What is the Motivation Behind your Perfection ??

Humans have a competitive edge in their nature and are always looking for perfection in their actions. Perfection in body, relationships, family life, work and play is occupying our mind constantly. The heart is full of desires to be “perfect” in all that we attempt. Wanting to be the perfect son, daughter, mother, father etc. with our family. Wanting to be the perfect friend, employee, teacher, worker, etc. fills our days and nights. Wanting that perfect body weight, perfect looks, or perfect grades overly occupies our precious time. These are only a few example among the vast array of things where we seek perfection. There is nothing wrong in wanting to do something perfectly, but as you will see it may turn out to be futile. Perfecting things of this material world for oneself is not a worthy cause if Krishna is not in the equation. If our perfection is for the pleasure of Krishna, related to our service to Him; then it may be fruitful but not otherwise.

The Vedas describe that a conditioned soul is hampered by four defects: he is sure to commit mistakes, he is sure to become illusioned, he has a tendency to cheat others, and his senses are imperfect. No matter how learned a person may be they are bound to make mistakes that can cost them their reputation or even their life. Our senses are imperfect as we make judgment of things based on our limited perception and not always as it is. We are illusioned as when we do something we don’t know what the outcome will be. There are so many opinions about things these days, what is right and what is wrong, with this comes illusion. And the cheating propensity we can see in society in almost every aspect, from political leaders to spiritual leaders. So the valuable human endeavor is going to waste. We are seeking perfection in all the wrong places.

Bg. 7.26
vartamānāni cārjuna
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni
māṁ tu veda na kaścana

O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows. (source)

Bg. 15.15

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas. (source)

So here, Krishna is perfect. And the knowledge He has spoken is also perfect in the Vedanta. In the scriptures we are told that the perfection of this human life is to realize that we are not this body, but an eternal soul and engage in the loving devotional service of the Lord.

Engagement in the devotional service of the Lord is the life and soul of the living entity. It is the desired goal and supreme perfection of human life. One has to become confident about this, and one also has to be confident that all activities other than devotional service—such as mental speculation, fruitive work or mystic endeavor—will never yield any enduring benefit. Complete confidence in the path of devotional service will enable one to attain his desired goal, but attempting to follow other paths will only succeed in making one restless. (source)

This human body is best suited to perform devotional service to the Lord. We have been given the intelligence and the reasoning power to know God. But the material world is very much concerned about making this body very comfortable. A first class coach of a train is very nice, one can be seated in it but if we are not moving we will not reach our destination. If you look outside and the scenery has not changed then we really have not moved from our place. In the journey of life if there are no changes happening within our heart then we have not progressed. People are unaware of the real destination of life so they are trying only to perfect things related to this material body. This is due to the attachments of this material world. Bhagavad Gita describes this in chapter fifteen:

Unfortunately this body is anchored to mundane consciousness by five strong chains which are: (1) attachment to the material body due to ignorance of spiritual facts, (2) attachment to kinsmen due to bodily relations, (3) attachment to the land of birth and to material possessions such as house, furniture, estates, property, business papers, etc., (4) attachment to material science, which always remains mysterious for want of spiritual light, and (5) attachment to religious forms and holy rituals without knowing the Personality of Godhead or His devotees who make them holy. (source)

A good analogy is a large Banyan tree in which one is unable to determine where it begins and where it ends. As we see in the reflection of the tree in water, the roots are upwards and branches down. The roots upwards indicate the attachments going up to the entire material world, up to the topmost planet of Brahma. The living entity wanders from branch to branch. In other words the tree of the material world is only a reflection of the real tree of the spiritual world. This reflection is rooted in desire. Desire is everything and we have to cut off this inverted tree of desire.

Bg. 15.3-4

The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down this strongly rooted tree with the weapon of detachment. Thereafter, one must seek that place from which, having gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything began and from whom everything has extended since time immemorial. (source)

Looking for perfection in the material world just for the sake of perfection is a futile endeavor. Instead let’s seriously and sincerely start endeavoring for that Supreme Perfection….

OM TAT SAT….THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH

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