Sunday, January 13, 2013

Ways to Root Out Vices

||  Shree Hari   ||

(Avaguna Mitnaaneka Upaaya)


A pleasure seeking person always thinks of his own self, and his own pleasures, and he believes that the work that causes him displeasure,   should not be done and those who behave badly with him, should be destroyed.  But a devotee of God, feels that he should never do to others, the actions that he himself does not like.   He also feels that the unhappiness and sorrow that comes his way,  is for his spiritual progress.   If someone's behavior and conduct is troubling, then such deeds must not be undertaken, as they will definitely trouble others as well.  This is the truth.   Just as when any part of the body is hurt, it causes pain and is not pleasing to us,  similarly,  other's suffering is also not liked by a devotee.   Thus he does not cause distress to any being with his body, mind, speech and sentiments etc.   Even though man may strive for discipline, but if he causes pain and distress to others, then despite all efforts, he will not make quick spiritual progress.   Just as the happiness gained by this body, is pleasing to us,  similarly, the happiness gained by others should also be pleasing to us. 
Man has this great weakness that he regards worship, devotion,  meditation etc.,  as a spiritual practice, but he does not care about other's suffering.  If this is so, then though doing satsang for many years, though performing spiritual practices for years, there will be no improvement.   Therefore minimally one should not give sorrow to others.    If you serve, it is a good thing.  If you don't serve, then it is not so harmful, but by giving grief, it is a great mistake.  The more that an aspirant saves himself from harming others, that much his own desire for pleasures will go away.    Therefore the tendency for enjoyment of pleasures will go away when other's suffering begins to touch us deeply, when our happiness is in the removal of other's suffering.  And other's suffering becomes our suffering.    Just as it is one's natural tendency to remove his own suffering,  similarly,   one naturally and automatically becomes inclined towards removing the suffering of others, then one does not care about contact born pleasures and interest in desire for sense pleasure dwindles away.    But as long as we do not care about other's suffering, and continue to indulge in pleasures, till then the tendency for seeking our own pleasure does not go way.   Some say that we do not give any sorrow to anyone,   then what is the need to see towards other's suffering?   Then to get rid of the tendency and inclination towards sense pleasures,    how can other's suffering go away, when this becomes one's concern, then one's own desire for pleasures is rooted out.  
 
Therefore it is said in the characteristics and conduct of saints - 
 
Par dukh dukh sukh sukh dekhe par  (Manas 7/38/1)     

In Ramacaritamanasa, Tulasidasji, while describing the traits of a saint, mentions  - "
A saint is he who feels saddened by other's sorrows; and remains happy in the happiness of others." (Manasa 7/38/1).
 
There are two things that saints have said pertaining to sense pleasure and indulgence.   Attraction towards money is called "damadi" and attraction towards women is called "chamadi".   Both these are extremely bad.   Therefore it is said   - 
Maadhoji se milnaa kaise hoye | 
Sabal bairi base ghat bheetar, kanak kaamini doye || 
 Both gold and women are called in Gita by the name of "bhog""  (sense pleasures) and "aishvarya"  (grandeur, wealth).  
Bhogaishvaryaprasaktaanaam tayaapahatcehtasaam |
Vyavasaayaatmikaa buddhih samaadhou na vidheeyate ||
(Gita 2/44)


"Those who are deeply attached to pleasures and prosperity, cannot attain a determinate intellect, a single-pointed aim, concentrated on God."
 
By the word "bhog"  it refers to "woman" and by the word "aishvarya" is refers to money and hoarding.    He who is attracted to these two, his intellect cannot become single-pointed and determinate towards  attaining God.   His infatuation is rooted out when the feelings transform to seeing towards the welfare of others.   Nowadays in our country this is most essential.  Just as in Bikaner, there is never any watermelon or very little is produced, then there is this feeling within that this year there is no watermelon !   The reason this feeling is there, because watermelon does grow at times.   But where there is no watermelon growing at all,  such a thought does not come to mind.   Similarly in our Country there have been many great obliging saints and householders .   Due to there being a great shortage of them at present,  the country is hungry for such obliging people. 
May no one suffer due to our cause  -  on paying extra care to this,  interest for sense pleasures will go away, and when that is rooted out,   then our tendencies towards vices will be rooted out.   We only look towards our tendencies,  not towards the root cause.    If we look towards the root cause and try to root it out, then all vices will be rooted out. 
 
Narayana !  Narayana !!  Narayana !!! 

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Date : 5th January 2013    (Avaguna  Mitnaaneka Upaaya)

From ""Tattvik Pravachan" in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji.
Ram Ram 
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