Luck can't replace Effort - काकतालीयवत्

Some people believe that luck is the most important factor in success. While some are genuine humble, others may be implying that they are somehow special to have such good luck. Luck is something you can just buy, borrow or work at. But, luck is not the key to success, it is hard work, effort, industry.

Luck would be defined as something we had no control over, else if we had control over it, then it would not be luck, it would be our karma. It is called daiva, bhāgya (दैव, भाग्य) etc in Sanskrit and the 'destiny' is a good close to it. Destiny doesn't mean there is a secret plan for you and you don't know. It is the X-factor that you have no control over, since you don't even know it.

Sanskrit has a tradition of maxims, called nyāya (nyAya, न्याय) which capture a situation in life, usually with a nugget of wisdom. One of the most famous is kāka-tālīya nyāyaḥ (kAka-tAlIya nyAyaH, काक-तालीय न्यायः) which says that - a crow swoops down and sits on a branch of a Palmyra tree, and the hard fruit falls on its head and it dies. What are the chances of this happening? It is by sheer coincidence that the crow flew and sat on that very branch, and that very second a fruit had to fall on its head.

The shloka here says that even by such sheer luck like kāka-tālīya nyāyaḥ you were to see a treasure in front of you on your path, luck (daiva) would not pick it up for you, you are still expected to make some effort to pick it up.

We might say that some people get all the luck, but maybe we all get the opportunities, but a few actually realize it and put effort to seize it. During Diwali weekend of 2005, Phanindra Sama missed his bus from Bangalore to Hyderabad, and instead of just cribbing about it, he started to find whether the bus ticketing industry really was efficient enough or were there some tickets that actually went unfilled and no one just knew. So he set out to start redBus.in, a bus ticketing company. It has the largest number of bus operators signed up and by 2010, redBus.in made a turnover of 600 million Rupees.

How did that happen? Out of so many people, including IT people, who missed the bus, only Phanindra saw it as a treasure of opportunity lying in front of it. If you were expecting a story of someone finding a real treasures lying on road, I am sorry to have raised your hope, that is only metaphorical.

Never avoid effort, never underestimate it and never think you can circumvent it and still achieve success ethically and legally. Or in other words, luck helps them who help themselves. You still have to put effort to use your good luck!

kāka-tālīya_vat-prāptam dṛiṣhṭvāpi nidhim_agrataḥ |

na svayam daivam_ādatté, puruṣhārtham_apékṣhaté || (IAST)

= kAka-tAlIya_vat-prAptam dRiShTvApi nidhim_agrataH |

na svayam daivam-Adatte, puruShArtham_apekShate || 4 || (ITRANS)

= Even if pure luck (‘Crow on a Palmyra tree’ maxim) one sees treasure lying in front, 

destiny will not pick it up for you, effort [to pick it up] is expected.

And now the language aspects -

kāka = crow
tālīya = of tāla (Palmyra tree)
-vat = like (suffix)
= like the kāka-tālīya maxim

prāptam = obtained

dṛiṣhṭvāpi = dṛiṣhṭvā + api
dṛiṣhṭvā = after seeing
api = also, even

nidhim = treasure, wealth

agrataḥ = in front of
agra = front

na = not

svayam = on its own

daivam = destiny, luck

ādatté = accepts, takes (for you)

puruṣhārtham = effort, literally ‘purpose of man’

apékṣhaté = is expected





(c) Shashikant Joshi । शशिकांत जोशी । ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः ।

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rest, relaxation - विश्राम

shram श्रम  (v)  [ shrAmyati श्राम्यति , first person present tense ]
1. to attempt, work, put effort into.
2. to control the senses with austerity and practice (tapas तपस्)
3. to get tired (due to hard work) [shrAnta श्रान्त]
4. to fall in hardship

shramaH श्रमः  (n) =
1. effort, attempt, physical work.
2. tiredness
3. hardship, pain/sorrow
4. physical exercise


pari-shrama परिश्रम = [n] very hard work. [v] to get very tired (due to hard work)

vishrAma विश्राम [n] = rest, relaxation, to stop or stay over.
shrama-jalam श्रम-जलम् = effort-water = sweat
shrama-sAdhya श्रम-साध्य = effort-accomplish-able = one that can be accomplished by hard work




(c) Shashikant Joshi । शशिकांत जोशी । ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः ।

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Without effort your skills are useless - अगच्छन् वैनतेयोऽपि

अगच्छन् वैनतेयोऽपि पदमेकं न गच्छति
= agachchhan vainateyo'pi padamekam na gachchhati
= not moving, even the [mighty] garuDa doesn't move a step.

The eagle is a fast bird. Just like a rabbit is a fast hopper. Remember the hare the tortoise story?

But their talent is of no use, if they don't use it. An eagle though can surpass a mouse in no time, will not have moved a single step, if it sits perched on the branch. To succeed, it has to take the flight, it has to move.

The toughest thing is usually to take the first step. Once that is done, half the battle is won.

'garuDa' गरुड is the son of 'vinatA' विनता , and hence is called 'vainiteya' वैनितेय . He is the king of the birds, and a vehicle of Lord 'viShNu' विष्णु and is known for his speed. Because of him Lord Vishnu can move from anywhere to anywhere in no time!

But even the might garuDa गरुड, the golden winged suparNa सुपर्ण , will not moved an inch while it is still perched on the branch. There is no substitute to the first step.

Similarly, mere wishing won't make things happen. You have to work at it. Procrastination or wishful thinking doesn't do any good. Else no one would have to do anything. They could simply wish and viola!

In the hare and the tortoise story too, as soon as the hare sleeps, the tortoise starts to win. And surely he does win at the end.

The full shloka goes :
गच्छन् पिपीलिको याति योजनानां शतान्यपि |
अगच्छन् वैनतेयोऽपि पदमेकं न गच्छति||
= gachchhan pipIliko yAti, yojanAnAm shatAnyapi |
agachchhan vainateyo'pi, padamekam na gachchhati ||
= a moving ant goes even a hundred yojana; even the [fast eagle] garuDa doesn't move a step when stationary.

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And now the language aspects -

अगच्छन् = (adj) while not moving
This is one of the ways to denote 'while doing something', and they are treated as adjectives of the do-er.
e.g. "Don't read while eating.", here, 'while eating' is khAdan खादन्.
Similarly, 'gachchhan' गच्छन् means - while moving. with the a- prefix it is the opposite.
hence, 'while not moving'.

There are other rules, but mainly the -an -अन्, -aan -आन्, -maan -मान् suffixes are used.
In some cases, for feminine forms, the verb in third person, plural is used with a long -I (-ee) -ई ending. e.g. gachchhantI गच्छन्ती, pibantI पिबन्ती, vadantI वदन्ती etc are valid words (the ending is NOT short -i) which are feminine adjectives meaning she while going, drinking, speaking etc.

वैनतेयोऽपि = vainateyaH + api = son of vinatA (garuDa) + even/also

पदमेकं = padam + ekam = step + one

न = not

गच्छति = goes





(c) Shashikant Joshi । शशिकांत जोशी । ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः ।

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