Patience

A couple days back when I was repacking my books, I hit upon a book gifted to me. I opened the same to a random chapter and read it out; I liked it. Towards the end of the chapter, however, there was a quote written: Patience is the best penance!

As I write this, more of its meaning has struck me, so I’ll take a detour to mention that lest it be forgotten among my weak memory waves. I’ve been struggling among the people I didn’t want to end up with, especially during my stepping into my sabbatical. Its been one thing after another since the past four months that have taken away the key to the treasure trove I’m hunting: patience. Although I knew it, I’m losing the key every day in an event or two, with always and immediate after-thought of momentary regret! Similarly, the health’s toll too has caused a lot of pondering and a feeling of being tied-up among the circumstances that I cannot move out of, even if wanting to. The quote yells out to me that here’s my lesson: the thought that I’ve lost pace or so many months are lost is wasteful, since even these are washing away my prArabdha, in a way. So, that’s the tapasya of some hidden form and that’s the penance that must suffice for now till new doors open automatically! Otherwise, I’m just being cruel and thankless towards the God who’s all-loving and neutral; I’m also being greedy to ask for more than I deserve!

Returning back to what I wanted to write about initially… what (else) patience does. It works absolute wonders for a person who’s trying to go within. Circumstances that test the patience of a sadhaka provide and opportunity to question reactions. With such questioning over a period of time, one realizes that the surroundings wouldn’t change whatsoever. Its like breaking one’s head on the wall, unless one tries to neglect the conditions in totality. This neglect leads a person into silence, which is what one is targeting in meditation anyways! Aha! The key’s found, treasure’s now just a matter of time.