Man today has made tremendous progress. Many countries, many scientists
have acquired vast material resources, powerful appliances and instruments. But we see our
own eyes, where all these resources are being deployed. We find that the very achievements
in the various fields are becoming a threat to the man's survival. We have weapons, we
have bombs that can cause havoc on the earth and in the air.
Why weapons alone? Humanity is sought to be split by all kinds of boundary lines and
walls. We find the walls of narrow mindedness splitting everything that is coming under
man's control. All these walls, the boundaries between states, between countries are, of
course, man-made. Wherever does end the jurisdiction of one country, there is a line. The
entire globe in covered with such lines. Man uses water. Even water is sought to be
divided. There are disputes over water everyday, resulting in bloodshed of the innocent.
In fact, whatever man is coming across, is bringing under his control. He thinks of only
himself and is creating distances between others. Only the objects which man has failed to
capture or are beyond his control are common to all. Take for instance the air. It blows
for all. All are receiving coolness from the air. All are breathing it also. If air were
under the control of man, walls would have been erected by now to divide it. In that case
the wind blowing in one country would not have been able to cross over to the nearby
country; the air of one state would not have gone to another state. The same is the case
with the sun-shine. Man has not been able to put up a wall to stop it from going from one
place to another. In other words the objects which are somehow not governed by man or have
escaped his rule are available to all uniformly.
As a matter of fact all the objects created by God are meant for all human beings. It is
man himself who is imposing limits on them because of his own selfishness and
narrow-mindedness. That is why man is suffering. Guided by these selfish motives, man
takes such steps that one has to say:
KARTOOT PASHU KI, MANUSH JAT.
His actions are that of animals, while by appearance he looks to be a human being. Today
we lock our houses and shops. In other countries, people go in for alarm system. Why? Do
we take these steps to guard our lives and properties from animals? No. We need them
against man, because he only appears to be man, whereas he is not. His actions are guided
by animal instincts. We find how one animal pounces upon the other to snatch a piece of
meat. The same is the condition of man, it appears.
Great spiritual masters have cautioned man at every step and counselled him to behave like
a man. Animals have never needed such a caution or advice. Nobody is required, for
example, to tell a horse to behave like a horse or cow as a cow. The function of the cow
is to give milk and it is giving milk. Similar is the case with other creatures. It is
only the human being, described as the best among them, who has forgotten his real path,
his real instinct. That is why all his material achievements are producing conflicts and
leading him towards destruction.
The farmer puts manure in order to make the land fertile and the crop healthy. But what
happens is that alongwith the crop there is lot of unintended and superfluous growth of
grass, etc. A wise farmer will remove this unwanted growth before pouring any more
fertilizer into the land, because he knows that otherwise the strength in the form of
fertilizer sought to be provided to the land will be consumed by this wild growth and the
actual crop will remain weak correspondingly. In case it is not weeded out, this wild
growth will continue to take the place of the main crop. This is exactly what is happening
in the human world. Alongwith the material progress are growing the unwanted feelings of
jealousy and narrow-mindedness. Unless the same are weeded out, human energies will get
wasted in bad deeds, producing nothing but destruction. Suppose lot of water collects at
one place at a height and then flows with speed. Left to itself, it may cause flood. But
if it is checked by building a dam, it remains in control. We can drain it well to our
fields. We can also produce electricity by constructing a big barrage. How useful is the
water now? Similar is the case with the worldly progress. Unbridled material progress is
leading towards destruction. It is essential to have a check of spirituality on it.
God has blessed man with body, with hands, feet etc. as also the physical strength and
intellect to be used for good purposes. In fact these qualities have been given by God to
every human being. But, where does the fault lie? Where did this difference come from?
Everybody knows that fire is quite useful to us in many ways. We use it in the kitchen and
cook all types of food. It is used in industrial units also. But it will be an utter
misuse of fire if it is applied to burn the houses of others, burn the people themselves.
Like this, all human energies and virtues stand misused, when we utilise these gifts of
God for making others unhappy. No object or power is bad by itself; bad is its misuse.
