Whenever you are out of balance, it pinches you. Listen to the pinch, that's all. If you have too much passion and no dispassion, you will lose night's sleep. When you cannot do anything, you cannot meditate and passion catches you like a fever, then remember dispassion. Know that there is a bigger power that is taking care of everything, I have nothing to do! Then you will become calmer.
Remember the dream nature of everything. Everything is a dream, then the dispassion comes up automatically. If you find yourself being too lazy, thinking everything is dispassion and why do I have to do anything? Why do I even have to do my yoga class in the morning! C'mon! Wake up, do something. Never mind if it's a dream, you have to do something in the dream also.
Here in Satsang (where all of you are sitting) it's a good period! See, it's up to you, how you define it. If it is a phase in which whatever you do is not giving any results and things are falling apart, it is an opportunity for you to show your brilliance and your ideas. The bad period can bring out all talents and good qualities in you. It can show how patient you are, how balanced and strong you are.
If you have good intentions, and you are doing good work, every period is a good period. Yes, some periods are more challenging than the others. That period will show you who your real friends are.
Actually in a bad period, even your very good friends behave like enemies. And if the time is good, even your enemies behave with you like your friends. This is what you must understand. In Kannada there is a poem, "The one who has 'Hari' (the Lord) in his heart, for him, every time is a good time. Today is the best day if you think of the divine. This moment is the great time to remember the divine'.
Definitely it has an impact. Meditate and have an intention to bring peace there. If a butterfly can flutter its wings in South America and have an impact on the weather in China, you think your thoughts and prayers have no impact? C'mon, wake up! You are much more powerful than the butterflies (laughter).
All the days are for you and me only (laughter). All the times are for us only.
It is a belief that days are associated with planets (Graha), and planets belong to one or the other God (Devta). But you should not worry about these things too much.
'Shivaratri' does not come only on Mondays, it can fall on any other day of the week. The day on which 'Shivaratri' falls, that day is of Lord Shiva only. It is not that only Monday is for Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva has control over some stars and planets, hence a rule is made like this. Not only days, but even Nakshatras have respective ruling deity. If you want to pray then pray to Paramatma (God), all the Gods are inside Him.
That is why there are ‘Ishta-devta’ (Deity of entire family). We have Kul-devta and Ishta-devta for families, then Gram-devta for an entire village, Kshetra-paal for a particular area. All these rules are fascinating.
We have prayers for three levels
1. Adhyatmik: where we have knowledge of self. We also have Adhyatmik traditions, etc.
2. Adhibhautik
3. Adhidaivik
That is why we say, ‘Shanti(Peace)' three times, for Adhidaivik, Adhibhautik, Adhyatmik.
We should also keep in mind that we are not keeping fast for God. If you fast on a Friday, then Goddess will become happy. If you fast on a Monday, Lord Shiva will get pleased, nothing like that! You are not fasting on Monday to please Lord Shiva. You are fasting just for your own sake, for your health, for body cleanliness and purification.
Look, forget about doer ship, just do what you have to do. Be a doer and do it, never mind. Don’t keep any split in the mind, just do good work. Even if you say, "I have done this", it’s okay, but first do. The rest we will see later.
Why only the refugees? Even the slum dwellers are in the same position. See, you cannot go on supplying everybody with everything they need. You do whatever is within your capacity. Along with that, if the refugees are in the violent mode they can create disturbances; here meditation helps.
These are two different things. One is giving them food and the other is giving them the ability to become calm. They are not contradictory at all. In fact, they are complementary.
Making someone self dependent isn't making them weak. By making them self dependent, you are bringing out their inner strength. To bring that strength, meditation is required. It's not a case that only the rich can meditate, spirituality is need even for the poor people so that they can stand on their feet. In fact, it's needed all the more for poor people because then they can manage themselves better with it. They can manage their feeling, emotions and they also get enough energy to act. It's needed as much for them as its needed for the wealthy people.
