"I realised that we're all tied down by our thoughts and limitations. When you surrender and stand in front of the vastness -- you know that you're a small part of a large universe," Prime Minister Modi said.
HIGHLIGHTS
- I was undecided, unguided and unclear: PM describes his youth
- All I knew was that I wanted to do something: PM
- Modi opens up about journey that helped him find his guiding force
If you cast your mind back to your late teens, when the trials of adulthood loomed, you may remember a person full of curiosity but little clarity. Narendra Modi was no different.
When he was still 17, Modi says, he became a traveller -- a young man on a quest for answers about the world and himself. "I was undecided, unguided and unclear," the prime minister told Humans of Bombay. "I didn't know where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do it. But all I knew, was that I wanted to do something."
Sound familiar?
"While growing up, I had a lot of curiosity but very little clarity. I would see army men in their uniforms and think that this was the the only way to serve the country. But as my conversations with the saints and sadhus at the railway station grew deeper, I realised that this too was a world worth discovering."
Modi spoke at length about the two-year journey that helped him discover his "guiding force" -- (very) early mornings, baths in freezing Himalayan waters, and life with sadhus who taught him "to align himself with the rhythm of the universe". "I went wherever God wanted to take me -- it was an undecided period of my life but still, gave me so many answers," Modi said.
"I learnt that peace, oneness and Dhyan can be found, even in the simple sound of a waterfall."
What he discovered then, he explained, continues to help him today.
"I aligned and experienced revelations that help me till today. I realised that we're all tied down by our thoughts and limitations. When you surrender and stand in front of the vastness -- you know that you're a small part of a large universe. When you understand that, any trace of arrogance you have in you melts and then life truly begins."
"That's when it all changed," Modi said. "After two years, I returned home with clarity and a guiding force to lead the way."
The prime minister's interview with Humans of Bombay is being published in five parts. Part 2 was posted yesterday. In Part 1, he spoke about his childhood -- his first RSS meeting, his eagerness to meet people from all over India and his "great need to look sharp and groomed".
How would an 8-year-old Modi have answered if he'd been asked if he dared to dream about becoming the prime minister?
"His answer would be no. Never. It was too far to even think about."
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