Shree Krishna's Definition of Success and Failure by Swami Mukundananda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw
Main Points:
1 Be indifferent to the dualities of success and failure, understand that this is a part of life, who is that person in this world who has only got success all lifelong & who is that person who has only got failure all lifelong. God makes a wonderful mix for all of us and nobody can hope to succeed always, even if you've put in your best efforts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=0 2 I remember there was so much of excitement in the last presidential elections in America. During the Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton was ahead, she was trying her best, she seemed to be a good candidate but Obama was inching forward and he was catching the fancy of the masses. Now one of them had to succeed, the other in spite of being good being qualified, had to lose that is life you may be good and you may still fail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=68 3 there was once a father, he got his two daughters married, one was married to a farmer another was married to a brick maker. So the father went to first to the second daughter's house just to see how is my daughter. She said father, it's very bad times, it just keeps raining and raining so the Brick Kiln you know if it rains you can't make bricks. Please pray to God that it doesn't rain so much. Father started thinking, from there he went to the first daughter's (a farmer’s wife) house to stay for a few days so she said father, I am having great days, you know God gives so much of rain and we have great crop please pray to God to ensure that every year it rains like this. Now father said that one wants the rain not to come, the other wants the rain to come, what should I pray for ? Oh Lord, please do whatever you wish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=105 4 so in life, there will always be winners and losers. In our own life, each person will experience winning and losing - that's the dualities of life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=192 5 when Lord Ram, He was to be crowned as the king of Ayodhya the next day and overnight there was a transformation engineered it in such a way that King Dashrath asked him to go to the forest for 14 years so that Lord Ram who was to be the king, all of a sudden life took a turn. He removed His kingly ornaments and He went off wearing the forest dress, along with Lakshman and Sita, into the forest Now they were sleeping there in the forest on the third fourth day when Guharaj Nishad Raj Guha, the tribal King method them and he blamed Kaikayi for Ram's misfortune. Lakshman said, "It's not Kaikeyi's fault." “verse” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=207 6 this life, just like the needle of the clock, it comes up then it goes down, then it comes up, then it goes down, that's life. You have to be prepared for all kinds of things, so see if somebody is attached to success, then that person will be highly disconcerted (unsettled or confused, disturb the composure of) when that person fails. So success and failure will come in your life. How are you going to take it ? Like the waves of the ocean, they will keep on flowing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=291 7 so Shri Krishna says Arjun become detached to both these imposters success and failure. There's a poem called “IF”, it used to be my favorite poem in school, and when I checked it recently on the internet, I found it's the second most famous popular poem in all of English literatures history. So it starts off like this - if you can dream and not make dreams your master, if you can think and not make thoughts your aim, if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same… it goes on, then it says if you can fill each minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that's in it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=333 8 so Shri Krishna is saying exactly that - the success and failure, Arjun, treat them both as imposters. After all what is the definition of success, we become wealthy - is that success ? So Howard Hughes was the most successful person in the world of his time but he could not control his own mind, he was a gross failure as a human being. So what is your parameter for deciding success, when He says treat your these two imposters the same He's telling Arjun to determine success by an inner parameter, i.e., how detached have you become - that is your success, how strong have you become in your ability to take happiness and distress in your