Pride and selfishness are two major vices. They spoil the nature of a person, and they not only hurt others but also lead one to downfall. If one removes these feelings of vanity and selfishness, one’s nature will get improved.
On one side the man wants to meet his mind’s wish whereas on the other he wants to get his desired things. Every moment he waits for the opportunity to get money, respect, reverence or comforts of his life.’ When he nurtures such feelings in his mind, his inherent nature becomes vile. So undoubtedly pride, egoism or selfishness only spoils the nature of a person.
One should try to be egoless.
“One should remain unpretentious
without nurturing ill will in the mind,
Whatever benefits life others, one should
Always dwell in contentment.
(Sri Ram Charitmanas. Uttar Kand: 45.1)
One who remains guileless and behaves
naturally with everyone,
The Lord helps such a devotee attain salvation.”
The recollection of those who behave guilelessly, even towards fraudulent people, and who nurture the habit of ‘being beneficent evil doers’ gives peace of mind. Is it strenuous to attain such simplicity and artlessness? You may have to exert yourself in practicing deceit, because for that you will have to scheme some crooked plan in your mind whereas artless behavior does not require any sort of artfulness. It is true that hypocrisy and disguise needs forged documentation. Even then, one tends to err to default at one point of time or the other. When the person behaves unpretentiously, he enjoys every moment of his life. Abandon pride and selfishness, and think about the welfare of others. How to make others happy? How to do good to others? Always think and try to devise various means for the welfare of others. Think how you can help others to experience peace and happiness through satsang and by inculcating noble traits in them. You should not be worried even if you have no wealth, knowledge, ability, power or position. Inspite of having nothing, your benevolent feelings will improve your nature. On the contrary, your nature will get spoiled if you nurture falsehood, deceit, egotism, dogmatism and self-assertion. Such a vile nature will afflict you even in the mortal sheaths of birds or animals. It will not let you live happily even in these lower births. One who a good nature will definitely live happily even in these lower births, and if he is a human being, he will attain excellence.
Man has the privilege to improve his nature. Someone with money can purchase only in the market. None can ever think of buying anything in the woods. So this world is like a big market. Here everything is available. Make use of it by improving your nature, purify your mind in this market of human life. Once the human birth is over, you will remain as you are. You will not be able to make any improvement afterwards. Your nature may worsen in lower births but it is very difficult to find anything good in those births. Even if you do, it will be ephemeral and not spiritual. You cannot improve your nature. A good trainer may impart some knowledge only to lead a disciplined life; otherwise bad habits will continue to torment the whole life.
When an animal develops bad habits at a young age, it turns out to be a nuisance to everyone. Upon being irritated, it learns to hit back. It has to suffer beating throughout its life. So, one can learn a bad habit even while in the sheath of an animal. Hence, in a nutshell, evils and vices are attainable even in lower births. The opportunity to attain goodness is possible only a human birth. Here too, not all the time. When one gets satsang, sublime thoughts and scriptures, one should not miss the precious opportunity and try to cultivate goodness in oneself.
“It is great fortune that you have secured a human body, which-as all the scriptures declare-is difficult even for the gods to attain.”
(Sri Ram Charit. Uttar Kand: 42.4)
We have attained this human body, which even gods find difficult to attain; then why not make use of it? Why not improve our nature? Why not purify and sanctify it? Thereafter, you will enjoy all of life, because every being’s disposition whether good or bad remains always with him. So, wherever you go, improve your nature and purify it.
Abandon pride and selfishness and think how to do good to others, how you can give happiness to and bring about the welfare of others using your might, mind, intellect, abilities, potentialities, power, position, etc. Such feelings will purify your heart to such an extent that even others will get purified by your glance.
“One who doesn’t afflict others through body, mind or words,
Tulsidasji says, the darshan of such a one destroys sins.”
The darshan of such a great person relieves the being of his sins. You all can attain such a state in your life. Mirabai didn’t give anything to us. But listening to her poems gives us peace of mind; singing them cultivates devotion to God. We all revere Mirabai because her mind was full of divine love and beneficent feelings. She never came in our midst, but her sublime nature continues to elevate us. And we like her precepts, her poems, practically everything because her mind was pure. Mirabai’s mother-in-law was respectable to her, but nobody knows even her name. Whereas Mirabai became renowned not only in her own country, but she attained international acclaim also. She became renowned not by desire for name and fame but only due to her devotion to God.
In order to carry their names forward, householders wish to have a son. Most of them are blessed with sons but virtually their name never earned acclaim. Many have acquired posts and positions but could not hold on to them for long. What to talk of others? Today even the descendents do not remember the names of their predecessors several generations back. So do devotional practices. I can’t say whether your name will became known to others or not but you will certainly attain salvation and the entire world will be greatly benefited. Therefore, improve your nature and purify it. How will you do it?
Abandon self assertiveness. Give up pride and respect others and do good to them. Instead of being dogmatic, it is better to give significance to others even if the opinions of both are logical. Such a fair practice also help in improving one’s own nature.
On one side the man wants to meet his mind’s wish whereas on the other he wants to get his desired things. Every moment he waits for the opportunity to get money, respect, reverence or comforts of his life.’ When he nurtures such feelings in his mind, his inherent nature becomes vile. So undoubtedly pride, egoism or selfishness only spoils the nature of a person.
One should try to be egoless.
“One should remain unpretentious
without nurturing ill will in the mind,
Whatever benefits life others, one should
Always dwell in contentment.
(Sri Ram Charitmanas. Uttar Kand: 45.1)
One who remains guileless and behaves
naturally with everyone,
The Lord helps such a devotee attain salvation.”
The recollection of those who behave guilelessly, even towards fraudulent people, and who nurture the habit of ‘being beneficent evil doers’ gives peace of mind. Is it strenuous to attain such simplicity and artlessness? You may have to exert yourself in practicing deceit, because for that you will have to scheme some crooked plan in your mind whereas artless behavior does not require any sort of artfulness. It is true that hypocrisy and disguise needs forged documentation. Even then, one tends to err to default at one point of time or the other. When the person behaves unpretentiously, he enjoys every moment of his life. Abandon pride and selfishness, and think about the welfare of others. How to make others happy? How to do good to others? Always think and try to devise various means for the welfare of others. Think how you can help others to experience peace and happiness through satsang and by inculcating noble traits in them. You should not be worried even if you have no wealth, knowledge, ability, power or position. Inspite of having nothing, your benevolent feelings will improve your nature. On the contrary, your nature will get spoiled if you nurture falsehood, deceit, egotism, dogmatism and self-assertion. Such a vile nature will afflict you even in the mortal sheaths of birds or animals. It will not let you live happily even in these lower births. One who a good nature will definitely live happily even in these lower births, and if he is a human being, he will attain excellence.
Man has the privilege to improve his nature. Someone with money can purchase only in the market. None can ever think of buying anything in the woods. So this world is like a big market. Here everything is available. Make use of it by improving your nature, purify your mind in this market of human life. Once the human birth is over, you will remain as you are. You will not be able to make any improvement afterwards. Your nature may worsen in lower births but it is very difficult to find anything good in those births. Even if you do, it will be ephemeral and not spiritual. You cannot improve your nature. A good trainer may impart some knowledge only to lead a disciplined life; otherwise bad habits will continue to torment the whole life.
When an animal develops bad habits at a young age, it turns out to be a nuisance to everyone. Upon being irritated, it learns to hit back. It has to suffer beating throughout its life. So, one can learn a bad habit even while in the sheath of an animal. Hence, in a nutshell, evils and vices are attainable even in lower births. The opportunity to attain goodness is possible only a human birth. Here too, not all the time. When one gets satsang, sublime thoughts and scriptures, one should not miss the precious opportunity and try to cultivate goodness in oneself.
“It is great fortune that you have secured a human body, which-as all the scriptures declare-is difficult even for the gods to attain.”
(Sri Ram Charit. Uttar Kand: 42.4)
We have attained this human body, which even gods find difficult to attain; then why not make use of it? Why not improve our nature? Why not purify and sanctify it? Thereafter, you will enjoy all of life, because every being’s disposition whether good or bad remains always with him. So, wherever you go, improve your nature and purify it.
Abandon pride and selfishness and think how to do good to others, how you can give happiness to and bring about the welfare of others using your might, mind, intellect, abilities, potentialities, power, position, etc. Such feelings will purify your heart to such an extent that even others will get purified by your glance.
“One who doesn’t afflict others through body, mind or words,
Tulsidasji says, the darshan of such a one destroys sins.”
The darshan of such a great person relieves the being of his sins. You all can attain such a state in your life. Mirabai didn’t give anything to us. But listening to her poems gives us peace of mind; singing them cultivates devotion to God. We all revere Mirabai because her mind was full of divine love and beneficent feelings. She never came in our midst, but her sublime nature continues to elevate us. And we like her precepts, her poems, practically everything because her mind was pure. Mirabai’s mother-in-law was respectable to her, but nobody knows even her name. Whereas Mirabai became renowned not only in her own country, but she attained international acclaim also. She became renowned not by desire for name and fame but only due to her devotion to God.
In order to carry their names forward, householders wish to have a son. Most of them are blessed with sons but virtually their name never earned acclaim. Many have acquired posts and positions but could not hold on to them for long. What to talk of others? Today even the descendents do not remember the names of their predecessors several generations back. So do devotional practices. I can’t say whether your name will became known to others or not but you will certainly attain salvation and the entire world will be greatly benefited. Therefore, improve your nature and purify it. How will you do it?
Abandon self assertiveness. Give up pride and respect others and do good to them. Instead of being dogmatic, it is better to give significance to others even if the opinions of both are logical. Such a fair practice also help in improving one’s own nature.
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