Sometimes a fig looks attractive on the outside, but when opened, it is seen to be full of worms. Life is like that too —
nice on the surface, but full of difficulties, in fact. But we must make our lives meaningful. Bhartrihari’s Niti Sataka gives us pointers on how to cultivate good qualities and how to shun bad ones, explained Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal, in a lecture. We must not be obsessed with anything. We must have a proper sense of priorities when it comes to spending money. Another quality we must develop is patience. If we are criticised, we must not react angrily, but introspect
to see if the criticism is deserved, and if it is, then we
must correct ourselves.
If you have been wrongly criticised, it is still important to be
patient. When you know you have done no wrong, why should you react to what someone says unjustly about you? We must have no feelings of superiority. What we are we owe to God. Nothing we have achieved would have been possible, if God had not willed it. Honesty makes life peaceful. Lies only complicate it. We must serve the learned, and constantly be in their company. Wise men lead by example. By observing them, we too can pick up good practices. We must treat elders with respect, and seek
their advice.
It is easy to advocate patience and tolerance. We may wonder how we can be patient with someone who is constantly scolding us, even when we do not deserve it. The best thing to do in such cases is to keep away from the person. But to abuse the person in a tit-for-tat manner must
be avoided. When we pay respect to anyone, we are actually paying respect to God who resides in them. We must be humble. There is no need for us to advertise our qualifications. Does a flower advertise to the bees that
it contains honey? We must have the quality of mercy. But we rejoice over the misfortune of others and say they deserve it. Instead of extending a helping hand to those who are suffering in life, we gloat. We must never mock those in trouble, for tomorrow we may be in the same plight.
If we cultivate these qualities, our lives will not have been lived in vain.
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