Pains to Gains
Acharyasri Dr. Sachidananda Bharati
- Unusual Turns / 57
- 29-11-2022
- 01 Min Read
Swami Sachidananda Bharathi (Founder & Acharya-guru of Dharma Bharathi Mission) was talking to a group of Management students at Bangalore, during his All India Peace Pilgrimage, 'Desh Vandana-2007'. He asked them how much they expected to earn by the time they were 28 years old. He heard figures from Rs. 2 lakhs to Rs. 2 million a month in answer. Then Swamiji asked them the next question.
"How many of you would be prepared to give up a Rs. 2 million a month job to work among the poor?" Not a single hand was raised and not a sound was heard.
Swamiji continued.
"But I know a young Indian who gave up such a job at the age of 28 and decided to work for the upliftment of the poor and down trodden people of his country. He was a successful Barrister in South Africa. He was educated in England. He was earning around 5000 Pound Sterlings a year at the age of 28. One Pound Sterling could buy you about 5 grams of gold then. This is equivalent to Rs. 2 million a month job. He was none other than Barrister M.K. Gandhi, who later became Mahatma Gandhi, who is the father of our nation."
"Woahh....." they exclaimed.
They had not heard any such thing about Gandhi before. The budding future Managers were quite surprised and impressed by the sacrifice of his Rs. 2 million a month job made by the Father of the nation.
"Great achievements need great sacrifices. Remember, the best things in life are bought at the cost of great pain. This is the lesson Mahatma Gandhi taught us" was Swamiji's parting message for the future Managers.
Acharyasri Dr. Sachidananda Bharati is an Air Force Squadron leader turned sanyasi, who represented India in the United Nations assembly of religious leaders from across the world. He has written many books and has travelled extensively.