From Hell to Heaven E-Book

J.P. Vaswani

• Herausgeber: Gita Publishing House
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

The mind can be your best friend; it can also be your worst enemy. The difference between the two is in mind management, self-control over thoughts and desires. As Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani observes in clear and concise words, “So many of our ills would be cured, if only we could change the pattern of our mind. Change the mind, and you change the world…”

Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani's formula for transforming our life ‘from hell to heaven’ is quite straightforward and practical, like everything he teaches: “Heaven and Hell are of our own creation,” he tells us. “By thinking heavenly thoughts, we get into touch with heavenly forces and we feel happy – we spread the sunshine of joy wherever we go.”

Leseprobe

Published byGita Publishing HouseSadhu Vaswani Mission,10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune - 411 001, (India)[email protected]

© J.P. Vaswani5th Reprint - 3000 copies - January, 2021eBook edition - March, 2021

FROM HELL TO HEAVENISBN 978-93-86004-35-2E-ISBN – 978-93-86004-36-9

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Author.

Printed atThomson Press (I) Limited

CONTENTS

  1. Publisher’s Note

  2. Foreword

  3. From Hell to Heaven

  4. Life is a Love Story

  5. You are not Alone!

  6. Love and Laugh!

  7. His Face doth Shine in All!

  8. The Life Worth Living

  9. The Simple Way

10. Glad Surprises

11. The Faith of a Blind Woman

12. On a New Year’s Eve

13. This too is for my Good!

14. Teach me to Pray!

15. Be Fearless and Free!

16. You are your own Prison!

17. Suffer and Smile!

18. The Practice of Meditation

19. Sing – or Be Silent

20. Fragments

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The present volume is a collection of articles, which appeared originally in the monthly magazine, Mira. It is being published on the gifted author’s 54th birthday (2-8-1972).

Dada J.P.Vaswani’s writings are a tonic. They are a balm to soothe the mind. He has a charming and lyrical style. His language is simple and lucid.

His earlier publications including Pictures and Parables, Whispers and Tear-Drops have touched many hearts. The contents of the present volume are radiant with practical suggestions to face life in a heroic spirit.

In this book the inspired author gives us a simple prescription to heal the diseased and hellish mind, and to regain the God-given gift of a healthy and heavenly heart. According to the learned author, “You are your own prison.” Man has created a hell for himself by his wrong thinking. Therefore man is unhappy. Man’s sadness is the result of his inner attitudes towards outer happenings. Man must change his thinking if man has to regain “the lost paradise.” The pages that follow will enlighten you, uplift you and inspire you.

We are deeply grateful to our honoured friend, Dr. P. B. Gajendragadkar, Chairman, Law Commission, Govt. of India, New Delhi, for his luminous “Foreword” which adorns the pages of this volume.

FOREWORD

I have great pleasure in writing this very short ‘Foreword’ to the inspiring articles written by Dada J.P. Vaswani, under the title, From Hell To Heaven, because it gives me an opportunity to pay my tribute, and offer my greetings, to Dada J.P. Vaswani on the auspicious occasion of his 54th Birthday.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Dada J.P. Vaswani only twice; but the impression which his personality made on my mind is as fresh as ever. Luminous eyes, soft voice, eloquent speech, mind full of noble thoughts, life dedicated to the service of humanity, Dada J.P. Vaswani’s spirit of inquiry and humility of approach is writ large in every one of his movement and words. Dada J.P. Vaswani is a true disciple of Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani. To hear his speeches, is the best form of spiritual education. His words come out from the depth of his heart and eloquently convey the message which Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani gave throughout his blessed life. May the Torch entrusted by Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani in Dada J.P. Vaswani’s worthy hands ever continue to burn effulgent and guide all earnest seekers after spiritual peace and salvation through the service of society!

