Who is the luckiest person?
The one who doesn’t become cool from pleasant outcomes and doesn’t become hot from unpleasant outcomes is the one without any sufferings. He doesn’t suffer even if a sense object approaches him and tries to attach to him. He never suffers for anything whatsoever. The one who doesn’t suffer in any situation is the lucky one.
If you don’t suffer by seeing someone’s progress, if you don’t suffer by knowing that someone possess something better than you, if you don’t suffer by listening to someone’s good, then you are lucky.
Maharaj said in the Vachnamrut that the devotee whose heart doesn’t become cold (attracted) by seeing any good sense object and doesn’t become hot (rejected) by seeing any bad sense object is called “Bhagavat Devotee.” To become such a person is very difficult and it is the highest stage one could achieve.
We suffer if our neighbor is better than us
There is a beggar on the road. Doesn’t he suffer? Yes, he suffers if doesn’t get food to eat. But he suffers a lot if someone offers nothing to him and offers many things to another beggar next to him.
If the president of your country sits in super luxurious car, do you have any problem? No. But if your neighbor gets a decent car and you can’t, then you have a major problem.
Not to be carried away when things are favorable and not to be immersed in sorrow when things are not favorable is the most valuable treasure one could possess.If you are undisturbed by both favorable and unfavorable conditions, what would be the result of it? The result is immense focus on the work in hand. All your energy would be converged on the work at hand. That is your most valuable treasure.
Rule of pleasure
Is the one with detachment discarding all the pleasures, or is he collecting all the pleasures. What is he actually doing?
There is a rule for the pleasures. If you try to catch a pleasure, you would at most get the pleasure that you are trying to catch. If you discard that pleasure by understanding that it won’t last with you forever, you would get hundred times that pleasure. If you accept the results, you get that pleasure. If you reject the results with understanding, you would get hundred times that pleasure. At the same time, if you discard without understanding, you get nothing.
Nishkulanand Swami says in the Bhaktachintamani that the pleasure that Maharaj blesses on a devotee of Maharaj is desired by the King of Swetdweep.
The King of Swetdweep shouts at Maharaj that, “Maharaj, you are blessing more pleasure to the devotee of Akshardham. We are so great and yet you don’t give us that pleasure.” Swetdweep is just below Akshardham. The King of Swetdweep has everything there. And he is the king too. He still thinks that, “I haven’t got the pleasure of a devotee of Maharaj.”What pleasure does the devotee of Maharaj enjoys that the King of Swetdweep doesn’t possess? It is the pleasure of detachment. It proves that the King of Swetdweep is lesser in detachment than a common devotee in Akshardham.
What did Maharaj give to His devotee in Akshardham that is not present in Swetdweep. He gave this Mantra to His devotees, “I don’t need anything at all.” How did that person become the king in Swetdweep? Because he chose Swetdweep instead of Akshardham. That means he desired something.
No sorrows when no desires
Why is a real Saint considered greater than Lakshmiji? What is less in Lakshmiji? Lakshmiji desired to stay in Lord Narayan and with Lord Narayan.
When Maharaj asked His Saints and Devotees to go to Kutch and other villages, they would go as per the directions of Maharaj and be happy. At the same time, they never let go the form of God from their soul. They don’t have any desires. God’s desire is there desire. That wealth couldn’t be acquired by the King of Swetdweep. There is no bliss better than the bliss of holding God without a break. There is no desire better than the immense desire for God.Take the painkiller called detachment
In the world of devotees, who is said to have better detachment? The devotee who accepts both favorable and unfavorable conditions of God is said to have better detachment.
When could one accept the favorable and unfavorable conditions of God? Only when one rejects their own favorable and unfavorable conditions, they could accept God’s favorable and unfavorable conditions, and that needs detachment.
When a person becomes a devotee of God, he is lucky. If he wants to be luckier, he should leave all his favorable and unfavorable conditions.
God’s favorable condition is his favorable condition. God’s unfavorable condition is his unfavorable condition.
“I was not given respect, he was given respect.” “His side is taken, but my side is not taken.” “He was called, I was not called.” “He was trusted, I was not trusted.” All these are the sufferings of a devotee. Why do even devotees suffer? Because they haven’t taken the painkiller called detachment.
All the sufferings are from attachment. When you suffer, there is definitely some attachment to something or someone including yourself. You will find it when you search for it. From the surface of it, suffering is only an effect. Attachment is the real cause of it.Let us say you are not in a favorable situation. Your friends or brothers in Satsang are blessed with a favorable situation. In such a case, if you don’t suffer, Nishkulanand Swami says that you are the luckiest devotee.
What does “luck” really mean?
Shukvallabdasji Swami asked, “Swami, if detachment is based on luck, then only a few could get it, and most of us couldn’t get it?”
Here is the reason why the word “luck” is used. Not everyone’s efforts are successful. One could be successful after a lot of right strategies and right actions. Who doesn’t need money and prosperity? Everyone desires it. Everyone from a beggar to a billionaire desires for money. But not everyone gets it. Only a few who have the right efforts with the right strategy get it. They are the lucky ones.
Detachment is desired by everyone in Satsang. But not everyone gets it. The one who applies the right techniques to detach themselves and is successful is lucky.
Nishkulanand Swami mentions it as “luck” because not everyone’s life has that quality. Here, “luck” is only to project the rareness and scarcity of that quality. Luck doesn’t mean that one gets it without any efforts.Detachment arises only from the blessings
If we put efforts to please God or His dear Saints, and if the Saints are really pleased, then they bless us thinking that, “He is pleasing God and Saints but doesn’t possess detachment. So, he is suffering a lot from internal desires and enemies.” They pray to God to bless him with detachment.
If God is pleased, He blesses him that, “This devotee has so much love towards me and my Saints. Let him be detached from everything.” From the blessings, instantly, he would be detached from all the bonding and desires.
If one tries to please God and His Saints, and if God is pleased, or God’s Saint are pleased, then he gets detached from everything. If God or His Saints don’t bless us, we wouldn’t get detached even if we try very hard.
References:
Sarsiddhi Katha Part 05.