MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 292
16th December 2024
Freedom from despondency
A new discussion topic but from the same old Valmiki Ramayan. Last discussion thread was from the last saragam of Kishkinda Kanda and let us now move to the next kanda ie Sundara Kanda, tale of hanuman’s deeds.
अनिर्वेदः श्रियो मूलमनिर्वेदः परं सुखम्।
अनिर्वेदो हि सततं सर्वार्थेषु प्रवर्तकः।।Valmiki Ramayana 5.12.10।।.
अनिर्वेदः being free from despair, श्रियः prosperity, मूलम् cause, अनिर्वेदः being free from despondency, परम् supreme, सुखम् happiness, अनिर्वेदः being free from despair, सततम् always, सर्वार्थेषु in all objectives, प्रवर्तकः हि will lead the way.
'Remaining free from despair is the root cause of prosperity. Freedom from despondency gives supreme happiness and leads to success always and in all the efforts.
Let us understand the story context before coming to the above powerful motivation quote.
We left Hanuman in the last episode taking giant leap to cross the ocean towards Lanka.
After entering Lanka, Hanuman went from mansion to mansion in Lanka looking for Sita Maa. Unfortunately, Hanuman did not have the luxury of comparing with a portrait in hand (or a mobile phone) to verify the identity of Sita!!! All he had was a ring to show as his credentials and a description of the qualities of Sita.
Hanuman saw a beautiful woman inside Ravana’s private apartment. The beauty of her features and piousness made Hanuman think for a moment that she was Sita. He leapt up in joy!! He realized immediately that Sita would not be donning jewels and sleeping peacefully in Ravana’s chamber. She was Mandodari, Ravana’s wife. He then searched for Sita in every nook and corner of that palace. Alas, Sita could not be found.
Not able to find Sita Mata after extensive search, Hanuman was grief-stricken and contemplated suicide rather than returning empty-handed.
Committing suicide was considered the biggest crime on dharma. Right attitude for such a difficult situation was explained in the above sloka 5.12.10.
Valmiki said in the above sloka that all efforts taken without despondency will lead to success always. But in reality, all efforts cannot succeed even if there is no despondency. Failures are part of our life. Has Valmiki told us a lie then? No.
Absence of despondency will give the maturity to take failures on our strides and bounce back after a failure. Failure is not a challenge. Not getting up from a failure is the issue. Absence of despair will give the strength to bounce back and will eventually lead to success always.
I see influence of Valmiki in this wonderful quote
“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” - Gena Showalter
#TwoKeysForSuccess
Next sloka 5.12.11 is even more inspirational.
करोति सफलं जन्तोः कर्म यत्तत्करोति सः।
तस्मादनिर्वेदकृतं यत्नं चेष्टेऽहमुत्तमम्।।5.12.11।।
भूयस्तावद्विचेष्यामि देशान्रावणपालितान्।
यत् that, कर्म action, करोति that he will do, जन्तोः of a living being, तत् that, सफलम् fruitful, सः he, करोति will do, तस्मात् therefore, अहम् I, अनिर्वेदकृतम् without experiencing despair, उत्तमम् best, प्रयत्नम् effort, चेष्टे I act, अदृष्टान् not seen, रावणपालितान् ruled by Ravana, देशान् country, विचेष्यामि तावत् search everywhere.
'All actions taken with best efforts and without experiencing despondency certainly bears fruit. Therefore, I shall put forth my best effort without feeling despondent. I will once again search everywhere in Lanka ruled by Ravana'.
There are two keys to success in our efforts. Valmiki now adds one more attribute for success. They are Not feeling despondency and putting best possible efforts. Success is there for sure.
Motivated by this sloka, Hanuman sprang up again. He opened every door and window and looked in but in vain. He got dejected yet again (despite the promise of not getting dejected he made to himself). He grieved at the thought that Ravana would have killed Sita. Rather than returning to Kiskinta, I would stay here for the rest of my life. I would rather die, Hanuman thought.
Just then his eyes lighted on what he had so far left unexplored; a park attached to a shrine and surrounded by high walls. “I shall surely find Sita here.” With these words, he meditated on Rama. Hope sprang. He jumped onto Ashoka Vana’s wall with lots of hope and confidence.
#PositiveNewsPage
What else can be the better positive news for this week than the crowning of the new chess champion? Gukesh became the world champion at the young age of 18 and outsmarted the record of Gary Kasparov winning the crown at 22. Gukesh showed us many positive lessons. There are many but I am listing below nine of the life lessons learned from Gukesh during this championship.
1. #FreedomFromDespondency : Gukesh faced a precarious start of losing the very first game to Ding Liren. Gukesh lost the momentum losing the first game. True to the topic of discussion today, he did not become despondent losing the first game. He bounced back equalising the score and eventually winning the all-important final game.
2. #HumilityInVictory : Gukesh showed humility in his victory. He showered praise on opponent Ding. “Ding Liren is a real inspiration to me,” “What I learned from Ding is what an incredible fighter he is - true champions fight until the very end. He’s one of the greatest champions in history, and despite his struggles and not being physically fit, he fought like a true champion”, Gukesh said. Paddy Upton, his mental fitness coach said “the youngster's mannerisms after the final showcase was a masterclass in humility."
3. #DreamHigh : The 18-year-old had previously shared how when Viswanathan Anand lost the crown to Magnus Carlsen in 2013, he had dreamed of being the one to bring it back to India. He was just 7 when he dreamed of becoming the world champion. DREAM HIGH, does not matter even if you are too far away. Dream will come true one day if there is passion and drive.
4. Fearlessness : In Singapore, there were multiple times when he pressed for the game to go on even when he was in a worse position on the board. Twice he declined a draw offer from his opponent even when he was in a worse position on the board. Asked about appetite to take risks in games that had everything riding on them, Gukesh said: “My desire to win is probably stronger than my fear of losing”.
5. #YearningForChallenges : “I’m always up for challenges. The stronger the challenge, the more effort you put in, but the sweeter the outcome,” Gukesh said about defending his crown in two years.
6. #WorkIsWorship : Before getting up for the victory celebration, Gukesh remembered his customary duty to rearrange the pieces and also give reverence to the chess board and the almighty.
7. #FocusAndPoise : It was not just the brilliance of Gukesh’s moves that left an indelible mark, it was his unwavering poise under tense situations that etched an unforgettable impression. Even in moments of extreme pressure, Gukesh maintained an aura of focus.
8. #FightingSprit : The quote "In a match between two players, the fighter always wins" is attributed to Bruce Lee. This quote reflects Lee's emphasis on the importance of the individual’s mental and physical discipline, highlighting that the fighter's spirit and determination often outweigh the mere technical skills of the opponent. When Ding was playing with the white pieces, he often avoided a fight. But Gukesh took it to the extreme, avoiding a draw even in positions where he was objectively worse.
9. Share the victory with the team : Gukesh thanked and lavishly praised his team of his coach, seconds and his mind conditioning coach, Paddy Upton. Gukesh hugged and thanked Paddy Upton after the win.