Dear Friends,
Namaste!
This is a real life story of an India-Pakistan one-day international cricket match. From the word go, nothing was going right for India. Batting first, they could muster up but a meagre total against a fiery Pakistani bowling attack. When Pakistan innings started, their batting line-up descended on the Indian bowling like hungry wolves on a pack of lambs. Nobody gave India a ghost of a chance!
Yet, miraculously, eventually India won the match! And the man-of-the-match award went to Virender Sehwag – not for his batting but for his economical and wicket-taking spell of ten overs that tilted the match in India’s favour. At the award presentation ceremony at the end of the match, as is the vogue, Sehwag was called upon for a quick chat.
After due compliments, the interviewer posed the inevitable question, “Veeru, what we witnessed today was nothing short of a miracle. What is the logic behind this magic?”
The ever-humble Sehwag answered, almost sheepishly, “I really did not think about what was happening and what may happen. I just told myself that I had sixty balls to deliver and I would pitch each ball in the right spot – ball after ball. Initially, things were not favourable but as I started putting every ball in the right spot, a few things started changing! The batsmen did not find it easy to score runs off good-length deliveries, the conditions became a little overcast, the evening dew slowed down the ground so boundaries did not flow fast and thick anymore, forced-to-play-risky-shots Pakistan lost a couple of quick wickets. Pressure on the batsmen-down-the-line mounted and suddenly things started looking up for us. So I continued putting every ball in the right spot and finally we won the match against all odds!!”
This is a great example of focus. This is a great example of the importance of digging in and doing our bit right - everytime. This is a great example of how the environment changes and aligns itself to an iron resolve and a miraculous achievement is made possible!
This “focus” comes from the “right” attitude. And once we train ourselves to have the “right” attitude towards life, we get into the “zone”. So, literally, Virender Sehwag was in the “zone” on that particular day – much to the delight of Indian supporters and to the chagrin of Pakistani supporters! (We will see later on that the synonym for this focus in Yoga-Shastra is “Sanyam” which is nothing but a combination of the last three limbs of Yoga, viz., Dharana, Dhyanand Samadhi – also known as the “Antar Anga” – internally focused limbs. The first five limbs - Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayam and Pratyahar - are known as “Bahir Anga” or externally focused limbs.)
But what is ‘Attitude’? Moreover, how to hone our attitude to be “right” or “positive”?
During the last discussion we saw the three entities that make us what we are (and therefore whose debt we ought to pay back). They are – our parents/ancestors, our teachers and our society.
We inherit our genes, our DNA, our physical body from our parents and ancestors. In most cases, our guardians are also responsible for our (at least initial) grooming and we learn the basic rules of the game from them. Yoga-Shastra also states that we take birth in “conducive” environment, i.e., environment aligned to our evolution level so we can progress and prosper to the next level. So what we inherit from our parents is Aptitude (known in Yoga-Shastra as “Guna Dharma” or “Basic Characteristics”).
Then come our teachers. They give us knowledge and they give us skills. Using this knowledge and skills, we learn not only to stand on our own feet but also pay back the debts, contribute and make our existence felt. The more our knowledge and skills in one or more areas, the more we can contribute. Thus, what our teachers give us is called in Yoga-Shastra as our “Vishesh Dharma” (Altitude or “Level of Evolution”).
The society is also contributing directly and indirectly to our welfare. Through various interactions, all the time, it is teaching us the importance of living and letting live. It is teaching us how to co-exist without conflicts, how to empathize, how to enrich each other and enhance our enjoyment. In short, society teaches us our “Samanya Dharma” (Amplitude or “Spread of our Identity”).
Our attitude, then, is a function of all these three – aptitude, altitude and amplitude. And what is positive attitude? Mathematically speaking –
Three components of our Attitude
Are Aptitude, Altitude and Amplitude
It’s all about our ability to forgive
And give much more than what we receive
If the sum of “Give minus Receive” is positive, our attitude is positive! That simple!!
With this, let’s turn our ‘focus’ to “Our Role” (“Swa Dharma”)...
Salut...
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