By: Bondada Janardhana Rao
Sri Narasimha Swamiji as a student of Madras Christian College was deeply motivated by an instance from the life of a memorable story on persistence in the life of Thomas Edison. When a huge explosion erupted in West Orange, New Jersey on December 10, 1914, ten buildings in Thomas Edison’s plant, which made up half of the site, were engulfed in flames. Machinery worth millions and all the papers pertaining to his research were burnt to ashes. Later, at the scene of the blaze, Edison was quoted in the New York Times as saying, “Although I am over 67 years old, I’ll start all over again tomorrow.” Narasimha Iyer made up in his mind that ‘persistence shall be the motto of his life.
When Narasimha Iyer joined the freedom struggle and Home Rule movement of Annie Besant, he practiced what he preached and persisted in working for India’s independence through non-violent means. Narasimha Iyer’s persistence in following non-violence is best epitomized by his participation in Dandi to protest against the tax on salt. Even at more basic levels, Narasimha Iyer followed through on what he set out to do.
Later on as Sri Narasimha Swamiji from 1925 to 1936 in his quest for Truth all over the country, despite many odds, has single-handedly realized Sainath Parabrahman. To millions of ‘Sadhakas’ all over the world he has spread the message of Sainath and has provided solace. He took out Sai Baba from Shirdi and placed it on the global map.
Persistence is all about continuing to act, or work for a goal or objective, even if we have failed in our attempts and are tired of trying.
Loyal to his Guru, Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji said: “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk, crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward. Some days, the actions you take will be big. Other days, your best will be very little. But keep moving forward to persevere and succeed”.
Often, people give up just a few steps away from success. Those who persevere are those who don’t give up when the going gets tough. Often, we have to take one step at a time. But keep persisting with the effort. Vijayakumar, biographer of Sri Narasimha Swamiji approached different publishers with no success. He was determined; he did not give up. The book was finally picked up by Sterling Publishers and is globally acclaimed having been translated into thirteen languages and thousands of copies sold worldwide.
I have been inspired by many people in my life. I learnt the importance of persistence through the many failures I experienced. Sheer determination has seen me through. I have a religious background and am inspired by spiritual biographies. When my prayers went unanswered, I think of Sai Baba and Sri Narasimha Swamiji with persistence and success is mine.
Persistence also demands discipline. The winning athlete trains for years and persists with a disciplined schedule to achieve his final goal of mastery of a game. The long hours of practice and patient repetition make him near perfect. Persistence will make us disciplined human beings, who never lose hope and confidence, with the ability to do all we need to do to lead a fulfilled life.
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