In my previous blog, I told you about Swami Sivananda, the monk who gave up his medical practice in Malaya to pursue his spiritual quest, and the impact he had on millions of seekers all over the world.
I will share another lesson from him in this blog.
But first a couple of anecdotes.
When I was teaching Creativity and Personal Mastery at top business schools I often spoke of the joy that is an intrinsic part of who you are. Many could not fathom this at first but it came to them gradually, in bits and pieces.
One of my teaching assistants, an executive at a tech firm, came up to me one day and told me bemusedly, “Professor Rao, I went to work yesterday, and I was smiling at something that you shared with us in class. Three people asked me ‘You look so happy! What happened?’ Does something have to happen for one to be happy?”
Another student told me recently “Professor Rao, I am so, so happy. I cannot describe the joy that is coursing through me. I feel as if I am floating. How wonderful is the world? How wonderful is everything!”
Robert Browning described this feeling poetically:
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven—
All’s right with the world!
But how does one get to this feeling of effervescent joy?
Swami Sivananda had the answer. He advised seekers to spend all their time in prayer.
This did not sit well with me. I was OK with prayer, but all the time? Was that even possible? Was it desirable? How about the fine things of life? How about spending time with family, hanging out with friends, watching a gripping thriller or reading an enthralling book?
I made up my mind. Praying all the time was not possible. Neither was it desirable.
Then I came across the same concept in many different texts.
The Pilgrim was advised, “And so, let us pray as often as possible. Let us devote our entire life to prayer, though initially it be distracted. Constant praying will teach us to be attentive, and quantity will surely lead to quality. As one experienced spiritual writer said: “In order to learn to do anything well, one must do it as often as possible.”
Matthew 22:37 admonishes us thus: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
Sure, you can live a contented life with many diverting interests and pleasures. But this will leave you woefully unprepared to cope with the tsunami that will inevitably hit you. You will be confronted with external calamities leading to uncontrollable inner turmoil. You will be swept away without the anchor of constant, unremitting prayer.
How can you lead a life of constant prayer while you have a career to build, a family to care for and other demands on your time?
The Indian sage, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, provides the answer. Do what you have to do in the world but keep you thoughts constantly with God. If you are atheistic/agnostic, substitute ‘benevolent universe’ for ‘God’.
This is not easy, but it can be done. It’s like you are driving a car and also carrying on a conversation with your friend in the passenger seat.
Practice this skill. It will serve you well.
Peace!
