” ‘दुःख’ और ‘परिश्रम’ से घबराओ मत… “

Swami ji said…

Imagine if we were served a cold platter of mouth-watering desserts – the sugary flavours of which would undoubtedly satiate our palette, not only for those brief moments , but also, make us long for more. The presentation and flavour of this platter makes our eyes light up and we long to tuck into the savouries immediately. But then – for how many days would we be able to enjoy the same sweet platter – devoid of salt and spices? Of course, even the best made dessert could not be eaten every single day by us. We would ultimately find eating it a chore – no longer relishing its fine sweet taste. We would, in fact, crave for foods that are sour or even a little bitter.
Imagine if life too were ‘sweet’ all the time ; if we had everything available to us at our beck and call – like a genie – whatever we wished for would appear or happen. While life would be amazing for some time, gradually even the wealth and power available to us would seem to lose its shine as we would take all of it for granted.

Life, perhaps fortunately, does not allow this. There is a always a mix – like a buffet – of some things sweet, some salty, some sour and some bitter. And, just like food that doesn’t taste great – but seems to agree most with the stomach ; hard work and difficulties – are often exactly what the doctor ordered – when it comes to the health of the mind and soul. We however, fervently pray to God to make our lives ‘easier’. We keep talking about how good life must be – for those who have more than us or have always had things easier than us. Instead of acknowledging the reality of life and what it is trying to teach us, we live in the delusion of getting to live the ‘perfect life’ one day – a life in paradise.

When one is untouched by hardships, challenges, and difficulties, that person begins to entertain a condescending, superior attitude – secure in the false knowledge that maybe – ‘ परिश्रम ‘ and ‘दुःख’ ” will always remain foreign, unknown to him. The possibility that one can become stone hearted when basking in the glow of ‘sukh’ cannot be overruled completely – ‘ दुःख को अनुभव किए
बिना हमारा हृदय निर्मल नही हो सकता |’

Difficulties make us sensitive to the struggles of others. Only those who have walked a torturous path to reach a particular destination can understand and empathize with the struggles of others, can feel their pain and suffering. After all, the ability to empathize with our fellow beings is what makes us humans unique. Thus, ‘difficulties’ should not be categorized as bad things to happen to us. Similarly, hard work also makes us see value – in not just what we have achieved through it – but also what others have achieved through their efforts. We, thus, must not be overwhelmed and daunted by hard work or difficult times but rather accept and embrace them fearlessly. Only then will our personal growth be possible.

Challenging times keep us on our toes; as even in the ‘good times’ we remember to not be arrogant, but, simply stay composed and sharp. We do not let our guard down and get carried away when things are in full bloom around us. Instead, we understand that life is a regular flow of struggle and thus tackle the situations that challenge us with determination – which reveals an unknown side of ours ; a little more about ourselves – ‘ परिश्रम के बिना मनुष्य का विकास नहीं होता है !’

It is only when we accept that struggle, pain and heartbreak are a part and parcel of our life – that we truly begin to live to our full potential – as we are then free of the fear of failure. We are able to pursue our dreams with a lot more determination and confidence, secure in the knowledge that any and all difficulties and challenges along the way are only stepping stones to our further growth and advancement.

The spiritual seeker must remain undaunted by any amount of toil that lies ahead of him as he progresses on the spiritual path. He must readily accept that this is what life demands of him before it bestows spiritual rewards on him. The spiritual seeker will face many personal problems ; situations that are demanding in the face of his spiritual practice. These will challenge him – his beliefs and principles. But , it is only by going through these demanding experiences, and , emerging successfully on the other side, will he truly be enlightened. Only then will he be able to appreciate the True Knowledge that was imparted to him by his ‘guru’.