The Hindu : Failure, a stepping stone to success

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Failure, a stepping stone to success

CHENNAI APRIL 8. What is happiness and how to achieve it are questions, which engage the thoughts of most of us. In this connection, the important aspect to be borne in mind is to fix a goal, try to reach it and achieve it. Obstacles are bound to be there but they ought to be overcome by strenuous efforts, being constantly reminded that one should not get upset by failures. Human being has the power and ability to overcome these hurdles. "Be ready to lose to gain" should be his motto. An instance of how an intrepid technocrat used his brain tells us how he managed to repair a sophisticated electronic gadget. After scrutiny, he just tapped the machine and it started working. He sent a bill for a staggering amount and when he was asked about the figure his reply was that the charge to tap it was only meagre but the huge amount to be paid was to find out where to tap it.

Apart from the qualities which man possesses like power of speech, reasoning, wisdom, education and how to dress (but at times well trained parrots also utter words taught, a dog runs away when an attempt is made to throw a stone at it and even birds which migrate know which place to choose to stay during seasons and how long), man should distinguish through a four-fold objective before him based on the twin formulas of "two Rs" — "Realise and Respond". While he should keep his body in tact (first requirement), he must remain a part of the family (the second level), be a contributory factor to the society (third need), and lastly be reminded of the cosmic level. He should obtain the grace of God, which if he is spiritually inclined, can come through a qualified guide (Guru) and for his business, advice can be got through a consultant and for his healthcare he can seek the advice of a doctor.

Sri Sriman Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar, in a lecture, mentioned how millions of years ago, Lord Rama spent 14 years of forest life only to gain later, an empire. Jadabharata (in the Bhagavatam), a king-turned ascetic, spelt out the quintessence of philosophy to a king whose palanquin he was made to bear under certain unfortunate circumstances. Man should have faith in the directives contained in the scriptural lore, follow the advice of the Guru, contribute his might to alleviate the suffering of the needy and be an example for others to emulate in maintaining integrity.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Miscellaneous

Stories in this Section

All in the game

The Hindu Crossword 7641

Solution to puzzle 7640

Failure, a stepping stone to success

dated April 8, 1953: Fighting pests

dated April 8, 1953: Police force and political events

National Weather

Did she say `yes'?

A birthday to remember

Calls off gig

Ninth Symphony on the block