Discourse 2 (Part 2)
Swami Pritam Muni
Vadodara, 03.11.09.
Divya Sanskriti, February, 2010.

What has Dadaji said? He has said that Tapasvis (ascetics) should do not just secluded sadhana for their own spiritual benefit but should also become servants for the common good, for the benefit and uplift of all. If we undertake the work entrusted by Dadaji for cultural revival it will progress rapidly. Paths will open up for you in one way or another to the extent that you apply yourselves to this work. It may occur to many that they will advance spiritually only by doing pranopasana or mantra japa or asan-pranayam, wondering how progress can be achieved by doing the work commanded by Dadaji for cultural revival.   But the fact is that from time to time many great persons have become great by doing divinely willed works. Greatness is not available on credit; its price has to be paid in one form or another. It is of utmost importance that the most able among us should assume the leadership of Dharma. Dharma becomes veiled in darkness when the leadership of Dharma goes into the hands of the incompetent. In the present times it is the divine will, Guru’s command and Shiv Sankalpa that the work of cultural resurgence be undertaken.

That does not mean that spiritual practice is without significance. Dadaji has said that both are important. As I told you previously, a bird needs both its wings to fly. But one should comply with the needs of the time. In present times, the best work for us is that of cultural resurgence commanded by Dadaji and we should apply ourselves wholeheartedly to that. Even to Guruji Dadaji had said that he would make particular progress in his sadhana if he applied himself with pure steadfastness to the work of cultural resurgence as a result of which his inner intuitive faculties would develop. That, in turn, would present him with automatic solutions to problems as and when they arose.

I believe that that conversation was not only for Gurudev’s limited benefit; it was also for the benefit of all disciples in the Lakulish family. Its message is that the doors to the spiritual welfare of the disciples will go on opening of their own to the same extent that disciples applied themselves to the task of cultural resurgence. Therefore, make the effort. God has given us an outstanding opportunity and conditions and means for our own spiritual good. If, despite this, we waver, that is our weakness.

I was once sitting with a person who was telling me about all the great spiritual personages he knew and was enumerating their accomplishments. I told him, “No spiritual practitioner I know of anywhere in this world has reached the spiritual heights of my Gurudev; there is no yogi like him. This which I speak is truth. From all that I know, there is none visible anywhere on earth who equals him; not only is there none other with the same ability, there is none who can be placed on the same platform with Guruji even at a great distance. It is our misfortune if, despite such a privileged position (that we are Gurudev’s disciples), despite the favorable circumstances God has favored us with, despite the conditions he has arranged for our spiritual welfare, we waver and run here and there. So, let us not waste our time in the pursuit of meaningless pastimes but apply ourselves to the task of cultural resurgence commanded by Dadaji.

Once a gentleman experienced the dawning of vairagy (renunciation, non-attachment). So he took himself to a great yogi with the desire of gaining the Truth, realizing God. The Yogi Mahatma offered him a seat and listened to what he had come to say. There were several other disciples present there too. The Mahatma said, “Render service just as all these disciples are rendering service”. So this person began rendering service there. The Guru saw his qualification and one day made him to sit down before him and preached to him, taught him something. One day he said, “All this that I have taught you and spoken to you is the essence of the Scriptures and that which I have instructed you to practice is the essence of spiritual practice.”

The gentleman stayed at the ashram for some more time and eventually left. He took his Guru’s permission to go on a journey and the Guru permitted him to do so. The disciple thought it was not possible to gain knowledge so easily. The Scriptures have said that it is very difficult to gain gnan. The Kathakaars (those who give spiritual discourses and preach the Scriptures) say that one must study the Scriptures and undertake special tapa (austerities) for that purpose.

So he sought out a great kathakaar  Guru. He was very learned and had a great name in society. He disclosed his reason for seeking him out. “I wish to seek your shelter for attainment of the Truth, for knowledge of the Truth”, he said. “Please accept me and teach me the Truth.” The kathakaar replied, “Everyone who lives in our ashram has to render whatever service that may fall to his lot. We do not ask for any dakshina. Serve and learn. Are you prepared to render whatever service that may fall to your lot?” “I will render whatever service that may fall to my lot”, replied the seeker. “Presently all the service has been distributed”, replied the Kathakaar Guru, “only the service of clearing the cow dung from the cowshed remains. You do that – remove the cow dung from the Gaushala and keep it clean.” “Very well”, the seeker replied, “I shall gladly render that service.” So that became his lot. He got up early every morning, went to the Gaushala, collected all the cow dung, carried it to the dump and disposed of it there, and generally kept the Gaushala clean. At nine every morning he went to the assembly to learn slokas and the Scriptures as taught there. In this way, one after another, he learnt the Upanishads and the other Scriptures. Years passed. Soon, twelve years had passed. The seeker gained in understanding and also acquired some strength from his sadhana. He grew in learning and wisdom as well. Thus, twelve years passed when one day the Guru sent for him. “I have taught you whatever I had to teach,” he told the seeker; tomorrow is your farewell function and after that you can leave and go your way.” The next day the seeker departed from the ashram. Along the way, he sat down under a tree and considered what he had gained in the twelve years he had spent in the ashram. When he had extracted the essence of all that he had learned  in the twelve years spent in the Kathakaar’s ashram, he realized that it was nothing more than what the Yogi Mahtma had already told him earlier. He had said in simple words, ‘do this, this is what is to be understood, this is what needs to be done and is worth doing.’ The yogi Mahatma had already previously told him in a few simple words what it took twelve years to learn and understand once again through twelve years of work lifting cow dung. He thought, “I wasted the twelve years I spent in lifting and clearing cow dung. I failed to understand what was told to me in a few simple words and understood it after twelve years of lifting cow dung.”

