"I
am sitting in the lap of the Mother Divine" - Dada J P Vaswani
On Rev. Dada J P Vaswani's 93rd birthday, he shares some
pearls of spiritual wisdom with Manoj Khatri
MK: You are in your '90s and last year you went
through a physical ordeal and bounced back. Tell us the secret of your
resilience.
Dada: The secret is a simple one. It is the
realisation that I am not alone. I feel as though I am sitting in the lap of
the Mother Divine. She takes care of me. She gives me the strength and the
wisdom to smile and to thank Her—whatever be the condition through which I am
passing. May she continue to keep me by her side, always.
MK: If you had to name one quality that has
kept you going through the tremendous physical pain and bodily suffering over
the last one year or so, what would that be?
Dada: There is no quality in me. It is all due to
the grace of Guru and God.
MK: Is pain necessary for growth? There are
millions of people out there, suffering with all kinds of health problems. What
would be your message to them about enduring pain—physical and emotional?
Dada: If you are suffering from pain—physical or
emotional—hand it over to the Lord, saying: “Lord, let me suffer, so that the
suffering of some may be reduced.” This will help you to grow spiritually.
MK: Your teachings [and the teachings of many
saints] are so simple and easy. For example, you have talked about consulting
‘the four doctors’. Yet, people are always struggling to be healthy and happy.
It’s almost as if people revel in sadness and illness… Why do we find it so
difficult to adopt such simple ideas in our lives? And how do we change this
tendency?
Dada: Our civilisation loves complication. We do
not wish to touch simple solutions. We have grown in the belief that we will
get nothing if we walk the simple way. We asked Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani once:“The
Gita speaks of three margas—karma marga, gyan marga, bhakti marga. Which is
your way?” He answered: “None of these. My marga is the Alpa marga, the little,
the simple way.” He who walks the simple way makes God real to himself in his
daily life. To most of us, God is only a word. We need to make God real.
Therefore, we need to turn to God again and again.
MK: Coming to current affairs…these days, crime
and corruption seems to have become the norm. How should one stay hopeful in
spite of being surrounded by “bad news” everywhere and at all times?
Dada: The Chinese have a proverb which says: All
around you, there may be darkness and you see the darkness growing. Instead of
cursing the darkness, light a candle. Each one of us can light a small candle.
When many small candles are kindled, the darkness will disappear.
MK: You see God in everyone… including those
who do all kinds of harm to others. How should our readers cultivate this
ability?
Dada: I cannot say that I see God in everyone. I
am but trying to see God in everyone. This is a gift which the Guru and God can
give. Keep praying for it, constantly.
MK: Finally, as a blessing for readers of
Complete Wellbeing, please offer one spiritual advice that we may commit to our
memory so that when we are faced with sudden pain or crisis in our lives, we
can remember it and stay hopeful…
Dada: When I am passing through one such period,
I say to myself: By God's grace, this, too, shall pass away! It gives me hope;
it fills me with strength and courage.
