Satyavaani message delivered by Mahant Jay Jaggessur on May 14th, 2016
As children, we have been taught lots of moral values and tenets, beliefs by our parents and elders, teachers and priests. Many of these values might not have made sense at that time; sometimes we even questioned them and if we did not obtain a valid reason to satisfy ourselves, we would just disregard them. “God is watching over you” would have been one of them. If we are not convinced that God is really able to see us, especially when we are hiding to do something which we know is not proper we would discount that belief. Depending on the stage of spiritual progress, some principles are just to be accepted/adopted, not tested. Self-confidence is one such principle which may be very difficult to comprehend, based on our spiritual level, and also depending on how well we are able to handle adversities.
When everything goes well in our life, we don’t really bother if it is God’s power at work that is driving all this smoothly. The moment things start to go bad, we question the existence of God. That same power which is within us, but we tend to blame it on an outside force. It all starts with us. The moment we realize that we are the ones triggering good or bad to happen, we will stop shifting the blame. Our Satguru is here to guide us, but we have to do our part in making things happen. If we have bad intentions or do not implement what we are taught by our Satguru, how can He be responsible for whatever happens to us. Satguru kabir Saheb says :
“Hirday Gyaan Na Oopaje, Man Parteet na Hoy;
Taako Satguru Kahaa Kare, Ghan Ghasi Kulahaar Na Hoy.”
If someone does not allow his heart to willfully apply true knowledge imparted by the Satguru, then he cannot blame anyone else but himself for being insincere. The Satguru will not be able to help him. Just like a hammer cannot be converted into an axe however much you try to sharpen it, likewise the ignorant person will not be able to benefit from the Satguru’s teachings unless he realizes them and implements them.
It is important that we realize the power that we have within ourselves to achieve goals otherwise unattainable. The Satguru is here to awaken us to realize that power. Rest is for us to do. There are two main reasons why people fail despite having a Satguru in their life. Firstly, if they do not implement His prescriptions, thinking that He is the one to do it for them. And secondly, people fail because they have doubts in the Satguru’s words. They listen to Him, but are still doubtful whether His words are true. The faith that one should have in his Satguru goes above and beyond just words. It is a connection, a realization, an awakening to the truth that only our self-confidence (Aatmavishwaas) can allow us to understand.
The following is the story of a businessman who was very desperate, in financial trouble, but who was able to get out of it by his self-confidence.
One day a businessman who was very desperate, on the verge of bankruptcy was sitting on a bench in a park, reflecting on his fate. His business was not doing well at all, and he was having suicidal thoughts, as he thought he would not be able to redress his financial situation. As he sat deeply engrossed in those thoughts, a very old man came and sit beside him. The old man asked him what his problem was, and that he could help him. After the businessman explained his situation to the old man, the latter wrote a cheque and gave it to him, advising him to go and redress his financial affairs and meet him back in one year at the same spot. The old man told him not to worry as in a year’s time he would have enough to be able to reimburse him. Having said this, the old man walked away. Then the businessman looked at the cheque : it was a cheque for US$500,000, signed by John Rockfeller, one of the richest person in the world. As the businessman rejoiced at the idea of having such a large sum of money, he also thought of how he will pay it back in one year’s time. So, he put the cheque in his drawer and made all efforts to get his business back to normal, thinking that he had a back-up in his drawer should anything go wrong. Eventually, his business flourished and he made big profits. After a year, he went to the same park to wait for the old man. The old man came, and as the businessman was about to thank him and return his cheque, which he did not use, a nurse came running from behind and grabbed the old man’s arm, shouting at him to get back to the nursing home. Surprised, the businessman inquired with the nurse what happened. The nurse then explained that the old man was always pretending that he was John Rockfeller, and that he had a mental condition.
Now if we realize that the businessman has been relying on a fake cheque. He did not question the old man, he just had faith in himself, and that faith relieved him from his troubles. The cheque was just a guarantee for him to succeed. Faith in God is similar. If you just have faith in Him, knowing that He will stand by you in times of trouble, you just have to do your part.