stride - that is your real success https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=405 9 Shankaracharya says what is real success - he said, who shall be the most successful in the world - that person who has succeeded in conquering his or her own mind. So inner success is our goal not the outer success - that's not what life is all about. We lay so much of emphasis to external success, we forget are we succeeding internally or not https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=471 10 somebody was telling me, Swamiji, my daughter is always thinking about how to be famous - that's external success and you become totally famous and you find you are bankrupt from inside, it means their life was a failure and there is somebody else, nobody knows him but he's totally successful from within, so ultimately the external successes will all remain here, we will leave them all and go away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=511 11 you may have become the richest person, the most famous person, the most powerful perso,n the most beautiful or handsome person, the most skillful - you will all leave it all here. The only thing that will accompany us is our inner wealth that we have accumulated - the inner success https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=562 12 so Shri Krishna is telling him that Arjun, become indifferent to this external success, He wants Arjun to accumulate the inner wealth. That inner wealth often requires failing in the world, often requires difficulties and tribulations, just like gold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=580 13 the Goldsmith wants gold to sparkle, he places it on the fire, that fire is not a bad thing for the gold, the fire burns away the impurities and makes gold sparkle. Similarly, we have impurities in the heart anger, lust, greed, hatred, envy, Illusion - the difficulties that come in life are the fire, we have been put in the fire of this world, so that we start sparkling like gold - so we have to have that willingness to accept that defeat will also come, miseries & tribulations (a cause of great trouble or suffering) are a part of life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=671 14 there was once a piece of wood. It went to a Sculptor and said, can you make me into a beautiful murti, a beautiful deity ? The sculptor said I am ready but are you ready ? The wood said yes I'm ready, sculptor said all right, he took out his tools and started chiseling, the wood screamed what are you doing, it's so painful, please stop. The sculptor said, listen if you wish to become beautiful, you will have to tolerate pain. So all right, I am ready but don't do so much, ration it only a little bit every day. Now he went on with his work and the wood kept on complaining - enough for today, now I want to sleep, you do it tomorrow. It kept on complaining, the sculptor kept on doing his work and finally that wood was transformed into a beautiful deity and it got installed in the temple of God. So we are also like that uncut wood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=666 15 if we wish to beautify ourselves from inside, we have to let God, the Sculptor, do His work. Don't complain, oh God let there be no pain and misery in my life , rather pray that oh God whatever is necessary to purify me, let it happen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=754 16 Shri Aurobindo prayed to God, please don't spare me, be severe upon me, so that I get purified quickly and become like a great Jewel in Your treasure chest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=779 17 so this success and failure is a matter of perspective - Shri Krishna says Arju,n be detached from both of these, you focus upon your effort, are you doing well ? are you putting in your best efforts ? That is important https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=795 18 when I would come back as a child from games, my father would say, did you have a good game ? did you play well ? I will say you don't ask whether I won or lost ? he will say whether you won or lost is not important, important is if you did play well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=818 19 so, Shri Krishna is saying Arjun, you focus on your efforts, leave the results to God - accept them both these imposters of success & failure as just the same https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4YnCwJLCw&t=841 Transcript 0:00 Be indifferent 0:10 to the dualities 0:13 of success 0:15 and failure 0:18 understand that this is a part of life 0:21 it will keep coming 0:26 who is that person