“A fool thinks himself to be wise but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
– William Shakespeare
The Japanese attacked the Pearl Harbour and won a major tactical
victory. But in the process they kicked a sleeping lion- the U.S.A- a
powerful foe, who then plunged into the Second World War. What
followed next was a disastrous defeat for Japan- they were totally
decimated. Japan had won the battle of Pearl Harbour but lost the
World war!
How often in life we think we have outsmarted someone or saved a few
rupees in business, only to realize later that we landed up with a
bigger loss eventually. You may always win an argument with your
spouse but one day, feeling unloved, she may leave you- you’ve won
many battles but lost the war. I had a neighbour – a big, garrulous,
middle aged woman- who haggled with vegetable vendors and rickshaw
wallahs, and saved a few rupees. One day, due to poor judgement, she
lost a million rupees in the stock market!
Therefore, our elders have often advised us, ‘don’t be penny wise,
pound foolish.’ Don’t miss the forest for the trees! Don’t get blinded
by the present reality so much that you harm your future. Remember a
good sportsman may lose a few games or even a set, but he bounces back
to win the match. Don’t let the trivial issues of the present destroy
the serious issues of future; let not the urgent spoil the important.
Often when presenting Krishna consciousness teachings, we lose sight
of the essence and get distracted by the humour, world news, sports,
etc, in an attempt to make our exposition relevant and interesting. An
intelligent spiritualist always knows that the most important thing in
life is to keep the important thing as always the most important!
Let’s always emphasize – at least to ourselves- that the Holy Names of
Krishna, the scriptures and the association of devotees, besides other
devotional aspects that Srila Prabhupada gave us, are the most
important blessings of our lives. Other things are needed in life but
they aren’t the most important. A friend of mine, Pradyumna Mishra, in
his recent Srimad Bhagavatam class in temple, asked the audience if
they agreed that money doesn’t give happiness. Everybody, unanimously
raised their hands. He then asked how many people want more money.
Again everyone had their hands up – some raised both their hands!
Money doesn’t bring happiness, but we know it’s a tool and utility
that helps us navigate our lives better. Similarly, we may make many
external adjustments in our lives like marriage, divorce, job changes,
new house- and they need to be done; but we know the most important
thing is to surrender to God and prepare to go back home, back to
Godhead. All other things are a means to achieve the end of love of
God, and they are not an end in themselves. Money for sure can’t be
the goal of life. Unfortunately, for many, often the means are so
attractive that we lose sight of the purpose of our life.
To be continued…
