Why Talk of Tomorrow!* In the light of Sadhguru Shri Wamanrao Pai’s Jeevanvidya, meeting life’s uncertainty with grace.

We always make it a point to go to our village for Diwali. This year too, all the siblings and our families gathered.

The house was brimming with festive energy—rows of lamps, a lantern swaying gently in the breeze, whirling fireworks and thunderous bursts of sound.

Everyone was excited and happy. Mother and father were radiant—busy, delighted to fulfill everyone’s little wishes.

Amidst it all, my heart kept fluttering with worry. I tried not to show it, but Father’s keen eyes caught it at once.

The day after Bhau-Beej, Father was sitting quietly on the veranda. I hovered nearby.

He looked at me—

in my eyes he saw the fatigue, the weight on my mind.

“What is it?” he asked with a smile.

“So many lamps are lit outside…

but why does the lamp inside you flicker so? What’s happened?”

I steadied myself…

but the burden inside felt too heavy.

“Baba… things are strange at the company. There’s no certainty about the job. Everything feels uncertain. If something happens and I lose work—home loan EMIs, household expenses, the children’s future… it all looks dark.

The world is racing ahead… so many peers are far ahead of me. And then health, responsibilities… I’m scared.”

My words stumbled; tears welled in my eyes.

Father gently held my hand—warm, reassuring.

“My child, if you’re afraid, it means you are aware of tomorrow. That’s good.

But if fear of tomorrow starts choking today’s breath—then that worry steals today’s joy and makes life miserable—not only for you, but for the whole family.”

His words echoed softly inside me…

“Think of your childhood,” he said. “Everything was uncertain—yet there was a bright aliveness in it. There was delight in living.”

He continued—

“As a child you had no idea what tomorrow would bring—

and yet you lived with enthusiasm!

You didn’t worry about tomorrow.

Now you want everything fixed, certain, safe. That’s not wrong in itself—but the way you keep brooding on the future is. Constant worry is pushing joy out of your present—and with it, your aliveness is dimming.”

I nodded.

Yes—that was the wound at the core.

Father said,

“Do you remember what Sadhguru always tells us? Take care—but don’t over-care.

And ‘Be cautious; be happy.’

We must be careful in life.

Prepare for tomorrow—

but don’t let fear devour today.”

There was no command in his voice—only support. A steadying hand.

Then he spoke softly,

“Listen to what Shankaracharya says in Bhaja Govindam:

Bālastāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ,

Taruṇastāvat taruṇīsaktaḥ,

Vṛddhastāvat cintāmagnaḥ,

Paramaṃ brahma na ko’pi jijñāsati — Bhaja Govindam.

‘In childhood, we’re absorbed in play; in youth, in craving; in old age, in worry—

and amidst all this, no one seeks the Highest.’

My child—when the light of the present moment is understood, aliveness blossoms.”

He added,

“The meaning of life isn’t in endless planning for the future,

it’s in awareness of today’s living.”

Modern science says the same, he smiled.

“When fear takes over, cortisol rises—mind clouds, confusion grows; the body feels, ‘danger is here!’

But when we express gratitude, dopamine rises—energy and a smile return; hope flowers.

And when we wish good for others—even the very intention—oxytocin rises—warmth, closeness, and care grow.

Goodness makes life beautiful.

When the mind lights up, the body brightens, and life brightens too.

Spiritual wisdom and science are saying one thing:

move from darkness to light.”

I sat listening, spellbound.

Gratitude — the Diwali of the Heart

“Look at what you do have,” Father said. “Thank it deeply. Even that much brings joy—and begins prosperity.”

Gratitude is sowing light in the mind.

I breathed quietly… the heart felt lighter.

Do Good — and let the inner lamp blaze

“Keep wishing well for others. The dense darkness within you will melt on its own.”

Cultivate auspicious thoughts; don’t keep worrying about what hasn’t even happened yet. That is the true meaning of this festival of light.

Keep practicing doing good, and express gratitude to all who come into your life.

And then—that magical moment of life’s turning—will arrive. Things will begin to go well.

I felt settled within.

Just then, the radio began to play—

“Why talk of tomorrow…

Drink deep—taste the nine hues…

Come, let’s plunge into color…

Why talk of tomorrow…”

Father tapped his foot…

and without knowing, I joined in!

Slowly, the weight on my shoulders slipped away.

Where a moment ago there was strain, worry, fog—

now a clear light fell, and the real Diwali began.

My feet had already stepped onto a new path—

the path of auspicious thought, kindness, and gratitude.

From Father’s eyes I could feel it—

as if he was saying, “Live this moment.”

Live every moment of life.

Don’t lose the present in anxiety about the future. The true joy of life is here, in the present moment.

Why talk of tomorrow!

Let tomorrow be as uncertain as it may… one thing is certain:

Today I am alive. This very day, moment by moment, I choose to live fully, in joy.

Once the Diwali of understanding is lit within—ignorance’s darkness dissolves, and your life is illumined like an unending festival of lights. ✨

Jai Sadhguru.

Jai Jeevanvidya.

On a new path—one reflection:

*Jayant Joshi*