"Be of good cheer, O daring pilgrim to the other shore."

The Voice of the Silence

Three great ideas to reflect upon and practise as we live our life from day to day are contained in the words from The Voice of the Silence quoted above. It is a book dedicated to "the few." Those few are fortune's favoured soldiers who are trying to tread the spiritual path according to the teachings of the dynamic philosphy of Theosophy, they who aspire to live the Higher Life amidst worldly turmoil. They are the daring pilgrims. Every human soul who goes through the circle or cycle of necessity is an eternal pilgrim, according to the Third Fundamental Proposition of The Secret Doctrine. He generally goes from life to life, bound by his own karma, unaware of why he is here and whither he is going. The daring pilgrim is an awakened soul who has recognized his own duties and responsibilities to himself and to the world, from the spiritual point of view. He has dared to do something that most others are not doing—to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors, the great Lords of Wisdom and Compassion. He has to fight his way to the supernal Truth out of the mire of lies terrestrial. He has to become his own Master and God, controlling Nature and Nature's forces and laws. He has to unfold from within his own Self the knowledge acquired through contless ages, and regain the purity and innocence of the child state which was once his and which he subsequently lost. He has to listen to every cry of pain, just as the lotus opens its heart to the warmth of the morning sun. In fact, he has to make altruism the key-note of his life. He has dared to do this slowly and perseveringly. It is a full-time job, and he has, besides, his obligations to his kith and kin.

Such a stupendous task may sometimes weary and overwhelm the aspirant; hence the important and encouraging warning to be of good cheer. On this path, if the aspirant gets distressed and downcast he may stop all progress; he may even think of returning to the ways of mundane existence. Hence the need to keep cheerful in spite of the difficulties, realizing that there are other pilgrims on the path, walking side by side, ahead, or behind, and that those who have successfully reached the other shore had to pass through similar experiences.

Thefore it is essential to cultivate the habit of cheerfulness. Each one of us is his brother's keeper; he influences and affects others, as he in turn is affected by them. Cheerfulness is as contagious as despondency and gloom. It helps one to extend friendliness and brotherliness. Cheerfulness usually follows true inner contentment, and Lord Buddha calls contentment the greatest wealth. It is like the health-giving sunshine of life which enables the flowers to bloom, and the fruits to ripen, and the birds to sing their sweet melodies. Likewise there is the beneficent light of the Spiritual Sun radiating its spiritual influence and affecting for good those who seek it. The forces of light need to be spread deliberately. Light and darkness are the world's eternal ways, but it is the duty of every aspirant to join the army of light and peace and thus triumph ultimately over the forces of darkness. When one thinks and acts and lives as the Self of all, then the heart begins to sing the song of cheer. When one is plunged in grief and troubles it is difficult to be cheerful, but if the habit of cheerfulness is built day by day in quiet times, it will be a true sustainer and will lighten the burden.

We have to reach the other shore. The sailing may be smooth or rough, the weather may be calm or stormy, but the ocean of sansara has to be crossed, and it is only true cheerfulness that can enable one to do so. Just as a soldier joins the army and dares to fight at peril to his life, so too the daring pilgrim has to move forward and sail onward till the other shore is reached.

What is meant by reaching the other shore? It implies the attainment of perfection in all aspects of life—conscious godhood. The more one dares, the more he shall obtain. Fearlessness is prescribed by Sri Krishna as the foremost of the divine qualities. The aspirant need fear no one and nothing except the tribunal of his own inner self. He starts from where he is, with his merit or demerit, till he completes his voyage, through waking or sleeping, through embodied or disembodied states. Just as a sailor is always watchful of his direction, of the weather, of the stars in the firmament, so too the daring pilgrim has to be well guarded as he passes through various conditions and stages.

Elsewhere in The Voice of the Silence the advice is given:

Be of good cheer and rest content with fate. Such is thy Karma, the Karma of the cycle of thy births, the destiny of those who, in their pain and sorrow, are born along with thee, rejoice and weep from life to life, chained to thy previous actions.

Each one must realize that he has made his own fate through his past choices and past exertion. It is no use murmuring about our present circumstances; what we need is the practice of contentment, the generation of right thoughts, and the performance of unselfish deeds, to build a better future. H.P.B. states: "One little period passed without doubt, murmuring, and despair; what a gain it would be; a period a mere tithe of what every one of us has had to pass through. But everyone forges his own destiny." If we grumble and murmur and lose hope and faith, then before we know it we shall be lost in the wilderness of life. Therefore must we be of good cheer always. We must not fluctuate between smiles and tears. Living in the world of sorrow and misery, the heart must keep steadily cheerful. Not that we are to remain indifferent to the suffering around us; rather are we to help others with the right attitude of mind and heart. Good cheer means brightening up a dreary atmosphere, letting in the sunshine of love and kindness.

The most inspiring idea is that those who have reached the other shore are watching and waiting for the daring pilgrims sailing towards them. It is helpful to keep their great ideal in our hearts, their age-old precepts in our minds, and to sail on with good cheer to the other shore.