Hi,
It is important to have self esteem - a respect for oneself and the abilities one possesses. But if it crosses its limits to the extent that one starts treating others inferior, it is not proper. It is important to recognise that every other person also has a self esteem and that has to be respected. A true person with self esteem offers due respect to others as much as to oneself. Whereas a proud person treats self above others. And that is detrimental and at times destructive.
Let us look at this incidence from Srimad Bhagavatam wherein Indra's proudness proved to be his unbecoming.
The narrow gap between self esteem and proudness
The people of gokul used to celebrate every year the arrival of their new crop harvest to their homes by offering prayers to lord Indra. The then 5-year old Krishna protested that and told them not to engage in that worship. Indra came to know about it and became very angry. He felt insulted. He questioned proudly, "What this boy can do to me?"
Indra wanted to take a revenge on the people of gokul and see what this boy could do to save them. He created clouds that rained stones on gokul for 7 consecutive nights. The little Krishna lifted the mountain govardhan under which the people of gokul safely took shelter. Not a single person was harmed by the rain of stones. Indra realised his mistake, repented for his proudness, came to Krishna, apologised to him, and offered him the name 'govinda.'
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The proud are bound to be humbled for there is always someone who could do things better. It is good to say with self esteem, "I can do it." But it is not wise to say with proudness, "Only I can do it." There is a difference between the two. It is a thin line of difference but with substantial variation in their meaning and impact. The gap is narrow, but the consequences are wider.
The true winners know this and stay humble even after great accomplishments.
To your continued success,
With love,
Siva
PS: Pls do post your comments, remarks, and experiences.
4 comments:
Great piece of wisdom to remember!
Thank you so much Pradipta for posting your comments. So kind and nice of you for reading and posting your remarks! Comments from a trainer and HR consultant like you are always very enriching. Thank you.
Yes so much difference between egoist and egotist !
Indra had to come and apologize to 5 yr kid Krishna !
These stories are nice alerts on our maintained posiotions
Siva > thanks for your MM (Monday Mantra)
DrV
Thank you Dr Venkatesh Sir. True, sometimes the words look so similar, but differ a lot in their meanings. Thank you very much for your kind appreciation of Monday Mantras. I shall continue to post.
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