Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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west over the past few centuries have increasingly tended to repress the transcendent. This repression, extensive as it is subtle, is undoubtedly more responsible for the discontent of our present unhappy civilization than any amount of repression of sexuality, hostility, aggression or other superficial repressions operating on the upper levels of the spectrum", 12
It is in this background we are laying down the following four principles to develop a vibrant and perfect personality. However, in the next chapter we will be giving a complete picture of Personality Development in the background of Ashtangayoga of Patanjali.
There are four principles of Personality Development, which are: Sraddha, Swa-vimarsha, Shrama, and Sadgati.
i) Sraddha: Sraddha means faith. Faith plays a very important role in our life. If there is no faith in our mother's word no one on earth could accept our father as father. If there is no faith our entire life will crumble down like a house of cart. That may be the reason why Sri Krishna says: 'Sraddhaavaan labhate jnaanam'( the one with sraddha will be endowed with wisdom which leads to freedom). While acclaiming about Sraddha Swami Vivekananda says: "The idea of true Sraddha must be brought back once more to us, the faith in our own selves must be reawakened, and then only, all the problems which face our country will gradually be solved by ourselves".13 "This faith in themselves was in the hearts of our ancestors, this faith in themselves was the motive power that pushed them forward and forward in the march of civilization; and if there has been a defect, mark my words, you will find that degeneration to have started on the day our people lost faith in themselves" and again he says: "Therefore, my brethren, teach this life-saving, great, enobling, grand doctrine to your children, even from their very birth."15 About faith Sri Saradadevi's openion is worth mentioning: "Faith is the lost word. If one has faith the goal is practically reached."16 The faith as indicated by Sri Sarada Devi is the jnanottara bhakti or the faith ofter the attainment of wisdom which verily leads to Freedom. This faith arises out of the mind which is established in equanimity or peace which in turn is the result of atmabodha i.e. the stream of wisdom emulating out of Atman. In fact, in this sense, faith is not the beginning of spiritual journey but the end of it.
There are different shades of faith or sraddha. They are: self-confidence, self-regard, self-reliance and self-responsibility.
a)Self-confidence is the foundation of self-development. One has to trust oneself first before trusting anything else. Trusting oneself means believing that we have all the resources within us to realize our goals. A man of faith creates miracles even in the midst of chaos. Sri Siddharudha Swamiji says: "If one has self-confidence he can achieve and attain anything in life
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