PART 18 - YAKSHA PRASHNAM SATSANGH

PART 18 – YAKSHA PRASHNAM SATSANGH

This week we are covering the following questions of yaksha.

1.      What is the reward for one when he acts with judgement? – He gets whatever he seeks.

2.      What is the reward for one who has many friends? – He lives happily.

 

WHAT IS THE REWARD FOR ONE WHEN HE ACTS WITH JUDGEMENT?

HE GETS WHATEVER HE SEEKS.

(What do we seek in life? We all seek peace of mind. We think having riches and money will give peace of mind and we have found many times that it is not the truth. We think name and fame will give us peace but the anxiety not to lose it, takes away our peace in life. Like this in many ways we try to win peace by wrong ways.

The real peace lies within us. If we dont let everything in life to affect us, we will find peace in life. If we have the judgement or discrimination, we will get what we seek.

We have seen how many people fight with the conductor of the bus and they are dropped half the way without reaching their destination. Similarly we keep on fighting with the people, situations all the time without understanding that it is taking us away from the Lord, who is our ultimate goal of life.

Acting with judgment is a must in every moment of our life. If we act without thinking, we don't get what we seek. Searching and seeking are different. Searching is looking out for a thing without knowing where it is. Seeking is the process of finding out a thing knowing where it is and with proper guidance.

Judgment gives the clarity in which direction one need to proceed and also knows about the wrong directions which will not get us the result. A person who seeks Lord knows very well that he can't keep the world. In any action, he will ask himself whether it takes me towards Lord or away from Lord and with the right discrimination, he reaches the goal. The reward of judgment is he gets what he wants.

Life is filled with opportunities to choose between making big deal out of something or simply letting it go, realizing it doesn't really matter. If we act with judgment we will be winning those that are truly important.

Yudishtira talked about 'talking agreeable words' in the last answer. This answer continues the topic. A person can speak agreeable words if he has the right judgment. There are certain times in our lives when we want or need to argue, confront or even fight for something we believe in. Many people, however argue, confront, and fight over practically anything, turning their lives into a series of battles over relatively small things. There is so much of frustration in living this type of life that we lose track of what is truly relevant.

Richard Carlston writes in his book 'Don't sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff':

"The truth is, life rarely is exactly the way we want it to be, and other people often don't act as we would like them to. Moment to moment, there are aspects of life that we like and others that we don't. There are always going to be people who disagree with us, people who do things differently, and things that don't work out. If we fight against this principle of life, we'll spend most of our life fighting battles.

A more peaceful way to live is to decide consciously which battles are worth fighting and which are better left alone. If our primary goal isn't to have everything work out perfectly but instead to live a stress-free life, we will find that most battles pull us away from our most tranquil feelings"

Having right judgment in life will keep us happy.

If somebody's life is in danger and we ask them, "What do you think of politics? What do you think about Sri Lankan cricketers attacked at Pakistan?" He would say, "I don't care! Rescue me!" Our mind will go according to our discrimination.

Agreeable words make us agreeable to all. It creates a loving atmosphere. This atmosphere is the result of right judgment of what to carry with us and what to leave. Judgement is the tool which decides the direction of our life/actions towards our goal. A student who has kept the goal to join medical college, with his judgement, plans his studies, hours of studies, gets guidance from proper teacher and reaches the goal. He knows clearly that he should not argue with the teacher, waste his time in enjoyments and not to misplace his books.

Judgement (BUDDHI YOGA) is taking what is important to reach the goal and leaving what is against the goal. Lord says in Gita that a distracted mind can never achieve anything in life. Judgement is the action of a focused mind, the mind merged with the intellect.

 

WHAT IS THE REWARD FOR ONE WHEN HE HAS MANY FRIENDS?

HE LIVES HAPPILY.

(When one speaks agreeable words with the right judgement, he wins many friends in life. Because there are no enemies, the person lives happily in his life.

Lord says in Bhagavad Gita at the end of the fifth chapter that 'He is the friend of all beings'. He once again says in the ninth chapter that He is the 'suhrt' (the friend of all).  