Not that the world is facing such a horrible situation only because of those who run after
worldly achievements. Those who claim to be above Maya (the worldly materials) and boast
of their being religious, too are in no way better. Almost every day we read in the
newspapers the reports about the bloodshed of innocent people in the name of spiritual
masters. No religion, no spiritual master, no holy person does endorse such killings. Even
then there is bloodshed in the name of religion. People quarrel over the very name of God.
A man who describes the Almighty as Ram is found to be always ready to quarrel with the
other who calls it Allah. Why go they quarrel? Why do they fight when Ram and Allah are
one and the same? This is so because we have not allowed the divine light to enter our
minds, enter our lives. That is why there are these controversies, divisions and hatred.
Since we are away from God, worldly improvements are going towards destruction. The reason
for disputes in the name of religion is also the ignorance about God.
An old man lived in a desert. Even his forefathers had lived there. His time was about to
be over. When he felt that he was not likely to stay in this world for many days, when he
realized that his end was approaching, he called one of his friends and said, " I am
now about to leave this world. My death is approaching. Kindly distribute my property
after my death." His property comprised 19 camels. He said, "Please divide it
among my three sons in such a way that the eldest receives half of it, the second
one-fourth and the third one-fifth." After some days the man breathed his last. When
his friend began to divide the property, he faced the problem as to how to set apart the
half of 19 camels. A large number of people assembled, but the problem was not solved.
Suddenly a camel rider appeared on the scene. On seeing the crowd, he stopped and asked
the reason. He was told that the problem related to the distribution of 19 camels among
three sons in such a manner that that the eldest should receive half, the second
one-fourth and the third one-fifth. All were confused and nobody could find the solution.
The camel rider spoke from the camel back, "If you permit, shall I suggest a way
out"? Everybody felt happy and said they would be grateful if he decided the issue.
The man came down and added his own camel to the 19 and made them stand in a line. Now
that the number of camels became 20, he gave the half i.e. 10 camels to the eldest son (of
the deceased old man). Now he asked the second son, " How many camels will you get as
one-fourth?" He said, " I should receive five camels." The man said,
"You may take five." Finally, he asked the third son, "How many camels
should you receive as one-fifth of the total?" He replied, "I should receive
four camels." The man said, "You take your four." In this way the three
brothers received their 19 camels and the 20th remained with the man. It means that the
camel lent by the man made no difference. Neither did it reduce the property nor did it
increase. His own camel remained with him, while a very big problem was solved. Similarly,
wherever we associate this One (God), our problems are solved, our difficulties are over.
Our petty feelings, jealousy and hatred vanish. In order to save the world from
destruction to-day, we must find a way to see that spiritual knowledge prevails upon all
our material achievements and all our actions are influenced by the association of God
based on the realisation of its omnipresence.
The spiritual masters teach us that man must stumble or fumble at some place or the other,
if he forgets this God-Nirankar and attaches importance to material wealth only. Take for
instance a building. We all know that houses are meant for men. If we start thinking the
other way round, give priority to houses or consider that men are meant for houses, it
will be our mistake. Shoes are meant for the feet; not that the feet are meant for the
shoes. This is a question of attaching importance, giving priority. We must give top
priority to this God, to know it, to hold it. Without this, there cannot be peace around
us. In fact all our sufferings and hardships will disappear, if alongwith material gains,
we give place or importance to God knowledge, if God becomes an integral part of our life.
A king sat in his garden and announced that whatever in the garden is liked by someone, he
may place his hand on it and he will be given the same; it will become his own. A man
entered the garden. He stopped at one place, then at the other and after that still
another. Many others also did the same thing, and started taking away whatever they liked.
The former, however, passed by the various objects and approached the king. He asked him
whether he too could be considered as a part of the garden. The king said, " Yes, I
am also included in the objects of the garden." The man at once placed his hand on
the king. As per the condition, now the king became his own and alongwith the king he
received everything that formed part of his kingdom. This is how we realise everything
when we realise God and if we do not make it an integral part of our life, we do not know
it, we are bound to lose everything.
