A CERTAIN sadhu lived for some time in the room above the nahavat-khana (concert-room) of the temple of Dakshineswar. He did not speak with anybody and spent his whole time in the meditation of God. One day, all of a sudden, a cloud darkened the sky and shortly afterwards a high wind blew away the cloud. The holy man now came out of his room and began to laugh and dance in the verandah in front of the concert-room. Seers asked him, “How is it that you, who spend your days so quietly in your room, are dancing in joy and feel so jolly today?” The holy man replied, “Such is Maya that envelops the life!”At first there is clear sky, all of a sudden a cloud darkens it and presently everything is as before once more.
Our life too sometimes will be filled with Success and Happiness, sometimes will be covered by darkness of failures and sadness. Whenever we are in High mode, we think this is permanent and we will be powerful and content throughout our life. But when failures hit us badly back to back, we think we are doomed, we can’t get out of this dark hole. Our mood is like a roller coaster. It reaches the high of happiness and low of sadness.
But UPSC Preparation demands stability. You need to be centered and controlled. Then only you can put efforts on a consistent basis. Here, you have to be shielded from external and internal ups and downs. You need to keep remembering, ‘this too shall pass. Nothing is permanent’. When you understand the fragility of situations, when you realise this is just a Maya of existential force, you will stop bothering too much and internally you will get that Loci/Center of your strong personality. And then no one can stop you from achieving the goal.
