Posted on: 07 May 2024
1. How do You justify avoiding happiness? Does bliss come under happiness?
[Swami, You told that avoiding happiness and misery are mentioned by the Gita. How do You justify avoiding happiness? Does bliss also come under happiness?]
Swami replied:- The Gita says that you should not be happy by the profit and you should not be miserable by loss (Na prahṛṣyet…- Gita). Both happiness and depression consume your energy. This is explained by the first law of thermodynamics (Q = ΔE + W). When the energy is consumed in the rise of internal energy (ΔE) happening due to happiness or misery, there is no energy (Q) leftover for the work of the brain (W) to be done. In such a case, your brain will not work and you will be cheated and looted by others. Bliss is totally different from worldly happiness and worldly depression. Bliss is related to God due to which there is no rise in the internal energy. Even if your brain does not work, God will be protecting you from all directions.
2. You told that we shall always be laughing and be happy. This contradicts the Gita. Please clarify.
Swami replied:- Laughing and becoming happy are not related to worldly affairs like benefit and loss. You may laugh and feel happy due to some good jokes. In such a case, you are not attached to any worldly affair that is related to your selfishness. You are enjoying in a free atmosphere with full detachment of mind to the world. In such a case, there is no loss of energy due to detachment of the mind. Attached mind only is subjected to such ups and downs.
3. Suppose I won an award and got a lot of appreciation at my office. Should I feel happy about it or not?
Swami replied:-. The award is related to worldly affairs. Hence, you must control your mind from happiness, feeling that you got both the award and appreciations just by the grace of God only. This will keep your mind in a detached state, free from worldly matters.
4. Suppose Swami (Sadguru) and His close devotees appreciated me. Should I feel happy about it or not?
Swami replied:- The appreciation from the Sadguru and good devotees is always related to the spiritual affair. Hence, happiness on such an occasion can be enjoyed, which keeps the mind in a detached state only free from worldly affairs. In such a case, the grace of God exists and your happiness will result in benefit only and not in any loss. Here also, you must feel that all the appreciation is due to the grace of Your Sadguru only. This happiness is related to divine bliss.
5. What is the difference between a human father and God with regards to love towards child?
Swami replied:- The human father tries to reform the child to a certain limited extent only beyond which the child is left to its fate. The reason here is that the human father is efficient to a certain extent only beyond which he becomes inefficient. God is omnipotent and tries to reform the soul without end in the effort. The soul is continuously burnt in the liquid fire of hell till it is reformed. Finally, God succeeds in the reformation of every soul. Placing the soul in the liquid fire shall not be taken as leaving the soul to its fate. Even though a very long time is consumed, the soul has to be reformed one day or the other.
6. If any woman goes to prostitution due to the lack of procurement of food in her place, is it a sin?
Swami replied:- Such argument of not getting food in anyway is completely meaningless. It is only a covering tactic of sinful nature. Such covering tactics can cheat human beings but not God. Basic needs are easily earned by so many people doing justified and dignified work as we find in the case of several labourers. Such people may not enjoy luxuries. People not satisfied with the basic needs and aspiring luxurious life only do such sinful activities and cover themselves by such arguments to attain sympathy. Such people will have to face hell.
7. It is told that Jesus married a prostitute. Does it not mean that prostitution is not condemned by Jesus?
Swami replied:- Jesus married the prostitute after reforming her. In reformation, the final step is non-repetition of sin. Jesus preached by this incident that a highest sinner can also become a reformed soul through non-repetition of sin and can get not only the salvation from world, but also the eternal grace of God.
8. Swami, You said that rajas improves greediness. But, even greedy people are very intelligent. How can they be intelligent without the quality of sattvam?
Swami replied:- Sattvam is the indicator of spiritual knowledge and not an indicator of intelligence. Rajas is the indicator of worldly dynamism and greediness. Hence, rajas is the indicator of worldly knowledge. Intelligence is common to both spiritual knowledge and worldly knowledge. A set of people involved in worldly business are made of predominant rajas and lesser tamas with a trace of sattvam. Due to more rajas, they are very intelligent in worldly business and are also very much dynamic in business activity with a lot of greediness. Due to lesser tamas, they are not much oriented to spiritual knowledge, which is due to the ignorance caused by their tamas. Since sattvam is a trace, spiritual knowledge is completely absent in them. Hence, sattvam shall not be taken for intelligence.
9. Swami, how can praising and scolding be understood?
Swami replied:- In the case of God, you may praise to any extent and it is not a praise at all since it is the truth only (Yathārtha vyāhṛtiḥ sā hi, na stutiḥ parameṣṭhinaḥ - Kalidasa). Similarly, in the case of a soul, you may scold to any extent and it is not scolding at all since it is truth only! These are the real backgrounds of praising and scolding.