Karma – Satsung 3 (02 May 1999)
We must remember that the Supreme Being has given us this human body to perform karma (actions). The same karma, the analysis of which you have heard in the previous two discourses, is the karma that is done for the Supreme Being, for the welfare of others. All other actions are indeed actions, but they are personal actions, businesses. The world is busy doing business. Only a few perform real karma. So, if we are part of that few, that means we are among the devotees who are doing the true karma. Our population is large, but very few are performing true karma. Therefore, let us not forget to do good karma for the welfare of others, for the benefit of humanity.
We must not forget the human body. Every time, again and again, we will be reminded. Even if you say that when we go to Baba’s place, they always talk about the same thing. But if you act upon it, believe in it, that is the essence of all the scriptures, the essence of the Vedas. Baba Nanakdev Ji instructs that ‘I have read all four Vedas, the eighteen Puranas, studied the twenty-seven Smritis, studied Vedanta, and studied countless scriptures.’
Chaaron ved puraan sakal kar pethe sarv dhandhol.
I have thoroughly studied all four Vedas and Puranas, but found nothing as valuable as the Name of Hari (God). Naanak says, the Name is priceless.
Poojas naahin Hari hare, Nanak naam amol
Guru Nanak
Baba Nanak Dev Ji says: Nanak has distilled the entire essence, which is that this soul has come to this world for the devotion of God; everything converges on this one point.
Ek bhakti Bhagwaan,
There is one devotion to God,
Jihi praani ke naahin: man jaise sookar suan.
Nanak maanahu taahi tan.
Which, without it, a being’s mind is like that of pigs and dogs.
Nanak considers that body worthless.
Guru Nanak
The task for which one has come here is not being fulfilled, but instead, other tasks are being done. One’s life is like that of pigs and dogs. They come, eat, drink, and go. We should not waste this human body. This is why the study of the Vedas was done by Shri Narayan, why Lord Krishna imparted the teachings of the Gita, why the revered saint Tulsidas Ji wrote the Ramayana, and why numerous gurus composed religious texts. All for this one purpose: “O human, do not waste your time. Turn towards the Supreme Being, meaning have a vision of Him.” The Gayatri Devi also says this, the Vedas say this too. All religious texts say the same thing: “O human! Remember the Supreme Being, this will lead to your salvation.” The objects of the world are desired for pleasure; they only provide temporary happiness, but the name of the Supreme Being gives ultimate joy. The desires of worldly pleasures never get fulfilled. Even if one were to decorate a drawing-room for generations, it would never be completed because every week something new comes into the market, new sofa sets come out, and people think, “Not this one, this one is better.” The word ‘more’ keeps being used in materialism, leading to becoming a millionaire— ‘And’; became a millionaire—’And’. Became a leader of the nation—’And’. The word ‘and’ is used because there is never satisfaction, only a sense of incompletion. In the name of the Supreme Being, there is always contentment. One who has no desires is content. It is very necessary to be content in this human life. In worldly pleasures and luxuries, I am not saying to renounce them, but to just consider them as qualities, and remember the fundamental essence of the Supreme Being. We have come into society, into the world, into materialism. But we have not come here for these indulgences alone. Prioritize the reason we have come here. And whatever things we possess, value them, but keep the main goal as attaining the Supreme Being. This is what I repeatedly say.
We get entangled in small matters. Sometimes situations are favorable, sometimes unfavorable. The name of favorable situations is happiness, and the name of unfavorable situations is sorrow. Here, we get entangled in happiness and sorrow, while in reality, there is neither happiness nor sorrow in this world. The experience of happiness is in heaven, and the experience of sorrow is in hell. So, this world is neither heaven nor hell. This is the land of karma. Now, coming to this land of karma, humans get entangled in happiness and sorrow. This is where our humanity ends, meaning our goal of attaining the Supreme Being faces obstacles, hindrances arise. We become disoriented. Happiness and sorrow are the results of the karma we have done in previous births. If we have done virtuous deeds, they manifest as happiness, and if we have done undesirable deeds, they manifest as sorrow. Both happiness and sorrow are self-created, not given by others. Neither happiness is given by others, nor sorrow.
