|| Shri Hari ||

Absolute Happiness through Detachment

I think that you can give up attachment (sense of mine,  mamta),  but the mistake is that you don’t want to give it up.  Now the question is how to give it up ?   Kindly pay attention to what I say and think over it with a cool head.   Will you body,  family, wealth and property with which you have attachment stay with you forever ?  Now you have no memory of the body and family etc.,  with which you had attachment in your previous life-time.  Similarly,  you will have to leave the things with which you have attachment now,  but the attachment will go with you even after death and push you to the shackles of birth and death.   Therefore this attachment is not advantageous at all.  

You will be deprived of the worldly things but your attachment will remain which will lead you to nothing but bondage.  It is not difficult to give up your attachment  to the things which you will have to leave.   If you give up attachment,  you will get freedom,  peace,  joy,  bliss and emancipation.  But if you die having your attachment to these things,  the things will have to be given-up, but the attachment will lead you to troubles, disquietude and dependence.

I request you to pay attention to what I say,  think over it and discuss.  Attachment is harmful while detachment is advantageous.  For example,  the house we are sitting in,  is not ours.   But are we not getting all the comforts,  though we are detached from it.   If the house and all the things in it are destroyed,  we are not worried and disturbed.  But if the same house is ours and we have attachment to it and it is destroyed,  we shall be worried and perturbed.  Thus this attachment will be harmful and will lead us to rebirth.   We should follow the footsteps of businessmen who do business which yields only profit,  not loss.  By having attachment (sense of mine, ‘mamta’),  there is no profit and by giving it up,  there is no loss,  because these things (that we are attached to) neither existed in the past,  nor will remain in future.   But attachment to them will lead to adversity.  Try to understand this point and ask me if there is any doubt.  

‒ From book “Art of Living” in English  by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

How to Overcome Anger

continued.......

Sanahu taat maayaa gun aru dosh anek

Gun yah ubhaya na dekhiahin dekhia so abibek ||

(Manasa 7/41)

If others have good qualities you may see them, but do not see their bad qualities. If you see towards their bad qualities, those qualities will come in you. And on seeing those bad qualities, if you are getting angry at them, for their willful acts, then you cannot be saved from that anger. Therefore, do your duty. We are not to see towards other’s duty, nor are we to see towards their flaws. Yes! If you have a son, then it is your duty to teach him good lessons, but wanting that he should do exactly as you say - that is not your duty. That is his duty. It is not your duty to show him his duty. Your duty is only to say that son, look it is not good to do like this. If he says - “no, no father, I will do it like this”; then say – “OK, do it that way!” This is a very good medicine. I too am taking this medicine. The medicine that has been given, is a very effective medicine. If you say – “Do like this” and if he says, “No ! I will do like that only.” Then simply say – “OK! do it like that.”

Rajjab ros na kijiye koyi kahe kyon hi |

Hasker utter dijiye haa babaji yu hi ||

If what he is doing is sinful or unlawful, then do not accept it. We are to say that which is in accordance with the scriptures, however if they do not listen, then do the scriptures say to fight with them or to control them? You only have the rights to tell them what you know to be true -

“karmanyavaadhikaaraste” (Gita 2/47),

But you have no right to think that they should do exactly as you say -

“Maa phaleshu kadaachan” (Gita 2/47).

You have done your part, your duty was only to point out. It is not your duty to make them do as you say! To do as you say is their duty. We only have to explain their duty. If they fulfill their duty then there is no obstacle in your spiritual progress and if they do not fulfill their duty then too there is no loss. There is no loss for you at all, because you have told them what is for their supreme good. This is a priceless point !

Narayan !    Narayan  !!     Narayan !!!

‒ From book “Art of Living” in English  by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

How to Overcome Anger

continued.......

those who do not listen to you, they are gracing you immensely. They are removing your demoniac traits and instilling divine traits in you. Now the question that has come is that by not listening the child will become insolent and arrogant? By listening to you, you will become filled with pride, and if he does not listen then he will become insolent - now think deeply on these two points. If you are not there, then too by doing as he wants he will become insolent regardless, however, how will your pride go away? Insolent he will be regardless of you, but your pride will not go away. Therefore you must get rid of your pride first and the foremost. Second point is that if you do not dominate over him then your mild nature, that is free from pride will make an impression on him, by which his insolence will go away, rather he will become alright. You say to him that brother, you must not do this sort of work, and even thereafter, if he does so, let go and become peaceful and silent. If he behaves insolently, he will get the consequences of his actions. On getting the fruits, he will become alert, and then his insolence will automatically go away. But by your persistent telling, his insolence will not go away as quickly as it would go away from suffering the consequences of his insolent behavior. The reason for this is that in his mind he will hold on to his own points, and what you say will stay superficially on the surface like silver plating. That plating will wear off, then how can his insolence go away entirely? The real solution to getting rid of his insolence is to get rid of his pride.

If man wants to live in a family, then he must learn how to live in a family. The art of living in the family is that -  Do as they say, do according to their wishes. Fulfill your duty and make them happy. What does it mean to live in a family? You have certain obligation to fulfill your duty. What is your duty? To fulfill your duties properly, whether the wife listens, does not listen, whether the son listens, does not listen, whether brother listens, does not listen, whether parents listen, do not listen. Do not ever look towards whether they do their duty or not. When you look towards their duty, and see towards their insolent or rebellious behavior etc., during such times you are deviating from your duty. Rather, you are falling from your duty. As such, where has it been said that your duty is to see towards other’s faults?   No where in the scriptures it has been said that you see towards other’s faults; rather it has been said that this world is made up of the three constituents of nature (mode of passion “rajas”, ignorance “tamas” and goodness “sattva”, it is filled with faults.

to be continued...............

‒ From book “Art of Living” in English  by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

How to Overcome Anger

continued.......

If you desire peace then give up pride; because pride is the root of all the demoniac traits. In the shadow of pride of greatness, lies all the demoniac qualities of Kaliyug. All the bad qualities pertaining to demoniac traits, such as anger, greed, attachment, jealousy, passion, hypocrisy, deceit etc., they all come under the umbrella of pride, because pride is their king. If you do not give up pride then how will anger go away! Therefore give up that pride.

Now what is the means of giving up that pride ? Those who do not listen to you, they are helping you in getting rid of your pride, and those who listen and do as you say, they are boosting your ego and pride - are you getting this point or not? The people who are obeying you are not benefiting you as much as, those who don’t do as you say. For your own good, the more that your pride is confronted, the better it is for you. Therefore you must be grateful to those who are not listening to you, because as such this is for your own good. If they knowingly do not listen to you, saying that brother, we are not listening to you because it is for your own good, as your pride will go away, then too it is to your benefit only. They are not further inflating your pride i.e. your pride is not getting further bloated.

Do you wish for what is for your good or do you not? Do you want your spiritual progress or do you want your downfall? If you desire your spiritual growth, then it will be possible only when you are free of pride. And you will become free of pride, when no one listens to you. If someone listens to you, then your words become established and this itself is cause for pride. This pride is a demoniac tendency -

“dambho darpobhimaanashrav krodhah” (Gita 16/4).

to be continued...............

‒ From book “Art of Living” in English  by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

How to Overcome Anger

Just as you learn to keep accounts, and when you learn the key elements of accounting then tracking becomes very easy. Similarly there is a main point, the key element, the root of every question, and if you learn this then the answer to that question will automatically come to you. The question that has come is that how to overcome anger? Then the question really is, where does anger come from? Gita says -

“Anger comes from desire” -

“kaamaatkrodhaayabhijaayate”

(Gita 2/62).

What is that anger? Human beings have understood that “desires are for money, wealth, grandeur, power, etc.” - These are also desires, but what is the main desire?

“This should happen and this should not happen” -

The name of this subtle want is called “desire”. First you hold on to the point that “this should certainly happen” and when that does not happen, then you become angry.  And “This should not happen” and when someone does that or does something opposing to your wishes, then you get angry. This should happen and this should not happen, this is the root of all anger. There is no gain in desiring that it should happen like this, or it should not happen like this; because will the world ask us before doing something? Will they do according to your liking? You want from your wife, son and servant that they should listen to you, then do they not wish the same of you? If they have nothing on their mind then they will do as you say, but in their minds too there is that thought that “ I will do it this way or not do it this way” then how will they listen only to you? When you too are not willing to listen to them regarding how they want things done, then what rights do you have that they should listen to your ways? Therefore when the feeling arises within that “This should happen like this and it should not happen like this” - then leave the insistence that the person should do it like that alone. In this insistence is your pride, in other words, I am greater, therefore he should listen to me. This pride of greatness is the main cause, and when things do not happen the way you want, then that pride itself comes in the form of anger.

to be continued...............

‒ From book “Art of Living” in English  by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  What should the parents do if their sons don’t serve them in their old age ?  

Answer -  continued......

In every sphere there is a need for renunciation.  Peace immediately follows renunciation.  It is a great austerity to remain pleased in unfavorable circumstances.  Austerity rather than comfort or convenience purifies the heart.  The desire for comfort or convenience makes the heart impure.   Therefore, instead of a desire to get comfort,  a man should provide comfort to others with his mind, speech and body.  

Question -  What should the members of a family do in order to provide peace to the departed soul and to do away with their bereavement ?

Answer -  1)  They should offer ‘Narayanabali’  and obsequious oblation for departed soul.   2)  Whenever there is the memory of the dead person,  the members of the family should behold him at the feet of God.   3)  In his name there should be recitation of the Gita,  the recitation of the Bhagavata (in a week),  the recitation of the Ramcharitamanasa (in nine days),  loud chanting of the divine name of the Lord.    4)  Sweets should be distributed among the poor children in the name of the dead person.  Children are pleased with sweets.  Their pleasure provides peace to the departed soul, as well as, to the members of the family.  

Bereavement should not be an obstacle in attending divine discourses, programmes pertaining to the Lord’s divine tales, chanting the divine name, going to temples and going for pilgrimage;  they should certainly perform those divine ceremonies.  Out of them,  there is great glory of the divine discourses as they remove all kinds of sadness.   

Narayan !     Narayan !! Narayan !!!

From book "How to Lead a Household Life" by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari |

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  What should the parents do if their sons don’t serve them in their old age ?  

Answer -  In such cases parents should have no affinity (leave all attachment, sense of mine-ness) for their sons.   They should hold that they are not our sons.  They feel sad only because they expect to receive pleasures-facilities and comforts from the members of their family.   

‘Aasha hi param dukham, niraashyam paramam sukham’   

If the parents expect nothing from the children, they will become happy.  So they should  renounce this sense of expectation and should think that by God’s grace they have received this golden opportunity of austerity in the form of unfavorable circumstances;  and if the members of their family begin to serve them,  they would get entangled in parental affection infatuation.  But God by His grace did not let them get entangled in it !   

Man should renounce such expectations,  and should see the lack of facilities and conveniences as a form a austerity.   Man should feel thankful to God,   that he has received His great kindness to do the austerities by himself,  and not let man get entangled anywhere.  He has removed all obstacles and is leading us to salvation.  

Man gets entangled in attachment and sense of mine-ness.  These infatuations or attachment are an obstacle to spiritual progress.  Man should feel grateful and indebted towards those who help in removing those obstacles -  thinking it is for our supreme good,  their grace is showering on us !    

If a man receives service from the members of his family throughout his life, he has a keener desire to receive service from them in his old age also (because of his physical incapability).  Therefore he should be cautious and careful from the very beginning,  by thinking that the human life has not been bestowed upon him for taking service from others,  but my aim is to render service to everyone such as gods, sages and saints, manes, beasts and birds and God etc.  So we should not expect to receive any comfort or convenience from anyone.   from the very beginning, If we don’t receive any comfort or convenience from anyone, we shall not feel sad if no one provides us with comfort or convenience and serves us in our old age.  The feeling of rendering service to others will rouse in our mind.   

(to be continued....... ) 

 ‒From the book ‘Jeevan ka Kartavya' by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  How can a householder be free of worries,  because he has to provide for, marry his children and take on various other domestic responsibilities and liabilities ?  