in this world who has 0:29 only got success all lifelong 0:34 who is that person who has only got 0:37 failure all lifelong God makes a 0:41 wonderful mix for all of us 0:44 and nobody can hope to succeed always 0:47 even if you've put in your best efforts 0:53 because there are two people who are 0:55 putting three people four people let's 0:58 say there are 10 businesses in the 1:00 industry they are all putting their best 1:02 efforts 1:03 there'll always be some successes there 1:05 will be some failures 1:08 I remember there was so much of 1:10 excitement in the last presidential 1:12 elections in America 1:14 during the Democratic primaries Hillary 1:18 Clinton was ahead 1:20 she was trying her best she seemed to be 1:22 a good candidate but Obama was inching 1:25 forward 1:26 and he was catching the fancy of the 1:29 masses 1:30 now one of them had to succeed 1:33 the other in spite of being good being 1:36 qualified had to lose 1:38 that is life 1:40 you may be good and you may still fail 1:45 there was once a father 1:48 he got his two daughters married 1:51 one was married to a farmer 1:55 another was married to a brick maker he 1:58 had brick making industry 2:02 so the father went 2:04 to 2:06 first to the second daughter's 2:08 house 2:10 just to see how is my daughter 2:13 she said father it's very bad times it 2:17 just keeps raining and raining so the 2:20 Brick Kiln you know it is made it's 2:22 outside if it rains you can't make 2:24 bricks please pray to God 2:28 that it doesn't rain so much 2:32 father started thinking from there he 2:35 went to the first daughter's house to 2:37 stay for a few days who was a farmer 2:41 so she said father I am having great 2:45 days you know God gives so much of rain 2:48 and we have great crop please pray to 2:52 God 2:53 to ensure that every year it rains like 2:57 this 2:58 now father said that she wants the rain 3:02 not to come she wants the rain to come 3:05 what should I pray oh Lord please do 3:07 whatever you wish 3:12 so 3:13 in life there will always be winners and 3:16 losers in our own life each person will 3:20 experience winning and losing 3:23 that's the dualities of life 3:27 when 3:29 Lord Ram 3:32 he was to be crowned as the king of 3:37 Ayodhya the next day 3:40 and overnight there was a transformation 3:44 engineered it in such a way 3:47 that King Dashrath 3:50 asked him to go to the forest for 14 3:54 years 3:55 so that Lord Ram who was to be the king 4:00 all of a sudden life took a turn 4:04 he removed his kingly ornaments and he 4:08 went off 4:10 wearing 4:11 the forest dress along with Lakshman and 4:14 Sita into the forest 4:16 now they were sleeping there in the 4:19 forest on the third fourth day 4:22 when Guharaj Nishad Raj Guha, 4:26 the tribal King ,he was sitting there 4:30 and he was blaming Kaikayi 4:33 for Ram's misfortune 4:38 his fault 4:40 Lakshman said, "It's not Kaikeyi's fault." “verse” 4:51 this life just like the needle of the 4:55 clock it comes up then it goes down then 4:58 it comes up then it goes down that's 5:01 life 5:02 you have to be prepared for all kinds of 5:05 things 5:08 so see if somebody is attached to 5:11 success 5:14 then that person will be highly 5:17 disconcerted when that person fails 5:24 so success and failure will come in your 5:26 life how are you going to take it like 5:30 the waves of the ocean they will keep on 5:32 flowing 5:33 so Shri Krishna says Arjun become 5:36 detached to both these imposters success 5:41 and failure 5:43 there's a poem called “IF” 5:47 it used to be my favorite poem in 5:50 school 5:52 and when I checked it recently on the 5:54 internet I found it's the second most 5:56 famous popular poem in all of English 5:59 literatures History 6:01 so it starts off like this if you can 6:05 dream 6:06 and not make dreams your master 6:09 if you can think and not make thoughts 6:13 your aim if you can meet with Triumph 6:18 and disaster 6:20 and treat those two imposters just the 6:24 same 6:26 it goes on then it says 6:29 if you can fill each minute 6:33 with 60 seconds worth of distance run 6:36 yours is the Earth and everything that's 6:40 in it and what's more you'll be a man, my 6:43 son 6:45 so Shri Krishna is saying exactly that 6:48 the success and failure Arjun, treat 6:52 them both as imposters 6:55 after all what is the definition of 6:58 success 7:00 we become wealthy is that success 7:03 so Howard Hughes was the most successful 7:07 person in the world of his time 7:10 but he could not control his own mind he 7:12 was a gross failure as a human being 7:16 so what is your parameter for 7:21 deciding success 7:24 when