To err is human. As conditioned souls, we are bound by four defects, and one of them is the tendency to commit mistakes. But are mistakes always bad? Or can they also become good?

One of my teachers would often say: “The greatest mistake is the mistake which you don’t learn from a mistake.”

Many times, we keep repeating the same errors. We may forget our car keys and spend half an hour searching for them, only to misplace them again the next day. We may judge someone wrongly, regret it, and yet commit the same mistake again.

In scriptures also, we find examples of people who repeated mistakes without learning, and others who accepted their mistakes and turned them into stepping-stones for spiritual progress.

Mistakes Turning to Miseries

Some people commit mistakes but refuse to acknowledge them, what to speak of learning from them.

I am Right & I am GREAT Syndrome
Ravana repeatedly committed the same mistake – indluging in his lust for women. When he violated Rambhā, the fiancée of Nalakūvera, he was cursed that if he forced himself upon any woman, he would meet his death. But he did not learn. Before that, he had already tried to exploit Vedavatī, who cursed him that she would become the cause of his destruction. Despite these warnings, Ravana abducted Mother Sītā. His refusal to accept mistakes led to his degradation and eventually death.

Similarly, Duryodhana never admitted his mistakes. He committed endless atrocities against the Pāṇḍavas. Even when he was requested to give them just five villages, he arrogantly refused. His obstinacy led not only to his own death but also to the destruction of his entire dynasty in the Kurukṣetra war.

Indra was the man of the series in committing mistakes. From offending one guru to killing another guru to violating Ahalya to killing a brahmana and a great devotee Vrtrasura, Indra kept on committing mistakes. When the residents of Vṛndāvana stopped his worship, he angrily tried to destroy them by sending devastating rains. But when he saw the residents protected by Krishna lifting Govardhana Hill, he realized his folly. Yet he didn’t learn. When Krishna wanted the Pārijāta flower for Satyabhāmā, Indra again opposed Him. Because of his repeated refusal to learn, Indra could not attain pure love for Krishna.

Mistakes Turning into Miracles

On the other hand, when mistakes are accepted sincerely, they become transformative.

Bhagavatam – A RESULT of MISTAKE of Two Devotees
After compiling many scriptures with a heart full of compassion, including the Mahābhārata, Vyāsadeva still felt dissatisfied. When Nārada Muni visited him, he accepted his mistake. Following Nārada’s advice, he compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the spotless Purāṇa. Vyasa’s acceptance of his mistake led to the gift of Bhāgavatam for all humanity.

King Parīkṣit once placed a dead snake around the neck of the sage Śamīka Ṛṣi. Regretting it deeply, he prayed for any calamity to befall him in return. Because he accepted his mistake and went to the bank of Ganges, the stage was set for Śukadeva Gosvāmī to speak the entire Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to him on the banks of the Gaṅgā.

Mistakes – A Pathway to Perfection
Yayāti indulged in sense enjoyment with Devayānī but later realized the futility of such pleasures. Accepting his mistake, he renounced material life and attained the ultimate goal of existence.

In a previous life, Nārada once sang mundane songs instead of glorifying the Lord. As a result, he was born into a śūdra family. But by accepting this mistake and humbly serving sages, he became the great Nārada Muni, the eternal traveling preacher.

Bharat Maharaja committed a mistake of getting overly attached to a deer. He learnt from his mistake, and perfected his life when he came as Jada Bharata.

What about ME?

In our own lives too, mistakes are inevitable. The crucial point is what we do after committing them.

If we accept our mistakes and willingly undergo the rectification, those mistakes become glorious. They bring us closer to Krishna. But if we deny or justify our mistakes, and go on repeating them, they become the cause of greater mistakes and greater disasters.

In fact, our very existence in this material world began with a mistake : the desire to enjoy separately from Krishna. If we humbly acknowledge this, we will be eager to serve Him and return to His eternal abode. But if we remain obstinate and refuse to admit our original mistake, we will continue in the cycle of birth and death endlessly.

We have to choose – Do I wish to become an example of mistakes to degradation, or from mistakes to transformation and perfection?