And Live For Others March 2, 1971 In America, some Satsangs have thousand of dollars in funds in the satsang account, but satsangs, to my knowledge, never do anything with it for the help of the people around in their communities or anything, and I wonder what advice you might have no that behalf? For instance in - - - there were migrant
workers one time, and I think they were actually starving at one time. Who? Migrant workers. They're a low class of workers that travel, migrate around the country, just picking crops and so forth. They were very much in a tight spot one time, and that would have been an ideal time for the satsang to help with food and this and that thing. Is there any general rule that the satsangs could follow helping the very needy in the communities and so forth? You see, it is
the duty of everybody. For instance, if some needy man is there, and you are
close to him, you may help to the extent you can. If more is wanted, you might
ask the group officer. If everybody goes up to the group officer, “Well help
this cause, help these people” , then? Whatever is received is required to be
used in so many other ways, is it not? Do you follow me? if only a little help
is required; everybody duty is to help. If, for some reason or another, man has
to be helped more, then in that case
you might approach the group officer. But if everybody does it, “Help
this man, help this man, help this man,
help this man –“; the group officer has to see to the other needs also. We cannot
doubt their integrity, you see. Those group officer is charge have to determine
how to spend the money. There is not only one man to be helped but it has to be
used in other ways too. They’ve got a traveling fund. They have their own tour
funds. Sometimes they have to receive somebody and spend; this only those can
know who are in direct touch. The other cannot know. Suppose somebody, some
other heads of other departments, a big man is coming, he has to be received
and this is also an expense. So the group officers in charge have to see to so
many other things. That money is not only for the help of others. It is to
spend in other ways. If there is a need everybody should do his best. If you
feel it has to be used, then you might approach your group officer, “Will you
help out?” it is his duty to do that. But when everyone from every side comes,
“Help this, help this, “Then? It becomes a little hard for Him. When you are in
charge of that group, then you will also feel that way, is it not so? They send their
reports, regular reports. What is balance, what is valid, what is received
during the month, what they expended. They send their regular accounts here. so
they have, apparently, good control over it. Is it not
advisable to just money to people who need, rather than to give them something
that you are sure will help them? They may spend the money in a way not
appropriate. You see, how
can you tell? If you find he acts and poses, and he is really not due that,
then. . . .? help when you see somebody really is in need, starving. You might
help, that’s all right. But if man only acts and poses, this and that thing,
then in that case naturally he will use the money for some other purpose. That
is why swami Ji says, “give to the Master. . . .” when you give to the Master,
he does not use the money for himself. He will spend for the good of the people
at large, and for the mission. He won't accept anything for himself. But you
will earn pleasure; you will earn his pleasure when you help others. But it
does not mean that if someone is starving, you let Him starve. Give a help,
food. Whether or not he misuses the money, you do not know. If man is
apparently needy, starving, his children are starving, this and that, naturally
you will help him. Now I have got
this manav Kendra started. So many lakhs of money have been spent for it. I
come and go; regular accounts are kept. I live on my own pension, you see. I
also subscribe to the satsang from my pension. Once I went to the West, (Master
points to his shirt), this was torn, and somebody came up to me, “I will get
you one. Do you want one of those?” “no, no, I must buy it using my own means.”
I hope you remember. Everybody is there to help each other. I give my regular
tithe, even more. As a son of man I should do it, is it not so? As a son of
man, I'm not observed from duty as a son of man, you see. If you see that
to be strong, to be rich, to be affluent if good for your ownself, why would it
not be good for others also, is it not? Make others happy, affluent, to the
best you can; have good wishes for all. The only trouble arises when we extract
things for our own good. This is wrong. If each man learned to live for others,
there would be happiness in the world. He who would like to make others happy
will become happy. If you won't let anybody die of hunger, I think you will
also not die of hunger. If each man lives for that purpose, then there is
happiness in the world. The whole trouble arises when we want to live at the
cost of others. This is wrong. The Master
teach sometimes by parables and sometimes by straight talk. There is a parable
given that Lord Vishnu invited all people, good and bad, the goddesses, gods
and those who were not gods. The gods came up and took their seats and the
others also came in and a big feast was served. Lord Vishnu stood up, “Well,
dear friends, I am very glad to receive you here. it is all for you, but there
is one condition –you should not bend our elbows to put the food into your
mouth. “strange, if you don’t bend your
elbow, how can you eat?” those who were not Gods said, “He is certainly making
a joke of us. He won't let us eat.” Gods said, “He is certainly making a joke
of us. He won't let us eat.” They became angry and left. Now only the gods
remained. “Well, it is Lord Vishnu who is saying that, there must be some
meaning, purpose behind it.” then it struck them. “All right, very easy; feed
the person next to you. let us feed each other.” Let others eat. Do you think
you'll remain without food in this way? Only if you
learn to live for others there is happiness. we have always learned to live for
our own selves –at the cost of others. That is why there are all these
dissensions at home, abroad and everywhere. A very little thing. I think it is
a very simple principle if you would follow it; make others happy, that’s all.
