Page 23 - Dawn of Reality an Exposition of REALITY AT DAWN of Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj

successfully with the flow of thoughts and to withstand the effect of their reaction, but for ordinary man it is almost an impossibility. If instead of struggling to keep off ideas we only remain unmindful of them, very soon they will lose their effect and cease troubling us. They will then be only like dogs barking after a caravan which goes forward without paying any heed to them. When we are attentive to ideas to check them, concentration is naturally there which breeds power and thus they become stronger.
A most common excuse advanced by certain people today is that they are too busy to devote any time to meditation or similar other practice. But “the busiest man has the greatest leisure” is a well-known saying. I think a man has more time to his disposal than there is work for him to do. Their complaint of the scarcity of time is due only to its wrong adjustment. If we utilize our time to the best advantage we shall never have cause to complain that it is short or scarce. There are others who are a bit frank to admit that it is not for want of time that they remain away from devotional duties but for their habitual negligence and sluggishness that they cannot overcome. To them I would say that they are probably never negligent or sluggish in their trade or profession, which they attend to with full zeal in spite of all personal inconvenience and even illness, only because some monetary gain or profit is in view. Their longing for the material gain turns them unmindful of their inconvenience or illness, similarly if our longing (or Lagan) for the realization of the goal is great, our negligent or sluggish habits will not stand in the way of our efforts or progress. If we go through the history of ancient sages we find that they had sacrificed all the comforts of life for the sake of attaining Reality. They led a life of austerity and penance, undergoing every kind of hardship and trouble for the sake of the object so dear to their heart. Intense longing for the goal made them blind to everything else and they remained firm on the path not minding the difficulties and reverses that came across their way. Such an intense longing for the object and an iron will to achieve the goal is absolutely necessary to ensure complete success. I may assure you that you can win laurels in the spiritual field if only you turn you attention towards God and proceed with will, faith and confidence, no matter how adversely you may be placed in, surrounded by all the worries and miseries of a household life. Your busy life will then offer no hindrance in your way. Generally people go hesitatingly towards God, thinking themselves to be too incapable and weak to achieve the real thing. A powerful will made at the very first step and maintained all through, shall never fail to achieve complete success. Half the distance is crossed if a man enters the field with a firm mind. Difficulties and dejections will melt away at a mere glance and the path of success will be made smooth. Indecisive attitude leads to half-hearted efforts and generally results in mere partial success or more often in failure.