Our saints said, “ Ag lagi akash men, jhar jhar pare angar. Sant na hote jagat men to jal marta sansar .” “The sky is on fire. It is raining fire. Had there been no saints, this world would have been burnt to ashes.”
Great divine souls always protected the world from time to time as well as spread Spiritual Knowledge. It is written in our scriptures, “Uttishthat jagrat prapya varannibodhat .” Arise, awake and don't stop until you reach the goal!” To get to the goal, we have to keep moving, , we will have to put one foot in front of the other and we must always put in the effort; then we will get the goal. Let us understand this as it is most essential. Those who do not understand the goal of life, get lost in an illusory world. Having come into this world, it is futile to simply live and wander in this world, not realising that we have to return from where we have come. This is our goal, but if we could not discover it, we are wasting this opportunity of human life with every passing day and night. It is a serious matter that, despite its dreadful effects on our environment, we are still busy accumulating illusory wealth.
People made great sacrificies during India 's struggle for independence. Our martyrs and freedom fighters made our country independent by virtue of their great sacrifices. But what is our situation nowadays? We walk along the road and amuse ourselves by breaking the streetlights. We enjoy destroying national property. We think that these things do not belong to us, but we forget that these things have come out of our own money paid in the form of various taxes. You buy a matchbox and whatever tax you pay is being utilized in constructing public property. All public property belongs to us, yet why do we destroy this wealth? Why does a man kill another man? So, our country is in dire need of encouraging civic pride. Everybody says, “Get rid of corruption.” But how will corruption be eradicated? It will be done only if we build up spiritual power.
King Shiva Ji went to Guru Samarth Ramdas to get Spiritual Knowledge. In those days one was required to take a pledge and promise that whatever he had henceforth belonged to Guru Maharaj Ji, before Knowledge was given. It is also said, “Mera mujhme kuchh nahin jo kuch hai so tor. Tera tujhko sounpate kya lagat hai mor.” “Nothing is mine, whatever I have is yours. So how would I lose in handing over to you what is already yours!”
Shiva Ji Maharaj prostrated at the feet of Samartha Ram Das Ji and said, “O Master, I sacrifice my entire kingdom and all wealth whatever I have, to you.” Samarth Ramdasji was the Spiritual Master. Shiva Ji had gone to many saints but they all advised him to take the shelter of Guru Samartha Ram Das Ji, who was the Spiritual Master of that time, if he wanted true Knowledge. Then he went to Samarth Ramdasji and sacrificed all his wealth and kingdom at the feet of the Master. Samarth Ramdasji said, “This entire kingdom is mine because you have surrendered it to me. Now, I give it to you to govern, knowing that it is mine.” Henceforth Shiva Ji adopted a saffron-coloured flag as his standard. Regarding the kingdom as Guru Maharaj Ji's, he governed it selflessly. Even today, he is considered to be ‘Chhatrapati'. How much spiritual power he had within himself! This is the kind of attitude we should have too. We also should have the feeling of total surrender to Guru Maharaj.
The power of God is the centre of the entire creation and explaining this power, Lord Krishna said to Arjuna, “I am the centre of the entire creation. All the magnificent things in this world are my form. All these exist due to me.” That is why our saints emphasized the need to know God, the spirit. Not only that there is God, rather one has to know God. So, we should also get the Spiritual Power from the Master for our salvation. This is the purpose of our human life.
Once there was a king who presented three questions to his Court: What runs faster than air? What protects a person in time of trouble? and, What is the sweetest thing? Someone answered, “Your Majesty, birds fly faster than air.” Another said that weapons protect a person in danger. Someone else said that sugar is sweetest. Yet another said that honey is sweetest. Thus all of them started arguing amongst themselves and the king was very perplexed. In the meantime a blind man, supported by his wife, came into the Royal Court and said, “Maharaj, I want to give the answers to your questions.
‘Your first question is: what is faster than air? The answer is - the mind of a man. It reaches anywhere in no time.” The king was satisfied with this. The blind man then said, “Your Majesty, your second question is, what protects a person in time of danger? Sire, it is the person's own courage. Even without weapons one can protect himself if he has courage.” Then the king asked, “So now tell me what is the sweetest thing?” The blind man replied that this is the voice. The king was very pleased with his answers and ordered his minister to give him a reward.
The blind man expressed his gratitude to the king and said, “Sire, this prize will provide my sick mother and children with medical treatment.” The king was very pleased with the blind man's sentiments that he would spend the money treating his mother and children rather than on himself. So the king ordered his minister to give him extra money.
The point is, man's mind has become so unsteady that when he sits for meditation, his mind gets distracted. That is why St. Kabir said, “ Man diya tin sab diya, man ke lar sharer. Ab devan ko kuchh nahin, kah gaye Das Kabir .” If one sacrifices his mind, it means that he has surrendered everything, as the body follows the mind.. Worshipping the Master does not mean that you prostrate before him or give him as much wealth as possible or you offer a lot of sweets or fruit. Worship and prayer means that you have surrendered your mind at his feet, to his teachings. To surrender the mind is true worship. That is why Lord Krishna said to Arjuna, “To prevent fluctuations in the mind is yoga. One whose mind is not controlled is neither a yogi nor a renunciate.” That meditation alone which controls the mind can enhance our spiritual power. Only when our mind is fully controlled can we meditate easily upon the Divine Light, the form of God.
Lord Vishnu says, “I neither dwell in the hearts of yogis, nor in religious scriptures; rather I am present wherever my devotees sing my glories, where there is spiritual discourse. I dwell wherever my praises are being sung, where people talk about how to awaken mankind towards God. “Jaat paat poochhe nahin koi, Hari ko bhaje so Hari ka hoi. ” Those who, without any consideration for caste and creed, remember God, are dear to God.
