START EARLY, DRIVE SLOWLY, AND REACH SAFELY

The world today is a fast world! Things are changing at a rapid rate! People have no time to stand and stare! Materialism has caught the society in its strong arms. There is no peace of mind as things are being done with hectic speed! Quick results are anticipated but proper groundwork is not prepared! Eleventh hour preparations are made that result in disappointment and failure! Instead of starting early preparations for the examination, the student burns midnight oil, and is not satisfied with the result! The office goer is no better! He leaves his home in hurry burry, is caught in the traffic jam and reaches office late only to be reprimanded by the authorities! There is a latent laziness embedded in the human psyche that does not allow him to act quickly! He takes things easily and casually and thinks that he can do things at the last minute! Time and tide waits for no man and moments and chances lost can never return! In spite of his knowledge, advancement in science and technology man’s basic inertia has not left him! Why is man tormented with this belated activity? Does he not know that time is precious and that he cannot afford to waste time?

“ Do not wait till old age to take to the path of spirituality. Start early, drive slowly, and reach safely.” exhorts Bhagawan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba! Life is a kind of journey that man has to undertake with his wife and children! It is compared to a dense jungle full of wild beasts! One has to be very careful in this journey full of ups and downs! To go through this wild forest many precautions have to be taken lest serious consequence may follow! Spirituality is the panacea for all the ills of society especially for the individual concerned. In this rat race for money, power and renown, people have totally forgotten the need for spirituality. Spirituality cannot be obtained through magic or mesmerism! It has to be cultivated slowly but steadily from the early years of life! We see our children hum and sing useless cine songs! What a waste of time! Why not they chant the Divine names and get the benefit? That is the stepping stone to enter into the spiritual world. Caught in the web of Samsara, man does not know how time flies! By the time he realizes the need for spirituality it is too late and he is in the evening of his life! His attachments are thick and he struggles to release himself from those shackles!

Therefore he has to start early! Chanting the name of God as many times as possible, visiting temples frequently, attending religious discourses, keeping company with saints and devotees,serving people in need and difficulties will go a long way in spiritual transformation! “The hand that serves is better than the lips that pray.” “ Service to Man is service to God.” Parents should see that their children are initiated into spirituality as early as possible! It will add strength to their personality! None need be ashamed of it. On an occasion Parvati Devi wanted to save a person from death and requested Lord Siva to shower His Grace on the man! The Lord said he would do so if he uttered His name on the point of death! But the man,unable to detach himself from his mundane connections said,” Ayyo” and breathed his last! It is extremely difficult to utter the name of God in the terminal stages of life.

It is not given to man to be spiritual by birth! It is very rarely that such births come into existence! A child Dhruva here or a child Prahlada there may be born! It is all because of the past Karma- the accumulated effect of the good deeds in the past! In this Kaliyuga we cannot hope to have children of that stature, bhakti and total surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord!  They were born for Divine reason! By starting early on the path of spirituality our younger generation can weather all the storms and tempests of Samsara! The journey of life shall be driven slowly but steadily! There is no doubt about it. Man's material life mixed with spiritual sadhana shall lead him safely to the destination with renown and honor!

Of late humanity appears to have recognized the significance of spirituality! Many service organizations have sprouted all over the world! To an extent the world has realized the futility of  material life! There is too much of rationalism and too little of faith! Moral values are totally for gotten and the very existence of God is questioned! Man is disgusted with the rational and mechanical life that he leads today! A good dose of spiritualism is the dire need of the hour! The comforts and conveniences for the body have reached their acme but the Soul or Self enshrined  in every body is severely neglected! “ Ekah paratma bahu deha varty”--the Self or Paramatma is ONE and manifests in several bodies! This profound truth should never be forgotten! Spirituality helps man in realizing the identity of one being with the other! That is what is meant to by the statement, “ Start early, drive slowly, and reach safely.” Speed, uncontrolled, is always dangerous and occasionally fatal!