My Guru's wish is my wish!

जहाँ जब रहो सोचो सदा उर धामा ।
मन की करतूत सारी लिखें नित श्यामा । 71
Wherever you are, always remember that Shyamaa who resides inside you is taking note of each and every thought of yours.

जानने मात्र ते ना बने कछु कामा ।
जानो पुनि मानो पुनि जाहु शरण श्यामा । 72
Only by knowing (reading Shashtras) will not help.  One should surrender to Shyamaa after knowing.

राधा नाम-रुप-गुण-लीला-जन-धामा ।
याही में लगाओ मन भाव निष्कामा । 73
Attach your mind to Shree Radha's Name, Form, Virtues, Pastimes, Saints and Abode.  But while doing so the feeling should be selfless. 

श्यामा श्याम नाम रुप लीला गुण धामा ।
जेहि ग्रन्थ ना हो वाय करो परनामा । 74
Avoid such books which do not mention of Shyama Shyam's Name, Form, Virtues, Pastimes and abode. 

वेद ब्रम्ह वाणी ही है करो परनामा ।
किन्तु दूर ते ही निहं लीला श्याम श्यामा । 75
Though Vedas are God's own words, it does not describe the Divine Pastimes of Shyama Shyam.  It only talks of formless Bramha. So, avoid Vedas too.

वेद कहें निर्गुण ब्रम्ह सुख धामा ।
याको अर्थ माया गुण हीन कह बामा । 76
Vedas says the Blissful God is without and Virtues.  But with virtues, it meant virtues that are under maya. 

ब्रम्ह हैं सगुण याको अर्थ कह बामा ।
दिव्य गुणयुक्त श्याम हैं पूर्ण कामा । 77
Again, it says Bramha is with Virtues.  That means God is full of Divine Virtues like mercy etc.

ब्रम्ह है अकाय याको अर्थ कह बामा ।
श्यामा श्याम काय तो है चिदानन्द धामा । 78
Vedas says Bramha has no body, which means Shyama Shyam do not have body made of five elements.  Shyama Shyam's body is not different from Their Soul.

जीव की है प्राकृत दृष्टि कह बामा ।
गुरु दिव्य दृष्टि दे दिखा दे श्याम श्यामा ॥ 79
Soul has material eyes so it cannot see Divine Shyama Shyam.  But Guru has the capability to grant soul Divine vision.

गुरु ही है ब्रम्हा विष्णु शिव कह बामा ।
गुरु ब्रम्ह भी है जो मिला दे श्याम श्यामा । 80
Guru is Bramhaa, Vishnu and Shiv.  Guru is such personality who can take a soul to Shyama Shyam.


'गिरत्यज्ञानमिति' गुरु कह बामा ।
अज्ञान नासे दे दे ज्ञान श्याम श्यामा । 81
Defination of "Guru" word is-such personality who can disperse the darkness of soul's ignorance and fill it with the Divine Knowledge of Shyama Shyam .

'ज्ञानं गृणाति' गुरु सोइ कह बामा ।
जो तत्व ज्ञान दे दे कौन श्याम श्यामा । 82
According to this definition (Gyan Grinati Guru) Guru is one gives soul the knowledge of Shyama Shyam.

गुरु करे उसे जिसे मिले श्याम श्यामा ।
कान पष्ाकवाना ते ना बने कभु कामा । 83
Accept only such personality as Guru who can take you to Shyama Shyam.  Only by taking matras from anyone will not help.

जिससे मिले तत्वज्ञान प्रेम श्याम श्यामा ।
उसको ही गुरु मानो वही गुरु धामा । 84
From whomever you get the Knowledge of Shyama Shyam, soul, this worls etc and even Love of Shyama Shyam, accept only him as Guru.

गुरु नाता मन ते जोडो सदा आठु यामा ।
जग नाता मन ते तोडो मिलें श्याम श्यामा । 85
Tie your relation with Guru and untie all other wordly relation, both from mind. Only by doing so one will meet Shyama Shyam.

गुरुभक्त मेरा भक्त मानें सुख धामा ।
माने निहं मेरा भक्त भक्त श्याम श्यामा । 86
Shyama Shyam accept a devotee of a Guru as Their devotee.  One who is not a devotee of a Guru but tries to worship Shyama Shyam directly is not accepted as devotee by Shyama Shyam.

श्यामा श्याम कहें गुरु भजो आठु यामा ।
गुरु कहे आठों याम भजो श्याम श्यामा । 87
Shyama Shyam says, worship Guru and Guru says worship Shyama Shyam day and night.

मन न मनन करे श्याम अरु श्यामा ।
नमन न मन करे पद गुरु धामा । 88
This evil mind neither contemplates on Shyama Shyam nor surrenders in front of Guru's lotus feet.

मन है अशुद्ध शुद्ध करो गुरु धामा ।
शुद्ध मन लै के जाओ पुनि हरि धामा । 89
Purify the dirty mind at Guru's abode.  Take that pure mind further to the Divine abode of Shyama Shyam.

गुरु ढिग में ही रहें श्याम अरु श्यामा ।
याते गुरुधामा ही है आपु हरि धामा । 90
Shyama Shyam resides within, outside and around Guru constantly.  Therefore, Guru's abode is Shyama Shyam's abode.

संसार छोडो चलो सब गुरु धामा ।
हरि गुरु दोनों मिलें वहाँ आठु यामा । 91
Leave this world behind and march towards Guru's abode.  There you will find Shyam and Shyama.

तन मन धन दान करो गुरु धामा ।
उन्ही की कृपा ते मिलें श्याम अरु श्यामा ।
Surrender your money, body and mind to Guru in his abode.  Only by Guru's Grace you will meet Shyama Shyam.

गुरुदेव सेवा मिले गये गुरुधामा ।
गुरु की सेवा ते मिले प्रेम निष्कामा । 93
When we go to Guru's abode, we get His service.  And by Guru's service we get Shyama Shyam's service. 

गुरु ते ही ज्ञान मिले गये गुरुधामा ।
ज्ञाना ते हो हरि गुण-गान आठु यामा । 94
When we go to Guru's abode, we get the knowledge of Shyama Shyam.  By contemplating upon that knowledge, we can constantly fix our mind on God.

माया ने भुलाया जग भाया आठु यामा ।
गुरु ने जगाया कहा तेरी एक श्यामा । 95
Due to maya, we have forgotten our real form.  Guru dispersed that ignorance and introduced us with our real form, that we are soul not body. 

गुरु की शरण गहो जाय गुरुधामा ।
हरि नाम गुण गावो बनो निष्कामा । 96
Go to Guru's abode and surrender to Him and constantly remember Shyama Shyam's Divine Name, Virtues etc selflessly.

नाम अपराध जनि करो गुरुधामा ।
अन्यथा नरक में भी मिले नािहं ठामा । 97
Be alert of spiritual transgression.  Otherwise, you will not even get place at hell.

आदेश पालन हो सदा गुरुधामा ।
आदेश पालन ते मिलें श्याम श्यामा । 98
Always do what Guru orders you to do.  Only by following His orders blindly you will meet Shyama Shyam.

गुरु की बुद्धि ते बुद्धि जोडो रहो बामा ।
उसी बुद्धि ते चलाओ मन आठु यामा । 99
One should always attach one's intellect to Guru's.  With such intellect, one should keep control over one's mind.

गुरु रुचि महँ रुचि राखो गुरुधामा ।
चाहो जनि भुक्ति मुक्ति वैकुण्ठ बामा । 100
Your wish should be on Guru's wish. Apart from Guru's wish do not wish for material opulence or salvation or  even Vaikunth.

How to handle work pressure and practice devotion?

Question:

I am working with a finance firm. My dilemma is my job asks for too much of sales pressure and by the time I go home, my head is filled with the hardships of my work. I am not able to do sadhana because of that. I had read in one of your message that enthusiasm is very necessary for sadhana. Because of my work, I am not able to do anything and nirasha, or disappointment, is covering me completely. I am feeling very helpless. Not able to remember Maharajji, not able to go and meet him.

Answer by Swamiji:

There are two ways of remembering God and Guru. The first way is to sit down and meditate on Them. The second way is to work with this consciousness, "I am doing this work for their pleasure." The second may be more difficult, but it takes us to a higher level of Divine love. This is because it develops the spirit of service, or seva.



Even though your present job may be burdensome, you can easily do the second kind of remembrance. Whatever you earn from your job, use a portion of it to serve the mission of your Gurudev. In this way, by offering the fruits of your work to God, after having met your basic needs, you will develop the consciousness that you are working for His pleasure. You will then not look at your work as separate from your devotion, but as an integral part of it.



This is the Karmyog of the Bhagavad Geeta:


yatkaroṣhi yadaśhnāsi yajjuhoṣhi dadāsi yat

yattpasyasi kaunteya tatkuruṣhva madarpaṇaṁ





"Arjun! Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever austerities you perform, and whatever you give away, do it as an offering to Me."



Along with working in this spirit, whenever you find the time, you should also practice the first kind of remembrance. Whenever you can spare the time, simply sit and think of Them. This will help you block out worldly consciousness from your mind and strengthen your devotional sentiment. So, do go and spend some days a year with your Gurudev as well, whenever your yearly schedule permits.



You may be thinking that if you did not have to work at all, then you could have spent all your time in devotion. However, there are two kinds of vairagya, or detachment. The first kind is when you find the world as painful and burdensome, and want to run away from it. Shree Krishna calls it rajasic detachment (detachment in the mode of passion):



duḥkhamityeva yatkarma kāyakleśhabhayātyajet


sa kṛitvā rājasaṁ tyāgaṁ naiva tyāgaphalaṁ labhet





"Giving up one's work, thinking it to burdensome and painful, is to be considered rajasic detachment, which it does not lead to divine fruits."











The second kind of detachment is where you continue working, while giving up attachment to the results. In other words, you practice to become equanimous in pain and pleasure, success and failure, hardship and luxury, favourable and unfavourable situations. Shree Krishna calls this sattvic detachment (detachment in the mode of goodness):



kāryamityeva yatkarma niyataṁ kṛiyaterjuna


saṅg tyaktvā phalaṁ chaiva sa tyāgaḥ sātviko mataḥ





"Performing one's work, simply because it is to be performed, while giving up attachment to the fruits, is sattvic detachment."



Hence, the proper path for spiritual progress is to practice devotion along with our prescribed work, even though it may be painful and burdensome. When our detachment develops to such an extent that we no longer find our work burdensome, no matter how difficult it may be, on then should we consider giving up work, and performing devotion full time. However, this step of karma sanyas is taken only under the guidance of the Guru. The vast majority of the people will have to do karmyog, where they continue doing their work, but make their consciousness divine.





While doing karmyog, you can remember God and Guru in other ways as well. Practice to feel Their presence with you. Think that They are with you and are watching you. Make Them your witness in every activity that you perform. This will help you keep your mind in the Divine realm, while you do your worldly duties with your body.