28 Apr 2012 —
Question
Q205: Responsibilities?
Question 205:
Amma said: “While carrying responsibilities, never forget to smile.” How do you understand this?
Please make your answer brief and clear (maximum 5 or 6 lines).
Question 205:
Amma said: “While carrying responsibilities, never forget to smile.” How do you understand this?
Please make your answer brief and clear (maximum 5 or 6 lines).
my first image of a person with a lot of responsibilites is someone fretting from the stress. if we keep our mind inward and directed to god and see all of our challenges as coming from god for our own improvement we won’t get stressed. smiling comes when there is acceptance and peace.
Smile born of strength having done Sadhana is immaculate and has soothing effect on on-lookers. Else it is hypocrisy hiding dismal fate of living behind our derisive smiles. To smile is to forgive the outward enemy. To smile is to awaken and express the divine love within.
while carrying responsibilities…don’t forget to smile.
as a positive mind affects the body in a good way, body power can affect the mind (e.g think of how a mudra is used to affect life in a healthy way). smiling adds a boost to body power
plus “guruseva” – doing what AMMA says is a way to help us get closer to divinity
Many times we do not want to the things that are our responsibilities – cleaning, sweeping, going to work, etc. We tend to treat these things as something we have to do reluctantly, and when we do them our time is not our own. But if we can smile and do them happily for the benefit they bring to others, then we grow through them.
So if we are sweeping and do it with a loving smile, it becomes karma yoga – work that detaches our consciousness from the ego and brings self-realization closer.
Smiling is a way to lose our doer ship and get closer to God..
Before meeting Amma in Her Ashram, I thought that it was just impossible to couple responsabilities and a smile.. and then I saw Her discharging Hers in a relaxed and a playful mood. So it hit me that not only was it possible but also a good expression of detachment.
Smiling while carrying out our responsibilities is in a way, emulating Lord Krishna. The Lord, though wholly detached, had to shoulder various responsibilities in His mortal frame, yet He did it all with an all-knowing smile adorning His lips. In today’s world, a smile has become a rarity. But one needs to only look at AMMA and see how SHE continues to have an enchanting smile always on Her countenance, regardless of how long Darshan goes on.
a true smile is one of openness. if the body can remain open, there will be less reaction to the conditions. less reaction, more attention to keep on the ‘True Self’. More attention on the ‘Truth’ less reaction to conditions. with that more reason to smile.
Thank you, ‘Ma’ for you are the Light in these words.
In the Divine drama, loving, laughing, grieving, gaining and losing are all intrinsic parts of the play. Likewise, each of us has God given roles we are meant to fulfill. Most of us have more than one role. For example, a mother is also a wife, a daughter, a sister and a friend. With each role comes responsibilities’, some we may happily embrace while others are performed reluctantly or with distaste. Spirituality teaches us the nature of life and how to respond to all of life’s experiences and responsibilities with the right attitude and actions. Spirituality also helps us realize that ultimately everything we experience is meant to make our lives rich, full and complete. Having this understanding we can choose to smile while performing our required responsibilities, regardless of our preferences. In time the choice to smile transforms into a spontaneous greeting irrespective of time, place, circumstance or face.
We have to play the role given by GOD efficiently without getting internally involved in it. The main reason of our human birth is recognising GOD in ourselve. Our main aim is remembering our goal and tgaking out our respoonsibilities happily without cribbing wheter it is peaceful or frightening. JAI MAA I luv u MAAAAAAAAAAAA
However your life is difficult and your tasks are heavy, always keep the hope and the faith that all is great and will always be that way (and this is when the smile will automatically come to you)…
Life is beautiful,,, smile to life and life will smile back to you 🙂
We need to exert only 7 facial muscles for a smile but a frown requires us to exert 52 muscles.So why not chose the better option and keep smiling what ever we do
The fact is in majority of cases,people perhaps, due to stress or an inborn attitude rarely ever smile.It may be at times due to the fact that they do not like their customers or contacts to feel they are weak or easy to deal with making it difficult for them on the other side, those guys to expect more or better service at all times,which ultimately will lead to over load for them. Mostly they are snobs who think by smiling they may lose their stature or dignity hence, seems to be always guarding themselves to leave such an impression on others to feel that he is tough and wise.
remembering all we “have” to do is not a must, but a blessing….
and to help us remember everything we’re doing is seva, we smile.
Responsibilities are part of life-we are all basically “KARMAYOGIS” born to perform specific duties in LIFE. When we work with a smile-it eases our stress and we perform better. Smiling faces creates a positive outlook and attitude. Faces of Lord Krishna, AMMA, Mother Teresa are all Beautiful SMILING FACES! We need to strengthen our resolves and Smile with acceptance-i.e. THY WILL BE DONE!
Smile and be happy.
In Sreemad Bhagavadam Bhagavan’s Sree krisna’s sweet smile is compaired to Maya.Then what is Maya? Maya is the Vittal power of Bhagavan.With the help of Maya all the creation take place in the Prapancham.So while performing our responsibilities we should not forget to keep this Vittal power of Smile.Smile is actualy a sign of acceptance.To accept everything with smile is not esay.We can see this quality in Mahtmas like our most beloved Amma.We sholud be conscious of resposibilities, in every day life to recognize our motives, and values.The attitude should be there that the work or responsibility is more important than my opinion about the work.Do the responsibilites as an offering to the Lotus feet of Lord,remembering the Lord all the times.If you do your responsibilities with an attitude of Service with surrender(SEVA), Then the smile will come automaticly in our lips . no specila effort is required…
AMMA, who has realized the Self in Her as the Self in all,reminds us here that as gold is in all ornaments,we must remember the Divine in all our contacts in life and give respects and reverence they deserve. We normally exhaust our life and energies in two main channels- “Yoga and Kshema” due to lack of knowledge in our scriptures,the manual for operation and navigation of human life, and the Divine promise thereby,a lifetime inspiration,that he who worships Me -to him I secure all that is not already possesed(yoga) and preserve what he already has(kshema)…
As Amma often says, we should be totally unaffected by the world even while in the midst of carrying out our responsibilities, just like butter floating on water. She also mentions Sri Krishna as the ideal example for this attitude of detachment. However, Amma is the perfect living example for us.
the smile could be from inside state, inside joy which can manifest as smile. this can happen only if we take all work as a offering to Amma. to achieve this state requires the eradication/lessening of ego. then there is no burden, work becomes worship, a smile will be on automatically, need not be forced
“karthavya pasathil aayi branthan poole
kruthyam marannidunnu mrthyu potti chiricheedunnu”
(excerpt from Sakthi Rupe..)
I understand these only these year watching Amma on darshan tour Europe for hours.
Means serve God, donate every action to AMMA.