No thing is Good or Bad, It is Utilization Which Makes it Good or Bad

February 12, 2010

No thing is good or bad it is the utilization that makes it good or bad.Great message to be thought,understood and put in to practise by every sadhaka.The nectar i gathered from todays message. Badri Narayana Miriyala

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Shree Hari Ram Ram

Please share your thoughts / insights / any doubts on this message by Swamiji. Gita Talk Moderators, Ram Ram

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NEW POSTING

Hari Om

This is one of the most profound teachings imparted for benefit of humanity at large by Swamiji Ramsukhdasji Maharaj. A priceless principle. Yes ! The fact is that when it comes to "utilization" the very distinction and classification of adverse or favourable, good or bad, right or wrong, perishable or imperishable, Prakruti or Purusha, Divine or worldly , sentient or inert loses its significance. Every circumstance, every situation, every incident, every happening, every occurrence in your life gives you liberty and freedom to utilize that properly irrespective of whether the same is likeable or unlikeable, expected or unexpected, good or bad, desired by you or not desired by you "EVERY" and role of human being is MERELY TO PROPERLY UTILISE THE GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES. By mere PROPER UTILISATION "Divine Sadhaks" You can get emancipation. Such EASY is your path.

Jeeva , when bad circumstances arrive starts grieving while he should be renouncing the very desire for good circumstances. Jeeva when good circumstances arrive becomes proudy and starts wishing for better and better while actually he should be "renouncing" the good circumstances for benefit of world at large. This is proper utilization. In both cases common factor is RENUNCIATION ( Tyaag ) . "Tyaag" is a very very important word in spirituality and in Gitaji. EVERY RENUNCIATION IMPARTS INSTANTLY PEACE TO YOU. Where is happiness without peace "Dear Sadhaks ? Hence "proper utilization" means "Renunciation of either DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS or the VERY HAPPINESS. RENOUNCE"! Proper utilization means .HAPPINESS !!

Pranaams to all Sadhaks

Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah

Narottam

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AUM

ah, did narinder read in some scripture, some Upanishad ...........

sometime, somewhere ...........???

" He alone is wise , ..he , for whom ,

Right and Wrong, ....Good and Bad ...have ceased to exist "

choosing to be the friend of the self

he, who raised the self, for the self by the self ..........

and , now smilingly , sings the song

the song of the Natkhat , the song celestial ..............

while the Celebration of the Moment begins to dance ..........

AUM

narinder bhandari

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Dear Sadhakas, Namaste!An action, in itself, cannot be good or bad because action is never an isolated from its circumstances. We know many cases where an action is "good" under a given situation whereas, the same action in a different context is "bad". Telling truth is good in a court of law but telling truth where an innocent person can be harmed by someone's evil action is bad! For example, Krishna advising Yudhisthira not to give straightforward answer to Dronacharya when the elephant named Ashwasthama got killed, giving him the impression that it was his son by the same name may have been killed, just to render him ineffective in the war to save Pandavas, where righteousness belonged! Another example, if killing, Per Se, is "bad", why its alright to kill in a war? The reason for such a complexity is our solid interdependency on each other and nature that no thing in itself can be considered as "always good" or "always bad". Circumstances surrounding events determine relative goodness or evilness! Again "good" and "bad" are only in minds of people, and hence they are relatively good or bad, not in absolute sense! Having said this, we must be aware of its practical implications: Engage in those actions without being a doer, and with the best of intentions and skills that will result in greater good even at relative level. And above all, Trust God, HE/SHE/IT knows better!Understanding comes from the Absolute while living happens in relative world!Last point: Only as an individual, we don't have freedom or have some freedom limited by our conditioning! However, what we really are is Freedom itself, not that we have freedom, Just as God IS all freedom! That which IS without limit, how can it not have Freedom to go on existing in infinite ever-changing forms including the freedom to be limited?Namaskar..............Pratap Bhatt

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---The action is good or bad is decided by its effect on social and community life. Thus all kinds of social, moral and sensual evils which harm the society, mankind, environrment etc are bad. Knowing the purpose of human birth and following cosmic laws of necessity (Vedic Rta) will never harm the mankind, wondrous Design of the Supreme Architect (Viswalarma) and all animate/inanimate life/things. Since human mind is a logic inventing machine, it can always justify even the evil- Ravana, Kansa, Duryodhan, Haranya Kashyap etc justified their evil actions, even many terrorists today also justify their evil actions, but bad action remains a bad action as it harms the purpose of human birth and the mankind particulraly. Regards,Prem Sabhlok---------------------------

