don't ask for knowledge; ask for service, ask for the happiness that you [Swamiji] have...

[Guest guest]

" don't ask for knowledge; ask for service, ask for the happiness that you

[swamiji] have... " ~ Sri Swamiji

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People sometimes assume that they are entitled to what someone else has.   For

instance, deep understanding (knowledge) of a subject is not something

that comes easily to anyone in any field.  Often the acquisition of knowledge is

painful and laborious.  The road you have to walk is neither straight, nor

smooth.  It requires making many mistakes before coming to the proper

understanding.  Understanding doesn't come to a couch potato who has never

tried.  Wisdom is not acquired from a book.  Re-quoting a catchy quote does not

constitute wisdom.  It requires penance, persistence, patience, and personal

experience.  One should have dissected, analyzed, and lived the quote, if one is

to have any success in gaining even a kernel of wisdom from it.  If something is

worth having, it is worth working for. 

 

There are millions of teachers, but only 1 SatGuru.  Why?  because the SatGuru

has walked the walk, and talked the talk.  Teachers only point out what someone

else has done or written.  Only the SatGuru can solve the trickiest problems,

and untangle the most difficult knots.  See Swamiji's life history, ...what part

of SatGuru's life was " easy " by any standard?  Further, though the SatGuru could

always take the " easy " path to do things, he always chooses the more systematic

and disciplined path (Vishnu tattvam) to achieve a particular goal.  Why?  He is

trying to set an example for the rest of us who are lazy and want to magically

wave our hands and get something for nothing.

 

One should not judge people superficially by what is seen on the surface. 

Everyone has a story.  You don't know their story, only the external glamour and

the pearly white teeth.  People mistake the external cosmetics for the inner

cosmos of an individual.  Just because someone appears lazy, doesn't necessarily

mean they are lazy.  Just because someone appears to do things effortlessly,

doesn't mean they do things without effort.  Just because someone doesn't speak

much, doesn't mean they are idiots.  Just because someone speaks loudly, doesn't

mean they have a clue about what they are talking about.  The fact that you

cannot see the effort, does not mean that there is none.  No work is possible

without self-effort.  Diligence alone leads to success in anything.

 

Swamiji's biography exists to show you how the external Swamiji that you see, so

full of compassion, patience, knowledge, and understanding (SatGuru ~is~ the

divine personified), is a product of the life, trials, and tribulations that you

read about in His biography.  This is why all the great masters undergo

hardships - their lives are ( " I Am " ) beacons of light to show the ignorant

masses " the Way (Dharma), the Truth (Sat), and the Light (Jnana). "   Thanks to

the seva of one of Swamiji's long-time devotees, and Swamiji's blessings, the

life history book purposefully and painstakingly goes through the thought

process Swamiji undertakes as the various events in His life unfold.  Such a

book could not have been easy to compile - yet we read the biography as an

afterthought, with no clue as to how much time, patience, effort, digging, and

thought went into the process of producing that book.  Many people are missing a

very basic significance of

reading the life history of one's SatGuru:  One can get untold number of

intuitive glimpses and inner awakenings as they reflect on the life of their

Satguru.  It is a guiding light for your own life.

 

True knowledge is based in Truth.  Truth is that bare reality stripped of all

its superficial pleasantries.  Truth is devoid of ego or any consideration for

the self, and if the ego interferes, that Truth will burn it.  One who seeks the

Truth in all things, continually walks in that fire of discrimination.  That

fire itself is Shiva: both terrible, yet granting the seeker all auspiciousness

(true welfare).  It is not a fire to be treated lightly. A person who wants true

knowledge should be ready at a moment's notice to apply the axe of self-analysis

to themselves, before they apply it to the world.  They should be ready to put

the axe to their own head, without external promptings.  Who can truly live up

to such an ideal?  Swamiji has shown, for our sake, how He has done exactly

this.  They should be ready to chop their head off if it is not in line with

Truth.  Otherwise, anything they say is empty and devoid of substance.  It

will not carry any weight, nor will it have any impact.  It will lack the

texture of reality.  A lecturer can talk for hours about the beauty of volcanoes

from a distance, but what he says will be less interesting to you than the

person who crawls out of a volcano with charred carbon scoring on their face. 

Their story is richer and 'purnam' (full).  It contains the richness of 1st hand

experience:  A picture is worth a thousand words, but an experience is

priceless.  Hence it is said that a Guru will only give you a mantra, after He

himself has chanted it countless times.  If someone gives you a mantra that they

haven't themselves discovered (mantra diksha) then it will be as useful as

talking gibberish.  Hence, every word uttered by the SatGuru is a mantra full of

life.

 

Swamiji Says:  A true student does not care for fame or comfort or power. He

cares only for knowledge and truth. He purchases truth by giving up everything,

for he looks upon his pursuit as the noblest duty of man.

 

One should understand, no knowledge is acquired easily.  Knowledge takes time,

discipline, and persistence to acquire.  It isn't something that is simply

dumped into someone's lap.

 

Don't be jealous of what you don't know, can't understand, or don't have; if you

knew, understood, or had it, ...you may not want it anymore.  Those same people

who have what you want which has fallen into their lap, are more likely to be

looking to someone else's lap for what they don't have.  It is a vicious circle

of wants with very sharp edges (consequences, added karma).  Don't ask for what

other people have - you have no idea how much trouble they went through to

acquire it.  You see someone who makes a lot of money, and seemingly, they do it

effortlessly, and you think to yourself " Why wasn't I made rich?  I pray every

day... " You have no idea of their peculiar set of headaches.  There is only one

guarantee in life:  A headache.  This is why Swamiji has created so many healing

music CDs specifically for mental agonies.  We are all, in some way, shape, or

form, mental patients.  The grass is always greener from a distance.  Fire is

always beautiful until you step in it.  Appreciate what you have, don't ask for

the food on someone else's plate.  Their food is palatable for them, not for

everyone.  That said, if you ~want~ something, don't be afraid to ~work~ for it:

It is always yours for the taking.  Everyone has a particular purpose:  Rather

than cheaply copying someone else's karma, find out your own, and diligently

apply yourself to your task.  Only then will you discover yourself.  Your own

task is as important and as significant as the next person's task.  To doggedly

pursue yourself is the only worthy cause for your life.  You weren't created as

a unique individual so that you can apply all your energies to copying someone

else; if a lesser individual created you, then perhaps you are a cheap copy -

but you should know that God created you, what God creates is never trivial. 

That God is the same one who created the entire Universe.  Do you think He got

lazy

when he created you?  Copying someone else, is an insult to the Creator who

designed you to be unique.  Nature (Prakrithi) never copies anything; if

observed closely, every leaf has a unique signature.  Find out your uniqueness,

and contribute what is in you.  To discover yourself, is your sadhana.

 

That is why Swamiji hints, " don't ask for Knowledge, ask for service, ...ask for

the happiness (Sat-Chit-Ananda) that you [swamiji] have... "

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Gurorangripadme ManaScenna Lagnam tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim!?

Sarva Kartha, Sarva Dhartha, Sarva Hartha, Mangalam!

Satchidananda, Satchidananda, Satchidananda Mangalam!

Tasmai Sri Guru-murthaye Nama Idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye!

 

 

Ata Nityo Narayanaha, Brahma Narayanaha, Sivascha Narayanaha, Kalascha

Narayanaha. Disascha Narayanaha, Vidisascha Narayanaha, Urdwamscha Narayanaha,

Adhascha Narayanaha, Antar-bahischa-Narayana.Narayana Eh Vedam Sarvam, Yat

BhootamYacchha Bhavyam.Nish-kalango Niranjano Nirvikalpo Nirakyadhas,suddhho

Deva Eko Narayanaha, Na dwiteeyosthi kaschit,ya evam Vedas Vishnu reva Bhavati,

Sa Vishnureva Bhavathi, Etat yajur veda sirodeeyathe.

 

 

Nagendra haraya trilochanaya bhasmanga ragaaya maheshwaraya nityaya shudhaya

digambaraya tasmai nakaraya na-ma-si-va-ya.

 

 

~*Om * Ayim * Hreem * Sreem * Siva * Rama * Anagha * Dattaya * Namaha*~