Blog

June – 2009

None gets bound by one’s possessions; it is the mental slavery to our possessions which shackles us. – Chinmaya

The one who thinks that the object, beings and situations are the cause of one’s happiness and misery is a ‘samsari’ even if he may be in the garb of a sannyasi. But the one who is ever happy and cheerful, even amidst all family responsibilities, office-related work pressures and social obligations, fulfilling one’s duties but remaining ever detached, is a true sannyasi.

Once Pujya Swami Brahmanandji was conducting a camp at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai. One among the delegates was a sixty-year-old lady who had undergone heart-valve-transplantation operation three months earlier.

During one of the days of the camp, as the class was in progress, Swamiji noticed her absence in the class. When enquired, Swamiji was informed that the lady had fainted while climbing the steep slope to the temple and was now lying down in her room. Immediately she was taken to a famous hospital nearby where she was admitted in the I.C.U. Her husband, a rich businessman in Shimoga was asked to rush immediately to Mumbai. Meanwhile, Swamiji made it a point to visit her every day in the hospital.

After three days, the husband arrived at Mumbai. He had come by car from Shimoga to Mumbai. There was absolutely no sign of worry, tension or anxiety on his face. When he was asked how he was able to remain so calm and composed despite his wife’s serious condition, he smilingly replied, “She has come for a noble purpose. Moreover, what is there to worry, when she is under the protection of Swamiji’s grace and loving care?”

True to their firm faith and unflinching devotion, the lady recovered soon and later on the blessed couple got the rare opportunity to serve Pujya Gurudev during one of His yajnas in Shimoga.

The true bondage is the bondage of the mind. To free ourselves from the bondage, the scriptures advise us to educate the mind by developing viveka and vairagya.

A deeper reflection will reveal the fact that all pleasures of the world are finite, time-bound and pain giving. Just as a fire can never be put off by pouring ghee into it, indulgence, which only intensifies our cravings, can never be the solution to gain absolute contentment. But in our thoughtless stampede to quench the insatiable thirst of the mind and the senses, we get totally drained out of all our vitalities leaving us tired, exhausted and weak in the end.

The realization which then dawns to us – that all pleasures are nothing but sugar-coated-poison – is called vairagya or dispassion.

To know that the Supreme Self is the only Reality of this world and that it is our own true nature is called viveka.

Thus, the wise man, endowed with viveka and vairagya, abides in his own blissful, infinite Self and ever remains peaceful and secure, irrespective of the ups and downs of the happenings around. Being ever content and ever full, no possessions can dictate terms to him or enslave him, just like the mirage water can never tempt the knower of the illusion.

Let us, therefore, first admit the weakness of our mind, instead of blaming others, and then try to come out of these self-created mental shackles of slavery and bondage.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

May 2009

That which feels ‘I AM this I’ is neither mind nor matter. It is the eternal Self. The external things exist because of the imagination of this ‘I’. – Chinmaya

‘I’ is neither mind nor matter:-

Both mind as well as matter is made up of five elements – space, air, fire, water and earth. The only difference is that the matter is made up of the gross elements while the mind, that of subtle. All five of them are inert by nature, i.e. they are insentient, which means they are not capable of knowing themselves or others. Hence any matter which is a combination of these five inert elements has to be inert. This is because inert things combining together can produce only another inert thing -just like darkness combining with darkness can result only in darkness and not light.

But the ‘I’ is clearly not an inert entity. No proof is required for this as this is our direct experience. Nobody at any point in time feels that “I am inert”! Our experience is “I am and I am aware of my existence.” Hence doubtlessly we can say that we are all sentient beings.

So then it becomes clear that the sentient ‘I’ is different from the inert mind and matter. But, is it not true that the mind appears very much sentient when it listens, thinks, questions, understands, plans, executes etc.? Yes, but this apparent sentiency seen in the mind is only a borrowed sentiency – borrowed from the sentient ‘I’- just like the rotation of a motionless fan borrowing the energy from the electricity.

Once during the British rule, a British officer approached Sri Udiya Baba, a great saint of North India, and requested politely, “Babaji, please show me a miracle!”. Babaji said laughing aloud, “This body made up of all inert matter is walking, talking, eating, laughing etc. Can’t you see any miracle in this? What greater miracle can I show you?”

‘I’ is the Eternal Self:-

The ‘I’ in each one of us was never born and will never die. Death is a movement from existence to non-existence. To experience death, one should experience existence before death and non-existence after death. Experience of existence before death (i.e. when alive) is common to all. But the second case, i.e. the experience of non-existence after death is known to none. The experience of non-existence is not possible because if the question is asked, “Who experienced non-existence?”, and if someone says ‘I’, then that will mean that ‘I’ still exists even after death! Therefore there is never a disappearance of ‘I’. Hence ‘I’ is eternal.

The external things exist because of the imagination of ‘I’:-

There cannot be a better example of this than our dream experience. The whole external world of things and beings including the dreamer is nothing but the imagination of the waker. Among all, the waker alone is real. Even while dreaming, the waker alone was present as the witness of the dream. That is why the waker is able to recollect the dream experiences.

In the same way, this pure ‘I’, the only Reality, is present in us even now as a witness of all happenings without and the imaginations within. This pure ‘I’ is different from the impure egoistic ‘I’ which is the only ‘I’ which we know in our present state of ignorance. Ramana Maharshi, when approached by spiritual seekers, used to advise them to go to the very source of this ‘I’ which is none other than pure ‘I’. Hold on to this pure ‘I’ to come out of all sufferings and limitations – is the ardent and sincere plea of all scriptures and masters at all times.

May we all walk this only path of Light. And thus merging ourselves in that pure Light may we become yet another guiding Light for the generations to come.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

April 2009

The suffering of each depends, not upon the factual happenings, but upon the texture of each one’s mind. – Chinmaya

“Why do good people suffer?”

This is one of the frequently asked questions all over. A Mahatma gave a beautiful reply. “Good people never suffer. If they suffer, then they are not truly good!”

The entertainer of ignoble thoughts is punished then and there in the form of disturbances in the mind. One has no choice but to suffer these mental disturbances if the mind is allowed, consciously or unconsciously, to wallow in negative and base thoughts.

Therefore the solution lies in improving the texture of our thoughts by inculcating noble values like honesty, humility, gratitude, compassion etc. The mind has to be trained in such a way that even the greatest tragedies happening to us should be seen only as a blessing and an opportunity to grow.

It was in 1914. A huge fire engulfed the entire laboratory of Thomas Alva Edison (a renowned scientist and the inventor of the electric bulb). The laboratory was worth two million dollars with all the modern equipments. Moreover, it also contained all the manuscripts of Edison in which he had noted down all his observations and findings. The flames had already gone beyond control. Edison, looking at these huge flames with great wonder called his son near and said, “Charles! Go and call your mother! She will never be able to see such a wonderful sight in her lifetime!”

The next day, as he was strolling around the ashes of his burnt hopes and dreams, Edison, already 67years old, with his white hair flowing in the air, said to himself, “There is one good thing about this disaster. All my mistakes are burnt. Thank God. We can start afresh!”

For the one who has cultivated devotion for the Lord, this attitude is but natural. He knows that whatever God decides for us is always the best because all His decisions are based on His infinite love for us. A devotee has total trust in His justice and he knows that all problems are sent by the Lord only to make him perfect.

There was an old man who had to undergo lots of struggles, pain and sufferings throughout his life. He had been an abandoned child – an orphan. When he grew up, he lost both his legs in an accident. And yet, he always wore a lovely smile!

Once a group of spiritual seekers approached him and asked, “Sir how do you continue to smile amidst so much pain and suffering?”

