Baba continued, ‘Do not ever forget my son; empty-handed had we come into this world, and empty-handed shall we go away from this world. We need to learn the art of ‘letting go’…. We need to outgrow the pulls and attractions of the flesh and the world at every stage, and keep our focus always on the ultimate goal and purpose of our sojourn in this world….
‘There is an interesting story, my son…. When the young Alexander the Great was about to die, he had given three commands to his Generals…. The first command was that his empty hands had to be put outside the coffin to show to the world that Alexander the Great after conquering the whole world was going away from this world empty handed!...
‘The second command was that the path over which his dead body was to be carried for the funeral rites had to be cast with pearls, diamonds and other precious stones to show to the world that all the wealth that he had looted and plundered from the different countries that he had conquered could not save his life!.... The third command was that his best physicians had to carry his dead body. This was to show to the world that all the knowledge of his best physicians put together could not cure him, and save his life! It is believed that Alexander had died of Malaria......
‘This story reveals to us the simple truth that empty handed have we come into this world and empty handed shall we go away from this world, and that all the power, all the wealth and all the knowledge put together cannot save us from death…
‘Our physical life is a pilgrimage on earth, my son. Birth is the beginning and death is the end of this pilgrimage….Birth and death are two realities beyond our control. What is within our control is the time span between these two realities….
‘The worth of one’s life can be measured based on the way one has utilized the wealth and relationships that one has acquired during this time span…
‘The best way to use our time, wealth and relationships is to surrender them with love to God by serving one’s fellow beings selflessly with love, and by working for a culture of peace in the world……
‘An integral vision of life and reality is what you need for the great mission of your life, my son. You have to translate it into a life-mission to build a spiritually awakened, morally regenerated, economically prosperous and politically strong India through further study, work and prayer….
‘A spiritually awakened, morally regenerated, economically prosperous and politically strong India will help to usher in a civilization of love and a culture of peace in the world. This is the divine mission ahead you...
‘Keep this mission in your heart always, my son … Also, please remember, what one learns from the guru constitutes only a quarter of the wisdom acquired in one’s life. Another quarter is to be acquired through one’s own study, yet another quarter from others, and the last quarter from one’s own lived-life experiences.’ The Baba stopped and looked at his disciple questioningly.
Excerpts from Integral Revolution
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