The Unseen Foundation

Picture from Pixabay

We crave applause for all the work that we do, but forget a basic fact - for all that we create, there will be volumes of background work that has to be done. None of this background work will be appreciated or even be known to others. But this work has to be done, because without it, we will have no skills.

Consider this story:

A young sculptor spent weeks carving a plain foundation block for a monument. However he was disappointed when he learnt that the block was going to be buried underground where no one would see it.

The master builder smiled at the novice. 

“The monument will withstand centuries of storms, not because of its spire, but because of this stone that no one will see.”

Similarly, in Sanskrit there is a Subhashita (a well-known saying):

रत्नगर्भा वसुमती बहुपुत्रा च मेदिनी ।

अदृष्टसारा जगतां धत्ते भारमनारतम् ॥

Ratnagarbhā vasumatī bahuputrā ca medinī |

Adṛṣṭasārā jagatāṁ dhatte bhāramanāratam ||

This means that ‘The earth holds immense gems and boundless reservoirs concealed entirely within its dark depths. It is this very unseen core—hidden beneath the ground—that unceasingly supports the colossal weight of the entire world above.’

The unglamorous work that we do in the background is the bedrock for success because this is the stone that will keep you anchored at all times.

So don’t ever mistake being unseen for being insignificant. 

It just means that you are still building your foundation stone. 

Make it strong so that your monument does not falter.

The Little Seed and the Banyan Tree

Picture from Pixabay

In our present days, we feel small and insignificant when we compare our Day 1 with someone else’s Year 1. We look at the established institutions and veterans and feel that our progress is embarrassingly small and even assume that compared to them, we will never get where we want.

Here is a little story of a seed and the banyan tree:

A little boy was disheartened because his sapling seemed tiny against an ancient banyan tree. 

An elder picked up a little seed and smiled. “Within this little speck is the power to crack boulders. Greatness begins when you refuse to let go of your resolve, even in the dark.”

Similarly, in Sanskrit there is a Subhashita (a well-known saying):

बीजस्यान्तर्गतो वृक्षो भवत्येव यथा महान् ।

तथा संकल्पमात्रेण कार्यसिद्धिः प्रजायते ॥

Bījasyāntargato vṛkṣo bhavatyeva yathā mahān |

Tathā saṅkalpamātreṇa kāryasiddhiḥ prajāyate ||

This means that ‘Just as an immense, mighty tree already exists silently within the tiny interior of a seed, so too does monumental achievement originate from the quiet, unseen resolve held firmly within.’

The invisible work - the one that no one sees or appreciates - the late night work, the repeated failures - this forms the root system that will keep us anchored even in the dark.

At that time when you are building your roots, measuring your worth against others is an exercise in futility. Because that is the truth - the great banyan tree was once a little speck that refused to give up.

So keep nurturing your roots, and the rest will follow.

The Dry Well

From Pixabay

When a project slows down, or our career hits a plateau, we get frustrated and blame our bad luck. We assume that there was no real opportunity to begin with.

Here is a story of a traveler and the dry well:

A traveler came to a dry well in the middle of a heated summer and cursed the place because there was no shade or water there.

The hermit nearby smiled. “The water has not vanished, it only rests deep below. It is waiting for working hands to draw it up.”

In Sanskrit, there is a Subhashita (a well-known saying):

यथा खनन् खनित्रेण नरो वार्यधिगच्छति ।

तथा गुरुगतां विद्यां शुश्रूषुरधिगच्छति ॥

Yathā khanan khanitreṇa naro vāryadhigacchati |

Tathā gurugatāṁ vidyāṁ śuśrūṣuradhigacchati ||

This means that ‘Just as a person digging patiently into the earth with a shovel eventually reaches life-giving water, so too does a sincere seeker, through persistent diligence and dedicated service, attain the deepest reservoirs of wisdom.’

The story and the Subhashita are easily applicable to us in real life.

Value, depth and mastery are rarely available on the surface and is found under layers of hard work.

Digging deep is not just the price to be paid for mastery, it also gives us the patience and stamina to go further.

More importantly, circumstances yield not because we are entitled, but because we are persistent.

So bring the shovel and start digging - you will find your water.

The Freedom of Nishkama Karma

Many people quit not when something is difficult, but when the outcome is delayed.

When the surroundings do not yield - could be anything from slowing markets to drying up opportunities - we freeze too. The first thing we think is ‘Why act now? I will act when things get better.’

The truth is that things will never get better until we act.

Here is a little story of a farmer.

During a drought, a farmer wondered whether he had to plough his dry farm.

A passing elder told him, “The sky has withheld its rain today. But if the soil is not broken when the clouds finally break, you cannot blame the sky.”

