Acharya Tulsi
Man is thinking and an industrious being. He thinks and makes efforts. However, his thinking is not so much about himself as the beyond. He thinks about the body, about his dress, about the house, about food. He thinks about the means of comfort and convenience and many other similar matters, but keeps his self out of the purview of that thinking.
Man worries about what other people are doing, what they are not doing and what they should be doing. But he has no time to think about what he is doing, what he is not doing and what he should be doing. Some people do have time for it, but they are not inclined to think about themselves. Some people do think about their own selves, but are unable to act accordingly. If they could do it, there would be no need to think afresh about self-management.
The Key is not with Him
Man has infinite capacities. It can as well be said that his capacities are inexhaustible. But he is not able to use his abilities because the key is not with him. Sometimes, it so happens that he has the key, but his abilities are just wasted.
There was a miserly businessman who owned wealth worth crores of rupees. He spent all his wealth to buy diamonds and emeralds. He kept them in a trunk and locked it. He always kept the key of that lock with himself. He did not trust his children. Hence, he never handed over the key to anyone. One night, some thieves entered the house. They found that particular trunk. By the time they came out of the house, some people woke up. They told that businessman, "Some thieves have carried away your trunk." The businessman said, "They are fools. What would they do with the trunk? The key is here with me."
Honest effort is needed to awaken one's inner abilities. Even before making the effort, it is necessary to aspire to be something. This kind of aspiration is called bhavitukamita in the Agamas. In the Dashavaikalika Sutra it has been mentioned as follows:
"Most people drift with the current they follow the path of enjoying physical pleasures. But those who wish to be something and are willing to go against the current, who wish to turn away from sensuous pleasures and follow the path of self-restraint, should divert their Soul against the current.[1]"
Self-Restraint Brings Success
I was eleven years old when I became an ascetic. I did not have much knowledge, because I had not studied much. But I did know that I wanted to be something. I did not have to go very deep into the question of what I wanted to be and how I would attain my goal. All I knew was that I would be something, sitting at the feet of my guru. That firm resolve led me to my respected guru, who decided to make something out of me. Because of my own resolve and the resolve of my guru, I have reached my present stage. I very often wonder why others cannot achieve something if I could achieve what I wanted. With strong will-power and firm determination, even an ordinary looking person can attain his goal. What is needed is the fixing of the goal before setting out.
I decided to become an ascetic and I became an ascetic. Everyone cannot set such a goal for himself. Those who cannot become ascetics can become good sravakas (lap-followers) and observe the twelve vows ordained for the sravakas. If this is not possible, they can observe at least some of those vows. This is a religious outlook. Man fixes a goal for himself even from the worldly point of view. Someone may wish to attain the highest position in the industrial field. Or he may want to become a teacher. Someone may want to give a new direction to his life by becoming a labourer. If nothing else, it is possible for every person to become a gentleman.
The resolve may be big or small, self-management is necessary for its fulfilment. It is necessary also to have self-control. Without self-management and self-control success is unthinkable.
Mantra: the First Condition of Sadhana
Man works very hard. He has before him a long list of the jobs to be done. Some of those jobs are easy while some are difficult. Anyone can do the easy jobs. But difficult jobs require effort. However, sometimes, even easy jobs are considered difficult. But it is difference of opinion. For instance, let us take the question of self-management. This thing should have been the easiest of all. How can managing and controlling oneself be difficult? One may or may not be able to control anyone else, but he can certainly turn himself in the direction of his choice. But this very thing has become extremely difficult.
A person approached a siddha purusha [2] and said, "I have heard that you know a mantra to bring someone completely under your sway."
That siddha purusha asked curiously, "What would you gain by knowing that mantra?” That man who was eager to do sadhana said, "I want to have the world under my sway." The siddha purusha asked, "Have you got your family under your control?" The man replied, "My family members do not obey my orders." The siddha purusha asked the next question. "Do you have control over your sons and your wife?" The man said hesitantly, "Who believes in discipline these days?" The siddha purusha asked the last question, "Do you have control over yourself?" The man said, "I have come to learn the mantra from you exactly because I am not able to control myself." The siddha purusha said, "I have no such mantra. Self-management and self- control are the primary conditions for learning the mantra. The mantra to bring others under control can be learnt only by the person who has control over himself."
Being Conscious about One's Carelessness
Man goes astray because of his lack of self-restraint and carelessness. These traits are within oneself but they are not manifest. To make man aware about this Bhagwan Mahavira said:
"Does anyone else notice my carelessness? Or do I notice my own mistake? Which lapse of mine am I not abandoning? Let the one who practices much thorough introspection to wait for the future, not be bound by unrestraint, not crave for reward.[3]The possibility of carelessness cannot be denied. But if the goal is self-management, that possibility would gradually decline. For that, man would have to change. The way to change is by correcting one's mistakes. You may change or follow the current of the age. If there is a desire to change, one's life would be in his own hands.
Once a king rode on an elephant. The mahant wanted the elephant to start moving. The king said, "Let me hold the reins of the elephant." The mahant said, "Your honour, the elephant does not have a rein." The king said, "I won't ride the animal, whose reign I cannot hold." The king dismounted. But how can a person who has no control over his own life lead a good life?
The Formula of Faith
It is not just today that I am talking about self-control. I have been talking about it since many years, since many decades. But who would bother to listen to me? Who would take seriously the words of an old man? But when the idea of self-management came from the West, everyone was attracted by it. Now people are talking about self-management in professional fields. If such a discussion starts at some point, it would have to be applied to every field of life. Otherwise, there would not be protection of health or wealth and no protection of life.
In the present age, there are some people who do great things, but they do nothing by way of self-management. They lose their sleep, forget to eat and ruin their health. They live in tension day and night. My suggestion to such people is that there is still time for them to pull themselves up. Let them not barter away their health and life. They would have to follow the path of restraint for that purpose. Self-management is part of that sadhana. If there is self-restraint, there is life. If there is management, there is life. Only by remembering this formula of faith, the journey through life can maintain its pace without interruption.
