O’ Lord ! O’ My Lord ! May I never forget You !

Man wishes to acquire the thing that he does not have in his possession right now. He regards his progress in acquisition of that thing. On one hand he wishes to gain pleasure that he does not have, and another hand, he wishes to acquire money that he does not have. In this way, he thinks that he will be supremely benefited if he gets the thing that he does not have ! In this manner, he will be most pleased, on acquiring the thing that he does not have ! But, if he acquires the thing that he does not present have, then, later too, it shall not remain - this too is true. However much of money you get, it will not remain with you forever. Either the money will go away, or you will die, or both will be destroyed. That which was not there at first, will later on also not remain. Man desires such things, and after accumulating those things, he thinks that he has progressed a lot. My mother and father were ordinary people, but we are now millionnaires- we have achieved immense progress ! Thus he develops pride. In fact, if seen, this is extreme foolishness, not just ordinary foolishness.

‘ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते ।’ (गीता ५ । २२)

There is no other cause of sorrow. Arjun asked - Maharaj, who is it that makes a man commit sins ? To this God answered - It is ‘Desires’ - ‘Kaam esh’ ‘काम एषः’ (गीता ३ । ३७) in other words, to desire that which is not in our possession. May I get money, may I get name and fame, may I receive praise and honor, may I remain free of disease, may I receive rest and relaxation, etc. desires are the root of all sins and sorrows. On desiring those things which appear and are later destroyed, one will have to undergo suffering. Not even Brahmaji can be saved from this. One simply will have to suffer and commit sins on desiring sense pleasures (pleasures born of contact). One gets a little pleasure at the time of contact (association), but before and after, there is sorrow and only sorrow. The body becomes bad, and it goes to hell, it goes into 8.4 million wombs. In this manner, further ahead there is sorrow and only sorrow.

I have said this many times that the moment one desires a thing, then, the moment that desire goes away, there is pleasure, but man thinks that it is due to getting the thing that he desires, that he has gained pleasure. If it were that one gained pleasure on acquiring a thing, then on having that thing one would not be experiencing any pain. Therefore in fact, the pain and sorrow is not from getting or not getting a thing, the pain is from wanting that thing. On getting rid of that desire, one experiences pleasure. If that desire went away, once and for all, then there will be nothing but joy !

To regard bravery in the acquisition of that which is ‘not’, which is ‘non existent’ is simply a misconception. To attain God who is ever present, and will ever remain - is in fact true progress. It is only due to greed and gluttony for the things that come into being and are later destroyed, that the attainment of the ever attained ‘essence’ (tattva) is not taking place. If one renounces their affinity with the perishable, then that ‘essence’ which is as-it-is, will be attained. It is already attained, only our sight is not towards it. The sight is only on the perishable sense pleasures and hoarding, which is non-existent, it will not remain so. Paramatma ever was, is and will always remain, and on meeting once, will never separate again. On meeting Paramatma, there will never be any delusion, or sorrow ‒

‘यज्वात्वा न पुनर्मोहम्’ (गीता ४ । ३५)

He is ours, and we have entitlement over Him, just as a child has entitlement over his Maa. A child can get anything he wants done from the mother, simply by crying. In the same way, get whatever you want done from God ! God says - ‒

‘मैं तो हूँ भगतनको दाम भगत मेरे मुकुटमणि !’

‘I am the servant of my devotees, and they are the jewel in my crown.’ When did wealth ever say that you are my crown jewel ? When did it say that you are mine and I am yours ? But God says that you are mine in Gita 15/7 ‒

He is ours and he always remains with us. There never was, there isn’t at present and there never will be any separation from Him. By becoming distant from Him and desiring that which is not there right now, and even if you get it, it will not remain in the end ! Has your intellect become inert like stones, that you are straying away from your path ? Desire for the perishable will never be satiated. How can it be satisfied ? That is incomplete, and you are complete, that is temporary and will not remain, but you are the kind to stay and a fraction of Paramatma. You are willing to give up your righteousness, your ‘Dharma’, for money. You give up your rest and relaxation, you renounce your pleasures, you give up everything, and run after money. But when that money begins to leave you, then it does not ever seek your permission !! Such a heartless one, has no compassion that you have left your dharma-your deeds, you have given up telling the truth, your have accepted lies, cheating, dishonesty and many grave sins, then minimally let me ask his permission !!! But if you were to renounce, to sacrifice for God ?

