Unsuccessful (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"unsuccessful" |"unsuccessfully"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The successful goes back to Godhead directly. And even one is unsuccessful, half-finished, then he is given chance to take his birth in two kinds of family. One set is śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means very well-to-do, rich family. And other is very well polished, cultural brāhmaṇa family.

Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

Now, now, somebody begins this yoga of self-realization, but for unfortunately he cannot prosecute the task in a nice way, and sometimes he falls down, falls down from the path. Still, there is encouragement that "You are not loser. You are not loser. Because you will be given a chance next life, and that next life is not ordinary next life." That next life is śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe: "You'll have your birth next life either in a very rich family, or in the family of very highly advanced, educated father." Śucīnāṁ śrīmatām. Śucīnām means... I have explained to you the, the life of a brāhmaṇa, brahminical culture. Śuci means brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows spiritual life, how to conduct. And he has got other qualifications. Then he's called śuci. And the, the, the opposite word of śuci is called muci. So we need not explain what is muci, but śuci, śucīnāṁ means highly cultured brāhmaṇa. And śrīmatām. Śrī means wealth, śrī means wealth, opulence, beauty and all these things. That means very aristocratic family, very aristocratic family. So he's given chance to get his birth in two places. One who is, I mean to..., not successful. The successful, oh, what to speak of him! The successful goes back to Godhead directly. And even one is unsuccessful, half-finished, then he is given chance to take his birth in two kinds of family. One set is śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means very well-to-do, rich family. And other is very well polished, cultural brāhmaṇa family.

Don't think that because you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, you will be always successful. No. It doesn't matter. Even if you are unsuccessful, you must know it firmly that without Kṛṣṇa's desire, nothing can happen.

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

Samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca. If you are working for Kṛṣṇa, it is Kṛṣṇa's desire if you be successful or not successful. Here it is, the word is used, asiddhau. That means don't think that because you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, you will be always successful. No. It doesn't matter. Even if you are unsuccessful, you must know it firmly that without Kṛṣṇa's desire, nothing can happen. If you are unsuccessful, then you should.... That is Kṛṣṇa conscious.... You should know also that "It is Kṛṣṇa's desire." It is Kṛṣṇa's desire. So there is no question of being depressed because you are unsuccessful. A devotee is never depressed in the horrible condition of life. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna... (SB 10.14.8).

If I train my mind for becoming my friend, then my life is successful. If I train my mind to become my enemy, then my life is unsuccessful.

Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966:

Now, here it is called bandhur ātmā ātmanas tasya. Now, here one ātmā is named mind. Mind is the friend of oneself, and mind is the enemy of oneself. So we have to train the mind. If I train my mind for becoming my friend, then my life is successful. If I train my mind to become my enemy, then my life is unsuccessful. Anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatruvat. But one who has no knowledge of the spiritual self, then his mind acts like his enemy. One who has got the conception of this body as "my self," his mind is his enemy. And one who has got the conception of the spirit self, his mind is his friend.

Just like a great sage like Viśvāmitra Muni, he also failed, failed for the time being. But Kṛṣṇa says that this failure is not, I mean to say, unsuccessful. As we have sometimes the proverb, that "Failure is the pillar of success," so especially in the spiritual life, this failure is not discouraging.

Lecture on BG 6.40-43 -- New York, September 18, 1966:

So when this girl was born, then Viśvāmitra thought, "Oh, I was advancing in my spiritual culture, and again I have been entrapped." So he was going out. At the same time his wife Menakā brought this girl before her, and little child is always attractive. She showed that "Oh, you have got such a nice girl, such beautiful girl, and you are going away? No, no. You should take care." So there is a picture, very nice. That is a very famous picture. That Menakā is showing Viśvāmitra Muni the girl, and the muni is like that, "No more show me." Yes. There is a picture. That is... Then he went away. So there are chances of failure. There are chances of failure. Just like a great sage like Viśvāmitra Muni, he also failed, failed for the time being. But Kṛṣṇa says that this failure is not, I mean to say, unsuccessful. As we have sometimes the proverb, that "Failure is the pillar of success," so especially in the spiritual life, this failure is not discouraging. This failure is not discouraging.