Yoga and Total Health — January 2018

YOGA AND TOTAL HEALTH • January 2018YOGA AND TOTAL HEALTH • January 2018^99

was advised to take walks. During his
walk around the compound, he called
on one General to accompany him,
and keep him abreast about what was
happening on the war front. Upon
understanding that, he would call the
next General and advice the line of
action. This is how he did his job. An
extremely conscientious, sincere and
hard working person! These are the
characteristics of a person who has
a sense of responsibility. If you have
accepted a job, then you should see
that the attention is kept up on that
job, see that it is done well and not in a
slipshod manner.

When we were young, we used to
read a poem about a boy named
Casabianca, which was also the title of
the poem. A ship was sinking. His father
was the captain of the ship. He kept the
boy on the ship deck and told him to be
there. The water was coming around
the ship and the deck was getting
wet. Since his father had instructed
him to stay there he did so. The poem
goes that he stayed there, the water
flooded the deck and he was drowned.

This sounds more like a story. It
must have really happened, and that
is why a poem was written about it.
It illustrates the sense of dedication,
devotion, sense of responsibility,
which we, modern people today, don’t
have. Today, nobody is going to give
their life for a ship. We know our Prime
Ministers, the way they function. When
you are at a certain position, people
expect that you will do your job well.
I know of a Mayor of our city. We had
a function and we sent someone
from the Institute to invite him. At the
Mayor’s place, this person saw that
many others had also come to invite

the Mayor – someone invited him for

a Satyanarayan Pooja, somebody else

invited him for an opening ceremony,

and so on. The Mayor simply kept on

saying yes to everybody. Our man

was surprised that the Mayor did not

even make a note of the people to

whom he was saying yes to! He asked

the Mayor’s private secretary about it.

The secretary said that the Mayor does

not bother. He just says yes, his name

gets printed, and that is the end. He

does not bother to see that he attends

the function. This is irresponsibility

being in such an important position.

Most people, whether they are in the

position of the Mayor, or a minister, do

not take this seriously.

If you take up a job then you must

be responsible and committed. You

should not just play about. Otherwise

the better thing would be to not make

a commitment. Help and do your best,

but don’t openly say that I will take

care; I will do it, etc. If you do make a

commitment then see that you follow

it up, see that you carry it through.

Then someone can trust you and you

can trust yourself. Otherwise you are

cheating others and cheating yourself.

Announcement

The Mahasamadhi Day of

Paramahamsa Madhavadasji

(The beloved Guru of Shri Yogendraji),

will be observed at 9.30am on

Sunday, 14th January, 2018

at The Yoga Institute.