What one experiences is the result of one’s own deeds—whether pleasant or painful. This is the universal truth. The deeds one performs are what one experiences as fate or destiny. Attempting to shift blame for the results of one’s actions onto others is not merely a sin, but a grave sin. Each person reaps the rewards or consequences of their actions.
We should not become entangled in the dualities of happiness and sorrow. It is certain that we must acknowledge that both joy and sorrow are results of our own past actions. We must endure them. Instead of praying to God or the Guru to remove our sorrow, we should ask for the strength to bear it, so that we may endure it peacefully. Thus, when we face times of happiness or sorrow, we should use them wisely. We might wonder how to make good use of sorrow—it makes us want to cry, brings negative thoughts, and leads us to forget everything. It is absolutely true that sorrow clouds human judgment; this is inevitable. However, my dear ones! A true seeker sees sorrow not as suffering, but as an opportunity to deepen their devotion. When sorrow comes, use that time to engage in more devotion to the Supreme. If you cry, cry for God, surrender your sorrow at His feet. This is the best use of sorrow.
If you continue to cry, blame God, curse the Gurus, and denounce holy places—thinking they are worthless—then, after some reflection, you may realize that you have weakened your inner spirit. God was the same in the past, in Satya Yuga, in Treta Yuga, in Dwapara Yuga, and will remain the same in Kali Yuga. God is unchanging, not different in different times. Although He incarnates in various forms, God Himself does not change. However, our inner feelings have become tainted. Our inner thoughts and emotions are drifting away from virtuous places due to sinful actions, and reverence is no longer being cultivated within us. My dear devotees, when our mind starts to feel restless in good places, when we lose respect for virtuous places, when our emotions start to deteriorate towards good places, then you must understand that bad times have arrived. This indicates that the sins from our past lives have surfaced. This is certain. It is a sign of those sins. When sins increase, good deeds automatically start to decline. And those sinful actions are so powerful, they will come to pass no matter what. If we have committed them, they will manifest. But we should become so stubborn with the influence of satsang, so stubborn that no matter how much suffering or difficulty we face, we will not abandon virtuous places, we will not forsake the name of the Supreme Being, we will not renounce surrender. Develop this kind of stubbornness and resolve to be firm.
The habit of being stubborn is not taught in schools or colleges; it is innate from the womb. When our mother did not nurse us, we became stubborn. When she did not give us the sweet treat, there were no candies in our time, only jaggery. When she did not give us jaggery, we would cry out of stubbornness and sit with a sulking face. Then our mother would come, and the motherly love within her will ask us what we wanted? We would refuse to speak for a long time, turn our faces away in different directions. After much coaxing, we would cry and say, “We want jaggery.” And immediately, our mother would bring us the jaggery. In the same way, we should become stubborn for the Supreme Being. We should forget our sorrows and begin to remember God. That Supreme Being is not ordinary. If a mother’s love can give us everything, then the love of that Supreme Being, who has countless relationships with this soul, what can it not give us? Every religious scripture says that –
“Tvameva maata cha pitaa tvameva,
You are my mother and my father,
Tvameva bandhushcha sakhaa tvameva,
Tvameva vidyaa draviṇam tvameva,
Tvameva sarvam mama devo deva!
You are my brother and my friend,
You are the knowledge and wealth,
You are everything to me, O God!
The Supreme Being has countless relationships with us. He is our friend, our companion, our mother, our father, our brother, and our kin. When we have such deep relationships with Him, can He let us remain sorrowful? But when this human being, by himself, seeks to find solutions to his sorrows, God steps aside. Because he has become capable, he has become worthy of performing actions, he is seeking solutions by himself, let him seek his ‘milk’. Even a worldly father would say, “Okay, he is seeking his own trade or business, let him do it.” But when he becomes exhausted and takes refuge in his father, the father then uplifts him again from his downfall. So let us not forsake the refuge of the Supreme Being. Let us remain in His refuge, no matter what difficulties come.
