We have been given many scriptures and spiritual teachings, but at this very moment in time we may ask what it is that we should do in terms of devotion? When Pujya Narenbhai Thakkrar once asked Param Pujya Pappaji what He wanted him to do, Pappaji simply said, “Stay happy” (anand ma raho). This was Pappaji’s constant blessing to us before He left His corporeal body. To have a cheerful and carefree disposition is a form of bhakti.
Pappaji had always said that we should not stay unhappy, and in order to achieve this He advocated that when something happens that causes us to become upset then we should divert the mind by undertaking some sort of other activity. Consequently the mind forgets about being sad and we can revert back to a happier state.
We have heard the story that Pujya Dilipbhai Bhojani has told us of a yuvuk devotee who had asked him whether he had watched a particular Indian film. Dilipbhai said that he hadn’t but asked why it was that as a yuvuk that he wanted to watch it? The yuvuk said that Pappaji had said that no one should remain unhappy, as he himself knew that he would become unhappy about something or other and that before he did become unhappy, he would go and watch a film at the cinema! Although this approach does help to relieve the situation, it only relieves the problem temporarily. Pappaji has said that material happiness is always laced with suffering.
The real reason why we become unhappy is because we do not know how to keep God in a manner such that material unhappiness cannot touch us. The true meaning of ‘anand ma raho’ is to delve deep within ourselves such that we can constantly experience the bliss of own soul (atmanishta) and indulge in the pleasure of ‘The Self’ as per Vachanamrut G I 20. In this way we would also feel within us the presence of Maharaj’s manifest form that we have attained; we would behave like a living temple (Jangam Mandir). This is what Pappaji referred to as ‘a fountain of joy’ that continuously flows from within us. We can achieve this spiritual level by continually praying:
Hai Maharaj, Hai Pappaji,
I throw my all onto You,
You have to do everything for me,
May I only keep my focus on You and remain constantly in brahmanand masti (spiritual happiness)
Just show me a short way ahead so that I do not falter or err.
When we do not have to do anything, then how can any situation or person worry or cause us anxiety? In this way, we can stay carefree and light hearted. After all Pappaji has promised that the guru will do 99% in our lives in terms of caring for us and spiritually uplifting us, and for the remaining 1% all we need to do is pray, keep God and be happy.
No matter what crisis we may have to face we would not lose our equilibrium, we would stay unaffected knowing full well and with total confidence that the matter will be solved in the best possible way (das na dushman hari kadi hoi nahi). By adopting this approach we can understand and live by Pappaji’s true meaning of His vachan ‘anand ma raho’.