Patience is Peerless
by Sri Swamiji
Patience is indeed a matter of pride. The forbearance of Mother Earth is often cited as an example for this. In life, if one loses patience, some good opportunities might be lost.
At home, even if our elders or parents scold or find fault with us, we need to remain patient. We must not immediately talk back. One who repeatedly talks back is not liked by anyone, even by our own father. He might not show us the same love that he showers on his other children. In future, this could even lead to differences when distributing the inheritance. I am writing here only about such situations that have happened in several families.
We should never contradict or argue with those who teach us a skill or a subject. If we do so, they will not be wholeheartedly invested in our success. Even at work, if we lose our patience and quarrel with our superior, or keep finding fault with them, they will also develop resentment towards us. Then we may even lose the opportunity to receive promotion or other benefits that we might even be rightfully entitled to.
No person can live life in complete isolation from others. We cannot change parents if we have disagreements; however, we need to live with them. We cannot keep changing our teachers; we have to study in the same school. We cannot also constantly keep changing employers; we need to work in the same office. We are not going to live with strangers. We need to live with our parents, friends, colleagues, neighbors. If we don’t exercise patience and forbearance while living with them, we may miss out on many blessings and opportunities in life.
Patience should not be misunderstood for laziness or procrastination. When it comes to taking efforts, one should not be patient at all! We need to be patient only when it comes to the result or fruit (of an effort). If a person travels in the right path, he will definitely reach the right destination. If the path and the journey are right, then we can surely reach where we need to go. We need to focus our attention on the path and journey; instead if we only keep thinking and discussing about the destination, of what use is it? Continuously thinking only about when we will reach the destination will only build frustration within us.
Some things may not work, no matter how much effort we put in; we absolutely must give it the necessary time. We must remain patient till a raw fruit ripens on its own. We must patiently wait for a seed sown on the earth to eventually sprout.
Patience is an ornament for sadhus. In Srimad Bhagavatam, they imprisoned that sanyasi (bhikshu) like a parrot in a cage. They urinated on the bowl he used for bhiksha (alms), they beat him, tortured him, stole his wooden staff. Through all this, the bhikshu remained extremely patient. Patience and forbearance is indeed a beautiful ornament of sadhus. If one does not have patience, he or she cannot reach the state of a sadhu.
“It is important to be enthusiastic when it comes to exerting effort; and have patience when it comes to expectation of results.”
A man wanted butter, and spent hours churning a pot full of curd. After churning for a bit, when he did not get butter, he gritted his teeth, lost patience, and smashed the pot. What happened now? Not only did he not get the butter he wanted, but he also lost all the valuable curd. This is the state of most people; they lose their patience, and also lose the fruits of their labor.
Pay close attention to a calf that has just been born. Within a few minutes of its birth, the calf tries to stand up on its own. It falls, but tries to stand up again. It falls again, and tries to stand up again. No matter how many times it falls, it tries to stand up again. In the same way, when it comes to exerting efforts, we too should exhibit undying enthusiasm. The most important teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba is ‘shraddha, saboori’. We need to have shraddha in chanting nama. What is shraddha? For example, if we set ourselves a goal to chant nama a certain number of times a day, we must complete that goal without fail. We should not get frustrated with it. We should not get tired of it. We should not give it up. We should not move to a different path.
In this way, if we continue to chant nama without losing patience, the prayer for which we are chanting the nama shall certainly be answered. Or if one chants nama praying for Bhagavan’s darshan, Bhagavan Sri Hari will certainly bestow His divine darshan to them.
Sant Kabirdas says the same in his poem:
dhIre dhIre re manA, dhIre sab kucch hOy
mAli sInchE sow ghaDA, ritu Aye phal hOy
O mind! Be patient! Everything will happen slowly over time! Even if a gardener pours 100 buckets of water at the same time, the tree will yield fruit only at the appropriate time.
Sri Swamiji’s article from Madhuramurali Magazine April 2023 issue
Translated by Harish Raman, Richmond VA
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