‘गलतियां’

Swami ji said …

The best of us make mistakes. It is completely natural to err and impossible to live a life free of mistakes. The wise words of our elders – हम अपनी गलतियों से सीखते हैं – hold a wealth of meaning. The truth in their words has been proven time and time again , as the bitter-sweet lessons, when learnt from our mistakes, successfully transform us into better individuals – as we promise ourselves of not making the mistake again.

On realising that a mistake has been made by us , and , if , we bear the responsibility of having done something wrong ; accept it with the right frame of mind and act upon it immediately – a remedial measure of this nature will undoubtedly help us make a new beginning; to start afresh by correcting ourselves; by becoming more disciplined, more considerate and bring about a change, not only in us, but also, in the way in which we would live life in the future – with a certain amount of seriousness.
Unless, we do this i.e. embark on a journey of self improvement , by learning from our mistakes, rather than posturing in self denial – we will continue to make the same mistake again and again. Strong determination and firm resolve to check ourselves are the only keys that can help us lock the corridor thronging with grave mistakes.

When we repeat the same mistakes over and over again, it not only signals the streak of carelessness inherent in us, but also conveys in poor light , the blatant disregard and disrespect that we personally have for ‘ourselves’ too. We might not realise it, but , a constant repetition of mistakes by us speaks volumes about our casual attitude ; the lack of seriousness with which we take ourselves as we shrug off our mistakes without a care in the world. Mistakes – like failures – must be treated as stepping stones to success. Making new mistakes is always better than making the same one again and again – while the former is a signal of progress, the latter defines a lazy and uncaring attitude. If one refuses to learn from one’s mistake – that too is nothing short of facing the consequences of one’s bad ‘karma’ of a previous lifetime. The consequences of making mistakes can be severe – not for just the doer but for others also.

Mistakes, however, qualify as mistakes only if we had made them unknowingly. Doing something wrong on purpose or knowingly cannot and should not be guised as a mistake. When a child speaks a lie for the first time – it is possible he does so as he might not be aware of the importance of truth and honesty; but , when he resorts to falsehood again and again ; and speaks the untruth repeatedly, it cannot be categorized as a mistake anymore. He could be doing so with a particular intention in mind. The nature of his intent needs to be known at the earliest.

The difference between a ‘गलती’ and a ‘दुषकर्म ‘ is one’s ‘intent’ – हमारा ‘इरादा | It is important to remember that … ‘ माना की हमसे ‘गलतियां’ होती रहती हैं, लेकिन हमें याद रखना चाहिए कि हमारे ‘इरादे ‘गलत’ नहीं होने चाहिए | Our intention behind every thought and act of ours – whether it is good or evil – is what matters the most. Do we extend a helping hand to a person in need today, because we intend to use him for a nefarious purpose tomorrow, knowing very well that it would be difficult for him to not oblige us ? Like Duryodhana, are we always planning the downfall of others, wishing them harm and misfortune constantly ? Do we laugh at someone’s failure deliberately and mock him just to make him feel small ? What kind of a life would we lead if we allowed such malicious , impure and evil intentions to rule over us ? Would it be possible for a mind rooted in such बुरे इरादे – to focus on God and meditate for even a fraction of a second ? We must remember that – Jab humara iraada nek hota hai toh prabhu swayam usey poorna karne ke liye humari madad karte hain…”