So from zero it has come to fifty. Still all of them will be lost in the waters, there was no purpose. Jaambavaan said, “I am very old. Somehow I will jump and go to Lanka but I will not have any energy, surviving to come back.” And everybody was keeping quiet. Then Jaambavaan looked at the assembly and Hanumaan was somewhere there, sitting quiet and closing his eyes. Then he said, “Here is Hanumaan, I will tell him who he is. Hare, my dear Hanuman, you are the son of wind, vayu, air, do you know that?” Why did he say “You are the son of the wind, son of air”…I think everyone one of us is a son of the earth, son of water, son of air, son of heat, etc. because all these elements are in us. Are you hearing?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Do you understand?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: So here, what is required is going across through the wind, so he said “You are the son of wind, understand it” and narrated the whole story about his birth, etc. After hearing it, Hanumaan said, “I am the son of wind!” That means wherever wind is there, it is just like climbing, sitting, or climbing into the lap of my father”, so he said. He started swelling up inwardly, in his enthusiasm, determination, resolve and all that. Then he felt that he was swelling in size. He said, “Yes, I shall jump”. But when I jump from here, the reciprocal impact will be so much that this place will become a tank, a slush, it is all slushy. So I will go into the Mahendrachala mountain, and from there I will jump” he said. So he got into the Mahendrachala mountain. When he went into the mountain, he could see a much more, a much broader expanse all around. So when the mind started reflecting the expanse all around, it started, swelling, swelling, swelling in this enthusiasm, energy, drive, determination, resolve, perseverance, etc. And then he walked this way and that way. Valmiki Ramayana, Valmiki says that when he was moving this side and that side, Mahendrachala mountain started swinging, or at least Hanumaan felt that way. Finally coming to the centre, he started coiling his tail and finally jumped (Swamiji thunders), he simply jumped into Lanka!
Now, you tell me, is there any place for God when you meet obstacles? Why are you looking at … Tell me whether there is any place for God or not?
Kuhan: No, no Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: There is no place? My exposition has not been good, effective, I believe. I told you that the entire universe works on God’s system and in the physical matters, physical and chemical laws are effective. When it comes to the mind and intelligence, psycho-psychic laws will take over. So Hanumaan was spoken to by Jaambavaan to enthuse his mind and instill into it enormous enthusiasm and when enthusiasm was given to it the mind began to swell. And ultimately he made it possible that he jumped over. That means what? The mental, intellectual and other laws took over, this is also provided by God. It is not that God personally comes and helps you but he has made the mento-intellectual system and processes in such a manner that they will take over.
So our mind has got enormous potential, the intelligence also has equally great potential, and possibilities also are immense. It is a question of your tapping them, invoking them and displaying as much as possible. So it is actually God’s intricate laws that are working; this is one.
I will tell you there are instances where… now here you will find Jaambavaan talking o Hanumaan……are you interested in my exposition?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Is it interesting?
Kuhan: Yes it Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: See, here Jaambavaan applied the psycho-psychic laws in order to inspire Hanumaan for taking up this huge mission, otherwise it was impossible. Now there are instances where such human measures are not possible, then also, a miraculous means, something like that, arises. From my own experience, I will tell you two instances, would you like to hear?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: I have never had any miracles in my life but may be some of my devotees have had miracles because of their devotion. I had an elderly, widowed lady here called Meenakshichitti, that was her name. She would spend a lot time in devotional songs even when she used to come to the ashram, may be in a day for two or three hours she will be singing and singing all devotional songs. She was at that time may be 65 or 70 years old. So she had a lot of fondness for me. So it was a question of fondness of devotion or devotional fondness. She wanted me to call her chitti, means “younger mother, mother’s younger sister”; so I used to call her. She wanted to go to Shabarimalai. Shabarimalai is a temple where ultimately you have to climb from Pampa you have to climb to Sanyathana; it is quite a steep climb. So she started climbing and she found that she was unable to walk, so she was saying “Swami sharanam, sharanam, sharanam” and walking. It appears that a very young boy, pretty boy, came and extended his hand and supported her by the waist and she started finding it easy. This boy accompanied and followed her. The 18 steps were climbed and she went and stood right in front of the Shabarimalai idol. You know, anybody who goes there, first of all, the focus will be the idol and she closed her eyes. When she opened, the boy was not there. By the time she was about to reach the idol, she felt that “Who was this boy? There appears to be some delusion in my mind, what is this?”, she was thinking like that. So any way, she opened her eyes and wanted to thank the boy and give him a pat etc. but the boy was nowhere to be seen. She was saying, “The manner in which he touched me and the soothness I felt, it was very soothing, the soothness I felt was very, very typical”, she was saying. This is one instance.
Today, one devotee came here from Eranyalakodai. It appears that her husband died and she is alone in the house, she is running a small pickle factory also. She was telling me, “Swamiji, I have something to tell you”. What is that? “Near my house, a thief had entered a few houses. So the thief has been caught and the police people have brought him and he is asked to identify which all places he went”. And he was pointing to her house and said, ’When I wanted to enter into the gate I found somebody was standing there and I could not enter, I could not open the gate’. She said “I have not appointed anybody. Ever since I came to know, I have been very devoted to you, and I pray to you. And I said ‘I have nobody, you alone are my protector’ and I go to sleep. So I have not appointed anybody. Obviously it must have been a miraculous development”, she said. Now, why I am mentioning this?
