There is a Sutra in the Rudrashtadhayi of Shukla
Yajur Veda – ‘tanme manah shivasankalpamastu’.
It means – ‘May my mind make auspicious
resolutions’. There is an immense power in
sankalpa (resolve). This entire creation is a result
of the sankalpa of God. Any activity starts with
a firm determination and it reaches completion
with the same power. If the power of resolve
is weak or shadowed by doubt, then the work
remains incomplete.
Sankalpa or the power of resolve fills a person
with immense enthusiasm and unrelenting
courage because of which he reaches his goal
with full confidence. Mahatma Gandhi resolved
to follow non-violence, love, peace and harmony.
He lived his entire life following these principles,
resulting in the success of Indian Independence
Movement. If our mind is firm and focused,
power of resolve gets strengthened. If our mind is
wavering, there are cracks in our determination.
If our resolve is firm, even problems will be scared
to come near us. It is then that an ordinary person
ends up doing extraordinary work. If a person
is determined, he can land on his feet anywhere
and under any circumstances irrespective of
the resources at his disposal. If the resolve is
firm, even the smallest of efforts bring about a
revolution. For example, Mahamana Madan
Mohan Malaviya was determined to establish
Benares Hindu University and it was his firm
resolve that made this awe-inspiring task possible.
Yugrishi Param Pujya Gurudev established this
extensive ‘Gayatri Pariwar’ purely out of his
power of resolve and it is continuing to scale new
heights till today.
Even mountains can be moved with the power
of resolve. Even the biggest of problems bow
their head in front of a determined person.
On the contrary, those who are fickle-minded
lead themselves on the path to self-destruction.
Spiritual life of a person is also founded on the
power of resolve. If it is weak, then man cannot
achieve meaningful success, become self-reliant
or beget spiritual attainments.
There is a sutra in Atharva Veda in this context
– ‘Yo vah shushmo hridayeshvantarakutirya
vo manasi pravishta taanseevayami havishya
ghritena mayisajaata ramatirvo astu’. It means –
‘when one sets his heart and mind on something
and pursues with determination, then such a task
is bound to be completed successfully. A person
or country or a civilization or culture can become
victorious only by the strength of resolve.’
The jeevatma (soul) that resides in the body is
endowed with five gyanendriyas (sense organs)
and five karmendriyas (motor control organs)
and their capabilities are limited. But mind, the
eleventh sense organ is the most important and
most powerful. Jeevatma expresses its desires
and decisions using the mind. The strength of
mind is such that it can bind even the soul in the
web of desires and make it wander aimlessly
through the worlds. This fickleness of the mind can only be controlled by the power of the soul
known as sankalpa shakti (the power of resolve).
Only a person who is steadfast on the path of
Truth can realize the soul.
‘Sanshayatma vinashyati’ – one who has doubt in
his mind, one whose mind is fickle will cause his
own downfall. In general, people do not succeed
in their profession because their energy is not
focused on it. But when they set their heart and
soul into doing their job, their mind gets focused
and perceives hitherto unseen opportunities. This
increases the probability of success.
If the mind is brought under control and its
energies channelized in a specific direction, one
becomes immune to the pains and travails of the
body. One such example is that of Lokmanya
Bala Gangadhar Tilak. Once his thumb needed a
surgery. The doctor came to him with chloroform
which could be used to make him unconscious
so that surgery could be performed. He would
then experience no pain. However, Tilak refused
to take the anesthesia and said that if he could
be provided with a copy of Bhagawad Gita, they
could perform the surgery. Once he got the book,
in a few minutes he was completely engrossed in
reading. The doctors performed the surgery and
he was not even aware that it had happened.
There are many other astounding miracles
of the power of resolve; like – accomplished
yogis stopping rain, impeding the flow of flood
water, lifting a massive stone etc. Sir Adyar has
written about a saint by name Govind Swami.
On Swamiji’s command a pot filled with water
would rise 1.5 feet from the ground. Once
when Maharshi Galav saw the residents of his
ashram dying of thirst, he ordered a mountain
to provide water. It is said that as soon as he
gave the order, a fountain of water emerged
from within the mountain. This place is famous
even today in Jaipur and is known as Galtaji.
When there was a famine in the ashram of Atri-
Anasuya in Chitrakoot, there was not a drop of
water available. Maharshi Atri was performing
penance and hence was not in the ashram. The
maternal instinct of Anasuya was invoked by the
cries of her ashramites. With her sankalpa shakti
she created a stream of water that is known as
Mandakini. The water quenched the thirst of
many people during that drought.
It is not that the miracles can be exhibited with
spiritual power alone; many a miracle has been
exhibited when determination meets physical
effort. Dashrath Manjhi, popularly known as
‘Mountain Man’ was a poor laborer of Gehlaur
village in Jharkhand. He used just a hammer and
a chisel to cut through a mountain and carved a
path that is 360ft long and 30ft wide. His untiring
work for 22 years shortened the travel from 55
km to just 15 km. There are many such miracles
of the power of resolve found in the history.
Sankalpa Shakti is a power that changes the
direction of life and brushes aside all the hurdles
in the path like a bunch of dry leaves. It is this
power of resolve that makes a tiny seed emerge
out of the soil and grow into a tree. Any person
can scale new heights and reach the peak if he is
determined and focused in his efforts. Only those
who possess this virtue can attain great heights
and be extolled as great souls.
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