What are the negative effects of competitive rivalry?

Rivalry is a vitamin for the world. It immerses us into this world. On every occasion, achieving more benefit for one’s own self, this disease draws one into competition. In competition, I get more, my family gets more, others get less; such tendency is constantly at work. ‘May all move aside and I alone rise’, if we indulge in such competitive rivalry, then Nature tells us only that, “You get aside and may all move ahead.” Hence, in rivalry, the damage done to others is less, but it causes tremendous harm to our own selves. So much of negativity towards the other person gets inside us that consequently, we ourselves fall down.

Rivalry Invites Lower Life-form!

For the person with whom we have rivalry, tremendous hatred arises, which is called Tejodvesh. One who gets into competitive rivalry, he has a lot of suffering. Not even for a day, he is at ease, he does not have peace. Day and night, how do I get ahead!

Competition drives human beings into conflict. Due to competition, clashes and vengeance increase. As a result of competition, jealousy arises, confrontations happen against each other, and the person acts stubborn. Some who are involved in negative competition are constantly on the lookout of an opportunity to push aside others; even if it means causing harm to others, how do I get ahead. Such people bind terrible karmas as a result of which they have to go to a lower life-form.

Energy Gets Wasted in Competition

Our time and energy get wasted in competition. Otherwise also, by getting into a racecourse where does anything change? Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan was at the top in the contract business. He had seen rivalry from a very close distance. While displaying the consequences of getting into a racecourse, he says, “The very method of these people is wrong, the entire procedure is wrong! Following these people’s method and procedure, even after running (in the race) and fetching number one, we came last. So then I realized that this is cheating! I ran in that too, ran a lot, but in that race, after coming first, I stood last. Then I thought, ‘What kind of race is this? This is a trap!’ In this, a corrupt person could destroy us any time. Wouldn’t he do such a thing? After coming first, the next day only, he’ll make you gasp for breath! So, we understood that in this, after coming first you get last, hence do not get into a horse race.”

Rivalry Brings Immorality-Dishonesty

In a competition of earning money, people do not even hesitate in doing wrong things at work or in business. To earn money, they practice immorality and dishonesty. Param Pujya Dadashri says that, “Dishonesty is the best foolishness!” Immorality and dishonesty are the greatest follies.

Because, to hide the wrongdoings, anxiety and stress arise constantly within. The boss may have two or three factories, but the inner suffocation is so terrible that it cannot be described in words! When a heart failure would occur, one cannot tell.

Not only that, there is no end to the competition for money. Because even after doing right and wrong things and earning lots of money, one is not satisfied in life. The more one earns money, the more one competes with those having even more money. One comes first, earns success, but he appears in the newspapers and magazines for a year, and then that success does not last long.

One Who Gets into Competitive Rivalry, His Personality Does Not Impress Others

Many a times, competition happens to cast one’s impression or establish his importance over others. But truly speaking, impression does not get enhanced, rather it diminishes. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says that, “In the racecourse, one cannot impress upon his personality, no one’s personality impresses!” And he also says that, “As soon as you move out of the racecourse, your personality will immediately shine.”

In competition, where two people try pulling each other’s legs, eventually both fall. None of the two is able to rise high. When two people get into competition, it doesn’t resonate well with other people either! One who withdraws completely from competition makes an overwhelming impact on people. But one indulged in competition himself ends up reducing his value.

Criticism Destroys One’s Own Self

In competition, many people even slander behind one’s back. If we condemn or criticize someone in their absence, its vibrations reach that other person for sure. Explaining its science, Param Pujya Dadashri says, “We must not slander. In this atmosphere, parmanus only are filled up. Everything reaches to the other person. Not even a word should be spoken irresponsibly for anyone. And if you want to speak, speak something good, speak something worthy. Do not speak disgrace.”

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says that slander and criticism harms one’s own self only. He says that, “By criticizing, first our own clothes get spoilt, second criticism spoils the body, and third criticism spoils the heart.” Therefore, do not go deep into anyone’s matters.

In this world, if there is tremendous harm in anything, that is in slandering. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan explains the danger of slander and criticism.

Dadashri: There is no point in talking anything personal about anyone. It is important to understand the matter in general terms. Talking personal about someone is called slander. And slander is a sign of going in a lower life-form! When you badmouth someone, it gets debited to your account and credited to that other person’s account. Who would do such business? And slandering some person is equivalent to killing that person. Therefore, one must never indulge in slandering. Never slander anyone at all. That is a sin for sure.

