As You Sow, So Shall You Reap – जैसा बोओगे वैसा पाओगे (May 2021)

In the Hindi language, there is a common saying जैसा बोओगे वैसा पाओगे (as you sow, so shall you reap). But reaping is not a simple act of sowing. There is a long journey between sowing and reaping. While this saying is very powerful and underlines the importance of good acts, our focus in this month’s assignment is on the journey from the sowing of the seed/idea to the harvesting of crop/goal achievement. If you are not careful, you may not achieve the desired outcome. As discussed at the last hawan, the topic of this month is to draw parallels between the process of the achievement of any worthy goal and the process of a successful plantation.

The process of goal achievement is akin to planting. You may plant fruits, vegetables, flowers, or just sheer beauty, but a successful yield comes only with proper planning, care, and dedication. Similarly, in life, any worthy goal requires your commitment, hard work, and perseverance. Every step undertaken to achieve a successful harvest can be compared with a step or action one must take to reach their coveted goals.

Let’s look at successful gardening steps. First of all, you decide what you want. Say, you want a flowering plant. You pick the healthiest seed, plant it in fertile soil, expose the planter to appropriate sunlight, water it adequately, and patiently wait for the seed to germinate. It is not long before you see a small sapling in the planter. But you do not stop caring at this stage. You know that even a short period of carelessness, like exposing the plant to harsh weather, giving too much or too little water, feeding an incorrect amount of fertilizer, letting bugs or weeds take over the surrounding, can damage or destroy that young plant. If you stay vigilant, you see a healthy plant with vivid, colorful, and charming flowers in your planter.

In life, we get inspired by goals. Those goals are the flowers or fruits we want. The idea or resolution to achieve a goal is like the seed. You plant that idea in your mind. Your mind is like the soil. You expose your mind to environments that provide energy and help your idea take root. Those environments and conditions are like the sun. You take continuous actions to learn, attempt and improve. These actions are like water. Negative thoughts, negative people, and negative environments are like the weeds, bugs, and harsh weather conditions that try to stunt your growth. If you are committed to your goal, you avoid and eliminate such conditions from your life. When you stay on course, the goal that started as an idea becomes a reality – something that you can touch, feel, and celebrate.

As a part of this month’s assignment, you will talk about the similarities between the above two concepts. You will also explain this topic using at least one example from your life. You can use the structure given below to make your point.

Flower: What do you want in your life? Think of a goal. It could be as lofty as becoming a wise, happy, responsible citizen or as basic as getting selected in your school sports team.

Seed: How will you pick a healthy idea to achieve that goal? Hint: people get ideas from books, tv, the internet, friends, etc.

Soil: How will you make your mind perfect for growing that idea? Hint: the quality of the mind is directly influenced by the quality of information one feeds to it.

Sun: How will you make sure your idea continues to receive adequate energy? Hint: the company of wise people, listening to motivational speeches.

Water: What actions will you take to grow that idea into reality? Hint: actions must be undertaken for the long term, be continuous, and include an appropriate level of practice.

Care: What are the obstacles in fulfilling your goal. How will you avoid those obstacles? Hint: you don’t need any hint. Do you 🙂

I am absolutely sure that in doing this month’s assignment, you will discover several invaluable lessons to achieve success in your life. Make us proud!

Regards,
Harsh Mendiratta
www.hawan.net