Man is a social animal. He is associated with the society and the world. He is influenced by everything: animate and inanimate, good and bad, mobile and immobile. within and without, close and apart. But the most influential are his emotions, thoughts, actions, views and behaviour. Behaviour is all the more important, because it reflects the emotions. Of course, the behaviour is controllable, and accordingly, the pains and pleasures are created.

 

One of the actions of mind is thinking. Man remembers. imagines, discusses, chalks out and implements plans at low and high levels.

 

He is often lost in the network of his thoughts, hence experiences directly the consequent losses and gains, to be chained by endless struggles. Mind, thoughts. activities, speech, behaviour and expression take things to be effective or ineffective, successful or not, graceful or disgraceful; and these together or individually result into one thing worry. Worry is caused directly or indirectly by unwanted or unbecoming comments from one friend to another, from the master to a servant, from the parents to a child, or from one relative to the other.

 

Man has to experience pains due to his sensitivity. due to his psychic weakness. Unsteady mind makes the body also unsteady. Endurance of the mind removes unsteadiness.”

 

The flickering of mind can be removed by endurance only, there is no other way out: The flickering mind is reduced to ruins. The panacea of endurance cures the flickering.

 

The pains experienced by us turn into our habit, our nature, our sensitivity. The experience dominates our conscious and unconscious mind: it, however, is false and not real.

 

The story. Golden Touch, is known to many. King Midas asked the God for a boon: ‘Any thing he would touch should be turned into a golden one. The boon was granted. He touched the household goods, which became golden, taking his happiness beyond limits. But when the bread turned into gold, and it remained no longer eatable, it brought worry to him. His dear daughter turned golden as soon as he embraced her. This made him repent. He discovered his folly out of his cleverness. He felt ashamed of his own idea.

 

Pains often bring frustration. Life, after all, is a struggle. Is there any life without occurence of pains? Is there anybody who had never experienced frustration? Even the gods, human beings apart, become the victim of hopelessness.

 

Disappointment had dominated even over the gods-demons war, when the allocation of nectar and swallowing the deadly poison become a problem. Fierce flames, foul smell and the deadly effect of the poison had created a situation of puzzling helplessness, for the gods: and it was, however, the god of gods, Shankara, who swallowed the deadly poison to the relief of gods.

 

Disappointment had penetrated into the life of lord Buddha who is known worldwide for his doctrines. Even he too once thought. ‘No further endurance: I give up my aim of bringing pleasures, prosperity and progress for humanity. His eyes were full of tears and all his limbs tired.

 

He turned back to his abode, lost in the thoughts. Why should have I strained myself so much, while nothing has been achieved so far, why should have I embraced physical and psychic pain, while my aim could not be fulfilled yet?

 

On the way there was a pond with clear and cold water. He thought of quenching his thirst, and after doing so he was just to restart his journey. Right then he saw a fox which was busy in throwing out a few drops of water. she could carry on her tail every time.

 

‘What is it that makes you do this?’ He asked and the fox told. “The water of this pond has drowned all my children. So, I want to dry this pond.’

 

The Buddha told, ‘Drying this pond is a tremendous task which you have taken up, and that also without any plans. Your tail can carry just a few drops of water at a time. Do you know the moment when you will succeed in emptying the pond ?”

 

With the same steadiness the fox responded to the Buddha, ‘That moment is not known to me, nor would I like to know it. Sincerely and steadily I will go on doing my job which is my duty too.

 

“The response made him oscillating. He thought. When such a tiny animal can show this great determination. why could L, a human being, not ?I am an all capable man with a sound mind; then what is it that blocks s my way to success ?”

 

And the day came when the Buddha achieved his goal, when his teachings spread worldwide to make life everywhere more and more flourishing.

 

Allowing frustration to canopy our network, we will loose our purpose, just to the greatest defeat. Shall we not regulate our life by the golden maxims, the charming lines, from the Vedas, for a constant guidance:

 

We have to live an enthusiastic life. Every inactivity and lethargy are harmful, unwanted and negative. Seek the company of those.5 who are well-wishers, who feel happy with your progress and who inspirit you with zeal and hope. Those, imbibing positive ideas, should lead you, too, in the same direction. Also they, fearless and optimistic, should make you like that.

 

Your way of thinking and the goal should always be of high quality” and, accordingly. your action should never be negative or unprogressive. Hopelessness leads the body and mind to weakness. Thinking should always be high. Efforts should always match the same. The goal should always be at the highest, without a condition of the result.7

 

The Activities adopted should be uplifting, never of the mean or downgrading type of activities. It is the ground of thought where the activities stand. Only those who adopt fair activities, are successful. The lethargic are seldom or never successful.

 

Self-confidence is but the foundation stone of undisturbed success. Success is destined to embrace those with firm determination.

 

Disturbance, not one but many, is sure to block the way to destination, more else, to pious destination. There is a proverb. ‘calamities attack in heaps. Yielding to the calamities is a certificate of impatience, while patience is the only viaticum.

 

The world known scientist. Sir Issac Newton (1642-1727), is known to everybody. Many of the scientific achievements today are based on the inventions and discoveries made by him. He had devoted twenty long years of his life to originate the Emission or Corpuscular Theory. The writing of the theory was in progress when, one night, he had left his room just for relaxation and his dog in that room jumped up on his working table.

 

The Kerosene lamp on the table got inverted by the jump and the papers jotted with Newton’s researches were all burnt. When he came back inside the room he exclaimed, ‘O. what has happened !’ He looked at the loyal dog whose eyes were glowing as if he had done a great achievement. Such a destruction of a twenty-year’s achievement should have made Newton loose his mental balance, but he only addressed his dog. ‘Diamond, you don’t know what you have done.’

 

As if impressed by the aforesaid Atharva-vedic maxim, Newton did not get disappointed, instead, he resumed the same research which he finished during his old age. Concluding that he told. The greatness of an adventure should be doubtful, the completion of which is free of difficulties and disorders.’ Facing difficulties makesman applauded and his adventure exemplary. The solution of a problem. the labour in an industry and the taste of dish carry the same importance. Difficulties must be faced. not avoided.

 

Fearing difficulties means the obstruction of success. It is only the human being who is gifted with the capacity to perform his duty with proper discipline and patience. “Only the constant effort brings success.”

 

Brosse, the historical king of Scotland (15657-1627) had overcome disappointment. Defeated by enemies. he lost his manpower and monetary resources. He took resort in a jungle. He hid himself in a cave where a spider was incessantly striving to weave a web on the entry. inspite of one downfall after the other.

 

Successful, after all, the indomitable spider provoked the disappearing enthusiasm of king Brosse. Having an introspect he started thinking over his victorious future, when the soldiers of his enemies seeking for him turned back, as they, having watched the entry of the cave covered by a spider’s web, felt no need of search inside the cave.

 

He decided to fight again his enemy and started organizing the army. He won the war, and he said, ‘Man is lethargic as he is inactive. He should never part with courage and effort.”

 

This topic will remain incomplete if the example of Abraham Lincoln’s indomitable courage and patience is not taken into account.

 

During early days he earned his bread by way of some business, which gave him a big loss in 1831. He left that business and contested the election for American Legislature in 1832. Having lost the election, he again went for business. Having again had a big loss in 1833 he again fought an election in 1834. 1835 bereaved him of his wife. He had to suffer mental shocks. In 1838 he stood as one of the candidates for the post of Speaker. and lost the election. In 1843 he could not get appointment as a Land Officer. He also lost election for the Congress in 1846 and the one in 1848. Disappointment marred him of the elections for the Senate in 1855 and for the post of Vice President in 1856 and again for the Senate in 1858.

 

Thus an unbroken series of disappointments could not deprive him of his firm determination and constant efforts, and after all, he succeeded in 1860 in getting elected as a President of America, the world’s most prestigious position.

 

Let hope and effort be the inspiring source of our life. Hope is the life principle and the law of life. The universal base of the success of man is hope always, through the ages. We should not give up effort, or else we shall be loosing confidence. An unyielding effort is our duty which is sure to bring success.

 

Let us always be remembering the nectarous preaching from the Atharva-veda: ‘Only the constant effort brings 8 success.