Once my SadGuruDev Pujyapad Swami Shri Leela Shah ji pointed me to a Rose & asked me what it was.
I said: "Bapu! This is Rose flower"
He continued: " If you keep it on top of dirt box or on a clean box, Or if you keep it next to a smelly drain or keep it in your office, what will this flower smell like?"
I said: "Always like a Rose"
Gurudev: "A rose always gives out the same sweet fragrance no matter where it resides. So should be our life. Our good qualities should always remain unchanged no matter where we are. Others should always receive positive energy from us. At the same time none of the negative or bad things of our surrounding should ever stain our own good. You should smell like a Rose & let the whole world benefit from your fragrance"

Be careful not to affect yourself from the bad of others while others may take as much good from you as they like. To meditate upon God, to concentrate, to respect the parents, being obedient & respectful to teachers etc grows our good qualities.

Bow to the feet of thy parents after getting up early every morning. Even lord Rama used to bow to his parents & Gurudev every morning. When Sri Rama used to live in his Guru-ashram, he would make sure to get up even before his Gurudev every morning. This is described in Ram Charit Manas. Being respectful towards parents & gurus (teachers) helps us develop divine qualities which make our whole life enlightened. So Dear Student, Just like the Rose, You should also keep spreading the fragrance of selfless service, joyful outlook & remain unaffected by the surroundings.

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