” उम्मीद सिर्फ खुद से रखनी चाहिए , दूसरों से नहीं …”

Swami ji said …

Our time on Earth is precious. The life we are blessed with has to be lived to the fullest , irrespective of the conditions or circumstances that we are born in. There is always something that we can do ; there is always a way to improve our life. We cannot wait for things to happen, it is only we who can try to make things happen.

We all have dreams and aspirations. There is something we want to achieve or become in life. Yet, we often wait – sometimes for a sign, sometimes for support, sometimes for a push – to begin our journey of transformation. We constantly live in hope that someone or something will come along and help us along the way. Often lifetimes are spent only waiting in anticipation.

But life cannot be lived that way. We always have to make the first move. The only expectation we should have is from ourselves. We must encourage ourselves to put our best foot forward in any endeavour. The only person whom we should expect to do the best for us is – oneself.

If we live in the hope that others will help us in this journey ; that someone else will bring or create opportunities for us all the time , without us doing something about it ; that someone will guide us in avoiding the difficulties of life – then we are bound to be disappointed. And such disappointment , down the road , over a period of time , turns into resentment and hatred.

How often have we not heard people saying how someone – a family member, an old friend, a co-worker did not do enough for them ; did not help them out when they should have; did not guide them or mentor them to a better life. Such people forget to ask what they have done for themselves. They live in a constant state of delusion, believing they were cheated of a greater destiny by someone else.
Even the loudest alarm cannot ensure that we wake up on time. Eventually it is we who have to muster up the will to fight the lethargy in the body to wake up and attend to what matters in life. How then can someone else’s lack of effort be the reason for our failures ! Even parents, who care for and raise their children cannot be held responsible forever for what their children eventually become and achieve. Eventually, each individual is solely responsible for what they achieve.

So in the end, it is only us – we are our best friend and ally. There is no one else who knows us better than we do. We know in our hearts whether we are doing the best for ourselves or not. If we are not good to ourselves, if we do not put in the effort to achieve our dreams, then no one’s assistance and help can be of any value to us. If on the other hand we are sincere in our efforts and committed towards this precious life of ours , God himself will guide us to success. Any assistance or help we get on the way is a blessing of His. We need to remember that expectations from ourselves can inspire us a lot , whereas, expectations from others – when not fulfilled or met – can hurt us a lot.

Ekalavya had a dream of being the best archer in the world. Being a tribesman, he was not able to learn from a great teacher like Dronacharya. Yet, he did not sulk about life being cruel to him. He did not cite social injustice or hierarchy as an obstacle in his path. He simply did what he could do himself – to hope that he would be able to teach himself. And lo behold ! We all know what a great archer he became ! So much so that he had to be tricked into giving away his thumb by the great Dronacharya himself ! While many see this story as an example of a grave injustice, it is also a story of the miraculous results that self-reliance can achieve.

For the spiritual seeker, there should be no doubt that his actions are what make his destiny. What we experience now is a result of our past actions.There is no escaping that. The only freedom that we have is – is in doing the actions that we do now. Those actions must be sincere and just. A ‘guru’ too can only show us the path to enlightenment ; the seeker has to walk the path himself sincerely in full earnestness. Thus, if there is any – उम्मीद – it must be from ourselves ; that we will do the best we can to walk into the light of divinity.