Report on the activities leading up to and during the bhandara from the 25th April to the 1st May 2016, at Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad
Monday, 25th of April 2016
Q: Most of us find it difficult to work with change. Spiritual Masters are continuously working for the evolution of all. Is this work hard?
Daaji said, “The moment you think this work is hard, you will feel tired. Just keep at it and enjoy the work.”
At 6:30 a.m. he conducted satsangh in the main meditation hall and after that spent time answering emails.
Cleaning
While talking about cleaning and spiritual conditions, he said, “Cleaning is very important in spiritual sadhana. Suppose a condition of restlessness is given to a seeker and his object of restlessness is not God, then what happens? Hence cleaning is so important. The seeker’s mind must rest more and more on God. Spiritual conditions can then be granted easily.”
Q: The Heartfulness movement is bringing more and more seekers to our practice. Will a new seeker understand the divine aspects of our system?
Daaji answered, “Yes. Initially the feeling of lightness is there. They will feel the inner changes in themselves and eventually the divine aspects of Sahaj Marg will become apparent.”
Talking about spiritual work, he said, “I used to tell Master how unlucky the Masters are. They do not know the impact of their work. We enjoy the fruits of the Master’s work.”
In the evening, around 8:45 p.m., Daaji sat outside on the lawn with a group of NSS students. The students were asking him questions about yogic systems, spiritual life, studies and the Spiritual Movement. The session went on for more than one and a half hours. Daaji gave a hint on how to stay ahead in studies.
He said, “When I was a student, I would buy the textbook and always study two chapters ahead of the class. So even before the teacher took up a lesson in class I had read it. This way, you can use the classroom session to understand the difficult portions and ask questions about those.”
The session ended with Daaji inviting all the students back to Kanha soon. One of the participants said, “How about tomorrow?”
Tuesday, 26th of April 2016
Daaji was ready early in the morning. On the way to the meditation hall for satsangh, when he was just about to reach the hall, he stopped and called a sister. She was looking sad, carrying the burden of having told Daaji that she did not want to continue as a preceptor, but now she had changed her mind. Somehow she could not communicate her change of mind to him, but in this short interaction all things came in order. What is necessary happens naturally! One has to just wait.
Daaji conducted meditation in a very serene atmosphere. Afterwards, he went back to the cottage and sat out for some time. He reviewed the preceptor candidates and kept recalling an abhyasi he had seen quite some time ago! Is it not better to be remembered than to hanker for attention?
Air conditioning the heart
Referring to the summer heat, he said, “Accepting the heat is the best thing, whereas struggling with it is miserable. As the temperature keeps changing so do your inner moods. Air condition your heart!”
Continuing, the informal talk he said, “We are too mechanical in our responses. Cool down, observe and don’t react. Think before responding.”
Maya is God’s creation
He was saying that there is a general conception that Maya is bad. It is a wrong idea. Maya is God’s creation. It is good for our evolution. Illusion is our own creation.
How is Maya good for our evolution? It facilitates and provides barriers to cross, and that strengthens us.
During the afternoon, Daaji met with visitors. Suddenly there came an unexpected visitor: the hot summer weather of Kanha was transformed, as an earthly fragrance filled the air. The rain arrived, bringing smiles to all faces. Daaji came outside and enjoyed the company of this special visitor!
The rain briefly cooled things down. Someone wished there was a key to open the clouds to bring more rain.
He remarked, “The kingdom of heaven is hidden, and the key for this also is hidden in the secret garden!”
Noble ideals
After the rain, he went back to his room and started reading the book, A Peep Into Sahaj Marg by Shri Ishwar Sahai. He read out a section from the book:
“We have to understand that it is not really the fulfilment of our ever-increasing desires that can bring peace to our mind, but some nobler ideal which might cover the due interests of all, reducing self-concern to a bare necessity. The noble idea of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, therefore, induces us ‘to give every man his fair dues, treating him as your own’. This is a universal principle, which alone, if followed in the true sense, is enough to solve the greatest problems of the world. It does not mean passive submission to encroachments and high-handed actions to self-seeking individual or group. ‘Fair dues’ applies uniformly in all cases. For an oppressed it may be proper redress and redemption of rights and privileges, whereas for an oppressor it may be due suppression and punishment. Forceful resistance is not barred in cases where it is essential. Due rights are to be defended at all costs, and any violation of the same must be resisted with full force. But all this must be done in a spirit of cordiality and affection, and not with a feeling of enmity or malice, just as we favour or frown upon one of our dear ones in a spirit of own-ness.”
At 6:30 p.m. Daaji conducted satsangh in the main meditation hall for about 50 minutes.
Here are some snippets from the question and answer session that followed:
Q: How do we retain our condition, being in tune with nature, in spite of all the distractions and disturbances of technology that we have in our life today?
Daaji: The question is how to retain the condition despite what is happening all around us with technology and other unnatural things. The answer lies within the question itself: How do we retain our condition? First of all create the condition; then we can think about keeping it. And how are we going to create the condition? Our Masters have been talking so often about this condition. What is the condition, first of all? Something that happens as a by-product of meditation.
