Life’s supreme success is not to conquer everyone but to be conquered by the lover of everyone

Many people think of success in terms of power – they think that the more people they can conquer, the more successful they have become.

Such a definition of success may satisfy the ego temporarily but it leaves the heart permanently dissatisfied. The satisfaction for the ego is temporary because firstly even the most powerful person’s control over others is temporary and secondly the ego being voracious craves for more control in a spiral of ever-increasing demand that is impossible to satisfy.

Gita wisdom informs us that life’s supreme success is found not in power but in love. It explains that we are eternal souls whose innermost need is love. And this need can be fulfilled by directing our loving propensity towards the all-attractive all-loving Supreme Person, Krishna. Because he is eternal and we as souls are eternal, our spiritual love for him can continue eternally. And because he is all-attractive, loving him can satisfy our heart completely.

The wonderful thing about developing a loving relationship with Krishna is that he already loves us, unlike in other relationships, where not only do we have to develop our love for the other person, but the other person also has to develop love for us.

When we get a taste for the joy of loving Krishna, we realize that this joy far exceeds whatever superficial gratification the ego might get by conquering others. And our ever-deepening realization of the sweetness of love allows us to relinquish control and surrender to our beloved as an expression of our love and trust, thereby being conquered by him. In fact, the Bhagavad-gita (07.19) declares that those who are truly wise surrender to Krishna, recognizing him to be everything, the ultimate embodiment and fulfillment of their heart’s fondest aspirations.