Being Cheerful
The call for Satsang came as always. When greeting Sri Mahaprabu my voice showed no enthusiasm today. Sri Mahaprabu caught it and said “Vurchagathhoda… With Enthusiasm! We have to develop enthusiasm and cheerfulness ourselves.” This became the Satsang topic, as he spoke at length about why we aren’t cheerful in general and what to do about it.
Why we are not enthusiastic
The mind will easily get dull, unenthusiastic, Sorndhu (in tamil). Why? Look at yesterday when you woke up. And compare that with today when you woke up. Is there any difference? No. Daily 3 times a day you feel hungry, you eat, you do the same things, you sleep and you wake up again. Go back 20 years. You did the same thing. Woke up, ate 3 times. Why won’t the mind get tired? There will be fatigue.
In Mechanical Engineering, it is known that even metals have fatigue – a) due to their own weight and b) due to repeated use at specific points. They have an ‘endurance limit’. If a piece of metal can get fatigue, imagine a human mind!
Enthusiasm, Cheerfulness must be developed
The difference between a metal and a mind is that the mind can refresh itself, while a metal cannot! So if you make an attempt to be cheerful, enthusiastic, you certainly will become that. Godliness comes easily to whom? To one who is ever content, grateful, cheerful. Instead if you are always sad, dull, whining about your problems, brooding internally… Godliness will not even come near you. Interestingly, if you are always crying and melting to see God, to be with God, for that person also Godliness comes easily! Both extremes bring God closer. It is the dull brooder that is so far away from God. Why? Because God is Happiness, Love, Grace.
Jnana vs. Jnana infused with Bhakti
You cannot do one thing. What is that? Die.
Yes, you cannot die. So what is left to do? Live! So live happily, cheerfully. Socrates when sentenced to death by poison, he knew the death of the body was certain. Yet he died very cheerfully. Al-Hallaj Mansour a persian sufi poet was also executed because his views were considered anti-religious – (He said ‘I am the Truth’). The execution was barbaric. He was tortured and decapitated. Yet He is supposed to have borne it so cheerfully, saying No matter what disguise you come in, I still recognize you. You gave me this body, God. Now You are taking it away. These are examples of Jnana infused with devotion, Bhakti.
SC: You regularly ask us to practice Unarvin Thordarbu, Awareness, doing tasks in touch with the feeling of Existence. When I attempt to do so, at that moment there is a sense of focus, not cheerfulness. There is quietness, even seriousness in trying to be aware but not enthusiasm.
Mahaprabu: If that is the case, then you are not in Unarvin Thodarbu! You might think you are but you aren’t. Why? Let us look at the times that Mahaprabu has conducted Unarvu Nilai Dhyanam (the practice that helps us to connect with our own self). You know that at least once or twice you had the experience of tremendous happiness, or at least a serene peace?
SC: Yes certainly.
Mahaprabu: That shows that when real Unarvin Thodarbu was experienced, you were happy, cheerful. Which means that if you aren’t cheerful, happy, you are NOT in Unarvin Thodarbu. You are drinking something but it certainly isn’t the juice you think you are drinking!!
Duality and Bliss cannot co-exist
As long as you are divided, two, Magizchi or Bliss or total Joy cannot exist. If you observe closely, Unarvin Thodarbu (getting in touch with Feeling of Existence) itself has duality. Getting in touch requires two entities. Feeling of Existence, and the Mind or attempter or attention that is trying to get in touch with it. Here is a key question: When the mind tries to reach that experience of Feeling of Existence, and in doing so begins to dissolve itself, will such a mind be cheerful or frustrated? It will be dejected. Why? Because losing itself is a failure. It does not like disappearing. Yet the Mind has to fail. Only then you disappear. That failure leads to Salippu, Dejection. So, until the mind is gone there won’t be happiness. But the attempts to dissolve the mind lead to dejection, sadness. This makes the mind tired in its attempts. It resists further. What a quandary!
What to do?
You have to put in effort to continue these attempts, beyond the mind’s tendencies to feel sad. If you keep on persisting in your attempts, then one day, in your disappearance there will be total Magizchi, Bliss. That’s why I said in the very beginning, that you have to keep yourself cheerful, enthusiastic.
In all worldly matters, when you fail on the first attempt aren’t you sad? No one is happy they failed. For example, Someone fails an exam, fails in his business venture, or his marriage proposal falls through. Isn’t there sadness? Yes. So, it is THAT SAME MIND that is trying for Unarvin Thodarbu, Awareness, being in touch with Existence. You have separated the two types of attempts (worldly vs spiritual) but it is the exact same mind. There is no such thing as worldly or spiritual. Outside vs. Inside. Naturally that mind is going to be dejected when it doesn’t get what it attempted to get.
OK, do you have any questions now?
SC: (Was very cheerful). No. I am happy now!
Mahaprabu: When there are absolutely no questions, no doubts you are happy. That is the state that Mahaprabu wants to get you to. That is Unarvin Thodarbu. Everything else is Thodarbu (connection, getting in touch with) with something else. i.e. Thoughts about Unarvu, ideas, opinions, and similar garbage. Yes there will be frustration. Mahaprabu’s job is not to answer your question, but to make the questions disappear, along with the questioner.
It is like this. You want to go to Shimla (a cool mountainous region in North India). You are on the way, somewhere in Madhya Pradesh (a very hot state in Central India). You are tired, sweating, frustrated. Agreed. So what does that mean? You are NOT IN SHIMLA!!! Now you have two choices when it comes to your attitude. 1) Cheerfulness. I know I am not in Simla, so I need to go faster, try harder. Because I know I want to go to Shimla. (or)
2) Oh! I am suffering so much. This is so painful. What will I do.. etc. Between these two attitudes, which one do you think will get you faster to Simla? Whoever is cheerful will move faster to Simla. See how SimPla (Very simply!) Mahaprabu has shown you the path to Simla! By adding just one letter P!
The only place where Godliness is revealed
Mahaprabu works so hard, for such long hours but still does not get tired or frustrated. Because he is at God’s feet always. HE supplies me that boundless enthusiasm and alertness 24×7. God is ever cheerful, happy, and active. That Godly cheerfulness, where can you see? Not in a temple, Not in a human, Not in any of his Creations, for instance in the Sun. Only in the Guru. The only place where Godliness is totally revealed is in the Guru. Hence it is said Mātha (Mother), Pithā (Father), Guru, Daivam (God). Guru is nearest to God.
Wonderful!!!
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