Consistency: Last refuge of unimaginative

Soon after Steve Jobs' death, the iconic co-founder of Apple Inc was shown in a cartoon, standing before the Pearly Gates with St Peter buried under his old-fashioned parchment diaries. "Think different," Jobs seemed to be saying to the Keeper of Keysto the Kingdom.

That Apple ad evokes Mahatma Gandhi. But jobs (pun intended) wouldn't be happy to be Bangalored or Shanghaied! He left behind blueprints for four years of new products. He hated the idea of a mini iPad, which he dismissed as 'tweeners'. Now, in defiance of the ex-chairman's wishes, however, there are rumours of an impending iPad mini launch.

If Chinese whispers are tobe believed, it would cost half as much and was aimed at crushing the competition. This shows that in spirit at least, the Great Helmsmanis alive and well! Never mindif it deviates from his earlier vision. As the waspish wit Oscar Wilde said, "Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." And Jobs was anything but.

In the Mahabharata, too, this is the quality that separates the men from the boys! The true pursuit of righteous dharma entails Sri Krishna breaking his own promise of remaining weaponless on the battlefield. In stark contrast, Bhisma's unflinching vow of celibacy turns into an albatross that eventually broke the neck of the Kuru dynasty.

The aged hero gloats at having turned the Blue Lord into a 'Chakradhar'. But destiny has the last laugh on him! Krishna's example shows that what matters is skill in action ( yogah karmasu koushalam). This lies beyond concepts such as 'good' and 'bad'.