Hari Om. Shree Hari.Ram Ram.How can one know that circumstance (dukh or sukh) is properly utilized?Swamiji give answer in the same passage -- "Proper use is when one can remain happy at all times from within, and under any circumstance. "I would request Sadhaks to read and understand above statement carefully. That is your goal. Go deep within and seek guidance. Seek guidance to be happy. See what makes you unhappy. Analyze it deep within. Use vivek (discrimination between sat and asat) to see if that unhappiness is not real. And so on.In this way, understand whether circumstance is properly utilized by seeing that how much happy you can remain in that circumstance.Some times Swamiji talks refraining from sense gratification or sex etc. Again, you have to use above statement about proper use. If refraining from sense gratification makes you more unhappy, unsatisfied and makes you think more about sense objects, then your proper use is questionable. That means that you are going beyond your capacity. Then, you need to slow and gradually make forward steps. I hope some sadhaks understood me. Regards,Gaurav Mittal--

Dear Ones, Namaste!This is just an observation on our dear sadhaka Basudeb Senji's post for whom I have great respect.He says "God has not given freedom to anyone anything, even Lord Krishna didn't have freedom, God has no freedom; Freedom is illusive, etc". There must be some context in which he must have meant to say this, it is not clear!My understanding is Freedom is Real, everything else is illusory! Freedom is moksha or liberation from the ignorance of taking ourselves to be "me", the body-mind and our historic self-ego without questioning its validity through examining our experience! Everything known through mind is limited in space-time as soon as we name it or re-cognize it! And that which is thus limited is bound! Thus, body-mind is limited, and bound!However God or SELF is "the understanding" of that which is not an object of mind, and hence cannot be limited, and therefore cannot be bound! Unless we superimpose limitations on "SELF" as being this or that, we are boundless! That is why Swamiji says God(SELF) is already attained!Destiny is concept of the mind who wants answer as to why "things" happen the way they do, and there are none!For example, I cannot say, with any certainty, what is going to happen next moment just as I cannot say I am or am not going to realize the SELF. Such uncertainty makes me try to Realize now than not doing anything at all, and also the very reason for Scriptures, Satsangs, Teaching traditions etc. Now look at this: Only after something happens, we can say "oh it was destiny, not before"! This may have practical use of stopping our mind in its track, if taken sincerely. God is such Freedom, from moment to moment, such "not-knowing" in the moments that if mind realizes it, it is free from labeling anything as good or bad, it sheds all pairs of opposites altogether, living in NOW, the Freedom of our true nature!Namaskar...........Pratap Bhatt

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Shree Hari. Ram Ram.Another important thing to understand is that the true happiness always comes from within. If you go deeper, then you will find that happiness from objects is just positive agitation of mind and unhappiness is negative agitation. The true happiness will come from within when these agitations go away.Therefore, the words "within" and "under any circumstance" are very important.In the beginning, you will follow these to small degree. You goal should be to gradually increase that intensity i.e. you stay happier in more circumstances and you get more happiness from within.Regards,Gaurav Mittal

To feel satisfied, seek satisfaction that any possession, relationship,

situation, idea is good, important, sacred, moral, right, beneficial and so

on apart from its use, is the psychological comfort to which the mind

clings. Similarly, satisfaction is sought in avoiding bad, unimportant,

profane, immoral, wrong, harmful and so on. It is a bend in the mind and

is present in all our actions. It is almost impossible for the present mind

to work without this psychological comfort. It feels satisfied in this

venture. The contra reaction ignored will always follow me (as pain,

suffering) so that I may understand the futility of selection.

Then is there no thing as good?

Everything has usage value and that is the only goodness of it.

Y V Chawla

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Shri Hari

Ram Ram

It is true no thing is good or bad,it is utilization which makes it good or bad.Utilization depend upon discrimination which comes from satsang by grace of God.Science of discrimination-Bhagwat Gita teaches us by remembrance of God all times and do karma for the welfare of others then definitely by grace of God,discrimination comes in intellect for best utilization of circumstance.

Thanks & Regards

Pawan Kumar Singhal

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Dear Sadaks,To beat someone is Bad. To help some is good. To think of causing trouble is Bad. To think "Samastha Loka Sukinobavanthu" is good. So is in many aspects. Good and bad are 2 different Karmas. Paapa and puniya are 2 different cause and effect.B.Sathyanarayan

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Shree Paramatmane Namah

The way I have understoot Swamiji's saying - "No thing is good or bad, it is the utilization that makes it good or bad." that, "no thing is good or bad, it is the belief of the mind-intellect that this is good or this is bad." When there is nothing else besides God(Paramatma)(à¤—à¥€à¤¤à¤¾ 7 : 19) , then That Paramatma can be called good or bad only by the inert mind - intellect, not a sentient (chetan) being, one with discrimination (vivek).

So be it,

Vineet Sarvottam

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God has given no freedom to anyone anything. Even Lord Krishna did not have any freedom. Even God has no freedom. Everything and everyone is completely bound by the principles of creation that God has had to create. We do, think, suffer, enjoy, please others, sacrifice, preach, love, get angry, loot, commit violence, follow or do not follow ethics as per the destiny that derives from the divine priciples of Creation, sustenance and destruction. Those who are destined becomes Sadhakas, those who are destined reach self-realization and salvation. The Sun burns due to the same principle. Man cannot by will get born in Moon. Freedom is illusive. Realization of the fact of illusion is Slf Realization. Sun is good as well as bad. So is everything, every thought, every action. All are various forms of the same infinite, indestructible, indivisible, all pervativse God.

If destined, a form will become formless or transform into another form. Whatever each one does is inevitable and equally meaningful and meanigless.

Basudeb Sen

|| Shree Hari ||Ram Ram

9th February 2010, Tuesday, Maagh Krishna Ekadashi, Vikram Samvat 2066, Sri Krishna Samvaat 5235

God had given human beings freedom. All other living beings, they do not have that much independence and freedom. Human beings have complete freedom, and if this freedom is put to proper use, it can lead to salvation. Therefore this birth is called "karma yoni." The main difference is that in human birth, one is responsible to do one's work (karma). It is not "bhog yoni" i.e. It is not a birth that is only for bearing the fruits of past actions. In human birth, one has rights to do new actions. And through doing actions (one's duty), one can either become independent or bound.

What is the reason that his birth-death cycle started in the first place? Why did sorrow come about? The reason this sorrow came about is from improper utilization of our freedom. But the minute we stop misutilizing our freedom, then we can attain salvation. We have the opportunity to stop this cycle. Opportunities like this, may not arise again for a long time. We are fortunate, as this opportunity is here right now.

The greatness of this human birth is not the body. This body is only a factory for manufacturing urine and feces. Human birth is the highest of all births (in Manasa, Uttarkand). It is the rarest form of birth, as only in this birth one is eligible and has rights to realize God (Self). We are at a big junction (just like a major train junction, where you can pick any direction to travel). You have the opportunity to go many places from this birth. Given this opportunity, one has to become extremely alert. This birth is " durlabh" rare, because of its eligibility and rights. We can be rid of all sorrows once and for all in this birth. Now, pay attention to it's greatness -

The greatness of this birth is in the vivek (discrimination) between, real-unreal, perishable-imperishable, temporary and permanent etc. However, this "vivek" must be properly utilized. No thing is good or bad, it is the utilization that makes it good or bad. Whatever situation comes our way, that situation is not good or bad, it is how it is put to use. If properly put to use, (i.e. knowing what is to be done and not to be done), one can become joyful forever. In this human birth, one has the freedom and independence to attain salvation.

Favorable and unfavorable situations are not in our hands. Often in unfavorable situations, there is greater progress. One becomes more alert, more cautious. But these unfavorable situations are good when they are put to proper use. Proper use is when one can remain happy at all times from within, and under any circumstance. Finally and most importantly, when we turn towards God, it is proper use of our discrimination and when we move towards sense enjoyments and pleasures, it is mis-utilization of our discrimination.

From discourse in hindi on Mar 22, 1991 at 5 pm. By Swami Ramsukhdasji

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February 13, 2010

No thing is good or bad it is the utilization that makes it good or bad.Great message to be thought,understood and put in to practise by every sadhaka.The nectar i gathered from todays message. Badri Narayana Miriyala

----

Shree Hari Ram Ram

Please share your thoughts / insights / any doubts on this message by Swamiji. Gita Talk Moderators, Ram Ram

--------

NEW POSTING

Dear Ones, Swamiji has inspired to say few more words upon contemplation on this: "No thing is good or bad, it is the utilization that makes it good or bad". You know why? Because there are " no-things" at all in reality of our experience! Put differently "we never ever experience "things", we only experience our perceptions in terms of thoughts of "things"!Now perceptions, thoughts, conceptions are all means of knowing and then recognizing from memory/mind into a thing!Thus, a thing is born into mind, not really "out there" external to us! They never ever say who they are!Such KNOWING, being AWARE is the mother of all utilization of "things" which we attribute to "things" as if "things" exist independently from such KNOWING! "Things" gross or subtle arise in AWARENESS(Brahma, the creator) sustained in AWARENESS(Vishnu, the sustainer) for a while as thoughts and then dissolve in AWARENESS(Rudra, the dissolver)! This is really the meaning of BRAHMA, VISHNU and MAHESH metaphor! World we experience consists of AWARENESS in its purity but we paint it with our own colors, and hence it gets different utilitization for different people and thus only utilization is subject to "proper or improper"!Thus, only utilization(relationships to objects) is our ultimate connections with apparent world, gross or subtle!In Reality "things" in and of themselves, meaning apart from awareness of 'them", exist or not cannot be said with any certainty, But Awareness IS our experience beyond any shadow of doubt!WE STAND AS "THAT", and BEING THAT is our IMMORTALITY!Namaskar..........Pratap Bhatt

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Namaste

The whole problem of Good and Evil is fundamentally a problem of CHOICE. In the complex patterns of life one does not always know what to choose and what not to choose. Yet man's happiness depends upon the choice he makes. The question of choice becomes all the more difficult because nothing is good or evil by itself.

Nature's forces or the Will of Nature impinge upon all forms of manifestation. These forces are neither Good nor Evil (a more precise term than "Bad") by themselves. They receive

their character of being good or evil through the impress which the human MIND puts on

them. It is the mind of man that imparts goodness or badness to the activities of nature

when man disassociates himself from Nature. This happens when man, thorough the

operations of his Mind, brings an element of Individual Will to bear upon the problem of life.

GITA ji describes these opposite forces as Daivi Sampatti and Asuri Sampatti; in everyday life we refer to them as Forces of Light and Darkness, with the corresponding properties of

the Divine and Demoniacal. Chapter 16:6 tells us "there are two types of beings in this world, the divine and the Asurika."

In Chapter 16, and several other locations in GITA ji, Bhagavan informs us of the Divine and Demoniacal properties:

1. Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga; almsgiving, control of the senses, Yajna, reading of the Shaastras, austerity, uprightness;

2. Non-injury, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquillity, absence of calumny, compassion to beings, un-covetousness, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness;

3. Boldness, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of

pride; these belong to one born for a divine state, O descendant of Bharata.

4. Ostentation, arrogance and self-conceit, anger as also harshness and ignorance, belong to one who is born, O Paartha, for an Asurika state.

If one analyses the above list of divine properties, one would immediately notice that all of them refer to a condition of the MIND. It is the MIND of man that gives the forces of Nature their character. The forces of nature by themselves are neutral; when they pass through a min that is serene and tranquil then they assume a character of goodness; when they pass through a mind that is impure and selfish then they become dark and evil in their character.

It is interesting to note that throughout the list of demoniacal properties, GITA ji shows the presence of a sense of "I". It is the sense of "I" which imparts to the force a character of darkness or evil. The nature of demoniacal forces is brought out clearly in the following verses:

13. "This to-day has been gained by me; this desire I shall obtain; this is mine, and this wealth also shall be mine in future.

14. "That enemy has been slain by me, and others also shall I slay. I am the lord, I enjoy, I am successful, powerful and happy.

15. "I am rich and well-born. Who else is equal to me? I will sacrifice, I will give, I will rejoice. Thus deluded by ignorance. GITA 16: 13-15

Throughout the above there is a sense of "I" constantly present. This the GITA describes as "deluded by ignorance." Needless to say, there is much more on this topic; I urge sadhaks to read and study Chapter 16, and also Chapter 17 which extends the divine and demoniacal properties into the area of FAITH - "the Shraddhaa of the embodied, which is inherent in man's nature."

1. Threefold is the Shraddhaa of the embodied, which is inherent in their nature, the Saattvika, the Raajasika and the Taamasika. Do thou hear of it.

3. The Shraddhaa of each is according to his natural disposition, O descendant of Bharata. The man consists of his Shraddhaa; he verily is what his Shraddhaa is.

4. Saattvika men worship the Devas; Raajasika, the Yakshas and the Raakshasas; the others"the Taamasika men"the Pretas and the hosts of Bhutas. GITA 17: 2-4

Ram Ram

Deosaran Bisnath

aum

" He alone is wise , he , for whom ,

Right and Wrong, Good and Bad have ceased to exist "

so the Upanishads tell us, so speak the Knowers

ah, dear sadhaks,

he, who pays heed to Natkhat's words .............

he, who chooses to be the friend of the self

he, who raises the self, by the self ..........

he verily goes beyond Good and Bad, Right and Wrong

Aye, soon , he goes beyond Good and Bad, Right and Wrong

and, all that flows from his being

adds nought but Love and Joy to Universe

Aum

narinder bhandari

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