Spiritual Escalation of self - as depicted in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma.

#Robin Sharma, the new age writer is a Uganda born Canadian Author. Today he is the internationally renowned author of 11 international bestselling books on leadership. He is also a highly sought after speaker and leadership coach and the founder of Sharma Leadership International Inc. Robin Sharma it seems, through his works has altered the lives of many readers and is a guiding light that leads his audience towards a spiritual escalation of self. The paper discusses his novel #The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. How all the way through this novel he offers a solution to life’s most complex problems and leads us towards spiritual growth. The paper also discusses why in the modern age of science and technology, a book with a spiritual message is liked and appreciated by many. Furthermore, his works carry a wealth of wisdom that enriches our personal, professional and spiritual life at large.

The novel teaches us how to maintain simplicity, serenity, happiness and harmony in our life. Before being a writer, Sharma was a lawyer, just like the protagonist in the novel. As he himself decided to redefine his core values he felt that he should share his transformation with other and this resulted in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams And Achieving Your Destiny,( 2003) which was followed by the book entitled Who Will Die When You Cry, The Greatness Guide, etc. In the preface to his book, Who Will Die When You Cry, Sharma urges us to live our life by choice and not by chance, by design rather by default. He further says that today we live in an age when we have forgotten what life is all about. We can easily put person on Moon, but we have trouble walking across the street to meet a new neighbour. We can put missile across the world with a pinpoint accuracy, but we have trouble keeping a date with our children. We have e-mails, fax, face-book and digital phones so that we can stay connected and yet we live in a time where humans beings have never been less connected. Sharma feels we have lost touch with our humanity. We have lost touch with our purpose. We have lost sight of the things that matters the most.

The real problem, he feels lies in the fact that in this age of global anxiety we do not get enough relief. Two Sanskrit words he says sound very similar, Chinta and Chitta – one burns the dead while other burns the living. Therefore, the basic question he urges us to ask ourselves is ‘who will cry when I die?’ very soon all will be over and only regret remain. This regret leads to depression, frustration and stress. Therefore, before becoming slaves to this pessimist state of mind, Sharma urges us to find our call. He says that finding one calling does not suggest that you must leave the job you have now.  However, it simply means that one needs to bring more of self into the work and focus on things one does best. It also means that one stops waiting for others to make the change, but one ought to take the initiative and travel on the road less traveled.

The novel, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – A Fable About Fulfilling Your #Dreams And Achieving Your #Destiny, tells the story of Julian Mantle, a high-profile and workaholic lawyer  who collapses in the middle of a trial. This incidence has a great impact on him and is also a revelation. He decides to question the purpose life that he is leading and starts a journey of self- realisation. His journey leads him to the mighty mountains of Himalayas, which in India are associated with many known and unknown stories of saints and spirituality. The Himalayas are the spiritual heritage for the Hindus and are called tapobhumi or land of spiritual practices.   The Himalayas are considered to be the home to the all abnegating Shiva and from times immemorial, the Himalayas have given out wordless invitations to sages, anchorites, yogis, artists, and philosophers.

The story is about Julian Mantle and his transformation from a millionaire lawyer to an enlightened monk- his journey from a skeptical litigator towards being a yogi and a believer. The story is narrated by Julian to John, another lawyer and his junior. Initially, Julian is a brilliant, handsome and fearless trial attorney who dreams of greatness and success that money and fame gives, he is an embodiment of modern-man. He is also tough, hard working and willing to work eighteen hours a day for success, believing it to be his destiny. He is always hungry for more – more prestige, more glory and more money. He has all the materialistic possessions, but he is not satisfied. In fact, nothing satisfies him and in this case due to his greed for more, his marriage breaks and his relation with his father is also botched. This creates a situation that is stressful and one fatal day he collapses right in the middle of a packed courtroom. Nevertheless, he takes this attack as an excellent opportunity to rekindle his inner fire –

                           ...every pain can be a wonderful teacher (p 46)

He decides to find out who he really is and turns this opportunity into a personal odyssey of the self. He disappears for a while and when he returns after three years, he is a changes man-

                             ...a lineless face glowing radiantly (p 11)

The author is quite astonished by the new improved Julian, who is now ready to share his secret with the author and the world.

