Time is fleeting. Yesterday has gone and who knows whether we will see tomorrow? Nothing is permanent, everything changes – the seasons change, the weather changes, our moods change, the mind changes. You yourself can observe this, second by second, everything changes. Time is very precious, and one should not waste it. Those who waste time are ignorant of the reality of life. A moment passes and it is gone forever, it is lost. And if you are not aware, you may have lost the most important moment, the chance to connect with the Self, with the divinity which is all around you.
Every moment of your life is important, but there are some moments in time that are rare and very precious. It is precisely this particular type of moment that we observe during Guru Bhakti Yoga at Rikhiapeeth. On these two special days we remember the moment a great yogi, Gurudev Paramahansa Satyananda, attained Yoga Samadhi. Every month we honour that moment, and in doing so we connect with that higher, all-pervading power. This is how we evolve.
We speak about evolution, we speak about growth, about development, but do we understand what that means? Do you ever ask yourself, “How will I grow, how will I develop?” To evolve you must invest time in the correct way. You invest your money, you think about the many ways in which you can grow richer. But how do you invest your time? I am not speaking about your external life. For the growth of the intellect your work, your studies, your academics are all important. But you have to invest your time in the inner growth as well. That is evolution, and it is for this purpose that we observe Guru Bhakti Yoga on the 5th and 6th of every month. We connect with the moment when this great event took place here at Rikhiapeeth. Yoga Samadhi is a exceptionally rare achievement, and when we align ourselves with that moment in time then we are uplifted, and we can receive the Grace.
We all want the Grace, but do we qualify for it? Just as you have to qualify to become a doctor or an engineer or a lawyer or a teacher, and it takes many years of effort, in the same way you have to qualify to receive the Grace. Even if Guru wants to shower Grace on you, he cannot do it until you are worthy of it, until you deserve it. That is the cosmic law. You become worthy of receiving the Grace by making an effort and by being sincere. You must be dedicated and committed, and you cannot swerve from the path. Many things come in life to distract you, to dissipate your mind. The mind suggests to you many things which distract you from the path that you have chosen. And they’re so tangible, so attractive to you because the mind is ever-powerful. But as long as you make the effort, as long as you are sincere and dedicated, and very serious about it at all times, you will stay on the path, even in times of challenge and difficulty. No matter what situation you face, don’t lose your peace of mind. Hold onto your joy and your happiness.
Difficulty comes into everybody’s life. Whether it is physical, mental or emotional, psychic, spiritual or karmic, everybody has to face challenges, and the teaching of Sri Swamiji was that in every situation one should remain calm, peaceful and happy. You may be very sick or be financially depleted, you may have no future prospects, but even that is not the end of the world. The end of the world is when you have lost your faith and your hope, when you have lost sight of your goal. When this happens you can consider that the end of the world has actually come. If you lose your job, if you fall sick, if you’re tired or angry, you should not become despondant You should hold on tight to your faith and remain committed. If you can do that even in the most challenging situations, then the Grace will surely shower on you.
We live in the world, so we must interact with others all the time. But how should we live in this world? Right now we live like ordinary people, experiencing anger, frustration, sorrow and joy. There is no use asking for Grace until we can change the way we think and respond in our daily interactions. To do this, we have to live like a yogi. How does a yogi live in the world? A yogi lives like a lotus flower, which is born in mud, grows in mud and dies in mud, but is never touched by mud – it is always beautiful and pure and it gives joy to others. That is how you have to live in the world, like a yogi who is unaffected by the circumstances of life. We are very much affected by our mood swings, by criticism and praise, by joy and sorrow. Our minds are always going up and then down, but mind has to be balanced in all circumstances.
On this occasion we commemorate the Samadhi of Guruji and in doing so we strengthen our faith and our efforts and align with the pureness of a great yogi who freed himself from the shackles of the body and returned to the lap of prakriti, to Mother Nature. We will worship the Shiva Lingam, the symbol of cosmic consciousness into which everything finally disappears. And we will perform the Sri Vidya Pooja, because Sri Yantra is the symbol of that cosmic prakriti. At the same time we will chant the mantra Aum because everything originates from Aum, and everything eventually returns back to Aum. Aum is the beginning and also the end of creation. I wish all of you the auspicious blessings of Paramahansa Satyananda. May He guide you in your inner journey.