The people of the Punjab have a song which
goes like this:
The bulbul does not
always sing in the garden,
And the garden is not always in bloom;
Happiness does not always reign,
And friends are not always together.
And the garden is not always in bloom;
Happiness does not always reign,
And friends are not always together.
The conclusion to be drawn from this song is
that we cannot expect to be always happy, and that to know how to be patient is
most useful. For there are few days in our lives which do not give us the
opportunity to learn greater patience.
You want to see a very busy man to ask him
something. You go to his house. Already many visitors are there and he keeps
you waiting a very long time before seeing you. You stay there quietly, perhaps
for several hours. You are patient.
Another time, the person you wish to see is
not at home when you arrive. You return again the next day, but his door is
still closed. You go back a third time, but he is sick and cannot see you. You
let a few days go by and then return once more. And if something new again
prevents you from meeting him, nevertheless you are not discouraged, but renew
the attempt until at last you see him. This kind of patience is called perseverance.
Perseverance is an active patience, a
patience that marches on.
***
The famous Genoese sailor Columbus set sail
from Spain to cross the unknown seas of the West. For days and weeks on end, in spite of the
murmurs of his companions, he persisted in his will to reach a new land; in
spite of delays and difficulties, he would not give up until he had reached the
first American islands. Thus he discovered the New World.
What did he ask of his companions? He asked
them only to have patience, for they had simply to rely on him and quietly
allow him to lead them. But what did he himself need to reach his goal? He
needed the sustained energy and the unremitting will that we call perseverance.
***
The famous sage Shankara whose name brought
glory to the land of Malabar, and who lived about 1200 years ago, had resolved
from childhood to become a Sannyasi.
For a long time his mother, although she
appreciated the nobility of his wish, did not allow him to devote himself to
that way of life.
One day mother and child went to bathe in a
river. Shankara dived in and felt his foot suddenly seized by a crocodile.
Death seemed close at hand. But even at that dreadful moment the brave child
thought only of his great project and cried out to his mother, “I am lost! A
crocodile is dragging me down. But let me at least die a Sannyasi!”
“Yes, yes, my son,” his mother sobbed in
despair.
Shankara felt such joy that he found the
strength to free his foot and throw himself ashore. From that moment he grew in
learning as in years. He became a guru, and remained true to his great work of
teaching philosophy to the very end of his wonderful life.
***
All who love India know the beautiful poem
of the Mahabharata.
It was written in Sanskrit many hundreds of
years ago. Until recent times, no European could read it unless he knew
Sanskrit, and that was rare. A translation into one of the European languages
was needed.
Babu Pratap Chandra Rai decided to devote
himself to this work. In his own land he was able to find a learned friend,
Kishori Mohan Ganguly, who could translate the Sanskrit book into English, and
its hundred parts were published one by one. For twelve years Pratap Chandra
Rai went on with the task he had set himself. He devoted all his resources to
the publication of the book. And when he had nothing left he travelled all over
India to ask help from all who were willing to give. He received help from
princes and peasants, from scholars and simple folk, from friends in Europe and
America.
In the course of one of his journeys he
caught the pernicious fever from which he died. During his sickness all his
thoughts were turned towards the completion of his work. And even when it
became painful for him to speak, he would still say to his wife: “The book must
be finished. Don’t spend money on my funeral rites if it is needed for the
printing. Live as simply as you can so as to save money for the Mahabharata.”
He died full of love for India and her great
poem.
His widow, Sundari Bala Rai, faithfully
carried out his great wish. One year later the translator completed his work,
and the eleven volumes of the Mahabharata were presented to the European public
who could now know and admire the eighteen Parvas of the splendid epic poem.
And reading it, they would learn to respect the great skill and wisdom of the
profound thinkers who were the poets of ancient India.
Such are the fruits borne by the efforts of
all those who, like Pratap Chandra Rai and so many other useful men, know how
to persevere.
And you, brave children, will you not join
the great army of men and women who never tire of doing good and never abandon
their task until they have completed it?
In this wide world, there is no lack of
noble work to be accomplished, nor is there any lack of good people to undertake
it; but what is very often lacking is the perseverance which alone can carry it
through to the end.
(CWM, Volume 2, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust,
Puducherry)
No comments:
Post a Comment