How can we make this precious life worthwhile?

Discarding the path and wasting one’s life is an insult to the very name of the species! Instead of getting enslaved to the evanescent and the false, and wasting precious time in their pursuit, dedicate every minute to discovering truth and contemplating on the everlasting, ever-true Lord. Such dedication is the real function of the soul. On the other hand, spending time in illusory appetites is the drag of the world. One shouldn’t fall victim to the poisonous attractions of worldly luxuries or the wiles of seductive beauty. One day, all these fascinating scenes will vanish as a story unfolded in dream! The characteristic of a spiritual aspirant is the attainment of truth, not the search of the unreal in this evanescent world. In this false world, there can be no true living (sathya-achara). There can be only false living (mithya-achara). True living consists in the realisation of the Lord. This must be borne in mind by everyone every moment of their life.

How precious is this human body? How should we use it?

Deho Devalaya - The body is the temple of the Lord. You are going about your daily journey with a temple where God is present in your innermost shrine. The body is not a mass of flesh and bone. It is a medium for sacred vibrations (mantras) which save you when they are meditated upon. The body is a sacred instrument earned after long ages of struggle. It is equipped with reason and emotion, and is capable of being used for deliverance from grief and evil. Honour it as such; keep it in good condition so that it might serve that high purpose. Maintain it even more carefully than the brick and mortar houses you live in, and always preserve the conviction that it is a divine instrument and nothing more. Use it for that pure purpose for which it has been designed and gifted to you.

Are the practices such as bhajans and meditation sufficient to give us spiritual bliss?

If a person is ill or if his mind is immersed in something else, the taste of food cannot be grasped. So also, if the heart is full of ignorance (tamas) or is wayward, no joy can be experienced even if one is engaged in remembrance of the Lord, devotional singing, recitation of the name, or meditation. The tongue will be sweet as long as there is sugar on it. Likewise, if the pillar of light called devotion continues to burn in the corridor of the heart, there will be no darkness. A bitter thing on the tongue makes the whole tongue bitter. Similarly when greed and anger enter the heart, the brightness disappears, darkness dominates the scene, and one becomes the target of countless griefs and losses. Therefore, those who aspire to attain the holy presence of the Lord must acquire certain habits, disciplines, and qualities. The usual ways of life won’t lead to God. They have to be somewhat modified by means of spiritual discipline.

With what attitude should be serve and show respect to those around?

Just as the body is the house you live in, the world is the body of God. An ant biting the little finger of your foot is able to draw your attention to the spot, and you react to the pain, making an effort to remove the tiny enemy. You must similarly feel the pain, misery, or joy or elation, wherever it is evinced in the entire land; you must make an effort to protect the land from the enemy, however remote may be the place where the enemy has presented himself. Be kind with all your kin. Expand your sympathies, serve others who stand in need to the extent of your skill and resources. Do not fritter away your talents in profitless channels. Respect for the parents, who started you in life and brought you into this world which has enabled you to gather such a vast and varied treasure of experience, is the first lesson that Dharma teaches. Gratitude is the spring which feeds that respect.

Why should we reform our character?

Look at the crane; it walks about pretty fast in water. But while walking, it cannot catch fish. When it wants to catch fish, the very same crane becomes quiet and stands motionless. So also, if you proceed with greed, anger, and similar negative qualities, you can never secure the fish of truth (sathya), righteousness (dharma), and peace (shanti). With any spiritual practice you observe, please add the practice of uninterrupted remembrance of the Lord's precious name (namasmarana). Only then can you master the natural attributes of greed, anger, etc. All the scriptures (sastras) teach but this one key lesson! Since the Lord is the universal goal and this journey of life has Him as the destination for each and every one of you, keep Him constantly in your view and subdue the mind, which makes you wander from the path.

Often we calculate the calories we intake and burn. What should we really calculate? Why?

Those, who are trying to build the human community on a foundation of wealth (dhana), are building on sand; those who seek to build it on the rock of righteousness (dharma) are the wise. Every person consumes specific quantities of food and many even calculate the calories consumed and burnt. Just think for a moment: Have you ever calculated what you have given back to the society that helps you live and enjoy in the world? You must transform the food into service, either to serve your best interests or for the well-being of the society. Mere feeding and care of the body is profitless, for the body is just a container. When the spark of Divinity leaves the body, it becomes a corpse. No one will even keep the corpse for more than a few hours. People will avoid the sight and smell of a dead body; it is disgusting. Never be your own enemy nor be a burden on anyone.

What will set us free?

In our country, there is a peculiar method of trapping monkeys. This process consists of bringing a big pot with a small mouth and putting some material which is attractive to the monkey inside that pot. A monkey, out of curiosity would put its hand inside the pot and get a handful of that material. It will be trapped, unable to pull its hand out! The monkey imagines that someone inside the pot is holding its hand. Then it will attempt to run away along with the pot! No one is holding the monkey. The monkey trapped itself, due to its own attachment. The moment it lets the material go, it will be free. Similarly in this big pot of the world with narrow mouth of temporal pleasures, people are tempted! When they are lost with involvement in those pleasures, they think that someone or something is binding them down. No one is responsible for this bondage. The moment you give up the pleasures and detach yourself, you will be free!

What must we do to get the best value out of this birth?

This human birth is the consequence of countless good deeds, and it should not be cast aside; the chance must be fully exploited. As the Kenopanishad says, “This present precious life should not be thrown away (Na Chath Iha Avedheen Mahathee Vinashtih)". When there are many chances of saving oneself, isn’t it a big loss if no thought is spent on ways of escape? The Kathopanishad exhorts, "Arise, awake! (Uttishthata! Jagratha!)." Those who are agitated by doubts about what to accept and what to reject, those who are blinded by illusion, and those who cannot distinguish between darkness and light, death and immortality —all these should approach great people who can show the path to understand the eternal truth, the self-illumined basis of all creation. Then both this world and heaven will be merged in the same effulgence! For the sake of this realisation, you should have deep yearning and hard, disciplined practice.