Factors important to be noted for a successful life:
If you've right aim in right direction with proper planning in your life, if you're leading a purposeful life, then even if sometimes any weakness or distractions comes, attachments or indulgence comes, crisis or shortage comes, atleast a right aim is before you.
Determination : When a person lacks determination, a stage of ignorance creeps into him. He becomes insensible and inactive.
Reverence: When a person lacks reverence, he disrespects himself. Insolence and contempt bring idleness and stagnancy in him.
Pessimism : Idleness and stagnancy engulf him in pessimism. Pessimism further produce cowardice, escapism and desertion. A long stage of escapism causes self-destructive attitudes and it makes the person irresponsible and thoughtless.
Right goal, right direction and right planning : A person must have a right goal to live this life. People who don't have a right aim in right direction and a significant planning, they will not have proper conditions in life. They will face plight, abjection in their life.
From the excerpts of Swami Avdheshanand Giriji Maharaj.
Repression(Daman), Restrain(Nigrah) and Punishment(Tadan) alongwith nurturing of mind is equally important for a healthy life. Without these, people become interest-oriented and develop certain habits revolving around their interests. They started living their life only for certain tastes. Our mind often acts like a small child without any knowledge of propriety. We ought to reprimand it just like we chide and refrain a child to make it aware about right and wrong.
Two things are very important in human life, these are repression (daman) and restrain (nigrah). People who don’t have these two things are always inclined towards interests. As a result, they develop certain habits and get prone to them. Such people live their life only for taste. In repression and restrain, we ought to censure, rebuke or resist ourselves just like we chide a small child for bad habits.
There are two likeable words for parents, nourishment and preservation (lalan-palan) but with these two words, there includes another word that is punishment (tadan) - to make aware and concious. While nurturing, if we don’t punish the child to make him concious and aware, the child will get spoiled. In the same way, it is needed to restrict our mind. Do we ever repress and restrain ourselves? Do we ever tell ourselves not to stride the respectable limits?
We must make ourselves concious and aware about the propriety, nobility and the code of conduct. Sometimes our mind behaves like a child, we ought to rebuke it, make it concious about the righteousness. There is a simple truth of life, who doesn’t have “Dharma”, he couldn’t have restrain in life.
From the excerpts of Swami Avdheshanand Giriji Maharaj.
जीवन में जिनके पास दो चीज़ें नहीं होती वो हमेशा रुचियों के पास खड़े मिलते हैं; ये दो चीज़े हैं दमन और निग्रह। जिनके जीवन में से शम और दम निकल गया है, जो निग्रह नहीं कर पाते हैं, वो जीवन मात्र रुचिओं के लिए जीते हैं। हम्हें ये बड़ा अच्छा लगता है.... निग्रह में डांटना पड़ता है जैसे छोटे बच्चे को डांटते है। कभी दमन किया है अपना ? कभी डाटा डपटा है अपने को ?
लालन, पालन यह दो शब्द बड़े अच्छे लगते हैं लोगों को लेकिन तीसरा शब्द अच्छा नहीं लगता वो है ताड़न। एक बच्चे को कभी ताड़ा भी जाता है। लालन पालन करते करते अगर आपने ताडन नहीं किया है, कभी बताया नहीं यह नहीं करोगे आप। आपका मन भी तो कभी बच्चा बन जाता है। कभी अपने मन को बताया ये नहीं करोगे, ये नहीं कर सकते आप। तो लालन पालन तो करते रहते हैं अपने मन का, ताडन नहीं करते, निग्रह नहीं करते, दमन नहीं करते। एक सीधी सीधी बात है जिसके पास धर्म नहीं है वो अंकुश नहीं रख सकता।
दो चीज़े जिनके जीवन में नहीं होती वो रुचियों के पास रहते हैं; वो दो चीज़े हैं दमन और निग्रह। कभी दमन किया है अपना?
कभी डाटा डपटा है अपने को? कभी निग्रह किया है ? अगर दमन, निग्रह आपके पास नहीं है तो इसका अर्थ है आप रुचियों के पास हैं, मात्र टेस्ट के लिए जीवन जी रहे हैं। हम्हें ये बड़ा अच्छा लगता है....
