From the dark past to the bright present

‘Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today and you make your tomorrow.’ -L Ron Hubbard

How many of us get stuck in our past, worrying about it, and refusing to land in the present?  If we take a step back and reflect, there are many instances from the lives of great saints where we can pick up several insights on how we can boomerang our minds from our dark past to the bright present.

Let us start with the eminent sage Valmiki, who presented the first ever epic poem. In his early life, would anyone believe that this great Adikavi was a dacoit? Once, he even attempted to attack Sage Narada, who had come to the forest to transform him into a good person.

Realising that no one, including his family members, would partake in his sins, he went on to seek the blessings of the Lord  and attained enlightenment. Had  he wallowed in self-pity regarding his past, this world would not have seen a great literary work, the Ramayana.

Next, let us take a glimpse of the early life of the great saint poet, Arunagirinathar. He was the one who gave us one of his major works, Thirupugazh, for Tamil literature. This great poet succumbed to sensual pleasures and enjoyed the company of devadasis before he understood the real meaning of life.

His sister made him realize his fruitless and selfish actions, which got him so vexed that he wanted to take his life. When the Lord showed his grace, the transformation in him was miraculous. He had then taken a vow to be beneficial to mankind by spreading the greatness of the Lord. Had he not closed the doors to his ugly past, this world would have missed seeing his great literary pieces.

Now, let us wade into the early life of the great philosopher, composer, and singer, Purandara Dasa.

The world would not have seen a greater miser than him during the early stages of his life. He was a wealthy merchant and refused to spare even an anna to the needy. It is believed that the Lord himself came to him pretending to be a beggar and taught the miserly merchant such a lesson that Purandara Dasa abandoned his wealth and devoted his entire life to meditation of the Lord. Had he turned back on his past life, the world would not have had a father of Carnatic Music.

Let me finish with a quote. “Never let the past spoil your present or govern your future.”