21. God and His Righteousness
(Darshan given on March 1st, 1996)
Swamiji: As the Lord Christ has said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will come to you automatically.” This thing that I uttered is a very famous statement of immortal meaning, immortal value. If the universal creative God is implanted in your heart, you will always do righteousness only because God does not do anything unrighteous. So when this vast universal God is implanted in your heart, you also become so big as He, and so your heart becomes as large as His, and whatever you want will come automatically because God lacks nothing. If God says, “Come, mountain,” then the mountain comes. The whole of yoga, spirituality, religion is in this one sentence. You need not read any book afterwards. Centralise the universal Creator in your heart, and think as He thinks, and then see what miracle will take place. This is my message to you.
A visitor: You say to put the universal Almighty in your heart, as I just heard. Then first I have to know it, then afterwards I can act in this way.
Swamiji: You are not acting according to God's will. God Himself is acting, so you are not acting. God's will itself is operating through you, and it is acting. You are not acting. If this consciousness of your unity with that Being is permanently stationed in your heart, you will not feel that you are doing anything. A great force is working behind you. That force is pulling you, pushing you, so it will be responsible for everything, and you will never do a wrong thing because God does not do a wrong thing, so anything done with that impulsion will always be righteous. Do you understand?
Visitor: Yes.
Another visitor: We go out of our self instead of staying in our self, and then I was reminded of an Indian story in which somebody said that instead of dressing the whole world in leather, you put on leather shoes.
Swamiji: I will tell you another story. Two mountaineers climbed the Alps. After they climbed very high, it was so vast – everywhere mountains, mountains – they did not know where they were actually located, on what part of this mountain range. So one of them looked at a map to find out where they were, on which mountain peak they were sitting. He went on seeing, seeing, seeing. “Oh, now I know where we are,” he told his friend. “Do you see the peak over there? There we are sitting.” He was on one peak, and he said that geographically they we sitting over there, on another peak. This is exactly what your self is doing, what consciousness is doing. You are here, but actually you are there where you are thinking of, like the mountaineers. You are actually not here, though you appear to be here. You are there where the mind is thinking of. If you are thinking intensely on something which is in London, you are actually not here. You are in London only, even now, because the body is not you; the mind is you, and if the mind is thinking of an object outside, you have gone there. If you have gone there, you have lost yourself, so nothing can be a greater tragedy than that. This is the fate of all people, of which you must beware. That is a simple technique of yoga, to become yourself and not to become somebody else which you are thinking of in your mind. This is a very simple tool for yoga practice. Don't be other than what you are. Be what you are.
Another visitor: What is it that makes a person holy or peaceful?
Swamiji: To the extent that God's power is charged in that person or that place, to that extent it is holy. Whether it is a person or place, God's power is charged upon it. If the power of God is vibrating in that place or in that person, then it is holy. That is all.
Visitor: So now I'm feeling dependent on that charge here as a reminder of God's power.
Swamiji: Who asked you not to remember God? What is your difficulty?
Visitor: My difficulty is after some time I have to go from here.
Swamiji: You have to go to your country, the United States. You cannot think of God in the United States?
Visitor: I can think, but it's not as powerful.
Swamiji: If your heart is pure and the mind is strong, you can think of God anywhere.
Another visitor: When I meditate, I just sit quietly.
Swamiji: Meditation does not mean just sitting quietly. It is an intense concentration of the mind on something. The mind is intensely concentrating on something in meditation. Sitting quiet is not meditation, because if you sit quiet the mind also sits quiet, and then what kind of meditation is it? There is no sitting quiet in meditation. It is an intense activity of the mind in the direction of one thing which it is wanting, and you must decide what it is that you want. First of all, you have to decide what you want, and on that you concentrate. Merely sitting quiet, you get nothing. Nothing comes. Your mind should deeply want something, and that will come, if the mind really wants and intensely concentrates itself on that. Did you catch what I said?
Visitor: Then you are saying that I must use effort.
Swamiji: Concentration is the same as effort.
Visitor: Yes, okay.
Swamiji: So where do you stand now, after hearing this?
Visitor: I think I will look into my reasons for seeking.
Swamiji: Very good. Look into your reason for it. You will not do something unnecessarily. Find out the reason.
Another visitor: How to come closer to knowing God in the busyness of everyday life? It's easy for us in Rishikesh, sitting here with you, to have God in our thoughts, but when we go back to the everyday life which is very busy and…
Swamiji: Yes, you are perfectly right. In Rishikesh it is much easier because there is no external disturbance, and in your place there will be a lot of trouble from all sides, and it will be difficult to think and contemplate. You are perfectly right. But my suggestion is, there are twenty-four hours of the day. Eight hours go for work, and the balance of sixteen hours, how do you utilise them? Eating, sleeping, bathing, cleaning – how many hours does it take? Finally, how much time is left for you to be alone to yourself? Take one hour for you only, and at that time there is no disturbance. At least for one hour there is no disturbance. At that time you keep quiet, and rouse your spirit at the altar of God Almighty, and feel His presence, the Almighty presence, and pray for His grace deeply, from the heart. If you do it for one hour every day, it is sufficient for you. God will be pleased with that.