November 13, 2011
My son and I were reading "The 7 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by Sean Covey. In the first page of the section titled Set-Up, under the heading "Who am I", was this (quotes partially excerpted):
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् |
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ||६-५||
uddharedaatmanaatmaanaM naatmaanamavasaadayet.h .
aatmaiva hyaatmano bandhuraatmaiva ripuraatmanaH .. 6\-5..
Let a man lift himself by his own self alone, and let him not lower himself; for, this self alone is the friend of oneself, and this self is the enemy of oneself.
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः |
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ||६-६||
bandhuraatmaatmanastasya yenaatmaivaatmanaa jitaH .
anaatmanastu shatrutve vartetaatmaiva shatruvat.h .. 6\-6..
The self is the friend of the self for him who has conquered himself by the self, but to the unconquered self, the self stands in the position of an enemy like the (external) foe.
Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayanandaji adds that, "Ultimately, it is for the aspirant himself to accept the responsibility for blessing or damning himself. The potentiality for improvement, the chances for self-growth, the strength to haul ourselves out from our own misconceptions, are ever open. But it all depends upon how we make use of them."
I am constantly struck by the systematic development of the logic of self improvement in the Bhagavad Geeta, far more comprehensive than any self-help book available today. That it finds an echo in a modern text on becoming an effective teen or manager is a tribute to the brilliance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's analysis taught several thousand years ago.
Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post
My son and I were reading "The 7 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by Sean Covey. In the first page of the section titled Set-Up, under the heading "Who am I", was this (quotes partially excerpted):
"I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure...The answer in the book is "I am Habit". Students of the Geeta are familiar with chapter 6, verses 5 & 6.
"I am the servant of all great individuals and, alas, of all failures, as well...
"Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you..
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् |
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ||६-५||
uddharedaatmanaatmaanaM naatmaanamavasaadayet.h .
aatmaiva hyaatmano bandhuraatmaiva ripuraatmanaH .. 6\-5..
Let a man lift himself by his own self alone, and let him not lower himself; for, this self alone is the friend of oneself, and this self is the enemy of oneself.
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः |
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ||६-६||
bandhuraatmaatmanastasya yenaatmaivaatmanaa jitaH .
anaatmanastu shatrutve vartetaatmaiva shatruvat.h .. 6\-6..
The self is the friend of the self for him who has conquered himself by the self, but to the unconquered self, the self stands in the position of an enemy like the (external) foe.
Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayanandaji adds that, "Ultimately, it is for the aspirant himself to accept the responsibility for blessing or damning himself. The potentiality for improvement, the chances for self-growth, the strength to haul ourselves out from our own misconceptions, are ever open. But it all depends upon how we make use of them."
I am constantly struck by the systematic development of the logic of self improvement in the Bhagavad Geeta, far more comprehensive than any self-help book available today. That it finds an echo in a modern text on becoming an effective teen or manager is a tribute to the brilliance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's analysis taught several thousand years ago.
Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post
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