How to be Free of Self-Indulgence

॥ Shri Hari ॥   (Bhogaasakti Kaise Chute)     Questioner -  When objects of pleasure come in front of us, then we don’t know why, but we become moved;  what should we do at that time?  Swamiji -  He who has learned to swing the baton, he will be able to defend himself with it, when an enemy arrives.  But if an enemy arrives at first, and one has not learned how to swing the baton,   then he will surely have to take a beating !  You do not know the spiritual talks, and when the sense objects come in front of you,  then you forget those points. Those talks are not useful at that time.     तब लगि सब ही मित्र है, जब लगि पर्‌यो न काम । हेम अगन शुद्ध होत है, पीतल होवे स्याम ॥ As long as you do not have a need to ask anybody for anything, till then all are your friends.  Crisis is a touchstone of friendship. A friend in need, is a friend indeed.  The moment you need something, you come to know who is your true friend, and who is not.   Gold appears yellow, and so does brass.  However, on putting in fire,  the gold shines,  whereas the brass becomes black.  One is learnt thing and the other is known (experienced, realized) thing. That which is known, is real, innate, which never undergoes any transmutation or change (no wavering). A learnt thing remains limited to the intellect level only, it does not reach the Self within. But that which is known (realized) touches the core (Self). As long as a thing does not reach the "Self" level, that thing does not filter down characteristically in man's behavior as it really should. He whose aim is Paramatma (God) realization, he is never contented by things which are merely learnt. On not being contented, his quest for Truth becomes further intensified. In due course of his search, he gains the experience of the Supreme Truth. One is "satsang" (Association with Truth with the Holy), and the other is merely anecdote-telling, critical analysis and appreciation of the holy books etc. At many places utterances of holy men, interpretational criticism etc. are available in plenty. But the association of God-Realized great Souls is a rarity. Men of spiritual wisdom were very few even before (in Satya, Treta, Dvapar Yug), but now they are even rarer. Nowadays even students do not properly study the scriptures with requisite care, total concern and right perspective. They appear for the examinations to merely get by. When asked, they are not able to answer. Even that which they have learnt, they are not able to say, then what to speak of this knowledge of Truth. It remains far from their reach. It is my sincere prayer that you understand the deeper and inner nature of Truth, and not be satisfied with show of study. When objects of sense enjoyment come in front of you, then all heard-and-told talks go by the wayside. There is a story of a Pandit and his cat. He used to tell spiritual tales every night. He had tamed a cat to sit still besides him, while he rested a candle lamp on the cat's head, allowing him to read and recite the sacred stories in the lamp light. If any of the listeners complained about fickleness and instability of their mind, he would say -"Look even this cat sitting quietly and very still is far better than you men." The next day in the midst of the story-telling, a person released a rat in front of the cat. The moment the cat saw the rat, she pounced at the pray, dropping the lamp. Similar is the mental state of human beings. While listening to satsang, they keep the required silence with utmost solemnness, but when objects of enjoyment appear before their senses, they lose their control. Because within there is attraction for money etc., therefore when money comes before them, then it becomes difficult. It is not that the attraction for sense enjoyments was not there before. This attraction was there from the very beginning, but it was suppressed.  When gold is plated over brass, it appears like gold. Therefore learnt things are like polish or plated, but that which is experienced, known, is solidly rooted within. He who has experience of the Self within, whatever may come in front of him, he will not be swayed, moved and will not waver. In all situations he remains the same at all times.(to be continued)  From book in Hindi - Tattvik Pravachan  by Swami Ramsukhdasji FOR MESSAGE IN HINDI PLEASE VISIT -   http://www.satcharcha.blogspot.com/ Date : 15th March, 2013 (Bhogaasakti Kaise Chute) To receive message in HINDI in your mail, please go to http://www.satcharcha.blogspot.com/ in the upper right hand corner, and enter your email id. Ram Ram IF YOU HAVE BENEFITED FROM THESE MESSAGES, KINDLY FORWARD TO OTHERS. ENGLISH: http://www.swamiramsukhdasji.net HINDI : http://www.swamiramsukhdasji.org