We want to squeeze money you see; squeezing very cleverly. Not letting others
know, by acting and posing. After all, the cat must be out of the bag, will it
not? How far can you go on doing this? These things reflect here. others do not
say openly, but they see and they resent. Do you follow me now? That is why I
always say, be true to your own self.
If you are true to your own self, you won't deceive your own self, the
God which is within you, and the Master which is also within you. each should
try to live for others, to whatever little extent it is possible, then all
these worries will soon be over. I will tell you
one incident in the time of Guru amar das. He sent for a certain man who was by
the river giving a child a bath. Somebody told him, “Master wants you.” he left
the child there and ran. “What are you doing?” “my Master has sent for me.” he
left his child –how confident he was. Then the other man naturally took care of
his child. So suchlike love is required between the disciples. Ones face is
this way, the others face is another. If you say you love the Master, and don’t
love one another, It means you're a liar. These principles are forgotten. Each
one wants to become a boss and naturally there's trouble. The boss may be right
sometimes, not always. So humility . . . . sweet words imbued with humility is
the panacea for all ill will. Try to live for others; I think this is a very
simple motto. We want to hold money for ourselves, squeeze money, misuse,
misappropriate. Then the whole trouble arises. People see; they may not say
anything. don’t you think that what you are doing within four walls, people
see? They have eyes and ears. even the walls have got ears. so that is the
greatest motto, not to deceive your own self. Two disciples
came to a Master. They wanted initiation. He gave each man one pigeon to kill
in a place where nobody would see. One was very clever, went out around the
wall and killed it. the other was tossing about here, there, here, everywhere.
He could not find any place where nobody was seeing. So he came back in the
evening, “Master, I have not been able to find any place.” Deeds of darkness
are committed in the dark. All these misunderstanding, misconceptions, the
people see. They go very deeply down into the very way you're living and they
form opinion from reasons [for the behavior of some initiates.] I always write
them, “Well, all are not Saints. They're on their way to perfection.” What
should I reply? The main lesson is don’t deceive yourself. One word. we don’t
go deeply into what we know. What does that mean? “don’t deceive yourself.”
Reply is there. Even if others complains about you, the satguru is complained
of also. These are the reasons. So long as our daily living is not developed .
. . . how can you deceive God? can you mock God? deceive God? if you are true
to your own self, you are true to God; you are true to God. is this not the
remedy for all our daily dyings at home or in satsangs everywhere? The group
leader in charge and others should be more polite, more sweet, more humble,
then . . . . kind words don’t cost anything. These are the
things to be learned by self introspection. What does that mean? if you live in
that way, there will be radiation. Others will be convinced by your living.
And, moreover, don’t go by the hearsay of others. Unless you see for your own
self and hear with your own ears, only then believe; otherwise don’t believe.
We simply become the judge taking sides with one or the other, then the whole
trouble arises. Suppose a man says such and such a man is not honest. Someone
else says that he’s not honest. Don’t believe that he's not honest. See for
yourself. He might be using money for some honest purpose. Just hear what he
says. When the two things agree, then you have got the right perspective on
which to judge. These are the details I'm giving you. the very word is given.
Don’t deceive, be true to your own self, live for others, that’s all. I simply
say those who do not live for others are not men, they are beasts. Beasts live
for their own. They fight with others for the sake of their children, for the
sake of the belly. Two dogs fight for a morsel of flesh, killing each others.
If a man also does the same, then is he a man? He’s not a man. if you follow
two things: be true to your own self, to your God. if you are true to your own
self, to the God in you, then whom do you have to fear. The more you go deep
down into these things, the more you’ll find wonderful things. Having been the
president of the world fellowship of religions and having had contact with many
heads of the social, political and religious sects here and abroad, I have
found very few really sincere. They are political at heart. Is this not the
remedy for all our daily dying? Heads of different religions, social bodies,
and even political bodies come up to me. Once I went to Austria. Then some
Italian and Tyrolian people were fighting. A war was about to break out and the
Governor, whom I met, said, “I am in a dilemma, what to do. My country is out
of war. What should I do? I cannot decide.” I told him, “What is good, do at
once, what is not, does not appear good, wait. Try to reconcile by good will.”
