“Life is like a Clock…”

March 17, 2002 (Saturday) 


Swami gave a discourse to the police as a part of the Police Conference in the Bhajan Hall. After the conference was over, He came out to the Ganesh portico. 

Swami : I have told them everything practical. 

Teacher : Swami, You have a lot of patience. 

Swami : In life, one should have patience. Life is like a clock. The years are the hours, months are the minutes, and weeks are the seconds. The clock keeps moving and hence our life also. Be aware of this and make use of your life also properly. This type of training is for the first time in India.
(After a pause to the students...) Tomorrow exam? 

Students : Last exam for 10th class boys. We have Sanskrit exam. (Another student) Swami, 12th class has Sanskrit. 

Swami : (Calls a Music College student) How is your music? 

Student : Going on well, Swami. 

Swami : When are your exams starting? 

Student : Tomorrow, Swami. 

Swami : What exam? 

Student : Vocal, Swami. 

Swami : Does vocal mean singing? 

Student : Yes, Swami. 

Swami : What do you have in the exam? 

Student : Swami, we have some Varnas (Carnatic musical piece) and Keertanas (devotional songs) to sing. 

Swami : What have they taught? 

Student : Brochevaarevarura and Aparaamabhakthi. (Songs composed by saint-poet Tyagaraja and master pieces of Carnatic music.) 

Swami : Which Raagam is Brochevaarevarura

Student : Swami, Sriranjani

Swami : Which Talam

Student : Aaditalam. (Swami asks the student to sing the song. After the student sings the song, Swami corrects him by singing it Himself.) 

Swami : What else? 

Student : Maayaateeta Swaroopini and Sri Guruguha. These were Muthuswamy Dikshitaar’s (a South Indian poet, composer and one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic music) composition. Shara Shara Samarai. This was Tyagaraja’s composition. 

Swami : Tyagaraja’s compositions were very good. (After a minute’s silence...) 
(To a teacher) Who was Vibhishana’s daughter? 

Teacher : Swami, Trijata. 

Swami : She was a very good woman. Whatever she dreamt came true. She once got a dream that Lanka will be burnt and Ravana killed. 

Prof. A. K. : Swami, was Lakshamana Anveshaparudu (the one who keeps searching)? 

Swami : No, he was not. He got angry on Bharata when he came to meet Rama in the forest because he was the son of Kaikeyi (when Bharata comes to the forest to request Rama to return to Ayodhya). The only time he was in haste was when he got angry on his father (Dasharatha), who told Rama to go to the forest. That was because of his love towards his brother Rama. 

Prof. A. K. : Swami, in Mahabharata, when the Pandavas were sent to the forest and got humiliated, was it not cowardice (on their part to accept it)? 

Swami : That was not cowardice. They followed their Dharma. 

Prof. A. K. : But Swami, does following Dharma mean cowardice? 

Swami : No. Because it was the rule of the game that if they lose, they have to go to the forest. 

Prof. A. K. : Swami, the Kauravas enjoyed all the pleasures of the kingdom. But the Pandavas suffered by going to the forest. 

Swami : What type of enjoyment it was? They were never satisfied with whatever they got. Whereas Pandavas were satisfied, even though they were in the forest. Once Bhishma was planning on how to kill the Pandavas in the war. Draupadi came to know about this and she prayed to Krishna. That night, Krishna took her to the camp where Bhishma was residing and told her to remove her sandals and give it to Him. He then told her to rush towards Bhishma and fall at his feet. When she did this, Bhishma blessed her ‘Deergha Sumangali Bhava’ (may your husbands live a long life). 


When she got up, he was surprised to see Draupadi. Then Krishna comes in and out of His hand drops the sandals of Draupadi wrapped in His Angavastram (upper cloth in a traditional dress). She was a great Pativrata (one of chastity and devotion). The qualities of a Pativrata are: firstly, not going against the husband; and secondly, being satisfied with whatever she gets. When they were in the Virata kingdom, during a game of chess between the king of Virata and Yudhishthira, the king gets angry and throws the dice on to Yudhisthira’s head. As soon as Draupadi sees the blood oozing out of his nose, she immediately goes and wipes it, because she knew that on whosoever’s land his blood falls, it would suffer from drought and famine. 

Prof. A. K. : Even though Draupadi was from a Kshatriya family, she did not have Rajoguna (the Rajasic quality)? 

Swami : No, she did not have it at all. Rajoguna is not that which can be shown, it comes out as action. 



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