Patience is at the root of all successes

By Paramtattvadas Swami 

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha 

It is said that patience is a virtue from which much good and happiness blooms. In our digital age, where time is always at a premium, we often find that this incredibly important quality is quite rare. While people’s physical comforts have increased many-fold in modern times, our tolerance levels have slowly eroded. Pramukh Swami Maharaj taught us through his life that patience is not only a virtue, but a necessity for any form of success. 

For over 45 years, he served as guru of BAPS, tirelessly dedicating himself 365 days a year with no vacations; he didn’t even stop when he was ill. His patience would be tested almost every minute of the day, but he consistently maintained composure. The greatest tests of his patience were the daily sessions of personal consultations with devotees. It was a part of his routine for decades. He met hundreds of people every day whether he was in a small village or a large city. Devotees would explain their problems and issues, trivial or serious. He listened to each one of them with total and patient attention. Some of these meetings were impromptu and so the time and place could sometimes be either odd or inconvenient for most. But Swamiji took things in his stride and demonstrated patience each time.  

No two consultations were ever alike, yet the often-trivial nature of the problems would have irritated anyone. But Swamiji dealt with each -patiently. He met international dignitaries and villagers with the same ease and earnestness. His ability to deal with diverse issues and individuals without being overwhelmed further affirmed his patience. There was no such thing as the ‘right mood’ or ‘right mindset” for him. He was always in the mood to listen, advise and bless.  

In March 2006, Swamiji was in the village of Sarangpur, Gujarat, India. Suffering from an eye infection, his eyes were swollen, and he was experiencing a throbbing pain. Doctors had put a pad on the infected eye to protect the other eye. Still, Swamishri continued meeting devotees and writing letters all day. The minute he would pick up a letter, someone would come in to meet him. After dinner a hundred more devotees had come from a nearby village for his blessings –he met them all. Patiently!  

Pramukh Swami Maharaj was the epitome of patience and peace. He taught us that calmly navigating challenges and patiently finding solutions is at the root of all successes.  

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