Difficulties are meant to come. Sorrows are meant to come; the actions we have performed, no one else has brought them, they are coming because of our own deeds, not from outsiders. They must come because we have created them. But we, having taken a human body, should remember the name of the Supreme Being as much as possible. When? When a crisis arises. If a crisis had not come upon Gajendra, he might not have remembered (God). If he had not remembered, his life might not have been saved. A crisis came upon Draupadi. She cried out in great distress, “Save me, I am being disrobed in public, this sorrow is unbearable, I am being humiliated in front of everyone.” She cried out, and the Lord came to her rescue. When He has taken the responsibility of protecting from the beginning, then my fellow devotees! Tell me, are we not under His protection as well? He pervades every particle, every speck. He takes the responsibility for all 8.4 million life forms as one, not separately. We are also included in His protection. So, in difficult situations, we should not panic. We should think that these are the results of our own actions, and we must endure them. And now, we should perform such good deeds that they clear away these sufferings, and we attain supreme happiness. This is our wisdom.
When happiness comes to us, along with happiness comes ego, and ego has a big family of brothers, relatives, and extended family. Just like Ravana’s family, ego also has a family. Anger is its brother, pride is its brother, and the greed for sinful actions is also its brother. All the various sinful actions are the brothers of ego. When many kinds of happiness come to us, when the Supreme Being bestows grace upon us, ego also comes along. Devotees of satsang should keep this in mind. The benefit of satsang is this, the primary knowledge of satsang is that when the Supreme Being grants us great prosperity, wealth, health, strength, intelligence, and everything else, then as prosperity increases, so does pride and instead embraces patience. This is the greatest wisdom for devotees of satsang. If we live like ordinary people, then what is the benefit of having attended satsang for so long?
In today’s era, I believe that time is precious. No one has time, whether it is for daily bread, indulging in vices, attending to visiting relatives on holidays, or going shopping. In sum, we can say that we do not have time, and from that precious time, when you take out a little time to come here. There are many devotees who, starting from Saturday night, stay awake, thinking they will go to satsang tomorrow. They do not sleep the whole night, maybe they turn side to side. They do not even realize if it is 3 AM or 2 AM. They wake up at 2 AM, go to the toilet, bathe, and get ready. This is the highest merit of satsang. Scriptures write—’Ratri Nidra’ (Night’s sleep) is not attained. If, for performing good deeds, you do not get sleep at night, your name gets recorded in the Lord’s account from that moment. When? When you go to sleep with this feeling. I am not saying this from my side.
Learned scholars are sitting on both my sides, that is, ancient scholars. Such evidence is found in every scripture that for attending the satsang of the Lord, for listening to the divine tales of the Lord, that when a being resolves this in their mind, from that very moment the Lord starts recording their time in His account. From a certain time, this person belongs to me. So the benefit of satsang starts for us from there itself, that is certain. Oh, you do listen to the story of Satyanarayan. In that story, there is the tale of the woodcutter, who heard the story. He also resolved that whatever amount my wood sells for, O Supreme Being! I will use it for your devotion. And the poor Brahmin made a similar resolve. That night, he could not sleep, contemplating this. He stayed awake the entire night. When will morning come? When will I go out to beg for alms? O Supreme Being! When will I perform your worship? This thought became ingrained in him, and because of this resolve, that Brahmin became respected by the world, revered everywhere. He became established in society, respected with honor, dignity, and wealth—just from a single thought.
Devotees of satsang! The essence of what I am saying is that there should be some difference between you, who are satsang lovers, and the people of the world. And that difference is that we should not get entangled in the cycles of sorrow and happiness. When the Supreme Being grants us supreme bliss, it is the duty of the satsang lover to relinquish their ego in those moments of joy. To let go of pride. To cultivate humility. This is the greatest impact of satsang, the greatest attribute, the most important characteristic. And when we attain various forms of prosperity, when we have wealth, when we are well-off, when we have various comforts, and along with them comes ego, then my appeal, my request, my command, is that again and again, in times of happiness, renounce ego. The importance of knowledge and wealth is only realized when humility is present. Where there is no humility, that wealth is not wealth, that knowledge is not knowledge. And where humility exists, that knowledge is supreme. The scripture writers say, scholars say, or it is written by scholars—‘Vidya dadati vinayam, vinayaat yaati paatrataa, paatrata dhanamapnoti, dhanat dharmah tatah sukham.’ Wealth and splendor give a person happiness.
