‘अपनी किस्मत स्वयं बनाओ… ‘

Swami ji said …

How many of us can honestly say that we have never said – ‘ किस्मत ने हमारा साथ नहीं दिया ‘ – Luck did not go our way. Just a handful , maybe. Most of us are guilty of having said these words at some point of our lives. Some of us have not only said this many times, but also in many different ways. We lament our lack of good fortune – which in sharp contrast – is enjoyed by the other lucky ones. In fact, some of us even while away precious time – only talking about all the ‘misses’ in our life. We love mentioning how if ‘this’ had happened or ‘that’ had not happened, our life would have been so much better. What we do not realise is – that by saying this – we are unburdening ourselves of the guilt and fear of thinking that perhaps it was we who did not give it our best when we had the chance. Our complaining is our way of turning away from facing our own truth.

But such false lamentation is nothing but a waste of time. And, to add to our woes – is the conclusion that we have drawn up about ‘kismet’ being some kind of an exotic dish – that is served hot and ready on a platter – without us having to raise a finger. What we need to remember at all times is that – ‘kismet’ will never reward us with any success – until we are intelligent to see the possibilities, and , seize the opportunity – that it unfolds before us – every day of our lives , but , we fail to see it and do not make any effort to turn the tide in our favour by following it up with determined efforts.

Life is abundant with opportunities – but we need to have the sight to see them. God gives us many blessings. We just have to keep ourselves ready to receive them. This can only be done if we are in a constant state of self-reflection and self-improvement. Only then can we catch the train of luck in time to take us quickly towards success. If we have failed in the past, it is most probably our own fault – but, we must be open to the idea of rectifying the mistakes that were made by us in the past. As long as we learn from even the times we have missed ‘chances’ and ‘opportunities’ – we are on the right track. Once we have truly learnt the cost of not being ready or prepared, it is highly unlikely, we will ever repeat the same mistake again. So instead of blaming luck, and feeling dejected by past rejections, we must use those memories as reminders of staying vigilant and sharp. This will only help us on the way ahead in life.

The power to shape our destiny lies not with the whims of fortune, but, rather within us. Yes, what we face today is a result of our past ‘karma’, but what we do in those circumstances is wholly our own choice. Even when things seem dull, and, we feel that there is nothing positive on the horizon for us, we must believe in the infinite possibilities of life. Karna lived his whole life in bitterness and resentment towards those who belittled him for being the son of a charioteer.His fixation on the past blinded him from following the path of ‘dharma’. In the end, all his skill and strength came to naught because his actions were never those of one who had gratitude and appreciation for what he had in life, but, were of one who always lamented on what could have been. Let us not be held back by the fleeting fancies of fate, but, rather –
let us take courage in the strength of our own hearts and the boundless potential of our being.