TAKE RESPONSIBILITY: INTROSPECT

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

56. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY: INTROSPECT
If you want to know anything about yourself—the pattern, the conduct and the quality of
your life—you have to search yourself, you have to examine yourself. For, all change for the better,
all transformation starts from self-examination. Without self-introspection no progress, no
attainment is possible. Towards the end of his Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions, Gurudev
instructed us to do daily self-analysis and to keep a self-correction register. This means know
yourself and correct yourself.
The first and foremost reason for your sorrow, your problems, troubles and sufferings—and
the troubles and sufferings you cause for others—is you. You have to learn to take responsibility, to
squarely look at yourself: “No, it is not something or someone or some other circumstance that is
responsible. I am responsible. It comes from me.”
Recognise this! Recognise that Lord Krishna has spoken a home truth when He says that
one is one’s own friend and one is one’s own enemy. What He said is correct. “Here it is that I have
to find a cause. Here it is that I have to correct myself.” Then all things will fall into their proper
place.
Ponder this. Try to know how important it is. Do not remain a baby always trying to find
some other reason for what is wrong with you, always attributing it to someone or something else.
Say: “No, I won’t go outside to find what is wrong. First and foremost let me look inside. Let me
take responsibility and correct myself. Everything will be all right then.”
Therefore, grow up, be mature, be bold, take responsibility. First look within and then talk
about other things. If this is your attitude then no one can stop your progress. No one can obstruct
your steady upward ascent unto perfection. This is the essence of the matter.

The sixth chapter of the Gita tells us that, ultimately, successful sadhana is only possible
when it is supported by vairagya (dispassion). And successful vairagya is possible only through
self-examination, self-analysis. Otherwise, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. Unless there is alertness inside,
wakefulness inside, vigilance inside, and keen self-searching—every day, at every step, in
everything that you do and think, in every reaction and action—vairagya is not possible.
Vairagya has to be supported by your vigilance, alertness and self-awareness upon this
inner dimension of your psyche. Then alone vairagya can be present in your life, and your sadhana
will succeed. And vairagya cannot be given to you by your guru, nor by God, nor by any sage. They
can inspire by their example but they cannot give it to you. This is entirely something that the
sadhaka has to work for and keep on working for with all vigilance, all alertness, all awareness, all
wakefulness.
There is no sleeping for the true sadhaka. Therefore, be wise and engage in self-culture,
attain Self-realisation and become self-blessed. God’s and Gurudev’s blessings will shower upon
you automatically.
You know why you are doing something. And if it is against your whole life, your principles
and ideals, it is bothersome. And, no one wants to be bothered. So, you conveniently try to curtain it
off, turn a blind eye, put it out of sight so it won’t bother you. This is what the mind does. It will not
allow you to see yourself straight in the face and accept and admit what the real motive is behind
what you are doing. Therefore, always scrutinise your inner motives.