The spiritual crisis ultimately leads him towards spiritual awakening. Sharma points out that, in this modern fast-paced society, which values material possessions and accomplishments, more and more people, like Julian are hunger for meaning and connection to some larger purpose. This especially becomes essential when dealing with life-changing events, confrontation with mortality or pain that is mental, emotional or physical in which an interpretation may be crucial that gives meaning to the event. This sets the stage for a spiritual crisis, where previously held beliefs are called into question. This is a common occurrence after a traumatic event where the unexpected has happened, like experienced by Julian when he collapses in the courtroom. When such an incidence happens, the life-changing event shatters a sense of safety in the world and creates inconsistency, confusion and disorientation.

For Julian, the solution to the crisis such as this lies in addressing questions regarding values, meaning and purpose. It might be said that the sufficiency or deficiency of a belief system is called into query. Sharma points out that the resolution may require greater definition of beliefs toward a sort of cosmic worldview to such questions as, -Why do I exist? , What am I here to do? , Who am I? , What makes me different or the same as others? , What is my or our relationship to the interplay of forces, cause and effect or to a supreme force, what is the meaning of life over and above survival? Does God exist? Why does life seem unfair? If God exists, why does God allow suffering?  How can we create a more peaceful state of existence? What happens when we die? etc. To these questions, science fails to give satisfactory answers.  We need to search beyond the rational mind for these answers.

Research confirms this view that God becomes part of the ‘big picture’ for the -

significant things that happen (Hood, Spilka, Hunsberger, and Gorsuch, 1996, p. 30).

People will endure anything life throws at them as long as they believe it has meaning. For some event to have meaning one must believe that learning and growth has come from it, that the event has motivated us to take some action that will help others or that it has taught us something about ourselves. Answering these questions has the prospective to provide meaning, can help a person to feel connected to the divine, or to feel that the actions in life have been evocative, because it have made a difference to someone, somewhere at some time.

A spiritual crisis may begin one on a journey that leads to a unique task or mission in life that continues to give our lives meaning. Victor Frankl, an author who endured a Nazi Death Camp believed that-

striving to find meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man. (p. 121, Man’s Search for Meaning)

Julian’s predicament leads him on a quest for happiness and peace and takes him to India. In India, he learns the process of spiritual growth. He finds out that spiritual growth is an important inner process, not only for people who live in far away and secluded places, and who seek spiritual awakening but  it is of paramount importance for a superior, happier and  harmonious life, free of strain and anxiety. Spiritual growth is the process of getting rid of wrong concepts, thoughts and beliefs about who we are and about the world in which we live. Through this process, we increase our consciousness of our true inner being, the true spirit that we are. It is a process of looking inside us, cracking our illusions and revealing our true essence, which is always present, but concealed beyond the ego-personality.

Here cracking the shackles of reason, he places his trust in his intuition and decides to travel alone. Through perseverance and missionary zeal, he is able to find The Great Sages of Sivana-Oasis of Enlightenment. In this magical world of Sivana, he feels as if he has returned to the paradise and realizes that it is right time to reinvent his destiny. Yogi Rama teaches him that success on the outside means nothing unless you also have success within. This is the message that Sharma wants to pass on to his readers. Enormous amount of wisdom is covered here. The novel deals with an approach to live life simply with a balance of focus, obedience, courage and self-mastery. The message in the book keeps on lingering in our minds.

The novel is about how Julian learns the value of time and how to utilize time to its optimal. All the chapters in the novel are thoroughly intended and flow impeccably from one to the next. The book is well engraved. Many persons today have the life style that is similar to that of Julian, who lives a life of splendour and extravagance. Earning more and more, but in the process losing health and family. Julian Mantle journey to India makes him meet sage Yogi, who lives in Sivana, a small place located in the Himalayas, the land of rose covered huts, calm blue waters with white lotuses floating.

The excellent part of the book is where Julian Mantle teaches his friend John about the ways to live life happily and how to utilize time. The teachings that were taught to him by the sage in Sivana. Julian shares the transformation of life by Yogi Raman. Other pleasant thing about the book is that, each chapter ends with an action summary. Therefore, you get the chance to think about what happened in the story, the points being made, and the big thing is it gives you the techniques. He also shares everything, which he has learned from the sage. The book, for people who do not have time to spend more on books, is a real gift. This book is also for people who dash after riches and materialism, and for who hunt life somewhere else when life is within.

