Children, change is the nature of life. Both good and bad things can happen without any warning. Nothing lasts forever in this world. Today’s friend can be tomorrow’s enemy. God is our only true friend. No matter how many relatives and how much worldly wealth we may have, they can never give us lasting happiness. Only surrender to the divine ensures lasting peace and contentment in life. Therefore, we should cultivate an inner bond with god alone. One waters the roots of the tree, not the branches. Only then will the water reach all parts of the tree. Similarly, by loving god, we love all of creation. Thus, we will not become enslaved by excessive attachment to anyone even while leading a family life.
Many of us know the story of the mud ball and the dry leaf who played hide and seek. Though it is a story for children, it conveys a profound meaning. While the mud ball and dry leaf were playing, suddenly, the wind started blowing. The mud ball began to worry: “Oh no, the dry leaf will be blown away.”
To save the dry leaf, the mud ball sat on top of the leaf. After some time, it started raining. The dry leaf covered the mud ball to prevent it from being washed away. After a while, there was both rain and wind. What happened? The leaf was blown away and the mud ball was washed away.
Our life is also like this. When we depend on others, small gains and victories might come our way. But no one will be able to help us in a major crisis. Our only refuge and saving grace then will be surrender to the divine; only it can ensure lasting peace and contentment in life.
This does not mean that we should not love our spouse or children or that we should regard them as strangers. We must love and protect them, but must never forget that god is our only true friend. Everyone else will leave us sooner or later. Therefore, let us depend on god alone, considering all difficulties we face in life as fuel for our inner growth. If we do so, we can enjoy peace and happiness. Depending on god does not mean that we won’t face sorrow or problems in life; we will, but the difficulties will be greatly reduced. Not only that, even in the midst of troubles, we will be able to retain our self-confidence and contentment.
God is very close to you, that is why you cannot see him. Is it possible to see our faces without the aid of a mirror? And will it be possible to see our image in a mirror if it is covered with dust? Wipe it clean, and then certainly you can see.
If you keep pouring water into a bottle of ink, the colour slowly fades until finally, you can’t tell whether there was any ink in it. In the same way, as the mind expands with the constant remembrance of god, the sense of individuality will dissolve and finally disappear. The individual mind becomes the universal mind.
It is enough to catch the queen bee; the other bees will follow her. Similarly, if we depend on god, both spiritual and material prosperity will come our way.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian