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DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE TO GAIN SUCCESS
IN LIFE
The beauty of this scared land of Bharat lies in its Forbearance!. Of all the
rituals, adherence to truth is the greatest penance. The nectarine feeling in this
country is the feeling of love toward one’s mother. Character is valued far more
than the very life itself. People have forgotten the basic principles of this great
culture and are imitating Western culture. Alas! Bharathiyas are not aware of the
greatness of their cultural heritage just as a mighty elephant is not aware of its
own strength.
(Telugu poem)
The elephant, unable to realise its innate strength, meekly submits itself to the
commands of the mahout, who works for a paltry sum of money. It gets up and sits
down as the mahout bids as it is trained by him.. Similarly Bharathiyas today
blindly follow the western culture, quite forgetting their own rich and sacred
heritage and culture. The culture of Bharath is very sacred, strong, and ancient. It
is eternal and a beacon light that has and continues to guide all the countries of
the world. Then how can the Bharathiyas forget their own great culture?
The culture of Bharath is such that it instills the philosophy where the mother and
the father are to be respected like God.. It exhorts every child to follow the axiom
of ‘Mathrudevo bhava’ and ‘Pithrudevo bhava’ (mother is God; father is God). It does
not stop just at this level alone it also urges one to follow the truism of
‘Acharyadevo bhava’ and ‘Athithidevo bhava’ (Teacher is God and the guest is God).
If you tend to ignore the words of your own mother, whom else will you revere and
respect?
Embodiments of Love!
As we go on talking for hours together, we tend to forget what we really intend to
communicate. So many deviations and distortions creep into our speech. Today, the
entire world is filled with negative feelings. Whoever you come across, and in
whatever you see, negativity is widespread. All are reflections of your inner
thoughts and feelings.
But beyond all these, there is one entity, called Atma, which is the Embodiment of
the Divine Self. There is only one Atma, which dwells in every individual, or should
I say in every living being. The Bhagavad Gita declared “Mamaivamso jeevaloke
jeevabhuthah Sanathanah” (the Eternal Atma present in all beings is a part of My
Being). There is no scope at all for any doubt or duality in this aspect. It is
“Ekameva adwitheeyam Brahma” (The Atma or Brahma is one without a second). That is
why it is said “A man with a dual mind is half blind.”
Divinity is described in the Vedas as “Sahasra seersha purushaha sahasrakshah
sahasra paad” (The Cosmic Being has thousands of heads, eyes and feet.). The
significance of this statement is that one Divinity expresses itself through
millions of individuals and therefore all are Divine. We tend to forget this great
truth and consider each individual as separate from one another. The strife and
conflicts between human beings started the moment humanity forgot its fundamental
unity. It is time that this trend is reversed and the elemental unity among human
beings is re-established.
Along with unity, there should be purity. When unity and purity go together, there
is Divinity . The combination of unity, purity and Divinity will result in the
realisation of the Atma Tathwa (Atmic Principle). The Upanishads, especially the
Taithreeyopanishad, dealt at length with this Atma Tathwa. The one who develops
faith only in this Atma Tathwa will succeed in all his endeavours.
The Atma Tathwa or Divine Consciousness permeates the entire Universe. Even a blade
of grass cannot move without this Divine Consciousness. Everything in this Universe
is the reflection of this Divine Consciousness. It is the same Atma Tathwa which
dwells in all human beings irrespective of religion, caste, creed, and nationality.
This is true even in the case of Avatars. The Avatars of Rama and Krishna, . may be
different from each other by their names and forms; but the Atma Tathwa which
resides within them is only one. They all lived in their human vestures till the
completion of their Avataric mission, and once their task was completed, they
disappeared. So, physical bodies are not permanent. In fact, nothing in this
ephemeral world is permanent, not even the great Avatars.
Atma is the only entity that is eternal. It is beyond birth and death. It is
changeless. There is a beginning and an end for everything else in this universe,
except the Atma. Hence, one has to develop firm faith in this Atma Tathwa.
Unfortunately, we today tend to forget this true and eternal Atma Tathwa and develop
faith in the ephemeral world. We weave a web of imagination around the pleasures
that this transient world would offer. Ultimately, we land ourselves in sorrow and
difficulties.
The Atma Tathwa is the only entity that is true, eternal, and changeless. Everything
else undergoes change from time to time. Even the human body passes through
different stages like childhood, adolescence, youth and old age, but the individual
remains the same through all these changes.
Today, people adapt themselves to continuous changes in time, situations, and
environment. People who change themselves thus are not a human beings in the real
sense. Who then is a real human being? One who does not undergo a change; one whose
faith in the Atma Tathwa (Self) is firm and steady. That is self-confidence. One who
develops that self confidence can find a place for himself permanently in the
history of the world.
You all know about Abraham Lincoln, the past President of the United States of
America. He was a perfect example of such self-confidence. He came from a very poor
family and could not afford to have books or even decent clothes. He was so poor
that he had to study under the streetlights. His mother used to support him with the
meagre amount of money she earned by mending old and worn-out clothes.
One day his classmates, who were rich and wearing fine suits, boots, and hats,
heckled him, by saying that he did not deserve to walk along with them in his poor
clothes and that he should walk on the footpath. He came home crying and poured out
his agony to his mother, explaining how he was insulted and humiliated.
