Q&A 3

 

This blog post is in response to Questions asked by the blog readers. Checkout, ask questions and Questions and Answers List.

 

Q: In Ashtavakra Gita, Guruji mentions that if you are at peace, then violence will not be able to exist in your presence, but if you look at the history of various Saints, ie Ramanand Maharishiji being beaten up in his Ashram, Guru Nanak having stone thrown at him and there are various others, then how does that statement hold true ?

Lots of love

Manik Batish

 

A: Hi Manik. I had the unique honour of actually visiting the place (Panja Sahib, in Pakistan) where the rock was thrown down from a cliff on Guru Nanak by his treacherous cousin. Its a huge rock, almost 3 ft in diameter, and has a deep imprint of the Guru’s palm where he stopped it with his bare hand. Needless to say, it didnt even cause so much as a scratch! I have seen people undergo violent, cathartic outpourings of grief or pain in Guruji’s presence, but they were completely empty and free after that.

I haven’t heard the one about Ramanand Maharshi, but I am sure there is some such significance or lesson to it as well. Violence begins as a seed in our own mind, and one of the purposes of yoga is to remove this very seed. There are very many techniques and processes to achieve this, some of which Guruji has described in His commentary on the Patanjali Yoga Sutras.

 

Q: Yesterday I had a meeting with a delegate from Malaysia. We were sharing our interests, thoughts and life styles. When I told him about the Art of Living, he shared his thoughts on Charity. Mr. Toon donates to various organizations, including providing wheel-chairs to the disabled.  One of the persons to whom he gave the wheel-chair told him, “This is not what I want. I want Mercedes and you are giving me Maruti.”

When Toon asked him why it was that, he said the wheel-chair he gave is not so high-tech. He was amazed at this feedback. He said I can buy a wheel-chair worth $ 3000 and give it to 1 person but I prefer to buy something worth $1000 which of course serves the purpose and help 3 people instead of just one..

The Question is.. If  I want to give something for Charity, what should it be.. What the other person wants or want I want to give?

Can you Advise?

Jai Gurudev..

Alpa Vora

Thane

 

Q: What is service ? Do you even inspire yourself for service ? Is it something that your mind just jumps on, or does it take a lot of effort ?

Thanks

JGD

Jaya Chakladar

 

I’ll answer both these together as they are linked 🙂

 

A: Dear Alpa, that’s such a telling observation, and it highlights one of the inherent paradoxes of seva. More often than not, I have seen that people do seva only to satisfy themselves or to massage their own ego! On the other hand, one can do selfless service and it might still go unappreciated even by the intended beneficiary. It really brings up a quandary. Sometimes people want to donate money just to get name and fame, but then people still get a benefit from it. So many dharamshalas, temples, schools, hospitals etc exist only because people wanted to donate money in the memory of their parents etc — it doesn’t demean the utility of the product in any way. We may convince ourselves that we know what people want/need, but their is no guarantee that they will appreciate it. Usually we are not even sure of what we ourselves really want, how can we be so certain of what others need?

 

I feel, Jaya, that seva is just an attitude where one feels so abundant and grateful, that there is no second thought in doing something for others. There is no sense of “having helped someone”, it just happens smoothly and naturally. I would say it is effortless and even unconcerned! My experience with seva has been that one doesnt even realise that one has been of use — but people come and express their genuine gratitude, and one feels really surprised 🙂 Basically I feel that Guruji just put me in the right place at the right time, and things happened, and apparently many people were benefitted through that.

 

 

 

Q: This is mehul pandit frm meerut…….!

Tell me 1 thing, y does divine make u fall into same bad situations again n again…..?

like if i try to forget someone, y does divine again n again makes me remember d person again n again……?

is it a part of my spiritual journey or what……?

n one thing more, has these problems happened wid u also on ur journey…..?

love u….!

jgd

 

A: Hi Mehul. Well, if you are so sure that Divine is doing those things, then let Divine also bear the consequences. eg if you feel that Divine is making you steal, then just think that it is Divine sitting in the jail, not you 🙂

There comes a time when one has to start taking responsibility for one’s actions and inactions. It’s called growing up.

 

 

Q: Hi Vikram Bhaiya, JGD

I am a newbie on this blog…

I am a writer, but its kind of funny that as I have started writing more, my reading has dwindled to a few books. I dont know why, maybe the research that I do for writing something compensates for it…dont really know! Anyways, I wanted to ask you something..something that I have not got an answer to.

oflately Bhagvad Gita has really fascinated me. It makes a lot of sense in fighting for the truth etc and your right. However, from what I know of the new thinking which has evolved in this century…everyone talks about forgiveness and letting go…

what is the right thing to do? Should you let go or should you fight for the truth? If someone has wronged you and does not realize it, should you move on or make that person realize it and correct it?

What are your thoughts?

Sherry

 

A: Well the policy that has worked for me is “Educate and ignore”. From my side I do point out lacunae and wrongdoing and do my best to correct them (it’s made me very unpopular even within the AOL). That way I don’t have that sense of regret or guilt that I didn’t do anything. After that, if people still go on an apparently wrong track, then sometimes one just has to wait for nature to take her course, and I have seen that in the long run, the hisaab is always chukta! Satyameva jayate!

 

PS:

Sorry people if some of the answers seem a bit cryptic to some of you — it is absolutely intentional. I have no delusions that “I know the ultimate truth and my answers are always right!” I can share with you some insights or observations from my own experience, and from the considerable time that Guruji has graciously invested in me all these years. Also, I have found that people who claim to give complete and perfect answers have caused more harm than good, by creating a “bhram” in people — “Aah, I know it now!” This, i feel, closes the doors of possibilities and new experiences that life offers us each moment.

 

I’m just overjoyed to see the depth and genuineness in most of your queries, and would love to see this flame of enquiry always burning. Thanks again for the excellent questions, keep pouring them in, I promise to spend more and more time on the blog as this year progresses.

By year’s end, I hope that www.vikramhazra.com will be a full-fledged web site showcasing my music, photography, travels (and food!!) and that we have a separate section only for knowledge and Q&A

Love and Jai Gurudev

Vikram

“See the world through the eyes of the Master”

HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar