Equation of Success

CA Ashok Kataria
All strive and walk alongside, Few move ahead many lag behind, For all who dwell in realm of success Choose a noble approach to access. Every one today is running for success. The question arises how are we going about it? Are we looking for success in true sense or is it the greed to have instant gratification! If the chase is for instant gratification, the risk would be in its sustenance. It is only the correct approach that enables everlasting success. What constitutes success? By all means and in all materialistic sense, success would include wealth, prosperity, happiness, name and fame. It might be easy for many to acquire all these but the underlying principle is the manner of achievement. Success can be best enjoyed when it is earned and viewed as journey rather than destination. A commerce student would recollect the principle of accounting for Real Accounts. Debit - what comes in; Credit - what goes out . Success ideally fits in the definition of a real account where debiting it would require an equivalent and a corresponding credit. It might be possible to borrow wealth but borrowing or buying success is an impossible proposition. Hence something concrete will have to be put on credit side so as to debit achievement of success in life. Dr. Abdul Kalam has given the answer to this in his famous quote. Knowledge with action, converts adversity into prosperity. Knowledge backed by hard work is the formula for success. It is clarity of thinking coupled with sincerity in action when adopted as principle of life, makes success enduring. However the present environment is: everyone is looking for instant success and not imbibing the basic principle. Visits to astrologers, consulting palmists, figuring numerologists, adding alphabets to name, demand applications in lieu of offerings at places of
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worship and various other measures seem to be the means of achieving success. Do these measures help? Can one achieve ones goal by following such procedures? Are there any short cuts to success? Can success be achieved in life without putting in hard work? For people following different beliefs, there are many questions that do not have an answer. However, Lord Krishna in verse 5 of Chapter 6 of Bhagwad Geeta has emphatically said that it is ones own efforts that lift him up. One should lift oneself by ones own efforts and should not degrade oneself: for ones own self is ones friend, and ones own self is ones enemy. [Ch.6 Verse5]

If success was possible without ones own efforts, Lord Krishna would not have said these words or for that matter the entire advice to Arjuna. He could have suggested other easier measures but Krishna did not do so. He even said that even I cannot help in raising you but only you can raise yourself by your own efforts.

Success thus, is impossible without endeavor. Without constructively applying knowledge with sincerity in action, the outcome can never be Success. Even if it is regarded as success, it wont sustain. Mahatma Gandhi includes: Wealth without work and Knowledge without character. As one of seven deadly sins Wealth, is and visible an important ingredient of success, but the same acquired without work, is a sin. Knowledge, a major tool to achieve success, if applied negatively is also not approved. One has to put his own conscious hard work to achieve success. When sincere effort and wisdom combine the outcome is bound to be Success. Success set in an equation would be:

Success

Sincerity in Action + Constructive Application of Knowledge

The above formula to success is also confirmed by Lord Krishna in the last verse of Bhagwad Geeta. It is in verse 78 of Chapter 18 where He says:

Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, wherever there is Arjuna, the archer, there is wealth, prosperity, happiness, victory and unfailing righteousness; such is my conviction. [Ch.18 Verse78]

Kirshna in pure sense symbolizes Intellect. Krishna is wisdom personified,

Ambassador of

Knowledge. Arjuna on other hand is sincerity and hard work and Ambassador of Action. This combination of wisdom and action constitutes or are constituents of success. I would conclude by saying: The only way to go about Departing me, mine, myself, Brace thy work with knowledge profound Success sure to greet around. So let us achieve real success and satisfaction by working with sincerity coupled with detachment.