Do not love leisure. Waste not a minute. Be bold. Realize the

“Do not love leisure. Waste not a minute. Be bold. Realize the Truth, here and now!” So commands Swami Sivananda, master of discipline and guide of souls. His words fall like thunder, urgent and uncompromising, calling the seeker away from slumber and into the fire of awakening. In this cry we hear the voice of the sages of every age, for the path to Truth is not for the lazy, not for the timid, not for those who postpone until tomorrow. It is for the one who dares to rise today, who casts aside comfort and embraces the great labor of the spirit.

The ancients knew that leisure, when loved above all, is not rest but ruin. To indulge endlessly in ease is to let the flame of life grow dim. Sivananda, like the stoics of Rome and the rishis of India, warns us that every moment wasted is a jewel cast into the sea. The minutes are few, the days fleeting, and the task before us—the realization of Truth—is the highest labor entrusted to man. To waste time is to betray one’s destiny.

History gives us stern examples. Think of Alexander the Great, who before thirty had conquered nations and carved his name into eternity. Though his destiny was worldly rather than spiritual, his urgency embodied Sivananda’s call: he wasted no hour, he acted boldly, and thus his name resounds through time. But compare him with empires that decayed in luxury—Rome, drowning in excess; Byzantium, paralyzed by intrigue. They loved leisure, and in loving it, they withered. From this, the lesson is clear: greatness belongs not to the idle, but to the bold.

Yet boldness alone is not enough, says the Swami. For what use is conquest of the world if one has not conquered the self? The true aim is to realize the Truth—to awaken to the eternal, to see beyond illusion, to discover the divine spark within. Many are bold in chasing gold, bold in chasing power, bold in chasing pleasure, but few are bold in seeking the soul’s liberation. Sivananda’s cry is not only for outer discipline but for inner fire: to waste no minute in forgetfulness, but to remember at all times the sacred purpose of existence.

Consider the life of the Buddha. Born into comfort, he might have loved leisure and lived as a king. But he saw the fleeting nature of pleasure and the certainty of suffering. Wasting no more time, he abandoned his palace, walked into the wilderness, and with boldness sought the eternal. In the here and now, beneath the Bodhi tree, he realized Truth. His story is the living echo of Sivananda’s command: not tomorrow, not in some distant age, but now must the soul awaken.

So, children of tomorrow, mark this teaching well: time is the most precious of treasures. Waste it not in idleness, in gossip, in the pursuit of shadows. Use it to build strength of character, to serve others, to rise ever closer to the eternal. Be bold in the face of fear, bold in the pursuit of wisdom, bold in living your highest values. The coward hesitates, the lazy delays, but the wise act with courage in the present moment.

Let this be your practice: each dawn, remind yourself that the day is sacred. Guard your hours as a king guards his treasure. Do not flee from rest, but let rest refresh you for greater labor. Do not shrink from challenges, but seize them as opportunities to grow. Above all, seek Truth—through study, through meditation, through service, through love. For to realize Truth is to fulfill the very purpose of life.

And remember: the moment is now. Not tomorrow, not when comfort returns, not when conditions are perfect. Now is the only time. Therefore, cast off idleness, waste not a breath, stand bold, and awaken. For in this very instant lies the eternal, waiting to be seen. In this very instant, if you dare, you may realize the Truth.