The Key to Success

[Guest guest]

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

 

Introduction

The key to success is right within you. The fact is that you must know

how to recognize it. According to the tradition of Hinduism, a

successful person is made and is not born. Success is like water

flowing from the mountain through the valley to the sea. It is a

journey. Success can't never be achieved by chasing. Success is like a

butterfly - it flies away when you try to reach it, however, it can come

and sit on you when you are quiet! What is his secret of success? The

secret of success is Hard-Work! This seems to be obvious but are all

the people who work hard always successful? The answer is no! But why

is it so? This is because many of us work hard no doubt, but put our

efforts in the wrong direction. So the secret of success lies in the

Secret of Action. This secret of action for success is explained

beautifully in the third chapter of Bhagavad Gita, verse 30.

 

Mayi Sarvani Karmani Samnyasya Adhyatma Chetasa

Nirashi Nirmamo Bhutva Yudhyasva Vigatajwaraha

 

Our understanding of "Gita"can be enriched with the help of a good

teacher. Hindu scriptures such as Gita should not be studied with a

dictionary by the side. The literal translation from a dictionary can

distort the actual meaning and a trained teacher becomes an integral

part of knowledge.

 

Mind Should be Like a Parachute

In good old days, when anything was said in the name of religion, people

took it in good faith as duck to water. But modern man (woman) will

believe in a statement only when it is followed by the sentence "Science

says so!". Many people think religion is humbug. Don't take this

blindly also. It is possible that scientists can make a mistake and

arrive at a wrong conclusion. Mind is like a Parachute. It will work

only when it is open! It has no use if it is closed. So, have an open

mind and don't accept or reject anything blindly. Analyze everything

thoroughly, and use your judgement to take it or reject it.

 

Bundles of Past Regrets

The first line of the above quoted verse "Mayi Sarvani Karmani Samnyasya

Adhyatma Chetasa" requires detailed explanations. Mayi stands for 'In

Me'. Does the 'Me' refer to Krishna, the ruler of Dwaraka? No, we see

that throughout in Gita, we have references to Sanjaya Uvacha, Arjuna

Uvacha etc. But never there is a reference of Krishna Uvacha. Instead,

we have Bhagavan Uvacha. Bhagavan here refers to God, the total light

principle or the total electric energy. Adyatma Chetasa means a mind

soaked in devoted remembrance of the supreme self. Sarvani Karmani

refers to all our actions.Samnyasya means surrender. Krishna tells

Arjuna "You surrender all your physical, mental & spiritual actions in

that total light energy called God, and then engage in action." People

sometimes wrongly interpret Samnyasa to mean Surrender Everything to God

& Do Nothing! This is not what Gita means! You must engage in action

to perform your duty but the results of your action should be

surrendered to God. Now, how can we achieve this? This is explained in

the second line: Nirashi, Nirmama, & Vigatajvaraha. Nirashi literally

translated means Being Without Hope. But here it means Being Without

Anxiety. Any action undertaken should be done without worrying about

the outcome. Next an action should be performed without Ego or the My

Notion. This is pointed out by the word Nirmama. The My Notion is

generated by the I Notion which results due to our association with the

past. This Ego is nothing but a lingering memory of the dead past. So

Nirmama or Without Ego should be achieved by not dwelling into our past

regrets and acting only in the present.

 

Mind the Doer

You have the freedom only to act in the present. You cannot act in the

past nor can you act in the future. Now when you are ready to act in

the present, who is the doer? It is the mind. So the mind while

engaging in an action at the present moment should neither worry about

the past nor the future.

 

No Feverish Excitement

An action which is performed at the present moment should be done calmly

without getting excited. The word used in Gita for this Vigatajvaraha

literally means free from mental fever or Feverish Excitement. So if

the mind is able to engage in an action by fully concentrating at the

present moment without wandering elsewhere then the resulting action

will be successful.

 

Plug the EAR!

The Secret of Success is to Plug the Ear! The E stands for Excitement

for the Present, A for Anxiety about the Future and R for the Regrets of

the Past. If you can plug these three when engaging in action then you

are sure to achieve success.

 

Be a Cool Dude!

Learn from the Past and Plan for the Future, but Do not Torture Your

Mind with Past Regrets or Future Anxieties. Act in the Present with a

Serene Mind. Be a Cool Dude!

 

Note: This article is based on a talk by Swami Dheeranandaji (Resident

Acharya of Chinmaya Mission Washington Regional Center during his visit

to Raleigh, North Carolina in the late 80's.

However, I am responsible for any errors and omissions.