Value of Self Effort..................
It is not easy to describe spirituality and all definitions of the term concur on the fact that it is the converse of all that is material, temporal or worldly. The body would remain insentient but for the animating force of the spirit within. This is a sign of the spiritual component in us. Just as the effect of human effort is manifest in the development of the human race, self effort plays a very important role in enhancing the spiritual life of an individual, pointed out Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha in a lecture.
The uniqueness of human beings is their ability to think, reflect and act and only when these special faculties are realised to their full potential does human existence become meaningful. Human birth is a great opportunity to realise the spiritual quotient within and this is possible with proper guidance from a knowledgeable preceptor and steadfast endeavour on the part of the seeker.
In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna as a preceptor puts things in proper perspective to a confused Arjuna who suddenly swerved from his prime desire to wage a war on seeing his grandfather, preceptor and relatives on the enemy camp, and began to question the propriety of the issue. The Lord makes Arjuna understand the value of self effort, and explains the higher truths of the scriptures in clear and simple terms. Lord Krishna reinforces the truth of the Atma — which is shown as the immortal and undying component residing in each individual endowed with a physical form and nature.
The knower of this truth understands the spiritual aspect in oneself and of the perishable nature of all else including one's body-mind-complex. The advice is for all mankind as well, to generate the required
self effort to transcend the doubts and confusions of worldly pulls and aspire for the eternal goal of life. Human beings have the strength to lift themselves to direct their lives in the right path. Intelligence, sensory organs and the mind should work as an integrated whole.
In the Yoga Vasishta, Sage Vasishta advises a disturbed young Lord Rama on the value of Paurusha (self effort) and to cultivate it through
perseverance, endurance and ingenuity.
Source.....................'RELIGION' column in Hindu, September 9, 2008
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