If you only had ten days to live on this planet, what would you want to do?
We have lived today’s life. Be happy today. And tomorrow’s life will begin with the next sunrise. And the next day’s with the next sunrise……! If you only had ten days to live on this planet, what would you want to do? Sit and think what your priorities are. Are you worried about your relationship? In ten days you are going to go away; kick the bucket! Are you worried about your property? Are you worried about your friends and foes? Are you worried about what you are going to eat, your eating preferences? What are your preferences? Ten days to live of your life, and what are you going to do? We keep living as though we will live forever.
We hang onto things as though they will be there forever. We forget the sense of time and life –the flow of life. Isn’t that our only problem?
You’re so concerned about your relationship.
A girl didn’t smile at you or a boy went with somebody else! What are you worried about? Where will they be? People are burned down with this sense of relationship. People are burned down with things about friends; wasting precious life and time. A friend of yours behaved badly with you and hurt you. What actually hurts you is your foolishness. Let them behave the way they want! But you want everybody to be on your railway tracks. You have set railway tracks for people, and you want everybody to walk on those tracks. The moment they give you a surprise, you say you never wanted that in your life. How can you get over it? What do you want to get over? Just wake up and look! Neither of you are going to be there long! You will both be under the earth in no time.
You won’t even be able to recognize this body. And if you continue to live like that, nobody will even take your name. Nobody will even know you existed on this planet. Anyway, even if they do, it has no meaning for you, does it? Where are you to begin with? You feel that one person did this to you and another person did that. That they did not smile at you, or that they smiled at you. That they said something good; they did this… Where is your freedom? We carry such stupid things with us wherever we go! A doormat can remove the mud from your feet, but if you carry mud in your head. What can remove it?
Contentment is what you need! If people have behaved well with you and been friendly to you, thank them for what they have done for you. Don’t become a burden on them. The whole world needs to understand this; the entire world is burning out for nothing! Every moment put yourself into knowledge. Everybody should be immersed in two or three hours of sevā (service).
We look for what we do not have and there will be no contentment. I would like you to be contented in your mind, in your heart. Don’t have feverishness or craving for it!
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji