Day: July 19, 2025

Swami ji said…

The world admires confidence — one that walks into rooms with practiced certainty,
speaks clearly, dresses well, earns praise, and seems to have everything under control.
From movies to fables, we have all seen great ‘protagonists’ carry themselves with such confidence. We are told, in no uncertain terms, that it is only such men and women who rise to the top, get things done, and run the world on their own terms.

And we are all left in awe of such people. They seem to have superpowers. They do not suggest; instead, they simply dictate and order. They do not guess; they simply know things to be true. They do not try to ascertain the future; they see it, know it, and prophesise it.

Yes, it would be wonderful if we could be like them – we wish with a sigh. The swagger, the hint of arrogance, the cult-like following — who would not want to have all this? But this is not self-confidence. This is often — a मुखौटा — a façade to hide one’s own vulnerabilities and weaknesses from the world. How can something borne of fear – be called confidence?

True self-confidence is softer, deeper, and far more enduring. It does not announce itself. It does not posture, nor does it demand. It is humble and yet strong. It simply rests — silently — in the heart of the one who knows that he is loved by God and he too has complete faith in God.

Let us turn our thoughts to Shri Hanuman. Even though He is God himself, He still took Lord Shri Ram’s name, before jumping across the ocean. Even He did not have adequate faith in Himself to achieve such a monumental task. But on surrendering Himself to Shri Ram, He was able to achieve the impossible. Such is the power of surrender to God.

But what does surrender to God truly mean? It means that, come light or rain, nothing that this world has to offer us should truly affect us. We must treat it like God’s play and let it unfold before us. We must keep our faith in Him and Him alone and understand that if He is allowing us to witness and rejoice in the pleasures of the world today, then we should not be saddened by its misery tomorrow. It is only when we have mastered this that we can say we have surrendered ourselves to God and placed our confidence in the Supreme. That He will give us the maturity to handle happiness without getting too attached to it and give us the confidence needed to accept and overcome difficulties with ease and a sense of equanimity.

Life is full of uncertainties; almost nothing goes as planned. It is, but natural, for us to second-guess ourselves all the time. But when we let ourselves be guided by God’s hand — place our faith, and thereby our actions, in His words and teachings — then we are immune to the fear of the vagaries of life.

We remain calm and composed and sure of ourselves not because we know the future, but, because we do not fear it. We speak in a sure manner, and are firm in our conviction, because we know that we are being led through this web of illusions by its Creator Himself. This confidence is not derived from our physical or mental abilities, but is rooted in the faith that we have placed in the strength of God.

A ‘saccha bhakt’ of a self – realised ‘guru’ finds himself literally armed with confidence – on just recalling the words said by his ‘guru’ to him – “Main har pal tumhare saath hoon…” He needs to remember his ‘guru’ and with all the knowledge that he has acquired from Him – he should set out for his mission with an honest mind and pure heart and the results will be there for him to see.