Risk in Defeating the Other Person

Actually, in competition, there is a big risk in defeating the other person. We defeat the other person; so the other person prepares to defeat us thereafter. One takes revenge against each other and thus the trade of winning and losing gets started.

When one company has a monopoly in a sector and another company comes and rises in the same sector, the monopoly of one is broken and the public benefits from it. But the downside of it is that, due to the cut-throat competition that begins between the two increases the feelings of vengeance and poison. Then one company bribes the manager of the other company and gives him an offer to join their company. Then the other company takes revenge of it.

The big-big battles that have taken place are also a result of competitive rivalry only. The reason behind wars like Ramayana and Mahabharata taking place was also competition for power, for woman or for money. Two giant personalities who’ve become rivals fight, and in their fight, the entire society, the entire organization, the entire village, the entire state, or the entire country gets ruined.

Where there is Competition, There Is Pain

Where there is competition, there is pain for sure. Only the one who comes first receives the prize. The rest of them gasp heavily, and try their best, but to no avail. We too get to see such horse races happening around us. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan observes one such social event from a distance and He vividly describes it here.

Dadashri: There was one famous President. He was a nice man. He was a big lawyer. When he came to a wedding, he was greeted “Welcome welcome Chandubhai, welcome!” and was seated. Then, Zaverchand came. Saying, “Welcome, welcome”, he was made to take his seat there. So, Chandubhai had to scoot over. He had to move his whole seat elsewhere. Accordingly, he was made to move two-four more seats, hence he was dejected. When he had to move for the first time, in there, he was a bit dejected. During the second time, some more dejection, during the third and the fourth time, he was so dejected that I kept seeing him. I said, “What a state this poor man is in. Alas… here, such first class music is being played. These people are enjoying soft drinks, and look at this person’s condition! He goes on thinking in His mind. This one is not wise, but can’t speak even if one wants to and one doesn’t derive any taste also from the drink. Nice music is being played. People are so good looking, but do not derive any pleasure in looking at their faces even. I was enjoying in seeing how this person has been trapped.

Be it at social events like weddings, at family gatherings, or in the routine tasks at work, we get to see such competition for sure, where one person gets the honor, and the rest of them are standing disappointed. Param Pujya Dadashri, while giving a conclusion regarding such an event, says that competition is the cause of suffering.

Dadashri: So these people do rivalry, that’s the reason suffering comes. They get into a ‘racecourse’. This ‘racecourse’ that is going on, keep watching it that which horse is coming first?! If one keeps seeing that, the observer does not experience any pain. One who gets into a ‘racecourse’ gets the suffering. Therefore, it is not worth getting into a ‘racecourse’!!

Competition Makes One Lose Humanity

One is living peacefully in a two-bedroom house. But when one sees the friend’s four-bedroom flat, then he feels jealous, and then daily, seeing one’s own house, he is in pain that I want to buy a big flat like his. This is how one himself invites sorrow into his happy life. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan gives us a perfect example of how through comparison, competition ushers in and what kind of harm does this cause us.

Dadashri: Nowadays, how have these elite people become like? If two years ago, he has purchased new sofas, yet looking at the neighbour’s, he brings the other new ones. They are indulged in competition. It is okay to have just one mattress and a pillow. But here, comparison and competition are on. How can these be called elite? This mattress-pillow seating of India is very unique. But people do not understand it and they keep running after the sofa-set. That other person has bought this, so I also want this one. And thereafter the conflicts that happen! A sofa in the driver’s house and a sofa at the elite’s house as well! All this fake has set in. If someone wears this kind of clothes, then the tendency to wear such kind of clothes occurs! One saw someone preparing chapattis on the gas stove, so he brought the gas stove too! Dude, do you not understand the difference between the chapatti made on coal and on a gas stove? It doesn’t matter what you purchase, but why this competition? Due to this competition, people have lost humanity as well. If such cruelty appears in you, you will go become a beast (in the next birth)! The elite otherwise is completely happy himself and he has an intent to make everyone in his society happy. When one is happy himself, only then he can give happiness to others. If one is unhappy himself, then what happiness can he give to others? One who is unhappy worships God and is in a constant effort to be happy!

In essence, in whatever sector we enter into competitive rivalry, there instead of progressing, we start regressing. When we step out of the racecourse, we begin to peep inwards into our inner self. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says that, “I did not get into the ‘race course’ of this world. That’s the reason I found this God!”