Uttam Arjav(English)

UTTAMA

ARJAVA (STRAIGHFORWARDNESS OF CONDUCT)

· Complications of life are a result of Show off & pompousness.

· The cause behind an artificial life is that we want to project ourselves as something that we are not.

UTTAMA AARJAVA

Aarjava means straightforwardness in conduct of one’s mind, speech, & body. What is straightforwardness can be understood from this verse.

मन में होय सो वचन उचरिये

वचन होय सो तन सो करिए !

Such a process involves all three – mind, speech & body. What’s on the mind should be so good & virtuous that we don’t feel ashamed saying it, we don’t hesitate doing it. This type of virtuousness & straightforwardness of our conscience is called as uprightness in conduct.

Let’s give a thought to why do we conduct in a pretentious or treacherous manner with others. There is only one reason – we want to project ourselves as something that we are not. Hence we start the deceitful lifestyle – just to gain some benefit by hurting others.

If we start cheating others, hurting others (physically or otherwise) & start enjoying that then slowly we will lose our credibility & truthfulness. This is what’s happening in the present. We have become too artificial, have started to show off. As a result we have made our life very complicated/ complex. Take example of a rope. If it is entangled and we try to make it straight, it keeps on getting more & more entangled. Similarly we involve some unnecessary complications in our lives & then try to correct things all our life. All this is because of our show off.

Arjava or uprightness has some synonyms – honesty, good hearted, simplicity, innocence, warm-heartedness, and straightforwardness. We should try & introspect if we have all these feelings in our heart in different instances. If not, then try to bring them in your life slowly. While practicing these virtues people may try to trick you, cheat you. But remember you need not cheat them in return; just be cautious not to be tricked or cheated.

कबीरा आप ठगाइए, और न ठगिये कोय!

आप ठगाए सुख उपजे, पर ठगिये दुःख होय !

If you are tricked, you may feel hurt for sometime; but still you’ll have the satisfaction that you haven’t cheated anyone (the karmas for which may be carried for many lives).

All of us have heard the story of Baba Bharati. A dacoit had stolen his horse by tricking him as a wounded pilgrim. But what did Baba Bharati say to the dacoit – “Please don’t tell about this incident to anyone otherwise people would stop believing in helping the poor & needy”. Similarly we should maintain our honesty & credibility whether we are in a business, in a market, or in a social-religious place.

If you want to learn straightforwardness then spend some time with children. They are really pure at heart. All of us must have heard of this incident. If we do not want to meet someone at home, we ask little children to tell that person that “Tell him, I am not at home.” But children are really innocent. He’d go and tell that person “Papa says, he is not at home.” What should the child do, he doesn’t know what trickery you are trying to do here. He just says what he understands. Although this might seem to be a losing situation, but the loss is only temporary.

We shouldn’t look at the material gains in the present. If the temporary gain is actually leading to loss of your character, honesty & trust in the longer term then it’s a bigger loss. TO avoid this lifetime loss, it’s worth to have a smaller loss in the present.

There’s a simple example on simplicity.

An old lady was by the street carrying a Potli on her head. A horse rider passed by her. So she asked him “Son, could you please carry this luggage (Potli) of mine on your horse for some time. I’ll take it from you at the next crossing.”

To this the rider responded “Is that why I have this horse for. I don’t have time to carry your luggage” & he moved on. But after moving a few meters, the horse rider thought “maybe it’s not a bad idea to carry the old lady’s luggage. She might be carrying some valuables in it. I can simply take that & run away.”

So he went back to the lady & said “I am sorry. I should’ve carried your luggage. Now please let me carry it for you.” It’s very easy to try and look simple; but it’s very difficult to actually be simple.

The old lady declined to the rider’s offer of help. Perplexed the rider asked her if anybody said anything to her about him. To this the lady replied “Son, it’s your mind that has said everything to me that it said to you.”

It’s not easy to deceive someone, because ultimately you are deceiving yourself.

One’s own conduct may be crooked. His bodily action, speech and mind may be lacking in straightforwardness. Avoiding this crookedness in thought, word and deed, is called Aarjavam or uprightness in conduct.

Guruvar Kshamasagarji Maharaj ki Jai!