Of course I won’t neglect to update you on interesting happenings and pics fm my travels 🙂
——Original Message——
From: Vikram Hazra
To: vikramandtina@gmail.com
Sent: May 19, 2008 7:52 PM
Subject: Check this out
http://www.magnamags.com/magnamags/content/view/770/55/lang,english/
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
beautiful gel of brain, beauty,devotion surrender and knowledge. the part of the article iam most impressed with is abt the money the gr8 couple wants to have for gurujis work . sounds vey nice . i wish u the best of luck and u wish me the same ha ha ha
Great article!! We can learn a lot from the couple.
But, the part of the article which I couldn’t really understand is about the money the gr8 couple wants to have for Guruji’s work.
“A really big house, lots of money so that when we need to do Guruji’s work, we don’t have to wait for anybody to help us out. So much that we don’t have to ask anyone and between the two of us, we can do it”.
Vikram Bhaiya, is it your view as well? Or its Tina’s view only. Do we really need ‘lots of money’ to do Guruji’s work? And is it all right for a Sadhak to wish for ‘lots of money’? Jai Guru Dev!!
Email- mukesh_davguy@yahoo.com
Thanks Mukesh/Kumar
Our shastras have said, “Dharmasya moolam arthaha” (Righteousness needs a base in commerce) or as we say in AOL — you cannot do charity from an empty bowl! One of the things I have really learnt from Guruji is to earn through my own efforts and use that to help others, rather than begging from here and there in the name of social service. Of course, many times in articles/interviews the quotes dont sound exactly as they should if the context isnt established properly; but yes I do feel that whatever we have done is but a drop in the ocean, and there are crores of people out there who really are being denied even their basic human rights. Hence the need for intelligent, educated people to get together and contribute to society. eg my team has been running about 40 schools for the underprivileged, but we need at least 7lakh schools of this quality to make a permanent change!! Huge shortage right? But I’m v optimistic, esp about the YLTP programs and the YES+ programs, along with Art Excel and SSRVM.
best rgds
Bhaiya, I feel sorry that I asked such a stupid question and wasted your valuable time. Please forgive me for that.
Bhaiya, for last 1-2 years, I have been thinking to involve more seriously with AOL, but I don’t know, why I have not been able to involve much. Bhaiya, could you please share with us how you initially got involved with AOL, and did you not have any hesitations initially? What kind of reservations you had initially and how you overcame them? And do you think, had you not been involved with AOL, you might be less satisfied with your life?
Bhaiya, this knowledge might help people like me who are lacking in motivation to do something really worthwhile. Jai Guru Dev!
Email- mukesh_davguy@yahoo.com
jai gurudev
i would like add some thing more..charity can not be done with an empty bowl…the more n more ur bowl is filled better work u can do..for a sadhak money is never a main product , it is always a by product .if we work hard give our hundred percent and above all with guru grace money is going to follow u . the question which comes to my mind is why do we need money ??excluding little (or more)needs the answer always come.. for sewa . like any other thing money is always less for sewa .i fell we shd not have the craving for money and with gurugrace every thing will be just superb.
“…begging from here and there in the name of social service.” I always thought we were giving people an opportunity to participate in something beautiful that is happening under the guidance/with the blessings of His Holiness. I thought that’s what the Silver Jubilee Celebrations stood for. Somehow uve made it sound v cheap. Guess there’s a lot of unlearning to be done.
sorry viji if that sounded harsh, but yes there is quite a bad “NGO racket” out there full of so-called social workers leaching money from foreign donors and not really plowing much of it back to the really needy. Hence I feel proud to be part of an organisation that actually makes a difference — again the contribution cd be time, skills or labour, not just money. eg in an event like the tsunami, I can count on our volunteers to actually go onsite immediately and deliver the aid/supplies directly to the affected people rather than hand it to a middleman or agency! (believe me, i can tell you a hundred horror stories of how aid packages are pocketed by corrupt officials/politicians) Secondly, in context of the article, the money to be earned refers to one’s personal life; here I feel AOL has helped many people (myself included) to become more responsible in their attitudes towards their own family, work and society too, and has spurred us to excel in our chosen field of endeavour. This would safely debunk the myth equating spiritualism with escapism.
Kumar, we’d love for more and more youth to get involved with our projects (both rural and urban) — perhaps I shd post about this in greater detail 🙂
jai gurudev
it is really difficult to ask for donations . those who can do it definately they r stronger. i feel guru grace is there and they can handle the criticism (so many times ppl dont like to give .. all kind of ppl r there in this world) guruji always ask to be ready for the criticism.sso viji i would like to appriciate u for this . well for ppl like me who find it difficult, work harder become more sincere to earn more money . anyways …. guru grace is showering on both of us .we all will make this world a better place ..of course with vikram;s guidance.
Narrow Minds! Caught up in words.
Hats off to you bhaiyya, the way you handle them. 🙂 Polite, yet so firm;Precise yet so clear.
I feel every word said by you adds to my learning curve.
Love & JaiGurudev,
Aditya
I actually like it when people (esp young and young at heart) question existing societal structures; they deserve answers and definitely I feel that they want a lot more out of life, which often our current system doesnt provide. I too was very cynical at one time, despite (or perhaps because of) being v successful at academics, career, friendship etc. There was something lacking, which I was able to fulfill only through intense self-enquiry, tough and thorough sadhana and above all Guruji’s grace. Shall certainly post more about this, but thank you all for your questions and doubts, please do keep them coming and I shall do my best to share at least whatever I have experienced 🙂