The novel describes the Seven basic virtues of Sivana System, seven fundamental principles that embodied the key to self leadership, personal responsibility and spiritual enlightenment. Rama imparts his wisdom to Juliet via a mystical fable. The fable starts in the magnificent garden with a lighthouse in the  middles of the house, out of the house walks a 9  feet  tall  900-pound  Sumo wrestler, who  is naked  except for  pink wire cable covering  his  privates. He slips and falls on a stopwatch that been lying on the floor and 1oses consciousness. However, the wrestler wakes up to the fresh flagrance of yellow roses coming from a distance. He looks over and then discovers that, there is a diamond-studded pathway that he walks.  

The  garden, the  lighthouse, the  sumo wrestler, the  pink wire cable, the  stopwatch, the yellow roses  and the winding path of diamonds are  symbols  of the seven timeless virtues  for  an  enlightened  life.  Julian then  explains the significance of the fable - the   garden is a symbol  of  the  mind,  lighthouse is a reminder  of  one's purpose in life,  sumo wrestler  stands for rituals of Kaizen-  building strength   of  character, developing mental toughness and courage,  pink wire  represents discipline, the stopwatch represents time, the yellow flowers symbolise fragrance - acts  of  kindness and  creativity and an  optimist   attitude   of  life. While the diamond- studded path represents enlightened living life that is full of happiness. Julian wants to share his experience with all. To de- stress in life, one should understand this fable - 

1. Magnificent Garden represents Our  Mind

Þ Nurture the mind daily.

                        Þ Only let positive thoughts into your mind.

Þ Mind can be mastered through concentration and a useful technique is to practice the "heart of the rose" every morning. This entails focusing on the heart of a fresh rose and improving concentration  of mind everyday

Þ Spend time in the mon1ing visualizing what you plan to become

2. The Light house signifies our purpose of life

Þ Life is finite so concentrate on your life’s main purpose

Þ Find something you love and work with passion

Þ  Apply the rule of 21.

Þ Laugh, love and live every day

3. The Sumo Wrestler represents Kaizen

Þ  This entails – building strength, developing mental toughness and living with courage

Þ Union of mind, body and soul

Þ 10 rituals of Kaizen to be practiced everyday

Þ Means never ending and daily improvement of self

4. Pink wire cable represents discipline.

Þ Will-power and discipline are like strings that need to be woven together

Þ Through Controlling thoughts, controlling mind, one can control life and become the master of destiny

5. The stopwatch represents time

Þ Time is the most important commodity of our life

Þ It is finite and must be mastered

Þ Do not let others steal your time

Þ Develop a death-bed mentality

6. Fragrance of yellow roses signifies service

Þ Show act of kindness

Þ Develop in yourselves a gift of sharing

Þ Cultivate friends and nature family

7. Diamond studded path represents enlightened living

Þ Live in now and live fully

Þ Happiness is a journey and not an destination

Þ Practice the act of gratitude

Þ Now is the path to  nirvana

 The ultimate goal of life, the ultimate destination of all enlightened souls, he says is Nirvana. Nirvana is a state where all things are possible.

John sees his future in Julian. He realizes that if he continues with the rat race of the world he would slide down the same slippery slope through which Julian had slipped and resolves to change. He awakens to the fact that happiness is a journey and it is a choice that we make. This is the memorandum of Robin Sharma.

The language of the novel is quite simple and the message direct. Robin Sharma via fable, fairy-tale and other stories captures the wisdom of the ancient times and presents it in a reader-friendly manner. Life is an incredible sport and a quest for happiness. The Universe has a great sense of humour, tremendous love and gifts of magical unseen guidance. Every step of the journey is to be enjoyed; the strength, the power and the magic will be taken care by the universe - the cosmic law. To reach the destiny there are no quick fixes or short cuts.  Julian says that all lasting changes require 

time and effort and perseverance is the mother of personal change. The book creates a world of wisdom, intention, happiness, love, peace and success.

