We may sometimes feel sorry for ourselves because of not having any great gifts as some others have. We may feel, “If only I had better looks or better memory or better speech fluency … or better whatever, I would have achieved something great in my life.”
However, great gifts don’t guarantee great contributions. Some of the world’s worst tyrants were greatly gifted: they had phenomenal oratory skills and excellent organizational abilities. But they abused those gifts for bringing untold misery on others and even on themselves in terms of the karmic consequences of their misdeeds.
The Bhagavad-gita (07.15) refers to those who grievously misuse their great gifts as dushkrtinah. The Gita goes beyond specific wrongdoings to pinpoint the foundational wrong mentality: the refusal to use God’s gifts in God’s service. Being driven by their godless desires, such people seek their own egoistic aggrandizement and often end up doing dastardly deeds.
We will probably never do such things, and we may not even have any great gifts. But such people’s examples can help us counter feelings of self-pity. The road to greatness lies not so much in having great gifts as in putting whatever gifts we have to great use. And the greatest use comes by greatly devoting ourselves to the greatest being, Krishna. In contrast with the perverted experts described earlier (07.15), the Gita (09.13) lauds as great souls those who take wholehearted shelter of Krishna and serve him determinedly.
If we use in Krishna’s service whatever we have – great or small – we will find great fulfillment. And we will set a worthwhile example for others, most of whom are like us in not being extraordinarily gifted and so can be inspired by our capacity to contribute despite our modest gifts. And ultimately, we will attain eternal ecstatic love for Krishna, life’s greatest success.
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
Explanation of article:
Podcast:
HK Prji PAMHO
Thank you very much for nourishing our consciousness with this nectar of KC.
Two things:
1. In SB.1.8.26, Kunti Devi seems to claim the “great gifts” (janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir) to be obstacles in one’s “greatness” (i.e.,devotion). Hence, my question is: Is it a bane or a boon to have the “great gifts”?
2. I recently posted a comment for the article posted on Mar 25, 2016, but my comment is awaiting moderation. A humble request: Is it possible to add a feature in Gita Daily that whenever anyone happens to post a comment, especially for the non-latest articles, a link is sent to you so that you may respond to the recently posted comments for the old articles as well. This is because, afterall, we never know if somebody happens to somehow read a random article (an article which may not necessarily be the recently posted latest one), and that somebody happens to post a question as a comment, and after receiving the answer to his question, that somebody happens to become a devotee of Krishna. Afterall, we never know, by which inconceivable ways Krishna makes that somebody as his devotee!
Yas
The gifts are blessings if we use them well and curses if we abuse them.
Yes, I do get intimated about comments, but I have over 700 questions pending on thespiritualscientist.com and over 200 questions in comments pending on gitadaily.com. So, I can’t always reply quickly. We need many more devotees to take up online outreach earnestly.
ys
ccdas
KRISHNA BHAKTI is the greatest gift to all.