The Goal of Life

These quotes have been taken from Satsangs (discourses) given by our teacher Professor Ojaswi Sharma. He himself was never interested in writing anything but his students felt the need to preserve his wisdom. They taped his talks, transcribed them and sorted out into several Topics. Because the full discourses were very long, shorter passages were chosen on each Topic and presented here.

 

If you find the quotes inspiring and would like to read the full Satsangs please visit Universal Wisdom.

 

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Changes are bound to come, it is the law of nature, but our reaction to the changes are like waves on the surface of the ocean, coming and going but not affecting the ocean. The ocean remains calm, peaceful, and happy. It takes time to reach this state of calmness, and wise are they who start the journey towards realisation of this goal. They alone are wise. I have no hesitation in saying that those who do not start on the journey are misguided. They are wasting their lives.

 

Life has its ups and downs. The truth is that the very purpose of life here is training, and nature is the greatest trainer. Training for what? What is the purpose of this training? The purpose of training is that human beings on this planet Earth are supposed to go beyond the dimensions of the animal world. This is the only purpose of human life.

 

There are four instincts which are common to both animals and human beings: eating, sleeping, procreation and self-defence. In this respect there is no difference between animals and human beings. All human beings are born with these four instincts. But if they die with nothing more than these instincts, they die as animals, even though they are in human form. From within they are only animals. Nature has a purpose that as human beings we must evolve beyond these four instincts.

 

Usually people do not want to experience the bad times in life but look forward to the good times only. They will consult astrologers, showing them the palms of their hands. I say they are missing the opportunity. The truth is that a human being becomes more of a human being in adversity than in prosperity. In prosperity animal instincts have the upper hand. These instincts play with human beings, and the whole of life passes away without people knowing the true nature of their own self. In adversity, there is a trial. Our potential qualities, hidden or dormant in us, come into play only when there is a challenge, when there is adversity. So nature is not our enemy. When certain things are going against us, nature wants us to wake up, stand up, take the challenge and prove our worthiness as true humans.

 

It is never a misfortune when life goes against you - it is in fact a very great blessing of nature and divinity. They want to wake you up. They want to say: "Don't die like that." They want to say: "Don't die like a dog. Realise your own divinity within you".

 

Everyone uses the word 'Love.' It is the most commonly used word in all languages but it is also the one element that is least found in human beings. What we call 'love' is not love. It is attachment or infatuation - feelings of a lower nature. Gradually, we reach a stage when the fountain of love in us opens up and all problems are solved. All spiritual training is directed solely to this end.

 

Before self-realisation, love is adulterated, mixed and contaminated. It is not purified. Because in the final reckoning, love, wisdom, atman, the spirit, divinity, God, they are names for the same principle.

 

If your life is worthwhile and wisdom is achieved, then your life is successful. To live like a dog and die like a dog at the age of 150 is useless. If you remain a victim of and only live for the passions of life, and die without spiritual wisdom, your life has been useless.

 

A person who thinks about nothing but money is one of the greatest fools. A living man becomes a victim of dead bank notes! Such people never know the meaning of love, compassion, service or duty. Donkeys and dogs do not know either! It follows that there is no difference between such people in human form and donkeys and dogs. Every person of intelligence must make efforts not to remain a donkey or a dog!

 

Progress in the field of spirituality does not go in a straight line. It has its ups and downs! When you reach the climax there is neither up nor down. You find your own self. The seeker finds nothing except himself. The seeker finds that there is no difference between himself and others. All problems are solved.

 

You have to do nothing but purify your own existence. I mean, you have to realise love, minus attachments, aversions, and infatuations. Nothing has to be introduced from outside since everything already exists within you. God is already there in you - you yourself are part of God. Divinity is there - it has only to be experienced, stage by stage, step by step

 

Disease or illness is on three levels: physical, mental and spiritual. The aim of human life should be to have physical health and mental health, and then to utilise them to achieve spiritual health.

 

We are what we are but we do not know what we are. You will come to know what you are when you are completely exhausted and tired after searching.

 

Death could come any day. It could come to any of us. If we die as we are, life will have been useless. Life becomes meaningful only when passions like lust, anger, and greed die before physical death.

 

After passing through various experiences in many lives one comes to the conclusion that one is fed up with such a life. There is so much conflict, agony and grief, that life not only loses its interest but becomes difficult for the person to live. Many people commit suicide due to their inner conflicts. Many people start to take drugs or strong alcohol. The reason is simply that they are trying to insulate themselves from their inner conflicts. But all such efforts add to their miseries. The only solution is self-realisation.

 

When the relationship between the individual and the cosmos is known the purpose of human life is revealed. That is the only purpose of human life because that experience can happen to no other living being but man. Bodies, brains and instincts all exist in other animals but they are not sufficiently developed for that experience to be possible. However, the human body is primarily meant for the experience. Only he is really wise who tries for the real experience in life.

 

The only successful life is that of the person who succeeds in finding the self.

 

Whatever has the nature of being born will definitely die. Whatever is perishable, let it perish. Do not worry about it. But through the help of that which dies or is temporary, let us experience the eternal.