Guru poornima

…contd…..

Mother Theresa in many interviews had accepted that at tough times, when things weren’t going right, she had doubted the existence of God. She had cried doubting her ‘belief’. Then she had in prayers sought ‘strength’ and then kept moving on. Before the final belief came, many moments of despair, fear, disbelief came.

Her greatness doesn’t lie in the fact that she was ‘Great’. No, it lies in the fact that she had her weaknesses like all others but she didn’t accept it as inevitable or destiny. Everytime she slipped, she bounced back with more vigour. She worked on her weaknesses and she used them to increase her ‘praying time’ and meditated more and that transformed her into ‘The Great Soul’ that she became.

Swami Dayananda Saraswathi, the founder of Brahmo Samaj had written a book and had given it to a student for editing and printing. Someone came to meet him and he became engrossed with them and left for railway station. He was leaving the town that day. At station while waiting for the train, he asked his student if he had brought it and t he student said “I am sorry I forgot, I left it behind”.

Immediately Swamiji lost his temper and shouted at him for being so reckless. After sometime when he gained his composure he asked his student not to give ‘that book’ for publishing. He said “What’s the good in writing about ‘how to win over your weaknesses?’ when I am not able to control my own anger on such a small issue. He worked on himself for many years and when he found he hadn’t lost his temper for many years then he had the book published. That is the character of a ‘Guru’ - One who is ever aware of his falls, humble enough to accept it and work on it immediately and rests not till he wins over it is the person fit enough to be a Guru.

Thousand salutations to Mother India who has begotten such noble souls as her children! And equal number to God Almighty for having given me an opportunity to breathe the air these great souls had breathed and to tread the soil these souls had walked on. Being born here, why and how can’t I get inspired to follow their footsteps? 

I’ve miles to grow before I sleep, so hey heart, mind and body of mine, tighten your seat belts as we need to do lots of work here.

These Gurus had their weak moments and so did others. As told by Krishna to Arjuna “This path is thinner than a needle and is so wrought with temptations, that slips are more than success. But blessed is a yogi who gets up every time he trips to embark on this journey once again. He, my dear Arjuna, is dear to me”.

So relax even if you falter now and then. Don’t be afraid of falls and failures. Infact, I would suggest you accept them as inevitable in this path as ‘speed-breakers’. They may slow down your pace and can’t stop it altogether. The five weaknesses “ kaama, krodha, lobha, madham, matsaryam” if had been easy to overcome why would it take so many janmas for us to win over ‘ourselves’. As rightly said “It’s easier to win over and rule the entire world and more than to win our own sweet self. And so,

 Mann ke hare haar hai

Mann ke jeete jeet!

It’s all a mind game. If you ‘think’ you won you did, if you ‘think’ you ‘lost’, you did.

So, you need to win your ‘mind’. That’s why this is such a difficult and yet beautifully challenging goal to strive for. Nothing is more satisfying that winning over our own weakness.

....contd....