In the case of Hanumaan, it was a systemic exhortation by inspiration and enlightenment provided by Jaambavaan and the psycho-psychic laws were functional there because it was not a moment’s job. Hanumaan had to go there, involving a number of days to weeks, then he had to complete his mission, see Seetha, give her the ring that Sri Rama had entrusted him with. Then he had to bring back the Choodamani and get back, then a lot more also had to be done. Hanumaan jumped over, but Sri Rama and the army constructed a dam and walked over; so it was not a moment’s job.
In these instances, it was only for a short while, a few moments. So whenever….now I am making a conclusive statement…..whenever and wherever, whenever and wherever (Swamiji repeats) there is an absolute sense of loss…see you are not able to find any kind of a human or a mortal help, at that time a miraculous manifestation may be there to deliver the rescue or to deliver the protection and soon after it is given, it will miraculously disappear. Miracles are not those like, gifting you a watch, or gifting you something else and that continues to be in your hand; that is not a miracle at all. A miraculous development should be uncaused and inexplicable development; after the purpose is served, it should simply disappear. Our Meenakshichitti boy was nowhere to be found and this particular person the thief was pointing out, a man was standing, nobody was there appointed by anybody; so these are all miraculous developments, in that way also God will help. So he has a place in meeting obstacles, but understand, God is not alone in meeting obstacles, in doing everything in our life. So you should not look for a special God of a miraculous appearance. Look for God who is always present inside you and outside you; he governs the entire system of our life. Are you satisfied?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji, very clear.
Poojya Swamiji: Okay.
Kuhan: Question 4: People in category 3 (uttamas) are always in the minority. How then can they overcome the majority who happen to be in category 1 and 2?
Poojya Swamiji: Uttamic people will be successful only when their number is small. Suppose you in Malaysia have, at least like some 100 Bhoomananda Swami-like people, will you invite me there?
Kuhan: I suppose no.
Poojya Swamiji: Suppose two or three of you suddenly become like Bhoomananda Swamiji, then I don’t think you will invite me here. See, these four fingers are alike, but this finger is something entirely different. This is given a male name, the thumb, and these are given females. See, how it holds? Suppose all were like this, one is holding this way, another is holding opposite to it. So variety created by nature, the best will be few, the middle will be…that will be the large number, and the lower categories will also be there. All the people are never going to be uttamas, and all will not be madhyamas also. So that is the nature, the potential itself is like that. It is a variety preserved by nature.
In any society whatsoever, the uttama category of people need not be a large number. For example, I shall tell you, in India we have 1.17 billion population. Now, to govern the whole of this population we have 9,000 IAS officers. Political leaders we have 900. So 9,900 people are governing the whole population of 1.17 billion. So you should understand the uttama category of people, by their very nature will be small, and will be a very small minority and it is enough if they are uttamas. They should become uttamas, then everything will be alright.
In any large society you will find, there is a industrial formula, what is that formula? In any corporate undertaking they say 80% of the job is done by 20% of the staff. And the remaining 20% is done by the 80% staff. What do you say about it? Suppose there is a group of 10 people, 2 or 3 will be forward going, 4 will be backward people and remaining will be middle this way and that way; this will be true of your group also. I think this is a very good arrangement, this is how it should be.
So the uttama people should be by their very nature small, and that is more than sufficient. If we had …the other day I addressed the IAS officers: “If all of you can stand united, can stand united (Swamiji repeats) the collective will generated by all of you will be so unconquerable, that if you say that ‘We will not do anything detrimental to the nation’s growth and development, we will only help it; and we will have sufficient integrity and industry to govern our performance’; if you decide in this way, no power on earth will be able to thwart you,” I said. And they were very happy when I said this. Why do you need many people at all? All scientific inventions are done by many or one or two?
Kuhan: One or two.
Poojya Swamiji: I don’t think we need many people, but anybody can be an uttama in his own respective field. The orbit will be changing. So we must have sectional uttama people, then we must have provincial uttama people, national and global. So even if you think of industrialists in the whole world, how many of them are belonging to top class? So I think the number does not count but in the quality and the power of performance will be what counts. Does it answer your question?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: See, every year, Indian Administrative Service, you also must have a Malaysian Administrative service.. an elaborate procedure there is in recruiting IAS officers every year and they will select perhaps 100, 150 or 200 people every year; and some people will retire. On a national basis this examination is held and finally they select out of thousands, only 100 or 50 people; and every year this goes on and these are the people who administer the country. I think a few will be more than sufficient.
See, every ministry… how many ministries are there? Every ministry has got one Secretary, he is the total head. One elected head, the minister and one administrative selected head. And I was telling them, between the elected, the transitory, their tenure is transitory, but the selected people have got a lasting tenure for 25 to 30 years. You tell me which is better and which is superior? The transitory elected one or the lasting selected one?
Kuhan: The lasting selected one, Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: That is where, the select people, the best people… if the elected people alone are necessary, why should they be selected? And the selected people are 9,000, the elected people are only 900, ten percent of the selected ones. Those people can do everything much. So don’t think that a small number will not be counting, a small number is going to count. Similarly, we have how many IITs are there in India? Not many are there, but they are the people who count. Even now we require education institutions of excellence and specific excellence. There is scope, if the students are taught well and they are able to perform well, everybody looks for them. We have got campus selection; they go to the campus and make selections because they want such people; the uttamas category is always sought. And I think in a company, if at least 5 or 6 people change the entire direction….