Similarly, in Sanskrit there is a Subhashita (a well-known saying):

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।

मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥

Karmaṇyevādhikāraste mā phaleṣu kadācana |

Mā karmaphalaheturbhūrmā te saṅgo'stvakarmaṇi ||

This means that ‘Your right and jurisdiction extend only to your actions, never to the fruits or outcomes thereof. Let not the expectation of results dictate your motives, nor let your mind surrender to inaction.’

The outcomes of any venture are beyond your control, but your readiness and labour are always necessary. 

When external circumstances are not favourable, do not worry about the results, focus on your daily effort. That way you will be prepared when opportunity knocks.

Because the sky does not owe you rain on your schedule. 

But when the rain finally arrives, what is important is whether your soil can use the rain that has arrived.

The River Does Not Care

 

We often believe that when our intentions are right and we genuinely care about the outcome, the universe is supposed to meet us halfway.

But the universe is indifferent to what we hope to accomplish. It only cares about what we work for.

Consider this story:

A boatman was rowing against the fierce current, but his boat kept drifting downstream. Tired, the boatman wanted to give up. An elder from the shore told him something important. 

“The river does not care about your intention. But the minute your oars rest, the current takes control.”

Similarly, in Sanskrit there is a Subhashita (a well-known saying):

नावमनुप्रवहतीं यद्वद् वायुः प्रवाधते ।

तद्वद् इन्द्रियजातानां यत् प्रमाथी मनस्तथा ॥

Nāvamanupravahatīṁ yadvad vāyuḥ pravādhate | 

Tadvad indriyajātānāṁ yat pramāthī manastathā ||

This means that: ‘Just as a sudden, forceful wind sweeps away an untethered, unsteered boat on the water, so too does a drifting, unguided mind sweep away a person’s stability and direction the moment vigilance is dropped.’

While moving towards your goal, inertia and distraction mean losing the ground that you fought so hard to gain.

More importantly, our intentions are cheap. 

Circumstances do not pause because of our fatigue. You have to keep moving towards your goal.

The river will continue to flow whether you row or rest. 

So pick up your oars and keep steering.

Tomorrow’s Shade

When something goes wrong in our plans, we replay our mistakes in a loop, as if intense regret could change the past.

It does not.

Consider a little story:

A man mourned the withered sapling that he had failed to water yesterday. 

An elder gave him a fresh seed. “The tree you lost yesterday cannot be grown today. But the shade of tomorrow is still in your palm.”

Similarly, in Sanskrit there is a Subhashita (a well-known saying):

गतं न शोचेत् प्रमदां न याचेत् प्राप्तं न जह्यात् समयं न हापयेत् ।

अनागतं च प्रतिपालयेत विविक्तमार्गं प्रतिपद्य विद्वान् ॥

Gataṁ na śocet pramadāṁ na yācet prāptaṁ na jahyāt samayaṁ na hāpayet |

Anāgataṁ ca pratipālayeta viviktamārgaṁ pratipadyate vidvān ||

This means that: ‘A wise person does not grieve over what is gone, nor waste time courting fleeting illusions; they cherish what they have obtained, never lose the present moment, and wisely prepare for what is yet to come.’

What is gone is gone. It cannot be undone. No amount of regret can change that.

The only thing that you are wasting with your constant regret is that you ‘miss watering your seeds’ today too. Because ultimately, the truth remains that our influence and efforts remain only in the present and the now, not in the past or the future.

Focus on your resources and skills for what needs to be done now.

And then start preparing for the future. Because your future rests on what you focus on today.

Don’t mourn the dead sapling. Plant the new seed and start watering.

The Ant and the Eagle

While starting something new, our first instinct is to look at the summit. Looking at the massive ambition can paralyse anyone and it can lead us to believe that the distance is insurmountable.

This is a story of a traveler and his guide.

A traveler looked at a steep mountain and was overwhelmed. 

His old guide reminded him. “You do not have to conquer the entire mountain today. You just have to take the step in front of you.”

In Sanskrit there is a Subhashita (a well-known saying):

गच्छन् पिपीलिको याति योजनानां शतान्यपि ।

अगच्छन् वैनतेयोऽपि पदमेकं न गच्छति ॥

Gacchan pipīliko yāti yojanānāṁ śatānyapi |

Agacchan vainateyo'pi padamekaṁ na gacchati ||

This means: ‘Moving forward step by step, even a tiny ant can cover hundreds of miles. Yet, by not taking that single step, even Garuda (the divine eagle) does not move an inch.’

The Subhashita explains something basic: 

1. The potential of a person to achieve something without any action is just theory.

2. Consistent small actions take us much forward than we realize.

We just need to take one step at a time and the summit will be below us.