It is a principle. I desire it, and you desire it too. However, the experience of happiness will only come when you have humility, meaning you are free from ego. You may have great wealth, but if ego is present, you cannot derive happiness from that wealth, in any way. Because ego resides within you, it will make you angry at some point or another, perhaps during any of the twenty-four hours of the day. For instance, you may think, “I am the world teacher, how could someone insult me?” For two or three hours, your mind gets disturbed, and all that you have eaten and drunk becomes worthless. This is why the greatest task for a devotee in satsang is to renounce ego.
Will a devotee in satsang receive wealth and prosperity? Why wouldn’t they? When we have surrendered to the Supreme Being, when we have taken refuge in the Supreme Being, when we are remembering the Supreme Being, attending satsang, is He so merciless, so unkind that He will not grant it to us? Of course, He will. However, after receiving prosperity, humility, decency, and gentlemanliness are qualities that a person has to bring on their own. These are not given by God; a person has to bring them. Some duties are those of God, and some duties are those of a human being. And we are human beings. Being human, we should maintain decency and humility. We should not become unsettled, but begin to remember the name of the Supreme Being.
We should accept that, “O Supreme Being! You have shown me great kindness. In times of great happiness, I tend to forget You. Sometimes, we are busy running around with business, and there is no time.” But now You have given us this time. Thinking in this way, remember Him as much as possible, serve others. Through remembrance, we will gain three benefits. Our desired goal will be fulfilled. The difficulties that have come will be resolved, and our mind will attain great satisfaction. The greatest harm will be avoided if we renounce attachment to material things. We should not oppose and leave good places; that would be the greatest loss.
So, dear satsang devotees! Do not be distressed in times of sorrow and increase your devotion. And when various forms of happiness come to you, renounce your ego. If God appoints us to a good position, then we should serve the public even more, work for the welfare of others even more, and serve the people even more. However, nowadays, things have taken a reverse turn. The reverse is such that ego arises, thinking, “Why should I meet this person? He is poor, why should I meet him? I will only meet with such-and-such person, only with an IAS officer.” This attitude arises within us. This is the path of deviation, meaning we stray from the path, we move away from the true path.
A true devotee is one who treats both happiness and sorrow with an equal mindset. When sorrow comes, they see it as a great blessing from the Divine, saying, “O Lord, You have already given me so many good times, and I am grateful because through this sorrow, my sins from many lifetimes are being washed away. This is a wonderful thing.” And when happiness comes, they say, “O Lord! You have done a great deed, and I will serve others—Your beings and the masses—as much as I can with the strength You have given me.” So, in both happiness and sorrow, we must not be defeated.
I have used the word ‘defeated’ here because a person can be defeated in happiness when ego arises, and they can be defeated in sorrow when feelings of inferiority arise. Therefore, it is not the duty of a true devotee to be defeated. That is the task of those who are far from spiritual gatherings (Satsang) and far from the Divine. They do not understand the significance or power of the Divine, and such people either cry or become intoxicated by pleasure. But we must neither become intoxicated nor cry. We become intoxicated only when we are ourselves, but we are devotees of the Divine and the Guru. What do we have to do with crying? Let the Lord cry for us, let the Guru cry for us; we are surrendered to them.
Oh brother! The essence of the Guru resides in the Guru, the essence of God resides in God. These are both essences. It cannot be said that they don’t exist; they do! Whether we acknowledge it or not, they do exist. Now, if these two essences are present, what need is there for us to cry? These two essences will protect us. These two essences will bless us. These two essences will give us the strength to endure this adversity or enjoy the happiness. My dear ones! The wealth that comes, the prosperity that arrives, cannot be enjoyed or endured by the common man. They will fight, break their heads, curse, get drunk and end up lying on the road, fall into dirty drains, and dogs will urinate on their faces. Even this cannot be endured without the grace of the Guru.
What was Ravana lacking in wealth? His houses were made of gold, and the light in his home came from diamonds and pearls. What was he missing? There was only one thing missing: he had no Guru. Because of the absence of a Guru, Lanka was destroyed, reduced to ashes, and no one was left to mourn it. Wherever there is the grace of the Guru, there is no ego. Take Lord Ram as an example. Lord Ram had the grace of the Guru. Because of this grace, despite being so powerful and wealthy, he had no trace of pride. Nowhere do we find any record of him committing any wrongful act. He continued performing righteous deeds for 11,000 years. This was all due to the grace of the Guru.
