Chai pe charcha!

I was listening to a rather interesting address by HH Shankaracharya of the Sringeri Matha, Karnataka a few days ago. As we all know the Swamiji is a deeply learned man and a seer with great insight into Sanatana Dharma. He also gives expositions on Vedanta. Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji is the present Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetha. He is the 36th Guru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetha.

Apparently he was approached by an individual who wanted to be a part of his talks. A few days later the said individual sought permission to share feedback (unsolicited advise and he surely must be senior VP at an MNC, put to grass and with time on his hands). The Swamiji graciously agreed.

The man said that sometimes the Swamiji held a discourse for more than two hours at a stretch and this was getting rather painful. He further added that the situation could be mitigated by taking a break after an hour and having a tea service. He also wanted to give the Swamiji a heads - up as several of his audience felt the same way (we live in a democracy)! The intrigued Swamiji, asked, why tea? The gent went on to say that on many occasions he felt sleepy during the discourse and needed a stimulant to stay awake.

While many may find it politically incorrect, the great philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, 8th Century CE, advises us to approach something of importance only when we are fully prepared for the rigour of the journey and not just because it is on our wish list or in today’s parlance bucket list. The fact is many may just not be prepared for something and eventually may just not have the intelligence or skill or perseverance for the course. All around us is vibrancy and energy. The universe is sparkling with generative power, but tapping into that vitality is sometimes difficult, especially when we find ourselves operating within the confines of competitive environments where survival is primary and resources are scarce. This is how we are conditioned to see the world, but life takes on shape and meaning when a person is able to transcend the barriers of personal survival and become a unique conduit for the vital energy within. In the incumbent we have insecure people who aspire without being prepared and who do not want to put in the necessary work or effort. They put enormous pressure on the system in reducing rigor and lowering the bar. This has a detrimental effect on the entire system. The idea should be to provide a level playing field and push people to excel without circumventing the system. Sophocles the Greek philosopher put it succinctly, Success is dependent on effort! The deep desire to want something and the ability to work hard for it is seemingly out of fashion and we have poorly understood management words like passion and resilience.

People with passion stay the course and do not give up. They do not feel sleepy during an event and have a deep sense of involvement and resilience and primarily do not seek short cuts!