Aum bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ, tat saviturvarenyaṁ
Bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt.
Rigveda 3/62/10; Yajurveda 3/35; Samveda 1462
“May we behold in our inner self the Supreme Being who is the embodiment of vital energy (prāņa), the destroyer of suffering, the annihilator of sin, the joy incarnate, the sublime, the resplendent, the Divine. May that Supreme Being inspire our minds towards the enlightened, righteous path.”
The Gayatri Mahamantra is not only helpful in attainment of noble goals in life, but in essence, is itself the ultimate goal of life.
Only by beholding the Supreme Being in the inner self and by resolutely treading the righteous path, can mankind search for and find its sublime goal. An aimless life is a miserable life of wandering in the wilderness. The absence of a worthy aim renders all the means and efforts meaningless. Unless the goal is clear, the internal energy and latent strengths can not be channelized in the right direction. All the potentialities begin to wither away in a life without a lofty purpose to pursue after.
To prevent this eventuality, it is imperative that a goal be fixed. For selecting and fixing the goal, it is essential to minutely search one’s inner being, because only such a close search will unravel the facts whose analysis will enable us to determine the goal. In connection with this inner investigation,
- The first point is to identify the talents hidden within oneself. That is, to know one by one all the latent qualities that are yearning to find expression.
- The second point is to pin-point that specific God-gifted spark or impulse which has been stirring us since our childhood.
- The third point is those challenges which have frequently surfaced before us and with which we are still surrounded. An intensive scrutiny of these challenges is very essential, because without surmounting them, we can not proceed towards our goal.
- The fourth item is our own value-system of life which we have inculcated within us and cherish. Generally, this value-system abides in us in the form of some noble thoughts and duties, and we are not inclined to abandon them under any circumstances.
- The fifth point concerns those resources which we possess presently; it is this asset which will come to our aid in the course of our progression towards the goal.
- And the sixth prerequisite is those opportunities which destiny has bestowed upon us. Only after reflecting well over these six points, should we choose and determine our goal.
But even more important than the six points enumerated above is the seventh, which is our own vision or dream whose rainbowy glow has illumined our inner mindscape since the very beginning. To realize this dream could be the chosen goal of our life. It is a pleasant truth that a dream is born in every heart, we believe in its fulfillment, then our dream takes concrete shape, and a miracle is wrought.
Whatever be the goal career related, or economic, material, mental, familial or spiritual once it has been set after careful consideration, it is not wise to change it frequently. At the same time, it is necessary that in selection of the goal, the above mentioned seven considerations are kept in view, because impossible ventures, such as settling down on the Mars or pulling down the Sun to the Earth can not be set as the goal in life. But if a feasible and logical goal has been set, there should be no question of going back.
After fixation of the goal, the next requirement is total concentration on it. Total concentration means that the whole personality should merge in that, so much so that the one begins to be identified with the other. When firm resolve, full devotion and unwavering faith become combined, attainment of the goal is ensured. The seemingly impossible begins to be not only possible but attainable, successive steps start gaining momentum, and opportunities begin to emerge spontaneously.
Those whose search of a goal is over and who are advancing towards it with complete faith will ultimately succeed in realizing it this much is certain. In this connection, the memoirs of the great seer Swami Vivekanand is instructive. Swamiji has written that after the Mahasamadhi of his guru Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansadev, all the guru-bhāis (brother disciples) were left without money, home and means. There was no proper arrangement for even food. But, yes, their goal was crystal clear before their eyes. Also, they all had unwavering faith in the nobility and loftiness of the goal, i.e. the restoration of the sublime glory of Mother India and Indian culture, so that the banner of Indian culture would once again flutter in the world.
But how would this lofty goal be achieved? To this, there was only one answer: divine help, because those who have unwavering faith in The Divine would rediscover their innate strengths. They would be able to run and not get tired; they would keep walking and not feel exhausted. Swamiji says: “The experience shows that the very thought of divine help generates in the mind a unique serenity which is beyond description. Whenever I have felt loneliness in the course of my sadhana, I have remembered Christ’s assuring words, ‘Be not afraid, be not disappointed, because I, your Lord, your As God, am always with you. I will accompany you wherever you go’.
The inspiring moments of God’s help and experience of the Divine are always helpful in attainment of an exalted goal.
If, however, the goal is vast and grand, it should be completed in stages. It will be better if it is broken down into yearly, monthly and fortnightly units, and we proceed towards it gradually, albeit steadily, determinedly and faithfully. We should look upon God as our benefactor and the Gayatri mantra as our anchor. This divine anchor imparts to the personality a mystic strength and enables it to cover the distance to the goal easily. One should not, though, neglect one’s health during the course of this sacred journey.
Book : Jeevan Sadhana (A Noble Art of Living)
