How pitiable it is to give trouble to others

It is said in the Ramacharitramanas - "There is no duty like the welfare of others and there is no evilness like giving trouble to others."

"Par hit saris dharma nahi bhaayi. Par peeda sam nahi adhamaayi." (VII.40.1)

How pitiable it is to give trouble to others and to disturb their freedom by devoting your time to such useless activity as smoking and drinking alcohol! Is this precious time to be wasted in useless pursuits such as playing cards etc.?
No, if one had spent the time in studies, service and doing good to others, that would have been the right use of their time. But instead precious time is wasted for no reason.

By devoting time properly, one can attain God. To a devotee of God, God declares - "I am a servant of my devotees and they are the jewels on my crown."

"Mein hu bhagatan ko daas, bhagata nere mukutamani."

Thus people who devote their time to devotion become the jewels of His crown.

This human birth has been given to us for God Realization. There is a way to successfully live this life. If we adopt the techniques for living in this world God realization will come very quickly and easily. For doing any work, there is a certain know how. If we work according to that know how, the work will be successfully completed. Similarly to live in this world, also there is certain know how. So we must understand that know how. If we put to use that knowledge than very easily we will be able to live in this world and get beyond this worldly existence.


From book "Art of Living" by Swami Ramsukhdasji

Such a compassionate and merciful God, will he not take care of us?

If we want spiritual progress then we must have faith that God has come to our aid,  He is helping us, and will definitely continue to do so.   At present also He is supporting us and in the future too wherever there is a need, there He will most certainly and without doubt come to our aid.  This is because naturally He is eternally compassionate.  Just as He protects His devotees,  in the very same manner he protects and nourishes all other beings as well.  Those men who live their lives not in accordance to God,  them too He gives food, water, air etc.  Those evil men who live completely opposite to the Lord's principles, who entirely oppose the scriptures,  they criticize God, them too God provides the necessities for living.   God provides the necessities for living even to snakes, lions, and all insects and little creatures as well.   Such a compassionate and merciful God,  will he not take care of us?   

Ayamuttamoyamadhamo jaatyaa roopena sampadaa vayasaa |

Shlaadhyoshlaadhyo veth na vetti bhagavaannugrahaavasare ||

Antahsvabhaavoktaa tatontraatma mahaamedh |

Khadirashvaampak iva vaa pravarsham kim vichaarayati  ||  (Prabodhsudhaakar 252/253)

"While gracing someone God does not think whether the person is superior or inferior in terms of a particular race, form, wealthy, age? Whether he is praise- worthy or contemptible? This indweller within, in His vastness (like a huge cloud) understands our inner sentiments.  Does a cloud while pouring the rains, think whether this is an acacia catechu plant or a sweet fragrant flowering plant (champa)?"

Therefore we must have faith in God that whatever may be our needs, God will provide.   Now through Gita, Ramayan and other scriptures, through satsang (spiritual associations) whatever points we are getting, those too we are receiving only due to His grace. 

In essence that foremost grace is of the Lord only,  but it appears to be coming from various other mediums,  just as it appears that we are getting water from a tap.  But on deeper thinking, the water comes into the tap from a pipe,  and it comes from a tank into the pipe, and it comes from a river or a well into the tank,  and from the rains the  rivers get their water,  and the water in the ocean is born of fire (evaporation), and fire comes from air, and air is born of space and space is the energy, the power that manifests from God.  The point is that the essence of everything is God.  By which this entire creation has manifested.   

Whatever we are receiving, it is all coming from God alone.  He is not seeing towards our capabilities before giving,  rather without any cause or motive in a disinterested spirit with His grace He is giving us.  Just as mother while providing for her child does not see towards his capabilities,  strength, intellect, knowledge,  qualities, etc,  rather being a mother she takes care of him.  Similarly God is the mother and father of everyone.  It is not that He will grace us due to some cause.  He naturally is out of sentiments of good-heartedness and friendship,  graces us and provides for us.  Every person should have faith in such a God's grace.   The more that one has trust in God,  that much His grace will be fructified, it will be experienced,  by which you will attain peace,  you will be free of worries and free of fear. 

    

From "Bhagwaan aur Unki Bhakti" in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji

Grace of God is showering uninterruptedly on us

God's Amazing Grace

 Grace of God is showering uninterruptedly on us, but we simply do not look towards that!  We disregard this grace, we disrespect it,  we dishonor it,  then too God does not leave His compassionate and merciful nature.  He continues to shower His grace.   A child does not disrespect the mother any less, for he urinates and excretes somewhere, he spits other times,  but mother constantly protects him. Similarly, we too are clever like the child in following the wrong path.  But God is not any less sharp than the mother in showering His grace,  rather he is very quick.  Therefore we must have faith in His grace. 

Even if the worst of all situations befalls,  in that too His grace is ever the same.  If illness overcomes us, if we suffer financial losses,  if someone dies, if sickness takes hold,  if we are dishonored or disgraced, in all of these situations, there is God's grace.  We must have faith in His grace. 

Laalane taadane maaturnaakaarunyam yathaarbhake |

Tadvadeva maheshasya niyanturgunadoshayoh ||

Just as while caring for the child and also while  reprimanding the child, in both these incidents, there is never a time that mother's is never not gracing the child, similarly God who is governing our good and bad qualities, can never not be gracing us.  

In this way,  sometimes without any cause God showers His grace on us and gives us this human body - 

Kabahunak kari karunaa nar dehi

Det is binu hetu sanehi ||  (Manas, Uttar.  44/3) 

Sins amassed in the past (sanchit) never come to an end;  because every being has been committing these sins from time immemorial.  However, in between, inspite of  being sinful, God blesses us with a human body, and in the midst He gives us an opportunity for our salvation.   This is God's extra-ordinary grace.  God's nature is such that he continues to shower His grace without any cause, then this is His two-fold grace!  On having faith in His infinite grace, if one engages in spiritual disciplines, then there will be much blessedness, unique and natural, self-evident divinity and progress.   We do not take shelter of that grace, therefore that grace is less fruitful.  If we yield to that grace, then the grace will bare abundant fruits.  Therefore while offering praises to the Lord,  Brahmaji says - 

Tatte-nukampaam susameekshamaano bhunjaan evaatmakrutam vipaakam |

Hrdvagvapurbhirvirddhannmaste jeevet yo muktipade sa daayabhaak ||  (Srimad Bhagwat  10/14/8) 

He who while enjoying the fruits of his actions,  at every moment continues to look only towards Your grace, and with his heart, speech and body, time and again prostrates to You, he becomes the one eligible to Your Eternal Abode, just like a child becomes the rightful heir to the father's wealth! 

From "Bhagwaan aur Unki Bhakti"  by Swami Ramsukhdasji