More Or Less?

                                         
                                                             More Or Less?    

                                                Day 2

Detachment from worldly things is necessary to obtain happiness from within. The more the mind gets entangled in worldly things, the more unsteady it becomes. If happiness could be found in worldly things, then the entire world would have been cheerful and happy.In all the worldly things that a man pursues with the greatest eagerness he finds not half the pleasure in the possession than he proposed to himself in the expectation.

"He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well".


The more the worldly things, the lesser the peace of mind. We might get wealth, power, name and fame, but the real happiness is missing from within. What kind of happiness do we need - the one obtained from worldly things or the true happiness from within. When we get sound sleep in the night, we say that we are feeling fresh. It is because we had no thoughts in our mind and no dreams. 


There are three things in life that we have to remember:  Until we keep increasing worldly things, until there are evil people in our life and until there are bad thoughts in our mind, our sorrows will increase and happiness will decrease. What is our mentality about this? Why do we want to increase the worldly items?
Health issues, tension, depression have increased or decreased? What is our experience in this? Arrogance will definitely increase in our lives, but there will be no peace. Arrogance might give us success but not peace. A Saint uses the same clothes for months and months, our ancestors used to manage their lives with few clothes by mending them. There's a capacity for appetite... that a whole heaven and earth of cake can't satisfy.

                                         "Less We Have, More We Are,

                                          More We Have, Less We Are"

Today we own so many houses, flats, bungalows, farm houses. In one house there are so many television's, each member of a family has a mobile. There is no limit! Sometimes we wonder how our future is going to be. If we keep doing what we have done in the past, then our future will also be the same. If we don't change ourselves, then how can we expect change? A teacher might get a promotion but a person who rings the bell, will keep doing the same thing if he does not wish to change. Future will change when we do something different. 

We don't have to detach ourselves from all the worldly things. But we definitely have to detach ourselves from those things, people and thoughts that cause destruction in our life. We have to detach from those things that bring bad thoughts in our mind after seeing them. We have to move away from people who try to spoil our mind. We have detach ourselves from those thoughts that cause harm to us.  We try to be away from puddle, but we are not ready to be away from dirty thoughts. We don't want things, people or thoughts that will ruin u or our lives.

Do we want to go from this world laughing or crying? Only those people who live their lives happily will die happily! 

For eg. There was a 38 year old married man. He went to Gurudev one day and said that he is going away after 10 days. Gurudev asked where was he going? The man replied that the doctors said he would die after 10 days as he had blood cancer. His last days have come. He did not seem tensed or worried, but happy even after knowing that he was going to die in the next 10 days. The man also said that he thanked the doctors, nurses and everyone who had helped him. Gurudev was stunned to know that the man was happy even after knowing about his death. Gurudev asked," What do you want from me?". The man replied," I have read your books. Now I have come to take your blessings so that I can die with the same happiness that I had when I came from the hospital. The man also said that he has a 20 year old son and did not want to inform him about it. But he agreed to tell his son on Gurudev's request. He called up his son and told him that he is going to die within 10 days. The man asked his son to show his wardrobe. There were all colorful clothes but not a single white dress to wear for his funeral. He went shopping with the son and got him a white dress. The man also went and selected the prayer hall where people will find it easy to come for his funeral. Finally he also selected a photo for himself with garland on it. After all the preparations, he died happily. 

"If we know how a person died, we can say how his life was!"

Gurudev had once completed 10 pages for his book. There was no other copy as there were no photocopy facilities available. A 9 year old Saint was playing around. While playing, he poured water on Gurudev and the all the pages became wet. Gurudev's hardwork had been washed. Gurudev then called the 9 year old saint and asked him to inform the next time he pours water. Gurudev did not get angry on him nor did the 9 year old Saint's playful nature disturb his mind, because Gurudev knew how to control all of these. 

If our kid breaks our expensive watch, would we talk to him with love? It is tough to love in this situation, but  we have to practice not to disturb our mind.  Even in Science, after theory there is practicals. Likewise, we have to do it in practical in our daily life to bring the change!

Life will be tough. There will be obstacles, speed breakers and Red Signal. But if we know how to take diversion when our road is tough, lessen the speed when speed breakers come and wait for sometime when Red signal is on, we will succeed in life. Good deeds make our wishes come true and Dharm(Religion) helps to us to reduce what we have.

                                                        

Mission, Vision and Values

Chaturmaas Pravesh                                                      

    DAY - 1

                                               
 "Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back.” Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.

Once a Judge was on his way to the court. He heard someone calling," Raju Babu, Get Up!".The Judge's name was Raja Babu as well.  He then saw a mother calling her son by name Raja Babu. She was waking her child again and again and was asking the baby to wake up. After hearing this, the Judge also felt from within that he has to wake up now. He then thought when will he retire in life and thought it is Enough now. The Judge felt that he has to spend the rest of his life remembering God as he is already 75 years old. So finally the judge went to the court and resigned. He now understood the importance of Time.

Whether we have Rs 2000/-, Rs 20,000/-, Rs 200000/- or Two Crores, we all try to keep it keep safely.
It is easy to protect our money but not our relations. It is important to maintain our relations.
It is also important to maintain health. We keep running behind maintaining our health, wealth and relations our entire life. In the end, we are left with no time for God or to do something good. Time is money!
Lord Mahavira who had 50,000 disciples(Gandhar), once told his first disciple Gautama, " It is easy to
handle and maintain wealth, health, relations etc, but very difficult to protect Time". The one who can save time and use it efficiently will be eventually successful in life.

Once a farmer's son went to another farmer's house. There he saw his daughter and he wished to marry her. The father agreed but had a condition. He said that he can marry his daughter provided he can catch the tail of the Ox. The father sent the first Ox. When the boy saw the Ox, he got scared as the Ox was as heavy as an elephant. When the second Ox came, he was sweating with fear as the Ox was more stronger than the first one. When the third one came, the boy started smiling. He felt happy that this Ox is very weak and he can easily get hold of the tail. But when he went to catch the tail he found that the Ox had no tail!
So this is the case with us. When we have time in our childhood and later life, we keep putting good things off for tomorrow and tomorrow never comes! The time is always right to do what is right.

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”

Seasons will keep changing, they come and go, but when will our vision open? Do we know our responsibility towards our Family, Society, Neighbors, City, State, Country and our Universe?
For eg, There was once all numbers from 0-9 sitting in a room. Number 9 suddenly slapped Number 8. Number 8 asked why he slapped him. Number 9 said that he was elder to him and so he slapped him. Number 8 then did the same thing to Number 7. So this went on. Finally when Number 2 slapped Number 1, Number 1 did not slap Zero as he thought that Zero was weak. He asked Zero to come and sit beside him and became Number 10. Now number one became powerful along with Zero.  Likewise, Countries fight with other countries, parties fight amongst each other, families, brothers all fight as there is no unity. This is a meaningful story to understand that Power comes with Unity.

In olden days, people used to go to each others house during any festival. In one of the villages in India, there was a system where all the farmers and cows used to gather in one place. Little children were asked to lie down and the cows were made to run. The cows were so understanding that they used to go from the side but never went over the children. Even animals have a sense of understanding and do the right things at the right time.

Once a boy had gone to school. He got a question in the test. It was fill in the blank of Raavan was ------- of Kumbhakaran. He had replied that Raavan was Kumbharan's father's son. This is today's culture. Instead of straight away answering the question, he replied it in a different manner.We have to think and say our words and keep our heart clear like crystal.

There was once a Magical Mirror that could show the present and also the future. One man did not believe in such a mirror. Another said that this might be not be an original mirror. Third man did not bother about it.
Fourth man was happy to hear about the mirror. Fifth man saw and started worshiping such a mirror.
This shows, a witch can become good and  if we are good, we can become God, the Magical Mirror.

Gurudev has come to Nagpur to bring a change in people's lives. This 18 week Parivarthan Pravachan is to bring change in people's lives and to teach the Art of Happiness. Even if we are zero or number 1 all are invited. Guudev says we don't DO, TEEN, PAANCH. If we have to go to airport, railway station etc, we have to go on time. A student goes to school in uniform, he has to study hard and pass the exams. But here it is different. Gurudev is Teacher in Uniform, comes at right time and become successful.

Take Challenge and Verify yourself. There will be Changes!

Time:   Everyday from 9 am to 10 am.







 

Turn The Page & Recharge Your Relations

                                                                NPL - Day 26

Each of us makes mistakes, lots of them to be more accurate. In spite of our best efforts to avoid mistakes, our lives are filled with untimely decisions, erroneous moves and flawed judgment. Try as we might to avoid making mistakes, we're only human. And that means we keep on making them, one right after another.

There are things we wish we wouldn't have done, words we wish we never had spoken. We would give almost anything to take them all back and rewrite the past. But we've already made the mistakes, we've already spoken the words... and there's nothing we can do to undo what's already been done.

                    " Its just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book, Turn the page!"

Once a man went to meet Kabir. He did not find Kabir as he had gone to a man's funeral. He was informed that he can meet Kabir in the graveyard and Kabir can be recognized by a spark of light inflamed on his head. The man went to the graveyard and asked one of them, " Are you Kabir? I want to talk to you." The man replied that he was Kabir and asked what he wanted to know. The man said," I noticed that you were the only one who had a spark of light inflamed when everyone came out. Why was it like that?"

The story actually shows that the other people were filled with grief  and thought that the world was a very bad place to stay in, until they were there in the graveyard but once they came out, everyone had forgotten it and got into their normal daily routine. But Kabir had the same thought when he was in the graveyard and also when he came out and vice versa. So he stood out distinguished. 


In today's world, what is our mentality? It is easy to read the page of the book but not easy to change the page.


Here are three important things to be discussed:


1. I choose to live my life as per others choices:  Most of the time, the things that we buy like, house, furniture, car, clothes, mobile, watches etc are bought keeping in mind others choices and not our own choice. We buy these things thinking about how others would like it or comment on it. Why do we give such top priority to others? 


2. I choose to live my life as per my choices: Here we buy things or live our life as per our likes and dislikes. It takes a lot of guts to say No to other choices and give importance to our own choices.


3. I choose to live my life as per God's choices: It is not about others or our own choices, but we do what God likes or wants us to do. Did we ever think about what God or Gurudevn like and want from us?
Did we remember Gurudev when we do our daily routine? A Saint's life is very tough. Have we ever imagined the difficulties?
One man from Mumbai had come to meet Gurudev. He said, " I had come to meet you as I was thinking about you yesterday. My wife had made Pani Puri's for me. When I was about to eat, I thought about you and tears started coming out of my eyes. I was thinking that you eat whatever you get. I have decided I will never have Pani Puri from now on as my Gurudev also does not eat.". 
So did we remember God, Gurudev while doing our daily acitivities like, wathching TV, Eating, Traveling, or doing any work? Try to remember God during any of these times and things will automatically become easy.
God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him. 

Now lets understand how to Recharge our Relations:

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”  
Today is mine. It is unique. So Today one day what can we do to make our relationship better and be happy? This is not about Life Style but One Day Style that we can all surely try.  Here are five things to practice today and check for yourself how beautiful life is:


1. I CAN LOVE TODAY:

All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused. Today one day let us forgive even our enemies, hold no grudges against anyone and love all. We might have around ten people with whom we have not so good relations. Let us try to have good feelings for them and not criticize them, at least for Today One Day
Once a teacher her students to write a Letter to God. An 8 year old boy wrote to God, " God in my family we are ten members. But all fight with each other and my father is not able to handle even ten of them. God, I wanted to ask you, how do you manage the world and all the people in the world?" 
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.

2. I WILL SMILE TODAY:

“Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”  
We might have lots of sorrow in life, health issues, issues regarding wealth or property, but lets try to SMILE TODAY no matter what. Today we will not complain about anything even if our expectations are not met. 
Sometimes our heart makes an agreement for one day. It is the mentality of our mind. Suppose we go to someone's house as a guest for one day, would we adjust or complain? I am sure we do adjust thinking it is just for one day, even if we don't like some things. 
“Laugh, even when you feel too sick or too worn out or tired.
Smile, even when you're trying not to cry and the tears are blurring your vision".
Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in our family.

3. I WILL CARE TODAY:

The meaning of care is," Everything that happens to you matters to me".
The closest thing to being cared for is to care for someone else. Lets try to care for all our close one's today - our parents, son, wife, daughter, husband. We maintain our mobiles, cars, clothes very well but what about our relations? Do we try to maintain them? Lets try this for one day. No matter what, we will not spoil our relations and will care for all. 
Once a teacher challenged her students to prove that God is here. She said anyone who proves this will get Rs 1000/-. One boy lifted his hand. The teacher was surprised. The boy said," Madam, prove that God is No where and I will give you Rs 10,000/-" This shows the boy's attitude towards God.
Today one day, we will not listen to anything bad, see anything bad or say anything bad. Today one day we will take care of our character and make sure we love and care for all.

4. I WILL PRAY TODAY:

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”
There is a vast difference between saying prayers and praying. There is no one in this world who does not want God. In this world, no man is so powerful that he does not require another man's help and no man is so poor that he cannot help another man. We have to pray during both good and bad times. We have thank God for our eyes, good health, for the food we eat and for everything we can do. There are many people who beg God during sad times, but very few who pray in good times as well. God has always forgiven us for our Sin's and we are not able to forgive someone for the smallest mistake. It is because of God's blessings today that we are in good health and position. 
For eg, In Indore as man was a Car Dealer. Whenever he used to deliver a new car to his customer, he used to pray to God before handing over the keys. He used to pray that this car should not meet with an accident and no one should meet with an accident because of this car. He did this for six months and not one car that he sold met with any accident. Such is the Power of Prayer! Prayer is the voice of faith.
Lets be grateful unto Him and pray today!


5. I WILL THINK WONDERFUL TODAY:

Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well. Today lets try to think wonderful and good thoughts and lets reject any bad thought that comes to our mind. Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive, because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.
A devotee use to pray everyday and invite God to come and stay in his heart. But God never came. He then complained to God, God replied, " When you call someone great to your house, you make sure your house is neat and clean, devoid of all dirt. When you invited I had also come to the door of your heart but when I looked inside I found so much dirt that I had to return. How could I stay in your heart?"
Let us try to think good thoughts at least for today one day.


