India, Oct. 13 -- The Mahabharata, that vast mirror of Indian life, reminds us that wisdom lies not in the impossible pursuit of absolutes but in mastering the art of approximation - in knowing what works, when, and why

Much has been said about the quest for perfection, and everyone is encouraged to go on working till that perfection is achieved. The story of actual life has many messages other than this.

Typically, pure gold is supposed to be worth 24 karats. It is equally true that pure gold, when it is 24 karats, will not hold, and to make it a usable product, there has to be a mix of alloy, and the gold cannot be more than 22 karats in the product.

This, in effect, means that when one is talking of an ornament of pure gold, it is a...