We Should be a Model for Others by Mata Amirtanandamayi

This is the age in which there are speeches and discourses throughout the country. Spiritual discourses, cultural discourses, political speeches, religious talks, talks against religions---why, everybody has some subject or the other to speak on. Everyone has the authority to make speeches on everything under the sun---this seems to be the general attitude. As Mother says this, an incident comes to my mind. A student tells his friend, "We have a great professor. You give him any subject, and he will talk on it for hours. Even if you give him a small topic, he will talk for more than five hours. Hearing this, another young person says, "Your professor speaks for only five hours when he is given a subject, right? But we have a neighbour. You don't have to give him any subject; still, he will keep on talking---for days on end."

.....In truth, what we need is not speeches, but action. We should show through our lives what we have to say.....An incident from the Mahabharata comes to mind.

It was the time when the Pandavas and Kauravas were young and were being taught by their great guru, Dronacharya. The first lesson was on 'Forbearance'. One day, the guru called all his disciples and asked them to recite what they had learnt. Each one of them recited the lessons from memory. Finally, it was Yudhishtira's turn. He repeated just one line. When the guru asked, Is this all you have learnt?". Yudhishtira replied with reluctance, "Pardon me Sir, I have more or less learnt just the first lesson; the second lesson, I haven't learnt even that much." 

Dronacharya could not control his anger when he heard this, because he had expected more from him than all the others in the matter of studies.... In his anger, Drona took a stick and beat Yudhishtira with it until the stick broke into small pieces. But even after receiving the blows, the cheerfulness and the smile on Yudhishtira's face did not fade. Drona's anger cooled when he saw this. He was sorry. He said affectionately, "My child, you are a prince. If you wanted, you could punish me by putting me in prison. But you didn't do anything like that. You were not angry at all. Is there anyone in this world who has patience like you? There is such greatness in you!" 

When he turned around, Drona saw the palm leaf on which Yudhisthira's lessons were written. The first line on it was, 'Never lose patience!' and the second line was, 'Always tell only the truth'. When Drona's glance fell on Yudhishtira's face again, he thought those lines on the palm leaf were shining in the young prince's eyes. 

As he took hold of Yudhistra's hands, Drona's eyes were brimming with tears. He said, "Yudhishtira! when I was teaching you, I was merely mouthing some words. The other boys were repeating them like parrots. Only you learnt them properly. How great you are, my son! In spite of teaching this for so long, I wasn't able to learn even a single line. I could not control my anger. I could not be patient."

Hearing his guru saying this with eyes full of tears, Yudhishtira said, "Forgive me, master! I did feel a little anger towards you." Drona now realised that his disciple had learnt the second lesson as well. Those who don't fall when they hear a little praise are very rare. Even if they have a little anger in them, they will be reluctant to show it. But look at Yudhishtira. He didn't show any relunctance to admit it. That means, he had learnt the second lesson also. A lesson is complete only when it is practised in life. The true disciple is one who tries to do that.

....Each word of ours should cause a transformation in the listeners. It should bring bliss to others. We should be a model for others. Each word we utter should have that power. For that, simplicity and humility should shine forth in our words. But today, if we sift through our words, we won't find a trace of humility. What pervades all our words is the attitude, "I want to be higher than the other!" We don't pay attention to the fact that person's greatness actually resides in his humility. Even the lowliest person tries to pose as great in front of the others. But we don't realise the fact that if we act like this, we just become fools in the eyes of others. 

Once, an army major was promoted to the rank of colonel. On the day he assumed charge of the new post, a man came to visit him. As soon as the man entered, the colonel picked up the phone with an air of importance and started talking, "Hello, is that President Clinton? How are you? I took charge just today. There are lots of files to go through. Ok, I will call you later. Please give my regards to your wife..." After talking this for a while, he put the phone down. All this while, the man, who had come in, had waited very courteously. The colonel asked him very seriously, "Yes, what do you want?"

The visitor said in all courteousness, "Pardon me, I came to connect the phone. This is a new phone that was put in yesterday. The line hasn't been connected." Who is the fool here? We don't see that we become fools like this several times a day---that is all. One who tries to display one's own importance in front of others actually becomes a fool in their eyes.

(pgs. 119-121 & 123-124, Lead us to the Light, Vol 2)