In one of His very inspiring Satsangs, Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb lovingly explained that the Almighty has bestowed immense grace upon us.
If we reflect upon our lives, we notice that when sorrows come first and we experience pain, and later happiness follows, we become so joyful that we tend to forget those earlier sufferings. Even if we remember them, we recall them with a sense of pride, that we endured so much, overcame it, and today we are happy.
But God forbid, if sorrow were to come after a phase of happiness, then just imagine our condition. The memories of past comforts begin to trouble us deeply. Sorrows that follow happiness disturb us far more intensely.
From the happiness that comes after suffering, we should learn this important lesson: now that we are in a state of comfort, we must perform such noble actions that sorrow never returns to our lives again. Therefore, we must walk carefully and remain mindful.
In society, once we earn respect, we cannot bear dishonor or disgrace. Wherever we receive honor and dignity, we must act in such a way that we are never disgraced there. Through such conduct, we must strive to reach the highest level of humanity.
Shahanshah Satguru Swami Sai Satramdas Saheb taught us that the more we progress and move forward in life, the more firmly we must strengthen our footing and ensure that we do not slip.
Through good deeds, remembrance of the Divine (Simran), chanting (Jaap), righteousness, and noble actions, we must make ourselves so strong that after attaining happiness and respect, sorrow, distress, and disgrace never come knocking at our door.
If we do not perform wrong actions, why would sorrow come?
If we do not act wrongly, why would disgrace arise?
If we observe carefully, we are far happier and more comfortable than our elders ever were.
Our food, lifestyle, movements, comforts, and even our financial stability are far better than theirs. Whether it is our homes or the light within them, we are blessed with every comfort. Our elders would conserve even the oil of a small lamp, lighting it only when necessary and extinguishing it afterward, while we keep our lights on throughout the night without concern.
From every perspective, we are more prosperous, more comfortable, and better off than our elders.
Their lives passed through poverty, while ours are passing through abundance. We even take separate footwear for different occasions, whereas our elders, to prevent their shoes from wearing out, would tuck them under one arm while walking, thinking, “Feet can endure, but the shoes must be preserved.”
Our elders preserved themselves even in poverty, but we have not been able to preserve ourselves in prosperity, this is the great difference between them and us.
Earlier times were about attaining Faqeeri (spiritual humility and detachment) even in poverty, and our elders demonstrated this beautifully. They neither accepted wrongdoing, nor allowed it, nor ever supported it.
Whether among friends, in community councils, within families, or in society, they never stood by what was wrong. They did not even like to hear anything wrong. It is said that hunger can lead a person toward sin, and when one’s family is hungry, a person may be tempted to earn through wrong means, but even in such difficult times, our elders neither committed sin nor chose the wrong path.
This means that even in poverty, they preserved their inner richness—their Faqeeri.
Now, the present age calls for attaining Faqeeri in prosperity. It is time to reflect on how much spiritual humility we have maintained despite our wealth and comforts. Today, when we are more prosperous than our elders, can we preserve that same spirit of Faqeeri?
Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb says that if our elders could attain Faqeeri in poverty, why can we not attain it in prosperity? When they did not turn towards wrongdoing despite having nothing, why do we turn towards it even when we have everything?
Attaining Faqeeri in prosperity is, in fact, very simple. To achieve it, we must keep our thoughts positive and pure, maintain the right mindset, perform righteous actions, stay away from wrongdoing, and remain engaged in Naam, Jaap, and Simran.
Attaining Faqeeri is not difficult at all. Simply by refraining from wrong actions, not supporting wrongdoing, and not speaking wrongly, we can attain this state of spiritual richness.
