Maryada _Purshottam_21 Mohini_Didi September 21, 2022
Om Shanti Everyone!
Baba is talking about being innocent, but also being sensible. To remain innocent means don't hold anything for anyone. Past is past, and don't doubt the intentions of anyone. Sometimes we think deeply about someone’s sanskars or nature, so remain innocent in that you know everything, but still you don't know. Many things we know but we don't know, that's called being innocent from the heart. Also when speaking and doing actions, we have to be sensible in the sense of thinking of consequences, knowing that every action, every word has a reaction. So be very sensible. Baba says sensible as Trikaldarshi when you speak or do actions, because speaking and doing definitely brings some results. It could be a reaction, it could be good feelings, you know it always has an effect.
Now Baba is talking about faith. There is 100% faith, 500% more, He said more than that, but then how, in that faith, to follow Baba accurately. How do we create a balance between devices, comforts, and facilities? Luxury is at all different levels. Some are devices, they are the needs, some are important, sometimes you can’t be hard with your body. So, there are comforts, but then there is luxury and each one has to decide for one's own self, “Am I caught up into any of these?” If I am, it will affect my sadhana, that means my yoga of the intellect will be pulled. All the time, your attention will be on those things, it shouldn't spoil, it shouldn't be lost, nobody should touch it. So, all attention really internally then will remain on something which is very expensive. There are certain things that are comforting, but we shouldn't be lost in that. The first one is our own comforter, right, in the morning then you have to come out of the comforter, you have to give up your comfort of the comforter. It's the time of amritvela, it's the time of sadhana. So you have to come out of your comforter because in the morning is the comfort of bed, and even when we are making bhog for Baba, is not quickly just fixed, you should make it properly.The same is with the whole day, whatever I'm supposed to do, because the laziness and carelessness, dependency, all that comes when we are very much dependent on devices. It shouldn't happen that I say, “If I don't have this I can’t manage.” You should be able to manage without comfort.
So, day by day on one side we are getting more and more, but on the other side there is a possibility that we might not get all those things. So it shouldn't affect our sadhana. Plus you know with service, elevated actions that we do, we get a lot of facilities and support because of the service, when it comes to wealth, this wealth. There are many types of wealth. Wealth of knowledge and of thoughts, but this is about money. We should not be a miser, nor waste money. Some are very miserly sometimes, and that looks like poverty too. Then some are very careful because it’s Baba’s money. Two things: one is Baba’s bhandary, that is money, then is Baba’s bhandara, which has all the grains and vegetables and fruits and everything. For me, I am so careful, nothing should be wasted. Sometimes, I mean these days I don't cook, but if I see something is spoiling, I say, “Let's cook, somebody will eat it.” It should never happen that we have to throw away the things, because it’s a big karmic account there too. Whatever is from Baba’s bhandara means stock, and especially these days I always feel there are so many people in the world they don't have enough. Baba is providing for us, so we cannot waste, and Baba has set certain standards for everything. It's a complete one meal, we should have everything, some protein, some vitamins, some of everything in it, but cook as much as is needed.
One time, someone brought Dadi Prakashmani one beautiful saree and she said Dadi, you should wear this, it doesn't get creases when you sit because cotton you know that's creases and easy, not easy to iron. Generally, a saree would be 100 rupees that was ₹600. Dadi said,”I cannot wear it. When I can give one to everyone, then I will wear it.” At that time there were thousands of surrendered sisters. Dadi said, “If I wear that, what will others’ thoughts be? I wish I had it too, and I don't want thoughts like these to emerge, so I do not use anything which I cannot give to everyone.” I like that. I am always very attentive too, that anything you are using, everyone notices, and then their desire emerges, and subtly they feel, wish they could also get that. I remember one time there some brothers had a watch. So Dadi Janki, they planned for all 500 brothers, they bought watches and gave to everyone. I remember that yet everyone was wearing that watch. So, be very attentive on personal money, even if you are a householder, or you are at a center, always have thought that it’s Baba’s money. A lot of karmic accounts can be created through money, someone’s greed can be sustained, someone's attachment can be sustained, someone’s dependency can grow very subtle. I remember that even if we had to give some centers some help after some time, Dadi would say, “No, you have to be self-sufficient. Anything we gave, Dadi would say, “One day you won't get it, you have to work for it, you have to generate it.” So there were a lot of beautiful principles we were taught about how to use the wealth, and I really liked it because again, everything is what is in my awareness, what is in my attitude. So all of us have to be very attentive, not too poor, not too rich. Where we spend, where we save, so we all have to be knowledgeable, careful.
I was hearing that it is encouraging for everyone in India to have a kitchen garden and I really like the idea, because you don't have to put chemicals in. You don't have to put in something that is not good for the body. So, if we are growing wherever we can grow, I think it's definitely good for our health and of course economical in the long term also. So, as Baba said, to be innocent but also be wise in whatever you say, whatever you do, because it's not just me, it's a whole society or a community or our big unlimited family. Always keep in mind that I have a big big family. So whatever I say and do will have an impact there also.
Om Shanti
Question and Answers
Sister Shireen: Om Shanti Didi! What you were just saying about being sensible. I feel sensible is an underrated virtue, we don't talk about it enough. I feel like it's a virtue that really needs to come in front and center, especially when it comes to money. You were saying that Dadi Kumaraka didn’t accept the saree because she didn't want all of the other surrendered sisters to have waste thoughts about her wearing a better saree. We have situations here in the center. As an example, people are used to getting those plastic folding chairs or something, and if we buy a a chair that is a decent chair, they have a lot of waste thoughts. Is it my responsibility, their waste thoughts? When are people’s waste thoughts my responsibility?