Rarely sometimes do we get a great Guru through the merit of our past karmas. If he tells us something in a few words, we should realize that, like unsolicited rain,  this is good fortune. If we fail to understand and wander and falter, then understand that it is no better than clearing cow dung  to no good avail. I have no intention to criticize anyone but from what I am seeing and from what I understand it appears to me that if you wander and falter it will be like clearing cow dung to no avail.          

I received sannyas initiation in 2004. Before that , I had read the books of most of the contemporary Saints and Mahatmas to the extent that I almost know them by heart. Considering them all I say to you, if you waver or lose your direction it will be like clearing cow dung. Understand this well. Anyone who is wavering or wandering, let him understand this well. I believe that none of you is wandering but if there be any such among you let him take a lesson from this. For us a mere hint is enough.

So, what should we be doing?  We should be doing the work of cultural resurgence. It is my firm decision that I myself will try to do this which is Guru’s command and Shiv Sankalpa, to the best of my ability, whenever I can, however I can, wherever I can, without any expectation of any reward.

Once, Lord Buddha went out to collect alms. A lady of the house answered a call at some place. Seeing a Bhikshuk  (mendicant) at her door, she responded with abuses. Lord Buddha stood in silence till the lady herself finished her tirade and ceased to speak. Lord Buddha said, “I have not accepted the bhiksha (alms) you gave me. I return it to you.”  We are known by our speech. We are also known by our actions. Let us try to ensure that our speech and our actions are only of the best. Those present here are reflections of Guruji. For the society we should become such that others on seeing us may say of us, “Look, what a nice person so and so is; what a good life he leads; how well his Guru has taught him.” Looking upon us, society should be reminded of our Guruji, feel respect and honor for our Guruji by our actions and conduct.

What have we to do for such a way of life? It is said in Chapter 16 of the Bhagvad Gita, ‘Devasur Sampatti Vibhag Yoga’, “Assume divine qualities, expel asuri (evil) qualities from your life.” What is an asuri quality? It takes just a small amount of pride or some distortion of character or mind to drag a life towards its downfall. Most of our mistakes are not consciously committed but committed in a state of excitement or passion. We should keep a constant watch over ourselves, constant. Most Jivas perform such actions in a state of excitement or passion that they forever change the course of life.

I narrate a true story to you. There was a quarrel in some person’s house. This person happened town a pistol. His young son had been recently married, about a week previously. Father and son were having a discussion about some matter. The father asked his son to hand over to himself temporary possession of the wealth the bride’s father had given him at the time of marriage. The son declined, saying that he would like to retain the amount for his own use. One thing led to another and assumed a violent turn. The father took his pistol and shot his son dead. He was his only son. A widow now walked the house where only a week ago it reverberated to the revelries of a wedding. Society now showered contempt upon the father. This troubled him and a few days later he shot himself. Now the house had two widows, a mother and a daughter in law.

Consider the causes underlying this event. Nothing more than momentary excitement, momentary burst of passion. Most of our mistakes in life take place in a state of excitement or passion or unconsciously. So let us keep a check on these conditions and qualities that cause us to make mistakes that may well change the course of our lives for the worse. Earlier also I had spoken to you about the right way to live and had given you the example of Shivaji Maharaj.

No doubt you train your own children. How many tricks you must have to employ to train them! I tell you the ways of training according to Dharma. Take from it such lesson as you like. There was a grandfather. He was engrossed in reading a book. His four, five, year old grandson was playing near him. While playing, the child was making his way towards a particular direction. The grandfather heard his footsteps and noticed that the child was headed in an unsafe direction. He lovingly cautioned the child, “Son, do not go in that direction”. The boy turned back. The grandfather returned to his reading. After a while he heard footsteps again and, looking up, noticed that the child was again headed in the wrong direction. The grandfather realized that his earlier  admonition had been insufficient to dissuade the child so this time he added a reason, “Son, do not go in that direction. There is a pit there and a slope too. You will slip and fall and injure yourself if you go that way.” (If love is not enough, then explain, persuade, reason). After a while the grandfather heard footsteps again and once again noticed that the child was headed in the wrong direction. He understood that neither love nor persuasion had succeeded in the warning message registering on the child so now he took recourse to fear. “I have warned you twice and yet you do not listen?” the grandfather scolded the child, “behave or you will receive two slaps.”  For the moment the boy desisted but after  a while the grandfather heard footsteps again and again noticed the child headed in the direction where danger lay. The old man understood that neither reasoning nor fear had been enough to drive home the message so he rose from his chair, walked up to the child and slapped him. This is the normal sequence of persuasion – love, reasoning, fear, punishment. The grandfather resumed his reading. After some time there was a sound of something falling and the boy crying. He had stealthily crept up upon the pit and fallen in and broken his leg. The old man regretted that the boy had injured himself but he was pleased that he had done his own duty well in repeatedly cautioning the boy. He had first tried the path of love; when that did not work, he had tried the path of reasoning; next, he had tried the path of love and finally that of punishment.

We should remember this in our own lives. Gurudev tells us, “Serve Dharma .. Do the work of cultural resurgence. Later, he explains, reasons …. “Look, this is tapa, this alone is worth doing. Everything else is fine but this is the task worth doing.” He explained everything … what is Sanatan Dharm, what is culture. Dadaji went so far as to say that accepting someone as a disciple cast the obligation of guiding him to his spiritual welfare and rescuing him from difficulty. Gurudev has explained everything to us in all manner of ways – gave us all the books on karma yoga and bhakti yoga, explained things to us. But if we still do not understand, what is to be done?  So the next step is fear, but can Guruji do that? He cannot show us fear. He is love itself and very loving and very loveable. I am observing since long that no mater what mistake anyone makes Guruji says nothing, merely observes, but gives no reaction. But he understands that that person’s mistakes are not good for him nor good for anyone else. So much compassion – for a sannyasi can neither punish nor frighten.

I had earlier told you the story of Bhishma Pitamaha. 72 or 73 lives earlier he had been a  Rajput (Kshatriya) youth. He had gone to the forest. He was thirsty and, not being able to find water anywhere,  he was also very restless. He noticed a locust sitting on a cactus branch. Taking the thorn of a nearby tree, he impaled the locust with it. Impaled by the thorn, the locust was unable to escape and eventually shriveled to death in that condition. 72 or 73 lifetimes later Bhishma Pitamaha was on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The thorn with which he impaled a locust so many lives previously now became the cause of his lying on the battlefield, his body pierced  by arrows that now made his bed. Bhishma Pitamaha inquired from Lord Krishna why he was having to suffer this pain when he had done nothing in his present life to deserve it. Lord Krishna replied, “Look upon the karmas of your past lives”. When Pitamaha peeped into his past, he saw his past karmas and understood the cause of his present predicament.

Karma spares no one. Gurudev loves  us very much. That is why he repeatedly  tells us, do this work, this is the Lord’s command, it is most noble work, it is the path to all auspiciousness. But if we still ignore our duty then we do have reason to fear. Many of you must have listened to my bhajan:

Man mane nahi baat Dharam ki
To dand tun Yam ka khayega
Dhan aur rishte kaam nahi aye
Vaid bhi vapas jayega

(If you do not accept the voice of Dharma
You will suffer the dand of Yama
Neither wealth nor relationships will be of any use there
The doctor too will return helplessly).

You will suffer the punishment / staff (dand) if you ignore the voice of Dharma or the call of Dharma. The principle of karma is inextinguishable, inexorable. But if our karmas are good, much suffering can be deflected by lesser ones. Let your minds understand the truths spoken by the Saints and Sages by simple ways and adopt them in your lives. There can be nothing but good in that. Devote your fullest efforts towards implementing Dadaji’s command for cultural resurgence. There is nothing vague about that command, it is direct and straightforward – work for the resurgence of the spiritual, cultural, ethical and moral principles of the Sanatan Dharma and Culture. Ask yourself before undertaking any enterprise if it is necessary for the work of the cultural resurgence or a waste of your time and abilities and the time and abilities of others. Dadaji’s command is “cultural resurgence”. That is Divine Command and the command of  Guru too. I shall do that work with all my ability. I shall do whatever may be necessary for it and do it without any expectation of fruit or reward. You do the same too and obtain Dadaji’s  grace and  blessing.

Aum. Jai Bhagwan. May the blessings of Dadaji and Guruji ever shower upon us all. Aum. May all things auspicious be with everyone.