Dada J.P. Vaswani has now become an institution. He is the shining and inspiring example of his philosophy “Onward! Forward! Godward!” His life is a bright candle whose flame shines with the brilliance of Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani’s teachings, it is a singing bird and the song sung is always the spiritually elevating message of Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani. It is a sweet flute which sings the music of Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani’s message, a bright flower with the fragrance of his blessed thoughts; all in all, Dada J.P. Vaswani’s life shines like a lamp which gives light and guidance to all those who come in touch with him.

May the blessings of Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani and the prayerful best wishes of his innumerable friends and admirers give evergrowing strength to Dada J.P. Vaswani to carry on the spiritual and cultural work which Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani has handed over to him!

Mana eva manushyanam karanam bandha-mokshayoh: says the Bhagavat Gita; our mind is the cause of our bondage or of our liberation. How do we learn to train and discipline our mind so that it serves as an instrument of our liberation and not of our bondage? All those who read Dada J.P. Vaswani’s thoughts, so lucidly expressed in From Hell to Heaven, will easily find an answer for themselves.

– P. B. Gajendragadkar(Former Chief Justice,Supreme Court of India)

New Delhi27-7-72

FROM HELL TO HEAVEN

[ 1 ]

A young man, due to circumstances which he felt were beyond his control, found himself in a sorry plight. He was a graduate of an Indian University: but, do what he will, he lost job after job, which he secured not without much seeking and strenuous effort. He found it difficult to procure food for his famished wife and children. On top of it, he was afflicted with what the doctors called an “incurable disease.” He felt like one shipwrecked, and, not unoften, he wished for death to come and grant him release from the agonies of an unhappy existence.

One day, as he wandered aimlessly through the streets of his town, like a dead leaf borne on the autumn wind, he happened to pass by a house of worship. Floating on the breeze there came to him the words of a song –

Arise! Awake! O child of God!

Thou art not a weakling!

Thou art the master of thy destiny!

Renounce depression,

And behold!

The very planets are eager to serve thee!

He paused for a while to listen to the song. Was it being sung for him? Word after word sank deep into his heart. Irresistibly, he felt drawn to the open door, he entered the big hall and took his seat in a corner. Soon the song came to the close, it was followed by kirtan, brothers and sisters singing together in chorus a few simple words –

O Friend of the friendless and forlorn!

O Lord of the lowly and lost!

I cast my cares at Thy Lotus Feet!

I seek refuge in Thee!

The lines were sung, again and again, in religious fervour. Our friend joined in the singing. As the pitch of the song rose, he forgot himself, his worries and woes, his sorrows and sufferings, and for the first time, in several years, he knew what it was to feel relaxed and happy.

Evening after evening, he came to join in the worship and the kirtan. It gave a new tone to his life. Gradually, his life underwent a transformation. The pattern of his mind was changed, his thoughts became positive, vital. His health improved. He became a new man. And, today, this young man, (no longer young in years, for he is over fifty) is at the head of a big commercial firm with God as his “senior partner.” More than half of the profits, they run into six figures, he sets apart for the service of God and his suffering creation.

[ 2 ]

We are, most of us, victims to the machinations of our mind. The mind sits over us as a tyrant and we readily consent to be its slaves. He is truly happy who has broken the thraldom of the mind, truly happy, because he is truly free. The mind of such a one becomes his friend, a co-partner in the constructive, creative tasks of life. In the case of so many of us, alas, the mind is our deadly foe. Held fast in its grip, we feel so miserable. And we feel utterly helpless.

The other day, a grown-up sister came to me and said, “I am tormented by jealousy. And I can bear it no longer. I want to end my life.” As she spoke, her pretty face became dark as night.

I said to her, “Sister! You cannot end your life. For life goes on even after the body drops down. And your hell you will carry with yourself, even if you kill the body. So, why not face the issue now? Why not make an earnest effort to convert your hell into a heaven of peace and joy and bliss?”

“Is that possible?” she asked in sheer wonder.

And I said to her, “With God nothing is impossible!”

“Tell me what I may do,” she implored.

“All God asks of us is sincerity,” was my answer. “Relax yourself and radiate love and goodwill to her of whom you feel jealous. Think of her as one of your best friends and pray that Divine Love may pour His choicest benedictions on her.”

