We have attained divinity in person as well as a divine satsang. We have attained something precious that billions of people in the world have not attained. As such, our mind and thoughts should also be divine.
Pappaji Maharaj has explained in Param na Pathik né, date 20th, that our physical self has been purified because we do selfless service for the Lord, but we must also purify the mind and make it nishkami (desireless). We can make the mind divine by remaining submerged in mahima.
Mahima is to contemplate and realise the glory and greatness of God, the gunatit sant and the satsang. Amahima, on the other hand, is when we do not see every action of God and the satpurush to be divine; it is when we do not see every bhakta as a jivan mukta and it is when we have negative thoughts about God and the satsang. Anything that makes us forget God or go further away from Him, or if we feel that the material world is more important or greater than God, then this is amahima.
Once, Shreeji Maharaj arranged a shak utsav at which He had invited priests and other dignitaries. Maharaj had resolved to cook the food Himself, but His leela is such that he tested how much mahima that bhakta had in Him. Maharaj was cooking in a large pot in the heat of the day wearing only a loin cloth looking like a common servant rather than a leader of a religious sect. Maharaj was cooking only brinjals and no other food items. Not only did people question as to why He was cooking Himself, but also why He was only cooking brinjals. This was to be big feast, was He only going to feed everyone brinjals? However, it was only Muktanand Swami who retained a divine vision in Maharaj’s actions saying, ‘Only Maharaj is Maharaj, His leela is always divine.’ When the food was served, the food tasted of the all the foodstuff that should be part of a feast: sweets, savouries, shak so on and so forth. So, we should always see all actions of God and His satpurush as divine.
The brahm sutra in Param na Pathik né dated 20th states that when the mind is plagued by amahima and negative thoughts, these should be replaced by thoughts of nistha and smruti thereby making the mind a jangam mandir (a living temple). Maharaj has said in Vach G III 2 that whenever we are disturbed by external factors, we should fall back on our conviction in God, which is based upon our ang: samajan, priti or dasattwa. Whatever method suits us the best, spiritual knowledge, spiritual love or seva, we should fill our consciousness with this and not let negative thoughts consume us. If we do this, then we can make our mind a mandir, and so how can there be any unhappiness?
This is why Pappaji Maharaj used to say that we should keep the tank full of mahima so that when we open the tap, there is a constant flow of thoughts of God no matter what circumstance or person we face.
In ‘Fragrance of Supreme Devotion’, which is an English translation of Guruhari Pappaji’s autobiography, He has written about an incident that He has titled, ‘Je nathi enu varnan’ (A description of what isn’t there). This recalls the episode when a fellow bhakta informed Yogiji Maharaj of the 24 lakh court case on the directors of Agri Orient that included Kakaji and Pappaji. When Yogiji Maharaj asked Pappaji about it, Pappaji responded by saying, “It is a description of what isn’t there”.
Guruhari Pappaji explains that, what is there to tell Yogi Bapa when He is the all-doer and everything is in His hands? To feel unhappy is a physical feeling, spiritually we should never be sad. Once in Tardeo, a haribhakta went to see Pappaji about something that was worrying Him, but Pappaji sternly told the bhakta, “What is there to tell the sakar brahm? Do bhajan!” However, when faced with a prasang, we tend to meditate upon whatever has happened and we become wracked with worry about what might happen, but Pappaji Maharaj says that instead, “We have to meditate deeply engrossed in Him only”. When we are faced with such circumstances, when we keep such a divine vision and faith, that is in itself mahima. As such, we should endeavour to live by the brahm sutra, “Forget the past, do not worry about the future, lives this moment in spiritual tranquillity and make it eternal.”
There is a very important point to note in this regard. Whenever we do experience difficult times, be it ill health, problems with job or business, family issues etc. we often only think from a materialistic viewpoint rather than thinking spiritually. We often ponder on why things have happened materially instead of thinking of what the spiritual purpose behind that incident might be.
So, when faced with problems, we carry out bhajan and invariably those problems are resolved in the best possible way, even if at the time that may not seem to be the case. Even then we tend to think that things have worked out for the best from the material point of view, we often do not see what spiritual progress we have made, or we do not appreciate the opportunity that was given to progress spiritually in that incident. This is why whenever we face a prasang we should let Pappaji Maharaj worry about the material outcome, we should concentrate on our spiritual outcome just like Pappaji did with Yogi Bapa with the court case. Otherwise, until we learn that key lesson, we may have to face different tests.
This is the type of spiritual thinking that we should have as the devotees of the supreme pratyaksh Lord, and we should be full of the realisation of His glory in each thought, each incident and each person thereby be saturated with mahima. May we always live in this way.