Page 8 - Balvihar january 2024

What to Give?

How to Give?

(This is a transcript of the talk by Guruji to the children who had come to the 'Sacred Seven –
A Journey to Freedom’ two day residential camp organised by Chinmaya Mission, Mulund,
a suburb of Mumbai. This talk was on 26th December, 2022 in the serene environment of
Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, the Powai ashram.
The transcript falls short in capturing the child-like joy on Guruji's face, the sweetness of his
voice, the 'chitta-chor' that he is!)

Pujya Guruji began his address to the
children after seeking Gurudev’s blessings.
Naturally his opening remark was a
question, “Mokshada nagari! What is
moksha?” There were several answers from
the children but the one he liked best was,
"Moksha is peace and happiness”! In his
unique style there was an appreciative,
long drawn out, ”Haaaan!”

The children were told to think of two
photographs of theirs — one as they leave
for school and another when the final bell
rings and school is over!! Going to school
reluctantly is a sign of bondage and the joy at the end of the day when school is over is
moksha! Chutti! — Holiday!

Moksha is ananda swaroop. It is called liberation, freedom. But the right word for it is ananda!
“Moksha ka swaroop kya hai?”, (What is the nature of moksha?) Guruji asked the kid and
promptly they answered in one voice, ”Ananda!” Guruji went on, ”Isi liye the camp has mokshada
nagari and the parallel camp for elders, 'Tips for Happy Living'! Trust Guruji to see the
connection.
“Moksha hai ananda roop aur badon ko tips
di hamne, ananda ki!”. A ananda-murti smile
lit up his face.

How is ananda obtained? Where is it to be
found? If ananda is in ice-cream, wouldn't
a non-stop eating of ice-cream bring
happiness? Ugh! Horrible! So we have to do
two things daily – give and take! Aren’t all
our transactions just this? Give and take!

Once again, Guruji made this understanding
of give-and-take so simple with an example

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Balvihar - January 2024