The old man, with a genuine surprise, replied, “I am afraid you have come to the wrong address! I am 73 years old and in all these years I have never had to face any difficulty! The Lord has always been good to me and protected me in His mercy. How can I teach you how to smile in the midst of difficulty?”

For a true devotee of God, even the sufferings are nothing but prasadam from the Lord. Thus for him, all the sufferings taste sweet! This happens when he sees the guiding and consoling hand of the Lord in and through these sufferings. Such a one sees only Bhagawan’s leelas everywhere and at all times irrespective of the nature of factual happenings.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

March 2009

The attitude of egolessness is the secret of unveiling the nobler and the dynamic in us. – Chinmaya

There is only one thing that the infinitely compassionate Lord demands from us – the surrender of our ego. To do the rest, i.e. giving us the strength, knowledge, fearlessness, dynamism, peace, dexterity, success etc. is His responsibility.

The meek, the lowly and the humble are extremely dear to Him. For their sake, He doesn’t even hesitate to become their servant!

It is said that of all things of this world, Lord Krishna chose only a bamboo reed to keep near to His lips. Why? Because only that reed had emptied itself! And the result? The music that flowed out of that flute brought the whole world under its spell capturing the hearts of even the birds and the animals!

But when we ignore that Lord and assert the ego in all the activities of our life, then we are depriving ourselves of our birthright – the unlimited resources of the Infinite Self. As Gurudev beautifully puts it, “When the ego enters, the Lord vanishes and when the Lord enters, the ego vanishes.”

Once a world-famous painter came out with a unique painting: Jesus holding a lantern on one hand and knocking at a door. Someone objected, “Sir, you forgot to fix a handle for the door!” The painter clarified, “It is no mistake. It is a unique door which can be opened only from inside!”

The choice is ours- whether to ignore and reject Him or to allow Him to work through us!

Thousands of people used to come to listen to the great American musician, Roland Hayes. His wonderful music transported them to realms of ecstasy.

When asked about the secret of his success, Roland replied, “Whenever I give a recital, before proceeding to the stage, I go to a silent corner, and with eyes closed, I offer a brief prayer “O Lord! Let Roland perish, Let Thy name be glorified forever and evermore! Let my name perish, but let these songs bring many closer to Thee, O Lord!”

This has been the testimony of all the great ones in all fields, whether in arts, music, sports or literature. All the literary works of great saints in India have come forth as a divine outburst during the sacred moments of total attunement with the Almighty.

Egolessness is but natural for a sincere seeker of Truth. When we observe ourselves and the world around with open-mindedness, We can easily conclude that nothing belongs to us – the body, the mind, the intellect, their functioning, their abilities etc. Even the ideas and inspirations seem to come from an unknown source. None can take credit for these. Moreover what we know is so insignificant compared to what is unknown.

In admiration, someone asked Isaac Newton, the distinguished scientist, “You must be indeed feeling proud and satisfied when you look back and contemplate upon the achievements of your life! How many mysteries of nature have you unravelled and made known to the world!”

Newton smiled and replied, “Far from feeling proud, I feel like a small child picking up a few pebbles from the seashore while the vast ocean of truth lies unexplored before my eager eyes!”

Let us realize our insignificance and surrender unto Him in all humility. That is the only way to allow His perfection to get reflected upon us.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

February 2009

Lift yourself by yourself; nobody else can do it for you. – Chinmaya

Evolution is but a continuous process of self-improvement involving constant effort till one realizes one’s own Self as all-perfect, infinite and complete.

At the body level, the highest evolution possible is to obtain a human body. After that, it is only the subtle body consisting of mind and intellect complex that evolves.

A mind that evolves becomes richer in all noble values. It is only such a subtle and pure mind that can lift itself and glide forth to comprehend the deeper mysteries regarding the individual and the creation and thus to intuitively feel one’s oneness with the entire universe.

The sadhana of purifying the mind, which is unavoidable, has to be done by ourselves. No one else can do it for us, just like eating food or taking rest. Immature seekers wait for a Guru to confer upon them the vision of God by a magical touch or a mystical look only to get disappointed in the end.

After listening to the inspiring lecture of Sadhu Vaswaniji, a youngster approached him and requested, “Master, please bless me that I have the vision of God.” Vaswaniji advised him, “Speak the truth. Never hate others. Look none with lust. Be contented with whatever one has. Always take the Lord’s name.”

The young man replied, “Master, I have been doing all these for a long time. I have heard that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had blessed Swami Vivekananda with the vision of God. Master, you are my Ramakrishna. Please bless me.”

Vaswaniji corrected him saying that he is no Ramakrishna Paramahamsa but a humble servant of the saints. But the youngster kept persisting with the same request on the subsequent days also, saying that he was ready to obey any command.

Vaswaniji asked him to shave his head off and meet him the next day. Needless to say, the youngster was missing for the rest of the lectures! His hair was more important for him than his love for God!!

Pujya Gurudev used to say that he was not a ‘mule-Guru’ to carry his disciples on his back so that they could reach the destination of self-mastery without any effort of their own.

While expounding the term Uddharet aatmanaa aatmaanam in Gita, Pujya Gurudev gives the example of a mountaineering school, wherein the aspirants are trained to climb steep mountains. The instructor can only guide them by giving all the tested and tried techniques of climbing and various postures of relaxation en route. But as far as the real climbing part is concerned, each one has to raise oneself by oneself. As a result, true to the effort put forth, the joy and the fulfilment of reaching the peak is experienced not by an air-lifted one, but by the one who has gone through the adventure of lifting oneself.

This has been true in every field. No one has become a musician, a doctor, a saint or a sportsperson overnight. Every achievement demands its own quota of efforts. ‘No pain no gain’ is the strict law of nature.

Similarly, the one who treads the razor-edge path of self-perfection alone reaches the Peak in oneself. To him alone belongs the abode of boundless bliss and everlasting peace that passes all understanding.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

January 2009

The day we rediscovered ourselves to be really something higher than our own ego, it is the beginning of a new era. – Chinmaya

Spirituality advises us only to cultivate right thinking. To know that we are not the ego but the Supreme Self of the nature of pure Existence – Consciousness – Bliss, is right thinking. This right thinking is absolutely unavoidable because all our sorrows and miseries are directly or indirectly linked to our wrong identification with the ego. It is a law that whenever wrong thoughts are entertained, the mind becomes disturbed. Hence the solution lies in setting our thinking right.

But how do we know that we are not this limited ego?

Logically when we analyse, we come to know that the ego is a non-existent entity. The body, mind and intellect (BMI) are inert. It is only because of the sentient Self that they appear sentient. This sentient Self wrongly identified with the inert BMI is ego. The ego borrows the sentiency from the Self and the identity from the BMI. Since a sentient entity can never combine with an insentient entity, their characteristics being absolutely opposite in nature, like darkness and light, the possibility of giving reality to the ego, which appears to be a combination of both, is entirely ruled out.

Now, what is our experience about ourselves? We clearly recognize ourselves not as an inert entity but a sentient one having the ability of being aware of the happenings within and without. Also, the entire inert body-mind complex is always an object of observation. Using the simple logic that the observer – the subject, can never be the observed – the object, we can deduce that we are the sentient Self ever detached from BMI, and hence not the ego.

Above all, the very same fact is emphatically declared by all our scriptures also. Thus all the three – the shruthi (scriptures), yukthi (logic) and anubhuti (experience) – are unanimous in their final conclusion. All our sufferings are only because of our giving reality to this false entity called ego. It is always observed that whenever we dilute the ego, peace and joy wells up within our heart. In deep sleep, we are peaceful only because the ego doesn’t exist there to torment us.

All scriptural practises are only to uproot and destroy the ego completely. In Upadesha Saram, Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi says that the best tapas/sadhana is that by which one destroys one’s own ego and allow the Self to shine forth.

One devotee went to have the darshan of Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi. He saw that Bhagawan was reclining on his bed amidst the devotees who were squatting on the floor below. There was total silence and none spoke. Later a bell rang indicating the time for lunch. One by one all got up and went to the dining hall. At last, only Bhagawan and the devotee were left.

Making use of the opportunity, the devotee asked, “Bhagawan! Please give me some advice now that only I am left”.

Bhagawan replied gently, “Let that ‘i’ also go!”

“Die to Live” – Kill the ego and be reborn as the supremely blissful, eternal, infinite Self is the message of the Upanishads. May the effort in his direction be our resolve for the new year.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

December – 2008

The more we identify with the little “i” in us, the more will be our confusions in life. By expanding it to identify with a larger cause, we shall find our confusions dwindling into nothingness. – Chinmaya

All confusions in life arise out of our ignorance of the Self. We are unaware that our true nature is all-pervading, eternally blissful pure Consciousness. Instead, we identify ourselves with our limited equipments of body, mind and intellect and consider these inert equipments as our real nature. All our transactions in this world are with the firm notion that ‘I am this body’ and this notion continues from the moment we wake up till we go to sleep.

This little ‘i’ born out of ignorance is the cause of all sufferings and therefore the moment we enter into deep sleep all our problems also vanish as the little ‘i’ is no more present to trouble us! Hence for all of us, the deep sleep experience is all peace and bliss, free from time, space and dualities.

If ignorance about my real nature is the cause of my sufferings, then the solution lies in gaining knowledge about myself. And this knowledge can be gained only when the mind is quietened. Silence the mind and the Reality, the Supreme Self is seen as it is.

As this Self is me myself, I don’t have to go anywhere or do anything. I just have to know it. And the only obstacle which stands in my way is my own disturbed mind. Therefore all the spiritual practices described in our scriptures are only to quieten the mind. Put in other words, though I am never away from my Self, the apparent separation is experienced only because of my disturbed mind.

Pujya Gurudev used to give the example of a youngster who, on a Shivarathri day, is compelled do take bhang (an intoxicating drink) by his friends. Very soon, the youngster, under the effect of the intoxicant, sitting in his own house starts crying “I want to go to my home”. His friends, unable to convince him that he is already there, just to pacify him, take him to the garage. He is made to sit inside the car, and after starting the car, they shake the car for around five to ten minutes to give him the feel of movement. The youngster, later, comes out of the car fully convinced that he has reached home after the ‘travel’.

In the same way, various sadhanas prescribed are not to create the Self or to reach the Self, but to know the Self which I ever was. The sadhanas purify the mind and once the mind is totally silenced, I come to know myself as I am.

The dreamer suffers throughout the dream not knowing that he is the waker. None of the happenings of the dream can ever affect the waker. But for the dreamer, the sufferings are real and he considers himself an insignificant fellow separate from the dream world. But the moment he wakes up, all his confusions dwindle into nothingness and he comes to know that he alone is real and not the dream world. This transformation happens when he stops identifying with the dreamer and considers himself as the waker.

Even at the relative plane, it is true that when we identify with a larger cause, our problems dissolve. A selfish individual, when identified with his family forgets his selfish needs and readily sacrifices for his family. When his vision expands further and when he is able to identify with his country then effortlessly he loves his countrymen. And finally with the dawn of Self-Knowledge, when he is able to see everyone as his own Self, all confusions are reduced to nought.

Thus the solution to all our problems lies in expanding the little‘i’ to the Supreme ‘I’ which alone can lead to a peaceful life free from all confusions.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

November – 2008

Which else shall beautify a home but the flame of a lovely lamp? Which else shall adore the mind but the light of wisdom deep.
– Chinmaya

Love is the very foundation for a home. And this love is compared to a lamp in a house. No one likes to stay in a house without light. How miserable and sometimes fearful we feel when the power goes off in the night unexpectedly! All comforts and beauties become redundant in a house without lighting.

