“I can wait, I can fast, I can think”

The statement is from ‘Siddhartha’, the classic novel by Hermann Hesse, a German Nobel laureate. I have read it in three languages — Gujarati, Hindi and English — at different ages. In Gujarati I read it when I was 13, in Hindi around 19 or 20, in English I read it recently at 38. Originally it is written in German. I would love to read it in German, obviously after learning it. It’s one of the all-time greats for me.

When I was in Lokbharti, Sanosara, Prof. Ayyangar, who was vice chancellor of Gujarat Vidhyapith at that time, visited Lokbharti for a function. In his speech he said “jis ka nind or bhukh par kabu nahi hai, woh kabhi rishi nahi ban sakta.” Let’s say the ability to fast is at the core of many religious processes and even holds such a high place in Jainism. It’s all about having control over yourself, your wishes and pleasures. It is about establishing authority over oneself.

I think fasting is a way to get control over one’s internal being, and patience gives you control over external factors. How much you can wait for anything is at the core of winning or getting something done. It’s not about doing nothing and just waiting; it is about not being defeated at any cost and keeping on working for the decided aim. Patience gives you power over everyone.

A person who can wait can bring bigger changes in the world, and a person who can fast can change one’s self. A person who can think can observe, evaluate and evolve himself — can think about the creator and creation, thinking what makes us human. And if one person can do all three…