THE SECRET OF SUCCESS | SELF-RELIANCE | PART 6
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THE SECRET OF SUCCESS | AMERICA | IWGR I | RAMA राम
|| 6 OF 7 | SIXTH PRINCIPLE : SELF-RELIANCE ||
The sixth secret of success is Self-reliance . You know the elephant is a much larger animal than the lion . The elephant's body seems to be much stronger than the body of a lion , and yet a single lion can put to flight a whole herd of elephants .
What is the secret of the lion's power ? The only secret is that the lion is a practical Vedantin and the elephants are dualists .
The elephants believe in the body ; the lion practically believes not in the body , but in something higher than the body , the spirit .
Even though the body of the lion is comparatively very small , the lion practically believes its power to be infinite , its inner force illimitable .
The elephants live in groups of forty or fifty , sometimes one hundred or two hundred , and when the elephants go to rest , they always keep one strong elephant as watch and guard . They fear that their enemies may attack and devour them .
They know not that a single one of them is capable of destroying thousands of lions , only if one has faith in oneself , but the poor tuskers lack faith in the inner Self and the consequent courage .
Thus is self-trust , a fundamental principle of bliss .
Vedanta teaches you not to call yourself a grovelling , sneaking , miserable sinner or wretch . Vedanta wants you to believe in your innate power .
You are Infinite , GOD Almighty you are , Infinite GOD you are . Believe that . What an inspiring truth ! Believe in the outside and you fail . That is the law .
Two siblings involved in litigation appeared before a magistrate . One of them was a millionaire , the other a pauper . The magistrate asked the millionaire how it was that one became so rich and other so poor . The rich one said :
" Five years ago we inherited equal property from our parents . Fifty thousand dollars fell to my sibling's share and fifty thousand dollars to me .
My sibling , feeling wealthy became lazy ( you know some rich people think it beneath their dignity to labour ) and whatever work was to be done was entrusted to the servants . For example , upon receiving a letter , it would be given to the servants , and would be said , ' Go , attend to this business ' .
Anything that was to be accomplished the servants were told to do . My sibling lolled away time in ease and comfort — ' Eat , drink and be merry ' . My sibling would always bid the servants , ' Go , go , attend to this business or that . ' "
Speaking of oneself the rich person said :
" When I got my fifty thousand dollars , I never committed my work to anybody ; when anything was to be done , I would always run to do it myself and I always told the servants , ' Come , come , follow me ' .
The words on my lips were always ' Come , come ' , and the words on the lips of my sibling were ' Go , go ' .
Everything my sibling possessed obeyed the motto ; the servants , friends , property and wealth went away , entirely left . My maxim was ' Come ' . Friends came to me , property increased , everything multiplied . "
When we depend upon others , we say " Go , go " .
Everything will go away , and when we rely upon Self and trust nothing but the Atman , all things flock to us . If you think yourself a poor , sneaking vermin , that you become and if you honour yourself and rely on your Self , grandeur you win . What you think the same you must become .
An inspector came to a school in India . One of the schoolmasters pointing to a student said that the student was so bright as to have learnt by heart such and such a piece of literature , say , Milton's Paradise Lost , and could recite any part of it .
The student was presented to the inspector but had no Vedanta within . The student assumed bashfulness and modesty and when asked ,
" Do you know that piece by heart ? " The student said , " No , I am nothing , I know nothing " . Those words were thought to be an indication of modesty , a sign of bashfulness . " No , I know nothing ; I did not learn it . " The inspector asked again , but the youth still said , " No , no , I do not know it " . The master was put out of countenance .
There was another youth who did not know the whole book by heart , but said , " I know it ; I think I shall be able to recite any passage you may desire " .
The inspector put a few questions . All the questions were readily answered by the youth ; this second one declaimed passage after passage and secured the prize .
No one can ever estimate you at a higher value than you set upon yourselves .
Do not , please , make yourselves cringing , sneaking , miserable creatures .
As you think , so will you become . Think yourselves to be GOD and GOD you are . Think yourselves to be free and free you are this moment .
A person came into the house of a Vedantin one day and occupied the vacant seat of honour in the absence of the master of the house . When the master of the house was coming back into the room , that intruder put this question ,
" O Vedantin , let me know what GOD is , and what the human is " .
Well the sage did not directly answer the question , but simply called the servants and began to talk loud and use harsh language , telling them to turn the intruder out of the house . This peculiar language did the really wise one use .