She relaxed her body. And together the two of us prayed. After some minutes of silence, she opened her eyes – they were filled with peace and understanding.

“My mind is now at peace,” she said, “and I know that my happiness does not depend on anything outside me, it is a product of my own inner attitude.”

So many of our ills would be cured, if only we could change the pattern of our mind. Change the mind, and you change the world. The modern world has gone astray, because it lays undue emphasis on the “work” side of life. Work has its place in life, but more important than “work” is “thought”. Take care of your thoughts. Every thought is a force which we generate for our good or evil.

Some may well remark, thoughts come to us from goodness knows where. They overwhelm us, and we feel helpless. Is it our fault that evil thoughts come to us, from time to time?

No, it is not our fault if evil thoughts come to us and tear into bits the fabric of good life which we may have gradually built. But it is our fault if we welcome evil thoughts and let them germinate in the soil of our mind. Out of them will grow trees of bitter fruit which we shall be compelled to swallow.

Behind every evil thought is an evil force. When we accept evil thoughts, we, as it were, attach ourselves to dark powers. We fall into their clutches, and before we know it, we create “hell” for ourselves.

If we think good thoughts, thoughts of love and compassion, of beauty and joy, of faith and freedom, of peace and wisdom, we invite to ourselves good forces, forces of light and, in that measure, we create “heaven” around ourselves.

Heaven and hell are of our own creation. By thinking heavenly thoughts, we get into touch with heavenly forces and we feel happy – we spread the sunshine of joy wherever we go. All we need to do is to correct our thinking. In this connection, the following may be noted:

1. Perhaps, the simplest and most efficacious method of correcting our thinking is that of kirtan. Whenever two or three gather together, let them sing in chorus the Name Divine, and in the Name lose themselves, drown themselves. This method is so simple that often its importance is overlooked. But it is one of immense value to us all.

Are our homes breaking? Is our community crumbling? Are nations at war with each other? The cure of these and other ills is kirtan. O ye pilgrims on the Path! Get together and form kirtan-bands. You will sanctify your own lives, you will purify, as did Sri Chaitanya centuries ago, the atmosphere of your town and country, you will release forces for the healing of the human race.

2. As you wake up in the morning, breathe out an aspiration of purity, of love, of joy, of peace, of humanity, of trust, any aspiration that may express your inmost need. Repeat this aspiration as often as you can during the day, even in the midst of your work.

I know of a young man who, in the years of his adolescence, was troubled, again and again, by violent storms of passion. He repeated the words: “May my heart be pure and clean and bright! May I be a child of Light!” He repeated this line, which, to him, was sacred as a mantra, many thousands of times a day. As he repeated the words, he imagined God in the form of a Great Moon radiating to him cooling vibrations of purity. He persisted in the practice for six months: and the day came when he became pure as pearl. Today, he can safely walk through objects of lust with no feeling of lust but with purity in his eyes and love in his heart.

3. As you retire at night, read a little from the life or teaching of a saint, a bhakta, a man of God. This has a purifying influence on the mind and, consequently, on one’s dream consciousness. I have found the following books specially helpful, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by “M”, and Sadhu Vaswaniji’s Gita: Meditation and Little Flowers.

4. When evil thoughts come to you, do not struggle with them. The more you struggle, the more you strengthen them. The best way to face evil thoughts is to let them alone and to think Divine Thoughts. Light dispels darkness. Every good thought is a ray of light which clears the dark clouds of evil thoughts.

5. Keep yourself relaxed at all times, both in body and mind. So, work with unhasting speed and speak gently, sweetly, in love and understanding. Let nothing disturb your inner peace. Imagine the world as an ocean in which stormy waves rise high, threatening to drown you. Be still and full of trust in the Lord of the ocean. The waves will pass away. In all difficulties and dangers, believe with the ancient seer who exclaimed, “All is well, a thousand times well, both now and a million years hence!”

