You see when everything is favourable, then the average person makes a response, “Ah I am doing it, how wonderful. God is with me and I am his instrument.” But the yogin is very vigilant, just as the line in Gita , “ya nisa sarva-bhutanam tasyam jagarti samyami” What he is vigilant about? Pride, arrogance, egoism of the worker, egoism of the instrument. He will constantly say, “Lord let me remain humble.” to the Divine, “that Thou art who are doing.”
Always keep that humility that is a safeguard. When everything is going fine, at that time to remain humble is very difficult. Success is the most difficult test because people get swollen with pride.
Now when there are other circumstances, the reverse again we see two kinds of reactions. The ordinary reaction is giving up and given up.
And the extraordinary consciousness, the one being prepared to do the Divine work, “this is the path I have choose, till my last breath I shall do it, unless the Divine himself comes and takes away that work and gives something else. Just because there is an obstacle, I will come back with renewed, re-doubled vigour, triple vigour.”
After all it’s a very good training, even to children, to teach them that when there is a challenge of life to do it and not to do, “oh this happened”. To take up the challenge and do it again and again till the limit of your effort, not till you succeed. If you do till your limit, then you will see that the resources will increase, that’s how the Mother works, she will raise the bar.
Often this example that was given. Someone was weight lifting 20kgs, then the Mother adds 40, then 60 then finally 100 so then he says, “Mother I cannot do it anymore.” So, The mother says, “well now you think that it is I who is lifting this weight.” Alright another few kgs and it is the mother who is lifting the weight.
This is the difference, it’s not that extra ordinary people do different things, they do the same things but differently. It’s the consciousness which makes the difference.
So in every circumstances we can have these two response. One is finding a door of escape and excuse for complacency. And the worst is always complaining. Mother says, “if you complain and grumble all kinds of adverse forces enter.”
It does not matter, let the whole world be what it is, as long as we remember that Krishna is driving our chariot, what does it matter?
When we live with the attitude that the Divine Mother is carrying us, what does it matter?
Why does doubts come? They come because we are focused on success. The joy of the effort which is the joy of consecration, even if it may be small effort but consecrating it. How does it matter if we prepare a dish and no body appreciates it? What was Sabri’s consciousness? I doing it for my Lord and I am offering it to my lord, what does it matter?
Let the world appreciated or not appreciate, when we have offered, the food to the divine when we are cooking it. So what is that food, it is prasad, after that people may appreciate may not, but you have not done it for them. I have done for the joy for consecrating, and with everything this must be the attitude.
That is why equanimity is a practice, fundamental practice in yoga. Calm, peace equanimity. Every time there is a reaction, “Shanti Shanti, Samta…” till it does not become a way of life.
What is important is not the difficulties but the inside state is full of joy. Lack of joy in work is always always because of an insincerity. It’s a perfect sign that something within me is not sincerity. We have to discover and get the needle right. The Sign that we are moving on the road and on the target is that there is an increase in joy even if there are countless obstacles are there still there is a growing joy as one is coming near the Divine.
All depression, complaining is somewhere I am not on the right track so let me realign myself. That means the GPS is telling us you are on the wrong road, get back. If that happens take a little break, plunge inside side and look where is my insincerity? And they are countless.
In fact Mother says, “Sincerity begins when we realise we are insincere.”
And then we realign and realise that was it, maybe I was wanting a result, maybe I was lacking in that full concentration or maybe I was saying that I consecrated but actually was not doing it, may be faith was lacking. Whatever it be, ask for it and then carry on forward.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
