The Lord is the abode of infinite grace, love and bliss – and all of us are making efforts at our individual level to move towards Him. But how do we evaluate our progress on this path? If we keep the criterion for this in mind, then we will be able to utilize the coming year in the best possible manner.
In the commentary of Chapter 2, Shloka 65 in ‘Srimad-BhagvadGita: Jivan Vigyan’, Pujya Nanaji (Shri Dharmendra Mohan Sinhaji) says “When the inclination towards happiness always keeps surging in the mind, then no sorrow of the world can touch such a person. When the mind is not attached to any sorrow, the restlessness of the intellect ceases. It gains such power that it becomes steadfast. In fact, inner happiness is such a yardstick, by which every spiritual aspirant can evaluate his or her state.”
In normal circumstances, our mind is usually happy. But are we able to remain happy even when circumstances or the behaviour of others seems unfavourable to us? We can deduce our actual state
from this.
In such a case, the question arises that how can the mind be kept happy every moment? With great love, Pujya Nanaji has given the solution for this in the article ‘Five Points For Attaining Bliss’ of ‘Anand Yatra – Volume 1’, the essence of which is –
- Nothing can happen to us that we have not done to others in the past, believing it to be right.
- The system that dispenses the fruits of our own actions is not simply the Lord’s ordinance, but His beneficent ordinance.
- Utilize the present time and circumstance only in strengthening the practice of devotion. This ends the forceful play of destiny and a new ordinance of the Lord comes into play. In this way, by turning towards the Lord, we will distinctly experience His beneficence in every circumstance and behavior we face, and only then will our mind remain happy at all moments.
To strengthen our faith in the beneficence of the Lord, Param Pujya Radha Baba’s words are –“The ordinance of the Lord, the ocean of infinite mercy, cannot be devoid of mercy. It is possible that our intellect may fail to understand it because it is not necessary that the Lord reveals to us the reason behind His every action. …. It is just like a small baby-fish, swimming in the infinite ocean, inquires from its mother – “Mother! People say that fish are born in the sea. Mother, where is that sea? I do not see it at all!” …In the same manner, despite the infinite, boundless mercy of the All-merciful all around us, we are unable to experience that mercy … We should just have faith in the Lord, and instead of feeling even a tinge of sorrow, we should experience only beneficence, unfathomable beneficence, immense beneficence in every ordinance. …The little faith that we have in the Lord’s grace, let’s maintain that. If any being keeps appealing to Him by taking His name, then such a being will most definitely experience that mercy, this is my firm belief.” (‘Mahabhav-dinmani Shri Radha Baba’, second volume, third chapter, letter no. 7, ShriRadhaMadhav Prakashan, Bikaner)
So, on the basis of these great assurances of Pujya Baba and Pujya Nanaji, let us firmly resolve
- From today onwards, we shall remain happy in our every circumstance.
- Whenever we feel we are surrounded by adversity, we will remind ourselves that, in reality, like that baby-fish, we too are swimming in the ocean of the Lord’s grace. We just need to experience that grace.
- For the ability to experience grace, we will keep calling out to The Lord by taking His name.
The coming new year is giving us this golden opportunity that, if we make efforts in this direction with full sincerity and earnestness, then we will surely experience the Lord’s loving care in every moment, and it will continue to fill us with joy.
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