Let Success Come In Bits And Pieces
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
13 April
2024
What's Come To Perfection, Perishes.
Robert Browning
Saari Bulandiyan Ek Hi Din Mein Na Haasil Kar
Mere Dost, Kal Ke Liye Bhi Kuchh Bacha Ke Rakh
Afsar Merathi
(Don't achieve all the heights so fast and so
early/ My friend, spare something for tomorrow as well)
Robert
Browning's quote, "What's come to perfection perishes," and Afsar
Merathi's famous couplet capture a profound truth about the impermanence of
things that have reached their pinnacle. It highlights the paradoxical nature
of achievement and the subsequent downfall that often follows.
Robert
Browning and Afsar suggest that when something or someone has reached its full
potential and reached a state of 'perfection,' it's susceptible to decay and
eventual demise. This quote as well as the couplet serve as a reminder that
nothing in life is eternal, and even the greatest accomplishments and
achievements are subject to the passage of time and the inevitability of
change. It encourages us to appreciate the fleeting nature of 'perfection' and
to find beauty and fulfilment in the ongoing process of growth and improvement,
rather than solely focusing on the end result.
Hakim Sanai
says, "I slowly travel towards my destination because I'm worried, if I
reach early, what'll I do after that?" This is a beautiful and most
sagacious apprehension, if at all you want to call it an apprehension. "Where'll
I go and What'll I do after achieving so much, so early?" There's no
conceit or arrogance here.
Life needs
constant motivation to march on. To quote Nida Fazli, "Duniya Na Jeet
Paao Toh Haaro Na Khud Ko Tum/ Kuchh Na Kuchh Zehan Mein Naarazgi Rahe"
(Even if you can't win the world, don't get disheartened/ Let a sense of mild
exasperation remain in the heart). This smouldering sense of exasperation eggs
us on to surge ahead in life's sojourn.
Once we
achieve something, saturation point invariably comes. On the top of the world's
highest peak, Everest, Edmund Hillary asked Tenzing Norgay: What's left for us
to achieve? What begins with a bang, often ends with a whimper.
Too many
promising careers have gone kaput because success came too fast and too early.
To quote Seemaab Akbarabadi, "Zarf Chahiye Har Kaam Ke Liye/ Kamzarfon Ko
Aksar Kaamyaabi Hazm Nahin Hoti" (One needs to have a sterling
character for everything/ Lowly people often cannot digest success). So very
true. Ergo, success must come steadily to keep us constantly engaged in life's
varied and myriad upheavals. The train of life gets derailed if success comes
all of a sudden. Let it come in bits and pieces. Remember, Hazrat Moosa Bhi
Taab-e-Tajalli-e-Ilahi Na La Sake (Legend has it that even Moses couldn't
withstand sudden effulgence of Allah).
----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/success-bits-pieces/d/132128
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