This world of ours is a temporary abode which is totally on an unreliable lease. None can tell when the hands of clock will stop at late or early an hour but all is not gloom and doom. Our real Home is not in seventh heaven or hell. It is within all of us. It is the अन्तस्य (Atman) the inner most core of ours due to which hands work, feet move, intellect understands and heart throbs.
Meditation takes us to our Centre and true Self which is the rider and the body is the horse. We spend the whole of our life in looking after the horse i.e. body and forget all about the rider i.e. Atman. A man was distributing sweets in a temple, when someone asked for reason; he replied that the horse was lost. The people were amazed at his reply because normally sweets are distributed at some good news. To satisfy their curiosity, his reply was “Good news is that the rider was saved”. But in reality, we save the horse (i.e. body) and lose the rider, our true Self अन्तस्य (Atman).
A rich man planned to have holiday in
It must never be understood that the body is to be discarded and world is to be thrown as useless in a dustbin. Atman has created this beautiful world for us and He did not stay away from it. He is in every part of it. He is within us but unfortunately the mind which was in the Being overwhelmed us So much so that we forgot all about our true Being the rider and consider ourselves nothing, but the mind. We are snoring in the lap of mind that we and mind are one. So yet the voice comes from within, though might be faint one:-
“O’ Wanderer, Come Home now!”
सुबह के भूले हो, अभी घर आ जाओ
Meditation paves the way to the Centre without any effort. Silently, peacefully, without hurry and tension, without any anguish and without any stress or strain, move to your INNER SELF by closing your eyes and watching whatever is going on inside. There is pitch darkness, dead silence and an endless caravan of thoughts with no beginning and ending. That is the wanderer. More you try to control these thoughts and mind, more you move from your centre i.e. Home. Simply watch and watch your thoughts without any evaluation or judgment. Thoughts will start diminishing and will disappear eventually. Then we have come to our Home. There will be no anxiety, no worry and no stress or strain. A sweet voice will come from within:-
ये सैर क्या है अजब अनोखा, के राम मुझमें मैं राम में हूँ
बगैर सूरत अजब है जलवा, के राम मुझमें मैं राम में हूँ
Thoughts give way to BHAV, PREM, PYAAS, VIRHA and soothing valuable precious pearls of tears flow down spontaneously from the eyes of the aspirant whose heart bursts out with the holy voice of Gurudev Shri Ji:-
तेरी याद में रो लेना, यह प्यास हमारी है
विरह का एक आँसू, सौ सजदों पे भारी है
It is not hearsay. It is the experience of every aspirant that our true Self does not lie in Seventh hell or heaven. It is with all of us.
मैं और मेरा यार दोनों इक बस्ती में बसते हैं,
पर किस्मत की क्या खूबी है, कि दर्शन को तरसते हैं
It is the ego which stands between us and our true Self. We are not to run away to any forest or cave. We are to stay in the world but the world must not stay in us. A boat stays in the water but water must not stay in the boat. Lotus grows in mud but mud does not stain it. Meditation removes the mud of worries, anxieties, stress and strain accumulated by the restless and boisterous mind.
Meditation is not concentration, contemplation and thinking involving any strenuous effort. It is witnessing, watching everything we do. While doing all the jobs as walking, bathing, eating, working in office or doing any other things, we remain a witness. We always remember Him due to whose power; we are doing all the jobs of this world – nay even breathing and living due to Him
ध्यान प्रभु का हृदय से ना भूलो, यह भुलाने के काबिल नहीं है
साँस गिन गिन कर तुझको मिला है, यह गँवाने के काबिल नहीं है।
Moreover, Meditation brings the good tidings that He is not living in hills or valleys or high in skies or in deep sea. He is within us and He is our own Self and He is waiting for our love. Here is a quote:
“If I call not thee in my prayers, if I keep not thee in my heart, thy love for me still waits for my love”
So, wanderer, come Home now!
We must realize that we are wandering because we are sleeping and snoring in the lap of mind. Almighty provided us the mind as an instrument to work wonders in the world. Unfortunately, we made it our master and it made us wanderer. We are to gain our mastership through Meditation. Meditation is awareness, alertness, watchfulness and wakefulness which should follow us like a shadow if we are to stay in our Centre. Restless mind is always there to take us away from our Centre into the intricacies of worldly affairs and endless worries. We want more and more till we ourselves are no more.
The adamantine wall of mind cannot be razed with our strenuous effort. No effort is required in meditation. All the effort to control restless mind results in repression and depression. We are only, to watch, watch and witness minds doings without any effort. Watching is not an effort. It is our natural capacity. Effort is something we have to do. Watching is not something we have to do. Thoughts would give way and ‘BHAV, BLISS’ would surface, An inner voice will resound:-
प्यासा जियरा भर भर आता, इन नैनन की कोर से
अपने आंसू बाँधू किस के, कोमल आँचल छोर से
When that state is reached, we have arrived HOME where there is BLISS beyond time, cause and space.
Worldly wanderings are no more and we know what we are. We are not to go anywhere. We are already there but we are not aware. Meditation is that awareness which stops all wanderings and takes us to our HOME.