So to stay happy and lead a wonderful life, lets practice all of these for just one day see the difference!








 













         

भरा बटुआ, फटी जेब

                                                        NPL - day 23


A truly humble man is sensible of his natural distance from God; of his dependence on Him; of the insufficiency of his own power and wisdom; and that it is by God’s power that he is upheld and provided for, and that he needs God’s wisdom to lead and guide him, and His might to enable him to do what he ought to do for Him.

 Socrates was born in Athens, Greece. One day he was given poison as some people did not like his teachings. The next day, in the afternoon. one of his disciples went and met all the people with a lamp in his hand and asked each of them, " Who are you?"  Some replies, doctor, engineer, businessman etc.
The disciple said, "Socrates was always in sorrow as he could not find a single human being. Today I am also going around and even I could not find a single human being as everyone I met said they are doctors or engineers, not one single person said that he was a Human being!"

In life, Being holy  is compared to a  Purse and our nature is like a pocket. The whole world might be attracted towards our holiness but within ourselves, if we do not have respect for self, it is like an empty or torn pocket. Our life is incomplete even if one of them is absent.

There are four conditions in life:

1. Flower with Fragrance, Prayer with Love:

As fragrance abides in the flower, 

As reflection is within the mirror,

So does your Lord abide within you,

Why search for him without?

Just like a beautiful flower is filled with its fragrance, our prayers have to be filled with love. Would we like a flower that is beautiful but has no fragrance in it? We always pray to God in our good or bad times. But does our prayers have a feeling of love for God. If heart is there, love has to exist. How will God accept our prayers that has no love in it? Does our prayers contain Love or Desire?
Love is like a beautiful flower which we may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.
There is a difference between Praying to God (प्रार्थना) and Asking  or Begging God for something. Praying and Begging to God are both asking God for something but Praying to God to give us all the things that he has sacrificed, like bungalow, car, wealth, power etc is asking for all the things we desire. Praying to God to give us what he has attained is praying in the true sense. God understands our prayers even when we can't find the words to say them. We see God everyday, we just don't recognize Him. What is the goal of our life? What do we wish - Beg or Pray?
We should have the feeling of Oneness(अपनापन). Only then can we have the feeling of love with God and the feeling that "God is Mine".
For eg, A man built his bungalow. In the bungalow, he built one room for God. He told everyone whom he met that," The whole bungalow is mine and in that one room is for God" . One day his house was on fire. The whole house was burnt except God's room. He then started complaining to God and asked why God did not save his bungalow along with the room. He kept complaining, finally God appeared in front of him and said, " In the whole bungalow, I saved my room. If you had told everyone that the whole bungalow was mine, I would have saved the entire house."
Have we ever realized that we can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are we just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things we could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things – things which would be evidence to God that we are totally surrendered to Him.
Like the belongings (school bag, uniform etc) of a 5 year old school boy is his Parents property, but when a book falls from his bag, he says, " It is mine". The same way, disciples belong to their Gurudev, child belongs to their parents,.The wealth we have, we say  is ours but never say it is God's. Why?
In life, our entry is made in the spiritual life only when we have love. A prayer without love has no fruits but we should not stop praying.  Someday our prayers will be filled with love for God and then we will conquer the whole world.

2. Sweets with Sugar,  Post with Humbleness:

 Just like we don't like sweets without sugar, Power without humbleness if of no use. The first element of greatness is fundamental humbleness; the second is freedom from self; the third is intrepid courage, which, taken in its widest interpretation, generally goes with truth; and the fourth - the power to love.
To lift a bucket filled with water, we have to bend. Likewise, when power comes to us, we have to be filled with Humbleness.
For eg. A banyan tree bends down to give us shade, but a coconut tree grows so tall and never bends down to give shade. So to become truly great, one has to stand with people not above them.
We call a man happy if he has all luxuries in life, but we don't call a man who spends time in the temple for God as Happy. Why?
If even an ordinary man is able to come to us without fear, we can know that we have power with humbleness in us. If a son has to see his father's mood to talk to him then the father has failed in life. We all get our power and position in life, but do we have abilities in us to fulfill our duties? We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.

