Article published in 'Sadguru's Blessings' magazine - November,2013 issue.
Journey of Life
Life is a perennial journey of discovery. But that
discovery, in most of the times, is aimless or purposeless. That is majority of
us have no defined or fixed thing to be pursued or attained in life. To that
extent, our journey has no definite destination!
Most of our time and energy in life is spent on
fulfillment of our material and physical needs. But man is really an
extra-ordinary animal. His material, physical and also intellectual desires are
such that they have no limitations. They are, in a way, insatiable. They raise
their heads in one form or the other again and again making it extremely
difficult to get out of its fetters. The result is that man gets entangled in
this vicious cycle of ‘Maya’ (illusion) which blinds him in seeking the right
thing in life. The different circumstances, experiences, happiness, sorrow,
dejection, separation etc., makes a man, at least at some point of time in
life, to ponder over the exact purpose and meaning of life. Only such a
triggering of positive and benign thoughts can lead a man towards the right
path of understanding the true value and aim of life. In fact, the emergence of
such thoughts, in the first instance, is the first step towards attainment of
emancipation in life.
Of course, the path of seeking ‘truth’ in life is
not an easy one. It demands lot of commitment, perseverance, patience and
above-all a perennial pursuit. The reading of great Indian epics Ramayana,
Mahabharatha, Bhagavadgeeta, Upanishads and life-stories of great saints and
scholars will ignite in us divine thoughts and hold a torch to lead us in the
dark path of our lives. But they can only act as a hand-post. Having grasped
the essence of such great works and lives of great people and having regard to
the exact nature of pursuit which is hidden in one-self, it is up to each
individual to pick the right path and move firmly.
Basically, birth, living and death, are the real
truths of life. The various issues and factors that revolve around these three
are really interesting, complicated and very difficult to understand. An honest
attempt to understand these concepts will widen our extent of knowledge and
help us to come out of many dualities in life. But the thing remains that what
exactly is the real “truth” is still elusive to many because the concept and
understanding of “truth” varies from individual to individual. The “truth”
resembles a vast ocean. An individual can only pick up that much of water as
his both palms permit; but that itself is not the whole “truth”! In other
words, depending upon one’s ability, knowledge and pursuit, one can get a
glimpse of the real “truth”. It, therefore, becomes essential for one to have
an open mind on every aspect of life. Deciding things on merits, having no
pre-conceived beliefs, avoiding taking decisions in times of high emotions,
strict adherence to righteousness in life etc., lead us in the path of pursuit
of truth. Ultimately, what appeals to our internal soul and what we genuinely
think as the right thing is the real and ultimate truth.
The attractions of this material world, though
appear permanent, are really temporary. They can only provide happiness or
comfort for a limited period of time. They are not the end in themselves. On
the contrary, getting lost in these material comforts results in a life which
is no different from animals. Real happiness or bliss is something which is
above all these worldly things. This is the ‘hard truth’ that everyone must
understand first before getting over it.
Our Sanatana Dharma has taught us to visualize the
presence of God (Brahma) in all living and non-living entities on earth. Such a
feeling should be present within us at all times. This will help us to view our
surroundings in a dispassionate and loving mind. This, in the process, will
also cleanse our hearts and minds. We have, therefore, to first prepare our
mind to this basic reality and train it to prepare for a journey – which is
long-lasting, pleasant and full of elixir!
-
Kavi Suresh
