By Often we analyze our life and ask ourselves – Am I being ambitious? Or am I being incompetent? Life seems to be a continuous juggle between such emotions. The DNA of religions somewhere stops us from dreaming because it make us feel that ambition is sinful. On the other hand, if one is satisfied the world shall find that person useless (or unproductive) due to his inaction. What to do? Where to find the right balance?
Let’s understand this the Krishna-Way
Here is a famous saying from the Bhagavad Gita:
You have a right to action alone, never to its fruit. Your motivation should not be fruit of action, nor should you be attached to inaction.
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 47
When Krishna says this, He is not advising inaction. On the contrary, He is calling for Selfless Action – the perfect blend of Ambition and Contentment.
Lord Krishna’s life is a symbol of Ambition
Lord Krishna’s entire life revolved around the goal of re-establishing morality and righteousness in a society where corruption, deceit, and depravity had reached an unprecedented peak. The magnitude of the task that faced Him couldn’t be overstated. Just picture a nation where a Queen is harassed and humiliated right in front of the Emperor, in a court packed with Princes and Kings. The condition of law and order for the common citizens can only be imagined. With that in mind, it will not be an exaggeration to say that Lord Krishna is one of the most ambitious figures to have ever set foot on this Earth. It should then be safe to assume that He couldn’t possibly have advocated an ideology that promotes incompetence.
Uniting Ambition & Contentment
• Ambition = Excelling in the act
• Contentment = Accepting the outcome
The ambition in selfless action is focused towards excelling in the act, while contentment comes in the form of absolute acceptance of the outcome. A student may spend several sleepless nights studying for an exam, and yet receive a lower than expected score. An athlete may dedicate a lifetime to rigorous and disciplined training, yet miss out on the gold medal by a whisker. When an act is rooted in the principle of selfless action, the need for any external reward dispels. The act itself becomes the reward.
The takeaway here is to work hard towards excelling in your action, but accept the outcome without any grief. Learn, but don’t expect. Remember that you are God’s child, and all that is coming your way is a part of God’s plan. This belief gives you immense power of contentment among all the ambitions you hold.
But…
Before ambition comes the intention or direction. Lord Krishna’s ambition had a Godly purpose. It was to uphold Dharma. His actions were an epitome of Selflessness. One should keep a check on his ambition by introspecting his deeper intentions. And there is a sure way to do that! Stay tuned to read about it in our upcoming article…
Written and dedicated by Ankit Dwivedi Prabhu
Watch the complete series on Bhagavad Gita by Sri Guru, via YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuCukL6BJnFi1L6-5KPKnBxaXNUp-GMqp
Bliss of Wisdom is a blog for seekers who are in search of their real self. It is published by Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Delhi – a spiritual revolutionary movement founded by Sri Guru. She is a spiritual Master who has transformed innumerable lives through her logical explanations and effective meditation techniques. To know more visit srmdelhi.org.
