Several of the faithful sevadars who are working hard at Shiv Sadan farm have come to see Maharaj ji. Yesterday he gave them the answer to the question that people sometimes ask:
People ask me why I don’t take action against people who have made mistakes. This is all one family. I don’t want anyone to suffer a setback. And action taken quickly is not good.
Today after listening to one young man’s account of what is going on in the fields under his management at Shiv Sadan, Maharaj comments:
There is great energy in a person. One has no idea of his own power. If love, and dedication, and hard work are combined in a person, he never tires. From the start, I have been most fond of those people who work hard with dedication. Some people are daunted by the size of that huge farm. Others think, “We can grow the most rice.” When a person’s goal is strong, understand this as God’s blessing. One is always thinking of the goal.
Farming is a subject that requires years of thought, plus love. One must keep the machines in good condition and plant at the right time—these are the two most important factors. Every night one needs to clean the moisture from the plumes of grass that have brushed the tractor. The tractor’s filter must be replaced at once, without delay, and then it will last for 9 years. When good people run the machines, there will be no loss. The greatest financial loss in villages is that irresponsible, untrained people are running the machines. They run them on the streets, but they are made for going slowly through fields. All machines should be kept under a roof, protected against both rain and sun.
A person’s body is also a machine. One should take care of a horse in the evening, knowing that he will need it again in the evening. All work should be done sincerely. Otherwise, it is wasted. Then the body and mind will stay well. Thus progressing, great energy will develop.
One who doesn’t use his mind will be sowing seed at the wrong time. Farming is such a powerful thing that if you ever think there is nothing to do that day, you will fail. You have to start at 4 to 6 a.m. and work till night. You don’t see your family. You only see what needs to be done.
Why has the character of village women been so high? They get together, work together, sew carpets together. They made everything for the house and also trained the children. They had no time for criticizing. An idle person is Satan’s workshop. If the work is great, there is no time for trouble.
At Shiv Sadan there are no permanent boundaries. The river keeps leaving more land to be developed by hard work. It is God’s grace that you have avoided all squabbles and kept working. It is so hard to develop a field. When we lived there, there was always the sound of tractors, and of people singing, lovingly.
Those lands are very holy—of Ganga, of Hastinapur [now called Meerut, famous as the capital of the kingdom of the Kauravas in the Mahabharat]. An ordinary person cannot work there. Great spiritual practice and worship are needed. Ganga water is so pure that they are selling it. Our country’s training is wrong, for people are taught that this is Sikh and that is Hindu. Ganga herself told me that she would leave land for us but take away the gurdwara land downstream, and it is happening that way. Mataji said, “If I go far away, you can’t come to see me.” I said, “Never mind. We can get there in our vehicle.”
A woman who serves in the langar at Shiv Sadan tells Maharaj she had a dream of his coming there. He says, “Actually, we are always with you.”
One of the young men says, “A person can’t do anything by himself.” Maharaj agrees,
It’s surely a matter of your good karma. You have no demand—only that our crops will do well. When we were sitting there, there were record-breaking crops. We understood it is a blessing that God had given us this work. Whatever duty God gives you is your blessing. Think of the bravery of Bachittar Singh [whom Guru Gobind Singh sent out to fight against an intoxicated elephant who was being used to batter their fort in Anandpur Sahib. He rode up to the elephant on his horse and threw his spear at the animal’s forehead, shattering the armor and wounding him such that he turned and wreaked havoc among the attackers.] Think of the courage of “Sat bachan” [Yes, sir] against the ruler’s elephant. It is all God’s doing.
When you come to God’s house, ask Him directly for everything. If you come to Maharaj’s house with thoughts of seva, you will be rewarded for lifetimes. We are so fortunate—our training is to recite Nam at all times.
To the woman from the langar, Maharaj says,
This is your duty: Recite Ik Onkar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru with every breath. Wash the pots with your hands and remember Him. People may have high positions, but few are granted the opportunity for seva. If you do Nam, watch how much effect it has on cleaning the environment.
She complains that everyone, from the top person down, are taking materials from the storage room to cook their own food and eating separately, rather than in the langar. He says,
This is our discipline: that the leaders are to set the example. The Guru said that theft is the greatest error.
God will be happy if everyone is praised. Our culture should dictate that everyone considers you their daughter, their sister, or mother. There is very strict hukam in Manu Simriti that if you trouble a woman, that home’s happiness departs.
God knows everything—what your thoughts are, how much love and gyan is in you. Always think that He is doing everything, that everything is His gift. Hearing that such and such person is bad has no effect on me. In pride, a person slips off his base.
The young man asks Maharaj to bless him so that he will be free of anger. Maharaj holds his hand on his head for a long time. At last, he says,
Never slander another’s character. Think thousands of times first.