If a person wants to reform himself, then he must have strong willpower. In order to strengthen the willpower, he has to make a vow. He can make a simple, small vow that every morning he will get up early, have a bath and chant Gayatri mantra a specific number of times. Then, irrespective of his work load, he must do it daily. If the mind is disturbed, still he must do it; if his faith in the vow dwindles, even then he must do it. The important thing is to do it and do it and do it. The vow that you make is a form of will; it is a strong decision, a small oath. You must have studied the principle of crystallization in primary science. If you hang a small crystal, after some time you will see that small crystal particles kept nearby are drawn to it, until in the end such a large crystal is formed that it falls off.
In the beginning make a small decision, primary class level. Getting up at four in the morning is a small vow. There are thousands of vows, big and small both. Celibacy is a big vow; sitting in the middle of five fires is a big vow; sannyasa is a big vow. I am talking about small vows here, not big vows. Supposing you have vowed to get up at four am. Even if your health is suffering, you have a cough and cold, and you are unable to do anything else, still you must get up at four am. You have taken a vow, so you must definitely do it. You did not say, “I will get up at four, take a bath and do so many rounds of japa.” You only said, “I will get up at four,” and this does not mean lying in bed wrapped with blankets. In the same way, you can make a vow to fast on Ekadashi, or whatever vow is suitable for you, and then follow it with regularity. This way the willpower becomes strong and the mind becomes disciplined. When your mind is strong, you will have no need to repent. Your bad habits will change without repentance. Everybody repents, gamblers and drunkards also repent, but it has no effect, because of the weak mind.
A child of one year wants to stand up, but is unable to because the legs are weak. When the mind is weak, the same thing happens. What does weakness mean? With a small push, one falls; with a little exertion, one starts breathing heavily; from a bit of rich food, one gets dysentery. Such people can’t walk far on foot. This is physical weakness. What are the symptoms of mental weakness? One thinks too much and gets blood pressure. When there is tension, one loses one’s temper and becomes angry. This is a weak mind. One has positive ideas, but is unable to implement them. One knows what is dharma, what is adharma, what is right and what is wrong, but the tendency is not to follow it. One knows what one’s responsibilities are, but neglects them; one knows that one is irresponsible, but is unable to stabilize oneself. Because the mind is weak, one is attached to wrong actions and is unable to turn the mind away from them. A weak mind is unable to do what it wants to do. You know what has to be done to make the body strong: go for walks, eat properly, exercise, participate in sports, practise yoga.
To make the mind strong, a man must be able to make a decision and stick to it without wavering. A gardener decides to plant potato, brinjal and cabbage, so that is his sadhana. Raidas was a cobbler; he decided to make shoes, that was his sadhana. Kabir was a weaver; he decided to make cloth, so that was his sadhana.
The shawl is woven in a fine manner
But what is the warp and what is the woof? And what thread has been used in it?
Ida and pingala are the warp and woof
And sushumna has been used as the thread. The shawl is worn by gods, men and munis And all have made it dirty by wearing it. But Kabirdas has worn it very carefully And taken it off in its pristine state.
Whatever you do or want to do, that can become a sadhana provided you offer it to God. The feeling that ‘I am the doer’ must not be there. Some work as doctors, some as advocates, some as priests, some do business.
Whatever work you do, you must have the feeling of dedication.
For example, you have a shop, but you consider it my shop.
You think that I have put you there to sell the items in it and deposit the money in the bank. It is my money but you can spend it according to your needs. You do not have to give it to me. If I ask for money, you give me some. You run the shop in my name; I am the owner. While performing this duty, what frame of mind will you have? Will you think of yourself as the owner or as the caretaker? You should have the feeling that God is the owner.
A sannyasin leaves home and stays in the guru’s ashram for twelve years to learn this. Whatever he does, he does it for Swamiji. He does not do anything for himself. He does everything from kitchen to computer, from banking to construction. Guruji does not go anywhere to get signatures from contractors to buy provisions. The sannyasin is the person doing all of it. This is action without desire for results. Lord Krishna has said in the Bhagavad Gita (9:27), “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, what- ever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give, whatever you practise as austerity, O Arjuna, do it as an offering unto Me.”
Action performed according to your wish, not for oneself but for others, is selfless action. In fact, in grihastha ashrama there is more possibility for selfless action, since everything a householder produces and whatever actions he performs are not done merely for himself. He does everything for his wife, for his children, for his kith and kin, for his dependents, and for the society he lives in. There is a large debt to society owed by everyone. If society becomes unstable, what can you do? You will not be able to run to a shop nor will you be able to buy or sell goods or go to the bank.
Every person is indebted to society, and to pay back this debt, one has to keep aside a part of one’s earnings. It is necessary for the sectors which are well off to support and uplift the weaker sectors of society, who are in need. It is the deprived who create social disturbances. They stop vehicles on the highways and rob them. If you neglect that sector, you will not be able to live and trade in security. So, remember that whatever you produce or earn should be distributed judiciously: this percentage for myself, this percentage for my children, this percentage for my dependents, this percentage for the priests, this percentage for the cows and oxen and whatever animal may be at home, this percentage for hospitals, this percentage for education, this percentage for distribution of food and feeding of saints. Such distribution of wealth must also be done.
In this way, everyone must work without desire for the fruits of action. When you develop that level of consciousness, then an unbelievable awakening will take place within you, and you can call it chetana, consciousness, or atman, soul. This means that your boundaries must not be narrow and small. This is mine, this is yours; these are the thoughts of narrow- minded people. For a person with a big heart, the whole creation is kith and kin. It is also said in the Mahabharata that for the generous hearted, the whole world is a family.
18 November 1994, Rikhiapeeth