3. River with Water, Wealth with Generosity:

Make a pond filled with water and birds will come. Without water, a river is still called river but is of no value. Do we know of any river that has water but still never refuses to give water? Likewise, a wealthy man should have generosity in him. Kindness and generosity is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. Generosity is freely sharing what you have with others. It is willing to offer money, help or time when it is needed. To be generous means giving something that is valuable to us without expectation of reward or return. The world is still surviving because of some generous people.
For eg. Sixty years back, a man named, Manaklal Chunilal Seth was famous for his generosity. He used to sit everyday from 5 pm to 6 pm and announced that any needy person can come to him during that time and their needs will be taken care of. So one day Gurudev's father and four others went to ask donation for their Trust. As they reached, the manager asked, " How much do you require?" Gurudev's father replied that he wanted Rs 500/- The manager was surprised that he wanted only Rs 500! The manager then said, " If it is a matter of only Rs 500/-, I will myself give as I have the permission to give. If you want more than Rs 1000/- you can meet my Seth" . A thirsty man would go to a river filled with water and similarly a needy person will go to a rich man for help.
For eg, A girl was about to get married. Her father asked about her choice and what type of family she wants. The girl replied that where she gets married and goes, she just wants a temple near by so that she can worship God everyday. She also wanted the Saints to come to her house for food (गोचरी). Such should be our generosity!
"With the river of wealth, we need the water of generosity".


4. Eyes with Vision, Mind with Wisdom:

Where there is no vision, the people perish."The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision."  Likewise, mind with wisdom is necessary. Even donkeys, buffaloes, dogs have Mind, but do they have wisdom or sense? Every mind was made for growth, for knowledge; and its nature is sinned against when it is doomed to ignorance. Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. 


In our busy lives, we have forgotten to enjoy nature - the blooming flowers, the lakes, the trees, the sunset, the sunrise, the rivers and sea's. We have no interest in Nature. Advanced technology has take it all away from us. Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them!

Be Awake

                                                                    NPL - Day 22

Stop your thoughts, but be awake, and you will experience the great ocean of peace beyond the mind. We have to be on the alert to recognize our prime at whatever time of our life it may occur.

There was a new Singer with lots of expectations. He was about to sing for the first time in front of 1000's of audience and he started singing. He sang once and when he was about to finish the song, the audience started shouting "once more". He sang the same song thrice on audience demand. Now he got impatient why the audience wanted to listen to the same song and liked it so much, as he had four more songs to sing. The reply from the audience was that only when he sings the first song properly he can move on to the next song.

Similarly, in life, until we live our life properly, karma in existence (कर्म सत्ता) would say Once More. Dogs and donkeys also open their eyes, but as we are Human's, opening of the inner sight is very important.
If we want to Be Awake in the right meaning, there are four things to implement in life:

1. Importance of Place:

It is important to keep in mind what type of environment we are in when we do something right or wrong.
We might go to theaters, beer bar, hotels, clubs and something wrong might be done, but atleast when we are in holy places, we must avoid doing wrong. Our inner conscience has to remind us that we are in a holy place and stop us from doing wrong. When we visit someone's house as guests, we have to remember where  we are and act accordingly.
For eg, A 26 year old pregnant woman expired and she was being cremated. The whole family was in grief and sorrow. Their tears would not stop. In a corner there were around 10-15 people who were commenting and laughing about Share market on their mobiles. They did not even think in which place they are at that moment. Where have the sentiments gone from our heart? Humanity has ended! Where are we heading towards?
So in case any we feel like doing wrong, at least we should remember in what type of premises we are. Like, if we feel like criticizing anyone, we should remember the place. We have to switch the mobiles or keep them in silent mode in the grave yard  or holy places, so we can express our sentiments for the other person and pray silently.We do evil in evil places, but why evil in holy places?
There was a Trustee who went to the temple to worship God. He had removed his sandals outside. When he came back he did not find his sandals. He then found one of the workers there had worn his sandals. The Trustee then thought about the premises(holy place) he was in, went to the worker and said, " Friend, these are my slippers. I have worn them for 5 years. You are working in the temple and I am the trustee here. For whatever reason you could have stolen my slippers but I just want you to come along with me to the market. I will buy you new slippers as there is no use in wearing the old slippers.
In case we were in such situation, what would our reaction be?
So in which place we are, we have to remember the requirement of the place and we should know what we can do in this place.

2. Importance of Time:

Three things in life that once gone, never come back: Time, Words and Opportunity. Always to remember to slow down in life; live, breathe and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time and never forget anything that has the least place within your heart. Importance of time and duty is different during childhood, young age and old age. Even the Sun remembers its duty. It is extremely hot in the afternoon  The Sun cools down in the morning during sunrise and in the evening after sunset. Likewise, once man has crossed the age of 50, he has to relax. We keep going on and don't take the name of stopping somewhere.
A 26 year old man was hospitalized and was in his last stages. Acharyaji was asked to come and utter the name of God so that he can die in peace. When Acharyaji stepped into the hospital room, the man's 23 year old wife was sitting beside him. As soon as she saw Acharyaji, she aggressively said," Acharyaji, you have come so that my husband can die in peace. But what about me? This man has ruined my life and he has no rights to do it. I have a one year old kid as well. My husband has been eating tobacco since 5 years and now he has cancer. He will die but what about me and my kid?"  She asked Acharyaji to spread to all the people who take tobacco," If you are consuming tobacco, don't marry as you do not have any rights to spoil someone's life". The man held Acharyaji's hand and said," It is my mistake that I was consuming tobacco. I cannot even ask sorry at this stage for what I have done."
This man did not understand the importance of his time and duty.
So for all the youngsters, just one message, " Stop consuming tobacco and drugs, stop smoking and drinking as your life is just not yours, there are others also who are dependent on you."


3. Importance of Duty:

"Duty is worship"
Duty is the most sublime word in our language. We have to do our duty in all things. We cannot do more. We should never wish to do less.True happiness is to understand our duties towards God and Man; to enjoy the present. without anxious dependence on the future; not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears. but to rest satisfies with what we have, which is abundantly sufficient. Every duty is great, great, because it tries our principles; great, because for the time it tries our loyalty to conscience, and our energy and will.
We might know the importance of place and time, but if we don't recognize our duties, it is of no use.
Today, a son has forgotten his duty. He does not have 15 minutes for his father because he is too busy. Have we forgotten our duty as a son, daughter, wife, husband, daughter in law? What is our mentality in this field? For eg, A man was on his way to the temple. A poor lady met him outside and said that his daughter is getting married and she does not have anything to give.It would be great if he could give at least 2 saree's for her daughter. The man first worshiped God and then asked the lady to come along with him to his house. The man called his wife, narrated the poor woman's story and asked his wife to give 2 saree's. She gave the poor woman 20 new saree's and also some gold ornaments. The man saw his wife's generosity and told that he will take the entire responsibility of the poor woman's daughter's wedding.
This is called duty towards family, society and nation!
A man who refuses a duty, is not punished, but forsaken, and he will never know love or honor or happiness again.


4. Importance of our Nature:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit". Law of nature is that, water flows down and fire goes up.First me make our habits, then habits make us. Lets check on our habits and see what are the habits for which we would never compromise in life, no matter what. There is little voice from the inside that keeps reminding what we should be doing. It does not depend on place, time or duty but our habits. When do you feel, "  I will fall down or die, but I will never compromise on this." It could be that we cannot be without donating or helping the needy, or getting up without praying to God. Everyone's nature is different. 
A man who stood for elections, was going on a Buffalo so that his photo comes in the Newspaper. Police asked him, " Where is your helmet?" The man replied," This is a four wheeler!"
This is to show what kind of nature we have. Knowing the importance of our nature will keep us in our limits.

So lets understand the importance of place while doing something wrong, understand the importance of time and duty towards everyone and understand the importance of our nature.
Don't wait until everything is right, it will never be perfect, there will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what, get started now, with each step you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self confident and more successful in life.
Awake, Arise and Stop Not till the goal is reached!

Goal Keeper

                                                                       NPL - Day 21

In any game, a goal keeper has to be perserverant, courageous, driven and a hard worker, always ready to take challenges. For a goal keeper there is no hiding place. To be a good goal keeper there are two conditions, we must have good connection with time and space. In football, eleven players play the game and the goal keeper does not do anything but saves the goal. Similarly in cricket, an umpire does not play the game but the whole game is under his control.

A boy went to meet a man at 9 am for a deal of 2-3 Crores. The man comes an hour late. It was around 11:30 and the deal was about to be finalized. Suddenly the boy stood up and started going. The man asked why was he going off leaving the deal in between. The boy did not feel necessary to reply and just went away. After an hour he came back to his house and the man was still waiting for him to finalize the deal. The man asked him the reason he had gone. The boy cried and replied that his father is mentally retarted and is hospitalized since 25 years. Every day he goes to the hospital at 11:30 to feed his father, even though the father does not recognize his son. The man said that he could have sent a driver or any other person to feed the father as the father anyways does not recognize any one. The boy replied,"You are right. My father does not recognize me, but I recognize my father and I know that he has done so much for me. So I make it a point to feed him with my hands".

