Inner Truth: Attitude shapes your destination

The way we react to opportunities that come in life depends a lot on our attitude. In fact, the world is nothing but our vision covered by our attitude.

In the Mahabharata, the great teacher Dronacharya told his disciple Yudhishthira to go into the world and find one person who was worse than him. And at the same time he asked Duryodhan to go and find at least one person who was better than him. Both had learnt from the same teacher and both had become competent in their own ways. But the way they saw the world showed that they were in totally different frames of mind.

Yudhishthir came back and reported his findings. In spite of carefully searching, he claimed that he could not find even one person worse than himself; everyone he met had some good quality which he himself did not possess. So his constant observation was of his own personal defects and others’ good qualities. On the other hand, Duryodhan came back and claimed that he could not find even one person better than himself; he had tried his best, but he had realised that every person had at least one defect that he himself did not possess.

What determined their different conclusions and visions of the world around them? Their attitude, which was controlled by the culture in which they were raised, the kind of circle of influence they had around themselves, and the inner desires they nurtured.

The law of nature in this world is to make one proud and to infatuate the ego. Even a pauper is proud of his penny. Rich people are decorating themselves with better diamond jewellery than other rich people, and the poor are sleeping over better rags than other poor people. Almost everyone is competing against peers to get more prestigious position. Almost everyone wants honour and respect. It is the nature of illusion to pull our consciousness down to the egoistic platform. But the spiritual seeker's goal is different. 

The spiritual seeker has to struggle against the tendency of egotism and exploitation, and has to take the position of being humble; not to exploit but to serve, not to seek respect but to give respect. If spiritual seekers just try their best, God will give them the power to succeed. Then they can experience the highest treasure of true spiritual humility. In that humility, they can understand the greatness and glory of the Supreme Lord, which brings to them the ultimate bliss.

Radhanath Swami is a spiritual guide. 

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