|
A
counsellor - “How can I
convince my child to...”
A visionary - “Who was I in my
past life...”
A psychologist - “How can I cope
with the guilt...”
A friend in need - “Why did God
take my son and not me...”
A guru - “How can I progress
on the spiritual path...”
The many roles of Swamishri.
Sometimes we can catch a glimpse
of all these within the space of
just a few hours. He opens his
doors to the world, and for those
who walk in, he opens the doors of
their hearts, letting in light where
there was once darkness.
|
| The
Meaning Of Life |
| The
Family |
|
Freelance journalist Kaushik Joshi interviewed Swamishri concerning
the problems faced by Satsangi families in a non-Satsangi society...
|
| Question
1 |
 |
Joshi : Even devotees face hardships in today’s society. Is
there an easy way to be free of all these entanglements?
|
 |
Swamishri : Society exists and with it, come responsibilities. It
is not easy to live in today’s social climate considering the
state of the country. However, we should keep God in front of us
and strive on and learn to be content with whatever we get as a
result. But we shouldn’t become depressed. Think of it as Maharaj’s
(Lord Swaminarayan) wish and keep going. But we should never let
go of Satsang and puja.
|
|
There is constant friction between the youth and their
elders. How can this be resolved?
|
|
Swamishri : Elders tend to be orthodox whereas youngsters are full
of new ideas. However to say that anyone is the cause of such friction
is not right. Youths are not ready to accept the advice of their
elders and the elders are not ready to adapt to the views of the
youngsters. Basically, both groups should try to understand each
other. If they can learn to compromise, there won’t be any
problems.
|
|
How should a devotee behave in the face of increasing
immorality and corruption in today’s society?
|
|
Swamishri : Even though it is difficult for us to follow our niyams
we should remain steadfast in Maharaj’s niyam-dharma. We should
bear in mind that dharma always wins and thus adhere to it and our
niyams, even in times of difficulty.
|
|
This Satsang has really expanded over the last few years.
The old devotees of course feel joy that the Satsang is growing,
but they also feel pain that they cannot be near you as freely and
as often as the old days. How can they resolve this?
|
|
Swamishri : It’s plain to see that as Satsang expands, there
is less opportunity for us to meet or to go to the villages. However,
we should always remember the experiences we have had in the past.
And we should remain eager to take whatever new opportunities arise
and learn to be content with them. We should feel that the growth
of Satsang reflects our God’s and our guru's true greatness
and we should be proud of that.
|
| |
(7 March 1987, Purushottampura)
|
|
