The Sixth Step and the Sword Above

— in honor of Shakthi Dube, AIR 1, CSE 2024

🕊️ Monk’s Message | April 2024

“The mountain didn’t lower itself.
She simply rose high enough, again and again.”

🪔 Introduction
Yesterday, the results of the Civil Services Examination were declared.
And standing at the very summit, glowing with perseverance, is Shakthi Dube — AIR 1, in her sixth attempt.

Yes, sixth.

In a world that celebrates overnight success, this is a quiet thunder.
This is not just a rank. It is a testament — to inner resistance, to course correction, to sleeping with uncertainty and still waking up with purpose.

⚖️ But let us not glorify the struggle blindly.

There are hundreds who also gave six years. Seven.
Some with discipline. Some with distractions.
And not all of them are in the final PDF.

This is the invisible truth of the Damocles sword — suspended above every aspirant’s dream.

🧘 Monk Says:

“Do not chase this exam blindly.
Walk it like a pilgrimage.
With awareness. With preparedness. With dignity.”

Let Shakthi’s success not seduce, but inspire.
Let it be a mirror, not a mask.

Plan your attempts like a strategist, not just a struggler.
Measure time not only by years — but by effort per hour.
And if you fail… may you still walk out of this journey as a thinker, a learner, a human with roots.

Because not every monk becomes a king.
But every real monk leaves the mountain
with something gold in the soul.

🗡️ A Thoughtful Note on the Sword

What is the Sword of Damocles?

The phrase comes from an ancient Greek parable, told by the philosopher Cicero.

Damocles, a courtier, admired the wealth of King Dionysius II. One day, the king let him take his place on the throne. But above the throne, he hung a sharp sword, held by a single strand of horsehair.

Though surrounded by gold, music, and comfort, Damocles felt no joy — only the dread of the sword above.

He begged to leave.

The parable teaches us:

“Power and success may shine, but they often carry invisible burdens.”

So too, the aspirant must seek not only the seat, but the awareness of the sword that may hang quietly above it.