Answer -  Every being is born according to his fate.  The fate involves three factors - birth, age and pleasures or pain as the fruit of the past actions.   Out of these three a being has already taken birth.  As far as age is concerned,  he will live as long as is destined and he will face pleasure and pain in the form of desirable and undesirable circumstances.  In fact circumstances don’t make a man happy or sad but he becomes happy or sad in the favorable or unfavorable circumstances out of ignorance.*  

If a girl is marriageable age, her parents should not be worried because everything has been decided by her own fate.  So she will have favorable or unfavorable circumstances according to her fate.  But parents should think that she should be married to a deserving young man of a goog family so that she may lead a happy life.  But it is beyond their power to make her happy or to send her to a good family.  Therefore parents should perform their duty without being worried.  Worry makes the innersense (heart) impure and there is no progress.  They should perform their duty after giving a serious thought to it because the thought develops intellect.  So every person should give a serious thought to how to perform an activity but he should not worry about it.  If a problem is thought over, being free from worry,  a suitable solution is certainly found out.

* Sati mule tadvipaako jaatyaayurbhogaah  (Yogadarshan 2/13)   

(to be continued....... ) 

 ‒From the book ‘Jeevan ka Kartavya' by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  If we have no son,  who will offer us oblation and water;  and how shall we meet with a good fate without the offering of water and oblation ?   

Answer - continued..... 

He who desires to receive the offering of water and oblation,  wants to follow the cycle of birth and death, because he is born somewhere,  then and then only he will have  a desire to receive the offering of oblation and water.  If he is not born, why should he expect the offering of oblation and water ?   

It is totally wrong that a man does not attain salvation without a son.  If the offspring led a man to salvation, the eleven young ones of a pig and a hundred and eight young ones of a snake would lead the pig and the snake to salvation.   Similarly the larger number of children should lead their parents to salvation.  But it does not happen so.  

A man should be engaged in god’s adoration by depending on Him whether he has offspring or not.  If a person can’t renounce the desire of having offspring,  he (she) should regard Rama or Krishna as his son and should love him as his own son.   He (Lord Rama or Krishna) will serve him so sincerely that a real son can’t serve him. He will make his father’s life successful,  here as well as, here after.  

  

(to be continued....... ) 

 ‒From the book ‘Jeevan ka Kartavya' by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  If a couple have no son,  who will serve them in  their old age ?  

Answer -  Do all sons serve their parents ?   How will the sons, who want to lay claim to their parents’ property and regard the offering of obsequial oblation as a futile activity,  serve the parents ?   They prove to be troublesome to their parents.  A man receives service and comforts according to his fate whether he has sons or no.  We have clearly notices that people serve the dispassionate saints more than sons serve their parents.  It means that sons don’t necessarily serve parents.  

Question -  If we have no son,  who will offer us oblation and water;  and how shall we meet with a good fate without the offering of water and oblation ?   

Answer -  Those who receive the offering of water and oblation have to follow the cycle of birth and death.  As a traveller breaks his journey on account of hunger and thirst and again starts his journey having eaten food and drunk water;  so do the departed souls stop at a place without the offering of oblation and water.  But when oblation and water are offered to them,  they start from that place and their cycle of birth and death begins but they don’t attain salvation.  

In fact,  salvation does not in the least depend on offspring.  If salvation depends on offspring,  it means that salvation is dependent.  Then how is the human life independent ?  When even attachment to the body is an impediment to salvation,  how will the hope of receiving oblation and water from sons after death lead a man to salvation ?   It will lead him only to bondage.  Therefore the person who wants to attain salvation,  should renounce the three desires -  of sons,  of honour and of wealth,  because all these three are the stumbling blocks to God Realization.

  

(to be continued....... ) 

 ‒From the book ‘Jeevan ka Kartavya' by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  How are we indebted to creatures (Bhootarna) and how to rid ourselves of this debt ?  

Answer -  All creatures such as cows-buffaloes,  sheep-goats, camels-horses etc.,  nourish and sustain our life.  Trees, plants and creepers provide us fruits, flowers,  leaves and wood etc.,  So we are indebted to them.  We are free from this debt by feeding animals and birds and by providing water to them and by manuring and watering trees and creepers etc.   

Question -  How are we indebted to human beings and how to rid ourselves of this debt ?   

Answer -  We don’t sustain our life without the help of other human beings.  We walk along the paths (roads) made by others.  We use the water of the wells constructed by others.    We make use of the trees planted by others and we eat the food produced by others.  Therefore,  we can rid ourselves of this debt by providing wells, water-huts, trees,  roads, hospices and food.  

A householder has to pay all these five kinds of debts.  He who totally surrenders himself to God,  does not remain indebted to manes and gods etc.,  he rids himself of all debts.  

Question -  Should a couple who have no children, adopt a kith or kin or an orphan boy or girl ?  

Answer -  In the world of today,  it is advisable for a couple not to adopt any children.  The reason is that when even one’s own son does not serve and obey his parents, how will the adopted son serve and obey them ?   Though there is an ordinance of the scriptures for a couple to adopt a child so that he may offer water and oblation to them;  yet what is the use of adopting when he will not offer water and oblation to the manes ?  If we needed a son,  God would give us one.  We need no son, so God has not given us one.  Why should we get into trouble by adopting a child ?   Generally it is noticed that adopted sons trouble parents and don’t serve them.  Therefore,  such couples should educate and serve orphan boys and should make arrangement for their maintenance.   

  

(to be continued....... ) 

 ‒From the book ‘Jeevan ka Kartavya' by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  Can a person be free from the debt of manes without giving birth to offspring ?   

Answer -  Yes he can be free.  He who totally surrenders himself to God,  becomes free from all debts -   

Devarsibhootaaptanrnaam pitreenaam

Na kinkaro naayamrni cha raajan

Sarvaatmanaa yah saranam saranyam

Gato mukundam parihrtya kartam

(Srimad Bhagwat 11/5/41)  

‘O’ King,  he who surrenders himself to God,  does not remain indebted and a servant (slave) to anyone - gods, sages, creatures, family and manes.’   

Question - How are we indebted to gods and how to rid ourselves of this debts ?   

Answer -  We receive rain, air, sunshine, sunlight and moonlight by which we maintain our body, and the earth holds all of us - thus we are indebted to gods.   The offerings of oblation to the fire god and performance of religious sacrifice nourish gods and we become free from our debts.   

Question -  How are we indebted to sages and how to rid ourselves of this debt ?  

Answer -  We are indebted to sages and saints for the books and ‘Smritis’  (19 books of traditional Hindu law)  composed by them.  Those books impart teaching and preaching to us and make us realize what ought to be done and what ought not to be done.  We become free from this debt by studying and teaching these books,  by morning-evening prayers and by reciting Gayatri Mantra (a Vedic metre which is to be recited daily by the twice born).   

(to be continued....... ) 

 ‒From the book ‘Jeevan ka Kartavya' by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  Do manes receive the oblation offered to them ?  

Answer -  continued...

Today the necessities of life such as food and clothes etc.,   that we honorably receive may be either the fruit of our virtuous actions of the past or of the oblation offered by our sons and grand sons etc.,  of the previous life.  But it is certainly decided by the fate.  

As a person deposits an amount of a hundred thousand rupees in a bank in three accounts -  his own, his wife’s and his son’s,  he can withdraw the money only from his own account.  As far as the money deposited in the accounts of his wife and son is concerned, only they can withdraw it.  Similarly, the oblation offered to manes is received by them only.  But if we offer oblation in the form of cooked rice ball and water in our name,  we shall receive it after death.   In Gaya,  the cooked rice balls and water offered in the name of beasts, and birds is received by them.  A person loves his cow very much.  When the cow died,  he had a dream and he saw thtat the cow was in a very miserable and sad condition.  He went to Gaya and offered oblation of cooked rice ball and water for her.  She again appeared to him when he had a dream and she was very happy.  

We have not so much of claim to the money earned by our father,  grand-father and great-grand-father as we have on our own earned money.  According to the family tradition,  our sons and grand-sons have a claim to the money of our father and grand-father etc.  Similarly the manes receive the water and oblation offered to them by sons and grand-sons according to the family tradition.   So it is the responsibility of sons and grand-sons to offer oblation and water to father and grand-father etc.   

It is not a rule that after death, all people must go to the world of manes,  because they meet with destiny according to their actions.   

Question -  What happens to the water and oblation offered by the son whose parents have attained salvation and gone to the Abode of God ?   

Answer -  If the son’s parents have attained salvation and gone to the Abode of God,  but the son does not know it,  the oblation and water offered and the charity given in their name,  is deposited in the account of the son and he receive it after death, in the same way as the money sent by the sender,  comes back to him if the addressee is not available.   

(to be continued....... ) 

 ‒From the book ‘Jeevan ka Kartavya' by Swami Ramsukhdasji