Day: April 7, 2024

Swami ji said…

” तुम अपना ‘लक्ष्य’ कैसे प्राप्त करोगे ?इसे प्राप्त करने में तो
तुम्हारे सामने काफी
समस्याएँ आएंगीं ! ” “How will you achieve this? This feat is next to impossible to achieve ! Maybe you should focus on something else.” All of us have heard these words when they were said to us – either by people we know or a voice , in our mind , filled with doubt , warns us of the improbability of achieving what we have set our heart on. And, many a times, we pay heed to these words – and end up giving up on – not just some enterprising ideas, but , possibly on God sent opportunities too.

From where do these words come up ? Why do they pop up in our mind ? At first, we get an idea , and , see an opportunity that excites us. We see wonderful possibilities unfolding before us.Yet, the moment it comes down to planning and executing these ideas, the never ending doubts start creeping in. All of a sudden, it seems, that our attention turns away from the
‘लक्ष्य’ that had motivated us earlier , and , focuses more now , on the difficulties that might come up – as we set on our journey to achieve our target. And, as the mind conjures up grimmer and difficult situations that one might face along the way, the more quickly does one’s motivation turn lack lustre and also turns into hesitation and dread. This is a sure way to fail even before trying.

While we cannot deny the fact that one will have to endure unforeseen bumps, unpredictable accidents; treacherous and daunting challenges while scaling the summit of success – nothing should be stronger than our ‘लक्ष्य’ – that can distract us ; ‘ चाहे वो किसी भी तरह की समस्या हो …’ to turn away our focus – ‘हमारे लक्ष्य से.’ Should we let the lengthening shadows of the problems dwarf the cherished desire of the heart? Is it truly possible that we let all our dreams and ambitions remain unattainable – by dwelling more on the problems we might face – instead of working with concentration to achieve them ?

We should be inspired from those – who according to us have been truly ‘successful’ – which makes them worthy of our admiration. We will see one common trait in them. They focused solely on the ‘लक्ष्य’ ; and anything and everything that separated them from it – was not given any attention by them. The reason to struggle – is given far more attention – than the struggle itself.

And, what happens when they do eventually face their share of challenges? They simply see how far they have reached and very rarely do they want to turn back. They cannot imagine going back to the point from where they had started. They cannot imagine the cost of having put in effort – to avail no results. So, instead, they use their passion and commitment as weapons to wage war on any odds that they face.To them, the price of success is far lower than the cost of giving up.

We must remember that in life, those who win and succeed are not the smartest, not the most gifted or talented. In fact, they are always the ones who do not give up, but , stay put – when everyone else has left the field. How then can we expect to win, if , even the mere thought of any kind of struggle, sacrifice and perseverance makes us give up on our ambitions ?

The spiritual seekers can often face a similar difficulty too. They could think of the many challenges that might come in the way of their spiritual quest. Some feel that seeking God would mean sacrificing friendship and relationship with their near and dear ones. They feel that their initiative to bring God into their lives might not be accepted by their family and friends and they might feel isolated, alone and lonely. For some, the idea of giving up their vices , might be so daunting that they wrongly feel – that their search for God is not worth all the trouble that they intend to undertake. Some are so comfortable in their current lifestyle – that any change caused to their way of living – appears to be very scary and daunting. But, just like a winner, the spiritual seeker must always let his curiosity of knowing himself overcome the hesitation of the mind. In fact, in all spiritual endeavours there is no such thing as failure. Even a single step forward on the spiritual path – is progress as it is a step closer towards God – and every sacrifice made for one’s spiritual progress is worth it – as with every little step we get just a little bit closer to Him.