“Every endeavor is covered by some sort of fault, just as fire is covered by smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work which is born of his nature, O son of Kunti, even if such work is full of fault.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.48)

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सह-जं कर्म कौन्तेय
स-दोषम् अपि न त्यजेत्
सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण
धूमेनाग्निर् इवावृताः

saha-jaṁ karma kaunteya
sa-doṣam api na tyajet
sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa
dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ

1. I could fail

“Why am I sitting around, you ask. Because I am afraid to start. What if I fail? What if I start this venture and no one is interested? I will be left with all of this ability, with this potential just waiting to be unleashed. But no one is there on the other side. That is too much of a risk to take. I am not as tough as you.”

2. I could have too much on my plate

“Okay, so what if I succeed in the beginning? Have you heard of the law of diminishing returns? This says that once I get something, I am no longer satisfied with that something. I need to reach another level. Have you ever seen those videos of professional tennis players destroying their rackets in anger? It makes no sense. They play better than ninety-nine percent of the population. Why are they so upset, then? It must be that there is too much stress. That extraordinary ability only brought them misery. Why would I want to risk the same?”

3. There could be lawsuits

“You think I should open a bakery? You think people would love to eat the cookies and cakes that I make? I don’t know. Have you spent any time in the retail business? It can get pretty ugly. The customers are not always the best. What if a belligerent person enters the store and refuses to leave? I will have to hire a bodyguard, then. What if someone tries to cheat me, returning a cake half eaten, where they insist on a full refund? I can just see the lawsuits coming if I refuse to bake a cake depicting debauchery. I think I would rather avoid that trouble.”

4. There is vulnerability to abuse

“Yeah, public education is not what it used to be. Not sure who exactly is to blame, but at this point I can’t risk sacrificing one of my children to that establishment. Have I thought about starting my own school? I don’t know. Just see how bad these experiences are. There is so much abuse at these places. How do you ensure that the teachers you hire are not predators? The risk is too high, if you ask me.”

5. My reputation might get ruined

“Yes, people are generally fond of me. They say nice things about me. That is because I am polite, convivial, and agreeable. As soon as I step up to the microphone, to voice my opinion about something, all of that will change. If I start to challenge the players in power, the ones fueling the corruption, they will come at me like anything. I will be tarred and feathered in the town square. They will work overtime to ruin my reputation. Why would I want to put myself through that?”

…

For the above described reasons and more, I am hesitant to try something new. It might even be something I am interested in, with an end-goal aligning with my objectives for life. It might be something I am capable of doing, of succeeding at, inspiring others in the process. Nevertheless, I am hesitant. There will be too much to handle.

Just see the alternative. If I don’t try, I can’t fail. If I don’t put myself out there, no one can criticize me. If I don’t step foot in the arena, then I will never be responsible for competing interests. I will never be burdened by time, by deadlines, and by the watchful, critical eye of others. I will be completely safe.

The historical figure known as Arjuna, of the Pandava family, briefly thought along similar lines. He happened to choose the worst possible time to be hesitant. You see, the course was already drawn. There was a chariot to assist in the travel. There was the expert seated at the helm, to direct that chariot. All Arjuna had to do was strategically fire arrows at enemy targets. This would be a piece of cake for him. He was expert in the field, after all. He was known as Savyasachin.

“Savyasachin refers to one who can shoot arrows very expertly in the field; thus Arjuna is addressed as an expert warrior capable of delivering arrows to kill his enemies.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 11.33 Purport)

Arjuna was not necessarily concerned with failure. That is always something to contemplate, but in this case success painted a more disturbing image. As this was a gathering of warriors on a battlefield, the objective of the endeavor was to kill people. Break things. Depress the spirits of the opposition. Emerge victorious such that you can reclaim what was originally stolen from your family. Arjuna and his brothers would get the kingdom back.

The concern was the collateral damage. By taking part in the hostilities, Arjuna would be a party to violence. He could rightfully be blamed by the family members left behind. See that wounded soldier over there? See that slain father of a family in that corner? See the blood drained out of that valiant but defeated fighter? It is all Arjuna’s fault. There is no way around the issue, as there is clear cause and effect. The action, karma, resulting in success, saphala.

Prior to making a final decision, Arjuna consulted that person steering his chariot. This person happened to be a trusted guide. This person happened to be wishing well to both Arjuna and his brothers. This person happened to have bailed the family out of trouble in the past, like when Queen Draupadi was about to have nothing left of her sari, as it was forcibly removed by wicked characters intent on embarrassing her in front of an assembly of respected individuals.

विषान् महाग्नेः पुरुषाद-दर्शनाद्
असत्-सभाया वन-वास-कृच्छ्रतः
मृधे मृधे ऽनेक-महारथास्त्रतो
द्रौण्य्-अस्त्रतश् चास्म हरे ऽभिरक्षिताः

viṣān mahāgneḥ puruṣāda-darśanād
asat-sabhāyā vana-vāsa-kṛcchrataḥ
mṛdhe mṛdhe ‘neka-mahārathāstrato
drauṇy-astrataś cāsma hare ‘bhirakṣitāḥ

“My dear Krishna, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Ashvatthama.” (Queen Kunti, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.8.24)

The person Arjuna consulted was Shri Krishna. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in accordance with authorities of the Vedic tradition and the revealed information of sacred texts such as Bhagavata Purana and Mahabharata, says that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not a bad person to have in your corner. If you need a teacher, who better than the original one, the adi-guru?

Among the many things Krishna taught Arjuna in their subsequent conversation, which is known as Bhagavad-gita, is that there is always some degree of fault associated with work. There is no getting around the issue. This makes sense if we study action in an isolated circumstance. If someone is doing something, they are automatically not doing something else. That creates the potential for fault by omission; what to speak of incorrectly carrying out the intended action.

Arjuna should follow the work that aligned with his nature. Arjuna was a kshatriya, which is something like a police officer or uniformed chariot fighter. The good guys have to deal with the bad guys. The authority targets and then attempts to apprehend the perpetrators. The process does not always go smoothly. The bad guys might resort to indecent tactics. They might put up human beings as shields. They might choose to hide in hospitals and churches. In the case of the Rakshasas attacking Vishvamitra in the forest, the bad guys would attack at just the worst time, in the dead of night, with forms not easily identifiable.

कामं तपःप्रभावेन शक्ता हन्तुं निशाचरान्
चिरार्जितं तु नेच्छामस्तपः खण्डयितुं वयम्

बहुविघ्नं तपो नित्यं दुश्चरं चैव राघव
तेन शापं न मुञ्चामो भक्ष्यमाणाश्च राक्षसैः

kāmaṃ tapaḥprabhāvena śaktā hantuṃ niśācarān
cirārjitaṃ tu necchāmastapaḥ khaṇḍayituṃ vayam

bahuvighnaṃ tapo nityaṃ duścaraṃ caiva rāghava
tena śāpaṃ na muñcāmo bhakṣyamāṇāśca rākṣasaiḥ

“By the powers gained through our performance of religious austerities, we are certainly capable of killing these Rakshasa demons. But at the same time we don’t want to waste our ascetic merits, which took such a long time to achieve, on these demons. O Raghava [Rama], these demons are always putting obstacles in the way, making it impossible for us to concentrate on our performance of austerity and penance. Therefore, even though we are being eaten away by the Rakshasas, we do not curse them.” (Sages of Dandaka forest speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 10.13-14)

Arjuna should proceed, keeping the support of Krishna in mind. The outcome is never guaranteed, but there is assurance with coverage against loss. It is like the greatest insurance policy, underwritten by someone who has the most resources to apply. He recommends that Arjuna surrender all other systems of right and wrong, working only for Krishna’s interests.

We can apply the same to our concerns, at present. We might be lost in life. We are unsure how to proceed. At the very least, we can attempt to connect with Krishna. We can say His names, like in the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. We might fall flat on our face. We might suffer one embarrassment after another, sometimes in front of others. We might not make a dent, but Krishna will never forget. He sees and hears everything, and the smoke might eventually move on such that the fire of devotion carries forward. That devotion is our very nature to begin with.

In Closing:

Smoke produced from mistake,
With errors in judgment to make.

Embarrassed and depressed at heart,
Why this endeavor did I start?

But Krishna assurance giving,
That all blemishes forgiving.

When work according to nature aligned,
Through Him destination to find.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhagavad-gita, dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion