Desire More, Desire More
If at any time we find Baba denying our prayers, it must be understood that it is for our own good and that we are actually profiting by it. A child sometimes asks for something harmful from his father. The father is never affected by the weeping or wailing of the child and never gives him that thing. Therefore the child thinks that the father is behaving like an enemy and that he is tyrannizing him by withholding the object asked for, but the father remains adamant and gives the child only those things that are useful and harmless.
Whenever this faith arises in a person that his maker and protector is always mindful about his welfare and will give him from time to time all things that are beneficial for him, upon realizing this truth, that person gives up all desires; he thinks that when Baba has made His abode within him, then why will He not cater to His own requirements? Second, when we are His parts and bits, it becomes incumbent upon Him to care for all our proper needs. Third, when He has made us, He will care for us like a potter who cares for his pots.
Desire More, Desire MoreIf we hold that the rules of prakriti (nature) are operating, even then when prakriti has given things their proper shape, their proper form, and also endowed them with proper ways for self-preservation, likewise prakriti will afford similar facilities to us as well.
Jesus said (St. Mathew VI): “Take there-fore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for itself.” So don’t care for tomorrow. He who will make the sun rise for us tomorrow and make the moon shine and stars twinkle, and give us air to breathe, water and various kinds of fruits and bring before our vision this universe, He will surely also cater for our necessities and needs as well.
He has given the quality of heat to the sun, not upon being told by someone to bestow this quality on it; likewise coolness to moon; but all these were given to them without asking. Likewise, in the future as well, He will go on bestowing without asking. That great giver and provider, Baba, who has been granting us our innumerable wants with-out asking all these days, He will never point another door to us for a single want of ours.
The great giver, Baba, who is in the constant habit of giving, cannot hold back His hand from giving or withhold it from bestowing. Even if we do not possess the beggar’s bowl, He will confer the same upon us to receive His bountiful gifts. By bestowing on us eyes, He shows the sun; by bestowing ears, He makes us hear music; by bestowing us heart, He will grant upon us His prakash [light]. In truth, He gives us edible things, as it is He who gives us the appetite as well. By giving the appetite, He makes us give value to our food; by giving us eyes, He reveals beauty; by endowing us with prema [love], He gives us His darshan. When He has given us thirst why will He not give water? He who has generated desire in us, why will He not grant us the objects of our desire? Such a great giver, Baba, if He remains silent upon hearing our request, then His silence is much more valuable than giving. His silence indicates that He is either going to give us some greater thing than asked for or that He is saving us from the great harm that would have befallen us if He were to grant our prayers.
The best course open for us is to entrust ourselves to Him like a child to his mother, or a sick man to the doctor. If by chance our desires do not appear to be realized, the best course open is to reconcile our desires with His will. Then we will have no opportunity to say that our desire was not fulfilled. We should keep only His memory very fresh in us and He shall take proper care of our needs. If we do not have the strength to relinquish our desires, then taking all these with us, we should go and sit in His lap. When we are there in His protective lap, our desires will be fulfilled by His gracious hand. We should not enlarge our egos by seeing our desires realized by our strength, as there may be some evil lurking underneath.
We should consider the disappointments coming from Him greater than our achievements. If we cannot desist from generating desires then we should create a desire for Him only. The natural consequence will be that either our desires will vanish in Him or they will be fulfilled automatically; we should remain shanta (at peace) for we shall be provided for. God has entrusted us to prakriti and prakriti has to look after our welfare because we have been so entrusted by God and therefore prakriti is also answerable for us to God.
We possess all; it is merely on account of ajnana (ignorance) that we drown ourselves in sorrow, pain, and misery. We are the sons of God. Why should we worry? We should be at peace.
~S. D. Khera
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Sept. 1968