So in life, to become a good goal keeper there are some goals that we have to avoid, and they are as follows:


1. Ungratefulness(कृतघ्नता):

We often take for grated the very things that most deserve our gratitude. An ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from. We must be grateful to God,  Gurudev, our Parents, the Sun, the Moon, trees, rivers, flowers, nature, society, government. In our busy lives, we are not even ready to remember those who have done good deeds for us. Gratefulness is a segment of sudden realization of the need in the eyes of the ones who once guided our steps into this world.  Gratitude is a way of life, we take responsibility of our seniors, not just in our homes, not just in our neighborhood, not just in our community, but globally by creating a circle of like minded people who have a philanthropic attitude.
Lord Mahavira said, "Live and Let Live".
It can happen that we might not be grateful to God or Guru, but what about our parents who have done so much for us from the first day in our life? We apply logic in this as well. Forget Gratefulness, many of us don't even believe in gratitude. A son does not have time for his father, new generation compare their parents with dustbins and do not want them to interfere in their lives. How can we forget the gratefulness of our parents? The day a child comes in a mother's womb, from that day the child is obliged towards his parents. What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank for it - would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. We must truly appreciate the loyalty, encouragement and helpfulness our near and dear one's have done for us.
It might happen that our parents have done injustice with us by saying us No sometimes when we wanted to some things in life. But lets take an oath that we will not speak bad or criticize our parents in front of any third person.
" My life is successful when someone has tears for me, and my life is unsuccessful when someone has tears in their eyes because of me"
How many people are there who would cry for us? Where there is wealth, success, power, there is always an uproar.
About 50 years back, Guruji's father used to own five garments shop. One day Guruji's uncle caught the servant stealing in the shop and said that he will hand him over to the police the next day. Guruji's father called all of them and asked, " How much do you earn from the shop? And what is the salary of the servants?"  Guruji's Uncle replied that they earn around Rs 3000/- and pay Rs 700 to the servants". Guruji's father asked when they take around Rs 3000 every month for their living, how can they expect the servant to  manage with Rs 700/-. So he doubled the salary of all the servants instead of handing them over to the police. The servant fell on Guruji's father's feet and started crying. A servant has a feeling of gratitude towards his master but we do not have any feelings for our parents!
Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in our life actually attracts more of the things that we appreciate and value into our life.

2. Roughness(कठोरता):

Lord Mahavira  said, " Be soft and polite even while hammering a wood with an iron nail because if we can be rude to wood today, tomorrow we might  be rude to other lives as well." How far we go in life depends on us being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. It is important to quit roughness and become soft. We have to treat everyone with politeness. But being rude and aggressive to everyone has become our habit. A man who is rough does not have balance of mind. Lets try not be rude to anyone, be it our parents, our employee's, or our drivers. In a holy place if there is a long queue to worship God, and another man from behind goes before us, what is our reaction? What is our behavior towards him? Politeness is benevolence in small things

3. Miserly(कृपणता): 

If water does not flow and is stagnant in one place, it might decay, but if gutter water flows, then it can meet the sea. A Sage does not hoard. Having bestowed all he has on others, he has yet more, having given all he has to others, he is richer still.  Likewise, do we have interest in saving our money or donating it?
An 80 year old man used to come to Guruiji to take his blessings. He used to come in the same white uniform everyday even though his son was the head of the diamond market. The uniform he used to wear did not cost him more than Rs 5000/- every year. Upon being asked he said, " He does not spend much on clothes but donates minimum of Rs 40 Lakhs every year." A man's identity is not done by his clothes.
We spend money on ourselves but when asked to donate we say there is no savings. When will we be generous towards others?
"What we have done for ourselves alone, dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal".

4. Cowardness(कायरता):

The human life is made up of choices.Yes or No, Love or Hate, to be a Hero or to be Coward. We have to choose wisely. In life, incase any unexpected tragedy occurs - like a disease, death of some near one, someone criticizes and puts us down, or any such situation we should challenge the situation and be prepared to face it with courage. We should not become prey to Cowardliness.Past always seems good to us.Tomorrow will be worse than today, but we have to have the strength to face it. A man who is cowardly either goes into depression or commits suicide. True Heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat.

In life, as a goal keeper, lets be grateful and thankful, soft and generous in nature and courageous in tough situations. By doing this, we will win the game of life as life is a game.

Teri Bhi Chup, Meri Bhi Chup

                                                                     NPL - Day 20

                                             " काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब
                                                 पल में परलय होय, बहुरि करोगे कब? "

 Have we ever wondered if we have the courage to do the right things when it matters most? One of the most tragic things about human nature is that we tend to put off the good things for tomorrow. We are all dreaming of that day over the horizon and waiting to do the good things later, instead of doing them right away. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike. So if your waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today? For if Tomorrow never comes, we'll surely regret the day.

Yudhistar was known for his generosity. He never used to send any one empty handed. Once a man came to Yudhistar to ask for something. Yudhistar asked the man to come the next days as he is going to have a bath now and  it would take some time. The man was going and Bheem met him on the way. Bheem asked the man what had happened? The man said that he has been asked to come the next day. Bheem then started to bang the big bell in happiness. Hearing this Yudhistar came out of the bathroom. He told, " Bheem, you know very well that this bell is rung only when we win any battle. Then why are you ringing it now?". Bheem replied, " Brother, You have asked the man to come tomorrow and this shows you have won over death and time for the next 24 hours." Hearing this, Yudhistar called the man back and gave him what he had asked for.


