The Ten Commandments - A Modern Perspective

The Ten Commandments A Modern Perspective

Preface In the holy month of Christian Lent and the Hindu Navratras, My Guru, Paramhansa Yogandanda Ji, directed me to write a modern perspective on the Ten Commandments. As all of us know, the Ten Commandments are: 1.

I am the Lord your God; You shall have no other gods before me

2.

You shall not make for yourself an idol

3.

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God

4.

Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy

5.

Honour your father and mother

6.

You shall not murder

7.

You shall not commit adultery

8.

You shall not steal

9.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour

10.

You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife; you shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour

I hereby write what is being dictated to me by Paramhansa Yogandanda Ji. Please read and incorporate in your daily life.

First I am the Lord your God; You shall have no other gods before me The entire Universe is under the command and control of one Supreme being. Make no mistake; every one and everything is created by Him. The concept of time was created by Him. There was no time before Him and there shall be no time after Him. He created the concept of universal balance and the entire creation is under perfect balance. He created the good; He created the bad. He created light; He created darkness. He created cold; He created warmth. Nothing in this universe has ever escaped his eye and nothing shall ever. To ensure that there are easier ways to communicate with Him, He created religion. To ensure that each one of us has an easier access and connectivity, He made special appointees or account managers for each religion. Each religion is run by different account managers and each account manager has a different set of followers. Make no mistake. Religion is a way to reach Him; Religion is not an end to itself. All religions point to Him and are under his directions. Choose your path and move along. You have the right to change your path and the freedom to follow any religion. No religion is good or bad. No account manager is good or bad. The difference at time is on interpretation. Some people make wrong interpretations. Please do not panic if you see wrong interpretations made. Follow your path; He is watching and He will make corrections when needed. He watches everything and everything is being accounted for. Do not worry for delayed gratifications, they will come! Do not worry for injustice; it will be taken care of. In today’s time, the only thing important is Faith! and He is testing you. Have faith and rest will fall in place. He has never made a mistake before and neither will He now. He decided when to start and He will decide when to end.

Two You shall not make for yourself an idol Everything is His creation. He created all religions; He created you and me. Nothing was before him and nothing will remain after him. You have no right to claim any supremacy over any one. Supremacy based on caste, colour, wealth, status is a myth. Each one of us has been asked to do something and doing what is assigned to us is important. Do not look at others. Look within..you still have so much to do and lots is left. Please focus on that. Please do not waste your time in creating false idols. He is supreme and rest are all equal. Everyone is looking for a relaxed and sheltered existence. Everyone wants to chill out and shun work. You are no different. But, you do not know the real purpose of the work assigned to you today. May be He will reward you the moment you finish this. May be, He is asking you to work overtime to balance for the extra rewards you enjoyed previously. Do not worry. He is watching you and will take care of you. All are equal and enjoy equal status in his eyes.

Three You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God He treats everyone equally. He loves everyone equally. Everyone is special and cherished. No one is favoured. You do good to others and He will do good to you. You cannot own God; he owns you. Your God is not special, He is equally accessible to all. Do not create false Gods and create confusion. You may have a different account manager; but your account manager is not God. He is only a way to reach and communicate to God. Do not make mistake on this. Your religion is not superior or greater than any other religion. He created all and He will end all if needed.

Four Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy Follow any religion you want, but follow it diligently. Do not make a mockery of your faith. Your religion is only a way to reach and communicate with him. It is no superior or better than any other religions. Do not force others to follow your way. They will find their own ways. Do not bully others to do what you do. They will do it their own way. Focus on being good and honest to yourself. Others will do the same themselves. There is nothing good or bad; the question is of timing and interpretation. You are not God. He is you and you are a part of his dream.

Five Honour your father and mother Respect all and everyone who has helped you shaped your destiny. Your parents, teachers, friends, enemies…everyone who has helped you become what you are today, needs to be respected. There is no one superior or inferior. Respect need not come only to superiors. It should not come out of wealth, force or status. There should be a feeling of love, compassion and universal humility in all of us. Please love and respect all you meet and they will gladly reciprocate the same. You close one door and you will see all doors closed. You open one door and you will see all doors opening. You are extremely lucky to be a part of this creation and so is everyone else.

Six You shall not murder Do not be a bully and force yourself on others. Do not attempt to run the universe. Do not dictate terms and feel smug about it. You have no such rights. Everyone has a dream to be fulfilled and they will do it their way. Do not kill their dreams; do not force and murder their ideas. You have no such rights. Everyone is moving towards Him and will reach their way. You have no special rights to rule over any one. You are only responsible for yourself. Do not worry about others. They will take care of themselves. Do not kill a dream. Do not murder enthusiasm. An idea is what made Him create everything. Cherish and appreciate the bright sparks.

Seven You shall not commit adultery Stay in your limits. You define your own limits and you know when you are crossing them. He knows everything what you do or what is going on your mind. There is nothing you can do alone. He will always watch. Do not cheat your conscious. This is one burden you will be forced to carry all your stay in this world. Be open and express your thoughts openly. When in doubt, take the approach approved by your conscious. You will never be wrong.

Eight You shall not steal Bide your time. Your time will come. You will also be as rich, as happy and as satiated as your neighbour. Please wait for the time. Do not rush and do things which you may regret later. No one is allowed to judge. No one is capable of being the judge. He who creates desires in you will fulfil them. Let the time come.

Nine You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour Do not be jealous. Do not be jealous of your family, your competitor, your friends. Your time will come. You cannot change your destiny. Do not create misery for others. You will create misery only for yourself. Help others and others will help you. It’s that simple.

Ten You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife; you shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour He has a plan and He will execute that plan. He will take care of every one and that also includes you. Your time will come. Bide your time. A moment’s indiscretion may cause you lifetime of miseries. Smile and the world will smile. He has always taken care of you in the past, and there is no reason why he will not do that now. It is a question of timing. No one created the race. You created the race. You created the start and stop line. Why ? You do not even know the basics of your existence. You have no right to bully others and forcibly take what does not belong to you. Have patience and your time will come.

Note This is has been created under guidance of Shri Paramhansa Yogananda. All credit goes to him. Any queries could be sent to [email protected]