Devraha Baba ji ka Prasad

We were returning from visiting the Ramnagar Fort in Banaras, all of us together in a boat. From another boat nearby, we received the barfi offered as prasad from Devaraha Babaji.

One family member hesitated and said, “Who knows what kind of prasad this is? Let’s not eat it. At least one of us should avoid it, so if something happens, there’s someone left to tell the story.”

Just then, the boatman’s oar slipped into the river. He jumped in after it—chasing the oar, but no matter how hard he swam, it kept floating farther away. Meanwhile, our boat started rocking dangerously in the wind. None of us knew how to swim. Our lives were suddenly at risk.

Another person remarked, “See, we didn’t eat the prasad. This is the result of our lack of faith.” At once, all of us quickly ate the prasad, thinking that our lives could be lost anyway.

At that very moment, someone from the other boat jumped into the river to help. He caught hold of the oar and handed it to our boatman. Swimming fast, the boatman climbed back in before our boat could overturn. He regained control, and soon we reached the shore safely.

Even today, the taste of that prasad remains fresh in my memory.

Live but with love

 If we only identify with what we see (our body, weaknesses, and helplessness), then naturally we fall into depression. Because the body and worldly life are full of limitations.

Because when we look closely at ourselves we see our weaknesses and helplessness. 

 Great souls and teachers are our pillars of light who drive away the darkness of our depression. Teachers introduce us to ourselves; they operate on the eyes of our mind. Then we see that we are not only the body — there is something behind whatever is happening here that we cannot see or understand, and we remain lost in thought asking why this is so.

But everyone wishes for a magic wand that would instantly make their pain and sorrow vanish. For that, however, one must have the courage to step briefly outside this world. To go outside the world, we must grasp what is beyond it — and that is God. We cannot see God, but we can sense Him, because by His love He is always with us. We are His children; He protects us. Whenever trouble comes, help arrives in one form or another. We are not even deserving of that help — it comes to us far more than we deserve — but our attention is not on being grateful to Him; instead we are busy trying to gain more than what we already have. Sometimes we should also pay attention to the blessings we have received. Then we will find that we are indebted to Him.

God gives us complete freedom to live according to our wishes; we place ourselves in trouble by nurturing various foolish desires, and then exhaust ourselves trying to fulfill them. He watches us and smiles, just as we sometimes smile at our children’s mischiefs and sometimes give them a little reprimand — all for their own good. But with God there is no need to reprimand, because He has created nature’s system so that wrong actions bring suffering. Whatever happens, however, is limited to this body. Even amid suffering, if we remember our true existence we will pass beyond the pain. If we can remember that God always loves us, then we will have no need to desire anything. But because of the results of the desires we have already formed, we find ourselves in the position we are in now; we must fulfill the responsibilities we have been given — but do so with love.

Life is the play of divine

 

Why are we living?

This question seems to have no final answer. Whoever is alive is searching for happiness. For many, happiness appears to lie in material comforts. Yet even those who possess comforts are not truly content — because there is no certainty of how long they will last. Then all the effort and possessions feel meaningless.

When the mind is disturbed, no physical comfort has real value. But the mind itself is not free — our intellect keeps interfering, always judging: “This is right, this is wrong, do it this way, not that way.” A sharp intellect often creates even more complications. Someone with less intellect may not achieve much, while someone who manages to gain satisfaction through intellect often ends up in pride, and pride isolates. In isolation, everything feels empty.

So what should a human being do? Again and again the same question arises: Why are we alive? But such an answer cannot be caught by intellect, because intellect itself is limited — its light is not its own. True clarity comes only when we reach the source of light, the very source that illuminates the intellect.

When one touches that source, it becomes clear: we are not acting independently — we are only instruments. Everyone is working as an instrument for each other. Someone grows food, someone makes clothes, someone builds houses, someone produces medicine. Can any of us do all of this alone? We are all serving as means for one another — and who is this “another”? Without the light of the Divine within, nothing remains.

