There are many ways to live life, and those ways lead a person to the pinnacle of success. Self-reliance is one such way of living our life. It is formed with a combination of two words: "self" and "reliance." "Self" means oneself, and "reliance" means support. Self-reliance denotes living with confidence in oneself. It is the path on which a person can progress.
By following the notion of self-reliance, a person can develop the moral foundation of a society and nation. Only a self-reliant person can actually understand the struggles of society and the value and significance of happiness and comfort in life. What is the value or significance of an individual in the world and society? Who is honorable? What is the pain of disrespect? How does scarcity affect a person?
In the Bhakti era, the true tradition of achieving the lofty spiritual goal of self-reliance through labour is revealed. Sant Kabir weaves clothes and does not need anyone's support.
The famous poet Kumbhan Das used to do farming. He once went to the capital city Fatehpur Sikri on the invitation of Emperor Akbar, which became a regret for him throughout his life. At that time, he delivered this message of self-reliance to his contemporaries.
Our Bhakti-era poets have given us three valuable principles of self-reliance through their ways of living. The first is to not to beg anywhere. Don't even ask for alms.
Poet Rahim clearly said, "Rahiman mare hain, jo kahin mange jaye." Begging is like dying. In this journey, he suggested two ways. He said, work, earn, and fulfill your needs.
Great devotee-saint poets presented a new ideal by replacing "work" with "devotion." The confluence of love and faith flows as the stream of devotion.
In Sanskrit and Hindi, many such moral couplets have been composed, which embody the heartbeat of self-reliance. And they are still as relevant today.
The story of the rabbit and the tortoise tells us that even with slow speed, if there is consistency, it can defeat the fast-running rabbit. There is a story from the Panchatantra, "The Thirsty Crow '', which reads, a crow dropping pebbles into a little water-filled pot, raising the water level and quenching its thirst. This story also depicts the power of will-power and consistency to achieve the goal.
A self-reliant person is capable of extracting water from stones and growing flowers in a desert. The world bows before its power. We all know the story of Dasharatha Ram Maghi. & Mahatma Gandhi, a thin and frail person, shook the powerful British empire without any weapons. Non-violence triumphed over violence.
Drishtee’s ideology of women's empowerment is not limited to merely strengthening a woman financially. Our mindset is like a flowing, sacred, uninterrupted river. It grants independence to a woman, allowing her to question the world, raise her voice, breathe freely, protect her rights, and contribute to the creation of a beautiful, egalitarian society. From the moment we first meet a woman in a Vatika, the process of her becoming self-reliant begins on that very day.
Written by Suryabanshi Rai