Victory Happens in Silence : Swami Tejomayananda

11/11/2018

What is true victory? Is it about acquiring wealth or conquering the world? Such a victory is not lasting. Abiding victory comes when we have conquered our own minds. If the mind is the ruler and it controls us then we end up living a life of defeat.

For example, I decide to get up at 5 o’ clock in the morning. The mind says, “Why should you get up so early? Even birds get up early in the morning, but what do they achieve? So go to sleep!” If you give in, you are defeated. One little thought can defeat you.

When a person is addicted to a cigarette or some other substance, that one little object defeats him completely. He becomes weak, that addiction becomes his weakness. Victory in the true sense is one where a person gains victory over himself. This kind of victory is abiding, whereas any external or physical victory is only temporary. It will be here today, gone tomorrow. Sometimes it doesn’t take more than a fraction of a second to vanish.

A life of dynamism need not be full feverish activities. In nature we see how silently the Sun rises; how it illumines, energizes. So much so when we don’t see the Sun for a few days, we feel depressed. Its presence is inspiring and in spite of seeing it everyday we are never bored with it. The secret of the Sun’s charm is its dynamism.

Again when the plant germinates from a seed; does it make a lot of noise or advertise its arrival? One fine morning we see a few green leaves, then a small flower blossoming and then the first sweet fruit. Nature works so silently and efficiently.

A great vision emerges from silent contemplation. When a noble vision and action combine in a human being or beings it becomes a blessing to the entire humanity. The absence of such a vision spells doom and destruction, both to a single soul and the totality at large.

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