So when we are devotees of the Guru, when we are blessed by the Guru and by God, why should we cry? Why should we be arrogant? The Lord gives us good positions so that we can serve others. It’s not that you only serve Swami Sudarshanacharyaji or a particular individual. Nor is it that you must serve only at Shri Siddhdata Ashram. There are millions of ways to serve, because that Supreme Being resides in every living being—sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo (I am seated in everyone’s heart). Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, “I reside in the heart of every living being.” And mad-bhaktā yatra gāyanti tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada—”Wherever my devotees are, I am present there,” whether it be in the heart of the greatest sinner or the saintliest of beings. Kabirdasji also pointed to this truth:
Ghat ghat mera saaeen rehta, kataku vachan mat bol re
Every heart is where my Lord resides, do not utter bitter words
Do not speak harsh words to anyone because the Divine resides within every being. It is true that this divinity may or may not be revealed, but it is certainly there, always present. Therefore, serving every living being should become our ultimate goal. It is not that serving only Guru Maharaj or Sudarshanacharyaji Maharaj will lead us to Vaikuntha (heaven). We must learn to see that Supreme Being everywhere and serve all living beings to the best of our ability. It’s not about copying others who are serving in a particular way. Serve according to your capacity. If you lack wealth, serve with your mind; if you can’t serve with your mind, then serve physically. Even if your body, mind, and wealth are all weak, still, think good thoughts for the Divine and for good causes.
So, the definitions of happiness and sorrow should not apply to true devotees. When these definitions start to take hold, the Divine and the Guru gradually begin to withdraw their support. When you hold your own umbrella, why would someone else offer you shade? Therefore, we must remain in a state of surrender, accepting both joy and sorrow as God’s will. If I am made a vessel to bear them, so be it—I will endure it as a vessel with strength.
A person can be given the role of Ram and, when necessary, the same person can also be given the role of Ravana—what harm is there in that? In the same way, if You, O Lord, have chosen me for the field of action, if You have given me this body for my benefit, then even this ailment has come for my benefit. These sins had been accumulating over a long time, and many afflictions had been gathering. Now they are being released gradually in smaller amounts. Such a mindset should definitely be present in devotees. Only then can we progress in the spiritual world. Otherwise, we will halt at every moment—advancing when happiness comes, but stopping when sorrow arrives. If this happens, our journey will never be completed.
We must learn to take both happiness and sorrow in stride and remain focused on our goal—sukh dukh samārambho—seeing joy and sorrow as equal and continuing toward our destination. A child learns to walk with the help of one parent, but we devotees have two parents: Mother Shridevi and Lord Shriman Narayana. And if we face difficulties along the way, Baba (the Guru) is there to guide us. We are surrounded by protectors on all sides, so what is there to worry about? A child may fall when walking alone, but if someone holds their little finger, they learn to stand and walk. We have many who guide us.
Even if, hypothetically, Lord Narayana is resting—meaning He is displeased—Mother Shridevi will hold our hand and say, “Keep going, don’t stop.” And if she is busy or upset for some reason, then the Lord Himself will hold our hand. And if, in some rare case, neither of them helps, then Babaji (the Guru) will. The Guru says, “It’s okay if the herdsman (worldly people) leaves you, but the master (God) will not.” This means, “I have accepted you as mine, so I will support you no matter what, whether others do or not.” After a short time, all three—Lord Narayana, Shridevi, and the Guru—come together and guide us.
So, we should not worry. This is my message for today.
I believe that in happiness, a person feels joy, and in sorrow, they feel sadness. I accept this, and the Lord has accepted it too. Lord Ram also accepted this, He accepted sorrow. If He had not accepted sorrow, He would not have cried. The Lord accepted the grief of separation from Sita. That’s why He cried. Our revered Swami Ji says—
Re re vriksha: parvatsthaa giri gahanlataa vaayugnaa digvyaaptaa.
“O tree! You stand tall on the mountain, entwined with the dense creepers, and swept by the winds that spread in all directions. You seem disturbed, with a restless appearance and beautiful face, yet bound by the force of nature. I, the son of Dasharatha, am in great distress, burning with sorrow and grief. Alas, where has Sita been taken? She who resides in my heart, who has seen her, and where?”
Vikshobhaachii chakranetri sulalit vadanaa vaddh naathojnaa kajjee.
Raamodrai vyaakul aatmaa Dasharath tanay shok sataap dagdhaa.
Haa Sitaa kena neetaa mama hridayagataa ko bhavanaa kena drishtaa.
This clearly shows that even when God incarnated in human form, He experienced such intense suffering that He was asking the trees, mountains, dense vines, caves, winds, and leaves—”O trees! O mountains! O dense creepers! O caves! O wind gods! O vines! O leaves! I am Ram, the son of Dasharatha, and my sorrow is not ordinary! Just as Indra is the king of 33 crore gods, in the same way, the king of all sorrows has descended upon me. It has burned me. It has scorched my intellect, my soul, and my mind.” In this way, He is asking even the caves and mountains.
This passage illustrates that Lord Ram, even as a divine incarnation, experienced human pain and suffering. His anguish and longing for Sita are so overwhelming that he is sharing his grief with nature, as if asking the caves and mountains for answers.
Sorrow does come, and in sorrow, a person feels sad. But one should not deviate even an inch from their goal, they should keep moving forward. What I mean to say is that true lovers of Satsang! Sorrows will happen on the path, difficulties will come, sorrow will happen, faithlessness will occur, doubts will arise, and other negative emotions will also deteriorate. But suppressing those emotions, keep moving towards your goal, do not stray from it, do not abandon it. After abandoning it, we will become aimless and will not be able to achieve our goal. This is the greatest benefit of Satsang. True Satsang lovers should not abandon their path. Abandoning it ruins everything. If we sit in a train, a mule cart, or even a deluxe train, or the Rajdhani Express. We sat to go to Mumbai, or to go to Agra. But if we consider the train as a mule cart and get off halfway. We would say we will go by super deluxe or by plane, but we don’t! If we get off at Mathura, how will we reach Agra? How will we enjoy Mumbai? If we stop halfway on the path, we stop completely, and it’s very difficult to get another means to move forward. Will the plane wait for us? Whether it stops or not. Or whether we get a seat or not. So, keep moving on your path, this is the greatest benefit of Satsang and for true lovers of Satsang. I hope that you too will surely take this benefit because whether you call it God, the Supreme Being, or the Divine, or whatever you wish, call it Nature, the Divine Force, whatever your heart desires, say it.
Once we become dependent on Him, self-reliance starts to develop within us. It’s like an ordinary lawyer telling you about a case, “Maharaj! You can sleep peacefully; I guarantee it, it’s my responsibility. You will win this case.” The lawyer will stay awake all night, while we will sleep soundly just because he said so. Every scripture, every saintly speech, every satsang group, and everywhere, the divine message is that “O soul! Depend on me, and you shall be fearless. I will certainly accomplish your tasks.” This assurance has been given repeatedly.
I agree that humans feel happy in joy and sad in sorrow because we are human. But don’t just remain human; keep moving step by step towards your goal. It’s not necessary to take leaps. Just one step at a time is enough—just as a rope leaves a mark on the stone over time as it moves back and forth. No matter how thick the stone is, it eventually gets marked and even cut by the rope. Similarly, if we keep moving towards our goal slowly but steadily, without stopping or getting entangled in complications or distractions, our destination will become easier to reach. And what is that destination? Shastri Ji mentioned this in the Satsang just now:
Na tadbhaasayate sooryo na shashaanko na paavakaha.
The sun does not illumine it, nor the moon, nor the fire;
Yad gatvaa na nivartante taddhaama paramam mama.
having reached it, one does not return; that is my supreme abode.
That is our ultimate journey; it will be successful. And we will find the ultimate happiness both here and there. Why wouldn’t we? People say that poverty exists in the devotion to God, but that’s absolutely not true. It’s completely wrong, I don’t believe it.