[ 3 ]

So many, alas! Spend their lives in a hell which they have themselves created. It is within their power to convert hell into heaven. But, it must not be forgotten that heaven is not the goal of life. Beyond both hell and heaven must we pass to abide in the Eternal. This abiding is the state of contemplation at which we arrive after the self is dead, the ego is annihilated. It is the unitive life of love. It is the life of him who exclaims with Rabia, one of the greatest mystics of humanity –

Beloved!

If I come to Thee

That Thou mayst save me

From the fires of hell,

Let me burn in hell!

If I come to Thee

That Thou mayst grant me

The joys of Paradise,

Let the gates of Paradise

Be shut against me!

But if I come to Thee

For Thine own sake, Beloved!

Keep me not away from Thee.

And so bless me

That I may abide

In unbroken communion

With Thy Eternal Beauty

For ever and evermore!

LIFE IS A LOVE STORY

[ 1 ]

Yesterday, someone broke into my room and took away, among other things, some silver articles from the little shrine. They were loving gifts I had received from kind friends. They were so elegant that I had not used them even once. In fact, I did not miss them when I entered the room after the theft had taken place. It was Sister Shanti who discovered the loss and gave me a list of the missing articles. I whispered to myself the words which dear Sadhu Vaswani had uttered on a similar occasion, several years ago – “He gave: He hath taken! Blessed be His Name!”

The news soon spread and friends started making enquiries. One of them said to me – “How sad to think that the thief should have despoiled the shrine!” Another exclaimed: “Even God could not look after the things entrusted to His care!”

I smiled and said: “Of what value are a few ounces of silver to Him who is the Lord not alone of the Earth but of all the worlds and suns and stars – the Lord of the Universe! All our silver and gold, the treasures of kings and emperors – what are they to Him? So many heaps of ashes and dust!”

And I recalled an incident in the life of the blessed one – Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. His rich disciple, Mathura Babu, has a big, beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The image of Lord Vishnu is adorned with gold ornaments studded with precious stones. One dark night, some thieves break into the shrine and escape with ornaments worth many thousands of rupees. The news comes to Mathura Babu as a shock and he falls into a swoon.

After some days, Mathura Babu visits the temple. Sri Ramakrishna is by him. Seeing the image shorn of its ornaments, Mathura Babu breaks into tears and sadly exclaims: “Lord! what a shame! You could not take care of the ornaments on your body! What may we expect of You?”

Immediately, Sri Ramakrishna corrects him, saying –“Shame on you, Mathura Babu! For using such improper words. The jewels that have been taken away may be precious to you, but to God they are no better than toys of clay – lumps of yellow dust. The Goddess of wealth is His attendant. What can such a one ever lack? Should He spend wakeful nights because a thief has stolen your few rupees? What impudence! You should never say such things!”

[ 2 ]

What is it that God asks of us? Does he need gold ornaments and priceless jewels? Does He feel happy if we consecrate to Him an air-conditioned temple with the most up-to-date fittings and furniture? He rejoices when a few simple, childlike souls are gathered together in a quiet corner to sing His Name and offer Him the loving adoration of their aspiring hearts. Does not Sant Tukaram say – “God dances when His bhaktas (devotees, lovers) sing?”

The bhakta approaches God in a loving, direct way. In his heart is the yearning of Majnu for Laila, of Shirin for Farhad, of Sasui for Punhu, of Heer for Ranjha – the yearning, the pure passionate love of the lover for his long lost beloved. The life of a bhakta is an unending love story. Significant are the words of Sri Chaitanya –

The woman love-lorn

Pines for her lover,

And though engaged

In household duties,

Feels in her heart the thrill,

The delight of love!

Even so doth the bhakta

Abide in the blissful state of love,

While engaged in affairs of the world!

The way of the bhakta is the little way. He shuns the lime-light of the world: he loves to dwell at the Lotus Feet of the Lord. He lives a hidden life of faith and devotion, of humility and love.

“What is it that you desire?” was the question put to Narada. And this great teacher of bhakti answered: “Two things – (1) love for the Lotus Feet of the lord and (2) strength to resist the attacks of world bewitching maya.”

