Sunday, Nov 24 2024  

Be Good, Do Good and See Good - 19 Aug 2013

People pursue education and obtain high degrees in different disciplines, but in their day-to-day life, their behaviour is totally at variance to the principles that they have learnt. In spite of their high academic qualifications, they lack knowledge about the essence of education. What they acquire is only worldly education

The Vedas declare that immortality is not attained through action, progeny, or wealth; it is attained only by sacrifice. Swami says that today there is too much selfishness in the world. Of what use is the education of such selfish people?

No doubt, education has to be pursued and some activities have to be undertaken in the world for leading a comfortable life. One has to take care of the worldly needs for oneself and one's family, like food, clothing, and shelter. But to what extent? These are all activities that one undertakes for the sake of oneself and one's family, not for others.

Modern education is breeding selfishness. It is for acquiring goods and services for one's own comfort. These are worldly pleasures. The six inner enemies drive man's efforts in pursuit of worldly pleasures. Worldly education helps to provide comfort and joy in the objective world, but it does not at all contribute to inner joy and peace.

Swami says: Only the five human values of Sathya (truth), Dharma (righteousness), Shaanthi (peace), Prema (love), and Ahimsa (non-violence) confer inner bliss. A person who cultivates these five human values will always be happy. Love is one quality that is common to all beings. Love is Divine. God manifests in those people who cultivate love. It is only the divine quality of love that saves us from sorrows, difficulties, and calamities. Real love manifests from the depth of one's own heart. One has to attain such divine love. Swami says, wherever you go, whatever activity you may undertake, let your heart be filled with love. Such a person, wherever he is, whether in the town or in the forest or in the sky or in a deep sea will surely be protected. Divine love neither grows nor diminishes. It always remains the same.

We all know the story of Sudama. He was a poor Brahmin, who went to meet his childhood friend, Krishna. He was afraid that the guards standing at the gate of Krishna's palace might not let him in. But God is so compassionate that He will not forsake any individual. Lord Krishna Himself came to him and enquired, "Dear friend, what do you want?" Sudama replied, "Swami, I do not want anything. I will be happy if I have Your Love and Grace. Oh Lord! That is enough." When he returned to his place after taking leave of Krishna, he could not recognise his house. There stood a palatial building replacing the hut. His wife and children were moving about in new clothes, wearing glittering ornaments. This is the gift of love from God. Hence, if only we are able to win God's love, everything else will be added unto us. Therefore, we have to develop firm faith in God

Seeing Good means to see the goodness in others and everything around. We should always make an effort to see the positive side of things. A glass half filled with water can be seen as half empty or half full. Swami says the world lies in our perception and how we see things. If we see good there will only be good around. If we only see negativity around we will only attract more negativity.

Swami keeps repeating that we will not come up in life unless we get rid of our bad qualities. This will happen if we follow the human values taught in our SSE. Human values help us to be good, see good and do good.

We must never allow bad thoughts to enter our mind. If we develop love of God then automatically all bad thoughts will go away.

In conclusion, here is a short story. A woman made chapatti (roti) for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passer-by. She kept the extra chapatti on the window sill, to a hungry soul, who would require it. Every day, a hunchback came and took away the chapatti. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way, "The evil you do remains with you; the good you do, comes back to you!" This went on, day after day. Every day, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and uttered the words: "The evil you do remains with you; the good you do, comes back to you!" The woman felt irritated. "Not a word of gratitude," she said to herself.

"Everyday this hunchback utters this same jingle! What does he mean?" One day, exasperated, she decided to do away with him. "I shall get rid of this hunchback," she said. And what did she do? She added poison to the chapatti she had prepared for him! As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. "What is this that I am doing?" she said. Immediately, she threw the chapatti into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the windowsill. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and muttered the words: "The evil you do remains with you; the good you do, comes back to you!" The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman.

Every day, as the woman placed the chapatti on the window sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him. She prayed for his safe return. That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing on the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, "Mom, it's a miracle I'm here. While I was but a mile away, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by. I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was kind enough to give me a whole chapatti. As he gave it to me, he said, "This is what I eat everyday. Today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!"” As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale.

She leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned chapatti that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life! It was then that she realized the significance of the words: "The evil you do remains with you; the good you do, comes back to you!"

JAI SAI RAM

Bro.Thanavickneshwaran
Group 4