During the initiation, I often mention that there are six prominent families in India—Tata, Dalmia, Birla, Bangur, Rathi, and Somani. Among these six, Tata is Parsi, and the other five belong to this very community you are seeing—absolutely straightforward and influential! All these families are associated with this community. Can you tell me which one of them is poor? It is often said that those who worship God are poor, but this is an unfounded belief or saying we’ve created. There is nothing that cannot be attained through devotion to God. Through devotion, you can obtain jewels, diamonds, kingdoms, wealth, heaven, or divine realms. It depends on what you desire.
Bhakti sutantre sakal sukh khaani.
Devotion is the treasure trove of all happiness.
Devotion to God is the source of all happiness. Whatever you desire, you can attain that happiness. We have somehow ingrained this belief that God’s devotees are poor, cowardly, and lack intelligence. This is what people say in society. But those who have received wealth unexpectedly do not realize what God is, what society is, what public welfare is, or what the happiness of the soul is. They simply do not know. They received it unexpectedly. It must have been due to the merits of their previous births, that much is certain. But because it came unexpectedly, they are unaware. When wealth is obtained through inauspicious deeds, the entire world seems inauspicious because that wealth was acquired through wrongful means. But they do not understand the ultimate outcome. Therefore, dear devotees, think carefully about the consequences before acting, and choose the path of happiness.
Even in times of sorrow, do not waver from your religion, your duties, or the goal you have set for yourself. Stand firm in it. What was not there a short while ago will not last much longer. I have always been here, and I will always be here. Whether this body remains or not, my soul will still be here. Why should I give up? My message for today is to remain steadfast in your goal. Do not abandon good deeds just because of joy or sorrow. Being motivated towards good deeds is the greatest treasure of knowledge or the fulfillment of wisdom for devotees. After that, Mother Shridevi, the Supreme Being, and saints will take care of everything on their own. There will be no difficulty at all.
Summary
The discourse emphasizes the true nature of karma, differentiating between actions performed for personal gain and those carried out for the Supreme Being and the welfare of others. It explains that worldly occupations, while necessary for livelihood, are distinct from real karma, which leads to spiritual progress. The essence of all scriptures, including the Vedas, is that human life is a divine gift meant for devotion to God, and performing good deeds for humanity is the highest form of karma. Material pleasures offer fleeting satisfaction, but devotion to the Supreme Being brings ultimate contentment and joy. True devotees should focus on spiritual growth, avoid getting entangled in worldly desires, and prioritize the realization of God as their main goal in life.
Furthermore, the discourse advises devotees to maintain humility in times of prosperity and to deepen their devotion during times of sorrow. Sorrow and happiness are results of past karma, and the best way to face challenges is by seeking strength from God to endure rather than asking for the removal of difficulties. It stresses that serving the Supreme Being involves serving all living beings and remaining steadfast on the spiritual path, regardless of external circumstances. The role of satsang (spiritual gatherings) is highlighted as a means to remain focused and balanced, helping devotees keep sight of their goal while embracing both joy and suffering with equanimity.
Important Points
- True Karma: Real karma is done for the Supreme Being and the welfare of others, not for personal gain or business purposes.
- Purpose of Human Life: The human body is a divine gift for performing spiritual actions and progressing toward God.
- Essence of Scriptures: The ultimate teaching of the Vedas and all religious texts is devotion to God, which surpasses all other forms of knowledge.
- Materialism vs. Spirituality: While material pleasures provide temporary happiness, only devotion to God leads to lasting contentment.
- Sorrow and Happiness: Both are the results of past karma, and instead of asking for them to be removed, we should seek the strength to endure them.
- Humility: In times of prosperity, one must remain humble and use wealth and success for the welfare of others.
- Service: Serving all living beings is a way of serving the Supreme Being; it is not limited to specific individuals or deities.
- Role of Satsang: Spiritual gatherings (satsang) help devotees remain steadfast in their goal, unaffected by joy or sorrow.
- Endurance: Strength and endurance in facing difficulties are essential, as they purify the soul and aid spiritual growth.
- Spiritual Focus: Devotees should avoid distractions and remain focused on their spiritual journey, using both good and bad times as opportunities for growth.
