Doing the right thing, taking the right decision, choosing the most appropriate path… We are often faced with these challenges in life and are unsure what to do. We are hesitant, doubtful, confused. If we already have everything we need within us and God sees to it that everything is taken care of, then why do we face those dilemmas? Why do we spend so much time in debating what to do, what to choose? If we have faith in God, we should not be worried about choices in life. When we surrender ourselves totally to our Guru, and practice what he prescribes for us, there should be no reason for us to be miserable. The main reason why people get stressed in these situations is the fear of the unknown. Because we don’t know what will happen if we take this decision as opposed to that one, we are worried. We are worried because we think that our decision will always haunt us. But we are not here, on this plane for ever. We want to be successful and get the greatest benefit from each and every situation. Sometimes, even when someone knows what is the right thing to do, or obtains the right advice from his Guru, he still has doubts as he is focused on material goals. Unconditional faith in the Guru is the solution to finding everlasting peace and happiness. Leading a spiritual life helps us in not being affected by the fear of the unknown. The world presents so many false attractions to us in the form of Maya that we can easily be tempted and fall in the trap. Satguru Kabir Saheb says :
“Ram Naam Karwaa Lage, Meethaa Laage Daam; Duvidhaa Men Dou Gaye, Maayaa Milee Na Raam.”
Because the spiritual path is hard to follow, people have mixed thoughts as to whether they should stick to it. Sometimes, they tend to deviate from it because they want to escape from the challenges involved in maintaining that path. It is so much easy to get carried away and indulge in happiness obtained by wealth and riches; so they slip into that. Being confused on which one they need to stick to, they are neither able to fulfill their spiritual goal, nor give in to Maya. Satguru Kabir Saheb clearly tells us that once we adopt the spiritual path, we have to unconditionally follow it. The moment we flicker, we fall in the trap of Maya and cannot pursue God realization. Maya plays its tricks so subtly that people are easily drawn into doing things they know they should not be doing. Often, out of greed, people lose everything, even what they already had from before. Satguru Kabir Saheb says :
“Chiuntee Chaawal Le Chalee, Bich Men Mil Gayi Daal; Kahain Kabeer Do Naa Mile, Ek Le Doojee Daal.”
Just like the ant which is carrying a grain of rice sees a grain of daal (yellow peas) on its way wants to carry both. By attempting to pick the grain of daal, it loses the grain of rice; the grain of daal being too big, it cannot carry it neither. This illustrates the challenge people face when they are pursuing a spiritual path and then are confronted with material happiness. Sharing what we already have with needy people can bring more inner peace and happiness than hoarding more things than we can handle. There once was a very rich man who lived next door to a poor man. The rich man was always stressed, always double locking his doors and windows, always guarding his money and making sure thieves are not after him. On the other hand, the poor man was always happy, not concerned about having his doors and windows open. The rich man’s stress level was getting higher and higher day by day. One day, a Swami came to his village and he learnt that many people who had problems went to see him to resolve their issues. He also decided to go and see the Swami. He asked the Swami to help him find relief from stress. After asking him some questions, the Swami told him to go and give $50,000 to his next door neighbour. The rich man inquired if that would really relieve him of his stress. The Swami affirmed that it will relieve him, and that if it did not, to come see him again. So, the rich man went home and invited the poor man at his place. Reluctantly, he gave his poor neighbour $50,000. The poor man accepted the gift and went home. Now, the poor man never had so much money. He started to lock his doors and windows and staying alert should he lose the money. He could not sleep at night. The next morning, he went back to the rich man and gave him back his $50,000. The rich man was perplexed. He went back to the Swami and related to him what happened. Then the Swami explained to him how the root cause of his stress was his wealth. The Swami explained to him how attachment to his wealth was causing him stress, and that only if he made good use of any material wealth he had, and focus on his true wealth (i.e. his soul) would he find happiness and be stress-free. Once we surrender ourselves to the Guru, all we have to do is just follow the path he prescribes for us. If we indulge in other things or doubt his advice, we are sure to fall in the trap of Maya and neither enjoy the material world nor attain inner peace. The choicest decision is to follow your Guru.
Satyavaani message delivered by Mahant Jay Jaggessur on April 8 th , 2017
