If the only Prayer you said in your life was “Thank you” that would suffice!
The one person in everybody’s life, who deserves a special ‘Thank You’, more than anybody else, is our mother. Mother is special and precious, not just because she goes through pain and gives us life, but also because she knows how to give selflessly and ask for nothing in return. She practices and teaches compassion and kindness; she is the first one to rejoice in our happiness and feel our pain, and she comforts us when we are scared or fearful. She spreads sweet fragrance in our lives.
For a spiritually inclined person, there is twice the cause of celebration on Mother’s Day – since he celebrates the presence of his mother and the Guru in his life.
A guru like Pujya Bhaishree plays a dual role – that of a caring mother and a motivating father. He is a friend as well, who lends his ear without judging, happy in our happiness and supportive during the lean phases of our life.
Brahmnisht Minalben shared a beautiful poem describing the sacrifices made by a mother and the efforts taken by her to mould her children.
માં કેવી તું
કયા શબ્દો માં કહું કે માં , કેવી તું
પીડા ની પુકાર માં , મારી પેહલી છીઝ તું
મારો પેહલો પ્રગાઢ વિશ્વાસ તું
મારા હૃદય ના દરેક ધબકાર માં તું
કયા શબ્દો માં કહું , માં કેવી તું
મારા જીવન ના સુખનો બાગ તું
ક્યારેક ગુસ્સા માં સૂર્ય ની આગ તું
માં , કયા શબ્દો માં કહું કે કેવી તું
અંધકાર ને દૂર કરનારો પ્રકાશ તું
મારી અપેક્ષાઓ ની ધરતી તું
મારી આકાંશા નું આકાશ તું
માં , કાયા શબ્દો માં કહું કે કેવી તું
ધાકધકતા જીવન પ્રવાસ માં શીતળતા તું
જીવન ને છેલ્લી શ્વાસ નો વિસામો તું …
Br. Minalben also shared another beautiful poem by Kathleen J. Shields:
‘There are Angels God puts on this Earth
Who care for us and guide us.
You can feel their love and gentleness
as they walk through life beside us.
They do great things for us every day
they whisper in our ears,
they even hold us in their hearts
when we are filled with all our fears.
They are always there to give a hug
and try to make us smile.
They treat us with respect and love;
they treat us like their child.
God blessed me with an Angel,
I’m proud to call my own.
She’s been with me throughout my
life, been with me as I’ve grown.
She guided me the best she can,
she taught me like no other,
and I’m thankful I’m the lucky one
who gets to call her... MOTHER’
To show our appreciation and gratitude to our Mother, we must help them as much as possible and support them when they feel low. Likewise, we must also be grateful to our Guru for leading us to eternal happiness. There is no way we can repay our Guru for lifting us from the cycle of births and deaths. The Guru’s efforts as well as virtues should be applauded wholeheartedly.
Voltaire said, “Appreciation is a wonderful thing, it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well’.
Minalben also shared a powerful analogy of a monkey, who mistakenly thinks the rosemary seeds to be the fire-stone, and tries to ignite a fire but naturally fails in his endeavours. Likewise, an ignorant person seeks happiness in places where there is none.
As much as appreciation is important, being ethical is equally important and it’s the very first goal of inner transformation. Stressing on some really important questions, Brahmnisht Vikrambhai asked the young mumukshus to reflect on:
- How ethical am I?
- How long does it take me to admit to something unethical that I have done?
- How do I feel when I compromise on my values? Justified? Guilty? or Sad?
- What are the things for which I compromise my values? Does my want for something cloud my understanding of the ethics of that situation or can I remain clear minded and objective?
Without being ethical, there is no uplifting.
It is the power of discrimination (vivek-vichar) that guides our actions. The pure mind will filter and safeguard our soul from many negative influences. Along with the pure mind, it's our inner conscience, the voice of the soul that will lead us to act appropriately.
When a person is able to applaud goodness, be kind and humble, honest and uncompromising where integrity is concerned, only then can the Guru’s teaching bear fruit.
We must take example from the life of Pujya Bhaishree. His every action is the epitome of virtue, patience and mindfulness. Let us cultivate these qualities and walk on the path shown by the Master.