And there was no war. That Governor wrote back to me, sent me word through somebody,
“When are you coming back? We need you.” very simple things you see, but you
must be sincere to your own self. We are not sincere. We say something else
thinking that nobody sees us. God sees us. If you come in
contact with that Power within you continuously, you’ll become the abode of all
virtues. These things come up of themselves without striving for it. Have you
read ‘Jap Ji’? We read, we don’t go into it, deep down into it. if you hear and
go deep down into the words, “All virtue,” you become the abode of all virtues.
Just like when a crop is cut and the grain is taken out. The crop is in a big
field but at one place all grain is piled up. So there is a book behind each
word of the Master, I tell you. The Master’s teaching are always very brief,
simple, to the point. They don’t need any bombastic words, struggling, drawing
inferences. They use simple words. These two things: Be true to your self and
live for others. What a big book behind these words: what a sermon behind them.
On my diamond Jublilee they wanted me to give the teaching in a few words. I
gave them only, “Be good, do God, and be One.” Few words. They wanted the
teaching very briefly, ‘Be good, do good and be one.’ You are already One, as
man, as soul and worshipper of Higher Body. The main purpose behind Manav
Kendra is that: Be good, do good and be one, at the level of man. service of
man is service all around. It is furtherance of Ruhani Satsang, you see. Yes? This third word, ‘be One’. . . . . Are you not One
already? Unity already exists, we have forgotten. As man we are born with the
same privileges from God. As soul we are all brothers and sisters in God. As a
worshipper of some higher Power called by different names meaning the same, we
are already One. Unity already exists, we have forgotten. Master’s Job is to
bring all children of God together on one platform, to understand each other.
They are already One. This is a big sermon behind, ‘be One,’ I'm not telling
you anything new, quite common sense talk. These things you can not have in big
lectures. When you go deep down, they you hear the music of the spheres, you
see then. so awake and arise and stop not until the goal is reached. The goal
is, we are already one with God, in God. we are all brothers and sisters in
God. “Blessed are
the pure in heart, (in whose heart there is no ill will for anybody) for they
shall see God.” “Peace be unto all the world over, under thy will, Oh God.”
Where there is love for God, there is love for all creation. That is the
criterion. People ask, “What is purity of heart?” Where no thought other than
that of God arises in you – that is purity. You want to be pure, no
reservations – have no other thought than God. is this not the definition of a
pure heart? If these things are explained in your talks, in your meetings,
people will turn out, as these are the basic teaching of all Master's who came.
All said the same thing. I think these things will help you. Anyone else? Good
question. There may be something wrong somewhere, may be due to what I tried to
explain; it is not all wrong everywhere. In future, if thousands of dollars are accumulated, would it be better not to help the needy? Did you follow
what I said? I built hospitals, free schools, etc., for the poor and needy, old
men’s homes – what is that for? This was built with the money form you people
and others. I also subscribe, you subscribe. I am only the custodian, that is
all. So I explained to you, if a man comes in contact with you directly – he is
dying – you help, sacrifice yourself. Try to live for others. That’s all right.
I own no membership here. nothing. No imposition. When some give, I determine
whether they can afford it or not. I refuse many times. So, if each man
follows this principle, there will be peace. There are so many stories about
this in the live of great men. One man had to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. He
collected some money for spending on the way. The night before, he heard a
number of people are dying of hunger, having had no food for so many days. He
gave all of his money to them and did not go to the place of pilgrimage. We go
to a place of pilgrimage where God resides or where Godman had resided. If you
serve God in man who is dying of hunger, is that not a true pilgrimage? God
told him, “You are the first man who pilgrimage had been accepted.” If the dogs
all around you are howling . . . . . They may not know, but the God is in them,
is it not? So living in
society is required. Where you find somebody really needy, sacrifice your own
interest. You are not doing anything to please others, but to your own self. So
that is what is meant by, “Be True to your Own self.” Follow these things. You
will find that these things are not ingrained within you unless you come in
contact with that Power constantly. You may leave Him, but that Power does not
leave you. It is hovering around you. music of the spheres never leaves you,
thank God. That’s the Master within you. you may find some incident when there
is trouble, but within, there is the sound. He is saying, “I am with you.” We
have been put on the very Golden way. But it is for us to now maintain and
develop it – that’s all. Man has to work for everything. A strong man revels in
his strength and a weaker man wonders how he got it. he did not get it in one
day. So all this awaits you. Guru Nanak says, “Why should we preach to others
to know who is the living God. if Master is word made flesh and the word in
them radiates, no preaching is necessary. The more you come in contact with
that physical form inwardly, you will develop everything of itself. We do not
realize how fortunate we are to have been put on the way – really; to have
contact with that. So go on with
it – God will help you. There is nothing to be feared, nothing to be
disappointed about. You will get something. God will help you. All right. |