Wednesday, Dec 25 2024  

Success In Life - 24 MAY 2004

My humble pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Baba. Sai Ram gurus, uncles, aunties and friends. Today I am going to talk about “Success in Life”.

Success in life can be measured in two ways: One is the material point of view and the other, is the spiritual point of view. Some people equate success in life with having a lot of wealth, property and fame. But let’s stop and think for a minute. What is it that we take with us when we pass on? Do we take our wealth and riches? No, we leave all this behind and take only our karma (our action) and Jnana (knowledge). Therefore, our mission in life is to walk the spiritual path to seek and discover the truth, to ultimately gain union with God.

Success in life does not depend upon our financial bank balance but our spiritual bank balance. If we achieve knowledge of the soul and dedicate our lives to the pursuit of truth, reality and God, we are rich beyond comparison.

Self-control and self-mastery are more important than material wealth. If we have control over our worldly desires and senses and if we can remain calm in the face of prosperity and adversity with love and tolerance towards all, we have achieved true success in life. Life has many ups and downs. The actual events are not as important as the lessons we can learn from them. The lessons of life must strengthen our moral fibre and character. We must learn to grow into a strong and sturdy tree, capable of withstanding the winds of change and fortune.

Some questions that we can ask ourselves to see how much progress we are making along the spiritual path are –

Am I always happy and cheerful?
Do I have peace of mind?
Do I have a feeling of love for everyone?

If the answer to all these questions is yes, then we are well on to the spiritual path. In life we must learn and practice the saatwic qualities like love, tolerance, compassion and service. We may be judged by our material status but remember this is only temporary. It is spiritual prosperity that can bring God realization. Once we leave this material world, we will only be remembered for our deeds and not our wealth and status. Spiritual wealth is God realization because ultimately God is our destination.

Thank You. Om Sai Ram.

Sis Karishma
Group 3