Nishkulanand Swami
Here are some thoughts of Sadguru Nishkuland Swami on our minset – how we feel about our pleasures, pressures, and moksh (liberation).
Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami prays, “O God! Please reside and dwell in my heart by removing ills from it.” Swami then says to the Satsangis, “The inner weaknesses malign our heart. To escape sins, check daily for your mistakes and follies. Be alert against sinful acts. A trader checking his accounts daily and regularly saves himself from fraud or loss. Similarly, a man witnessing, observing and checking his mistakes daily becomes a virtuous man one-day. One should repent with one’s heart the mistakes he has committed during the day. He should confess in front of God for all the wrongs of the day, and should beg for pardon heartily.
To check the follies in a daily routine, one should think, reason and ponder on the day’s activities at night before sleep. One should think whether he has spoken any bad of others. Has he spoken any bad in the welfare of others? Has he misguided anybody? Has he pained anybody? To what extent has he paid attention in imbibing virtues? How much has he thought wrongly? How much has he acted religiously or ethically? Pondering thus on these vital areas every night before sleep, one should examine and check thoroughly ones mind and thought processes, and during the course of checking, if any wrong or malignant thing is found, then one should cleanse ones mind and soul by repenting heartily for that wrong action.
We can save ourselves from sins if we look back at the faults in our mind and remove them at first sight like a stain removed from the face on seeing it in a mirror. The process is slow but it yields the desired fruits of self-improvement. It saves us against sins, makes our everyday life purer and increases our devotional fervor. Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami submissively prays, “O God! Please allow me with love to serve humbly at your lotus feet.”
Once, a merchant was in a hurry. He intended to attend an urgent assignment. The day was about to end and the place was too far to reach. In those days, there were no modern vehicles to travel faster in. The vehicles were of primary use, such as horses and bullock carts. He hired a bullock cart, set right the rent and rode it to travel. He asked the bullock cart driver to speed up. The driver-farmer was trying his best to go fast but the bullocks, despite rousing calls and punishing sticks, were not moving any faster. The merchant then said, “Why are your bullocks so lazy? Are you giving them food to eat or not? Why don’t they walk faster, I am in a hurry.” Then the farmer said “The bullocks, though excellent in pulling the cart, have become tired of their days work. Therefore they can’t pull it any faster.”
After much time, they reached the destination late. The merchant finished his work and started for his return journey with the same bullocks and the same bullock cart. But as he rode the cart and the farmer loosened the rope ends in his hands, the bullocks ran fast like a bullet from a gun! The merchant was greatly astonished, “How so? Why do they go so fast? While on the way here, they were very slow! Now, why are they so fast with haste? Old man! You told me earlier that the bullocks were too tired to walk and pull. Now at such a late hour and after such a long journey, why are they running fast and eagerly?” Then the old cart-driver said, “Seth! The bullocks are now returning home. And therefore they run hurriedly. They are in hurry of reaching home.”
The explanation given by the farmer was quite thought provoking. The Seth thought over it. Animals too are hurrying to reach their home – their final destination. But we human beings are so unfortunate that, we never prepare ourselves and show no hurry to go back home to the service of our God – our destination Lord Shree Hari. We are not as wise as these animals. We never go on the path of religion. Like an insect of dirt, we relish in this sinful world and in the illusions of the eternal entity (Maya). This alerted the mind of the trader, enlightened his inner-self and spiritual wisdom prevailed upon him.
He realized that his real home was Akshardhaam. He was not hurrying for his real home. He was not as wise as the bullocks were. This episode changed the course of his life and the trader became a devotee of God by practicing the religious tenets and observance of the rules and decorum. Now his heart and mind was attached to God!
All the above content is a part of a book “Bhakti Nidhi” (Devotional Treasure), written by Swami Nishkulanand.