Dharma Kshetra

From time immemorial, man dreamed of flying just like the birds. The Wright brothers dreamed of a machine that would fly. Now we can see aircrafts all over the world proving that Wright brothers dreamed soundly.

Desire is a strong emotion that is the guiding star of all achievements. Every person who wants to win in any field of action must maintain a state of mind known as 'a burning desire' to achieve. Your desire may be to succeed in exams and obtain a good job or start a successful business venture. Or you want to make a scientific discovery or do something of great importance. Or you simply want to solve your life's problems.

Your desire should be righteous, in accordance with the law of dharma. The desire should be for the benefit of one and all such as serving others or entire human kind. When 'desire' is contaminated with selfish lusts and passions and is detrimental to the welfare of others, it becomes evil and self-destructive.

The method by which a desire for an objective can be achieved consists of six definite, practical steps, listed below:

• Be specific as to what you want.
• Determine exactly what you intend to give in return in money (as capital) or time (efforts) for what you want to achieve. There is no such reality as

'something for nothing'.

• Establish a definite timeline for achievement (for example six months or December 31st).
• Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
• Write out a clear, concise statement of what you want to achieve, set time limit, state what you intend to give in return, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to achieve it.
• Read your statement (above steps) aloud, twice daily, once just before going to sleep, and once after arising in the morning. As you read-see and feel and believe yourself already in achievement of your objective.

It may seem impossible for you to "see yourself having achieved" before you actually have it. Here is where a burning desire will come to your aid. If you truly desire so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it.

Only those who become "success conscious" ever achieve success. "Success consciousness" means that the mind has become so thoroughly saturated with the desire, that one can see one's self already in possession of it. There can be no room for self-doubt.

The steps do not require one to look ridiculous. Applying them do not require great amount of education. But successful application of these steps requires sufficient imagination to enable one to see, and to understand that achievement cannot be left to chance or luck. One must realize that all who have achieved great victories first did a certain amount of dreaming, desiring, and planning before they achieved it.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam from a middle class family became a famous scientist and president of India. Narendra Modi who worked as a tea boy has become the Prime Minister of India.

In planning to achieve your ambitions, let no one snub your dreams. You must catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the past, whose dreams have given to civilization all that they have of value, the spirit which serves as the life-blood of generations to come.

Thomas Edison dreamed of a lamp that could be lit without oil, and despite more than thousand failures, he stood by that dream until he made it a physical reality. Practical dreamers never quit!

If the thing you wish to do is right, and you believe in it, go ahead and do it! Put your dream across, and never mind what naysayers say if you meet with temporary defeat, for they do not know that 'every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success'.

Many people often get off to a bad start, and pass through many heart- breaking struggles before they succeed. The turning point in the lives of those who succeed, usually comes at the moment of some crisis, through which they are introduced to their "other selves."

Abraham Lincoln endured many defeats in elections and also failures in personal life. But he finally became one of the great presidents of America.

Helen Keller became deaf, dumb, and blind shortly after birth. Despite her greatest misfortune, she was highly regarded as a great author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first person to earn a bachelor's degree in arts. Her desire to communicate with others gave her the strength to overcome disabilities and her book 'The story of my life' is an inspiration to many people.

Beethoven was a great musician despite his deafness. John Milton was blind, but well known as a great poet for his contributions such as 'Paradise Lost. Their names will last as long as time endures, because they dreamed and translated their dreams into organized thought.

Rabindranath Tagore faced profound personal tragedies such as the early deaths of his mother, wife, and several children. His search for God and a meaning for life led him to channel his grief into creative artistic expression and a spiritual awakening.

His collection Gitanjali reflects this spiritual resilience. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the very first non-European to receive the honor. He wrote the words and composed music for national anthems of two countries - India (Jana Gana Mana) and Bangladesh (Amar Sonar Bangla). He also built Vishwa Bharati University at Santiniketan, shifting his focus from personal loss to educating future generations.

His life is a testimony to the truth that even in the greatest suffering a man has the spiritual freedom to choose how he responds in a given situation. In our lives we should always hope for the best but be prepared to face the worst. We strive to solve our problems, achieve our objectives and become successful. But life is not fair always. Life is uncertain and ever changing. Throughout history people have lost possessions and beloved ones in natural calamities and also in man-made calamities such as wars, holocausts, partitions and so on.

We know that all earthly possessions and people are temporal and must perish one day. But we wonder 'why me?' 'What have I done wrong to undergo such suffering?' It may be impossible to come up with a convincing answer for such questions. But the most logical explanation is to think that we are working out our karma and then decide how we respond to the particular situation.

God probably causes diseases and disasters to awaken us to the realization that we are not this physical body and this world is not our permanent abode.

When we are no longer able to change a situation— for instance an incurable disease such as terminal cancer or loss of a limb —we are challenged to change ourselves. Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as sacrifice for the sake of family or nation. When we lose or renounce family, we should be ready to embrace a bigger family, which is the world. The best way to face suffering is to lose ourselves in loving and serving others.

Thus we may find the purpose of life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. Then we can witness the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a tragedy into a triumph.

Strange and varied are the ways of life, through which people are sometimes forced to undergo all sorts of suffering before discovering their true self, and their capacity to change their own and other's lives.

Before moving to the next chapter, kindle anew in your mind the fire of hope, faith, courage and persistence. If you have these states of mind, and a working knowledge of the principles described in this book, all that you need will come to you, when you are ready for it.