They say, live life king size.
Live your life like a king.
What does a king do?
He leads his kingdom. He is the leader of his kingdom. Others gauge the greatness of a nation by looking at its ruler. He achieves. He achieves for his kingdom, which becomes his own achievement.
He cares for his loved ones – his family, his men, his ministers, his soldiers, all the citizens, men, women, children, birds, and animals of his kingdom.
He has utmost concern for their welfare. He is willing to lay down his life for them. He is willing to fight and die for them.
He contributes to society – he plans and executes actions that can make his kingdom progress, improve the standard of living, safety, security, happiness.
That is what a king does.
This is called living life king size.
Our elders said:
परिवर्त्तिनि संसारे मृतः को वा न जायते
जातस्तु गण्यते सोऽत्र यः स्फुरेच्च श्रियाधिकः
Billions have taken birth, billions have died.
Only those births are seen, remembered, counted, who have lived a life of abundance – which is the life that is king size.
Abundance of karuna, abundance of love, abundance of riches which have been properly shared, abundance of knowledge, abundance of courage, abundance of sacrifice – only such lives are counted, others are not even visible.
It is not a question of how much you have done, how big you have done, how many you have helped, how much of service you have rendered.
जातस्य नदीतीरे तस्यापि तृणस्य जन्मसाफल्यम्
यत्सलिलमज्जनाकुलजनहस्तालम्बनं करोति
You may be just grass on the banks of a river, but your life becomes meaningful, fruitful, if a sinking man has taken hold of you and you saved his life.
That is living life king size.
स्तिमितोन्नतसञ्चारा जनसन्तापहारिणः
जायन्ते विरला लोके जलदा इव सज्जनाः
But unfortunately, people worthy of their birth are also rare in this world.
But they do stand out – like the clouds, who know only to give. They get nothing in return.
Our ancients used to praise and pray to the clouds – as Parjanya, the god responsible for rains, the lord of the clouds.
In yajnas, offerings are given to him.
We don’t even do that these days.
But who wouldn’t notice a rain cloud?
निरतिशयं गरिमाणं तेन जनन्याः जनन्याः स्मरन्ति विद्वांसः
यत्किमपि वहति गर्भं महतामपि यो गुरुर्भवति
These people, who are like the rain clouds, leave such a heavy impact on others.
Such a heavy presence they have, that people often wonder how the mother would have borne the weight when he or she was in her womb.
यस्मिन् जीवति जीवन्ति बहवः सोऽत्र जीवतु
वयांसि किं न कुर्वन्ति चञ्च्वा सोदरपुरणम्?
Only the life of that person can be called life, depending on whom many live.
Taking care of oneself? That even a crow can do.
यज्जीव्यते क्षणमपि प्रथितं मनुष्यैः विज्ञानशौर्यविभवार्य्यगुणैः समेतम्
तन्नाम जीवितमिह प्रवदन्ति तज्ञाः काकोऽपि जीवति चिरं च बलिं च भुंक्ते
A life with knowledge, a life with courage, a life of noble qualities – only that can be called life.
If it is just living for some years on earth, that even the crow does.
यो नात्मना न् परेण न च बन्धुवर्गे दीने दयां न कुरुते न च मर्त्यवर्गे
किं तस्य जीवितफलं हि मनुष्यलोके काकोऽपि जीवति चिरं च बलिं च भुंक्ते
The crow also lives on bali – balls of rice offered as bali to ancestors.
There is no effort. Someone cooks, keeps it, calls the crow – he comes and eats.
Is it life?
No sharing, no kindness.
Don’t confuse it – the crow doesn’t eat alone, it crows and calls all its friends and relatives.
Don’t think it is kindness, magnanimity.
It is a reflex. It is natural. It is something that the crow cannot avoid.
Something God has put into crows.
Whenever it sees food, it cannot prevent itself from crowing.
This is not kindness.
This is not sharing.
This is not magnanimity.
Start living like a king.
How much you can do does not matter.
The grass by the side of the river who saved the man from sinking is honoured equally.
The point is to stop living like a crow – bothered only about filling one’s own belly – and start living like a king, by helping others, giving to others, contributing to society.