This novel of Robin Sharma is the best tools that will help us transform challenges into opportunities. It  teach us how  best to lead ourselves and our team in times of crisis  as  it  helps  us  to  become  more  resilient,  an  expert  on  change  and  crisis management, and also guides us to live a life void of the fears, tensions and stress that have kept us from reaching the highest potential. Sharma says that goals and dreams for the future are essential in every truly successful life. Hope for what will appear in your future is what gets you out of bed in the morning and what keeps you inspired through your days. Goals energies your life. Sharma says that his point is very simple - never put happiness for the sake of achievement never put off the things that are important for your well- being. Today is the day to live fully, not when you win a lottery or when you retire. Never put off living. We live in an age where we have conquered higher mountains but have to master over selves.  We have  taller buildings  but shorter tempers,  more  possessions  but  less happiness,  fuller minds  but emptier lives.  Nevertheless, wisdom lies in realizing that happiness is not a place you reach but a state you create, so in this stressful age the spiritual message that Robin Sharma conveys through his books is- live for something more than yourself, stated simply, the purpose of life is a life of purpose.

Published in – Recent Thoughts The Referred international Journal ISSN: 2278-4608 June 2012, Year: I, Vol :I (2)  Page 92 to 95

 

Elongation of Divinity-as Depicted in New Age Fiction with Special Reference to Illusion by Richard Bach, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

Abstract - In the time of exploding changes and spectacular uncertainty, #Richard Bach (American), #Paulo Coelho (Brazil-Portuguese) and #Robin Sharma (Indo-Canadian)# New Age writers through their respective novels craft a world that is copious and consequential. The article discusses that although the thoughts and views expressed by the authors are based on different spiritual traditions, they have a well-defined value to all those who have a spiritual outlook on life and its problems. The three novels have an undisputed influence to accelerate the soul and inflame the moral zeal of all who look up to it for aid and guidance moreover they lead to elongation of divinity. The three novelists presented here belong to different countries and cultures, yet the novels have much in common –they depict man’s journey to the inner world. They dive the message that Spirituality is a lifestyle option and the need of the hour.

Key words - #Richard Bach, #Paulo Coelho, #Robin Sharma, #Spirituality

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 Alvin Toffler in his The Third Wave, describes the breakup of the modern society. He says that in this age of science and technology, human being is experiencing lack of recognizable order. To this loss of order, we must also add the loss of meaning. The feeling that our lives count is lost. This feeling says Toffler comes from healthy relationship with the surrounding society. It also depends on being able to see ourselves as part of a larger, even cosmic scheme of things. But the sudden shifts of social ground-rules have shattered the world-image that we carry.

In the time of exploding changes and spectacular uncertainty, Richard Bach (American), Paulo Coelho (Brazil-Portuguese) and Robin Sharma (Indo-Canadian) New Age writers through their respective novels craft a world that is copious and consequential. The article discusses that although the thoughts and views expressed by the authors are based on different spiritual traditions, they have a well-defined value to all those who have a spiritual outlook on life and its problems. The three novels have an undisputed influence to accelerate the soul and inflame the moral zeal of all who look up to it for aid and guidance moreover they lead to elongation of divinity. The popularity of such novels, show us that in spite of all materialistic possessions that the 21st century has provided us, the human heart pines for tranquility, contentment and spirituality. The term New Age was first articulated in 1971, does it exclude all that was written prior to it is a question. Anupama Bhattacharya his article in Life Positive October1999 says that concept of the New Age fiction is rather vague at the moment—one can stretch it to include other realms, different states of being, space/time continuums, spirit entities, supraconsciousness and such phenomena—what is obvious is a desire to explore the higher reaches of human potential.

While the Indian novelist Namita Gokhale says that New Age fiction is a meeting point of science fiction and mythical reality, which expresses a belief that a collaborated spiritual evolution outside of religion is not only possible, but like. Vikas Malkani, an emerging New Age guru based in New Delhi, India says in New Age fiction, the focus is on conveying the message. The story line is secondary. New Age fiction is like water, spiritual fiction like wine. Everybody needs water. Only connoisseurs go for wine.

The above mention novels no doubt belong to the New Age fiction as the novels are full of ideas that are motivating and thought-provoking. The novels have a spiritual significance that tells us how to continue in life in spite of difficulties or lack of success. The protagonists of the novels belong to different spheres of life and follow different profession in life. Richard is a pilot-connected with sky element, Santiago is a shepherd-connected with land element, and John is lawyer-connected with fire element, demonstrating that whatever be our profession, the aim of life is to attain the highest ethical goal through happiness, personal well-being and personal calling-eudaimonia.

In spite of hardships and obstacles the protagonists in the respective novels choose to follow their hearts and at time they go against the laid norms of the society, they do not fear to stand alone, they are restless and searching for something which ultimately they find within. They all have dreams that are symbolic, and in their dreams they see the indication of their destiny. Through perseverance they follow their dreams and achieve their destiny. In Illusion-The Adventure of a Reluctant Messiah(1977) Richard Bach (American writer) tells us about his predestined meeting with a messiah –Donald Shimoda. Richard Bach's mystical adventure story revolves around two barnstorming pilots who meet in a field in Midwest America. It is a story born out of inspiration –

What if somebody came along who could teach me how my world works and how to control it? ... what if a Siddhartha a Jesus came to our time, with power over the illusions of the world because he knew the reality behind them? And what if I could meet him in person, if he was flying a biplane and landed in the same meadow with me?

These are the question that the author asks himself before writing this novel. The scribbled chapter in Verses 11-22 contains the story of the creatures clinging tightly to the bottom of a crystal river, for clinging was their way of life. But one of them decides to let go of the bottom and is proclaimed a Messiah. As he flies overhead of the others he tells the clingers-I am no more Messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare to go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure (p19) Obviously, the creatures hugging the river bottom, afraid of the current are a metaphor for the mass of humanity that has not yet awaken to the reality of life. In this aspect, the river creatures are the same as the sheep in The Alchemist. Bach is urging us to stop being afraid, to actively swim with the current of life which ultimately leads to a higher existence. Thus, Bach lays down the theme of this amazing book. Donald Shimoda and Richard are the two main characters in Illusions. Donald Shimoda is a Messiah who leaves his job of being a Messiah as he feels that people want to be entertained by the miracles but do not understand the message behind them. He is a Messiah who is frustrated with the masses as he feels that the people who came to him aren’t interested in learning.

He meets Richard, a fellow barn-storming pilot and begins to pass on his knowledge to him. The friendship between Richard and Don is like between twins –Don being the twin from the other dimension. Richard is also constantly trying to escape, the airplane symbolizes the freedom that we pine for. He is constantly on the run. When the guy in the battered wheelchair (p-75) is cured, instead of staying with Don, Richard escapes. He is constantly running away from miracles–relaying more on logic than intuition, but ultimately he surrenders to his spiritual-self. Don is the inner voice of Richard, that is always ready to teach and guide He learns his first lesson of life when they go to see the movie –entertaining and educational. Don tells Richard that, a movie is like a lifetime and lots of people choose lifetimes because they enjoy doing things in different ways -they are unhappy because they chosen to be unhappy.(p-108) The pilot Richard is gradually learning his lessons of life –“counting the summer by the things I learned”(p-114). He learns to remove clouds, walk on water, swim on land, walk through walls…he learns the power of positive creative visualization. The encounter with the Vampire shatters Richard’s concept of freedom. Richard always thought that he was free to do as he pleased only if it did not hurt anyone, but this concept is now changed.

He realizes that fear is an unconditional response, a life-sucking habit that can easily consume energy, creativity and peace of mind. Fear like any other thing is the creation of his own mind. Don explains him that, the reasons and the patterns of the other dimension are known to all, but it is required to lift the self spiritually to see beyond the horizons. Don’s concept of freedom is not connected to the physical body only but it is something near to what is called Nirvan. He chooses his own destiny. His return to the third dimension is by choice. He even chooses his death but again Richard also does not belong to this world. He has also taken the road less travelled. He is constantly with his plane. He returns to the third dimension for fuel, for food and for earning, whereas Don’s airplane requires no fuel and cleaning. Gradually through perseverance and faith Richard, the sceptic, is transformed into a believer. He can also now perform miracles. Richard realizes that we can be our own Massiah, the choice is ours, it is through perseverance and determination, by being our own Messiah that we can reach our destiny. The end of the novel is equally dramatic -Donald and Richard go on a talk -show where most of the questions are answered by Donald. But the sceptic in the audience cannot grasp the meaning of what Don is trying to say and an angry man shoots him with a gun and he dies.

