Pujya Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

[Guest guest]

Question: How to become Self-Reliant? How to become Independent and

Free?

 

Answer: No one likes dependency. A dependent man does not get happiness even in

his dreams - " Paraadheen sapnehun sukh naahi " (Manasa 1:102:3). In spite of

being so, man desires happiness from others, he desires respect from others, he

desires praise from others, he desires to gain from others - this is such a

surprising thing. He who desires happiness, relaxation, gains from an

individual, a thing, a situation, an incident, a state has to become dependent.

He cannot escape it, whoever he may be. I go to that extent to state that even

God cannot be saved. He who desires anything from another, he will be dependent.

 

He who is a devotee of Paramatma, is not dependent, because Paramatma is not

separate from him. Jeev is evidently and veritably a part of

Paramatma. But if we desire other things besides Paramatma, then we

will become dependent, because besides Paramatma no other thing is ours at all.

It is only on not desiring other things that desire for

Paramatma manifests. If desire for other things does not remain, then

Paramatma will be realized.

 

If there is desire for anything, that desire exhibits our poverty.

Therefore why is it that you are purchasing poverty for free? If your

desire is to be happy, then do not desire happiness from others. I

would like to gain something from others, wipe this account (desire for

transacting) out once and for all. No gain can come from others. Can he who

desires something from others be saved from becoming dependent? Can he become

independent? Can he be self-reliant and free? Therefore become firm on this one

point - I will not desire anything. I will also not desire anything from

Paramatma.

 

One who believes himself to be dependent on those things that are

created and later destroyed (perishable things), how can he be happy?

Another extraordinary point is that - those who desire from others are

actually, non-deserving. They are not entitled at all. Just like one

who desires respect from others, in not deserving of any respect. He

who is deserving of respect, does not desire respect. If you look

carefully in the 18 Akshouhini army, which has kshatriyas and

kshatriyas, and Himself being a Kshatriya, He became a charioteer and

driving the horses, is such an ordinary and disrespectful thing! What

is the greatness in steering the horses? Is it something that is

deserving of respect? But Shri Krishna did not feel ashamed of doing

this work. He who is deserving of respect does not desire respect. But

how are we to know that he is deserving of respect? In the opposite

army, the first one to blow the conch was Bhishmaji and in this army,

the first one to blow the conch was Shri Bhagwaan Krishna. This is

because in the Kaurava army, the leader, the chief was Bhishma, whereas in the

Pandava army, it was Shri Bhagwaan Krishna.

 

He who desires respect is a slave to respect. He who desires disciples, is a

slave to disciples. He who desires wealth, is a slave to wealth and riches. He

is not a master (owner) of wealth at all. Therefore desires should be rooted out

entirely from the mind.