The bhakta has realised the vanity of all that the world is madly seeking – possessions, power, honours, fame and earthly greatness. All these are a delusion and a snare. The bhakta desires to accomplish no great things. He has no desire to be even a great preacher of the Word of God: he has no desire to be a builder of great institutions. Of St. Therese of Lisieux, it is said that in her early years she aspired to devote her life to missionary activities, but as she grew in the love of God, she said – “I will hide myself in a cloister to give myself more fully to God.”

The true bhakta ever aspires to be an humble servant of God and His suffering creation. He has no ambition to grow to the stature of Godhood: he but longs to be near the Beloved, birth after birth.

Several years ago, a Swami came to meet Sadhu Vaswani. The Swami represented an august assembly of sadhus who had met together at Bombay for the opening ceremony of the “Sadhubela Ashram.” He requested Sadhu Vaswani to be present on the auspicious occasion.

The Swami was with me for over half an hour. He had a kindly face and sweet disposition. In the course of his conversation, he asked me: “Who are you?”

“I am nothing!” I answered without hesitation.

Suddenly, the colour of his countenance changed. The pitch of his voice rose as he said: “Never say that! When you call yourself nothing, you but insult the divinity within you! You are everything! You are all! You are Brahman!”

I smiled. I touched his feet in lowly reverence and said: “So bless me, Swamiji that I may be a humble servant of Him who is the All-in-one and One-in-all, and of His saints and bhaktas!”

[ 3 ]

There was a young man, whose father passed away leaving him wealth untold. His heart was fired with the love of God. He set out in search of a guru who might lead him out of untruth into truth, out of death into the life undying.

He learnt of a teacher of spiritual wisdom. The teacher had an ashrama and who so joined it must first dedicate all his property and possessions to the ashrama. Accordingly, the young man sold all he had and gave it to the Guru who, in turn, passed on to him the secret which was supposed to make him emancipated, free!

What was the secret? The young man was asked to affirm, again and again: “Aham Brahmasmi!” “I am Brahman!” “I am God!” “I am the Supreme!” The young man did so with all the sincerity and faith of which he was capable. “I am God” “I am the Supreme!” he repeated to himself, again and again. “Aham Brahmasmi!” “I am God!” The words were uttered with every tick of the clock. What was the result? Far from being emancipate, free, the young man’s condition grew more and more miserable. He felt distressed in mind: he felt unhappy, In due course, he fell ill. He could no longer stay at the ashrama. Penniless, having given away all he had to the Guru, he came out of the ashrama and, as good fortune would have it, came in contact with another teacher. He advised the young seeker to give up saying: “I am God!” and to affirm instead: “I am nothing!” This the young man did, and it was not long before he became sound in body, mind and spirit.

How many are there who have attained to that high spiritual stage where they can truthfully claim to be “God” or “sons of God?” When, an ordinary man affirms he is God, he is becoming, firstly, insincere, hypocritical and secondly, egoistic. A Sufi dervish said “The man who has attained Godhood does not affirm, ‘I am God’. The man who affirms, ‘I am God’, has not attained Godhood.”

Mansur could raise the cry: “Anal Haq!” “I am Truth!” But before he attained that stage, he passed through fana, the stage of extinction – of the ego self, of nothingness. One like Jesus could say “I and my Father are one!” But when I begin to say that, I only inflate my ego and thereby create iron chains which keep one in eternal bondage. No man can ever attain by affirming what he is not.

The bhakta knows he is nothing. The bhakta aspires to become a speck of dust on the Lotus Feet of the beloved. And so the bhakta grows in humility, from more to more. He becomes as a little child, utterly dependent upon the Divine Mother. At every step, he realises his own smallness and weakness and bows down before the greatness and the omnipotence of God. In his heart is the ancient prayer: “Thou, O Lord, art so great! And Thy mercies endure forever!”

[ 4 ]

As our spiritual life unfolds, we pass through some trying experiences. We have to face difficulty and danger, ignominy and insult. Not unoften, we feel distressed and distraught – completely frustrated in mind and heart. Such experiences are not without a purpose. They teach us to turn to God, to depend upon Him for everything. “Thou alone art, O Lord! I am naught! I am weak, be Thou my strength!”

Calling upon God for help in times of trial and tribulation may appear to some to be a very selfish act. But all our acts, in the beginning, have to be selfish – until we learn to become spectators and watch the drama of life unfold itself on the stage of time. If to rely upon God is to be selfish, it is far better to be selfish than to be egoistic and rely upon our own limited powers. This selfishness is a necessary step in our spiritual evolution and will, at the right time, drop of its own accord – even as the flower drops when the fruit is born.

The one lesson we all need to learn is utter dependence upon God. Everything else will follow. We must learn to turn to God for every little thing we need – until one blessed day, we find that we need nothing: our one and only need is God! When this happens, all that we need is provided for – naturally, spontaneously, always at the right time. Before we need a thing, it is already there. Everything comes to pass at the right time in the right way. Then one moves through life like a king. When a king moves out everything is prepared for him in advance: he does not have to ask for anything. All his needs are anticipated and provided for. Ye are kings! Why wander ye like the king’s children, in the story, who starved and were clothed in rags, though around them were heaps of costly raiment and choice foods?

It is the year 1910. Sadhu Vaswaniji is in England. He has visited several places in Europe and spoken to eager audiences of the message of India’s rishis and saints. His address of the Welt Congress, the World Congress of Religions, at Berlin, at which he has represented India, and his subsequent lectures in different parts of Europe have aroused deep interest in Indian thought and religion and kindled in many hearts the flame of love – love of God and His suffering creation. His work in Europe is now over. He is ready to return to India but he has not the money to purchase a ticket. He does not worry: he knows that a ticket will come to him at the right time.

That afternoon, he receives an invitation to tea from the Maharani of Cooch Behar. She is in England on a holiday trip. Sadhu Vaswani takes tea with her. In the course of her talk, the Maharani says to Sadhu Vaswani, “May I make a request?”

Sadhu Vaswani smiles in answer.

The Maharani says, “I understand that you have finished your work in Europe and are returning to India. Permit me to get you a ticket to India.”

Sadhu Vaswani is not surprised. He knows that the life of him who completely trusts in God is one endless, ceaseless round of miracles. They are not miracles: they are the normal, natural working of the Divine Mother who anticipates the needs of Her trusting children and provides for them. Wondrous are Her ways! Blessed be Her Name!

We, too, have learnt to trust, but our trust is misplaced. We lay our trust in things which cannot trust themselves. We lay our trust in banks which fail and in bonds whose values fluctuate with every passing whim of a statesman or a dictator. We lay our trust in children and friends who do not hesitate to betray the trust, when it suits them. We lay our trust in earthy power and dominion, in abundance of worldly goods which are perishable and pass away. We do all this with a view to build up security of an uncertain life in an uncertain future. Alas! We sacrifice the security of a certain life in the certain present, which would be ours if only we placed our trust in God.

When we lay our trust outside God, we bind ourselves to a life of ceaseless struggle. And struggle means uncertainty: struggle means anxiety, worry. We are tossed hither and thither like a storm-beaten boat knowing not whither we move. All our time is spent in providing for some untoward happening which need not occur at all. All our time is spent in making preparations for living, so that we really never live at all. Little wonder if our lives are bereft of the joy of living.

A man met me the other day. He is a clerk in a Government office. He earns enough to be able to live a comfortable life. But he always appears to be in need.

“What do you do with your salary?” I asked him.

“I spend only half of it,” he said. “The remaining half I save for the rainy day.”

“What may that be?”

And he said, “Who knows? Life is so uncertain. I may meet with an accident and be disabled for life. I may fall seriously ill and become unfit for work for a long time. Who, then, will take care of me?”

And I said, “One there is who will take care of you!”

“Who?” he asked. “I can think of none.”