Today man is confused, upset and distressed. Why? Because man is becoming distant from
man. Why so? Because God has been forgotten; God whose presence is the source of happiness
has been taken as absent. This is, however quite surprising. On the one hand, God is said
to be present everywhere and on the other we say 'absent'. How can God, the Omnipresent,
be absent? This absence relates to our minds. When we forget it, it becomes absent from
the mind. Take for instance a man who while walking struck against a pole. He was asked,
"Brother ! Is your eyesight alright? Do you really have eyes?" He told, "
My eyesight is perfectly alright. Only two months back I got it tested by a specialist. He
asked me to read a chart which had big letters, small letters. I read them correctly from
distance as also from near. Thus there is nothing wrong with my eyesight." "
Then, how did you strike against the pole?" he was asked. He replied, "My brain
is working, my eyes that you see on my face are working. But what to do? My mind was
somewhere else. While walking, I was thinking of something else." Now eyes are
working, the light is there. But the mind is somewhere else. So people are striking
against poles; they are getting hurt. Similarly when the thought of this God - Nirankar is
not there in the mind, it is absent from the life.
Whenever man forget this God, took it away from mind, he went on losing peace, went on
losing joy. As the light illuminates our path, our journey becomes easy and as the light
reduces, we only stumble. Similarly, whosoever makes his mind the dwelling place for God,
remembers it for ever, he receives the real happiness. If the mind concentrates on God,
one receives joy that is free from pains. The path of one's life becomes smooth. Even if
the path has thorns, ups and downs of the world, there is pleasure. No doubt it is
difficult to remove the thorns one by one, it is impossible to put them aside one by one.
But a man who has put on shoes remains unhurt. A person who wears the shoes, shoes remains
unhurt. A person who wears the shoes, virtually finds the entire prick him? Similarly, a
person whose mind enjoys the cover of this Almighty, finds only the joy spread all over
the earth. Then, how will the thorns of distress prick him?
Divine masters never opposed material progress. However, they did say that increased
possession of worldly material might bring suffering if it were not accompanied by
spiritual enlightenment. If God enters one's life, the feelings of hatred, jealousy and
pride disappear and then all the material progress of the world becomes a source of joy.
Nobody appears to be an enemy, nobody remains a stranger. It has also been said:
VISR GAYEE SAB TAT PARAYEE
JAB TE SADH SANGAT HUM PAYEE;
NA KO BAIRI NAHIN BEGANA
SAGAL SANG HUMKO BAN AYEE.
This state of mind arrives only when God starts dwelling in it or one realises God. Take
for example a man carrying a lantern in his hand. The light has no use for him, if his
eyes are not working. Only a man who has the eyes can enjoy the benefit of light. The
light does have its own significance, but it is complete only if it is accompanied by eyes
which are open and working. In the same manner the light of material progress is
beneficial only if it is accompanied by the eyes spiritually open, capable of seeing God
in every person, in every object.
A spiritually enlightened person or the one who has realised God, sees the Almighty in all
and is guided by the spirit of service for all. In regard to such saints, it is said:
SANTAN KE GHAT RAHT HAI,
SAB KE HIT KI BAAT;
GHAT GHAT DEKHE ALAKH KO,
PUCHHE JAT NA PAAT.
If man thinks in terms of goodwill for all, there can be no conflicts, no problems at all.
The cause of these problems and conflicts is the narrow-mindedness, the tendency to think
about oneself only. Today we are all self-centered, narrow-minded and selfish. We have
closed our windows. That is why we feel the suffocation. Suppose a person has confined
himself in a room which has not even a single window, it will always be suffocating and
may have deadly gases. Man's condition today is also like this. Today, we have the walls
of language, religion and region etc. Surrounded by these walls, indulged in selfishness,
we are moving towards downfall.
If walls are erected around a man, he cannot see the world outside. He is shut out from
the reality of the world. He is cut off from the entire world and finds himself in utter
bewilderness. As you know, criminals are kept in cells. Behind the bars, they are cut off
from the world. They sit in closed rooms where each and every moment of life passes like
hell.
Man created this hell for him, when he erected the walls around himself, the walls based
on caste, creed, colour, language and religion. Surrounded by these walls, he can see only
himself. He thinks everything for himself, for the fulfillment of his own interests. The
result is conflict between man and man, separation from each other, pain and suffering.
