Talk to the 5th Batch of Yuva Veers, Kolwan 2010

Talk One - 15 September 2010


In his inimitable style Guruji started off with a joke and everyone was relaxed and waiting for the message behind the joke.

Visitor to a town asked the resident, 'Are great men born in this town?'  Pat came the reply, 'No, only babies are born here!'

Perfect answer really.  All of us are born the same.  But what makes one person great?  Thus Guruji raised the following questions:
What is greatness?
How to become great?

The answers to these questions were simply exquisite.  Guruji explained that we need to understand two important concepts:
i) Vision of life - How do I look at my life.  How do I look at his whole world.  The important point here is How.

ii) Life of vision - Do I know why I do what I do.  Here the important point is Why.

How do I look at life?
Through my eyes!  We can look at our lives in two ways:
From a worldly standpoint
From a spiritual standpoint

The Bhagawad Geeta says that there are three types of vision:

i) Sattvika vision - inspite of all perceptual differences we see one Truth which is common and present in all beings.  This is the Vision of Oneness.  One Self in all.  It is an all inclusive vision.

ii) Rajasic vision - to see differences and take them to be real.  There is no common Truth.  It is little expansive but creates likes and dislikes.

iii) Tamasic vision - this is to take the part for the whole.  It is the vision of most of us.  Eg, money is everything.

Person with a narrow vision will remain very self-centred.  One with a sattvika vision will think of all.

What exactly is greatness?

To rise above his / her individualistic considerations and think of the totality makes a person great.

Lokmanya Tilak was in jail.  He received a telegram giving him the news that he had lost his wife.  The jailor took the telegram to him and saw that it was in the bin.  He took it out thinking that Lokmanyaji had not seen it.  Put it in front of him.  Once again he found it in the bin.  Unable to control himself the jailor gave the news of the demise of Lokmanyaji's wife to Lokmanyaji.  Lokmanyaji replied, 'I have no more tears to shed on my personal tragedies.'

What an amazing reply?  How many of us would be able to think in this manner.  No wonder he was so great.  His title 'Lokmanya' meant the one who is respected and revered by all.  Truly such people only should be our role models to gain our inspiration and vision.  How many of us know anything about Lokmanyaji?  Unless we read about their lives how will we gain the inspiration from them?

Thus greatness is rising above one's own profits / gains / considerations and identifying with the majority and working for them.

A lovely quote by someone, 'It is nice to be great but it is greater to be nice.'

Now an amazing example from the Ramacharitamanasa:

When Sitaji was at Ashoka Vatika, Ravana pleaded with her to look at him even once.  What a fearless and fitting reply Sitaji gave!

'Does the lotus open in the light of a firefly or only in the light of the sun?!'

Both the firefly and sun have light.  However, the firefly's light is only to show itself.  It can't dispel darkness and its light is of no use to anyone else.  In contrast, sunlight dispels darkness totally.  In the light of the sun all are energised and are able to do their work.  The sun doesn't show itself off.  Similarly a truly great person doesn't need to tell anyone to look at him / her.  In the great person's glory only are all motivated, inspired, energised.  Truly great people are blessings for all around

We all have experienced this.  In Pujya Gurudev's presence all of us have felt motivated, inspired, energised.  Till date Gurudev's vision drives each one of us to higher and higher goals.  But truly this inspiration and motivation is impossible to maintain just by remembering Pujya Gurudev and His Vision.  Atleast I know I am not so highly evolved.  We are lucky to have Pujya Guruji in our midst.  Despite all that goes on around him, he motivates, inspires and energises each and every one of us at all times!  The perfect indicator of a great person.  We are truly blessed - doubly so actually!

What exactly is a Life of Vision?
What ideal should one stand for?
Why do we do what we do?

In verse 7 of Bhaja Govindam Bhagwan Adi Shankaracharyaji describes a life of graceless ageing.  A life of no vision at all.

Pujya Guruji composed a verse with the same metre on Graceful Aging.  This is found in Pujya Guruji's books 'Graceful Aging' and 'Life of Vision'.  I highly recommend both books.  Loved them thoroughly.  The second one is an interesting compilation of some of Pujya Guruji's compositions which comes with a free audio CD with audio recordings of all compositions done by our Chinmaya Naada Bindu team.  If you have still not read them both you have missed something...

Getting back to the topic!  In a life of graceful aging one's childhood is engaged in true learning.  Guruji presented an interesting thought.  If one knows a particular language then suddenly all the knowledge written in that language is available to the person.  It is very obvious but how many of us thought with this perspective.  Guruji knows English, Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit so knowledge in all these four languages are available to him.  I have seen Guruji read Gujarati books and understand them too!  Most of us can just about manage to understand English let alone anything else!  I truly feel that we all should really try hard to know Hindi, one regional language and definitely Sanskrit besides English.

One must have a love for learning and we should pursue that field which we wish to truly learn.

After childhood comes youth.  This phase must be a sort of vow in which we resolve to serve ourselves and others around us through the knowledge we have gained.  Simultaneously we must contribute to our field of knowledge.  There must be a firm abidance in this.

I feel that this only is true strength not that which young people are proud of nowadays - physical strength.  Of course that is important but without mental strength the physical strength is totally useless.  Ma Jeejabai (mother of Shivaji Maharaj) told him that the most important quality he needed to win over the Mughals was 'manobala'.  She was an amazing lady.  Not many of us unfortunately know about her...

Continuing...  Mahatma Gandhi was clear that even his politics was meant only for Self Realisation.  Madan Mohan Malviyaji valued education and so established the Benaras Hindu University.

We too should take a vow to abide firmly in the knowledge we have gained and make a positive difference wherever we are.

In old age, as far as worldly objects are concerned there should be total contentment.  No craving or hankering for objects of the world.  One should only want spiritual unfoldment.  The goal is truly only spiritual.  Such a person alone revels in the Supreme Brahman and has found true fulfillment.

Let us pray that we all may have only a spiritual goal...

End of day one talk.  Two to go.

mk