BHAVA (ભાવ, SPIRIT, INTENTION) BEHIND THE WORKS

                                                                         Hari Om

Saayla,
April 11, 1943.


Whoever has met us in this life, is the result of our own inclinations towards certain works. If we continue to behave with such souls with the same nature in this birth, we will continue to carry the same burden.There will be no end of it forever. If those works are done with the spirit that these works are given to us to finish our destiny with them; such works should be done not with the spirit of soul nature but with the spirit that such works are for the worship of god. Our lives will have a higher purpose if such service to our relatives is done with the awareness, devotion and with complete attention. Most of the time we do not have much say in the matter and we have to do the work any ways. So please when such incident happens consider it as the opportunity given to us by god. The soul will develop higher if there is spirit of awareness and devotion in the mind and heart that these incidents of service are the indirect ways that god has bestowed on us to elevate our lives. The worldly life (sansar, સંસાર) is given to us as a stage for appropriate penance. We need to find our god in sansar and express in our lives. God is not separate from it. If we can accept this fact sansar need not be enjoyed in a worldly fashion but used as a part of the development of our lives with awareness and devotion. If the soul is fortunate enough to understand this, it will be very beneficial. This benefit is not, out somewhere. But the soul cannot maintain the creative awareness of the appropriate thought with knowledge and devotion, the reason being its failure to be careful and remember at the appropriate time due to the absence of complete and intense desire for self interest. Everything is very easy if such awareness is present. For this reason we have to keep and maintain living and creative purpose with firmness, while performing the works that come our way. When such practice is firmly grounded with love, devotion and it is thought of in a creative way; the soul will express its divine qualities.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Pravesh
Edition 2; Pages 246 - 247.

YOGA OF WORKS (KARMA,કર્મ)

One of the gauges of the development of one's life depends upon the purpose and intent (bhava) behind the performance of the works. One cannot live without performing the works presently or in the future. So we must perform the works that come our way with the express purpose of fulfilling the intent and purpose of our lives, with and through the works. Performing the works in such a way is a powerful tool just like the meditation and prayers. One learns, knows and experiences a whole lot from such works. So it is my humble request to never get weary of working. If the work is done with weariness, such work will stick to us lot more and will be with us for a while. It is important to keep in mind to do any work for the love of God and find ways and bhava to fulfill that purpose.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Darshan
Edition 8; Page 157.

BEST SACRIFICE

We can sacrifice money, fame and beloved relatives but it is very difficult to sacrifice "our own so called possessions"such as accepted opinions, habits, calculations, evaluations, understandings and judging the importance of others. This can be done only when each incident is evaluated with constant awareness and convincing and developing the spirit of refusing any insistence in our hearts; at the same time believing that truth has many facets and actually behave in such manner at that time.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Darshan
Edition 8; Pages 170 - 171.

MIND IS ITS OWN GURU

Dayarambhai* has sung in one of his bhajans "If mind selects mind as its own guru, it will find true thing". In this poem he has shown the right key of the sadhana. We need to make mind as its own guru. How is that possible? One may ask. Mind tries to trap us in its fancy, imaginations, flights, thoughts, vrutties and feelings. Mind that is awakened can always help the lower level mind from being swept in its currents. Our mind is awakened when there is tremendous eagerness and desire for progress in the sadhana for spiritual development of life. In spite of this old impressions that are suppressed spring up and at that time awakened mind hints at and draws attention to it. Awakened mind can warn and prepare us to change the direction also. This experience is also a fact in the path of spiritual development.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Darshan
Edition 8 ; Pages 248 - 249.