Searching Questions And Fulfilling Answers

Each person struggles through

live. For some the trials are

overpowering, for others a bored

status quo prevails,and

for a minority mountains are

pounded to dust in

the search for meaning and joy.

Within the invisible depths of

each soul there is a yearning.

A need to know ‘Why?’.

‘Why do we live?’,

‘Why do we experience problems?’,

‘Why are we travellers on the

journey of life?’.

In the search for answers to

their uncertainties many turn to

the God-realised Saint.

To a disciple, the guru is the doorway to redemption. However, on the path to realisation would be aspirant has to endure the trials and tribulations of life. Who can he turn to for help? Except to he whom he calls Bapa...

Swamishri : Ah Bhanabhai! [nickname for Nimish – Satsangi youth] Come and sit here. Listen to what Gunatitanand Swami is saying, ‘What is the fruit of having this human body?’

Nimish : [Joking] To enjoy all the pleasures of the world!

Swamishri : [joining in with mild sarcasm] That’s true. Without a nice car, a nice house or a trip to America, what’s the benefit of having this human body?

Nimish : [detecting Swami’s sarcasm] Another advantage of having this body is coming into contact with the Satpurush.

Swamishri : That’s exactly what Gunatitanand Swami is trying to say! Everyone can get good comforts in this world, even animals get them. It’s easy to attain honour, status and fame. You can even become a minister and have thousands of people queue up to garland you. All this and more, but it’s not the fruit of having this human body. The jiva has been immersed in such pleasures for infinite births.
What’s the special fruit of the mango tree? Mangoes. Otherwise leaves, bark and shade can be found on other trees too. But just as mangoes are only found on a mango tree, similarly, if one develops bhakti in one’s heart, then one’s evil instincts will be dissolved and one attains redemption - that is the fruit of this body. Day and night we strive to earn more money, yet if we made a similiar effort to remove our bad qualities they would certainly be eradicated. But we lose heart by thinking, ‘These worldly pleasures don’t seem to be getting any weaker, will I ever succeed?’ But we should never become disheartened. Be determined.

Nimish : But for how long can we keep such determination?

Swamishri : Do not worry about that. Just keep pressing forward. If we sit down and study we earn a degree, don’t we?

Nimish : Yes, but at least with a degree we know we’ll get it after four years.

Swamishri : You will only get a degree after four years if you’ve put in a lot of effort. Do you put that much effort in this (trying to renounce worldly pleasures)? We should have as much concentration in this as we do when we are studying, shouldn’t we? In any endeavour you do, there will always be distractions, but we should keep our concentration fixed.
Just imagine, when an Indian rope climber (magician who climbs a rope up into the sky) climbs up the rope, the whole village turns out to watch him. But notice, the magician never looks down at the crowd. If he did or if he thinks, ‘Wow! Look at how many people have come to watch, they’re all applauding me!’, then he’d fall flat on his face. Similarly, we can only progress if we keep our gaze fixed on God. We have to become single-minded to achieve our goal.
A devotee should only look towards God and His Saint. What is ‘looking towards them’? It is following their agna. We should always be aware of this, no matter what activity we are doing, that - ‘We want to go to Akshardham’. This time we’ve found a Satpurush, so rather than think about other things, why not strive to become Brahmarup through Him?

(18 November 1989, Bochasan)