See, we have got the famous Delhi Metro Rail Corporation which is headed by Dr. Sreedhar. The whole world is looking at him as a Metro man. You know, the world class Metro, simply by building a Metro of a world class, India’s prestige has gone up, only because of him. Of course he says that “I have got a number of officials from Railway Administration, there are very good engineers, very good performers; though I am the team-leader, all of them are helping me”. You know that one thing, Delhi Metro has done something which the central government is not able to do, so many other public undertakings are not able to do and how many uttamas do they have? Maybe a handful of them, three or four of them are there. I think the number is not what counts here, the quality is what counts. In any sphere what so ever, quality counts and not quantity.
Kuhan: Can I ask the last question, Swamiji?
Poojya Swamiji: Yes.
Kuhan: Question 5: If “I am” is “I am” always, nothing can be added nor subtracted to “I”, why is there a need to develop or not develop this personality or even to seek self-realization?
Poojya Swamiji: You are putting the cart before the horse. You are putting the cart before the horse. (Swamiji repeats). Not the horse before the cart. Self-realization is that state where you feel that “I am full and abundant and nothing from this external world can add to me, nor can it take anything from me”, this is self-realization. Nothing short of it is self-realization. This is real self-realization. Realizing oneself as abundant, full and sufficient. Tell me whether you are understanding me or not?
Kuhan: Yes Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: When you realize that I am full within myself, you know the body is full with my mind, my body is full with consciousness and this consciousness is something which can never be added to from the world and the world can also not take away anything from consciousness; it remains full. When I have this sense of abundance and fullness, when I have this sense of abundance and fullness, when I have this sense of abundance and fullness (Swamiji repeats thrice), abundance and fullness, that is the personality level from which I can contribute maximum to the world.
You see you are all going to the office, what for? To get your salary from there. I am coming to Malaysia not to take anything from there but to give because I have enough to give and in giving, I have no motivation at all. I am not employed by anybody, I am not rewarded by anybody, not I, even Ma and Nutan Swamiji who come there, we are not rewarded by anybody, we are not remunerated by anybody, we don’t look to anything. We have so much of fullness, abundance and sufficiency in us, we have so much of fullness, abundance and sufficiency in us (Swamiji repeats) that it overflows, that is why we come to Malaysia.
So who is the best person in this world? He who feels “I am full”; that person can give maximum to the world. All of you are going to the office to take money from there. Do you have a feeling that “I am contributing to the world pool of productivity”? How many of you are there? You lift your hands. “I am contributing to the world pool of productivity; whether I get money or not I will still contribute.” How many of you? Please lift your hands. So you are all beggars, we are bestowers, bestowers (Swamiji repeats). So this self-sufficiency is so much that such a person begins to bestow everything. We are out to bestow, never to take, and we are not afraid of the world, we are not afraid of anything.
So this is called self-realization. When you understand that what you denote by the term “I” is so abundant and full, that your whole life becomes an expression, an overflowing of fullness. That is why we become a saint and as a saint we move about. I have been moving about as a moving university for the past 54 years and my students are right from the age of 5, 50, 70, 80 and 92. All of them are equally welcome and no fees are ever levied at all. See, is there any university like this? You tell me.
Kuhan: Thank you Swamiji, we are very grateful.
Poojya Swamiji: This is the position. So self-realization itself is this, when you can declare to yourself “My mind is full”. You know there is a poetry which I first heard from my Gurudev:
This world is jagged and broken, to him whose mind itself is jagged and broken. This world is full and plentiful, whose mind is itself full and plentiful.
So what do you mean by abundance? Abundance is an experience. Fullness is a realization. Sufficiency is an enrichment. All this are inner, psycho-psychic. When a person has this feeling, he is the best man. In the language of Sreemad Bhagavatam, he says “mad bhakti bukto puvanam punathi”.
When this kind of self-sufficiency is felt, that man when he walks in this world, the whole world is purified, enriched, ennobled, elevated, enlightened and fulfilled.
This is what happens. When you go to your house, does your wife recognize you as a full person? Most of the time you will get into the house with a gloomy face. Will the wife recognize that “my husband is so full in his heart, that he has nothing to get from anything, even from me”. Will she recognize that? Answer me, baba.
Kuhan: No, Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Do your people recognize that you are a man of inner fullness and abundance?
Kuhan: No Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Why are you weak? Stay strong. I want a Himalayan “No” from you.
Kuhan: NO! SWAMIJI! (Kuhan thunders).
Poojya Swamiji: (Swamiji laughs). So even from your own house those members do not recognize you have inner abundance and fullness, then what about the people outside? So to have that fullness and abundance in one’s heart, it is something very, very rare. So this is called self-realization; that the “I” in me is not a beggar; that my mind is already full, full, abundant and sufficient. The entire world of gold and silver will not be able to give me a speck to make my mind additionally fuller, it is never. This is the fullness of self-realization.
Sri Rama is told by Vashista a beautiful verse: purna manase sampurnam jagat sarvam sudraavaihi
When the mind is full, that mental fullness makes you see a world which is full of nectar everywhere. You don’t have to bring nectar and spread it throughout the earth.
Upanath boothapadasya charmastu chaivabu
This is something like you want to have a leather carpet wherever you go, so you go on buying it from all parts of the world, no! Put on chappals and walk. Everywhere you go, you will find leather. Similarly when the mind is full, the whole world is filled with nectar.
