by Swami Radhanandaji 

A human life is among the best only when one considers himself solely responsible for all his thoughts, habits, actions, circumstances etc., and does not look for faults with others.

No one else can be blamed for our ignorance, slavery, misery, or despondency -- not even God or His Law of Karma. We always have our freedom of choice. No wonder what we are today is by our choice. And that includes our own birth for which we normally hold our parents accountable. We are born primarily because our unfulfilled desires. So, we lowered ourselves to this perishable universe (Gita 9:33), but we are fully capable of lifting ourselves out of this dilemma. All we have to do is to reorganize our life according to Gita. Once this is accomplished, we will develop an appreciation of others and stop their misuse.

Currently, due to our ignorance, it appears that we are all headed towards death. But there is more to life than we normally give credit it for. Those who have not realized God live in vain. It is our own responsibility to remove our wretchedness, weaknesses, passion, anger, pride, delusion, etc. Neither any country nor any society nor any family can be held responsible for our deeds, good or evil. The key to real and lasting happiness is to overcome lust of flesh (bodies) and greed for name and fame.

We may have wasted a lot of time and energy blaming others. We may have covered up ours or others' errors to protect ourselves. We may not have had courage to tell a so called friend or relative the naked truth, only because we want "something" from them. We do injustice to others in protecting untruth in the name of duty or attachment. All our activities, duties, religious rituals and intellectual jargons do not help us in the real time of need. When we disobey the Law of Nature, of the Universe or of God, how can we be in harmony with any one? Without such harmony, how can we be joyous? Happy? Blissful? Just observe nature, excluding man, and learn.

Everyone is responsible for something at any age under any circumstance. Instead of interfering in other people's lives, we must practice Gitaji and be an example to our family, children, friends, and neighbors. We must have courage to speak and uphold the Truth, even at the cost of a great loss. When we lose the Truth, we have lost everything no matter how expedient our achievements may seem.

Advising or pointing to others is pride. Let us be truthful in words, thoughts and actions simultaneously. Not to mind our business and interfere in the lives of others, including even our closest relatives, is a sign of pride, ignorance, arrogance, and vanity. Where is justice in blaming others when we are the cause of the problems around us? Let us make Truth and Gitaji our yardsticks from today. Let us trust the Lord. If we act in faith and do our best, He will do the rest. This is the best bargain we can have in this human life.