What is the power of positivity like? Why think positive in life?

Why should we think positive in life? Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says, “Positive line is on the side of God and negative line is on the side of devil-evil.” The One whose mind has become permanently positive is Himself God. The Self (Soul) is towards positive and intellect is towards negative. Tirthankaras, Gnanis, are constantly in the form of Self, and even in worldly interactions, they are always positive. Their power of positivity is such, that their mere presence give rise to positive intentions in everyone.

While providing positive vision of a very high order to his disciples, Lord Mahavir taught them that when they went out, if people hit them with a stick, they were to take it as, ‘At least it is only a stick; the hand is not broken. The hand is spared.’ They were to consider that much of a benefit. If someone breaks one arm, he has to be grateful that at least he did not break the other one also. If both hands get cut off, they should say that at least they have their legs. If both the arms and both the legs are cut off, they should say at least they are alive and at least able to see. The Lord has shown you the way to look at benefit-loss. Do not cry; be happy. There is nothing wrong with that; is there? The Lord Mahavir saw with an enlightened view (samyak drashti) through which one ‘sees’ benefits even in adverse circumstances. Do not see what’s gone, see what’s remained with us to think positive in life.

Positive vision of the Gnanis

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan had said, that in His entire life, not even for a moment, has He thought negatively for anyone. Even when someone would come and insult Him very badly, Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan would find out the positive in it. There are numerous incidents of His life, some of which we will briefly see here…

If someone says to Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, “You’re an idiot”, then he would respond saying, “You came to know about it today. I know since long that I have little sense in me.” Then, what can the other person say in return?

If someone tells him, “You’re like a donkey”, then Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan would calmly say, “Oh brother, a donkey is far greater. I am even smaller than a donkey. The smallest of the small.” The One who stays constantly as the Self, who not even for a moment becomes the body-form, alone can say this!

If someone were to tell Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, “Dada, you are wretched (‘akarmi’). You are leading people on an adverse path”, then that too he would take positively, saying, “it’s right, I am “a-karmi”, meaning such a person who doesn’t bind karma, and yes, I am leading people on a path that is averse to the worldly path, which is the right one, the path of liberation. The other person may, by his own responsibility, say anything, but Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan would find out the positive in it so that there remains no impact of words at all. Such is the power of positivity.

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan had fractured His leg and people were coming to see Him. At that time, He would say, we cannot say the leg is broken. Because the moment the leg broke, from that very moment, the process of healing commenced. When He would have fever, He would say, the fever has not come, it is going. The vitality power has generated this heat in order to remove the toxins that were accumulated in the body since so many days.

There’s one very interesting incident in the life of Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan. In situations where a common man would utter negative words and would get angry, we’ll get to see how Dada Bhagwan took it positively and drew out a valuable lesson from it.

A man had borrowed five hundred rupees from me. I would never ask for money. One day our accountant asked me whether he should write a note to a person who had not returned our money given to him two years ago. I advised him not to write because he will feel bad. And one day I met him on the way. Then I told him that our accountant was asking me to write a letter requesting the return of the five hundred rupees, which he had borrowed. He snapped back, ‘which five hundred are you talking about?’ I said, ‘didn’t you borrow the money two years ago? Please check in your book.’ He replied, ‘I was the one who loaned you the money and you have forgotten it.’ I thought, ‘I will not be able see and know such ‘design’—unique sample of a human being, in this world. I am fortunate today that this person came to teach me this.’ So what did I say to him? It might be my error so please visit my home this afternoon. I offered him tea, paid the money and ask him to sign a letter of the payment. I am not going to find such a person in the entire life. So mooah—Gnani addressing Ambalal—not five hundred but a thousand gone, but you got this lesson that such people exist! Such lessons, correct you in life, and one becomes cautious in worldly dealings. What kind of a person did I come across? I would not have imagined even in my dream, let alone the good turn that I had did for him.

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan's positive vision was so elevated that it radiated pure compassion He would say, “One may be doing a lakh negative towards me, but I never allow my oneness with him to break. If oneness with the other person breaks from my end, then all the strengths of the other person breaks down, and then he can no longer rise. Negativity towards the other person does not arise in me, and therefore the other person is able to turn back from his mistake.” This is the peak expression of the power of positivity where unwavering unity overrides all negativity.

An incident from the life of Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, which reflects His overflowing compassion, is quite thought-provoking even for the sharpest minds.

Dadashri: There was one boy; he says to me, ‘Dadaji, I feel so much hurt inside.’ I said, ‘Why are you feeling hurt?’ Then he says, ‘I feel the hurt because a bad thought is coming in my mind. Why such thought is coming?’ I said, ‘But what thought is coming, at least tell me! I will save you from that.’ Then he says, ‘I am having such a thought that I like to shoot Dadaji with a bullet.’ I said, ‘Yes, that is right. Now this is a thing that hurts you, is this not?’ I said, ‘But why this happened, tell me.’ Then he says, ‘While you were doing Vidhi (silent auspicious blessings performed by the Gnani for the salvation of the disciple), at that time, an outsider came. You called him quickly and made me waited ten minutes over there. Therefore, I thought in my mind that, shoot this Dada with a bullet.’ I said, ‘That is right, that is my mistake too. So this is my mistake and that is why you got that thought. Now it will not come.’ I let other person enter; I did not allow him to get in. So a person will have such thought, will one not? If a person is hot-tempered, will he get such thought or not? He was rebellious, therefore he said the truth. I patted his shoulder, ‘Bravo! You are talking in front of me about firing a bullet. You said the truth.’ Blessed is this young generation!

When people present in the Satsang there, asked Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan that, “This boy is talking about shooting you, and you are patting his shoulder? If it were anyone else, they would have thrown him out!” To this, He gave a beautiful reply, “That’s not how we operate here.” The other person may show any amount of opposition, yet we do not show any opposition.” No matter how negative the other person’s speech or behavior may be, we get to see here, Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan’s amazing vision of remaining positive even in such situations. The power of positivity of the Gnani Purush (the Enlightened One) is such that even the toughest individuals begin to improve! This could be your best motivator to think positive in life.