This is also by choice. Richard opens the Handbook, and it says-Don’t be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet. Of all the lessons taught to Richard by Don, one of the most important is that reality is based on perspective –What the caterpillar calls the end of the world/ the Master calls a butterfly. The novel features quotes from the Messiah's Handbook, owned by Don, which Richard later takes as his own. A most unusual aspect of this handbook is that it has no page numbers. The reason for this, as Don explains to Richard, is that the book will open to the page on which the reader may find guidance or the answers to doubts and questions that are in his mind. It is not a magical book; Don goes on to explain that one can do this with any other text. The great thing about Richard Bach's Illusions is that he creates a plot, which is both amusing and easy to follow; featuring his chosen message and presenting his conception of life. Bach sets forth rather abstract eastern religious principles in digestible, accessible terms for the western palate.

One need not go any further than the title to deduce what that concept is: Illusions. His proposition is that life itself is an illusion and we in reality are beings of spirit, not beings of material substance. Bach’s story is not a parable in the genre of Coelho's The Alchemist, but the spiritual content of the book is plain and open The Alchemist –a magical Fable about following your Dream, (1988) by Paulo Coelho was written in Portuguese and then translated in English. It is the story of Santiago - his quest for a dream and the fulfilment of his destiny. Santiago as he walks towards his destiny, lays down the main moral of the book -the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and above all, following our dreams. Paulo Coelho says that everyone who follows the path chosen by God, everyone who follows the Personal Legend is an Alchemist, because the path itself is a process of a continuous transformation to something greater. The protagonist Santiago is a shepherd boy, whose purpose in life is to travel. His parents want him to become a priest, but he felt that knowing the world was more important than knowing God. So with his father’s blessings he starts his journey. The journey becomes a journey of exploration and self-discovery, symbolically searching for a hidden treasure.

At the outset of the journey he meets Tarifa–an old woman who interprets dreams. Tarifa tells him that he must go to the Pyramids in Egypt and there he will find a treasure. This interpretation of dream is not done free, she asks the boy to give her one tenth of the treasure in return. There is a price to be paid when one follows the dream. Tarifa can interpret the dream, but she does not know how to convert it into reality. The boy realizes that in a spiritual quest there can be no spoon-feeding. The seeker must walk alone and find his destiny. On the way the boy meets King Salem, who guides him. He says that realization of one’s destiny is the only real obligation that we have and he talks about the soul of the world and signs and omens. He says-When you want something all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it (P-21)

The first major diversion from Santiago’s journey is the theft of his money in Tangiers. Initially disheartened the boy does not loose courage. He has lost his money, but not his faith. He takes up a menial job in the crystal shop. At this juncture he learns the art of business and the art of patience. The crystals have much to teach.The merchant of the crystal shop talks about his dream-the pilgrimage to Mecca, but he argues that having a dream is more important than fulfilling it. The Merchant is afraid of change and does not want to leave his comfort zone. But the boy realizes that to reach the destiny one should take the road less travelled. Merchant and Santiago help each other in unexpected ways. Santiago through what seemed like an unexciting task learns that one should never stop dreaming. And the Merchant, through the boy’s enthusiasm feels that his own life can change for the better. Santiago in a way manages to change the merchant’s life, he is a true Alchemist. Paulo Coelho points out that one should not be afraid of change. Coelho suggests that those who do not have the courage to follow their Personal Myth are doomed to a life of worthlessness, desolation, and unfulfillment. Fear of failure seems to be the greatest obstacle to happiness. This is where Coelho really captures the drama of man, who sacrifices fulfilment to conformity, who knows he can achieve greatness but denies doing so, and ends up living a life of void. Only few people choose to follow the road that has been made for them, and find God while searching for their destiny, and their mission on earth.