ये दारागारपुत्राप्तान् प्राणान् वित्तमिमं परम् ।

हित्वा मां शरणं याताः कथं तौस्त्यक्तुमुत्महे ॥

God says, that those men, who renounce, their wife, house, son, family members, life breath, wealth, and the pleasures of this world, and take refuge in me alone, how can my mind have any eagerness in renouncing them ? Leave that which is leaving you, then God will be pleased and He will feel indebted to you ! Can anyone keep these things with them ? On leaving those things that are departing from us, God becomes pleased with us. Is there any bargain that is more cheap than this ?

However much of money you earn, however much you indulge in pleasures, whatever kind of physique - body you build, it is all the kind to depart from you. In this there is no doubt, is there ? Then it is such foolishness, that you are making an effort for it, and on acquiring it, you are feeling very thrilled !!!

From our side, we have become disinclined towards Paramatma, due to which, we are not attaining Him.

You simply accept God as your very own. God you are mine, and these things are not mine !. That is all there is to it ! It is not difficult. As long as you do not grasp this firmly, it appears very difficult. On grasping this firmly, there is no difficulty. Accept that pain, anguish, jealousy, dishonor, criticism, disease, death whatever may come, I will only walk the path of God. Then no one can deter us.

All hell and the 8.4 million cycles of birth and death are dependent on desire for sense pleasures and hoarding. All the pain, anguish, sins etc. are due to these only. Then to believe your bravery, your progress in these things is such a grave mistake ! We think our hard work and effort has paid off and we are successful, when we get so much money. Oh !! It is not success, rather it is gross failure ! In a single moment, everything can vanish. Those who are millionnaires and billionnaires, they are not happy, but those who have turned to God, they are happy, they are in a blissful state.

The extent to which you become free from sense pleasures and grandeur of fortune, to that extent you will be in peace. The sentiments of a verse are that the man who is bound by the rope of ‘hope and expectations’ is running from place to place all the time, whereas a free man, is sitting blissfully in one place !

‘आशया ये कृता दासास्ते दासाः सर्वदेहिनाम् ।’

He who is dependent, a servant to ‘hopes and expectations’, thinking may I acquire more wealth, more respect, more things, is a slave to all

‘आशा येन कृता दासी तस्य दासायते जगत् ॥’

But all become a slave to he who has made ‘hopes and expectations’ (aasha) his servant. If man becomes a slave to ‘hopes and expectations’, then the entire world will ride on him. If he goes near a tree, then there too the sentiments are ‘let me take this, let me take that.’ Where did your intellect go, after being born as a human being ? when will you get your senses back ? For how long will this body, senses, pleasures, youth, etc. remain ? Then too, day and night, you are busy, hoping and wishing for these perishable objects, and you are not attentive towards the ever attained Paramatma !

Paramatma is ever-attained and the world is unattained. If attainment of the ever attained is difficult, then is the attainment of the unattained easy ? Paramatma is never un-attained. Only we are disinclined towards Paramatma, not He. Due to being disinclined towards Paramatma, he appears distant, and being inclined towards the world, the world appears close. In fact, the world have never come close, and God have never become distant from us. God does not have the power to go far away from us, while the world does not have the power to come close and to stay. What an exceptional point this is ! The moment one turns to God, God becomes pleased, He becomes happy; just as the child says, Ma-Ma and crawls into his Maa’s lap, then the mother becomes pleased. The mother feeds the child, dresses him up, she does everything for him, and she is so pleased when the child comes into her lap. Now what was required of the child ? In the same way, simply turn to God, then He will be pleased ‒