So this inner sufficiency and abundance, my dear children, they are so precious, so beautiful and so costly, you cannot imagine them. And self-realization is actually that and that. Arjuna started crying in the battlefield after seeing Bheesma and Drona. When Arjuna cried, Krishna was the charioteer, and both of them were equally involved in the warfare. If the war was sinful and colossally so for Arjuna, it must be equally so for Krishna also. So when Arjuna cried like this and sobbed and wept, Krishna smiled. This is the difference between an inward full man, and an inwardly vacuumatic person, an empty man. So Krishna smiled, then Arjuna found that “When I am grieve-stricken, Krishna seems to be smiling. So Krishna must have something in the way of inner enrichment. So let me ask him what is that and ask for instructions. That is how it transpired. Is the idea clear now?
Kuhan: Very clear, Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Okay, anything else?
Unnikrishnan: Swamiji, we had requested yesterday if Ma could give us a 5 minute overview of your trip to Haridhwar.
Poojya Swamiji: Yes, I am giving to Ma.
Ma Gurupriya: Happy to see you all again. And actually I was myself thinking while Swamiji was speaking that I would like to tell you about the Haridwar trip. So I was very happy when Unni asked it, even if Unni had not told, I would have definitely told you. You know in Haridwar now, this Kumbha Mela is going on. The Kumbha Mela starts from January 14th and ends on April 14th. So this three months, sometimes it is 7 days here and there, it becomes about three and a half months; it is a purnakumb there, it is considered to be very holy. The legend goes like this that when the ocean was churned, the gods took away the pitcher of nectar. There was a fight and the gods got back the nectar from them and in that fight and all that, four places on earth, drops of nectar fell from the pitcher. Kumbha means pitcher. So the four places are, one is Haridwar, one is Allahabad Prayad, and third is Nasik and fourth is Ujjain. So these places are considered to be very holy and every six years there is a kumbha. Sometimes it is called aratha kumbha, that is half kumbha, and sometimes it is purna kumbha, that is full Kumbha Mela. In Haridwar it was a purna kumbha this year. When we went to Chennai, once in 12 years, the purna kumbha takes place. So when we went to Chennai this time in February, our Bala, he said that “Swamiji, you will be in Delhi in March. So Bala and party, they were also going to Kumbha Mela, so he also requested Swamiji, why not Swamiji also visit the Kumbha Mela, it is something to be seen. So Swamiji thought about it and said that he would like to. All these years I have never seen Swamiji to be interested in going to see Kumbha Mela, but since this time we would be in Delhi at that time, Swamiji felt that “Let us go and see, it is a life-time thing, let us see. So it did not happen with Bala’s trip , Swamiji had lectures. Se we told Swamiji, if he would like to go to kumbha mela , we will certainly make arrangements. So that was how the arrangements were made. And we went by train from our Ashram, CIRD, early in the morning. It takes 4 hours to reach Haridwar from Delhi and some of out devotees, 10 of them, in 2 cars, they started much earlier. I think it was still dark when they started by car to be in Haridwar before Swamiji and they reached there to make all arrangements. In the train along with us, Swamiji, Nutan Swamiji, Prasanna, Namrata and there is one Mithur Sengupta who is also coming along with us, as kitchen team.
So Rakesh Mittal is one of Swamiji’s great devotees, has been an IAS officer, just now retired. So we had contacted him, whether for Swamiji to take rest in Haridwar, he could make. So he made very good arrangement in one ashram, Shanti Kunj by name, which is about 6 km away from Haridwar and that ashram has a university which is called Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya . Vidyalaya means university. So this university is next to the ashram. In that university guest house, we made arrangements for Swamiji and all of us to stay. There was a kitchen there, a lobby with sofa where Swamiji could meet people. We had rooms for all our devotees. They provided food for all our devotees. Of course for Swamiji, Nutan Swamiji and me, our kitchen team had gone, who started cooking as soon as we reached there. We reached Haridwar by 11.30am and the guest-house by 12 o’clock.
The vice-chancellor of the university, before we had left for Haridhwar, had come down to Delhi and he had met Swamiji. It is something very, very nice to hear how this university runs. There are 1,600 people; teachers, students, they are all residents. The teachers, they take very minimal salary. I think Swamiji may tell you all about that. The ashram at Shanti Kunj started with 20 people in the year 1971, now has 2,500 people, dedicated, staying there. And everyday about 5,000 people take food there. So anyway, we were very nicely accommodated in the university guest house. Initially in the beginning in the morning time before lunch, we were taken to the Shanti Kunj ashram and university. After lunch, about 3.30 or so, we started for Haridwar where we first went to the different ashrams. You know it is something to be seen how the government makes so much of arrangement for devotees to come. So many devotees together, lakhs and lakhs of people, and there are certain particular bathing days which are of great significance. When we went, such a significant day was not there of course. Last significant day will be on 14th April. But on those significant days of bath, from every part of India, people gather there and lot of arrangements government makes so that everything becomes facile for the devotees. Everybody says, in this rush and hustle and bustle, no dirty look or glances from people on the women, nothing goes on wrong, everytime everything goes on very smoothly.
