What is the purpose of life?

The purpose of life is a life of purpose – Robert Byrne

What is your purpose of life? Is there really one? How do I know what my real purpose is?

All of us have been tangled with these inquisitive questions at some point of time in our lives. Some of us are struggling even now to find some answers.

What if I told you that you are on your path, you are serving the purpose you are meant for? – many wouldn’t agree.

The real question is do we need to find one? To answer this question let’s go back 5000 years.

I have an analogy from the life of Lord Krishna, one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that Lord Vishnu as a preserver has taken avatars to restore peace and tranquility.

This happened a few days ago. There is this 60-year-old Lord Krishna idol at home, from one of my few material inheritances. I just looked at Him with this strange question.

That took me to His own life and His life lessons….

He was born at midnight in 3228 BCE behind prison bars… with an uncle waiting to rip Him apart hours from His birth….

What was His purpose as an infant… survival and He did so miraculously. He escaped from the prison, crossed the river and moved to a new place (of course with assistance all the way).

As He was growing up and started enjoying life three things became prominent - fun, pranks and mischief. As a child His mischievous yet innocent acts fascinated others. While He stole butter innocently He also played many pranks in his neighborhood. He was an enchanter and playful lover of the Gopi's. His childhood in many instances is referred to as ‘Lila’ or playing for fun and enjoyment. He had utmost fun to the fullest…

He moved to Mathura from Vrindavan in pursuit of the tyrant king Kansa and kills him. At the age of 13 He went to sage Sandipani’s ashram and learnt all the Vedas, the art of drawing, astronomy, medicine, training elephants and horses, archery etc. He mastered 64 skills in 64 days. Craving for learning, honing skills and fighting for universal good was evident in this stage of His life.

And finally, in the next phase of His life Lord Krishna becomes Arjuna's charioteer in the Kurukshetra War. As Arjuna threw his weapons down Lord Krishna advises him about the nature of life, ethics, and morality when one is faced with a war between good and evil, duties and responsibilities, the nature of true peace and bliss which is now presented as the Bhagavat Gita. He elevated to deliver this discourse for universal good.

The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why? – Mark Twain

Right from when we are born to old age we see 'Purpose' take multiple dimensions. It is not the same in all stages of life - isn't it. From survival to fun to empowering oneself to enlightening the whole world 'Purpose' takes multiple dimensions. So if we sum up, true purpose in every stage of life is to live your life to the fullest, to strive to do your best and become your best self.

Meaningful work gives life purpose and connects you to something bigger than yourself – Germany Kent

How do we achieve this – doing our best in any given circumstance, enhancing our influence constantly and enjoying life. It is about recognizing our own gifts and using them to contribute to the world — whether those gifts are playing beautiful music for others to enjoy, helping friends solve problems, or simply bringing more joy into the lives of people around us.

We all need to make an attempt in moving from merely existing to living our life to the fullest. So there ends the search for the most sought after meaning of ‘Purpose’. Many of us are already on it and are on track…

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste it, to experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience – Eleanor Roosevelt

I want to close with a quote adapted from Tao & Zen.

You fulfilled your purpose when you took an extra hour to coach someone for their betterment.

You fulfilled your purpose when you invested in your learning and upskilled your-self.

Our mistake is that we equate purpose with a goal based achievement – outcomes do not determine purpose, the approach does!

You are already aligned with your purpose. Look no further!

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