Dharma is not austere. King Janak was a king, Rama was a king, Krishna was a king. And when they became kings, they had their queens, they had their fun, they had their jewelry and a lot of good food. They had luxuries and kingdoms but they ruled with dharma. They brought balance and order, peace and harmony so that, as was the custom in India, at the end of their lives they could renounce their kingdoms and go away without blinking an eye. Nobody told them to. They were not sad. In such great souls, when their aspiration arose for spiritual Illumination they went to their Gurus, who would tell them: Jyotirmayibaba—“Be illumined.” That was their goal. Everything else became secondary. But a non-dharmic person, even if you tell this one million times, is waiting for you to stop so they can bring out their own wishes. The dharmic person would say, “Lord, I had all of these things. Tell me how to get Illumination.”

HARMA IS THE HARMONIZING FACTOR between the material and spiritual life. Whether you become an ascetic or live in the world, it doesn’t matter. You could be Jesus Christ or you could be a great king. That is your choice. But you have found the balance between spirituality and materiality. And therefore there is nothing to be haughty or arrogant or proud or dominating about. If you are following the dharma, dharma makes you lord anyway.
     Sometimes when you begin to be dharmic and the atmosphere around you is quite different, it can be difficult. This is a test and a challenge, but those who want peace—they will do it. That does not mean you don’t beget children or look after them. If that were true, God wouldn’t have created this way, through the womb; He would have arranged some other methods. But everything has to be according to dharma, the so-called discipline. Underlying this dharma is principle: rta dharma, the fundamental foundation that neither you nor I can disturb.
 

      When you have this holistic outlook—God first, Spirit first, peace first, joy first—then your relationship to the world and people and matter assumes quite a different outlook. You will respect everything as sacred. From early morning rising to going to bed, everything will be sanctified. And that is real life, when devas or angelic beings come to help you. If you are perfectly on dharma, then everything is divine. It gives you power or strength, which normally you don’t get from the material—whether it is money or physical strength or influence or prestige. These are not power; they are total “no-confidence” in God’s existence. By living the dharma, your whole life becomes sanctified, not only when you go to temple but also when you cook, when you write, when you sleep, when you act, when you procreate—everything becomes religious.  Your heart will tell you in each and every respect: where you are being disturbing, disintegrating and disorganizing. And if not, your karmas will teach you lessons—but we could prevent that by following dharma.
     So let’s not condemn material life in itself as long as the goal is not materialism. I have seen people having everything that they want but they are still insecure because their goal is materialistic. It’s an attitude. I am sitting on this dais, wearing clothes, using my voice, but these are by-the-way instrumentation. They are not the purpose of life. Sometimes I hear seekers asking, “Swamiji, can I give up my job?” I say, “Who will feed you?” “You will.” I say, “Then I’ll go to your job for you? What are you talking about?” It’s just a flight of imagination. On the contrary, you should feed me. I can feed you spiritual food but material food—you have to do that.
     Any insignificant thing in the world, treat with respect. There is no insignificance to any detail. Dharma is continuity. It sustains and protects us. It does not deprive us of pleasures and fun—except that we may not do any stupidity we want to. We have to enjoy according to dharma also. Enjoyment is part of creation. Joy comes out of God.
     If you want to find the balance between material life and spirituality, be dharmic; do not only follow the dharma but be dharmic. And if others don’t get it, they don’t do it, they don’t accept it or they reject it or react, that is their problem. See that you do not cause disharmony, disintegration or chaos within you or around you. Then you are living the dharma.

Edited from a Satsang entitled Materialism and Spirituality (K-128) given on December 5, 1990.  This and the entire collection of Audio Satsangs of  Swami Amar Jyoti are available on CD and Audiocassette. Please see the Audio Satsang Catalog at truthconsciousness.org