What is real success in life? Is it the accomplishment of our goals, the attainment of wealth and fame, or something much greater?
SUCCESS AS DICTIONARY.COM DEFINES IT
Dictionaries offer several definitions of success:
- The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
- The attainment of fame, wealth or social status.
- A person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains fame, wealth, etc.
- The favourable outcome of an undertaking.
These definitions describe how people commonly use the word success. However, do they explain what makes a person's entire life successful?
THE INCOMPLETENESS OF THESE DEFINITIONS
Consider the first definition: the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
Suppose my aim is to reach the office on time, and I manage to do so. Does that make me a successful person? Certainly, I have succeeded in completing that particular task. But does this achievement define the success of my life?
Now consider the attainment of fame, wealth or social status. How much fame, wealth or status should a person acquire to qualify as successful?
A person sleeping on the roadside may consider getting a job, earning a daily meal and finding a place to live a tremendous success. The same job may mean very little to a multi-billionaire. A child may feel successful after completing a puzzle, while a toddler's first steps bring joy to the entire family.
Each achievement has its own value in a particular stage or situation in life. However, not every achievement can serve as a measure of lifelong success. For a toddler, taking the first steps is undoubtedly a momentous achievement. But imagine an adult mentioning, during a job interview, that learning to walk as a toddler was his greatest achievement! Would that not seem rather amusing? What was a significant milestone at one stage of life may no longer be an adequate measure of success at a later stage.
Many people also consider fame and glamour signs of success. They admire film stars, sports personalities and politicians as successful people. Yet someone who is occupied with different priorities may not even recognise these celebrities.
Clearly, success depends on the goal being pursued and the perspective from which we judge it. This is why many books and websites suggest that success is whatever an individual defines it to be.
But is that definition sufficient? Can something be called real success if it provides temporary satisfaction but leaves the fundamental questions of life unanswered?
THE MANUAL OF LIFE
Almost every machine or electronic gadget comes with an operating manual. Manufacturers advise users to read it before operating the product. We are free to ignore those instructions, but doing so may damage the equipment or even cause an accident.
Human life also has a manual: the Vedic scriptures.
The Vedic scriptures explain our identity, the purpose of human existence, the laws governing our actions and the path to lasting happiness. They offer guidance on how to live responsibly and make spiritual progress.
We may choose to ignore this guidance. However, that does not change the principles governing life.
Today, many people work hard to become successful. Yet they may not have clearly understood what success actually means. They set goals, achieve some of them, change others and continue pursuing new targets.
There is nothing wrong with setting goals, working hard or improving our circumstances. Honest work, family responsibilities, education and service to society all have their place. The problem begins when we expect these temporary achievements to provide permanent satisfaction.
Real success should bring lasting spiritual fulfilment, not merely temporary excitement or recognition. So what is the fundamental problem that every human being must address?
UNDERSTANDING THE REAL PROBLEM
Success is commonly associated with overcoming obstacles and achieving a desired result. But what exactly is the greatest problem in human life?
Our everyday difficulties vary from person to person. A puzzle may be a challenge for a child. An examination may be a major concern for a student. A promotion may matter greatly to an employee. A family may struggle with financial responsibilities, while a business owner may face an entirely different set of challenges.
These problems are real and should not be dismissed. Their impact can be significant, and people deserve understanding and support when facing them.
However, there is a deeper problem common to every human being, regardless of wealth, education, position or social status: our inability to escape birth, disease, old age and death permanently.
Lord Krishna explains how temporary happiness and distress affect us:
O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O son of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
This does not mean that we should ignore suffering or avoid taking practical steps to solve our problems. Rather, Krishna teaches us to understand their temporary nature and avoid becoming overwhelmed by them.
We can work to overcome personal difficulties. We can seek medical treatment, improve our circumstances, acquire knowledge and help others. But even the greatest material achievements cannot permanently remove the four fundamental problems of material existence.
THE FOUR FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS OF LIFE
According to Vedic philosophy, every living being in the material world faces four unavoidable conditions:
- Birth
- Disease
- Old age
- Death
Modern medicine, science and technology have made remarkable progress. They have improved healthcare, increased life expectancy and helped humanity overcome many difficulties. These achievements are valuable and should not be dismissed.
Yet, despite all this progress, no material advancement has permanently freed the living being from birth, disease, old age and death.
1. Birth
We generally celebrate the birth of a child. However, the Srimad-Bhagavatam also describes the condition of the living being within the womb.
In its Third Canto, Chapter 31, the Bhagavatam describes the development of the embryo and the difficult conditions experienced by the living being within the womb. It also presents the spiritual reflections of the living being during this period.
Modern science studies embryonic development through observation and research. The Bhagavatam offers an additional spiritual perspective, describing the living being's experience and the significance of human birth.
Thus, birth is not merely a celebration of a new body. From the Vedic perspective, it is also the beginning of another phase in the living being's journey through material existence.
2. Disease
None of us wants to become diseased. We take care of our health, seek medical treatment and make efforts to prevent illness. These efforts are important and responsible.
Nevertheless, no one can guarantee a life completely free from disease. Even people with wealth, access to the best medical facilities and excellent healthcare may fall ill.
3. Old Age
Growing old is another unavoidable reality of material life. We may exercise, follow healthy routines and use various products to maintain our appearance. Such efforts can support health and well-being, but they cannot permanently stop the ageing process.