Same is the case with love also among the members of the family. A home becomes heaven upon the earth when the family members love and respect each other, serve and sacrifice for each other. This is the way of life taught by our scriptures– to consider one’s parents, teachers and elders as God, and hence to bow down to them in reverence, and to obey and serve them in all humility. The husband and wife are asked to serve each other with the attitude of serving God, ever ready to sacrifice their comforts for each other. It is said that God ever resides in such a home with an ambience of love, service and co-operation.

In Ramayana, it was seen that when this lamp of love was put off, the darkness of selfishness and hatred took its place, and overnight the whole kingdom of Ayodhya plunged into gloom. Indeed, love is the greatest force on earth.

Two brothers, farmers by profession, stayed in a village. They earned their livelihood by cultivating the inherited land. Whatever produce they obtained, they used to divide equally among themselves. The elder one was unmarried, while the younger one was married and had two children. Years passed. One day the elder brother thought, “Being unmarried I have no responsibilities. My younger brother has to feed three extra mouths. Therefore it is my responsibility to help him.”

That night, loading the cart with sacks of grains he set out to his younger brother’s house, all in secret.

Almost at the same time, the younger brother’s thought ran thus, “I have my children to take care of me in my old age. But my elder brother is alone. So it is my responsibility to take care of him.” Thus loading his cart with grain-sacks, he also started to his elder brother’s house in secret. Both of them met each other on the way. When they came to know that each of them thought alike, their joy knew no bounds! They hugged each other with eyes filled with tears of love.

If love is that which makes a home alive, it is the wisdom that gives depth to that love. A man of wisdom sees the one Self in all. Therefore love, compassion, forgiveness etc. is natural to him.

 A holy man was walking along the road. A gang of robbers came and attacked him. He fell unconscious. After some time, a rich man with his car passed by that road. He stopped the car, took the holy man to his house and treated him well. When the saint regained his consciousness, the rich man asked giving him a cup of milk, “Swamiji, may I know who did this heinous act?”

The holy man replied, “The One who beat me is now giving milk to me.”Seeing the rich man confused he clarified, “It is God alone who does everything. Through the robbers, He gave me beatings, and now through you, He is taking care of me! Hence praise be unto His name!”

Such a divine mind, ornamented with true wisdom, expresses its beauty by loving all unconditionally and thus by bringing in the flame of love not only to one’s own home but also to the world at large.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

October – 2008

When I rest, I rust. – Chinmaya

 Put it differently, “work hard we must”.
The reasons can be many:

1) Hard work sharpens our abilities:

One notable thing about our talents and abilities is that the moment we stop making use of it, we start losing it, just like a knife, when unused gets rusted.

2) Hard work brings in all worldly prosperities:

When we put forth effort diligently in our chosen field, we start approaching perfection. Success, honour, name, fame, prosperity etc are but different names of hard work.

After a brilliant stage performance, a world-famous musician was surrounded by his friends and admirers who were eager to express their appreciation and best wishes. One rich lady came to him and said, “How lucky you are that God has gifted you with such great talent! I envy you.” The musician replied, “Talent alone is not sufficient madam. It requires continuous practice – 10 hours a day for 40 years!”

3) As a mark of gratitude:

What we receive from this world is much much more than what we give back. We are debted to our teachers, parents, the society, plants and animals. In fact, we are debted to everyone and everything around. Hence it becomes our responsibility to serve others with gratitude and humility.

 A little boy left a brief note on his mother’s bed. In it, he had written all the chores he had completed that day. The note read thus: for washing the car: Rs10/-; for making the bed: Rs.10, for taking care of the baby: Rs 20/- ….total = Rs 100/-. And then he went to school.

When the mother came to clean the room, she saw the list. She read the list and smiled. Carefully pinning a note of Rs100/-to the list, she kept another list next to it which read thus: for taking care of you: nil; for teaching you to walk: nil; for preparing your breakfast: nil; for nursing you when you are sick: nil … total = nil.

When the boy returned he was thrilled to see the Rs 100/- note but when he read his mother’s note, he felt very much ashamed. With tears in his eyes, he ran to his mother and hugged her apologising with all sincerity.

4) Actions with right attitude purify the mind:

No doubt, the highest state of perfection is actionlessness. But actionlessness, i.e. absolute quietude at the mind level can be achieved only when the mind is extremely pure. When actions are performed without attachment as a worship of the Lord, the mind becomes pure.

Thus it is through action only that actionlessness is reached.

“What is the secret of your success?” Someone asked George Washington. He replied, “I pray as if everything depends upon God.” He paused and then continued, “I work as if everything depends upon me.”

Many a time this highest state of actionlessness is misunderstood as doing nothing. As a result, immature seekers idle their time in the name of sadhana giving up all responsibilities. The mind, being impure and unprepared, is neither capable of contemplating upon the Higher, nor is it able to prevent itself from brooding over the sense pleasures. Truly they rust through rest.

Human birth is a rare gift from the Lord. A mortal with finite, limited equipments and abilities is given a golden opportunity to expand to infinite dimensions – infinite in knowledge, strength, freedom, wisdom… never again to come back into this world of finitudes and imperfections.

Once the seeker is convinced and is inspired by this great noble goal, resting and rusting will no more have any meaning in his life.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

September – 2008

In life, it has always been observed that to solve a problem is to rise above it. – Chinmaya

The Omniscient Lord has designed the world in such a way that none is spared from facing some or the other kind of problems! The reason is not difficult to find when we also take into account the fact that He is an ocean of compassion.

There is a beautiful saying which goes thus: “I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong; I asked for wisdom and He gave me problems to solve; I asked for prosperity and He gave me brain and brawn to work; I asked for courage and He gave me obstacles to overcome; I asked for love and He gave me troubled people to help; I asked for favours and He gave me opportunities … I received nothing I wanted but I received everything I needed!”

All problems and challenges in life are in fact, His blessings in disguise. This is the right attitude which helps us in rising above all problems. It is well said that a successful man is the one who builds a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him!

Rising above the problem is nothing but the right way of looking at events, things or happenings. Thomas Alva Edison had to undergo thousands of failures in his laboratory during the initial years of his research. When asked about these failures, he replied aptly, “Failure? Never. Every time I was successful in knowing how it won’t work!”

He considered every failure as an opportunity to learn. And, very soon he came up with the invention of the electric bulb!

Many a time our hidden talents and potentials come to the fore only in the wake of a severe crisis.

Walter Davis, in his childhood, was affected by infantile paralysis and the doctors feared the boy might not be able to walk again. But the events so turned up that the boy, challenging his limitations, later went to become theWorld Champion in the High Jump event!

The truth is that the problems are created not by the external world but by our own fickle mind. It is this weak mind which labels an ordinary situation as a problem or as a crisis.

Scriptural statements and spiritual masters unanimously declare that a peaceful, steady mind is the best instrument to deal with any situation in life. And the best way to quieten the mind is to turn it to the Divine. It is the Lord’s promise that whoever takes refuge in Him will overcome all the obstacles by His grace and that His devotees shall never perish. Trust Him, and the mind becomes peaceful instantly, making it fit to face all the ups and downs of life. In fact, this is the only purpose for which all problems have been created – to bring out the attitude of total surrender within us unto Him.

Kunti Devi’s prayer to Lord Krishna was, “O Lord, give me only sorrows and miseries. Then alone I will always remember Thee!”

Thus when our surrender becomes complete, He, the Infinite and the Eternal, makes us recognize our total identity with Him. This is the only way to rise above all problems at all times, just like all problems of the dream end permanently when one wakes up.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T