Question and Answers session on Sunday, 6th September 2015

                           Aum Sri Sairam

Q1: What is purity of thought? How can we achieve it?

Answer: Purity is the basis of everything. Selflessness is purity. There is nothing purer  than selfless thought. If you think about yourself, your well being, your welfare that is impurity. If you think about others without any expectations and without seeking any reward, that is purity. How can you develop it? Only if you have tremendous faith in God, that I need not worry about myself because God will look after all my needs, then you can become selfless. Till then, out of fear for your own self, your own future, you will never allow yourself to lead a selfless life. Therefore I say, develop the faith that Swami will look after all my needs that Swami will give me whatever is required, whenever it is required, wherever it is required, how much ever it is required at the right time. I need not even ask Swami, without asking He will give me. If that kind of tremendous faith we have, we become selfless. We will not hide and store things for the sake of protecting ourselves, our future. Everything should be ready to sacrifice for others sake, for God will look after us. This kind of faith will lead to selflessness. Only a selfless thought is a pure thought. Only a pure thought will lead to pure words. Only pure words will lead to pure actions.

What is Karma Yoga? That karma which leads you to God is Karma Yoga. Karma becomes Yoga. Only selfless acts lead you towards God therefore selfless acts are Karma Yoga. Without fear of yourself, without worrying about your future; if you can act speak and think, that is a pure life.

Q2: Swami, How can we live our daily life by recognizing that you are the doer?

Answer: Are you putting in efforts to breathe? You have eaten your breakfast and lunch. Who is digesting your breakfast and lunch? Are you putting in efforts to digest this food? From the beginning, from your birth to death, your heart and body functions on its own without anybody support. The heart goes on beating on its own, blood goes on flowing on its own.. Who is doing all these things? Without all these things can you do anything? You may be a great singer, a great speaker, a great engineer or doctor, whatever you are it is possible for you to do that only because God is looking after all these other things within you. For a moment you think like this you will know that you are not the doer. It is HE who makes all this happen so that you can acquire some knowledge, develop some skills and then become singers, doctors and engineers and lead your lives. Therefore, meditate on the breath, SoHum, I am That. Then when ego rises up inside of you, attachments trouble you, sit down in a quiet corner and concentrate on your breathing. Say "So Hum So Hum, I Am That, I am That." It is THAT which is doing this through me. Then our ego will disappear.

 Q3: Swami often we start spiritual activities and service activities but then we are not able to sustain because we feel a lot of our personal priorities coming on the way. How do we manage this?

Answer: You might be getting ready for the office in the morning. You might have woken up late. Then you will tell to your wife, you  don’t worry I will have breakfast at the office. If something gets delayed at the office you may not have breakfast. But your stomach keeps reminding you. You may not be able to walk, talk or do things for lack of energy. You will at least have your lunch. Even if you are really busy and decide to miss your lunch you will definitely have your dinner. Without food we cannot live even for one day. If that is the kind of priority you give to seva then where is the question of postponing it? The way we don’t forget to eat everyday or we don’t forget to sleep, likewise we cannot forget to do seva. Make seva an integral part of your life. We may postpone it because of some other issues but ultimately we must end up doing it. Postponing is the sign of weakness. People keep postponing, postponing, postponing good work.

One day Krishna went to Karna. Karna was applying oil to his hair. In his right hand was full of oil in his left hand he had the oil resin. Krishna approached and asked him, "I want you to give me this oil". Immediately Karna extended his left hand and offered it to Krishna. Krishna only wanted to demonstrate Karnas grant sense of giving. He told Karna, " Don't you know the right tradition or manner. You should not give anything with your left hand. Give with your right hand." Then Karna told, "Lord what is there that you do not know? My right hand is smeared with oil. If I had to go and wash my hand and then come and give it to you, I do not know if my mind may change therefore I can not trust my mind. It may postpone giving this oil to you. It may think of itself and retain the oil for itself. Therefore, without losing a moment I want to give it to you. Our Minds are like this. Whatever bad is there immediately it wants to do it. Whatever is good the it postpones it. Instead, whatever is good you must do it immediately without thinking of the consequences. Whatever is bad think of the consequences and do not do it - postpone that ! It depends on you ! What you choose to do. Train yourself to do this way.

