(Below is a continuation of the post The Case Of Good vs. Bad)
Penance makes us strong.
A Yogi is all alone in the forest and he feels happy. But when he is amongst people, and they pounce on him, pull his leg, or cause him pain, yet if he does not get angry and remains calm in his mind, then he has won.
For a Yogi being alone is very easy. But for him to be comfortable and happy amongst people is a penance and a skill, which is necessary.
Similarly, a Bhogi is very comfortable in a crowd. But if he gets depressed being alone, then eventually he will be unhappy being in a crowd too. Why is this? It is because there is no fulfilment inside.
If you cannot be happy with yourself, then how can you be happy with others?
That is why, when you spend some time in silence, and sometime by yourself, you become so content from inside. Then you will not long for attention, or for some praise from others.
Look, if your parents believe in this and they have a strong feeling for it, then as you sow, so shall you reap (meaning: what you believe in, is what will bring the outcome).
But if you say, 'God is beyond all that, and I have deep devotion in the Divine, and he will pull me out of all this', then it is a different thing.
So you have to take steps in agreement with everyone.
Whenever any Yagna (fire ceremony), or any auspicious work is to be done, the first step is to know everyone's agreement. In the beginning only, they generally ask, 'Is everyone in agreement to do this work? '
If everyone is in agreement then everyone will participate.
So, all of you, sit down together and look at the situation and make a decision. If all of you feel that 'God’s grace is above all this, and with devotion and prayer it will all be taken care of', then all planetary affects will be nullified.
Also, just by chanting 'Om Namah Shivaya', everything will be alright.
Yesterday, somebody in Pune told me that he met an astrologer. The astrologer told him, 'How are things going well for you. You chart says that you have many problems'.
He told the astrologer, 'By the grace of God, everything is going well'.
This is very true; devotion, grace and blessings are above all.
See, if you don’t have much to do, and you have a lot of free time then fear will come to you in some or the other form. The fear of losing a loved one, or the fear of catching a disease, of the fear of dying; many different fears can take over you.
The antidote for fear is love and service.
If you keep yourself busy in doing some service, where is the time to think about anything? It is the same energy which manifests as fear, hatred or love. So if you channel the energy towards love, then it will not manifest as fear or hatred.
So, keeping busy, being active in doing some selfless service will help.
Yes it is very correct. If you follow fun misery follows you, but if you follow wisdom then fun will follow you.
I do not see any conflict between the two. One can have love for one's own country, and at the same time have love for humanity.
You can do both.
It is just like how a family person serves his family, but at the time also comes out and serves the society.
It is not that if you are into social service, you must neglect your family. That is not right. You have to do both, you have to attend to the family and also do your social service.
Now, if a family member is upset for no reason, then what can you do. But from you side, you should make sure that you do not do anything to upset anyone.
In the same way, you can serve the country, and also be part of a One World Family.
Moreover, hating somebody is not patriotism. Patriotism does not mean that you are against the others. You not against anybody, but at the same time you protect your country, and work towards its development. This is Dharma.
In Mahabharata also, Lord Krishna never advised the Pandavas to hate the enemy. He never spoke about hate.
Lord Krishna said, 'Yudhyasva vigata-jvarah'. Fight without feverishness.
If you fight with feverishness in your mind then you will be disturbed. Fight with a calm mind.
That is why he said, 'Yogastha kuru karmani'. (Meaning: Be steady in yoga and do whatever you must do. Give up attachment, be indifferent to failure and success. This stability is Yoga).
India has fostered such high ideals and have set an example for the rest of the world.