The better the meditation, the better the depth, the better will be the quality of the condition. It is a state of mind in one way. But it is not just the mind; it is the condition of your heart as well.
If we rush during meditation, and if we run around after the meditation because we have to attend to something, be it college or a job or some work in the kitchen, then this very rush itself will destroy the condition. Though we have created the condition, we destroy it simply by rushing. So we have to be poised. We first have to create the condition, and second we have to be one with it, to recognize it.
How to do that? After meditation, spend 5 or 10 minutes savouring the condition within, what is happening inside, and try to compare it with your condition before the meditation. See the difference, see the depth of it, see the refinement of your own condition, and then make a prayerful suggestion to yourself that, “Yes, I will maintain this condition and allow it to expand also during the daytime.”
Now, there are so many distraction along the way, for example, how we form samskaras, like Babuji’s example of the rose. There are too many roses in our life, and they impress us so much. So how do we remain protected from all these impacts? When the condition is such, we will not be able to look around, even if we want to. That condition will protect us. And how? Our system has advocated the beautiful method of constant remembrance. When we remain in constant remembrance, we are connected somehow with our Master, and that keeps us going. When we love someone, his gaze is all the time with us. Then we remain protected.
There is a beautiful gazal also: “Unke dil pe yaadon ka pehra na tha, isliye wo gir gaya.” We succumb to so many things in life because of lack of awareness. So when we care for our inner conditions, we will not do wrong things, whatever they may be. When we value conditions so much, why would we waste time in spoiling them?
You will understand this concept better, I think, once you are a father or mother of half a dozen children. See how each child grows and how careful you will be in grooming them, and bringing them up with so much love. You will make sure that nothing happens to them, and you will make sure that they are not in the wrong company. You will make sure that they don’t have dirty habits, like smoking and chewing gum and sleeping with their phones all night, etc. Isn't it?
How do you know all this? Because, at this age, you have learned all the monkey games, and so when you become parents you will become such disciplinarians that those children will have a hell of a time!
So now revert back to the present situation. Apply that same discipline to yourselves that you can imagine using for your own children, and make your parents happier. That way you will not have to regret anything when they are no longer here. When you do become parents one day, you will realise what sacrifices they made for you. You will see how careful they were.
When they ask, “Why are you coming home so late at night?” and you say, “Why are they impinging upon our freedom?” this is nonsense. They care for you; that’s why they are asking you. If they didn't care for you why would they even bother asking why you were so late? It is out of love that they try to discipline you.
Now coming back to the topic of preserving the condition, it is as simple as this: If you value it you will preserve it, whereas if you don’t why would you care? If your goal is to achieve the highest, each step matters, each little condition matters. You cannot afford to lose even one percent of your condition under any circumstances. You will fight for it. So learn to value what we are earning through this spiritual practise.
Q: Many of us are given to self-doubt, insecurities and depression and sometimes, in extreme cases, even suicidal tendencies. How to get over this vicious cycle?
Daaji: That’s a tough one. This particular symptom of depression, ultimately resulting into suicide, can be due to so many factors, but it is our selfishness that is at the root of it. Jealousy, a competitive nature, somebody got 90% and you got 60%, and you go into depression. Why? I should have been there instead of him.
Did you work for it? No. When selfishness crosses its limit, everything hurts you, even parents who give you good advice. You start cursing, and then you go into depression afterwards because you have hurt others. You also hurt yourself.
Be generous. Then this generous heart will not allow you to do anything wrong. We are always striving to make others happy. In the process of making others happy, we will earn that happiness in the true sense. When life is all about “Me, me, me, me,” then it is all depression. So be more generous, that’s all I can say. You can have so many debates on this issue, because each specific depression has its own reason. Suicide has its own reason. But the primary diagnosis is this, this selfishness at the root of it.
Later in the evening, the youth presented a cultural program in the main meditation hall.
Wednesday, 27th of April 2016
At 6:30 a.m. Daaji conducted satsangh in the main meditation hall. After breakfast, he went through various designs for Heartfulness items.
At 11:00 a.m. he again conducted satsangh in the main meditation hall for about 40 minutes and then gave a concluding talk for the International Youth Seminar, saying:
“I think that by 2 p.m our members from NSS and NYKS will be leaving us unfortunately. We look forward to your visit in the nearest future. I hope you all enjoyed this youth seminar, especially the NSS and NYKS group. Please continue with this exercise that you have learnt for your day-to-day life and spread this message wherever you go.
Live your life consciously, transforming yourself and achieving the highest possible
“The theme of the seminar has been, ‘Fast forwarding the future’ into the present. In the very first talk we concluded that it is consciousness that can be changed, nothing else can be changed. Throughout the journey of our life, we often let things happen on their own. Most of us do, but it would make a big difference if we were to plan our lives properly.
“Start at night: our Sahaj Marg prayer talks about so many things that establish the goal in front of us. It reminds us of what are those things that prevent us from achieving that goal, and who is the one who is going to help us achieve that highest. So that’s one thing!
