What is the meaning of pratibha?
Pratibha means talent or genius. Talent is a divine quality; it is divine light manifesting through an individual. There have been talented scientists as well as talented saints.
Many take sannyasa, but not every sannyasin is talented. There have been very few talented sannyasins such as Swami Vidyananda (author of Panchadashi), St Francis, Swami Vivekananda or Adi Shankaracharya. Such talented people can be found in the industrial world also, and they earn in the millions. They have such an intellect that they can turn silver into gold and gold into ashes overnight. Take the example of Dale Carnegie. He was an ordinary village boy, but he wrote such books that sold millions. He also established the Dale Carnegie Institute which is today one of the most respected institutes in the US. Or take the case of Henry Ford. He was the son of a farmer, but he brought in a revolution. Similarly, Jesus Christ was the son of a carpenter, but would you not call him talented?
The yogis who are talented are called raja yogis and raja rishis. There are those who think and those who see. Those who think are called munis. Those who see are called rishis, seers. They are also called drashta, witness.
Talented people create their own path; they do not care about others’ opinions. A talented person will not tread the beaten path. He will forge a new path and inspire others to walk that path. There is a particular restaurant in France which sells water! People from all over Europe go there only to drink water. However, this is not ordinary water. They procure water from all over the world, from volcanoes, from the sources of rivers, from springs, from the Atlantic; they get sulphur water, uranium water, steaming volcanic water. Water from all over the world is packed and brought there. They have researched the healing properties of different waters and believe in just one thing: the cure of human diseases lies in water. Now this is talent. You earn money by selling water! If you can sell an idea, you can sell water as well.
So, if you require money, use your talent. You don’t need to steal or borrow it. Talent exists in every individual, but usually it remains suppressed. It exists in every child, but circumstances do not always allow it to blossom. So bring out your talent. Make the effort, attach the booster of talent to your effort and you are bound to succeed.