So long as these walls are not broken, man cannot be free, cannot find peace. There are so
many diversities in our social life - the diversities of language, dress, diet and mode of
living. Once we are in alliance with God, all these diversities stand converted into
unity. No doubt, we may never be able to achieve uniformity i.e. similarity of dress, diet
and mode of living, which is impossible. In this way, we cannot bring minds closer. Here
we require sense of unity, unity which is possible only through the realisation of God.
Suppose we want to make a garland. This is not possible without a thread. Once we have the
thread, we can put together flowers of different colours - red, yellow, white and so on.
But if we do not have the thread at all, we cannot make a garland. Similarly, it cannot be
possible to make a garland of mankind without the thread of God.
Every year I get an opportunity to go round the various parts of the country. We find
people speaking different languages, wearing dresses of different styles and having
different modes of living. These diversities have always remained there and will always
remain here. Uniformity in regard to the same is just not possible. Man may make any
amount of effort, he cannot compel everybody to wear the turban or the dhoti, to eat rice
and so on. Uniformity based on these factors is not going to be possible. These
diversities have existed for ages and may continue for ever. If we concentrate on or
remain engrossed in these outward factors, differences will continue, conflicts will never
end. Uniformity cannot be brought in these factors. Such diversities can be seen even in
our body. The fingers of our hands are not similar. Their impression is different from
each other. Even the two thumbs do not give the same impression. Infact uniformity is not
something that we require. What we need is unity- unity in diversity. We do not want
uniformity of material goods but unity of hearts. In case we are guided by the feelings of
love and affinity, we are all equal, bound by the same thread. Since our garland has the
same thread, we talk of this one: know One, adore One and be One. So long as we do not
realise One, worship One, unity is impossible and we just cannot think of goodwill for
all. Then these walls of language will remain there, the discrimination of high and low
will continue. It is because of these divisions that innocent people are killed today. Let
us consider for a while as to which language is the best? Let us suppose it is Hindi,
Punjabi, Marathi or any other language. But call names in Marathi, you will be caught.
Call names in Hindi, the listener will come to hit you. No doubt you have used the Hindi
language, but why did it produce bad consequences? Because, you made a wrong use of the
language, you called names, you hurt the feelings of the other person, you treated him as
low. The dispute is not that of languages, neither states nor nations; the problem lies in
not treating others as our own, in treating them as lower than ourselves, inferior to
ourselves. The body has different parts. The feet have one function, the hands another.
But we also know that inspite of being different, these parts belong to the same body. If
one part of the body gets pain, the pain is not confined to that part; the entire body
feels it. One part of the body cannot think of harming the other. The same becomes true of
mankind, when they are unified through their relationship with God, when they become one
by knowing One. For this, knowing God is essential. If God is associated with our life,
everything else becomes in order automatically. What we require is only to incorporate God
in our lives - not merely to make a mention of God. If religious people are found to have
any dispute or clash, their reason too is the ignorance about God. Once they come to know
God, these disputes will end automatically.
Once upon a time a man was passing through a street. He heard some people quarrelling
inside a house. He stopped and then went inside with the intention to resolve the dispute.
He found that the quarrel was between husband and wife, quite angry with each other. The
man asked them, "Why are you quarrelling?" The husband told him that he wanted
to make his son a doctor, while his wife was creating a fuss and insisting to make him a
lawyer. The man said, "Why don't you call your son and ask him? May be he does not
want to become either. He may like to become a businessman or an engineer. If he is
reluctant to tell you, call him, I will speak to him." Hearing this, both husband and
wife became silent. The man asked them again to call the boy. The husband said, "Sir,
the son is not yet born." This is exactly what the (so called) men of religion are
doing today. One is bent upon running down rather killing the other in the name of God.
They are, however, yet to realise God, foster it in their hearts. When we associate God
with our lives, nourish it, there is no reason why we should disown or try to run down one
another.
All these disputes, bickerings and tension will exist only until God dwells in our hearts,
until we realise God and have communion with the Almighty. As soon as this occurs, the
entire world gets peace and there is joy everywhere.