So the ashrams in Haridwar, Rishikesh and other places, they get land from government, government alots land to them on the banks of the Ganges. And the ashrams camp there, sometimes putting up the panthal which look like their own ashrams or replica of some temple. So those are all temporary camps but the ashram runs just as it is in their head quarters and every ashram runs one annakshetra which is open from morning till night. Devotees are doing shamdan that is kara seva; they voluntarily serve the devotees and everything is looked after and they stand and welcome people to take food. And what we heard first we did not see because we missed the feeding time. When they serve food, people generally will sit on the floor and everybody serves by bending down, from buckets. There you know everything is divinized by taking the name of Ram, Rama. So they will say when serving rice, in Hindi they call chaval. So “chaval ram, chaval ram, chaval ram”, they will be going, with the bucket. When you want rice, you indicate that you want rice. Similarly “sakthi ram, sakthi ram” that is curry; “dhal ram, dhal ram” , “chapatti ram, chapatti ram” like that it will go. And when after two, three servings it is getting over, they will say “purna ram, purna ram” indicating that it is the last serving they are making; if you want to take something, you take. This is how everything is divinized there; we missed.
We saw one or two ashrams, Swamiji and we were not satisfied perhaps because of lack of time or people who were conducting us did not really understand what Swamiji would really like to see. Swamiji wanted to see some of the ashrams. See most of the ashrams camping there, discourses take place there in the evening. Swamiji wanted to see some of the discourses, just see what is happening and of course this feeding; we could not see much of that. So arrangements were made for us to see the arati for Ganga; there nobody would say Ganga; Gangaji has to be said. We went through the VIP gate, it is a very nice area where not much rush was there. We wanted to take bath, we could have taken there, but we did not take bath there, we just sprinkled water. We then had to walk I km to the place where from actually where the arati will be seen. So half way through when I walked, I felt that I will not be able to go any more because of my…. you know that I cannot walk. And that was the time when I was not…neither I could go forward, neither I could retrace back; so I had to go. It was sunny, still I was very happy that I could make it. And when we reached the place, it is called Har ki Pauri. Swamiji is referring to your question, when I felt that I could not walk any more, I think it was divinely intervention that the obstacle was removed and I could walk down to the place where we had to go. It was a herculean task for me to go and every moment I was feeling that ‘even if I reach, how will I come back?’. But it is true that sitting there when I reached there and sat, and you know that I cannot sit on the floor ; so there was no chair, no arrangement. Wherever I go now, visit the places, our centres; every arrangement is made to see that the chair is alright, a proper chair, a proper everything is provided. But, there nothing was provided. But still I could sit on the step of a staircase and watch everything. On cement, even Swamiji was sitting on the step of the stair. Everybody was trampling, you know that feeling so devotional, on that we were sitting; on the dust of the feet of the devotes we were sitting a watching the Ganga. So we went and reached the place, that place was suppose to be another VIP area but that place was too crowded. We were lead to the stair case and we were asked to go up as far as possible so that we could have a nice view. So we sat there, there were tents erected, our devotees were with us, all could see. You know, all were huddled together because it was so crowded and we had to wait nearly one hour or more for the actual arati to take place.
Meanwhile the people were on the banks of the river, they were floating small, small earthen lamps and chanting something, so many earthen lamps were flowing onto the Ganges. And some people they offered coins to Ganga. There are some children whom we saw throwing some kind of a net and pulling back the net. Later we understand with the net they keep magnet, so those coins will be collected in the magnet and they were collecting….they were poor boys you know, that is who they were, they would collect all the money people had thrown there, mainly coins. When the arati it was becoming dusk, bhajans started, which was the sthuthi for Gangaji. Before that from where we do not know, so many people gathered, so many means it is impossible to understand how many,no place was remaining unfilled. People came, people were never allowed to stand, they were all made to sit down because if they stand, anything may cause stampede anytime. So people sat down, people joined in from everywhere, clapping their hands and there was a devotional air. Then on the other bank we saw priests, there were priests, some temples are there, so priests came out, there were really big arati lamps, they were showing to the Ganga, some fragrance was also coming. So I was telling Namrata later there was such an open space, how the fragrance was coming, they were burning some incense sticks no doubt, but it was filling the whole atmosphere in such an open space, it was remarkable. We were about 100 feet away, the arati was taking place in the other shore of the Ganga, that side but the Ganga had been made narrow there.
They had made lot of arrangements with bridges you know so that stampede does not take place. If people come from one bridge, go from another bridge, so at the foothill of the Ganga that place will be a little less than where the bridges are not there. Bridges are not there it is beautiful to look at Ganga. So after the arati was over, I was thinking that lot of stamping, pushing, pulling will take place but nothing happened; very smoothly we were directed by the police people and we went out. During the arati I found some sadhus and sanyasins, I saw a group of 3 sanyasins you know, they looked to be wandering monks. One was carrying some harmonium-type thing, one was carrying something to ….what is it called?....cymbal, and another was carrying something else. At the top of their voices, the three were just joining in and they were simply absorbed in what they were doing, chanting the bhajans. Then after we left the place, it was dark and over the bridges we went again back to the VIP hut. And there the person who conducted us throughout the day, he is the joint director of the public university where we stayed. He is one Mr. Mishra. So he told us, let us sit here for some time on the bank of the Ganges and we sat there, chairs were there, so we were sitting and talking to each other. Then suddenly our Balwant Singhji, who is from Benares, Swamiji’s disciple, he said that it is said that while whenever you are near Ganga, if you are with your Guru, the Guru should be given bath with the water. So naturally devotees cannot give bath to Swamiji at that hour of the day, but everybody decided to wash his feet. So Swamiji was made to sit at the lowest step near the Ganga and every disciple and devotee, they stood inside Ganga, taking water with their hands and washing Swamiji’s feet. It was very significant, I think the most memorable event that day was this. Little darkness, with nobody around, Ganga was simply going, going, going, thinking where from has it started, where it is going to meet the ocean, and we were just witnessing that Ganga flowing in front of us, big and small ripples and waves. And we were with our Guru and the Guru’s feet were being washed with the same Ganga water, the purity that it contains, it was very, very significant and memorable. When we were going back, we met the Chancellor of the university, he seemed to be a very nice person, very hearty and welcoming. He also invited Swamiji to come to Shanti Kunj University and address the students there.