Our body changes with time, regardless of how much we try to preserve its youthful appearance.
4. Death
Death is the final change that every embodied living being must face. No one can postpone it, no one can avoid it. The Garuda Purana is traditionally cited for describing the pain associated with death as comparable to 42,000 scorpion bites. This description reminds us that the departure from the body is not necessarily the peaceful experience we imagine.
These four conditions are not limited to the poor, the wealthy, the educated or the uneducated. Everyone who accepts a material body must eventually face them.
Therefore, real success in life must address something deeper than temporary material difficulties. It must provide a solution to the repeated cycle of birth and death.
WHAT DOES REAL SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
Imagine a life in which we never have to take birth again, yet retain our spiritual identity. Imagine being free from disease, old age and death, and living eternally in a state of knowledge and bliss.
Would that not be the highest form of success?
The Vedic understanding is that the living being is eternal. We are not the temporary material body. We are spirit souls, described as sat-cit-ananda: eternal, full of knowledge and naturally blissful.
Our desire for lasting happiness and continued existence reflects our spiritual nature. Yet we search for fulfilment in a temporary material world, where everything is subject to change and destruction.
Krishna describes the material world in the Bhagavad-gita as a temporary place of distress. Even the highest planets within the material universe are subject to repeated birth and death. Does this mean that we should stop working, earning, studying or caring for our families? Certainly not. These responsibilities can be performed properly while we pursue spiritual advancement. The point is to understand that material achievements are not the ultimate destination. They should be placed within a higher spiritual purpose.
From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.
Krishna describes a spiritual destination beyond the temporary material world. Attaining that abode, where there is no return to material birth and death, is the highest perfection of life.
WHY SHOULD WE AIM TO ATTAIN KRISHNA?
According to the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He reveals the nature of His eternal abode and explains how the living being can become free from material bondage.
Krishna makes a promise that establishes the unique nature of this spiritual destination:
That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.
After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
These verses establish the spiritual goal. Krishna's abode is beyond the temporary material world, and those who attain Him do not return to the cycle of material birth and death.
From the perspective of the Bhagavad-gita, this is not merely another achievement. It is the highest perfection and the ultimate success of the living being.
HOW CAN WE ATTAIN KRISHNA?
Krishna Himself explains the process of attaining Him. It is centred on remembering Him and engaging in devotional service.
For one who always remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Pritha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.
He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Partha, is sure to reach Me.
Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me.
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me alone at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
HOW CAN WE REMEMBER KRISHNA AT THE TIME OF DEATH?
Remembering Krishna at the time of death is essential. But can we suddenly remember Him when our entire life has been spent thinking about material activities and temporary achievements?
At the time of death, we may experience intense physical pain, distress and separation from our loved ones. The traditional description of 42,000 scorpion bites in the Garuda Purana reminds us of the seriousness of that moment.
Therefore, we should not wait until the final moment to begin remembering Krishna. Just as an important performance requires repeated practice, we must practise remembering Him throughout our lives.
This practice gradually revives our forgotten sambandha, or eternal relationship, with Krishna. As we strengthen that relationship, remembering Him becomes a natural part of our daily lives.
One of the most accessible and powerful ways to remember Krishna is by chanting His Holy Name, the Hare Krishna Mahamantra:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
By chanting the Holy Name, hearing about Krishna, worshipping Him and engaging in devotional service, we gradually train our minds to remember Him.
FIVE KEYS TO REAL SUCCESS IN LIFE
The path to Krishna and His eternal abode can be summarised through five essential practices. These are not merely steps towards another worldly achievement. They are the foundation of spiritual success.
- Chanting His Holy Name: Sincerely chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and purify the heart.
- Surrendering unto Krishna: Accept Krishna as the Supreme Lord and take shelter of Him.
- Always remembering Krishna: Train the mind to remember Him without deviation.
- Worshipping Krishna: Offer prayers, obeisances and worship with devotion.
- Becoming absorbed in Krishna: Engage our thoughts, activities and intelligence in His service.
These practices do not require us to neglect our material responsibilities. We can continue our education, profession, family life and social service while cultivating Krishna consciousness. The essential change is to make Krishna the centre and ultimate purpose of everything we do.
THE TRUE MEASURE OF SUCCESS
We may achieve professional excellence, build a prosperous family, serve society, earn recognition and make meaningful contributions to the world. These achievements can be valuable when pursued responsibly and used in the service of others.
But none of them can, by themselves, free us from repeated birth and death. That is why the Bhagavad-gita directs us towards a higher goal.
Real success in life is not measured only by what we accumulate, how famous we become or how many goals we achieve. From the spiritual perspective of the Bhagavad-gita, the highest success is to revive our eternal relationship with Krishna, become free from material bondage and attain His eternal abode.
Let us therefore make the best use of this human life. Let us fulfil our responsibilities, serve others and make steady spiritual progress, keeping Krishna at the centre of our lives.
We pray to Sri Sri Dayal Nitai Gaura Sundar that each one of us may receive the intelligence to understand the true meaning of success and become truly successful in life.
Thank you for visiting.
If you have liked it, then please share it with your friends and loved ones. Please feel free to suggest how we can further improve our service.
For more Krishna Conscious Articles & Arts, please visit - Our Blog | Site Map
Hare Krishna!