Yudishtira's answer conveys the message that 'friends' are not the number of people around us as friends but our attitude towards everyone around us. When we have enmity, we cannot live happily. Dhrithrashtra, Ravana, Hiranyakashipu, Kamsa could never sleep in their lives peacefully because of their enmity towards the Lord. People lose their sleep when they have jealousy, enmity, hatred towards others.

Lord Krishna says in Gita "To the unmeditative there is no peace, and how can one without peace have happiness?" If happiness is the objective, one has to handle the mind; to handle the mind, one have to handle the senses; then all the friendliness sets in a person. When inner purity is attained through discrimination, the person is not afraid of any creature nor is creatures afraid of that person. That person has the whole world as his friend.

Bheeshma says in his advice to Yudishtira: "A man considers another to be his friend so long as he is assured that his interests are safe: so long as he is sure that it is profitable for him to do so. If he is sure that this state of things will continue as long as the other man is alive, he allows the friendship to continue for life. The entire world is pivoted round one factor, 'self-interest' and it ever revolves around it. No one is dear to another unless there is some gain involved. The friendship dies as soon as the reason for the friendship dies."

A true friendship is without any motive. As long as there is selfishness, one cannot have many friends. As long as there are desires, nobody can bring happiness in a person's life.

We should always remember Sri Krishna who lived with a smiling face throughout His life. He was a friend to everyone around Him. He is a friend to all of us. We can think of Him at any time, talk to Him, and cry to Him. He gives all that we need without even asking for it.

Ugrasena asks Krishna the secret of how he is able to move with everyone in such a way that everyone loves him and respects him. Krishna tells him that it is possible because he is always thinking of / worshipping a Mahan. And that Mahan is Narada. Further he points out that if one is thinking of Mahans all the time one becomes like them. Imagine the humility of Lord of the Universe if He says this. And when Ugrasena confronts Narada with the same question Narada tells him it is made possible due to his forever being in worship of Krishna!

One who respects everyone will be loved, respected and honored by everyone.

 

The admirable characteristic of Lord Krishna is of not accepting kingdoms that come his way. He killed Kamsa but installed Kamsa's father as the King. After Jarasandha vadham, He installed Jarasandha's son as the king. He does this again and again and never accepts coronation for Himself. He stays throughout Mahabharatham as a king without crown. But He receives love, respect and honour from everyone.

 

Leaving desires, one gains many friends and that person lives happily.

 

SUMMARY:

 

To have many friends is possible only if one serves with unconditional love and identifies himself in everyone around him. Desires are obstacles for love.

 

I recall Bharthiyar's verses on 'Krishna! My friend'

 

"azhaikum pozhudinil poakku sollaamal arai nodikkuL varuvaan

(When we call Him He arrives there in no time)

Kaetta pozhudil poruL kodupaan – sollum kaeli poruthiduvaan

(He grants desires immediately. Whoever insults Him, He bears it with patience)

Ennai aatangaL kaatium paatukkal paadium aarudal seididuvaan

(He entertains us with all best things)

ULLathile karuvam konda poadinil oangi adithiduvaan

(When the pride comes in, He beats us in the heart)

Nenjil kaLLathai kondoru vaarthai sonnaal – angu

Kaari umizhndiduvaan  

(If we utter anything in hypocrisy, He looks upon that person as low)– siru pallathile nedu naal azhugum ketta

Paasiyai yetri vidum – perum veLLathai poal aruL vaarthaigaL solli

Melivu thavirthiduvaan"

(The dirt which is accumulated for many days is taken away by the flood of His graceful words)

 

Whenever we have problems in life, we go to the Lord with complete faith that He will take care of us irrespective of our mistakes. Let us love like Him.

 

Once the goal of life is fixed, one needs to act with judgement to achieve it.

The goal of human birth is to get out of the cycles of birth and death. That is possible if we act with discrimination (real and unreal) and if we are friendly towards all beings/creatures around us. 

HARI OM!