Mohini Didi: Actually it is good to have a standard chair. I feel it's good to have a comfortable chair because you know there are two things: one is when we went to Madhuban, Baba kind of whatever little was there, will provide us proper facility. Baba used to say that if you come and you are physically comfortable, then you can concentrate more, you will take more spiritually. However, if your chair or your bed is uncomfortable, you can't sleep, you can't sit or eat proper food, then you can’t concentrate. So this is comfort, and I feel that if there are some people, one is they don't get it, other is they can’t afford it. If it’s a big family, and if they want we always help them, but I don't see why they should have waste thoughts about that. Everyone who comes there, make them comfortable so that when they listen to Murli, they have full concentration.
Sister Shireen: The other thing you were saying was about greed and attachment, that money is such a thing that you can use it to increase your greed or your attachment. Can you talk about it a little bit more? Very deep, right Didi?
Mohini Didi: It's like, you know it could be in lokik family, you’re earning money and so it's good to help your parents, because they help you to study, they really take care, so it's good to give. The time comes when they feel that what will you do with money, you have jobs, you don't have family, so they say can we get a house and they say can we get a bigger house? Some of you tell me that they keep asking for more and more. So what should we do? We have to be careful whenever we have to give, and that is why I like the point: don't break the maryada of giving and receiving. AlI of us do receive, but it’s for Baba, it’s not that I accumulate. What will I do? It’s for Baba’s service. So it does happen many times, in the beginning, all the US centers were very few and we used to send to everyone. Dadi Janki would say, one year, two years is enough, and now everyone should try to be self-sufficient.” So for anything you know, we have to be very much into balance, not just keep giving or keep receiving.
Sister Shireen: I feel when people are giving monetarily, giving in the Yagya, they are progressing better. I can see that happening and it's not just I want to notice it, but you can see them progress. Why is that, why is money so important?
Mohini Didi: What you mean they progress, in which way?
Sister Shireen: I see them progress more. They're both BKs, but one BK has the right maryada about money, they are progressing better than the one who doesn't have the right maryada about money. Why do you feel this is?
Mohini Didi: I think that honesty with money is very important. What I find in my spiritual life is that if you are very honest and truthful there is always abundance, because everyone's trust grows on you. Like Dadi Prakashmani, because she never had anything personal to give someone, personal to take care of someone, no, she will tell those who are in charge of departments that this one needs something, this one needs something. She would give but she won't do it personally, and the bhandara will keep remaining full because people trust her that she is not giving from herself, she's not wasting it, she doesn't have friends. Dadi always thought that whatever comes in Baba’s bhandary, should be shared equally with everyone so that no one has waste thoughts. So I believe in that principle very much as Dadi Janki said,”Truth, honesty, and simplicity.” If we have these three motos, I think whether it is time, whether it is money, any kind of energy to be used in a proper way I think definitely people can see it and they feel that it's not you doing anything with it. You are doing it for service, so their trust grows on us a lot, so they progress more and more.
Sister Shireen: So Didi, is there a maryada around how that money should be used?
Mohini Didi: You are talking about income?
Sister Shireen: Yes, income. Where can we say we’re trustees, let's say I’m a BK and I’m working, when can I say I'm a trustee of the money?
Mohini Didi: Dadi Prakashmani used to say that first you have to see you're expenses whatever whatever you are expenses and whatever, then is there in that Dadi used to say make 3%, maybe 1 for yourself, 1 for Yagya, 1 for saving, because Dadi also used to say that everyone should have some savings. It shouldn’t happen one day you say, “Oh, I gave everything, I used everything, I spent everything.” So, if one is an individual like living at a center, Dadi always used to say they should spend at least 50%. Suppose someone lives at Peace Village, and if that person had to live outside right, they would have an apartment, insurance, car insurance, so many things, and some of the things you don’t spend when you are there. So, I said you should immediately give at least what you would have spent outside plus some for Baba, then what we spend on you. So some are able to understand, and some still feel it’s a lot, but it’s not a lot when they really calculate it, if they would have lived outside. I am talking of those who are surrendered and are still working.
Sister Shireen: Right.
Mohini Didi: So I think that will give them this whole feeling that we are following Baba’s principles as a trustee.
Sister Shireen: So, to really be a trustee like what you were sharing, especially if you are in a household is like after you take all the expenses away then it has to be divided into three, and that is really the best maryada around money.
Mohini Didi: I mean that’s what Dadi Prakashmani used to tell us that for a person who is single, it could be 50%, but those who are in families with how many members, so they have to take care of them.
Sister Shireen: Thank you so much Didi. Actually one last question. Why is the energy of money so important, in the way we have yoga?
Mohini Didi: See, body and ‘tann and dhan’ right, body and wealth both are equally important. That's where we do actions, through the body, and also we need wealth. If you have a body you need food, you need housing, you need clothing, how much is connected with body and the use of wealth? If you have body and if you don't have enough wealth, it's very difficult that you can’t buy clothes, you can't buy good food and so money is important. Also, I always feel that even when I'm Baba’s child now, I always think about the well-being of everyone. I think that the more you think unlimited, and the more your heart is generous and charitable, yes money does help you to create fortune. It's also your heart. Some can never share money, but some are very generous and would want help in some way or other.
Om Shanti
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