Life often leads us to moments where hope seems distant. We begin to doubt our abilities, feeling as though achieving something meaningful might be beyond our reach.
Yet there is a fundamental truth that regardless of wisdom or ignorance, every human has the potential to improve their life. This human birth is an opportunity – a chance to elevate ourselves, to such an extent that we can ultimately attain the soul’s ultimate goal of Golok Dham (the divine abode of Shri Radha Krishna) in this very lifetime.
Feeling dejected, making mistakes, repeating them, experiencing sadness, or facing physical ailments in the body – none of these are inherently bad. We must understand that these experiences are a natural part of life. These situations will occur repeatedly, much like a person learning to ride a bicycle who loses balance and falls time and again. Falling and failing are not the end – they are not obstacles but essential steps while walking toward success.
When the cycle of practice and failure continues consistently and the individual can reflect on this, they gain a better understanding of the journey. Life is a journey filled with both favourable and unfavourable situations. Not every event that occurs is a problem but is merely a circumstance and it’s entirely up to us, how we perceive them.
Do we see opportunities in these circumstances or only problems, trouble, and failure?
Yes, we are indeed wrong – more often than once. We have to face the consequences of our wrong actions, whether it’s enduring a person’s anger or the disapproval of an entire community towards us. Our image may even be tarnished in the eyes of others, but such experiences are an inevitable part of life.
Making mistakes or being wrong repeatedly, does not mean that we cannot improve or the situation is beyond repair.
One needs to understand that mistakes are a great opportunity or sign of moving forward, because the seeker who wants to walk, who is searching for his goal, who wants to reach his destination, who is trying and alive, only that individual will make mistakes on his journey and learn from them.
Throughout history, every seeker has made countless mistakes in their journey but has conquered them with the grace of their Guru.
You too can learn and you too can change.
A seeker who chooses to walk alone and is easily influenced by others may experience fear. Similarly, a seeker who places greater importance on others or the material world more than on their inner journey may find themselves afraid.
But the seeker who is only living for and with the support of God, the one who has complete faith in God, that seeker never feels alone or afraid in any situation.
If we reflect upon the teachings of our Guru, we should contemplate and churn the thoughts coming to our mind. Just because a thought enters our mind, doesn’t mean it is the ultimate truth.
If our mind shows us to be unworthy of anything, then we start believing it without giving it a second thought.
However, if we pay attention we will find that in reality we are neither as unsuccessful nor as successful as our mind portrays us to be.
We get fooled by our own thoughts and start doubting not only ourselves but the abilities of our Hari and Guru. Self-doubt is the same as doubting them.
Now consider this. How do we assess success or failure? Yes, our mind tells us this. This is the same untrustworthy mind that gets offended when someone says something against us and gets elated when someone praises us.
If a task gets accomplished, the mind considers it a success and if a task goes wrong, the same mind considers it a failure. Understand that it is the mind that tells us this and we take it for granted. But we fail to understand that the journey isn’t over until the final result is out and only our Guru can give us the result.
One important truth to remember is that if we ever experience success or failure, we shouldn’t accept it solely because our mind says so. We must observe our mind and then seek guidance from our Guru, understanding the situation through His wisdom and acting accordingly.
Let us free ourselves from the slavery of our minds. How can we truly be a disciple or a seeker when our mind entirely governs us? Our Guru may offer guidance, but our mind may suggest something entirely different. Since our thoughts enslave us, we often believe the mind’s whispers over the wisdom of our Guru. We may listen to our Guruji, but in our hearts, we may doubt that He truly understands our situation. We are trapped in the constant chatter of our minds, which leads us astray. However, it is our Sadguru who has the power to liberate us from these shackles.
Until now, we have practiced listening to our mind, so we naturally lean towards its opinion, which is why we often take our thoughts to be the ultimate truth. When our mind tells us something, we accept it without question, even when our Guru’s words are in opposition, which is the source of our confusion.
Success and failure are not final verdicts—they are merely two sides of the same coin, part of the ever-changing journey of life. We should not let these fleeting states define us, instead, we must focus on the teachings of our Guru and not the fluctuating nature of our mind.
The choice now is ours—who do we believe in: the deceptive mind or the words of our Guru? Our life and its outcomes are shaped by what we choose to believe. Thoughts, whether good or bad, should not be accepted as truths. We must place our trust in the wisdom of our Guru as our scriptures and spiritual path instruct:
- Hold on to one.
- Surrender completely.
- We are not what our mind portrays.
In times of peace, when we are slaves to our minds, it manifests positive feelings one after another, but when times are difficult, it brings forth negativity. This cycle repeats, and we find ourselves neither completely good nor entirely bad. Both positive and negative emotions are creations of the mind, and therefore, they are temporary like clouds passing in the sky.
The mind’s role is to continually offer resolutions and options, constantly shifting from one thought to another. It is this unceasing flow of choices that prevents any thought, whether good or bad, from remaining for long. One moment we feel elated, the next, we feel low—this is the mind at work that decides to be upset or happy, and we follow.
Our feelings do not carry lasting significance because, in these fleeting emotions, we are not present; only the mind is. And because the mind is inherently unpredictable and constantly changing, we cannot trust its judgments.
This is precisely why every seeker needs a Guru, someone who can offer unwavering guidance. The reason we don’t experience the full benefit of having a Guru is that we trust our mind more than His words. The day we truly embrace the wisdom of our Guru over the fleeting thoughts of our mind, that day we will be blessed.
Dasanudas,
Braj Ras Rasik
Dr. Shri Krishna Kinkar ji.
Shri Dham Vrindavan