he says treat your these two 7:26 imposters the same he's telling Arjun to 7:31 determine success by an inner parameter 7:36 how detached have you become 7:38 that is your success 7:40 how strong have you become in your 7:43 ability to take happiness and distress 7:45 in your stride that is your real success 7:51 Shankaracharya says what is real success 7:54 he said 7:57 who shall be the most successful in the 8:00 world 8:02 that person who has succeeded in 8:05 conquering his or her own mind 8:10 so that inner success is our goal not 8:13 the outer success that's not what life 8:17 is all about 8:19 We lay so much of emphasis to external 8:23 success we forget are we succeeding 8:27 internally or not 8:31 somebody was telling me swamiji my 8:35 daughter is always thinking about how to 8:38 be famous 8:40 that's external success and you become 8:44 totally famous 8:45 and you find you are bankrupt from inside 8:49 nothing there and their life was a 8:51 failure and there is somebody else 8:54 nobody knows him 8:56 but he's totally successful from within 8:58 so ultimately 9:01 the external successes will all remain 9:07 here 9:08 we will leave them all and go away 9:12 you may have become the richest person 9:14 the most famous person 9:17 the most powerful person the most 9:20 beautiful or handsome person the most 9:23 skillful you will all leave it all here 9:28 the only thing that will accompany us is 9:32 our inner wealth that we have 9:35 accumulated the inner success 9:40 so 9:42 then Shri Krishna is telling him that Arjun 9:45 become indifferent to this success he 9:50 wants Arjun to accumulate the inner 9:54 wealth 9:56 that inner wealth 9:59 often requires failing in the world 10:04 often requires difficulties and 10:07 tribulations 10:09 just like gold 10:11 the Goldsmith wants it to Sparkle 10:15 he places it on the Fire 10:18 that fire is not a bad thing for the 10:21 gold 10:22 the fire burns away the impurities 10:27 and makes the sparkle 10:30 similarly we have impurities in the 10:34 heart anger lust greed hatred envy 10:38 illusion 10:39 the difficulties that come in life are 10:43 the fire we have been put in the fire of 10:46 this world 10:47 so that we start sparkling like gold 10:52 so we have to have that 10:54 willingness 10:56 to accept that defeat will also come 11:01 miseries tribulations are a part of life 11:06 there was once 11:08 a piece of wood 11:11 it went to a Sculptor 11:14 and said can you make me into a 11:17 beautiful murti 11:19 a beautiful deity 11:24 the sculptor said I am ready 11:27 are you ready 11:30 the wood said yes I'm 11:33 ready 11:34 sculptor said all right 11:37 he took out his tools and started 11:40 chiseling 11:41 the wood screamed what are you doing 11:43 it's so painful please stop 11:47 the sculptor said listen if you wish to 11:51 become beautiful 11:53 you will have to tolerate pain 11:58 so all right I am ready but 12:01 don't do so much ration it only a little 12:04 bit every day 12:06 now he went on with his work and the 12:09 wood kept on complaining enough for 12:11 today now I want to sleep you do it 12:13 tomorrow 12:14 it kept on complaining the sculptor kept 12:17 on doing his work and finally that wood 12:20 was transformed into beautiful deity 12:24 and it got installed in the temple of 12:27 God 12:29 so we are also like that uncut wood 12:34 we need if we wish to beautify ourselves 12:40 from inside 12:42 we have to let God the sculptor do his 12:46 work 12:47 don't complain oh God let there be no 12:50 pain and misery in my life oh God 12:53 whatever is necessary to purify me let 12:57 it happen 12:59 Shri Aurobindo prayed to God please don't 13:02 spare me 13:04 be severe upon me so that I get purified 13:07 quickly and become like a great Jewel 13:11 in your treasure chest 13:15 so this success and failure is a matter 13:20 of perspective Shri Krishna says Arjun 13:25 be detached from both of these you focus 13:29 upon your effort are you doing well are 13:33 you putting in your best efforts that's 13:36 important 13:38 when I would 13:41 come back as a child from games 13:45 my father would say 13:47 did you have a good game 13:50 did you play well 13:51 I will say you don't ask whether I won 13:54 or lost 13:55 he will say that's not important whether 13:57 you won or lost is not important did you 14:00 play well 14:01 so Shri Krishna is saying Arjun you 14:04 focus on your efforts leave the results 14:05 to God accept them both these 14:08 imposters as just the same
Standby link (in case youtube link does not work):
Shree Krishna's Definition of Success and Failure Swami Mukundananda.mp4
