‘GOD, WORK and LUCK’
A truth to uncover…
God, work and luck, these are three terms that has been always a topic of argument right from the beginning of social human lives. Whether we look back to different reigns described in Hindu culture or in any other religion in the world, there have been some topics raised by the followers of respective religion about the most powerful out of these three that is capable of deciding future of any individual or society. (Here I am going to concentrate with Hindu background that I am well versed with and don’t want to create any controversy over my any unintentional statement, but real motive of this article is not bounded to any religion)
If we look back to ancient era of Hindu reign, there are number of chapters in various holy books that talk about these three. Of course most of them started with considering God as the most powerful one and taking the other two, luck and work as two sub-divisions of the all-in-all God. This theory is totally supported in all the four Vedas, various Upanishads and purans as well. This theory continued without any questioning till the times of Mahabharata, when the lord Krishna gave the most revolutionary as well as eye-opening preaches (the Gita) to arjuna regarding various issues related to these three topics. And no doubt still Gita is considered as the most authentic guide for any Hindu when it comes to any confusion related to any of these three topics.
But before I come at the real motive of this article, I would like to re-consider some of the most famous statements made in The Gita about the three topic god, luck and work (the real concern is not to talk about Gita, however for sure about some of the statements made by lord Krishna)
Considering god as the most powerful, at one place lord Krishna says that “I am the one and overall, start to end and every creation belongs to me including all your action-reaction”
In another, talking about work he says “you should work without any grieve or expectation”
About luck there are not so specific statements but what I am going to consider here is the general assumption that it always plays an important role in deciding the result of any action.
What I am really concerned about is the conflict over first between god and men, second luck Vs work. As it is said in Gita that god is everything and everything belongs to him then what about the other statement that god resides in you and you are a part of the god or can make you equal to god. Both of these statements comes in contrast with each other as one says I am everything and you are just my medium to do the things where in another statement it says that you are everything and if give a try can make yourself equivalent to god. both these statements cannot be considered at the same time as one statement portrays God as overall boss with men just as his rubber stamp what he can use as the way he wants to, not giving any individuality to the men himself. While the other statement makes space for both the God and men, giving them individuality and separating their places in a way that none of them looses their identity. Not to misunderstand that I am trying to portray men above God, all I am trying to find out which statement lead to a conclusion. Because there could be a number of paths but conclusion or result is always one.
Another conflict that I am mostly attached with is the conflict between luck and work. I always wonder which one out of these two is more powerful. Because even work is considered as the most powerful in deciding the future of any individual or group, many times even all the hard work does not pay the expected. As mentioned earlier about the statement from Gita that we should work without any grieve or expectation, if so then what about setting goals for oneself? Is it worth in present time that we should keep on working without keeping result in our mind? I wonder if that’s possible. And what about doing all the hard work but not getting what one should? Should not it worry the person? And if Luck is more powerful then work (what I think is true in my view) then how one should devote himself to work? No doubt many examples are there showing superiority of luck over work (what should not be in my view).
Again it should not be assumed that I am trying to put luck over the work and saying that we should stop working and should try to be lucky, I am just trying to bring some of the things residing deep inside in the light of our knowledge and believe.
Well, one more answer that should not be given for these questions is that there used to be exception and we should overlook them. I believe that such topics don’t have exception and it is very necessary for humankind to get the truth behind these uncovered to lead to an eternal life.
To be continued…
BY:-
PRAVEEN PARASAR
21/11/2010