His mother consoled him by saying, “My dear son! Do not get affected by either
praise or blame. Understand the situation at home. Your father cannot afford to
spend money on your education. Develop self-confidence. That is your property.”
These words made a lasting impression on the tender heart of Lincoln. He inculcated
self-confidence and self-respect, with the constant support and encouragement of his
mother. He even did some odd jobs and earned some money to support himself. The good
name he earned for himself in society won him the respect and love of his fellowmen.
In due course of time, his friends and well-wishers advised him to run for election.
They assured him of their support and votes. On their advice, he participated as a
candidate in the election and won. He became the President of America. Thus, Abraham
Lincoln, the son of a poor artisan with very little money to pursue even his primary
education, became the President of America by sheer hard work and the
self-confidence which his mother encouraged him to develope all through his life.
People cannot reach great heights without self-confidence. Not even the nine forms
of devotion — sravanam (listening), kirtanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam
(contemplating on Vishnu), Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet), vandanam
(salutation), archanam (worship), dasyam (servitude), sneham (friendship), and
Atmanivedanam (self-surrender) — can help.
Any amount of sadhana (spiritual practices) without self-confidence will be of
little use. Hence, I wish that all of you should develop self-confidence. Face your
examinations with self-confidence. Without self-confidence, not even your friends
can help.
Do not forget to follow your mother’s advice, for, she is ‘Mathrudevo bhava’ (mother
is God). She will always protect you, wherever you are. One who respects the
commands of their mother and follows them sincerely will come up in life, as in the
case of Abraham Lincoln.
Unfortunately, people today do not give due respect and recognition to their
mothers. There are people in high positions who do not hesitate even to put down
their mothers in front of others . There have been instances when they do not
hesitate to call their mother a servant when guests or colleague officers visit
their houses and ask about the mother. This behaviour is totally against the Vedic
injunctions, which urges everyone to treat the mother as God..
In fact, the mother is living divinity. She is the first guru to a human being. She
is the only person who selflessly works and wishes for the welfare of her children.
Those who disregard the advice of their mother will never be successful in life.
Even in foreign countries, people like Abraham Lincoln attained high positions by
obeying the commands of their mothers and by developing self-confidence.
We consider foreigners as great. But not all foreigners can be considered great.
Only those who respect their mothers and follow their advice are great. If you
ignore the advice of your mother, you are sure to face difficulties in life. Follow
her advice wholeheartedly. Without a second thought, develop the quality of implicit
obedience to the wishes of your mother,. Only then only will your life be peaceful.
The women of Bharath have earned great name and fame for the sterling quality of
chastity. They are not to be treated lightly. Such noble women are always worth
remembering and need to be emulated. Savithri could bring her deceased husband back
to life, by the power of her chastity. The great woman Sita entered the fire to
prove her chastity and came out unscathed. There were several more such examples in
this country of Bharath, of women who have shone as guiding lights to the entire
world.
Bharath is a holy and sacred land. You are need fortunate to be born in this great
land of Bharath! You must therefore sanctify your lives by following the rich and
sacred culture of this country. Magnanimity and sacrifice flourished in this holy
land of Bharath The spiritual outlook of Bharath is unparalleled. In fact, it is
this spiritual outlook that has sustained this country through time and has taken it
to to great heights.
People here are enjoying peace and bliss even today, while the whole world is
passing through difficult times. It is for this reason that people from all other
countries visit this country and find solace here. We have to sustain this rich
legacy of spirituality.
Whenever someone asks a student what he is doing, he replies that he is
concentrating on his studies. But the real meaning of concentration is fixing one’s
mind on a particular object. Contemplation is the next step. The final step is
meditation. Thus, concentration, contemplation, and meditation are the three steps
in sadhana. Meditation is not just sitting silent and closing one’s eyes.
Maintaining an unwavering and steady mind is meditation.
People think that concentration is a great exercise, but it is just the first step
in sadhana, the others being contemplation and meditation. Concentration is like
primary school education. Contemplation is high school education and meditation is
college level education. Only after reaching the college level is one eligible to
acquire a degree. All our ancient rishis reached this stage and meditated upon
Divinity.
When one reaches the stage of meditation, there is no scope for any wavering, and
one’s faith in Divinity becomes steady. You have to attain that stage. You may study
a number of books and pass your examination in the school or college. But, it is
only one who reached the meditation stage that passes the test prescribed by God.
Dear students! Do not be proud of your achievement in getting a first class or a
rank. It is not the marks that count. See that you do not get remarks, which is the
result of your losing self-confidence. Hence, develop self-confidence to become real
successes in life.( Or) Develop self confidence and become really successful in
life.
(Bhagawan sang the bhajan, “Bhajana bina …” and continued His discourse.)
Embodiments of Love!
Constantly meditate upon a name and form of God that is to your liking. It does not
matter which name and form you select for your namasmarana. All names and form
belong to the one God. He is Atmaswarupa (Embodiment of divine Atma). God takes up
different forms and is worshipped by various names. Only God can fulfill the desires
of devotees. It is He who grants you powers and positions. Without Him, you cannot
achieve any position. All are zeros only! With God’s grace, one can become a hero!
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