Journey with Confidence and Viveka
Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow them:
1. The journey looks difficult and lonesome, the goal very far away; what do we do? Anything and everything may look difficult at times, but you should never lose confidence in yourself and feel that you have no motivation and drive. As long as you are confident of your own abilities to achieve what you wish in life, I do not think that you will ever feel lonely.
2. We are constantly under the sway of our mind, performing and desiring according to our likes and dislikes, but we should realise that our likes and dislikes are not the final destinations. Sometimes we may have to go against our likes and dislikes as part of Viveka, the ability to discriminate between what is just, proper and correct and what is wrong. With viveka and confidence, that tiny spark will eventually become a torch.
3. There is a song: ‘When the day is dark and dreary and the way is hard to find, don’t let your heart be weary, just keep this thought in mind: It is better to light one little candle than to stumble in the dark; it is better to light one little candle, all you need is a tiny spark.’
4. When we are confronted by darkness, we get nervous and tense, not realising that the spark can be produced by many methods. We can use a lighter, match, flint, wood, anything because everything which surrounds us in this universe has the power to assist us in our evolution. Every circumstance, even if difficult, helps you grow. Have confidence.
5. Can yoga change our destiny? Yes, it can. First, know what our destiny is and what we mean by destiny. If we know ourselves, our mind, personality, behaviour, actions and reactions; if we direct our actions and transform our negative tendencies into positive ones with a clear mind, inner tranquility and inner vitality; if we go beyond the normal frame of mind, emotions and behaviour and develop a better perspective, then we can definitely direct our own lives and thus change our destiny.
6. There are two paths: one is the path of ignorance; the other is of knowledge. Usually, human beings live in the area of ignorance, a lack of total knowledge. We may be sharp intellectually, we may be brilliant in our career, but we do not know our mind or personality; we do not really know anything about ourselves. One can be a scientist, great mathematician or philosopher, but when it comes to the human personality there is a lack of understanding. We do not know what we think, what we believe, what we experience or how to understand these experiences, and we do not know what to rationalise and what not to rationalise. There are so many things which we can and cannot understand.
7. When we walk on the path of knowledge, our awareness and consciousness bloom. We see everything clearly with a new perspective. It is like sitting in a room in total darkness and looking around and then sitting in a room filled with bright light and looking around. There are two viewpoints here. When we are in the bright room we can see every detail; when we are in the dark room we cannot see much.
8. Through the growth of awareness, development of consciousness and awakening of our inner faculties, we can reconstruct our life and personality. —SwamiNiranjanaand
Word-Meaning: Motivation-inspiration, Drive—cause something to make progress, Sway—(here) control, Eventually—that the end of a period time, Stumble—walk unsteadily or fall, Confronted—faced, Destiny—fate, Transform—change, Tranquility—peace, Vitality—(here) energy, Perspective—viewpoint,Rationalise—finding a logical reason, Bloom—flowering, Faculty—a particular ability of doing something,
1. On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following questions in about 30-40 words each:
(i) How are we constantly under the sway of our mind?
(ii) What should we do when we are confronted by darkness?
(iii) Define the two paths of life.
(iv) How can we reconstruct our life and personality?
(v) What do we do when the journey of life looks difficult and lonesome?
2. On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following:
(i) ………… plays a significant role at the time of gloom.
(a) Lonesome (b) Confidence (c) Our ability (d) Desire
(ii) When we face darkness, we get ……………
(a)confident (b) nervous (c) bold (d) brave
(iii) In para 2, means ‘influence’……………
(a)sway (b) realise (c) destination (d) confidence
(iv) Even sharp, intellectual people are unaware of their ………..
(a) body (b) actions (c) destiny (d) mind/personality
(v) In para 7, the synonym of…………. is ‘flourish/progress’.
(a) bloom (b) perspective (c) bright (d) consciousness
Answers
1.(i) We are always under the sway of our mind because we are always performing and desiring according to our likes and dislikes.
(ii) When we are confronted by darkness, we should not get nervous and tense. It is better to light one little candle than to stumble in the dark.
(iii) There are two paths of life—ignorance and knowledge. When our minds are in the grip of ignorance, we lack knowledge. When our minds, ideas and actions are illuminated, we are on the noble path of life.
(iv) We can certainly reconstruct our lives and personalities through the growth of awareness, development of consciousness and awakening of our inner faculties.
(v) Sometimes, we lose confidence in ourselves. We find that the journey of life is very difficult and lonesome. We feel no motivation and drive in life. The best thing for us is to be confident in our own abilities. If we have confidence in our abilities, we will achieve what we wish in life. We will never feel lonely.
2.(i) (b) confidence
(ii) (b) nervous
(iii) (a) sway
(iv) (d) mind/personality
(v) (a) bloom
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