Shramam vina na kimapi sadhyam
You have the right to work, not to the fruit
- Bhagwat Gita
The other day, I was going through some of the old files and amongst other documents, I found my engineering degree certificate. While the GPA on my certificate is something I am not too proud of but what caught my attention was our college logo and the motto of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee which is part of the logo itself.
श्रमं विना न किमपि साध्यम्
Shramam vina na kimapi sadhyam
(Without effort, nothing is possible)
I have always been fascinated by the motto, ever since my college days when I first heard about it. I wondered why did the founding fathers of the institute choose it as the motto? I looked up the motto of a few other colleges just out of curiosity.
ज्ञान ही शक्ति है - IIT Guwahati
ज्ञानं परम् बलं - BITS Pilani
ज्ञानं सर्वहिताय - IIM Calcutta
I found that most institutions that impart knowledge place a lot of emphasis on it. And rightly so. Knowledge is very important. Why then, I wondered, would IIT Roorkee (then called Thomason College of Civil Engineering) overtly lay emphasis on hard work over knowledge?
Over the years, I have realized three things.
1. What comes easy, goes easy
This is true as much of knowledge as it is of money. What comes easy, goes easy. If you have not worked hard enough in applying the skill acquired over time such that it becomes muscle memory, then the knowledge or skill you have acquired is not a long-lasting one. It will fade away. It reminds me of the 10,000 hour rule popularised by Malcom Gladwell in his famous book Outliers. The idea is that you need 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become a world-class performer in any field.
2. To learn and not to do is not to learn at all
Muscles you don’t flex become weak over time. Similarly, knowledge if not applied becomes stale. In fact, there are many disciplines where learning can come only from doing. You first do, and by doing it over time, you learn. Classical Music (and a few other forms of art like abstract painting) is a great example of this. It requires years of Riyaaz to achieve mastery in all the Raagas. The same is true in Yoga and meditation too, it takes years of practice at a certain level before you can unlock the next level.
True learning can only come from doing.
3. When competing at the highest level, the advantage of knowledge gets neutralized
Vishwanathan Anand in his autobiography writes that all international Grand Masters are well versed with all the great games of the past and can find the winning move under most of the circumstances. What makes the real difference between a win or a loss (or a draw) in a game of chess is your preparation before the game and your ability to apply yourself during it.
Let’s take our own example. We all want to be in the top 5% in our respective fields (I know I am writing to people who want to be in the top 1%, but for the rest of us mere mortals, let’s work with 5%). The people who you are competing with are usually also from similar backgrounds (similar degrees from top engineering or management colleges). Everybody in the top 5% has similar skills. Is your skill or knowledge then enough of a differentiator?
More often than not, it’s your work ethic that differentiates you from others. It’s what you do with that knowledge that determines your success more than the knowledge you possess.
It’s the last point that I believe, is the most important one. Knowledge is necessary, but knowledge alone not sufficient. Unless you work hard, you won’t succeed.
And that’s why - Sharamam vina na kimapi sadhyam!
Whoever chose that motto in 1847 must be a very wise man.
Best,
Kaddy