Sant Kabir says – “Sadhu aisa chahiye jaisa soop subhay, saar saar ko gahi rahey thotha deyi udaay” Meaning, he is a ‘sadhu’ who like the winnow separates the grain from the chaff; in other words, he who discards all that is unnecessary and keeps back only the meaningful. India has been a land of seers and saints, sadhus and fakirs, gurus and swamis since times immemorial. If you thought that their number would have dwindled in the 21st century, where religion does not occupy the prominent place it did centuries ago, you are mistaken. However, there is a perceptible difference between the holy men of yore and the majority of the saffron robed god-men of today. From all that we read from our history, it seems that most of the saintly men in the past were genuine seekers who tread the right path themselves and also tried to take others along this path. So many of today’s ‘swamis’ are either downright con-men or start on the right path but lose the way. There would be quite a few true men of God, but as they say ‘once bitten, twice shy’ - we are now wary of them all. We are not able to distinguish between the true and the fake. Many of them get into the news for all the wrong reasons; so naturally, we are hesitant to approach any of them. But does the fault lie only with the ‘god-men’? Aren’t we also to blame, we who bestow on them the power to make fools out of us. We have so many problems in our life, so much of sorrow, disease, heart-break, guilt, that we are always in search of a panacea; we want a quick-fix remedy for our troubles and surrendering to one who has renounced the world looks like the much sought after elixir. Their soothing talk makes perfect sense to us who are troubled. Listening to these holy men is not the cause of the problem. When we read a book, we appreciate its fine points, without checking if the author is really a good person. Similarly when a ‘swami’ gives a discourse, and we find something good in it, we will only gain by applying those principles in our life, regardless of whether he follows them or not. Where we go wrong is, we … [Read more...]
Power of Prayer in daily life
Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action, as per Mahatma Gandhi, father of the Indian nation. He used to do prayer daily said prayer is my soul and my life. He also used to say, as long as I live in this world, prayer and God’s (especially Lord Rama) name are on the tips of my lips. He never began any work or movement without doing prayer. Gandhiji got such a confidence in the Almighty, GOD. Prayer is a great thing, a power, a weapon and a way of life. An honest person’s prayer is very powerful. Prayer moves mountains and it can transform the adverse circumstances and make them amicable to you. Prayer heals and stops the wars. Prayer made with confession protects you. Prayer without tears is like a well without water. Such type of prayers cannot yield much benevolence from God. John Mon Field said “God wishes to get His hands warm by keeping them at the heart of a sincere prayer”. A sinner’s prayer never reached God’s heart as your sins and bad deeds block the way. Prayer to God with full of love has no boundaries. Sincere prayer requires the following qualities to be present in a person: Pure Soul, sincere faith, mind without deceit, unselfishness, impartial thinking etc; Always pray for other’s welfare and for the country. Nowadays most of the people are leading mechanical life, not sincerely believing in God. They are giving first preference to money rather than God. 95% of the people are of the strong opinion that they can achieve any thing with the help of money. But it is not entirely correct. Money has got its importance in our day to day life. But the desire for money is the root cause for all troubles. It does not give mental peace.Praying to God and going to holy places like- temples, churches and mosques, keeps the mind in serene calm. Health point of also it is good and keeps the blood pressure well under control and there by no anxiety and tension and no heart attacks occur. Morning Prayer is the opening key for our daily activities to go smoothly as per schedule. Night prayer is … [Read more...]
