25 February, Shabad Surati Sangam Ashram, Malke, Moga: The day saw hundreds of devotees coming together to join hands in the celebration of a festival deeply associated with our very existence. While Sadhvi Ji spoke about essence of the festival, i.e. what makes this ratri (meaning night) so special particularly from a Sadhak’s perspective, Swami Ji presented us with the reasons that are keeping us from embracing that perspective. Let’s absorb the divine message!
A glimpse from Sadhvi Ji’s discourse:
Usually night hours are considered for sleeping, but (Gita 2.69) the moment these worldly hustles come to rest, i.e. when night falls it is time for a seeker, the guru-lover to be awake so as to travel within. And once the Sun arises marking the resumption of worldly schedules, this very world of materialism is more like a night for this sadhak. Talking about a true sadhak (Gita 2.14), he is the one who has mastered the art of digesting no matter what may come, be it fame or insult, happiness or sorrow, hot or cold, or gain or loss. More like throwing a ball in space. There is no resistance and as for ball, it is free-floating.
Now, theoretically we understand that a) the goal of this human life is to become one with the One and, b) since all the worldly entities must stay behind upon death it is just the wealth of Guru-mantra that can travel along. And yet, how much time do we actually devote towards that?
It’s time that we ask ourselves that how badly do we want Him, how deep is our craving or do we even have any curiosity at all for All that is? He is never on our priority list. Instead we remember Him just when it is convenient for us. In fact, money is our real God. Even the sole purpose of having a guru these days is to seek blessings to get more and more of it. But, as long as we do not realize the fact that Guru is much more than a visible mound of flesh and bone, that he is the only door to the eternity and very key is his (guru –) mantra; we are way behind to celebrate the real shivratri.
Lets not be a football at other’s hands, of their words and of their actions. And even more important, on this auspicious occasion let’s decide whether we want this petty world or the very Creator of it. Because if we make Him our priority, rest everything else will by default fall at its place. And the best way to do that is by making a complete surrender in the lotus feet of Guru, a perceivable representative of God. Can you do that? What say, are you ready?
A glimpse from Swami Ji’s discourse:
This world is a shadow of God. How? Shadow doesn’t exist on it’s own. It belongs to someone. Similarly, this world has a beginning and an end but has nothing that can exist forever. The only real entity to whom it belongs is its very Creator. We even understand it well that we cannot take a hold of it (the shadow) and yet keep on running after it. Isn’t that so? Now if we had been trying to get something over and over and yet fail to do so, we get demoralized. But when it comes to this fleeting world, the shadow of God we just can’t seem to stop ourselves from running behind it in spite of the fact that we are demoralized to the heights of exhaustion. Right? So, how to get over it? Simple, why not stand facing the sun instead of having our back towards it? Yeah? Our Guru, is that bright and shining sun of our lives. Need is for us to step outside of our reservations.
On being asked, probably each and every one of us would say that yes I wish to get past my baseless boundaries but yet are unable to do so. Why, because we consider ourselves nothing more than this body of ours. Same vision gets extended when we pursue our Guru. And therefore, we are deep-stuck in it. But if, in fact we go across this thought pattern of ours we’ll be relieved of all our tensions and problems once and for all. And so, on this Mahashivratri, let’s take a resolution that in this birth, within this body itself we’ll strive to embrace that eternal bliss; how, by sticking to Guru-mantra, the universal medicine while maintaining careful abstinence from materialism. And you know what, it’s not that tough. If we are in love with our Guru we will automatically adore Guru–mantra.
