Dr. Eswaran

Vedanta Institute Bangalore

The whole world desires success.  It is unfortunate that people tend to pay least attention to understand what success is and what constitutes success. It is neither the world nor the individual that spells success. How one relaters to the world determines their success. Therefore, success is the just an effect.  Being an effect success belongs to the future.  Success or failure is the result that is yet to come.  Action is the cause, and success or failure is the result.  The people are concerned about the result, the fruit, the effect not the cause i.e. one’s own present action. The focus and interest is on the result of action rather than performance of the right action.  Success eludes such result-orientation.  But when one concentrates on the present action, unmindful of its results, and performs the action perfectly, success is bound to follow.  Success therefore can be stated as action itself at a future period of time.  Present action itself metamorphoses into success or failure like the seed metamorphosing into a tree. The quality and the texture of the current action determine its result in the future.  Therefore, secret of success lies in the performance of right action in the present.

Body is like the tool kit. With the use of the body actions are performed. Those actions were propelled either by the mind or by Intellect or the combination. Mind is that which comprises of feelings, emotions, impulses, likes and dislikes. Intellect is the discriminating power in an individual. That which analysis, reasons, judges and decides is the intellect. Mind produces numerous desires and lacks direction.  It is the intellect that can guide and direct the mind like the banks guiding the river.  If the banks were strong, the river blesses with vegetation and growth. If the banks were weak, the river inundates the field and causes damage. So it is with the mind and intellect.  If the intellect is strong, it can control the mind and lead to success.  Otherwise, mind will overpower the intellect and lead to failure and destruction. The efficiency and the power of an action is optimum when it is directed by the healthy mind and a strong intellect unitedly. Such action will be with the power to attract success. Here is the blueprint of an ideal action that would bring success:

• First principle is the body has to be engaged constantly in action. Overcome the tendency to laze, to slacken.  Inaction weakens the body and ultimately destroys the very capacity to act. 
• The second principle is the Intellect must fix an ideal in life, keep its focus on the ideal, and maintain objectivity in action. Objectivity is the capacity of the intellect to keep away from the weaknesses of the mind.
• The third principle is the mind has to surrender itself to the chosen ideal rather than acting on endless desires. The surrender builds mental stamina to work.

These three principles when followed diligently, the energy generated will be tremendous. Such energy ought not to be washed in unproductive channels.  The problem is that the mind has a tendency to ramble into the past and future. That saps our energy.  That is why an adult who is stronger than the child get tired at the end of the day.  Were as the child is full of energy and enthusiasm.  The secret is that the child has no worries of the past or anxiety over the future.  It lives in present, moment to moment.  This oscillating tendency of the mind can be controlled only by the strong intellect.  The strong intellect can keep the mind to the present action without allowing it to ramble in to the past and future. This capacity of the intellect to focus the mind in the present action is concentration. Concentration is the art of keeping the mind focused in the current action without allowing it to drift into the past worries and future anxieties.

Another reason for failure is lack of consistency of purpose in our undertakings.  Actions were performed at random.  There is no coherence in our actions.  One action neutralises the other.  It is again the intellect that fixes the goal that is to be achieved, sets priorities in order and directs all actions to the chosen goal.  This is consistency.  When actions follow one direction there is enough power like water flowing in one direction generates hydroelectric power.  So too wind blowing in one direction, light focused to a point.

Thus, Concentration and Consistency forms the pillars of success.  The intensity of concentration and the power of consistency depend upon the strength of the intellect.  Strong intellect therefore is the key to success. Strong intellect does not mean mere intelligence.  Intelligence is, where, one is well informed in one or more subjects.  Intelligence is gained from an external source. The Intelligent one can only do that for which he is trained for. Beyond the field of training, he is not effective.  Therefore, one may be very intelligent yet have a poor intellect.  A man of mere intelligence would lack control over the mind and its demands.  Modern education seems to be contended in developing human intelligence, transferring the information from teacher to taught.  The material and the method to fructify the intellect are not available.  Therefore we are not able find success as whole.  The so-called successes were all one-dimensional. A successful executive is a failure as a husband; a successful father fails as citizen, etc. The need of the hour is a system to develop human Intellect while developing the intelligence.

Educational institutions and books can only provide knowledge, never wisdom. Knowledge is understanding of the subject. But it does not make one a practitioner of that knowledge. When knowledge is digested, absorbed into your personality you live it. You become an architect of your knowledge. It becomes living knowledge, wisdom. A professor of philosophy is seldom a philosopher. What converts knowledge into wisdom is the process of reflection upon the knowledge received. The knowledge provided by teachers and books has to be cogitated upon, reflected, contemplated until it seeps in, and becomes a part of you. The education systems must contain this process of reflection.

The ancient wisdom of Vedanta provides the method and the necessary material to develop a strong intellect.  Vedanta is an experimental science. One has to study the truths promulgated by Vedanta independently and reflect originally.  Through study, reflection and experimentation the intellect will become stronger.  As the intellect grows one becomes more mature, dynamic and successful.  The progress may be slow but sure.