TIME IS MOST PRECIOUS
Kalo ashvo vahati saptarashmih
sahasraksho ajaro bhuriretah. Tama rohanti kavayo vipashchitastasya chakra
bhuvanani vishwa.
Atharva Ved 19.53.1
The
very powerful time is spread all over and is very fast. Time, like the sun with
seven colour rays (white, blue, yellow, red, green, orange and brown) is put to
good use by the intelligent persons to fulfill their duties since they regard
time as helpful like a horse, in all circumstances.
The value of time has been described
in this Vedic verse. The Vedic mantra has compared time to a horse. The time
keeps on passing away at a very fast pace. Its speed has been compared to that
of a running horse. In fact a horse walks at a very fast pace. Similarly time
moves on at a very fast pace. Just as the sun shines with seven colours of the
rainbow, so does time. Just as it is necessary to have the sun in this world,
similarly it is necessary to recognise the importance of time. Just as the eyes
serve the purpose of seeing, similarly time is watching us all. Just as the
wheel moves with the help of the axle, similarly the world moves with the help
of time. Time never ages. It is always youthful and new. Time always remains the
same. It is very powerful and full of strength.
Only the wise persons move along with
time. The Vedas state that only wise people use time properly and not the
foolish. Only those who want to achieve something in life use time properly and
there are few such persons in the world. There are many persons who do no have
any desire to achieve something in life. However, time is important for ordinary
people as well.
Time is very precious. Wealth is
considered very precious in this world. If we work hard we can increase wealth.
The harder we work the more wealth we can acquire. But the twenty four hours
which make up the day and night cannot be increased in any way at all. This
means that time is even more precious than wealth. If wealth is lost we can earn
it again through hard work. But if time is lost it is impossible to get it back,
therefore time is even more precious than wealth.
Those who waste time, time destroys
them. Those who understand time do not ever waste any time. Time is the
storehouse of auspicious life and wealth. Only by using time properly can one
make one’s life auspicious. By taking advantage of time a person earns money and
becomes the master of wealth. Diamond, jewelry, pearls and gold are
considered very valuable items in this world, but time is even more valuable
than all these. By using time properly a person can acquire all these items.
God has not done injustice in giving
us the wealth of time. Whether one is poor, rich, educated, foolish, or belongs
to any organization, time is equally available to everyone. It is easily
available to everyone. God has given this wealth equally to all. He has not
discriminated in distributing time.
There is another specialty about time.
While it cannot be increased it also cannot be decreased. Wealth does decrease
but not time. It is available equally to the rich and the poor alike.
Some people waste their precious time
in maintaining their hair neat and tidy, getting new clothes and adorning
themselves. It is important that one must clean one’s body and clothes and keep
clean and tidy, but this is not the only thing for success in life.
Some people waste their time in
gossiping and merry making. Reading books with dirty stories is also a waste of
time. While time is wasted in reading these books, it is equally true that we
also catch on to bad habits. In the same way there are many activities such as
gambling, hunting, keeping awake out of time, sleeping too much etc, through
which we waste our precious time.
In fact life is a like battle. In this
struggle, only those who use their time properly succeed. Those who waste their
time do not succeed in this battle. A person first kills time and then time
kills the person. Someone has said it beautifully-
A
value can be placed on everything but not on time. Those who are clever do not
waste time. Time is the greatest of all
things and is the storehouse of all merits. Those who respect time are great
people.
Great persons always make good use of
time. They know the value of time. They are awake and working hard while their
companions sleep. Those who use time properly, do their duties promptly and on
time. Their time for sleeping, keeping awake, eating , relaxing , reading and
resting and other activities are all fixed. They plan ahead as to what they have
to do. They drive away laziness from themselves.
Time has been likened to a bald person
who has hair in the front portion of his head but not at the back of the head.
Those who catch it by grabbing the hair in the front are able to control it.
Those who want to catch it from the back of the head are unsuccessful. They are
unable to benefit from time.
Lost property, lost wealth, lost
health can be obtained again, but time lost cannot be obtained again. Lost
relatives can be found again but lost time does not return.
What has to be done tomorrow, do it
today and what has to be done today do it this morning. Death does not wait on
whether a person has completed a particular task before striking. Therefore, it
is beneficial to do the required tasks at the right time. Lazy people keep on
deferring their work. Something else crops up at the deferred time. The result
is that their mind becomes restless. They become doubtful. Several times
problems arise which do not allow the pending work to be done. Postponing the
work a number of times means that the work remains undone. Therefore the habit
of postponing the work means that the time on hand is not used properly.
In life there is always a proper time
for every activity. Take for example those things that one does everyday. If all
these activities such as sleeping, waking up in the morning, cleaning your
teeth, bathing, prayer to God, eating, earning a living, resting etc, are done
at the right time, then it looks proper. If these minor duties are not done on
time then one is left behind. In the same way if the major activities in life
are not done on time, then one can imagine how much behind one will be left.
Time is very
powerful, it reigns on everyone from the rich to the poor. Therefore it is the
paramount duty of everyone to use their time properly and efficiently.
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