‘प्रेरणा’

Swami ji said …

An emotion – most negative and overpowering ; extremely torturous and draining – ‘ईर्ष्या’ jealousy’ – has the exceptional ability of switching into ‘active’ mode from ‘dormant’ mode within a fraction of a second – at the most ridiculous of reasons. It could cause us agitation and distress on seeing some one better placed than us ; more affluent than us – who could afford the unaffordable ; more capable and talented than us ; better looking than us. The debate in question could be any – but , it appears , that all we need is a twig of ‘envy’ to latch on to – on knowing that someone is ‘better’ than us – and then leave the rest in the hands of ‘jealousy’ – as it branches out swiftly – in the storm that she brews in us – leaving us raging and seething. ‘How can someone be better than us ?’ – we thunder.

We refuse to listen to the voice of reason – that makes a brave attempt to be heard – amidst the strong gusts of jealousy – when it says – ” जब कभी हम दूसरों की सफलता को स्वीकार नहीं करते, तो वो ‘ईर्ष्या’, ‘जलन’, और ‘नफरत’ बन जाती है… परंतु अगर हम उनकी सफलता को स्वीकार कर लें, तो वही ‘प्रेरणा’ में बदल जाति है!” In which scenario would you like to see yourself ? ‘क्या हमें दूसरों से ईर्ष्या करनी चाहिए या उनसे प्रेरित होना चाहिए ?’

How many of us can honestly admit that , if , we wanted to , we can always learn a lot – the good – at least , from every individual we meet in our lifetime. Each one of us has a story to tell – the story of our life – the incidents of which leave a lasting imprint on us. On hearing stories of success and defeat of others – we, at times, become so greatly envious of their meteoric rise, that we fail to focus on what we should have.The hard work ; the methodical planning ; the systematic implementation of their plans – put in by them to achieve their goal. Rather than being in a permanent state of jealousy which would only hamper any further progress of ours ; it would benefit us greatly if we were motivated and enthused by their determination and commitment to succeed and flourish – and promise ourselves to make an attempt to do something similar.

It takes a big heart to be happy in the success of others and, thus, let us not be small hearted in applauding others for every award and reward that comes their way – owing to their perseverance and tenacity. Jealousy should not make us so miserable and miserly – that we fail to find words of appreciation for the deserving ones – and even if we manage to do so finally, with great difficulty – they seem to get stuck in our throat. This is what jealousy can do to us. ‘ दूसरों से प्रेरित होना… प्रेरणा लेना ‘ – to get motivated by others – in any way, in any field , anywhere – can work wonders for us and we could emerge as completely new individuals – with a new mindset , a better temperament and constructive habits.

If we delve a little deeper into our own psyche, we might discover that strangely, we are not envious of what the other person has achieved. Instead, we are jealous of his ability to put in such monumental effort to achieve success. We find it difficult to believe that someone else can work harder than us. We are unable to digest the fact that another person can make the huge sacrifices that we thought would be impossible. And, instead of admitting this, we find it easier to attribute his success to other factors, like luck, for instance. We are happier finding faults in him, rather than accepting his success, and , learning from their journey.

The love and respect that Bharat, Laxman and Shatrughan bear for their eldest brother, Shri Ram, shines through the epic – ‘Ramayana’. Although they were born to different mothers, never were they jealous of each other, and, instead, so greatly influenced and motivated were they by Shri Ram – ‘ Maryada Purshottam’s’ ideals and principles – that they too much like Him – could do no wrong ; always spoke the truth and obeyed their elders. When Bharat was unable to keep his promise to His father, Raja Dashrath – by failing to convince Shri Ram to return to Ayodhya from His exile in the forest with Him – he then carried Shri Ram’s ‘khadaun’ as a symbol of honouring his promise to his father. Apart from keeping his word to his father , Bharat, refused to sit on the throne of Ayodhya, when Raja Dashrath passed away and placed Shri Ram’s ‘khadaun’ on the throne of Ayodhya instead, as he was sensitive to the fact that the throne rightfully belonged to Shri Ram.” ‘प्रेरणा’ mein bahut shakti hoti hai , jis se insaan kahan se kahan pahunch jaata hai, air uska bhala hota hai…achcha hota hai…”