Time for Retreat
(Gist of Sri Swamiji’s speech at Kaikaluru on 12th January 2007)

These days, I hear about queer proposals from older people past 40s about new marriage alliances. I am really surprised. Even wonder, if something is wrong with their system. The way the creator (God) has created the human body and mind; it is evident that it should think of more important priorities of human life, other than conjugal pleasure or physical company of the spouse in the latter part of the life. Even animals stop mating after particular period. Why is that people still dream of marital bliss?? It is still more ironic and comical that a person, with children and grand children could also be desirous of the company of a spouse. What is the reason for this malady??

The fault lies in the way you have led your till date. If you want to enter the cobweb of Samsaara with enthusiasm and hope for bliss in your early age, it is not a wrong. However, it is very essential that you should develop a exit strategy and ambition to wriggle out of the grid of Samsaara at the suitable time; say when your children get married or you have attained a financial state to afford two square meals a day for you and your wife post retirement. Our tradition recommends this. How long you want to get mired in this slush? Don’t you want to foresee a ray of hope?

Brahmacharya, Gruhastha, Vaanaprastha and Sanyasa are actually four states, for which one’s mind must get tuned. Now a day, all the chat/ gossip/ discussion/ deliberation/ TV Programs/ debates stop with first two of the Ashramas. In fact, whatever you prepare to renounce or to withdraw from Samsaara; thru the next two is more important. You plan and pack for the journey to Vijayawada/ Hyderabad/ USA for days and months or even years. Then what are your plans for your journey to the next destination (Next Birth)?? Don’t you want a promotion or at least retain the position, what you are enjoying now? After you have planned and executed various actions for this family of this birth; realise the right time for withdrawal. It is sometimes amusing that grand mothers or great grand fathers still are still worried that about infertility of their great children.

Worrying has become a part of our life. It has become a life style. Worry remains constant, albeit reasons may change. If you want to be eternally happy, you should start your trials right now; to be happy as much as possible. The key to happiness: Instead of thinking, what you have not been able to achieve so far in life, start thinking of the merits you are endowed in this birth and good things that came to you. You can be happy. This is not to say that you should shirk away from your responsibility of marriage and progeny there of.

Hence, devotees should find the right strategy to prepare for Vaanaprastha Ashrama life style, once you are past 40s. Datta will help you. Make reading good books part of your daily life. That would be your best partner for the rest of your life. Read our treasure house of epics Ramayana/ Bhagavata/ Datta Darshana/ Maha Bharata and Vedanta Texts. This will inspire you to higher emotional plane and highest state of consciousness. You will slowly reach a state to absorb personally losses with equilibrium. Finally you will be able to see the path, shown by Sadguru in the right perspective.

Jaya Guru Datta

 

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