In this second Hindi audio of our “Practical Vedanta series”, we visit an inspirational essay published by Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya in the Akhand Jyoti magazine, in February 1940. This essay was penned by Shri Swami Satyadevji, but the spiritual force behind it was Yugrishi’s. For the benefit of the Spiritual Bee’s non-Hindi-speaking readers I have enclosed an English translation of this inspirational podcast below.
English Translation of the Above Podcast
Arise! Be courageous! Do not become frightened looking at the difficulties blocking your path. Do not fear obstacles as your enemies but embrace them because they are your true benefactors. It is difficult situations alone that help acquaint you with the many capabilities that lie undiscovered within your infinite soul. In helping you manifest these dormant qualities, challenging situations help smoothen your future life-path by removing all those hurdles which you would have otherwise faced, had you not developed these hidden strengths and talents.
Most people desire to lead an easy life of comfort, without facing any obstacles. This type of existence however, is a tasteless one. The true nectar of life has been enjoyed by only those who have faced great challenges in their path. Only such illustrious souls have earned the respect and admiration of the world.
When Napoleon, tried to conquer Italy, he found the mighty Alps mountains blocking his path. Seeing the frightfully difficult terrain, Napoleon’s army commanders became deeply dejected. They recommended that Napoleon turn back because crossing such a mountainous terrain accompanied by soldiers, guns and artillery would be an impossible task. When Napoleon heard their cowardly remarks he roared: “Impossible is a word that does not exist in my dictionary!” True to his words, Napoleon successfully charted a path for his army through the mighty Alps and attacked Italy.
This is the attitude of the brave, bold and courageous. The timid and the fearful run away from the battlefield and accomplish nothing. Therefore if you want to achieve greatness in life, you must face its challenges and difficulties like a true soldier and never lose courage.
So arise! Do not despair. Throw away your sadness and feelings of hopelessness. Look at yourself. God has not sent you in this world in vain. The hard work that the Lord has put into you should not be wasted, but must be utilized and made fruitful. The Lord has given this life to you to accomplish some work. Every life has a special purpose. You must find this purpose. You must discover your hidden talents and powers and utilize them for the good of all.
Have an unshakable faith in the Advaita Vedantic truth that “the soul is the infinite repository of all strength, because it is an indivisible part of God Himself.” All power lies within the soul, only waiting to be manifest. Keeping a firm faith in this truth you can overcome all difficulties. All cowardliness would vanish from you. If you believe in the capabilities of your soul, you will find yourself becoming stronger as your inner powers develop. When a seed musters the courage to sacrifice itself, only then is a tree born. The fruits and flowers on the tree are a testament to this worthy sacrifice of the seed.
Therefore in moments of difficulties, always keep in view the inspiring words of the Katha Upanishad, which formed the motto of Swami Vivekananda’s life: “Have courage! Arise, Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached.
Related Free Downloads
- Hindi Transcript of the above podcast.
- MP3 file of the above podcast.
- Yanmandalam or Surya Mandala Ashtakam (Gayatri Stavan), the background song used in the above podcast. Courtesy the All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP).
- Read the original Hindi article in Akhand Jyoti magazine, from which this podcast’s content is excerpted.