So after meeting the Chancellor, we came back to the guest house and took our food, then proceeded to the railway station, we took the night train which reached Delhi the next morning. So our visit was, maximum, more than 12 hours and the devotees who went with us, they stayed overnight because everybody advised them not to drive at night. So they stayed overnight at the guest house and early next morning, started from there and came back. And when we went to the station, we found you know crowd of people like from the gate of the station right to the platform, on to the stair case, everywhere even people from good families must have come for darshan of Gangaji and after finishing they must have been waiting for their train which must be at a later time. People were simply sleeping on the platforms, so much crowd was there. So we were thinking actually on the significance none days, what must be the situation there and how it is being controlled. Even when our train came, through one railway official was directed by one of Swamiji’s devotees from Delhi, a railway official, he was there to guide us and be with us. So he was telling us not to wait for some time, otherwise we will be pushed and we will not be able to enter our compartment. So he will give us indication when we will go to our compartment and sit there. It was something amazing to see the crowd and the crowd is from poor people to rich people, old people to young people, very peaceful crowd. We saw some families sitting there, eating their food, doing and washing their hands, then lying down on the platform. Some are just very deep sleep, even women. So that is something very…
I was thinking that actually we had decided to go we had just booked the ticket, we chose train otherwise Nutan Swamiji will not be able to accompany us, he will not be able to go by car. So we just booked our ticket not knowing where we will stay. Later on Swamiji asked us to call Rakesh Mittal who arranged all these things and we found that if we had stayed it would have been a nice stay also I was feeling that if there was a little more time we could have driven up to Rishikesh. I have very good memories of Rishikesh; Rishikesh would would have been another 16 miles from there. So it would have been nice, we could have stayed back one day. There was a nice kitchen party, there was nice hot, hot food right at the proper time. This 12 hours that we spent was so planned that not a single minute we could sit. Everything was shown to us in that possible time, everything fell in place, there was no delay, nothing. Many people came and they met Swamiji in the guest house and they were very happy. People in UP generally, they speak very good, chaste Hindi, very, very reverential Hindi they will be speaking. So it was nice to hear them also, they have a lot of reverence for the saints. I think Swamiji can tell you a little about the university. So when I was there, I was thinking all Swamiji’s devotees, Swamiji’s disciples should be travelling with Swamiji to such holy places so that they can have this….another atmosphere. And I felt that we should go to Varanasi also.
Poojya Swamiji: See, this university which the Vice-Chancellor came to our ashram, he went on speaking non-stop for about one hour or more. I have seen and heard so many people speak, but this Vice-Chancellor Dr. S.P. Mishra, he was speaking so naturally, beautifully, softly and gently, very nice talk he made. He said the entire university feeds all the people there and all the food is free. The Vice-Chancellor himself gets about Rs600 as a allowance for him. There are some people who get Rs1,000 orRs2,000 depending on their needs but no remuneration as such is being paid. All the students wear a simple dress of pyjama and kurta, that means pyjama and indigenous shirt. One student and teacher came to see me. The student was saying “What do say about this university?”. He said “In this university it is very difficult to distinguish between a student and a teacher. We are so close to each other, nobody can say who is a student and who is a teacher.”
One important subject that they are trying to teach is life management. They give a lot of emphasis for yoga, yoga training, research also is going on. The whole thing is developed in the course of 8 years. They have about 86 acres of land and Shanti Kunj itself has got 100 acres. The entire university is run without any grant from the Universities Grant Commission. The expenses of the university are met by Shanti Kunj, a spiritual institution. The Shanti Kunj itself is everyday visited by thousands and thousands of people. They claim that they have millions of followers, they are all given to gayatri japa and gayatri yagna, havand – pouring ghee, etc. into the fire. They say they have got followers in 85 countries of the world. It is very difficult to offer any opinion from our side on what is going on over there. One has to stay with them for at least one week and find out what is the type of people who come and how are they spending their time, what is happening there, etc. But they are primarily a ritual oriented organization. They believe in rituals and ceremonies. However it is very surprising that this university is being run. They offer courses from graduation onwards, postgraduation, research also is there. Everything is developed in the course of 8 years now. It is very surprising that there are children who come there and who are used to this simple way of living and simple dress. In the ashram, full meal is given at 10 o’clock, in the evening no tea, no coffee, nothing, but in the university they have four time meal. Now this is what we found. There is a lot more of understanding to be had by personally going there and knowing matters in greater detail; that is one point.
