Jenna Sooriah
(Author name : Kisori Gopika devi Dasi)
In a league of her own,
She aces over the known
And stares at the unknown
Beckoning her
Can she stand on her own?
Is she alone?
No, her Darling Shyamsundar
Is not made of stone
And will never leave her lone
For His Divine Abode
Is her Home
Subconsciously or consciously, we are always comparing ourselves to others. The grass always looks more luscious and appealing on the other side and our side looks tawny and dead. But is it really? Or do we need to replace our gloomy eye shades with some cool ones?
The more we compare and ogle what is not ours; the more we will ignore what IS ours and the more our personal purpose remains buried. We tend to lament or feel insecure when we see the successes and opportunities that crop up for others. Externally we appear happy for our friends but internally, we are squirming with self-doubt and ….let us be honest; jealousy. We wonder whether any such opportunity will ever spring up for us or worse is when we dive head-first into a vicious cycle of self-pitying thoughts. We lament that nothing good ever happens to us no matter how we try or that we are not good enough.
Let’s make a mental note to ourselves that when self-pity and insecurity rear their ugly heads; we better give them a whopping smack and send them flying somewhere far. We must remember that we have our own unique path. We must remember that we are endowed with a distinctive set of God-given qualities, strengths, weaknesses and circumstances. Our circumstances and weaknesses are unique to us and they act as our unique chiseling knife which shape us into not who we want to be but who WE ARE MEANT TO BE. No chiseling knife of circumstances is the same. We all are distinct and different.
The only question is do we possess the patience, resilience and resourcefulness to turn the sour lemons in our lives into lemonade? Our challenge is to forget about the rest of the world and to focus on becoming our own person.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 verse 35 says: It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous.
śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ
para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt
sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ
para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ
Krishna is himself telling you to look deeply within yourself and understand who you are and what you ought to be. The path of perfection is not the same for all. Instead of wasting time in thinking what the other person is doing; relentlessly work towards improving yourself.
The women in our shastras had unique qualities and challenges. In the Mahabharata, Queen Kunti was bludgeoned with difficulties all her life. Even her daughter-in-law, Draupadi faced countless upheavals. But they didn’t compare with each other and neither was their way of handling their problems the same; they were in a league of them own.
In the Ramayana, both Sita and Urmila demonstrated unparalleled sacrifice but faced the exile differently. Sita chose to shun the lavish royal lifestyle for the austere forest life whereas Urmila chose to shoulder her husband by undergoing fourteen years of sleep. Laxman had requested Nidra Devi, the Goddess of sleep that he would not sleep for fourteen years in order to serve the Divine couple and that his wife, Urmila would take the responsibility of his sleep.
These women were in a league of their own and emerged as legendary examples. Similarly, create your own super league where instead of competing with others, you focus on becoming a BETTER YOU! Understand that when you help yourself and you stand up with your head held high, your Eternal Parent is ecstatic. When He sees that you value what He has bestowed upon you; He paves the way for your unique path of perfection. Unbeknownst to you, your hand is safely clasped into His……