When such unexpected language was employed , the intruder got frightened , became nervous and left the seat of honour . The sage occupied the same and then calmly , serenely said ,
" Here ( pointing to oneself ) is GOD , and there ( pointing to the other ) is the human . Had you not been frightened , had you kept your place , had you preserved your balance , had you not been put out of countenance , then you were also GOD . But the very fact of your trembling , quivering and losing faith in your GODhead makes you a poor vermin " .
Think yourself to be Divinity , have a living faith in your Divinity and nothing can harm you , nobody can injure you .
So long as you go on relying and depending upon outside powers , failure will be the result . Trusting upon GOD within , put the body in action and success is assured .
If the mountain does not come to Mohammad , Mohammad will go to the mountain .
There was a person who was hungry , that in order that the hunger might be appeased , sat down at a certain place , closed the eyes and began to eat imaginary curry .
After a while the person was seen with the mouth open , endeavouring to cool a burnt tongue . Somebody asked what the matter was . The reply was that in the food there was a very hot chilli . The name is cool but the thing itself is very hot . Thereupon the bystander remarked ,
" Oh , poor comrade , if you had to live on imaginary food , then why not select something far sweeter than hot chilli , pepper . As it was your own creation , your own doing , your own imagination , why did you not make a better choice ? "
According to Vedanta all the world being but your own creation , your own idea , why think yourself a low , miserable sinner ?
Why not think yourself a fearless , self-reliant incarnation of Divinity ?
Have a living faith in the Truth , a right knowledge of things around you , take all your circumstances at their own worth and realize the Spirit to such a degree that this world becomes unreal to you .
Dont you know , in Astronomy , while calculating the distances of the fixed stars , this world is looked upon as a mathematical point as nothing in relation to those stars and planets , a mere cypher ?
If so , can this earth be anything in contrast with the Supreme Infinite Power , the Atman ? Realize that , feel that . The Light of lights you are , all glory is yours . Feel that .
Feel that and realize it to such a degree that this earth and name and fame , the earthly relations , and popularity and unpopularity , worldly honour and disgrace , criticism of your foes and flattery of your friends may become meaningless to you . This is the secret of success .
Two people were being carried down by the swift current of the Niagra . One of them found a big log and caught hold of it with the desire to be saved ; the other found a tiny rope thrown down for their rescue by the people on the bank , caught hold of this rope which was not heavy like the log of wood , and though the rope was apparently very wavering and frail , was saved ; but the one who caught hold of the big log of wood was carried off with the log by the rapid current into the yawning grave of surging waters beneath the roaring falls .
Similarly O people of the world , you trust in these outward names , fame , riches , wealth , land and prosperity .
These seem to be big like the log of wood ; but the saving principle they are not . The saving principle is like the fine thread . It is not material , you cannot feel and handle it , you cannot touch it ; the subtle principle , the subtle truth is very fine , but that is the rope which will save you .
All these worldly things on which you depend will simply work your ruin and throw you into a deep abyss of hopelessness , anxiety and pain . Beware , beware .
Have a strong hold of the Truth . Believe more in the Truth than in outside objects .
The law of Nature is that whenever one believes practically in the outside objects and wealth one must fail . That is the law .
Trust in the Divinity and you are safe . Be not dupes of senses .
Rise above hypnotism and suggestions of your neighbours . All your worldly ties and connections hypnotize you into misery and anxiety .
Rise above that . Believe in the Truth , realize your oneness with the Divinity , and saved you are ; nay , Salvation itself ye are .
Far be it from you to regard the world more seriously than the real Self . Do not keep yourself a sensitive , pitiable , limited ego . Let nothing pique you .
Attend to business as doctors attend their patients without contacting the disease . Work in the spirit of an unaffected witness , free from all entanglements . Remain immune .
PART #1 : WORK & http://bit.ly/1a19JK2
PART #2 : SACRIFICE & http://bit.ly/19bbbZm
PART #3 : LOVE & http://bit.ly/16BNzyd
PART #4 : CHEERFULNESS & http://bit.ly/14fne8c
PART #5 : FEARLESSNESS & http://bit.ly/153EzOW
PART #6 : SELF-RELIANCE & http://bit.ly/1bpouub
PART #7 : PURITY & http://bit.ly/167ANKy
SOURCE | SATYAVEDISM.ORG
OM! TAT SAT
