Speak gently, Walk humbly, Give something in charity.
If you do these above three things dutifully, then there is no need for you to go to a forest and meditate. There is no need for you to go in quest of God. For God, the source of joy and happiness will come in quest of you – and meet you.
In India, we have the beautiful tradition of greeting everyone we meet with folded hands and the reverential greeting: Namaste! It is the God within the human form that we salute thus.
If Lord Krishna Himself resides in the people we meet, why should we talk harshly to Him? Should we not be soft, gentle, reverential and sweet to the Lord? Each one of us is an image of Lord Krishna. Therefore, let us speak gently, softly, sweetly.
The second thing necessary for us, is humility of the heart. Be humble; be humble as a blade of grass. No matter what your status in life; no matter how rich and powerful you are; no matter how influential your connections may be, be humble. Treat all those below you with kindness and gentleness and earn the grace of God.
The third thing that all of us must follow is to give whatever we can in charity. You may share your wealth with those less fortunate than you. Look at Nature. It always gives. Think of the tree. It gives fruit to others. Does it ever eat its own fruit? Think of the river. Does it ever drink its own water? A river flows, to slake the thirst of people. Indeed, one of the primordial laws of Nature is to give.
“If you don’t have anything to give, at least give everyone a sweet smile.” It is a precious asset, that remains with us, even when we have given it away. It brings us joy and spreads smiles all around us.
Give, give, give! Give today, give now, for tomorrow may be too late! Man cannot carry anything with him beyond death. To earn ‘true wealth’, you must practise three things: (i) Speak sweetly; (ii) walk humbly; (iii) give alms with your own hands.
Dada J P Vaswani is a humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader