Happiness Personified
When asked to write an article in a university programme, Nazneen, an ex-student came up with the article about me...and her views about me...
Centuries before the birth of Christ the learned sages in the Indus Valley passed on their wisdom and knowledge from one generation to another, creating the immensely revered relationship of a guru (teacher) and a shishya (student). This pure and pious relationship formed the foundation of Hinduism in India and gave rise to the innately prestigious institutions called Gurukuls. Gurukuls were residential schools in ancient India where students spent their entire youth under the guidance of their gurus. The gurus imparted wisdom to their students in exchange for respect and discipline without charging any fees for their service. As modernization took over, Gurukuls faded to extinction. Only ancient stories and fables narrated by grandparents talked about Gurukuls. The discipline in schools became sparse and the respectful salutations reduced to a casual slur. However, I was fortunate to be taught by an intensely passionate and extremely spiritual teacher who possessed the qualities of an ideal guru and made the guru-shishya bond come alive.
With a meagre height of five feet, thin and droopy frame, and a saintly countenance, his personality was too feeble to intimidate even a mouse. However, when he spoke he surprised us all. He had a satirical sense of humour, a flare for public speaking, and a smile on his face. On the first day of class, he sat down in front of us and said, “Accounting is merely a by-product of what you will learn here. Knowing yourself better and having the purpose of your life clear in front of you will be the greatest lesson. ” Those words alarmed every student. Some students scoffed at him, some conveniently ignored him, and some including me simply stared, not sure how to comprehend those words. However, deep inside I knew that this class was going to be special for me.
Clearly he hid something very grave behind his jovial face. Even though his life missed major parts of a so-called “happy life”, he taught his students how to be happy. I apply his teachings till date in my everyday life. He said that human wants are endless. In order to achieve the state of complete peace and harmony, our lives should be devoid of unrealistic expectations and desires. That did not necessarily make us less ambitious. He taught us to work hard towards our goal with utmost dedication and concentration and not to worry about the rewards. If we put in our best, success would automatically follow. However, if we worried only about our rewards, success and peace of mind would eventually deceive us.
He showed us that spirituality and meditation formed the true essence of any religion. Spirituality dissolves ego, which is the root cause of all evils. Meditation relaxes our mind and body and prevents any negative energy to encompass us. It makes us connect with our inner self. This connection helps bring clarity of thought. He said that even though human beings around the world believe in different manifestations of God, there is only one God. He taught us the importance of having faith in a power greater than that of a man. This faith would lead to submission of one’s self and make us a better person. He said that if we believed in His powers and thanked Him for His wonderful creations we would find eventually find Him living within our bodies and souls. Achieving this state of conversation with God would ultimately lead to enlightenment.
He highlighted the importance of karma in our lives. Of course this does not mean you sit idle and wait for the Lord to shower you with recognition and success. Our lives start by karma and end by karma. Everything in between depends on our actions. Is there any logical reasoning behind the injustice inflicted on a child that is born in the slum versus the child born with a golden spoon? It is the accumulated debit and credit over lifetimes. Reincarnation gives the golden opportunity to mortal beings to pay their debts by performing good deeds.
He was a master of philosophical one-liners that made me think about life and myself for days. One day at the end of class he said, “If you remove ‘I’ (ego) and ‘want’ (desires) from the saying ‘I want peace’ you will be left with eternal peace and happiness.” His thoughts and teachings inspired me to lead a better life of happiness and fulfilment. I believe the test of an idealistic guru lies in the amount of respect earned from the students Even after years of knowing him- his words linger on.
Centuries before the birth of Christ the learned sages in the Indus Valley passed on their wisdom and knowledge from one generation to another, creating the immensely revered relationship of a guru (teacher) and a shishya (student). This pure and pious relationship formed the foundation of Hinduism in India and gave rise to the innately prestigious institutions called Gurukuls. Gurukuls were residential schools in ancient India where students spent their entire youth under the guidance of their gurus. The gurus imparted wisdom to their students in exchange for respect and discipline without charging any fees for their service. As modernization took over, Gurukuls faded to extinction. Only ancient stories and fables narrated by grandparents talked about Gurukuls. The discipline in schools became sparse and the respectful salutations reduced to a casual slur. However, I was fortunate to be taught by an intensely passionate and extremely spiritual teacher who possessed the qualities of an ideal guru and made the guru-shishya bond come alive.
With a meagre height of five feet, thin and droopy frame, and a saintly countenance, his personality was too feeble to intimidate even a mouse. However, when he spoke he surprised us all. He had a satirical sense of humour, a flare for public speaking, and a smile on his face. On the first day of class, he sat down in front of us and said, “Accounting is merely a by-product of what you will learn here. Knowing yourself better and having the purpose of your life clear in front of you will be the greatest lesson. ” Those words alarmed every student. Some students scoffed at him, some conveniently ignored him, and some including me simply stared, not sure how to comprehend those words. However, deep inside I knew that this class was going to be special for me.
Clearly he hid something very grave behind his jovial face. Even though his life missed major parts of a so-called “happy life”, he taught his students how to be happy. I apply his teachings till date in my everyday life. He said that human wants are endless. In order to achieve the state of complete peace and harmony, our lives should be devoid of unrealistic expectations and desires. That did not necessarily make us less ambitious. He taught us to work hard towards our goal with utmost dedication and concentration and not to worry about the rewards. If we put in our best, success would automatically follow. However, if we worried only about our rewards, success and peace of mind would eventually deceive us.
He showed us that spirituality and meditation formed the true essence of any religion. Spirituality dissolves ego, which is the root cause of all evils. Meditation relaxes our mind and body and prevents any negative energy to encompass us. It makes us connect with our inner self. This connection helps bring clarity of thought. He said that even though human beings around the world believe in different manifestations of God, there is only one God. He taught us the importance of having faith in a power greater than that of a man. This faith would lead to submission of one’s self and make us a better person. He said that if we believed in His powers and thanked Him for His wonderful creations we would find eventually find Him living within our bodies and souls. Achieving this state of conversation with God would ultimately lead to enlightenment.
He highlighted the importance of karma in our lives. Of course this does not mean you sit idle and wait for the Lord to shower you with recognition and success. Our lives start by karma and end by karma. Everything in between depends on our actions. Is there any logical reasoning behind the injustice inflicted on a child that is born in the slum versus the child born with a golden spoon? It is the accumulated debit and credit over lifetimes. Reincarnation gives the golden opportunity to mortal beings to pay their debts by performing good deeds.
He was a master of philosophical one-liners that made me think about life and myself for days. One day at the end of class he said, “If you remove ‘I’ (ego) and ‘want’ (desires) from the saying ‘I want peace’ you will be left with eternal peace and happiness.” His thoughts and teachings inspired me to lead a better life of happiness and fulfilment. I believe the test of an idealistic guru lies in the amount of respect earned from the students Even after years of knowing him- his words linger on.
Sir so well written by Nazneen.... She has expressed the sentiments of all your students... We r indeed blessed to have been taught certain lessons in life by you n sir Saldanha too... Thankyou for touching our lives n warm regards
ReplyDeleteSir so well written by Nazneen.... She has expressed the sentiments of all your students... We r indeed blessed to have been taught certain lessons in life by you n sir Saldanha too... Thankyou for touching our lives n warm regards
ReplyDelete