Pradeep Nambiar
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What is the purpose of life?
Life is for living fully and completely. Live with health, happiness, peace and joy. Let every cell in your body radiate with energy. Live and let live. You must give to the world if you want to receive from it. Let your life be free from sin and exploitation. Shun negativity and contribute to the world in a positive way.
What are your thoughts on swadharma, your duty, pathways one needs to take?
We need to see ourselves as a Vasudev Kutumb: Mother Earth is our family. We need to nourish the soil that has nourished us to begin with. We need to return the gifts that we receive. We should not let transient, external factors determine our actions, our Karma. We need to search within for answers. “Who am I? What am I supposed to do?” Ask and you shall find the answers. External factors are tools; never allow them to become your end.
What is success in life?
Success is the pursuit of self-knowledge. When you attain self-knowledge, you transcend your ignorance; you step beyond the bondage of your inner darkness and achieve illumination. Your social status or location is not a barrier to self-knowledge. It is attainable by all. What we are seeking does not lie beyond our reach. The beyond is that which lies beyond our ego. Our quest is for the infinite. But the infinite is within. We are infinite.
What are failures in life? How do we over-come them?
You lose only what you have achieved or accomplished. Failure really means wasted opportunities. Failure is often the pursuit of that which is of transient value. What we need to accumulate are not mere material possessions and accouterments but qualities of abiding value. If we do so, success will be ours in more senses than one. And it will be success of abiding value. When Alexander returned to Macedonia and visited Aristotle, his teacher, he was nearing the end of his life. He told him that he had instructed his subjects to open his palms when he died to let others know that he was empty handed when he left his mortal body. What we need to attain is the wealth of spirit, not material wealth which is evanescent. If we focus on our inner wealth, we cannot have failure that is daunting. We learn to give, to maintain equanimity, and to be in control of ourselves. If we conquer ourselves, the conquests of the world and its challenges will follow.
What is the best form of leadership?
True leaders not only can master others, they learn to master themselves. They can go beyond personal pride, beyond their petty ego. When Shastras are with selfless leaders, it becomes divine nectar. When leadership goes to the head with ego and pride, Shastras become shastra (weapons). Such pride injures others and the self. A true leader works for the welfare of others.
What is your message to youth?
SOHAM-Happiness is the inherent property of the soul. Lifeless matter cannot make anybody happy or unhappy. Happiness and bliss is to be sought not in lifeless things or possessions. It has to be found in one's own self, in spirit. It is that spirit that has to be kindled with positive force of love. Don't snatch a smile from anyone. Give a smile to the world and it will come back to you. Let your spirit be radiant. The world will then be a radiant place.