 Q4: How do we involve more Alumni and motivate more Alumnai to take up your actvities?

Answer: First you be motivated ! if you are leading by example and others will simply follow. If Narayan Bhatt had not been motivated led the way do you think all these people would be around him? ! If I do not lead the life of sacrifice and service do you think that all of you would have been around me?! Therefore by talks we cannot motivate. We will frustrate people by talking more. Instead, do and demonstrate and that way you can motivate more. First you do ! Your actions will speak for yourself. Don’t waste words.

 Q5: Swami you have always said that we must have a one to one relationship with you. How do we distinguish your voice from the thoughts in our head?

Answer: In this hall all of us are seated. Only I am speaking. Because only I am speaking you are able to listen. If you all also start speaking simultaneously we do not know who is speaking to whom and which is Swami's voice and which is the others. So first learn to quieten your mind. Your mind has a tendency to keep giving you bad advice all the time. If you control the mind and make it quiet, like all of you are quiet here, then you can hear the voice of Swami.

How do we quieten the mind? You see there are toys that children play with. If you put a battery in a toy car the car will keep running around and around and around. Toy train will keep moving around and around. Toy helicopter will keep flying around and around. The moment the battery is over the helicopter will fall to the ground, the train will stop, the car will not move. The energy to the mind is breath. When you breathe fast, if you take too much breath, the mind will become energised and become uncontrollable like an energetic small child. However, if you slow down your breathing, and give only so much breath to your mind  it will lose this unnecessary restlessness and calm down. Control your breath that way you will control your mind. Your mind will quieten and you will listen My voice more and more. Even when a mother is walking in the kitchen and there is so much of noise in the kitchen; the baby in the cradle even makes a slight sound the mother’s ears are always tuned to the baby voice. Despite all the noise around she is able to hear the babies cry. If you have that kind of attachment to Me you will be able to listen to Me wherever you are. Even admist all activities or a place of silence you have to go on tuning your ears to Me. There are so many musicians who play music here. Even if one note goes wrong a good musician will be able to tell. He may not be knowing what is happening with the others but even if one shruti goes wrong his ears are so tuned that he will pick it up and point it out. The same way the more you practice, by listening to My advice and quietening the mind, the more you become perfect. Practice in a silent space, like you practice driving a car in an open empty ground, so that there are no distractions. Once we have good control over the car we can go onto a road full of traffic. Even though there are so many people around you will be able to drive the car and not get distracted there. First, do some practice this way.

Secondly, even then you  have got two answers for the same  question. Remember, the one that is selfless is mine. The one that is selfish is yours. If you follow My advice the very next moment peace will decend on you. The proof of the rain is the wetness of the soil. The proof of you having followed My words is the immediate peace that fills your heart. There is no confusion. All doubts are put to rest. Try ! Unless you practice you will not be able to see the results. You may make a few mistakes initially but by constant practice you will be able to hear Me and do it effortlessly

Q6: Swami, we know that everything happens because of your wish and will. But, when something uncomfortable thing happens to us we get upset and we get into a negative mindset. How do we get out of this negative mind set and still accept that it is all your will?

Answer: Everything is Divine Will. Everything is a drama. Everything is an act written by God. If you are in India you have to follow the rules and regulations of India. If you go to America you have to follow the rules of America. In India they drive on one side of the road and America they drive on the other side of the road. You have to follow the rules of the place where you are in. You cant imagine that you are in America and drive that way in India. We have Free Will and that isone which comes in the way of Divine Will. Free Will comes in the world of duality. I tell you to do certain things, the heart tells you to do certain things but your mind comes and obstructs it. Everytime you follow the mind and be rest assured that will lead you to sorrow. If not today at least tomorrow. Therefore, always constantly follow the heart. Then you can say that it is God’s Will. So, why do I allow you to follow the mind? So that you make mistakes, you suffer, you learn from it and next time you don’t repeat the same mistake. Everytime something goes wrong, something goes bad, know that something in you is selfish, something is not Divine and that has led you to this misery. Next time by this constant practice of contemplation, concentration and meditation you will get rid of what you have done wrong. Follow your heart - it will never lead you to misery. Practice.

