You are the Master of your Destiny

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Courage is thy birthright, but not fear; peace is thy divine

heritage, but not restlessness. Immortality is thy birthright, but

not mortality; strength, but not weakness; health, but not disease;

bliss, but not sorrow; knowledge, but not ignorance.

 

Pain, sorrow and ignorance are illusory; these cannot live. Bliss,

joy and knowledge are true; these cannot die.

 

You are the architect of your own fate. You are the master of your

own destiny. You can do and undo things. You sow an action and reap a

tendency. You sow a tendency and reap a habit. You sow a habit and

reap your character. You sow your character and reap your destiny.

Therefore, destiny is your own creation. You can undo it if you like-

destiny is a bundle of habits.

 

Purushartha is self-exertion. Purushartha can give you anything.

Change your habits. Change the mode of thinking. You can conquer

destiny. You are now thinking: " I am the body. " Start the spiritual

anti-current and think: " I am immortal, diseaseless, sexless Atman. "

You can conquer death and attain the immortal seat of supreme

splendour.

 

By virtuous deeds and right thoughts you can disarm destiny. You have

a free-will to act. By self-exertion, Ratnakar became Valmiki. By

self-exertion, Markandeya conquered death. By self-exertion alone did

Uddalaka attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi (higher realisation). By self-

exertion, Savitri brought back her husband (Satyavan) to life.

 

Therefore, apply yourself tenaciously, O Prema, to Atmic enquiry and

meditation. Be vigilant and diligent. Kill the thoughts and desires.

Overcome tomorrow's evil by today's self-exertion. Destroy unholy

desires (Asubha Vasanas) through holy desires (Subha Vasanas). Slay

unholy thoughts by holy thoughts, and gain victory over your destiny.

 

Do not yield to fatalism. Do not become impotent. Stand like a lion.

Exert and attain independence or Atma Svarajya. There is a magazine

of power within you. There is a vast ocean of knowledge within you.

All faculties are latent in you. Unfold them and become a Jivanmukta

(liberated soul).

 

Positive overcomes the negative. This is the immutable law of nature.

Purushartha (self-exertion) is a mightier power. Purushartha is the

lion or the elephant. Prarabdha (destiny) is the cat or the jackal.

God helps those who help themselves. Vasishtha asked Rama to do

Purushartha. Fatalism will certainly induce inertia and laziness.

Therefore, gird up your loins and exert yourself to the utmost, O

Prema.

 

May you all attain Self-realisation or Brahma Jnana in this very

birth! May you all live immersed in the ocean of bliss in an

illumined state! May you shine as liberated sages!

 

(Source: Essence of Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda)