The Call of Sri Krishna: The Gospel of Super Excellence - 2. : Swami Krishnananda

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25/08/2018
The Call of Sri Krishna: The Gospel of Super Excellence -2. : Swami Krishnananda
(Talk given on Janmashtami, Sri Krishna's birthday.)

Modern thinkers have made a strong plea for the cultivation of super excellence. Thus Emerson wrote: "If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap than his neighbour, though he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door."

Similarly Swett Marden said: "There is a fitness in doing a thing superlatively well, because we seem to be made for expressing excellence."

In his book, Excellence, J.W. Gardner, President of the Carnegie Foundation, writes: "Excellence implies more than competence. It implies a striving for the highest standards in every phase of life. We need individual excellence in all its forms, in every kind of creative endeavour, in political life, in education, in industry – in short, universally!"

"An effective personality," says the noted psychologist, Dr. Links, "requires not only a variety of skills but relative superiority in a few fields and distinct superiority in one. The chief superiority should be in a vocational field, the others in the fields of sports, hobbies and the social arts. The mere habit of developing superiority is a preparation for success in later life."

Seva Dharma requires hard work, but mixed with brains. All work must be done efficiently. According to the Gita, efficiency in work is one of the definitions of Yoga (II/50) and the devotee who is dear to Sri Krishna is daksha or dexterous in whatever he does (XII/16).

To be continued ..


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