Karta Harta mano
Daily we read and recite the Sanjivani Mantra. Consequently we all know that all events and circumstances are ordained by the Lord. Even the youngest devotees realise this fact. Thus when something happens, we should instantly turn to the Lord and begin to pray :
“Oh Lord, why is this happening to me? Please enlighten me”.
We should chant the Swaminarayan mantra. We will then notice that the level of distress experienced will gradually diminish. We will accept the following:
“My Lord has ordained these circumstances”.
Also, when we turn to the Lord, He will inspire us to take everything positively. An inner voice from the Lord will warn us not to take offence or take a negative view of these circumstances.
In this way, our sadhana has become so easy; we have learned to recognise the ‘cause and effect’ of circumstances inspired by the Lord. There is no reason now for us to become emotionally disturbed or distressed. We know that the Lord is the controller of everyone and everything – this is our belief. It is my wish that all sadhako continue to apply this principle in their life and their convictions become firm. The ‘elders’ – the swaroopo – should accept that the sadhak’sbehaviour is also inspired by the Lord. Whenever the swaroopo witness a sadhak behaving inappropriately, they should instantly turn to the Lord asking the Lord to enlighten them. “Oh Lord, please grant me the divine vision – why is he/she behaving in this manner?”
Young sadhako will turn to the Lord in prayer seeking strength to overcome feelings of distress and misery. Swaroopowill also turn to the Lord praying to the Lord on behalf of such distressed sadhako. If each person turns to the Lord in their own way then they will quickly begin to experience bliss and happiness. So all that remains, is to live each moment according to the Lord’s wishes. This is what we want to achieve. If we begin to practice these concepts immediately, the sooner we will achieve redemption of our soul.
Since we want to reach the end of our sadhana and attain the purification of our egos, what else should we do? We should remain happy, elated and maintain a positive outlook. When we can continually take everything positively, we will have reached a certain spiritual status.
Thus, when we experience problems of any kind at all, we quickly relieve ourselves from unhappiness and distress. The amount of time we experience distress will gradually decrease overtime until it is negligible. Some people say that they cannot maintain an alertness or awareness – but if we continually practice taking everything positively then we will eventually attain the status mentioned above. Just as the old proverb goes “Rome was not built in a day” – this is not something which can be achieved overnight. One must practice and persevere.
I have practised this concept since 1952, which is when I met Yogiji Maharaj. When a case was filed against us by the Indian Government, I believed and accepted that Yogiji Maharaj had inspired these catastrophic events. I would ask myself:
“Who is on trial? Who has filed this case?”
The answers were clear to me:
“Dadubhai Nathabhai, Babubhai Nathabhai, Ranadé and Kantibhai Amin were on trial. All four us were staunch followers of Yogiji Maharaj. We belonged to him thus we believed that Yogiji Maharaj had filed a case against Himself”.
Also, if Yogiji Maharaj was not concerned about what the case would do to his reputation then why should we worry? We simply let events take their course. We asked Yogiji Maharaj what we should do. He told us that we should do nothing, simply attend the trial, wait and watch. Since we firmly believed Yogiji Maharaj to be the one who controlled everything in our lives, we did exactly what He had told us to do.
I encountered many misfortunes during my life. Even when I suffered a heart attack, I knew deep down that it was ordained by my Lord, Yogiji Maharaj, and I remained happy and care-free. I never lost my spiritual equanimity, always experiencing peace, bliss and tranquillity. The positive experiences were derived from the belief that the Lord was the almighty controller of everyone and everything that affected me. This belief was strongly ingrained in me. During my illness, I would ask those who visited me to sing bhajans or to read and recite from the scriptures. I was not supposed to talk much because of my condition. However, if I felt the need to guide someone, then no-one could stop me!!
Basically what I am trying to explain is that we should hold a strong conviction that the Lord is the almighty controller in our lives. I would like this fundamental concept to be firmly ingrained in the minds of all devotees. I have experienced nothing but peace and happiness – as has P. Jyotiben. No matter what circumstances befell us we always overcame them happily.
Then….. what should we all do?
Remember that we are the Lord’s devotees, always remain happy and cheerful. We should experience nothing but total peace, bliss and happiness of Akshardham. Always remember that we have attained an affinity with the divine Lord. We will have reached the end our sadhana when we constantly remain in this consciousness. Thus when we are confronted with any kind of problem we will instantly turn to the Lord and seek his help. We will humbly ask:
“Oh Lord, please enlighten me…. Why am I faced with these difficulties?”
We will then regain a spiritual equilibrium and begin praying to the Lord within two or three minutes. We will gain the divine strength to endure whatever problems or difficulties the Lord might convey to us.
When faced with problems, solve them with prayer or by remembering the Lord (smruti). Do not resort to crying and becoming upset. Do not stand by and witness others crying or suffering either – instantly begin to pray to the Lord to give them strength.
Practice this concept on a daily basis, never remain sub-merged in unhappiness, misery and gloom. Instantly pray to the Lord and begin to remember Him. Concentrated, vigorous prayers will always be heard by the Lord and we will experience instant results.
This will signify that we have reached the end of our sadhana. I hope you have all clearly understood the fundamental principles mentioned above.
These concepts do not apply to non-believers, they apply to us and have been explained for the benefit of devotees such as ourselves. There are certain devotees who will indulge in making comparison with other devotees. I refer to such devotees as ignorant devotees. They may advise us that the happiness we are experiencing is not ‘true divine happiness’ but rather the happiness derived from worldly pleasures. They are under the misconception that a certain code of religious conduct must be followed for one to reach the ultimate spiritual status.
The fact that we have attained the affiliation with Yogiji Maharaj – the attainment of the Pratyaksh Swaroop (God) – is the pinnacle of all accomplishments, irrespective of the séva one performs. All His devotees should be accepted as ‘independent divine devotees’ – they are inspired by Him, thus we should never interfere with them. At any time, do not listen to any criticisms regarding yourself or others. If someone persists, tell them that you do not indulge in negative comments regarding yourself then why should you participate in any malicious talk regarding others. This concept is not practised by non-devotees. It applies to chaitanya-swaroopo such as us, i.e. that have attained Atma-Buddhi and Pritiwith the Satpurush (this is a one-ness with the Satpurush whereby the soul feels a sense of belonging to the Satpurushand continually endeavours to live according to His wishes.) The Satpurush constantly inspires us, irrespective of our fundamental nature, i.e. satvik, rajsik, tamsik.
On the other hand, non-devotees who do not have an affiliation with the Satpurush, may well have worldly wealth and fame etc. but lack the guidance of one who will reveal their faults and vices. We are fortunate that our faults and vices will be revealed and eliminated by our gurus.
Since the non-devotees have no one who will reveal and eradicate their vices, these vices remain deeply embedded. Outwardly they may appear happy – this is a superficial sense of happiness derived from worldly pleasures which also serves to disguise their ‘real’ weaknesses. The illusion of happiness is temporary and eventually shatters, revealing their underlying imperfections. This illustrates the concept of worldly happiness. Those without faith in the Lord resort to worldly pleasures for their happiness. If we delve deep into their hearts and souls, we would see that they live in constant fear, experiencing distress and anxiety. Since we have no vision of what they feel, we believe them to be happy. The fact is that they are not really happy, contented or at peace with themselves.
Others have the willpower to suppress feelings of fear, distress and anxiety. Thus they suffer from tension and stress, which may even lead to insanity! Thus be aware.
Non-devotees are ignorant in spiritual terms. Devotees who have an affiliation with the Pratyaksh Swaroop cannot be described as ignorant, they are enlightened souls on the path to attain spiritual happiness. If we think this of any devotees, then indirectly we believe the Lord to be ignorant.
Each devotee is constantly making progress in their sadhana. The fact that we cannot see this, is our own fault. Thus never criticise anyone nor judge their behaviour. Remain happy and endeavour to practice this concept as much as possible. Gradually, the time it takes us to regain our spiritual equilibrium and happiness will decrease.
As soon as we become completely alert and ready to begin our sadhana, the Lord will begin to reveal the true colours of our characteristics, highlighting our faults and vices. At that time, do not despair, do not cry. Be brave and march on with happiness and zeal. Eventually, when the time is right, the Lord will annihilate those faults and vices and purify our whole being. If we take everything positively, the Lord will not delay this process. If he can purify us today in order to grant us the happiness of Akshardham, He will not wait until tomorrow.
Thus let us concentrate on our sadhana. Sing and ponder on bhajans such as “Jivan Sahuna…”. Resolve all problems with prayers… gradually the sadhana will seem much easier and you will experience nothing by bliss and happiness.