Swamiji says …
“‘ ‘Pariksha’ … Exams… Tests … Viva … Assessments ! These words have always sounded formidable, frightening and formal ! We became very familiar with these words – exams, ‘parkisha’ – very early on in life ; perhaps from the tender age of five or six – and the mere mention of them filled us with dread. The stern intonation of these words; the intrinsic accompaniment of the note of an unmistakable warning and strictness in them – was never lost on us ; and that is what made us feel all the more scared and frightened. The thought of appearing for an exam filled us with a sense of foreboding – that our life, our future and destiny depended on the outcome of the result of our exams. We were expected to perform very well in them; outdo others – and as the time to the exams got closer, this caused us greater worry, as we knew there was no running away from them!”
“Ironically, despite our great aversion for exams, they played a great role in helping us, analyse our scholastic intelligence, ability to study and work hard. They were also clear indicators of our academic standing in school, and in our family – all of which was judged by our performance in the exams ; the end result of a year’s hard work. Excelling in exams earned us laurels, certificates and awards ; but the same exams could cause us humiliation and embarrassment, too – in the form of a dressing down, a verbal thrashing and a whole lot of sniggering that could be directed at us – on being labelled a failure!”
“’Pariksha’ … A simple enough word – but, strangely, this very word succeeds in eliciting extremely different responses and reactions from different individuals. At times, the mere thought of sitting for an exam or an interview – triggers an emotion, that could be highly volatile and could cause panic and anxiety in some of us; while a few remain unaffected, unperturbed and sail through exams, without as much as a grimace.”
“Butterflies in the stomach, pangs of nervousness ; a pounding heart in one’s mouth ; the deafening replay of the terrifying word – ‘exams’ – drowns the sound of the memorized subject matter, that our memory desperately tries to recapitulate, during an exam – which raises the worrying concern – ‘ Zyaadatar , jo bhi insaan pariksha deta hai , woh ghabrata hai … uss mein darr , bhay utpann ho jaata hai !’ Why is one so fearful, terrified of exams ? Why do we allow ‘fear’- a negative emotion to make an uninterrupted foray into our mental faculties ; and rule over us to such an extent that it succeeds in erasing the relevant, required subject matter from our memory during those essential moments when needed the most, while taking an exam.”
” ‘Insaan ko bhay nahi hona chahiye! Ussey apma ‘karma’ karna chahiye!’ We have to do our ‘karma’ and thus … ‘Pariksha’ ko apna karma maan kar, bina darrey karo!’ Vidyarthiyon mein kissi bhi cheez se bhay utpann ho jaata hai!’ – and this is something that should not happen. The younger lot should be happy that they are being given an opportunity to prove their mettle and showcase their capabilities…be it in academics, sports or in their professional life. Redundancy and rusting of the mind can only be fought off by testing ourselves; both, our physical and mental skills – and thus, it is important for us to look forward to exams, with confidence and positivity.”
” The solution to this problem lies within us … and believe me it is very simple find a solution for this. We cannot remain foot soldiers for ever and listen to every order and instruction that is issued by our ‘mind’ blindly. No! We have to take charge; adopt the role of a commander and eject these self – damaging thoughts out of our mind…’Bhay ko apne andar se, apne dimaag se har haalat mein nikaalna chahiye!’ We might be completely unaware of the detrimental effect that fear or exam phobia has on us. Time that should have been utilized in preparation and revision for exams is wasted in dwelling on the horrifying anticipation of the exams. Rather than thinking of a way out of the sticky situation, and improving things for ourselves, we spend hours getting all knotted up ; forgetting the right answers at the crucial moment of our exams. Many a times we draw a blank during the exams and realize later that we could have solved the problem easily, but by then it is too late and our fate is sealed.”
” The earlier we accept the reality of the fact that exams too fall in the gambit of our ‘karma’, the better it would be for all of us. Every test and exam that we clear, helps us in inching closer towards our final goal. We have to face them ! We don’t have a choice ! Exams spare none ! An enlightened ‘guru’, too, has to pass the ‘exams’ and ‘tests’ that his devotees expect him to clear ; before they express their willingness to accept Him as their ‘guru’. Can he be fearful of the ‘exams’ set for him by his devotees?”