In truth, it is the Divine working for the Divine. The One has turned into the Many. Then why is there suffering? That too is part of the play. If suffering were removed, the play of the world would end. The one who realizes this — that the world is a divine play — stops being troubled. Such a person lives in joy, doing every action as an offering, as a divine instrument.

Ultimate knowledge

 

Ultimate knowledge 

…Thoughts are coming about what the similarity is between knowledge, action, and devotion. One must have the knowledge that devotion is everything. But what, after all, is devotion? Devotion is love for God. Who is God? God is this entire creation. So, love for creation is love for God.

How is love expressed? It is expressed through action. When we do something for someone, filled with love, there is neither fatigue nor irritation. So the most important thing is love—only then will we be able to work without any confusion. And having this knowledge is necessary.

Self confidence

 Self confidence 

Today I also woke up at 5 o’clock and watched Jagran. I noticed a line on my cheek — it seems the wrinkles are beginning.

 Today, there was a lecture organized by the ADCO Ladies’ Club on the topic “How to Increase Self-Confidence.” I attended from 9:15 to 11:15, for two hours. Along with coffee, breakfast was also served.

The lecture was very good. There were a total of seven points. First, it was said that usually a person lives for about seventy years, that is 24,500 days. And all of us here are around thirty-five, so only about 12,000 days remain. Therefore, don’t waste your days — live them fully. Change your perspective. A person becomes what he thinks. Think positively about yourself and you will become positive. Whatever you have received, good or bad, it is the result of your own actions. No one else is to blame — you are responsible for yourself.

I was impressed by the lecture and went near to say thank you. The lecture was in English, so I told them in English that I have just completed an English-speaking course and I am trying to speak. They were happy that I had learned quickly.

There I also met some new ladies — Kitty, Sindhia, Nadia, Marina, and Gina. Marina introduced herself, gave me her phone number, and also took mine. She introduced me to Gina. I also met Violet and Anisa from English class, and even Hind was there.

It was a wonderful experience to take part in the meeting.

Struggle

 

Struggle 

Life is never free of struggles; from birth to old age, the journey is full of them. Some struggles are natural. The moment a child is born, the fight begins—first to breathe, then to sit, walk, and speak. Slowly, the child learns each step.

But soon another kind of struggle begins—the struggle with restrictions. “Don’t touch that. Don’t eat this. Don’t go there.” Rules, rules, and more rules. A child is hardly free to act on his own will.

Of course, some rules are necessary for safety. Yet many are imposed not for the child’s sake, but for the parents’ sense of control. They want the child to know that he is under their authority, that his wishes cannot overrule theirs. Too much freedom, they fear, could be a danger to themselves.

Children respond differently to this constant restraint. Some rebel. Some submit. And some… transform their silent struggle into words, becoming writers and poets.

A Little stress,A little worry

A Little stress A little worry 

When a wealthy person falls ill, the common advice is: “Don’t worry, don’t take stress.”

But what really is stress? What worries me? Unless we understand them, how can we avoid them?

The truth is, the absence of all worry and stress has itself become a reason for illness. Life has grown so comfortable that effort has disappeared. When everything can be managed without moving, why would anyone bother to walk? When food can be soft and easy to swallow, why should the teeth do any work?

But now it’s time to give some “healthy stress” back to life.

Let the legs worry a little — by walking.

Let the hands take some stress — by cooking something new instead of the same old parathas.

Let the teeth exert themselves — by chewing something fresh, crisp, and green.

Let the eyes lift away from the iPad and laptop, and look at the faraway sky where clouds, the moon, and the stars shine.

Let the ears turn from TV dramas to the cheerful songs of birds.

Take a little stress in life, worry a little — not to weaken yourself, but to keep life alive.

Once, these activities seemed like a waste of time. But after running around hospitals, I have realized: the real waste of time is happening now.