There are four enemies of man. The first enemy of man is ignorance, and the second is injustice. First of all try to work on removing ignorance and injustice. The next thing you have to defeat is ‘dearth’. Mankind has always faced the problem of fighting out dearth. The fourth enemy is idleness. One should not get used to being indolent or living like a sloth. One must aim to remain active till the end of life by overcoming any challenges that may come along the path. – His Holiness Sudhanshuji Maharaj 

Injustice, dearth and indolence stem from ignorance itself.

With the dawn of knowledge these three inevitably disappear. So, first of all, think of destroying ignorance. However, ignorance cannot be destroyed by merely reading books and listening to discourses. These are merely a means. You must ponder over what you have read and heard and adopt the teachings in your life and be inspired to change. Once you have gained knowledge, it is time to work on self-observation. Spare some time for yourself and sit in solitude, introspect and ask yourself: what kind of life am I living, what are my good and bad habits, what did I want to be and what have I become? Observing yourself is a powerful tool to overcome ignorance and to awaken mindfulness towards your own self. With mindfulness comes inner satisfaction, self-confidence and the determination to succeed. You are then able to transform yourself, achieve your goals, fulfill your purpose of life and feel happy.

Generate Happiness in Your Mind:

One should not think that after reaching a particular position and accumulating some wealth one has become big. One should think about one’s soul and the mind – what is their state? When you start pondering like this in seclusion, purity will begin to enter within. And you will see how happy a healthy person is. If you are mentally healthy and happy, everything in the world around you will seem pleasing and joy-filled. Even amidst the heaps of sand you will hear music. On the other hand, if your mind is upset and you are made to stand in a garden, you will feel as if the garden is full of misery. Although flowers inspire one to smile and laugh, yet if a person is not in a proper frame of mind, the entire garden can’t make him happy. Thus it is rightly said that happiness lies within.

When the mind is happy, the body is healthy and the soul is strong, then everything around us seems to be cheerful. Likewise, when you purify your heart, cleanse your soul; you get to feel bliss all around. Happiness lies in the calm within yourself. Hence it is your duty to discard the troublesome thoughts and things that cause pain. You must make every effort to cleanse your mind and overcome any pain it feels. Some things you consider as pleasure giving but are in fact painful such as attachment and prestige. These are sure to cause grief when we part from them. Death troubles him most who is tied in the bonds of attachment. The condition of a person who rises above illusion and attachment is totally different. You will observe that a person who is shackled by material attachement will continue to think about them on his deathbed too. It could be his shop or house or anything on which his mind is focused. The thought of separation is going to cause him endless pain. One who dies in such a state of mind can never attain self-upliftment.

Man fails to realize that true upliftment lies in self-realization and inner awakening through inner purification. One has to make a conscious effort to break away from the shackles of material attachment and ignorance. Therefore, one should reflect on the inner self and the existence of the soul. Introspection removes ignorance and with this comes self-upliftment.