“Fast forwarding the future also means invoking the presence of our Guru in our lives at every moment, especially at night-time when we replay our daily activities and see the kinds of things that we have done during the day knowingly or unknowingly. We seek God’s forgiveness, we make peace with ourselves, and say, ‘My Lord, please help me get rid of this habit. I will not repeat this again!’ So somehow in some manner we are able to cut the connection with our habits, with succumbing to such certain weaknesses in life.
“In the morning, after meditation, we scan through the daily activities and say, ‘Okay! These are the things that I am supposed to be doing today.’ You can fine tune those activities and decide how well you can do activities, plan them out in your mind, and chart out the whole scenario. That way, you have the possibility of preventing yourself from making mistakes ahead of time.
“Then we have this special spiritual condition after meditation. You can infuse that into the activities you are going to undertake. Suppose you are going somewhere for an interview: think that Master is already there ahead of you, creating the circumstances in such a way that the interview becomes, I would not say successful but as it should be, because in failure he also has plans. Our part is to do our best, accepting the present, yearning for a brighter future, and that should be our goal.
“When we try to transform ourselves for the better, and improve ourselves to a very fine level of consciousness with furtherance in perceptions and sensitivity, we have to remove all those things which are preventing us from achieving these things at any cost.
“In morning meditation, we are inspired to adopt a certain methodology so that it can further our aim. In the evening we are able to clean ourselves, and then peacefully go to sleep after the night-time prayer. I think that all these practices are created only to bring forward the future of complete balance into the present.
“So I urge you all to practise with a lot of dedication, and with a single goal in mind that, “Yes! I have to achieve the highest as soon as possible. If it is possible now, my Lord, prepare the way so that I can become that.” That inner cry must be there. So all the best, and looking forward to seeing you again in bigger and bigger numbers. Thank you all.”
At 6:30 p.m. Daaji conducted satsangh in the main meditation hall for 50 minutes. Afterwards, he sat silently and wrote his diary and after that he went for a short walk.
Spiritual wealth
Spontaneously, he said, “Spirituality is a serious business. Every moment has to be made profitable in this spiritual venture.”
What do you do when you earn money? Money on its own has no value, but its value lies in being able purchase things, buy objects for the family, for your own entertainment, and for your future security. It is for some sort of contentment; people think they have made it, in the good sense of making one feel happy. Now, when you earn spiritual wealth, what do you do with it? What is the currency of spiritual wealth? And what are you going to do with this currency of spiritual wealth? How are you going to spend it?
“It is not in exchange or bartering. Each time you spend, it only increases. Let us say you share peace or contentment with some other person, or your joy with the other person, it only multiplies, unlike in the material world. Currency depletes when you spend, whereas in the spiritual world it only multiplies.”
Continuing on this thought, Daaji said, “What is a person going to share in whom there is no well-established condition? He has the wealth but he does not have a grip over it. It is like having money in the bank but not having access to it. The bank is closed! Similarly, you have a heart where all the wealth is stored, but your heart is closed. How are you going to access it?”
What is this spiritual wealth?
It was late night already. There was a book of Swami Vivekananda next to Daaji. He said that he had read these books during his primary school days. He started with the books of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and then read all the books of Swami Vivekananda. Daaji mentioned that he was very impressed by the life of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and touched by his innocence. Paramahamsa would cry in front of the goddess Kali Maa like a baby and she would appear! The goddess had no choice but to appear.
Daaji lovingly recalled some memories of Babuji Maharaj and said, “The Venerable talks about Babuji saying, ‘He is the prince of the Brighter World.” He mentioned that Babuji was given the title of Maker of the World in the 1940s. He kept talking about Babuji Maharaj and his works till he slept.
Thursday, 28th of April 2016
At 6:30 a.m. Daaji conducted satsangh in the main meditation hall, and at around 10:00 a.m. he inaugurated the main kitchen.
Arrivals for the bhandara were starting to pour in. At the evening satsangh, the number of abhyasis present was already running around 8,000 in the main meditation hall. The celebration had started already!
Around 10:00 p.m., Daaji visited various stalls at the Utsav site.
Be examples of Sahaj Marg
Our spiritual movement is growing. Many new opportunities for expansion are opening up. Daaji shared the following:
“When we make a prayerful sankalpa that all sisters and brothers, true seekers of spirituality, are attracted towards Sahaj Marg, that is fine. Suppose they are attracted towards Sahaj Marg. But Sahaj Marg is not a visible path; it is seen only through the abhyasis who have actually adopted the path. Abhyasis reflect the philosophy, abhyasis reflect the path, and abhyasis reflect the Master they follow. If the life of an abhyasi is not exemplary, when newcomers look at such people, then there is a tragedy. You see, The Hierarchy would like to step up the pace in bringing people towards Sahaj Marg, but if abhyasis are not behaving properly, if their behaviour falls short of the expectation, then newcomers will leave and this will create a bad example. So this mega turn out into Sahaj Marg is not possible unless and until the people who represent the philosophy, the method, and the Master become worthy.”
Very late in the night Daaji went to rest.
