PERSONAL LIKING AND GOODWILL

One is personal liking or passion and the other is goodwill. The passion for the samsara gradually enslaves one thereto; while goodwill, in due course of time, does lend one to the Truth personified God. One driven by goodwill does get divine inspirations at virtually every step of his life besides having his intellect sharpened ever further. Thus goodwill brings real happiness into one’s life, paves the way for divine inspirations to guide him suitably and finally unites him with the Truth Absolute. Personal liking ensnares man in sense pleasures, but goodwill leads one into the practice of yoga quite naturally.

General Dyer had perpetrated the Jalianwala Baug massacre in the year 1919 A.D. and thereby earned wide-spread notoriety among the people of that time. The ‘Hunter Committee’ that probed into the case did denigrate and censure him in the harshest words; whereupon he lost his job as well. Then, eventually he was down with a (severe) paralytic attack in 1921 A.D. And the Nature’s wrath of vengeance did not stop at that but made him suffer the pangs of arthritis as well. A few days before his death when he was still suffering from (acute) arthritis and in a conscious state, he declared. “May the world at large know from me in these final moments of my life the consequent end of a person who, like me, basks in the vainglory of being very clever and doesn’t feel any sort of hesitation or shame while acting in an absolutely violent manner.”

His own cleverness led Dyer to such downright degeneration! How wretched and painful a death he suffered in the end in his bid to become great by way of fulfilling his desires!

The mad run for fulfilling one’s desires does invariably destroy all one’s potentials, be in Mussolini, a courageous man like Napolean Bonaparte or anybody else. Dharma restrains the ego and base desires.

‘Where there is dharma, there is victory’. True victory abides where there is dharma and discipline in life. One who lacks dharma and discipline in life and is more interested in nurturing his ego and desires, brings about the destruction of oneself as well as of mankind. While by nurturing goodwill one can bring about the good of oneself as well as of mankind just like Swami Vivekanandaji, Sant Kabirji, Sant Rohidasji, Mirabai and Shabari, who by nurturing goodwill in their hearts not only attained redemption themselves but also people who follow their footprints are redeemed.

The passion for the world and attachment towards it, makes the jiva wretched. Nurture goodwill to get rid of them. Goodwill means to wish for the good of others. The good of others includes the good of your body as well. Your body too is ‘an other entity’ (different from you), because you are not the body. To keep the body healthy too is goodwill, but ‘I shall enjoy through the body, let others go to hell’- this is personal liking or desire. ‘My wife, children, father, etc. should be useful to me…..’ this again is personal liking. Our abilities are meant for all and should be employed in the service of all – this is called goodwill. Goodwill is magnanimous, a giver; and steeps one in the very spirit of the Supreme Giver. Personal liking is selfishness. If one equipped with goodwill, goes to a temple, will offer a few grains of rice, a couple of flowers, some water of the holy Ganges or just a glass of water by uttering ‘namah sivaya’. Now, is Lord Shiva in need of anything? No, but then some action is necessary to express goodwill. Goodwill is so noble as it can’t but give something even to God, while personal liking is so slavish as not to refrain from pestering even God and the Guru.

Goodwill develops good sense and sympathy for others; it leads one to Self-repose and finally to Self-realization; while hankering after the fulfillment of desires increases ill-will and selfishness and leads man to a state lower even than beasts. An animal, as such, evolves gradually from animal to human level of being; but one who is a slave to personal likings. Gradually goes on throttling his essential humanness, thereby sliding down towards beastliness. And that is not all! In case he fails to get an animal body he becomes a goblin. And if he isn’t worthy of getting the body of even a goblin, he is relegated to the birth of a tree, and if he is not eligible for even that, he attains to jadibhava, i.e. the inert state of existence, according to the ‘Sri Valmki Ramayana.’

…..So now get rid of the passion for fulfilling your desires and awaken goodwill. Despite having such an enormously great wealth of penance and a city of gold each, Ravana and Hiranyakashipu transgressed all limits of cruelty and tyranny in their mad run for fulfilling their desires, which prompted God to kill Hiranyakashipu by incarnating Himself as Lord Narsimha and Ravana, by incarnating Himself as Lord Rama. He also killed Kamsa in His incarnation as Sri Krishna. But Lord Rama and Lakshmanaji massaged the feet of Sage Vishwamitraji who was endowed with goodwill. Lord Krishna had served Rishi Sandipaniji. Sandipaniji had goodwill in his heart and would engage himself in the divine endeavors of the Guru. His Guru said, “Son! You are my disciple, but God Himself will become your disciple.”

Sandipaniji had no personal liking but by virtue of his goodwill, God became his disciple. Goodwill has the power to make God a friend and even a disciple. Goodwill has the power to behold God as one’s own Self; while sensual desire has the power to bring one’s noble mentality, good sense and life to ruin. Know the difference between goodwill and personal liking and take recourse to dharma and principles as well as to goodwill.