is it worth the penny?

अफलानि दुरन्तानि समव्ययफलानि च।
अशक्यानि च वस्तूनि नारभेत विचक्षणः॥
बल्ललादेवस्य भोजप्रभन्धात्
aphalāni durantāni samavyayaphalāni ca|
aśakyāni ca vastūni nārabheta vicakṣaṇaḥ||
ballalādevasya bhojaprabhandhāt

A person with good sense should never embark on a mission (1) which is not likely to yield the expected result (2) the result of which is not capable of reasonable evaluation
 (3) which in the final analysis would only result in just  balancing the labour involved and the moderate result
(the attempt and result just breaking even) and (4) which is in the first place incapable of achievement.

The statement may seem too commonplace and the first reaction would be that it is too obvious and does not require any poetic endorsement.  But if we are honest to ourselves, we would find that most of us do not act in the manner envisaged here.   Most of us take the decision to proceed with a thing in the first flush of enthusiasm, caring least about the positive result..
True, we may not have a very elaborate  road-map with all the details when we take the first step.  But realism should govern our actions. It is meaningless  to perform an action which in the final analysis would have taken its toll, and the end result does not carry us even an inch ahead. 
And we have with us the politicians who promise to deliver to us our doorstep the moon and the rainbow all at one time and the funny thing is that we believe them invariably.

--

।श्रीकृष्णो रक्षतु।
|śrīkṛṣṇo rakṣatu|
Have a nice and happy day
with profound respect and warm regards
K V Ananthanarayanan
(kanfusion)
blog   http://kanfusion.blogspot.com/
त्यजन्तु बान्धवाः सर्वे निन्दन्तु गुरवो जनाःI
तदापि परमानन्दो गोविन्दो मम जीवनंII
let all my relatives abandon me, let the great people insult me, still I am in supreme bliss since my life  is GOVINDA alone.
Iकृष्णात् परं किमपि तत्वं अहं न जाने"I
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु।
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu|