DETACH FROM WORLDLY THINGS

There is a story about Ravana who was a great king at the time of Lord Rama. Ravana performed great sacrifices for God and he pleased God and received a boon. Because of that boon he kept all the gods under his control. He even bound Indra, who was supposed to have been king of all the gods.

Jagatjanani Shri Mata Ji

Ravana had control over all the gods, but even then he could not win over death; he too had to die one day. And when he was dying, he said, “Do not leave good actions for tomorrow. Whatever good you have to do tomorrow, do it today. Do not postpone it for tomorrow.” He was so powerful but still he had to die and we also have to die one day. Therefore, always remember your death. Remember your death and do whatever good you would do tomorrow, today. We must remember God; we must remember Holy Name. And, remembering our death, we should come to satsang. Satsang is necessary. If we want to keep the house clean, we have to clean it regularly with a broom. We also need inner cleaning and to clean inside we have to use the broom of satsang. Only the broom of satsang can clean us inside, so we must come to satsang and listen to it attentively.
A man once asked a saddhu (saint), “How do you pass your time?” The saint replied, “I pass some of my time just like a king and some better than a king. When I'm awake, I'm better than a king because a king has many problems relating to his kingdom, but I have no problems. I'm always meditating on the Holy Name and I'm happy. That time I pass better than a king does. And when I am asleep then I'm just like a king; in sleep there's no difference between me and a king. I don't know whether I am a saint or a king and neither does the king know whether he is a king or a saint. We are all equal in sleep.
Gopichand was a prince. His father the King spent all his time in worldly pleasures. He was a great king but he had no interest in Knowledge, God, or spirituality. When he died, Gopichand became entitled to the throne, but his mother advised him not to become King, but to go and find the Knowledge of spirituality and lead a spiritual life. Gopichand asked his mother, “Mother, I have lived here in the palace and I have been sleeping in a very soft bed. I know that saints sleep on a slab of stone. How can I tolerate that life?” His mother explained, “My dear son, don't worry. When you are tired and go to sleep, it makes no difference whether you are sleeping on a stone or sleeping in a very soft bed.”
Gopichand then said to his mother, “At least thirty-six kinds of food are served to a king or a king's son, and I am used to eating many kinds, many varieties of good food, delicious sweets and candies. Saints only eat dry bread; sometimes they don't even eat that!” His mother explained, “Gopichand, if you are not hungry, you will not get any taste from these thirty-six kinds of food. And if you work hard and meditate, then you become hungry and at that time the dry bread will have a better taste. It will have the taste of nectar, while those many varieties of food will not taste like that if you are not hungry.”

Then the boy said, “Mother, what about this kingdom? So much pleasure! So much power! This kingdom holds so much attraction! You are asking me to leave this kingdom?” His mother answered, “Did you bring this kingdom with you when you came on this earth? If you did not bring it, then you also must know that it will not go with you. Then why do you take on this problem? Happiness or pleasure or power is nothing but a problem. There is nothing in it. So why do you waste your time? Why waste your valuable life for this? Why don't you go to a saint, take real Spiritual Knowledge and put your life to some better use.” Then Gopichand understood. He did not accept the kingdom, but he went to a saint, took spiritual knowledge and became such a great saint himself that the story of his life is still famous. He obeyed his mother about leaving the kingdom and all other worldly attractions, but his spiritual teacher put him to great tests, and for twelve years he did not receive the Knowledge.
After twelve years his Spiritual Teacher said, “Go back to your queens, to the same palace you came from, and beg. Bring whatever you get in alms back to me, but it must be given to you by your queens.” His Teacher was trying to see if he was strong enough to face the sight of his wives, of his queens. So, Gopichand went to the palace and asked for alms. The queens sent lots of money and things on large silver and golden plates, but they sent them through maidservants. Gopichand refused the gifts and said, “I cannot accept these gifts. My teacher said I must accept alms directly from the queens. The queens must come and give alms to me themselves.” The queens came and gave him alms and he accepted them. There was no desire, no bad feelings, nothing; he simply took those alms and returned to his teacher.
When people like Gopichand extinguished all their desires and worldly passions, they became immortal. They became so immortal that ages have passed, one after another, but the names of those saints are immortal. The Iron Age, the Copper Age, the Silver Age and the Golden Age all will pass, but the immortality of Gopichand's name will not come to an end. The history which such saints have created will never come to an end.
When realized souls leave their bodies, it is said that they merge themselves in that Light; people say they have left their bodies .For others, people say they have died. Why is this? It is said that if you remember a dead worldly man, he will come in the form of a ghost and you will be frightened, and if you remember a saint who left his body, then you become pure and courageous and pious. See the difference? Each has left his body, both have died, but people say that when you remember a saint you become pure. Also, when worldly people die, they are quickly forgotten. Why do people remember saints and great realized souls? Why do people construct churches, temples and mosques in their memory? Why do people sing their glory? It's because these realized souls left something for us. They sacrificed themselves; they taught us something and they inspired us. That's why they're remembered. We can also become like that because they were given a human life and we have also been given a human life. The thing is, they put their human lives to the best use and we are wasting ours. If we do what they did, we can also achieve that goal.
Saints say that those who sleep, lose. Why do they say that when people sleep they lose, and that when they are awake they win, they gain something? When saints say that, they don't literally mean not to sleep. They mean, “Don't be attached to this world”. This attachment is just like sleep. Don't develop attachment. Don't be attached to worldly things.” Being attached to this illusion, to this maya, is just like sleeping. If you're attached to the world, then you are sleeping. If you are non-attached, then you are awake. If you have realized what illusion is, what maya is and what is real, then you are awake, This is what the saints are indicating. Don't sleep! If you are awake, then you have Knowledge and you have everything.
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