They have got a machine to make roti, that is wheat roti, it makes 900 rotis in I hour. The roti is generally a little thick because so many rotis cannot be made thin. 900 rotis per hour and food is cooked. So far as the Kumbha Mela arrangements are concerned, the administration has become very thorough, very careful and cautious in matters. They have set up a tower which is about 50 to 60 feet high. And either the Commissioner or his officials of the district, they come and occupy there and the whole Kumbha Mela is being viewed from there and arrangements are made. There is a lot of police-force available. When I looked at the Ganga I felt that Gangaji has lost its majesty, the majesty that I found in Ganga earlier, it is not there. Because in that place, Har ki Pauri is the most holiest spot. Now there, the Ganga has been diverted for about less than 50 feet wide. And they have created a huge island there for people to come and sit. And on the other side also Ganges flows, there are places on the other side also. So in order to make the place safe for the people and accident free, a lot of modern arrangements have been made. There are quite a number of bridges this way and that way, so all of them intersect the crowd and they are able to divide them and maintain the discipline without accidents. So it is an arrangement to be appreciated. I think the assembly of people during the assembly will be in crores, in crores means what?; ten million. Say 20 million or so people will assemble, especially 13th and 14th is going to be the last huge assembly there. This is one thing I was wanting to tell you.
So far as I am concerned, I will always have a lot of appreciation for this kind of a holiness in the country. You know this Kumbha Mela is not announced by anybody.It is particularly related to the planetary positions, which planets come in a particular combination or rasi, depending upon that this is repeated. The world, everything is cyclic, so the artha kumbh and purna kumbh, they are repetitive in character, just like the year is repeating, the day is repeating, the hour is repeating. The other cycles also are there, Kumbha Mela is also one and so many people come unannounced.
The Vice-chancellor was telling us that though lakhs and lakhs of people arrive there the hospitals are not crowded at all; they are very lean and thin. That goes to prove that there are no health hazards. He says that by a human will or a human arrangement this cannot be. It is only by the power of God and the hand of God that manages such a huge assembly of people and that too for three months. Some people reported when I enquired that what happens to all these people; all of them are fed by the ashrams. Every ashram will be feeding about 400, 500, 1000, 1500 people. Whoever comes, he gets food there. There is a system of bhandara; some resourceful people come there with enough of money and they ask the ashram ‘You conduct a bhandara for sadhus’ i.e. sanyasins and such like people. So they are inviting the sadhus. Bhandaras means a good feast will be offered. They will stipulate that these are the items to be cooked there and all of them will be cooked and served. When people take food, they will go with a bag or box of money, currency notes. And depending upon the stature of the people who take food, they will start dropping Rs50, Rs100. Rs500, Rs1000, Rs5000, Rs10,000 like that; this is also a system; I have heard but I have not seen, once I have seen. So this is what happens. Can you imagine a culture of a country which has steeped and is still shaping the hearts and minds of the people by virtue of which so many lakhs of people come to a holy spot only to experience holiness, go back with its impact to survive life in spite of all hazards and onslaughts.
This is what I have to say. Our country is very great, its culture is adorable and we only good things to speak about them. There are some dark and other sides which are generally featured, some dead body floating in the Ganga and that can be seen but that is all very rare; that is not the good side Ganga. This is all some stray and streakish instances.
I did not feel the fulfillment I wanted to have because I wanted to see and hear how the lectures are going on and how the people are feeding the devotees. These two items I wanted to see, just to know how it is done. That could not be done because our time did not coincide with that, the emphasis was given for seeing the arati.
We have taken an important decision in Delhi to conduct a Sreemad Bhagavata Tatva Sameeksha Satram as we conduct in Naimisharanyam here in Thrissur. In Delhi it has been decided that we will hold it from the 14th to 21st of November, altogether 8 days. Now the question became very important, where to hold it? Ultimately we inspected one or two places. There is a temple called Chatarpur temple; it is a goddess temple of Katyaaini. You know this temple has 70 acres of land in the city of Delhi and it is a very massive one. Ultimately people went there, inspected and reported that it is okay for our purpose. We are expecting a crowd of about 10,000 people, that is the target and we have to give anna-dana to all the people. If 10,000 people are to be fed for 8 days, that itself will mean a great lot of expenditure; about ten million rupees will be required. Then we have to make the other arrangements also. On the 7th of April I myself went and saw the place.
You know I have a few words to use, listen to me. It is a very religious and spiritual place, these are the words of description I have. Lavish, luxurious, splendid and magnificent. Everywhere you find so many domes of the temple, all of them are covered with. There is an assembly hall which is 200 by 300 feet, i.e. 60,000 sq.ft. Normally something like 10,000 people can be seated there but with chairs it will be less; this is the assembly hall. They have a kitchen, that is also looking like a temple and the kitchen dining hall has got a capacity to give food at one time for 3,000 people. Now we were wondering what to do with water arrangement, mobile latrines and all that; all those arrangements are there. So our efforts will be reduced by more than half. Pandals need not be made, kitchen and dining hall need not be worried about. Then electricity, water, fire, sanitation- all these things are looked after there, so we can focus on the other areas. Nevertheless it is going to be a very mega-event.
We don’t know where from the volunteers will come, how the monetary resources have to be mustered and the row of speakers also have to be organized. Because we are not familiar with the Hindi speakers etc. it becomes a little difficult but we have started thinking about it and I hope it will be done. You were asking me what is the role of God in handling obstaxcles. I think our Sreemad Bhagavata Tatva Sameeksha Satram, we are all with obstacles now. We don’t know where are the speakers, the Hindi speakers, mostly it will be in Hindi but there also is an opinion that the last lecture will have to be in English everyday. So that is one point. So wherefrom to get Hindi speakers, we are obstructed there, and we are obstructed on the front of volunteers, we are obstructed on the front of finances, and other management. But nevertheless we have decided to go ahead and let us see whether God has a place in all these things.
So you know what I say? I have 2 statements, please listen to them. The first sentence that I am going to speak and write is that “There is nothing greater than, there is nothing greater in human life than in making the words of God, listened to by devotees and seekers. There is nothing greater than making the devotees and seekers listen to God’s words. There is no holier act than this; this is the fundamental on which we are going to work. Then in my own humorous words I say “ God should not say that none of you made an effort to make my words available to the people. So he cannot hold a complaint saying that “So many good things are there, I have spoken; Sreemad Bhagavatam is there, nobody makes an effort to make the people listen to them”. So he should not complain, so I thought we will try at least on our part so that God will have no occasion to complain before us.
Shall we stop now? It is quite a long session, I am very happy that so many of you are there, do better, I have already let known some of the thoughts that I have for SIRD. I think all these will be discussed by the rest of the assembly and the right decisions and actions will be following. Now I will hand over the microphone to Ma so that she can conclude it with the usual verses.
Ma Gurupriya: I will chant the concluding verse. You can repeat later. Prabuddham Vimuktam Vikaradihinam….. Jai Guru, Jai Guru.
Kuhan: Pranaams Swamiji.
Poojya Swamiji: Yes, yes, asirvaad, we shall stop, okay.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Satsang, 11th April, 2010. Duration 97 minutes. Skype set-up and recording by Rames and Rema. Satsang coordination by Sreedhar, (Ashram) and Unnikrishnan (SIRD). Bhojan Annakshetra team supervised by Shanti, Sotheeswari. Hand-out sheet for group discussion prepared by Management Committee, Society for Inner Resources Development Malaysia. Transcription by Swaminathan. Transcript emailed to Ashram on 15th May, 2010.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Handout sheet for group discussion prior to videosatsang
SIRD Malaysia Video-satsang: Sunday 11th April 2010 Topic: Confronting Obstacles
Praarabhyate na khalu vighnabhayuena mandaah Praarabhya vighnavihataah viramanti maddhyaah I Vighnaih punar punarapi pratihanyahmaanaah Praarabdhamuttamajanaah na parityajanti II
This is a verse from Neetisataka (sloka 73), composed by Bartrhari, the great poet of our land. He says that when faced with obstacles, people respond to the challenge in three different ways.
One set of people – they possibly constitute the majority – have the following trait: Praarabhyate na khalu vighnabhayuena mandaah. They never start any venture because their minds are full of fear and prejudice. They are of poor wit, idle, given to unnecessary imagination. Whenever a new topic is raised or a proposition is made, they will invariably find fault with it. They mentally invent obstacles: “Suppose it could not be done”; “suppose I don’t see that person when I go there”; “suppose some trouble comes on the way?” Before commencing an act, they will be caught up in adverse imagination, presenting and positing troubles and hindrances, which might not exist at all. Consequently they never start a venture. Not only do they not contain such unfounded fears to themselves, but also argue against any enterprising idea and discourage others. Such negativity in thought, word and deed prevent them from any positive endeavour. Bartrihari calls as the mandaas, people of low wit, idlers.
The second set of people, the mediocre, is a middle group, perhaps lesser in number. These people are usually very earnest and enthusiastic in beginning an effort. They are not like the first category I mentioned. They will earnestly begin a venture. They have enthusiasm and fervour. They are very courageous in making a beginning. But then -
Praarabhya vighnavihataah viramanti maddhyaah
- Having started, when they encounter obstacles, they are cowed down and they quickly give up. They withdraw. They recoil – viramanti madhyaah. They have only some aarambhsooratva, start-up valour; Bartrhari calls them the middle group, madhyamas.
Vighnaih punar punarapi pratihanyahmaanaah
Praarabdhamuttamajanaah na parityajanti
- Now we have, on the other hand, a selected few, a fortunate few, a very determined few, whom he calls uttamas, the best people. What are their characteristics: their spirit and resolve? Vighnaih punar punarapi pratihanyahmaanaah – even when they are repeatedly beset with obstacles of various kinds in their course - Praarabdhamuttamajanaah na parityajanti - this good and noble people, with integrity and character will never abandon the righteous effort they have undertaken. They will pursue it till the last.
These three categories are always there in every society. You cannot expect all people to be noble. You cannot also assume that all are ignoble.The ignoble may be in majority. And because of the numerical strength, they may seem to have temporary and transitory success and progress too. But the world is not going to stop with any individual……. Thus, even though the so-called ‘bad people’ may constitute the majority, the world is not going to be thwarted by them. The initial, exterior success is characteristic of the bad, the ignoble. Against such success – however strong apparently it is in the beginning – the good, the noble with its subtle force, will assert and prove its worth, thereby eventually upholding dharma. It is right and also natural that the ‘good’ should be challenged and tested by the ‘bad’ – one, opposing the other, strongly.
Why am I saying all this? What is your lesson? It is for you to understand that these three categories are there and decide to which category you belong. And if you belong to the first or the second, try to elevate to the third. Understand that the world has always had these categories of people.
(Extract from Vicharasetu, March 2001, pages 19 to 22). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions for the GROUP MEMBERS participating in the discussion.
1. To which category do you belong? Justify why you say so.
2. Are you able to cite actual examples where you felt that you achieved your goal in spite of great obstacles? What enabled you to do so?
3. What are the main reasons why people are not able to move to the third category (uttamas)?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AFTER the discussion, list one or two questions your group wishes to put forward to Poojya Swamiji. 1.
2.
|
|||
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 July 2010 22:11 |