There are four points to ponder upon for those who always put off the good work for tomorrow:


1. Disease call:

The greatest wealth is health. We squander health in search of wealth, we scheme and toil, and save, then squander wealth, in search of health, and all we get is the grave! We never know what's in for us tomorrow. A 5 year old kid can also have cancer or diabetes. Because of the support of earth, we can walk. Similarly, life is healthy if our body is healthy. If an 8 year old boy becomes a saint, we are against it, but if an 80 year old man watches TV, movies, we are never against it. We can become religious at any age, but stop doing sins right away.Today while sleeping,lets imagine that we might get paralyzed tomorrow. Then what will we do? Do all the good things today itself - Love, forgiveness, donation, simplicity! We have not seen tomorrow so lets do it now. We keep all the good things in life pending and do the wrong things right away. What is the logic behind this? Who says that we have to become religious only when we get old? We don't have an age for sins, then why for religion? 
"More you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war".
As long as we are healthy, let us do all the good things in life as we will never be able to do anything when our health deteriorates. Even a batsman cannot say whether he will make a century or not after 98 runs because he might get out. 
The two most important words to remember are "Now and Here ". We cannot say when Nature will make us silent. 

2. Deadline call:

We might be healthy, but there will be a boundary or limit when we will not be able to do anything. We might do yoga and exercise and keep ourselves healthy but there will be a deadline at sometime in our lives. A man who was able to eat 12 chapati's earlier is able to eat only 2 now. A deadline comes when a son does not listen to his father and asks his father not to speak. Our eyes that can see today will not be able to see when we grow old. When such a deadline comes in our life, when no one would listen to us, what is our preparation? How would we balance our mind? 
A man in Rajkot once went to Acharyaji and cried," My father is in his last days. He feels cold in the night, but my mother opens all the windows and doors purposely.  My mother gives milk to my father so that he suffers from diarrhea. When I asked my mother why is she being so cruel towards my father, she replied that she is taking revenge of what his father used to do when he was healthy. My mother said that my father used to get drunk and beat her. She said now she is going to see his father suffer and die." 
Have we ever thought about such a deadline? What would happen to us when we become weak tomorrow?
An 80 year old man who has three sons and daughter-in-laws wants death as none of them listen to him or serve him. He has to eat whatever they cook and sit where ever they want him to sit. Have we thought that such situations can come in our life also? During our stay in this world, if we travel somewhere, we make sure we book the place to stay but do we know the address where we would go after death?
"In eternity, nothing has come, whatever has come, has come today! If not now, then when?"

3. Destiny call:

There are winds of destiny that blow when we least expect them. Sometimes they gust with the fury of a hurricane, sometimes they barely fan one's cheek. But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as they often do  a future that is impossible to ignore. That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny, be it through intention or ignorance. Even after doing good, sometimes bad happens to us - this is destiny! Even after being friendly or right, people have enmity with us or do wrong with us? Why? It is destiny's call.What is our mentality in this field? Have we prepared ourselves to be happy no matter what the result is? When such situations would occur in our lives, what would we do?  Today, people can't take disease, younger generation commit suicide if they fail in exams! We have strength enough to commit suicide but not to accept destiny! We are helpless in this matter as we don't have strength enough to accept destiny. 
Try to imagine how life would be if we had a disease like Cancer. Did we think how life would take an U turn in such a case? Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.


4. Death Call:

Everything begins only to end. The moment we were born, we began to die. Only by being prepared for our death can we truly live.
A rich man was once hospitalized and was in his last days. The doctors had said that it is upto God to save him. He was a Millionaire, had cars, bungalow and all the luxurious items in life but nothing could save him.
Death will definitely come but are we ready to accept it?  Even a 4 year old boy had 2 heart surgeries done. Parents are sad that their children are suffering at this age.
Another man who was an owner of Rs 2000 Crores had offices in about 200 countries in the world. His greed was like a banyan tree that keeps winding and winding. He once went to visit Acharyaji.
Acharyaji asked him," If death comes or if you get an attack right away, what are your preparations?"
The man then brought his son to Acharyaji and said that he will wind up before March 31st and his son will handle the business if we likes to. He then retired and spent the rest of his life in religious work.
Another day will definitely come, but what is the guarantee that we would be there?
One can survive everything now a days, except death, and live down anything, except a good reputation.
So lets live life with love, forgive those who have hurt us and lets do all the good things right away.

Disease, Deadline, Destiny and Death will show us our real value within seconds. Blood tears might flow out of our eyes, but we will not be able to do anything. Lets take an oath that we will not do any more sin's regardless of what sin's we have done in the past. We will not do anything wrong anymore.
                                            Say No Entry to Evil. If not now, then when?

Photo Gallery