No Room for Mediocrity When Pursuing Higher Ideals

No Room for Mediocrity When Pursuing Higher Ideals

I want to share my personal journey of attempting to spread Sahaja Yoga in my locality. After retirement, I moved to New Barrackpore, a suburb of Kolkata, with my parents in 1992. At that time, I was still ten years away from discovering Sahaja Yoga, which I finally embraced in 2002. During this decade of struggle and depression, I gained a deeper understanding of human psychology, often finding myself shocked by what I encountered.

In school and college, life seemed straightforward, with routines, studies, exams, and the comfort of parental support. But stepping into the real world brought the first real jolts of life. Adjusting to this new environment was challenging, especially as someone raised in the glamorous, disciplined world of the Army. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by simple people struggling to make ends meet. Nearby, in a basti called Khaalpaar, I saw families living in makeshift homes, extending their living spaces over a lake with bamboo. This stark contrast between their struggles and my relative comfort was perhaps God’s way of grounding me and showing me the raw reality of life.

A Challenging Environment

The people around me had their flaws—greed, jealousy, lust, miserliness, and conniving tendencies were common. Outwardly, I pretended to be happy, but deep inside, I felt disheartened. Religion here was confined to rituals, with no deeper connection to the essence of spirituality. Although people kept books by Vivekananda and Shri Ramakrishna, these served merely as decor or conversation pieces. Quotes from these great personalities became topics for idle discussions over tea, with no effort to implement their teachings.

Even my personal choices became a scandal. My habit of wearing lipstick shocked the local women, who equated it with low morals. Ironically, their daughters and granddaughters now embrace modern fashion, wearing torn jeans and shirts and sometimes behaving in ways that defy the values their elders once claimed to uphold.

Entering Sahaja Yoga

In July 2002, I finally came into Sahaja Yoga. I started attending meditation sessions in Ulta-Danga and dreamed of a center opening closer to my area to introduce my friends and relatives to meditation. That dream materialized when a sub-center opened in Madhyamgram. Overjoyed, I enthusiastically took people to experience this new world of divine vibrations.

Initially, they participated wholeheartedly—taking Shri Mataji’s photograph, sharing miracles, and expressing joy. But the enthusiasm was short-lived. Most of them were not genuine seekers of self-realization; they came seeking material benefits. Once they got what they wanted, they lost interest and drifted away.

Facing Resistance

True self-correction requires humility and a recognition of our imperfections—qualities that most people lack. Many believe they are already perfect, dismissing spiritual practices as foolishness.

I was even questioned about my spinsterhood, with people assuming meditation was a desperate attempt to find a husband. This narrow-mindedness astounded me. Why is spinsterhood seen as a flaw, while the struggles of married women—beaten by drunk husbands or abandoned by ungrateful children—are considered their destiny?

Upholding Higher Ideals

Over time, those with greed, jealousy, or other vices fell away from Sahaja Yoga. It’s no surprise, as higher ideals demand inner purity and perseverance. Shri Ganesh, the guardian of divine realms, is quality-conscious. He cannot allow spiritually mediocre individuals to create disturbances in the Kingdom of God.

Think of it like recruitment: Would you hire someone whose resume reflects poor skills or attitude? Similarly, how can one expect entry into the divine realm while clinging to vices and failing to recognize their flaws?

Conclusion

The journey of spreading Sahaja Yoga taught me that there is no room for mediocrity when pursuing higher ideals. Genuine seekers of truth must rise above worldly attachments and vices, aspiring to embody the qualities that lead to self-realization. For those unwilling to change, the divine gates will always remain closed.