Article by : Shilpa shah, director in-charge, HKBBA College
It is very auspicious when the benefit of SATSANG is found in family relations. Usually, in worldly relations, time is spent in the mundane discussions of the practical world and in unnecessary gossip. Spiritual SATSANG is also liked by very few people and even those who do like them in the sense of forgetting worldly pains for a while or attaining momentary peace of mind. But Big Zero in the name of conduct does not get a special result. Thus spiritual commands are rules of conduct to make life better. Discussions without conduct cannot be result-oriented. Almost all know this truth but cannot implement it is the greatest tragedy of human life.
One day I was having a general discussion with my sister in law. She told me that I have a lot of fun in spiritual discussions with you and also like to listen many saints-monks and religious leaders. But it does not produce asceticism in life or end worldly vices. The fulfillment of worldly desires and the enjoyment of all the senses is equally pleasing. Don’t even like to give up desires and subjects. Spiritual dialogue satisfies the soul for a while. It may seem as if it is working as a nutritious food or medicine, but cannot stick to the constant unceasing devotion, SATSANG or other spiritual means. Constant spiritual activity makes me as bored as in worldly activities or daily practical activities. It cannot be that both the worldly desires and the supreme soul can be attained together as I have a very deep interest and attachment to the worldly desires and its subjects and also like worship or activities related to God.
I told her that sometimes it is very difficult to even understand such common things like desire to get marry without leaving mom’s house, wanting to get a husband’s house but don’t like to leave the pier, is it possible? If someone says that I want to be rich but I love poverty, then how can man become rich without giving up the pursuit of poverty? If you love light but do not want to leave darkness, can darkness and light live together? If you want to go to Bombay but don’t want to leave Ahmedabad or if you have an indomitable desire to see the beauty of Kashmir but can’t get out of the house, do these two things become possible at the same time? Thus worldly desires and God are two opposite directions, East and West. How to get both together. Once you set a direction or goal, you can reach the destination but by taking U-turn every time how can you reach destination. Like leave home from Ahmedabad to Bombay and get bored by the time you reach Baroda or take a U-turn and come back and if this happens again and again can you reach the destination? Success is not possible without persistence and determination for the attainment of any objective, material or spiritual, worldly or supernatural. One is interested in attaining divine power for a while and then go back to the worldly life is meaningless. This kind of action we have been taking for ages. But nothing is being achieved, neither the complete worldly life nor the complete soul or God.
If we understand God as a divine power from a scientific point of view without considering him as a special person, then also proper understanding, firm determination and continuity that is regularity in effort is also necessary for gaining power or energy, e.g. If you want to increase your physical strength, you have to go to the gym regularly, you have to follow the basic natural rules of health and diet. If we go to the gym for two days and take a break for four days, follow the rules of diet and health for a few days and give up, the goal of empowerment or to be fit can be achieved? Even in the pursuit of physical and mental power, one has to forget the worldly life, relationships other desires and give priority to the purpose of gaining energy or fitness. If one has to change his priorities and focus only on one goal, forgetting everything else for the sake of ordinary energy, success or wealth, then one has to work tirelessly for it without getting bored, then this is a matter of divine power or supreme soul.
How can it be achieved easily?
We all know that to get something you have to give up something. If you are interested in getting curd but not ready to sacrifice milk how can it be possible? because without milk conversion process no one can get curd. Same as t is almost impossible to attach to God without detaching from the world as one is darkness and the other is light. As soon as there is a ray of light, the darkness has to go and if the darkness is preferred, the desire to light has to be abandoned. It is impossible for the seeker to attain both worldly life and God together. Perhaps this is possible for a Siddha Mahatma as he has reached a state of mental conquest or state of mind annihilation. Despite living in the world, their mind is merged in supreme soul so that no subjects of the senses can seduce them as the senses and their subjects are drawn by the mind, they have no independent existence.
Even though living in the society, your happiness or sorrow is not determined by others, you have no love or attachment to any of the things of the world, you have risen too high from the state of dislike, you have attained eternal truth and knowledge, you have chased away from vices and evils. It is possible that the worldly life does not become an obstacle in attaining God. Siddha Mahatmas may attain worldly life (Samsara) and God (supreme soul) together. But in the true sense he also did not achieve both together because the worldly life has slipped out of his mind so attainment of divine power has become possible.
In short my understanding is that achievement of divine power (God) is not possible for one who has love and attachment to the worldly life because attainment of divine power (God) means detachment to the worldly life that is called salvation in other word. Thus worldly attachment and worldly liberation are two opposite things which are impossible together. This does not mean that everyone should take asceticism (SANNYAS), wear saffron or take refuge in the Himalayas away from the home. But the asceticism of desires is inevitable, it is necessary to acquire knowledge, it is necessary to abstain from delusion. Even after attachment to God or surrender to God, continuity (constant efforts) is a prerequisite. The goal can never be achieved if we change direction frequently like remember world (samsara) in happiness and God in sorrow. It must be understood that such a human being can never reach his destination.