As Santiago, joins the caravan to the Egyptian pyramids, he meets the Englishman. The Englishman is searching for something he describes it as, a universal language, understood by everybody, but already forgotten…I have to find a man who knows that universal language. An alchemist. (P-67).

 The journey in the desert is exciting and instructive. In the secrets wisdom and wilderness of the desert, Santiago finds his soul-mate Fatima and discovers that love is the core of existence and creation. As Coelho explains, when we love, we always try to improve ourselves, and that's when everything is possible and thus true love cannot prevent you from walking your path and following your destiny. The subject of love inspires a beautiful lyricism in Coelho's writing: I love you because the whole universe conspired for me to come close to you. Moreover he meets the Alchemist who motivates him and guides him in pursuing his destiny. The novel reaches the climax as we see the Alchemist. He is the epitome of handsomeness -gentle yet strong -dressed all in black, riding through the desert on his horse, leaving dust in the wind. Coelho points out that everyone who walks his path, and follows his Personal Legend, is an Alchemist. On the path, every second of the search is an encounter with God………everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him. (P-125)

The Alchemist tells Santiago, when you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed. At the end of the story it is this simple lesson that saves Santiago's life. By the end of the novel, he discovers that, treasure lies where your heart belongs, and thatthe treasure was the journey itself, the discoveries he made, and the wisdom he acquired. The novel skillfully combines words of perception, philosophy, and straightforwardness of meaning and language, which makes it particularly comprehensible and accounts for its best-selling status. The novel bursts with buoyancy, it is a kind of novel that tells you that all is possible as long as you really want it to. This is the central part of Paulo Coelho’s philosophy and the motif that echoes behind Coelho's writing all through The Alchemist.

In the novel The Monk who Sold His Ferrari-A fable about fulfilling your dreams and reaching your destiny(2003) Robin Sharma, Uganda born Indo-Canadian author tells us a story about Julian Mantle and his transformation from a millionaire lawyer to an enlightened monk –his journey from being a skeptical litigator towards being a yogi and a believer. The story is narrated by Julian to John, another lawyer and his junior.

Julian is a brilliant, handsome and fearless trial attorney with dreams of greatness, a typical modern-man. He is also tough, hard-working and willing to work eighteen hours a day for success, believing it to be his destiny. He is always hungry for more –more prestige, more glory and more money. He has all the materialistic possessions but in spite of it, he does not know what he truly wants. Nothing satisfies him –his marriage fails and he even doesn’t speak with his father. This creates trauma and anxiety which is visible his in life-emotionally, physically and spiritually. And one fatal day he collapsed right in the middle of a packed courtroom.(P-1) He takes this attack as a blessing in disguise and starts to search for meaning in life. He sees this attack as a golden opportunity to rekindle the inner fire –even pain can be a wonderful teacher.(P-46) He decides to find out who he really was and turns this opportunity into a personal odyssey of the self. (P-13) He disappears and when he returns after three years –he is a changed man –a lineless face glowing radiantly.(P-11) The author is quite astonished by the new and improved Julian. Julian is now ready to share his secret with the author and the world.

Julian’s quest for happiness and peace takes him to India. At this point, shedding the restraints of reason, he places his trust in his intuition and decides to travel alone. Though firmness and missionary zeal he is able to find the Great Sages of Sivana–oasis of enlightenment. (P-17) In this magical world of Sivana, he feels as if he has returned to the paradise and realizes that it is right time to reinvent his destiny. Yogi Rama teaches him that success on the outside means nothing unless you also have success within (P-29).This is the message that Robin Sharma wants to pass. The book describes the Seven basic virtues of SivananSystem, seven fundamental principles that embodied the keys to self-leadership, personal responsibility and spiritual enlightenment. Yogi Rama imparts his wisdom to him via a mystical fable. The fable starts in a magnificent garden with a lighthouse in the middle of the grounds. Out of the lighthouse walks a 9 feet tall 900-pound Sumo wrestler who is naked except for a pink wire cable covering his privates. He slips and falls on a stopwatch that has been lying on the floor and loses consciousness. However the wrestler wakes up to the fresh fragrance of yellow roses coming from a distance.

