Persistence is the key in any spiritual attainment

Rome was not built in a Day: With ‘Abhyas’ or constant practice, one can conquer all the obstacles in life. The sutra “Rome was not built in a day” has a deep spiritual meaning. In the path for self-realization, regular practice is the principle behind all paths: Bhakti, Karma or the Gnana marg. Persistence is the key in any spiritual attainment.

Regular hard work can also change one’s past bad karmic actions. All karmas irrespective of their nature should be converted into good karmas. This can be better understood by the following example. While painting a red coloured wall with green paint with the intention to make it green, it first gets converted into yellow colour. But repeated painting with green will ultimately make it green.

The red colour here can be compared to bad past karmas and green colour to good present karmas. By indulging in positive activities time and again, one can dissolve the impressions of the bad actions done in the past. To start with, there may be a reaction from the others (which is equivalent to the yellow colour in the above example) but if the person does not lose his confidence at that moment and continues with his good present karmas, he will ultimately end up in changing his bad past converting it into a good present and a better future. This requires continuous and repeated practice.

Self-realization and meditation are difficult processes. They involve attaining a thoughtless state, in other words, a state of experiencing the silence. All the paths for self realization are difficult, but with regular practice, one can achieve it without any problem. The path of Bhakti is often considered the path of choice for the majority of people as it is the easiest path to follow. The path of Bhakti involves a triad of “duty, devotion and discipline”. But any duty, devotion or discipline done only for a short time will not end in success, unless it is practiced over a longer period of time.

A classical example can be seen in Islam. Ramadan is a classical example of hard work leading to an atmosphere of brotherhood, love, compassion and truthfulness with significant reduction in negativity amongst the community. For one month, all the Muslims participate in a self-training programme to reduce negativity and build positivity in their lives. The classical discipline to be maintained is fasting. Fasting here does not mean only fasting food or water alone. It also means controlling negative thinking, negative speech, and indulging in any negative action.

The Bhagavad Gita has described the five gateways to hell as attachment, desire, anger, greed and ego. Controlling them requires practice. A month of observance of controlling one’s five senses and not indulging in the five gateways of hell trains one enough to make
these parameters a part of one’s life. The positive attitude practiced over one month tends to stitch it in one’s consciousness, and ultimately in a majority, becomes a part of one’s life.

The same practice is also there in Hindu religion during “Navratras”, but unfortunately, not all people observe this as dedicatedly as the Muslims. Any Muslim not observing Ramadan is not considered a true Muslim but such is not the case in Hinduism.

Apart from the internal journey to self-realization hard work plays a role even in day-to-day outer journeys be it married life, family life, social life or office life.

Hard work is the key to success provided one controls the above five gateways to hell and practices the triad of non-expectation, detachment and being non-judgmental. Attaching oneself with actions but detaching from the results is the key to both internal as well as external success.

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About the author: Dr K K Aggarwal is Padmashri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee, President Heart Care Foundation of India, Dean Board of Medical Education Moolchand Medcity, Sr. Physician & Cardiologist, Visiting professor Clinical Research DIPSAR, Past President Delhi Medical Association, Past Academic and Research Wing Head IMA, Chairman Ethics Committee Delhi Medical Council.