महाराष्ट्र वन सेवा पूर्व परीक्षा २०१७

Read the following passage and answer the question that follow it:
You Have The Power To Choose To Be Happy

                While giving a lecture in Pune, I was asked, “You've been practising Kriya Yoga for 40 years and if it is as helpful as you say, you must have gained something ... please show me your powers." I paused for a moment and said, “I'm sorry, I don't have any powers," then added, “except that I have the power to be happy whenever I choose.”
            Isn't happiness what we all really want, underneath the pursuit of pleasures, wealth, or "powers” ? Why then don't we simply choose to be happy whenever we wish rather than waiting for happiness to come to us as something beyond your control ? Why not be happy all the time? The answer is we don't see happiness as a choice; few possess the power to choose it.
              Worldly happiness is fleeting, like a desert mirage receding into the distance as we draw near. Lifetimes of poor, semi-aware choices eventually reveal that lasting happiness cannot be found outside of our own self and many more lifetimes are needed to develop power enough to seriously seek it within. Blessed is he who recognizes where true joy lies and has strength enough to choose it.

                   When asked, “Why should one meditate ?" I sometimes say, “So you can learn to choose, consciously and wisely.”. A common reply is, “But, I'm free to make my own choices already and do as I please." But is this really true ? Few are even remotely conscious of what drives their decisions; simply reacting to circumstances is not making a conscious choice. The average man lives as a puppet, under an illusion that he is the one pulling the
qocal strings of his life, when in fact, he is propelled by desires, habits, and katinic compatsions of which he is only dimly aware.
                  See how easily people become angry over trifles or are driven by impulses. Did they choose to act that way ? How "free" can their choice be if they cannot first control themselves ? Only those who have mastered their little "ego-sell" can claim to be acting
freely.

                   A yogi acts with conscious awareness, not from subconscious inclinations. “Circumstances are always natural,” Yogananda said. It is how you react to them that make them. Reacting emotionally demands awareness, control of our life force and an ability to choose. These are the fruits of yoga. If you train yourself to act in joy rather than reacting in anger or sorrow, you will always be well guided. Make this your natural
response and see how your life changes for the better.

                     My teacher, Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda, emphasized, “On a 'fundamental level, we have only two choices in life, to move towards the light or to move away from it. This is the choice before us in every moment, iä viedky act. If we wish to be successful as human beings, we must develop our latent power of will and discrimination to wisely choose the light. Otherwise, we are tossed on the tides of karmic circumstances, lifetime after lifetime. Why wait until tomorrow to be happy ? Choose it right now!
Each morning, before starting your day, repeat this affirmation with conviction, “I vow from today onwards to be happy under all circumstances. I came from God: I am joy!”

Read the following passage and answer the three questions given below it :
You Have The Power To Choose To Be Happy

                 While giving a lecture in Pune, I was asked, “You've been practising Kriya Yoga for 40 years and if it is as helpful as you say, you must have gained something ... please show me your powers." I paused for a moment and said, “I'm sorry, I don't have any powers," then added, “except that I have the power to be happy whenever I choose.”
             Isn't happiness what we all really want, underneath the pursuit of pleasures, wealth, or "powers” ? Why then don't we simply choose to be happy whenever we wish rather than waiting for happiness to come to us as something beyond your control ? Why not be happy all the time? The answer is we don't see happiness as a choice; few possess the power to choose it.
              Worldly happiness is fleeting, like a desert mirage receding into the distance as we draw near. Lifetimes of poor, semi-aware choices eventually reveal that lasting happiness cannot be found outside of our own self and many more lifetimes are needed to develop power enough to seriously seek it within. Blessed is he who recognizes where true joy lies and has strength enough to choose it.

              When asked, “Why should one meditate ?" I sometimes say, “So you can learn to choose, consciously and wisely.”. A common reply is, “But, I'm free to make my own choices already and do as I please." But is this really true ? Few are even remotely conscious of what drives their decisions; simply reacting to circumstances is not making a conscious choice. The average man lives as a puppet, under an illusion that he is the one pulling the strings of his life, when in fact, he is propelled by desires, habits, and katinic compatsions of which he is only dimly aware.
                  See how easily people become angry over trifles or are driven by impulses. Did they choose to act that way ? How "free" can their choice be if they cannot first control themselves ? Only those who have mastered their little "ego-sell" can claim to be acting
freely.

            A yogi acts with conscious awareness, not from subconscious inclinations. “Circumstances are always natural,” Yogananda said. It is how you react to them that make them. Reacting emotionally demands awareness, control of our life force and an ability to choose. These are the fruits of yoga. If you train yourself to act in joy rather than reacting in anger or sorrow, you will always be well guided. Make this your natural
response and see how your life changes for the better.

               My teacher, Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda, emphasized, “On a 'fundamental level, we have only two choices in life, to move towards the light or to move away from it. This is the choice before us in every moment, iä viedky act. If we wish to be successful as human beings, we must develop our latent power of will and discrimination to wisely choose the light. Otherwise, we are tossed on the tides of karmic circumstances, lifetime after lifetime. Why wait until tomorrow to be happy ? Choose it right now!
                Each morning, before starting your day, repeat this affirmation with conviction, “I vow from today onwards to be happy under all circumstances. I came from God: I am joy!”