He awakens to the fact that happiness is a journey and it is also a choice that we make. This is what Robin Sharma wants to convey. The book is deeply inspiring, idea-rich and full of real-world tactics that can immediately be applied to one’s life. The language of the book is quite straightforward and the message direct. Robin Sharma via fable, fairy-tale and other stories captures the wisdom of the past and presents it in a reader-friendly manner. To reach the destiny there are no quick-fixes or short-cuts. Julian says that all lasting changes require time and effort and perseverance is the mother of personal change. The book creates a world of wisdom, purpose, happiness, love, peace and success. The readers greatly identify themselves with the protagonist of these novels. All the three novels under discussion have been best-sellers. They have been translated into many languages and have inspired countless men, women and teenagers to acquire their goal in life. They are not just stories, but a way of looking at life. In this age of dehumanization of human values, they give us a new insight and idea about how we can define peace, happiness and success.

These novels are like Manuels that guides us to cope up and deal with our personal legend. Sometimes, we need to pass through extremely hard situations and feel the deep experiences to be able to become the real actor of own destination. And isn't it true that the whole of humankind frantically wants to believe the old king when he says that the greatest lie in the world is that at some point we lose the ability to control our lives, and become losses of the pawns of fate. Coelho says that, all of us do not have the courage to confront our dreams. He says that there are four obstacles that stop us from achieving our dreams. The first obstacle is the layers of prejudice, fear and guilt. The second obstacle is love; we know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us. The third obstacle is fear of the defeats we will meet on the path. The fourth and the last obstacle is the fear of realizing the dream for which we have been fighting all our lives. The mere possibility of getting what we want fills the soul of the ordinary person with guilt. Coelho feels that this is the most dangerous obstacle because it has a kind of saintly aura about it; renouncing joy and conquest. But if you believe yourself worthy of the things you fought so hard to get, then you become an instrument of god, you help the Soul of the World, and you understand why you are here.

Life is a journey that we start blind and learn to deal with it with time, Ruyard Kipling says In a yellow wood, two roads diverged, and sorry I couldn’t take both. That’s potentially a more reasonable approach of our paths. We live in the duality of choice, no matter what our life circumstances. On the spiritual level, our choices decide our destiny. Each movement of our life we are making choices. It is the choice of being undefended or defended, of being connected and individual or disconnected and separate. Richard and Don, Julian and John, Santiago and the Alchemist are soul mates. They are the warriors of light who encourage, inspire, arouse and guide each other through the obstacles of life and help each other in making choices and reaching their destiny. The protagonists in the respective novels demonstrate that, the incidences in our life may be predetermined, but our responses to it are not predetermined. Each of us long to be understood and express ourselves. This longing is the inner light that leads us along our evolutionary path. Taken to the personal level, this means that each of us is born with a life task to connect to the core of our being. In order to do this we must remove the blocks between our conscious awareness and our core. This is called personal life task.

The stories told in all the three novels are timeless and entertaining and exotic, yet simple. They tell about the faith, power, and courage we all have within us to pursue the complicated path of a Personal Legend, a passageway charted by the mystifying magnet of destiny but obscured by distractions. The novelists make us aware about the fact that humanity continues to grow through experience and free will is god’s gift to humanity. The three novelists presented here belong to different countries and cultures, yet the novels have much in common –they depict man’s journey to the inner world. They dive the message that Spirituality is a lifestyle option and the need of the hour.

Reference

1.  Richard Bach, Illusion –The Adventure of a Reluctant Messiah, Dell Publication, 1997

2. Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist -A Magical Fable about following your Dreams, Harper Collins Publishers, English edition 1993

3. Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari –A Fable about Fulfilling your Dreams and Reaching your Destiny, Jaico Publication House, 2003

4. Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, Beyond Words Publishing, 2006

5. Youtube–interviews.

6. Encarta 2010

7. Facebook

8. BLOG of Paulo Coelho and Robin Sharma.

 9. www. harpercollins. co. uk/Coelh.

11. www.robinsharma.com.

Published in  - SPARK- Bi-annual International Online eJournal

[Multi –disciplinary /Multi –lingual /Multi –media]

ISSN 0975 -7929 Vol-III, Issue –5 February 2011

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