जिनके जीवन में से शम दम निकल गया है, जो निग्रह नहीं कर पाते वो रुचियों के पास खड़े पाते हैं। निग्रह में डांटना पड़ता है जैसे छोटे बच्चे को डांटते है। दो शब्द बोहोत अच्छे लगते हैं लेकिन तीसरा नहीं अच्छा लगता; एक है लालन, दूसरा पालन और तीसरा है ताडन। एक बच्चे को कभी ताड़ा भी जाता है। लालन पालन करते करते अगर आपने ताडन नहीं किया है, कभी बताया नहीं यह नहीं करोगे आप.... उसी तरह क्या आपने कभी अपने मन को बताया ये नहीं करोगे, ये नहीं कर सकते आप। तो कितनी मात्रा में ताडन किया है अपना? कितनी मात्रा में निग्रह किया है अपना ? कितनी मात्रा में दमन किया है आपने अपना? कितनी मात्रा में वर्जनाओं का सम्मान किया है आपने? कितनी मात्राओं में आपने अपने को रोका है की यह बस, मर्यादाएं हैं, इसके आगे हम नहीं लांघ सकते।
तो लालन पालन तो करते रहते हैं अपने मन का, ताडन नहीं करते, निग्रह नहीं करते, दमन नहीं करते। और एक सीधी सीधी बात है जिसके पास धर्म नहीं है वो अंकुश नहीं रख सकता। ये अंकुश एक ऐसा शब्द है जो हाथी को नियंत्रित करता है; हाथी को नियंत्रित करने के लिए उसके मर्मस्थल पर मारा जाएगा। हाथी के मस्तक पर एक ऐसी जगह होती है जहां वो बार बार ठोकर मारता रहता है, हाथी को दाएं बाएं ले जाने के लिए हाथी के मस्तक पर पैर मारा जाता है। ये महावत को ही पता होता है कौनसी जगह मारना होता है। पर वो लगभग एड़ी जितनी जगह होती है जहां दाएं-बाएं ऊपर-नीचे चोट मारी जाती है। और अगर तीन चार धमक लगादि है तो इसका मतलब है बैठ जा, बैठ जा। हाथी बैठ जायेगा। आपका मन का हाथी कब बैठेगा कभी चोट मारी एड़ी से? अगर आपका मन ऊठ की तरह है तो कभी नकेल डाली उसपे ?और मान लो मन घोड़ा हो तो कभी आपने उसपे वल्गाएं डाली हैं उसके मुँह में लगाम डाली हैं क्यूंकि घोरा लगाम से ठीक होता है ? कभी आपका मन हाथी बन गया, तो कैसे ठीक करना है, आपका मन घोड़ा बन गया तो कैसे ठीक करना है, और मन ऊठ बन गया तो कैसे ठीक करना है और अगर मन बच्चा बन गया है तो कैसे ठीक करना है ?
At times, we think about the meaningfulness or significance of this life because sometimes, we feel that this life is significant, remarkable or divine. But sometimes, it seems to be worthless or meaningless. These are the feelings which come and go and affect some of us emotionally, mentally or psychologically at a deeper level. Actually this feeling of worthlessness is not related to life. This feeling will come even when we have the best, superior life. Hunger is the basis of all human requirements: The main reason behind the bothersome feeling of worthlessness is the 'hunger'. The foremost requirement of human life is to fulfill the hunger; the hunger of body; the hunger of mind; the hunger of 'Aatman'. Once the physical hunger or the hunger of stomach is fulfilled, man seeks to fulfill the mental hunger; when mental hunger is fulfilled, he seeks to fulfill his 'Aatmic' hunger or the innermost hunger of his spirit. Thus, all the grief, discontentment or dissatisfaction is to satisfy this never-ending 'hunger' Fulfillment from worldly actions is always temporary: The fulfillment, the satisfaction that we receive from the worldly actions, is always momentary and transient. When we receive that momentary fulfillment and happiness; we think to do something more to be happy again. But when we do not receive any fulfillment or happiness in this fast moving life, we hardly have enough time and chance to sit and relax to think over what is bothering us. We are constantly running without thinking what we are doing? or what should we do?
The three 'gunas' or modes control all jivas and their emotions: Lord Krishna confirms the fact to Arjuna that the three gunas or modes of sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance) are the three qualities that exist within all jivas. HE says," There is no one in the three lokas, Kaunteya, who does not have sometimes the feeling of 'Sattva' or goodness; Rajas or passion; Tamas or ignorance" .
Different feelings under three gunas of Tamas (ignorance), Rajas (passion) and Sattva (goodness): In the mode of Tamas means ignorance or darkness, this world appears not only beautiful to us but also we start expecting happiness and fulfillment from it, in whatever means, good or bad. In the mode of Rajas means passion, human mind gets the burning desire of something different or more; and now this fire of desire has to be extinguished or doused. However, there is no darkness or ignorance in this mode. Human doesn't want to harm or hurt anyone...just want to derive the happiness.
Then comes the stage of Sattva, in which man realizes nothing lies in the world; everything has already been done. Every happiness of this world--Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh, Ahankar--is tied in the same way; these gets momentarily satisfied and would be active again. So, in sattva, man attains the feeling of "Vairagya" or "non-attachment". The person who stays in the stage of "Sattvaguna", the life seems to him blissful as he attains the feeling of "Vairagya". One who does not have attained the feeling of "Vairagya" and thinks that he will live in this "Sansar" forever, and obtain all happiness from it is an 'ignorant' and 'unwise' person because happiness of this material world is just like a breeze coming for a short while. The one who has emotional strength and some selfless goal leads a meaningful life: The texture of this human life is interwoven with a basic thread in which every feeling or emotion is temporary. It will come and go. Whatever life you lead, the feeling of meaninglessness or worthlessness will come at some time but those who have some aim; some goal or living this life selflessly with the internal and emotional strength, that makes a meaningful, worthful life. It gives a peaceful sleep at night. Our heart contains peace only when we have given peace to some body's life; when we have brought smile on somebody's face and does something for somebody. This is the basic teaching of our Vedas. Having some passion and challenging oneself constantly brings worthfulness spontaneously in life: When life seems to be meaningless, just stop and take out a notepad; write what m I doing with my life. If you start doing something constructive in your life, even in a small way like reading books, writing dairies, it will turn you inward. The child who has the habit of reading, can never be bored in life. He becomes matured very soon and never roam here and there for anybody's acceptance or company or love. That's why it is important to challenge yourself to overcome any boredom. When you're not bored, worthfulness and dignity comes spontaneously. From the excerpts ofOM SWAMI's discourse. Translated by Pranati Saikia