Q7: Swami, it is said that whatever happens to us is the effect of our Karma. But why do we have to face this effect when we do not even remember what we were in our past lives or what we did in our past lives. How do we understand this ?

Answer: In the 6th class if you are not able to multiply or divide it means that in the first class you have not done your numbers well. If you are not able to achieve something today it is because you have not put efforts towards that. A 5th class boy might say, "Why am I not able to do this?" The answer lies  that some day you did not do what you were supposed to do. That is why today you are not able to achieve this. Instead of brooding over all that past, take this opportunity of the present, correct it now and ensure that the future is better. Just because you do not remember you can not get rid of your Karma. 

 Q8: Educare nurtures the child with good values but what can be done for us elders to transform us ?

Answer: If you had done your job as a child correctly you may not have been asking this question ! Today, by correcting your ways you will be able to change yourself. Start with thought and think "I AM DIVINE". Speak as if you are Divine. Act as if you are Divine. If you pretend then you will end up coming back. Start thinking that you are Divine from today onwards. Shun everything - all acts, speech and thoughts that are not Divine. That way you practice. Even today there is hope that you can be corrected. Atma Jnana will come to a sincere person within no time. Just a little sincere effort will fetch you good results. Because you have not put the right efforts earlier therefore you are not what you need to be today. However, if you put the efforts  now definitely you will be transformed in the future. You will reach the goal. It depends on how fast you want to reach there.

 Q9: Swami you have said that we must see God in everyone. Yet, even though we may be loving towards someone the other person may not reciprocate and may speak harshly towards us. How do we react in these situations?

Answer: If you pass one exam it does not mean that you will not get another exam. As you grow in your education your exams only get tougher. You went with the thought that you must love that person and you expected that the person should also love you. This is primary school exam. High school is when you go with the thought of loving the person and the person does not love you yet still you are able to love the person, then you have passed the High School. At the end, with no expectation you love because that is your nature, then you are in University. Everytime a person responds negatively know that you have to improve not the other person.

 Q10: Swami, sometimes we feel very low in life, we keep calling out to you yet we are not getting a response. What is happening here?

Answer: You are not ready that is why you are not getting. If you are totally ready to follow My command I will give the command. If you are not ready why should I waste My words on you? If you have totally surrendered your mind and deep within you are ready to follow what Swami has got to say, not what you want to hear and then I will command. In such case do some self analysis. Find out if you are really ready to do whatever Swami wants you to do. That may or may not be what you want to do at that time. Most of the people ignore God and avoid God because they know God will tell them to do things that they don’t want to do and therefore they will not get a response.

Nobody has asked Me questions about educational institutions ! It means that you are all clear? Or you have not understood anything ! Which is true ? You are all clear? Be clear and the rest will follow. Just knowing where you want to go is more than enough. Everything else will follow. Not knowing where you want to go leads to chaos and confusion. Like Karna do not postpone the good things. Do it as and now. Do not wait for another day. I told srinivas speak to all the students today and tell them all about the work that need to be done. Afternoon when I went I saw one envelope in the hands of Narasimhamurthy. He gave me the envelope and said, "Swami, Srinivas has left a cheque behind for the education of 10 boys and girls. That is what I want! Not speaking. Srinivas said, "How can I myself go and  tell them something when I myself have not done it. Now I am giving this." I have assured Srinivas, that those children, those whose operations that are being performed in Raipur, those who are very  very poor and need help, we will definitely take them into our institutions when they grow up.

Very happy.

Go back and preserve this feeling that you have developed here. Again, if you go back and join the company of air and water, again the rust and dust will form. By being here all the ego and attachment has been removed, has been scrubbed clean. Be in the company of magnets, in the company of like minded people then you will be able to retain this Divine feeling within. Therefore, now that you have come together, work together, reach together and merge together. Don’t give up this good company. Be with like minded people.