Picture: Lord Krishna appearing in Havan (Homa) fire

Written by London swaminathan

Date: 24 January 2017

Time uploaded in London:- 22-09

Post No.3573

Pictures are taken from different sources; thanks.

contact: swami_48@yahoo.com

Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata teach us how to win in our life.  If one follows those qualities or instructions, one can succeed easily.  Whether it is an examination or a job interview these rules will be very useful. I learnt it by the hard way. When the BBC World Service recruited me for a broadcaster job in 1987, I had worked as a Senior Sub Editor on a language newspaper for sixteen years. I did not have any annual review of my performance in India. But in western countries it is a ritual. Only when we gave a misleading heading or missed an important news item or committed an editorial error we were called to the Editors desk and given a hard-hitting sermon in front of other staff. We sweated a lot and gasped for breath before returning to our seats. This happened to every one of us on the editorial desk.

When I came to BBC, I had my first annual review meeting in 1988. They praised me for all the work I did and pointed out some minus points. I elaborated on those negative things and gave them more ammunition. They always write everything we say and then ask our opinion on their report. Since I had no experience of such an annual review I told my boss that everything they said was correct. During the second year annual review they asked me probing questions on those negative things. Though all those were minor issues, I felt like an offender standing in a witness box. If one is not in the good books of one’s boss this is enough for them to write all against you. There is nepotism, favouritism and sycophancy in the BBC as we have in India.
Since then I have been advising my sons and friends not to talk about their weaknesses or mistakes. If they ask you specific questions about something that went wrong, then you must be honest. But be positive. You may say “Yes I had these problems earlier and now I have tackled all those issues or you can say yes to surmount that problem I have already joined such and such a course or training etc”.

When Arjuna was mentally weak and shivering and shaking, Lord Krishna told him

uddharet aatmanaa tmaanam

naa tmaanam avasaadayet

aatmai va hy aatmano bandhur

aatmai va ripur aatmanah (B Gita 6-5)

Let a man lift himself by himself; let him not degrade himself; for the Self alone is the friend of the self and the Self alone is the enemy of the self.

Buddha’s ‘Dhamapada’ also repeated this,”The Self is the Lord of the self (attaa hi attano naatho)

Valmiki’s advice

Valmiki, author of Ramaayana,says that four qualities are required by anyone to perform a task successfully. They are
Karma nah man avasyakata (Effectual Qualities for performing action)
Smruti -Memory
Dhrti-Resolution
Mati-Application of Mind
Daakshyam-Skill
Yasya tvetani catvari vanarendra yatha tava
Smrtidhrtirmatirdaakshyam sa karmasu na sidati
–Valmiki Ramayana Sundara Kanda -198

Tamil Saint Tiruvalluvar went one step further and said that even if the God is not helpful one’s efforts will give one the benefits of his action. That is there is a universal law that every effort will have some positive effect proportionate to one’s quantity and quality of the efforts.

Though God stands in the way, strenuous effort yields ready fruit. Labour recompenses what god or fate denies (Kural  619)

so, never tell anyone about your weakness and say positive things, even if one finds your weakness.

–subham—