Success in failure

 

Everyone wants to be successful in his/her examination. But what is success? It is having strength, having an unshakable smile that nobody can take away, and having such courage that does not diminish in the face of adversity.

In exams, some may get very good results and some others may not. It is natural to feel bad when one fails. There is tension, fear and worry about the future. But look at life from a broader perspective. Consider this life as a bigger examination than the one you have been through. Do not think that passing or failing in exams determines your entire life’s direction.

Some disheartened students commit suicide when they fail. No one should commit suicide. Do not become a victim of stress. This life is very precious. In life you have to accept failures and success. There is no control over the fruit of action.

Everyone who fails in an exam is not a fool and everyone who passes an exam is not necessarily intelligent. My request to parents is to encourage children even if they fail and to ensure that they come out of their depression. Parents must make them understand that life is beyond this exam.

When faced with difficult times, invoke the valour in you and tackle the challenge with confidence. Practices such as yoga, meditation will help tremendously. Have faith that you are supported by nature. And you will succeed.

Life is a mixture of everything; failure and success complement each other. If you fail, then you know the value of success. It is a stepping stone. You need to move forward; ask yourself, what did I learn from the past, and then what is my vision for the future? If you fail 10 times, you will be successful the 11th time. Remember as a child how many times you have fallen before you could stand up on your legs?

Tell yourself now, “Whatever happens, I will never go down. God will always hold my hand.” This much is enough to pull you up.

What is the need for peace

 

A journalist asked me, why peace? If there is no peace, there is no prosperity.

What is the purpose of prosperity? To have peace! What is the use of having a nice bed if you’re unable to sleep? When you’re mentally disturbed does food taste good? If there’s no peace inside, you don’t enjoy anything in the world. My dream is to see a society free from violence.

A violence free society, a disease free body, confusion free mind, inhibition free intellect, trauma free memory and sorrow free soul is the birth right of every individual. The Art of Living is committed to achieve this. To make everyone’s life a celebration.

Path to peace

 

Peace is not something that can be bought from the marketplace or achieved solely by high-level policies.

It has to be nurtured within.

Inner peace is the basis for building peace in families, communities and the planet.

#Istandforpeace

Letting go of the fruit of action is the way to attain the fruit

 

How to be centered when there is a doubt or conflict? In Narada Bhakti Sutras, Narada says, “Karmanyapi Sanyasyati” - take a break, not just from activity, but also from the fruit of the activity.

You can take a break from the fruit of the action when you let go of the result and become totally centered in the action itself. It will bring deep rest from doubts and conflicts in the mind. One who is not concerned about the outcome, is centered in the action itself and reposes in the Self, goes beyond the dualities, beyond conflicts.

This doesn’t mean that you should stop acting. One who is wise, who has attained knowledge, and experienced divine love, is beyond all actions yet he continues to engage himself in action. You can transcend only what you have gone through. You can let go only what you have. So to let go of the fruit of the action. You need to have the fruit and to have the fruit, you need to act! This is so beautiful.

Sri Krishna used the fruit of the action to motivate Arjuna to fight. He told Arjuna that if you die in the battle, you will attain heaven and if you win, you will rule the world. When you have laziness, you need motivation to do something and the expected fruit of action acts as the motivating factor. But once you start acting, let go of the expected result. Just focus on the work in hand.

Let your actions be expressions of joy

Behind every action, there is always a motivation to get a specific result. When you do every action with an eye on the end result or on any specific goal, the expectation of the result affects the process of your action. But when you perform some actions as an expression of joy and are not bothered about the result, you will not be lost in the means.

When you do some actions expecting joy out of them, it makes the action inferior. For example, you want to spread happiness, but if you are keen on finding out whether the other person has become happy or not, you get entangled in their vicious circle and you lose your happiness in the process. Or suppose, you want to take up a project, but you start it by worrying whether it will happen or not, then your whole enthusiasm for the project gets dampened.

The concern about the outcome of your action is what pulls you down and dampens your enthusiasm. So when you are aware of your potential, just jump into the action you want to do without bothering about the result.