The Skyward Path: Resilience and Inner Ascent

Time of India

2 days ago

In an age where constant notifications, instant opinions, and endless comparisons have become the norm, staying calm and detached isn't just a choice– it's a survival skill. More and more people today are realising that emotional detachment, when done right, can lead to greater peace, clarity, and long-term happiness.
But detachment doesn't mean being cold or indifferent. It means knowing where to place your attention and where to hold back. It's about protecting your mental energy, choosing your battles, and not letting every outside opinion or outcome define your worth. Here's a look at how to practise this in your daily life, without disconnecting from what truly matters.
In every human soul lies a longing, not merely to survive, but to live with divine purpose. Ancient
Indian wisdom
speaks of this as the upward movement of consciousness. The sky has always symbolised this higher aspiration, not as an object of admiration but as a metaphor for
spiritual evolution
.
The journey of skyward soul mirrors the flight of the highflyers, not in wings, but in wisdom. The eagle's ascent becomes an inner template for the seeker. Not because of its physical might, but it embodies qualities revered in Indian spiritual tradition: vision, courage, and
detachment
. These qualities are not to be admired from afar, but to be internalised.
Vision is the starting point. In the
Katha Upanishad
, Nachiketa seeks not transient pleasures, but truth that liberates. Similarly, the spiritual aspirant must develop an inner eye to see beyond circumstances and illusions. Like the eagle that surveys from above, we are called to live with heightened awareness. This means making decisions based on long-term wisdom, not short-term gratification. In daily life, it's as simple as pausing before reacting, listening before speaking, and asking, "Does this choice align with my dharm?"
Resilience
is next. Life is not without storms. But as Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible avers, "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles." The Bhagwad Gita instructs, "Be steady in pain and pleasure." This steadiness is cultivated not in ashrams alone, but in the heart, thanks to everyday trials. The chaos of workplace, friction of relationships, pressures of deadlines; and every challenge becomes an invitation to rise, to respond with calmness and clarity instead of impulse.
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Then comes solitude. In Indian wisdom, silence is not emptiness but presence, but is considered a spiritual practice because in quietude, the soul hears what noise conceals. The sages retreated to forests not to escape, but to listen. Today, solitude might mean a few minutes of mindful silence before dawn, as Rumi says, "The quieter you become, the more you can hear."
The unknown too must be embraced. The Rigveda exhorts, "Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes." This is not poetic fantasy but practical spirituality.
Eventually, the
spiritual path
lifts us beyond dualities. Fear, desire, comparison, ego; all begin to fall away. We stop identifying with the surface and start living from our essence. Tao Te Ching echoes this truth: "When you let go of what you are, you become what you might be." We move from ego identity to true Self. This is not renunciation of life, but the deepest embrace of it. We begin to live in the world in the spirit of karm yog with every breath as a step toward liberation.
The symbol of Garud, the celestial mount of Vishnu, embodies this path. Garud does not fly aimlessly; he carries divine purpose. He is the fearless one, truth bearer, embodiment of dharm. The Garud Puran tells us that detachment, devotion and discernment are the wings of spiritual flight. The Gita says, "Withdraw your senses like a tortoise withdraws its limbs." This is not denial but mastery. In Garuda's soaring, we are reminded to carry the divine in all we do.
The skyward path is not a distant ideal. It is a way of being accessible, practical, and profound.
Authored by: Ullhas Pagey
Can divine grace lead to lasting peace? Teachings of Bhagavad Gita from Chapter 2, Verse 65