Swami Swatmananda conducted a 4-day Gyan Yagna which was attended by more than 125 people. On Day 1, he spoke on Success @ Work, explaining that Success is a righteous goal achieved through righteous means. It is important to be spiritually good and not only be good. In his simple, effective way, he gave the following formula -
Skill + Strength = Success – Stress
Swamiji gave a formula for HIGHER success - H (higher vision/goal) + I (in line with one’s Swadharma) + G (greater cause) + H (happy team) + E (excellence/efficiency) + R (result acceptance).
On Day 2, Swamiji spoke on Success @ Relationships. He said that relationships are like a mirror to discover, change oneself. Our relationship with others are reflections of our relationship with our self. Be yourself, accept yourself and love yourself. Do not entertain a ‘poor me’ syndrome or have self-condemning thoughts. Pujya Gurudev has defined Love as Identification with the Beloved. Dependency or attachment is psychological dependence on an external factor (thing or a being) to be happy. His video explained ‘I + I want’ as Attachment. Attachment blinds us, makes us weak, rigid, dependent. Therefore learn to love without attachment. Love is ‘in spite of’ … it means selfless caring for the beloved. Accept people as they are and give freedom and space to the relationship. Swamiji gave another formula which makes it easy to remember:
Insistence + Resistance = Sorrow
Acceptance + Independence = Happiness
Forgiveness is an important aspect of a happy relationship.
On Day 3, speaking on Success @ Mind, Swamiji said that in this age of conflict and anxiety, it is very important to keep the mind calm. When the mind is calm, the intellect is sharp and decisions are rational, right and rewarding. Swamiji introduced the idea of having stabilizers and anchors. Stabilizers are:
1. Use rational brain by not getting emotionally hijacked.
2. Delay your response but do not deny it.
3. Do Pranayama, deep breathing, which makes the mind calm.
4. Use the Power of Practice and do regular Mantra Japa.
5. Focus on positive aspects.
Anchors are:
1. Acceptance
2. Love your work for work’s sake and dedicate to a higher cause.
3. Choose your sense inputs wisely.
4. JDI – Just Do It (what you can change) – Just Drop It (what you cannot change)
5. Visualization and Practice – Keep the company of people who are calm, steady and strong. Visualize yourself to be calm and composed; not being agitated and disturbed.
6. Meditation – Daily meditation helps to build reserves of peace and calmness.
Swamiji ended the session with Guided Meditation.
On Day 4, Swamiji spoke on Success @ Life. Happiness is the fundamental motivation for anyone to act throughout life. He questioned whether Happiness is a goal or a journey. He explained that Happiness is both, the goal as well as the journey; it is the state of mind which is at peace. He spoke about the importance of freedom from likes and dislikes – the difference between pleasure and happiness, how Happiness and Selfishness are inversely proportional, how alignment of the BMI is important for peace, which gives Happiness. Ambition and Contentment can co-exist. Contentment is a key to Happiness. He explained the Karma cycle, from Vasanas to desires to thoughts to actions - to results and again, to Vasanas. Swamiji then indicated that through Study, Sadhana and regular practise of Meditation, one can come out of this cycle by overcoming ignorance and realizing one’s true nature, which is beyond Body, Mind and Intellect. He gave an equation of Gurudev:
God + Ego = Man
Man – Ego = God
Letting go of the ego and awakening to the state of pure Consciousness is the goal of life, achieving which, we shall have Success @ Life. q
