THERE IS NO FAILURE FOR A HARD WORKING MAN -PTML18

 SUBHASHITHANI:409

उद्योगिनं पुरुष-सिंहम् उपैति लक्ष्मीर्

दैवेन देयम् इति कापुरुषा वदन्ति ।
दैवं निहत्य कुरु पौरुषम् आत्म-शक्त्या

यत्ने कृते यदि न सिध्यति को ऽत्र दोषः ॥ १३५ ॥

udyoginaṃ puruṣa-siṃham upaiti lakṣmīr
daivena deyam iti kāpuruṣā vadanti |
daivaṃ nihatya kuru pauruṣam ātma-śaktyā
yatne kṛte yadi na sidhyati ko 'tra doṣaḥ || 2.135 ||

Prosperity always favours men who are brave, and who work diligently. “Whatever happens is due to fate”, so say the lazy and the cowardly. One should leave the reliance on fate, and continue to work sincerely, as per one’s capabilities and talent. Even after working to the best of your ability, if there is no success , what is there to blame?

( The concept described here is known as  घुणाक्षर न्याय (Gunākshara Nyāya) – The maxim of the letters made by the wood worm )

उद्यमेन हि सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः ।
न हि सुप्तस्य सिंहस्य विशन्ति वदने मृगाः ॥ १३६ ॥
udyamena hi sidhyanti kāryāṇi na manorathaiḥ |
na hi suptasya siṃhasya viśanti vadane mṛgāḥ || 2.136 ||
We can get success in our work only when we work hard and not from desires, such as a deer does not enter the sleeping lion's mouth on its own.

उध्यमेन विना राजन्न सिध्यन्ति मनोरथाः I

कातरा इति जल्पन्ति यद्भाव्यं तद्भविष्यति  II

Udhyamena vina rajan na sidhyanti manorathaah I

Kaataraa iti jalpanti yadbhaavyam tadbhavishyati II 2.137

O king! Desires are not accomplished without exertion; it is cowardly who say – what is destined to happen come to pass.

स्व-शक्त्या कुर्वतः कर्म न चेत् सिद्धिं प्रयच्छति ।
नोपालभ्यः पुमांस् तत्र दैवान्तरित-पौरुषः ॥ १३८ ॥

sva-śaktyā kurvataḥ karma na cet siddhiṃ prayacchati |
nopālabhyaḥ pumāṃs tatra daivāntarita-pauruṣaḥ || 2.138 ||

If a man does not attain success even after putting in his best efforts, he is not to blame, nor should he consider himself a failure, for fate alone stood in his way to success.

किं तया क्रियते लक्ष्म्या या वधूर् इव केवला ।
या न वेश्येव सामान्या पथिकैर् उपभुज्यते ॥ १३९ ॥

kiṃ tayā kriyate lakṣmyā yā vadhūr iva kevalā |
yā na veśyeva sāmānyā pathikair upabhujyate || 2.139 ||

What is the use of that wealth which is in the exclusive possession of one man like a wife; and which is not enjoyed by all passers by being common property like a harlot.

(This sloka is somewhat controversial; but the limited point is that sharing what one has with others is considered as a social responsibility)

कृपणो ऽप्य् अकुलीनो ऽपि सज्जनैर्वर्जित सदा ।

सेव्यते स नरो लोके यस्य स्याद् वित्त-सञ्चयः ॥ १४० ॥

kṛpaṇo 'py akulīno 'pi sajjanair varjita sadā  |
sevyate sa naro loke yasya syād vitta-sañcayaḥ || 2.140 ||

A wealthy man is attended to well in this world even though he may be miserly, born in a notorious family and always avoided by wise men ( as unfit for friendship).

शिथिलौ च सुबद्धौ च पततः पततो न वा ।
निरीक्षितौ मया भद्रे दश वर्षाणि पञ्च च ॥ १४१ ॥

śithilau ca subaddhau ca patataḥ patato na vā |
nirīkṣitau mayā bhadre daśa varṣāṇi pañca ca || 2.141 ||

My dear wife, I have observed for more than fifteen years those two, which hang loose and yet are firmly attached, to see whether they would fall down or not.

(This is from “The story of the jackal that followed the bull “, where a female jackal sees the huge scrotum of a bull and wants her husband to snatch it as and when it would falloff.)

यो ध्रुवाणि परित्यज्याध्रुवाणि निषेवते ।
ध्रुवाणि तस्य नश्यन्ति अध्रुवं नष्टम् एव च ॥ १४२ ॥

yo dhruvāṇi parityajyādhruvāṇi niṣevate |
dhruvāṇi tasya naśyanti adhruvaṃ naṣṭam eva ca || 2.142 ||

When a person leaves things that are certain to happen, and goes after something that is uncertain, he loses those certain to get and surely those which are uncertain.

SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH