We have goals in life, things to achieve. We do our work and try to achieve our ambitions in the shortest possible time. This desire to complete the work quickly and with least effort can sometimes be our undoing. We get disheartened when the work is not accomplished easily and in short time. We simply give up. And many a time, we stop our work just before the final results are achieved. We lack patience and perseverance. We are unable to continue our work with determination till it is completed.
Perseverance of some very determined people has given us the greatest gifts and blessings of this technological world. Electricity, electric bulbs, phone, cars, rails, planes, cell phones, television, radio, computers and a variety of other gadgets that we use daily and cannot live without are the fruits of someone’s perseverance. Without perseverance, we cannot succeed in learning new skills, completing our education, driving a car, cooking, our jobs and our relationships in life. Let us define our goals and work with perseverance despite all troubles and hindrances. For our next hit on the rock of hindrances could be the one which breaks it and gives us sweet results as is given in the story below:
Once upon a time a tradesman was leading a caravan to another country to sell his goods. Along the way, caravan had to pass a desert. During the day the sun heated up the sand and made it extremely hot. No one could walk on it – not even the camels and the bullocks. So the tradesman hired a desert guide to help them. The guide would read and follow the direction of the stars and they would travel safely in the coolness of the night. They began their dangerous night time journey across the desert.
They crossed most of the length of the desert safely. They had one more night of crossing left. They cooked and had their meal and waited for the sands to cool down. The desert guide was driving the first cart. He read the stars and pointed the bulls in the right direction and the journey began. That evening the guide had overeaten and he relaxed and dozed off to sleep. The bullocks lacked their master’s ability to read the stars. They gradually turned to the side and went in a big wide circle. The caravan ended up in the same place where they started.
It was dawn by the time the people realized that they were in the same spot they had camped the previous day. They lost heart and began to cry. Their stock of water was over. The people and the animals needed water to survive the hot desert day. Immediately they blamed the tradesman who was their leader and the desert guide for their sorry state.
The tradesman was a man of intelligence, perseverance and courage. He did not lose heart in this disastrous situation. He was determined to find a solution and save the lives of people and the animals in his caravan. As he was alert, he noticed a small clump of grass growing in one place. This was a sign of underground water. So he issued orders to some men to dig in that spot. As they dug they hit a large stone. They were all disheartened and gave up. They were all ready to die in that hot desert. The trader admonished them and asked them to persevere. He was very sure they would find water there for there was a clump of fresh green grass growing there. He jumped into the hole and put his ear to the rock. He could hear the sound of flowing water. He picked up a heavy hammer and struck the rock. It split into two and a mighty flow of water gushed out from under the rock. All the people were overjoyed. They drank, bathed and washed the animals. They cooked and ate. They stored plenty of water with them. They raised a high banner there so that other travelers could see it from afar and come to the new spring in the middle of the hot sand desert. Then they continued safely on their journey.
Let us persevere in all our work. SitaRam mantra japa, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru also require perseverance. But the fruits of grace are always sweet and blissful.
