The story is taken from the editorial of the Vedanta Kesari magazine November 2021 issue.
Once, Sukadeva approached King Janaka seeking spiritual knowledge. Before accepting him, Janaka asked him to undergo a test. He placed on Sukadeva’s palm a lighted oil lamp filled to the brim. Then he asked him to walk through every room in the palace, observe all the details and report them to him on return. And in doing all this, he was to take care not to spill a single drop of oil and also keep the lamp burning!
The significance of the test is that while going through the different experiences and challenges of samsara, and striving to perfectly discharge his duties, a sadhaka should keep his attention focused on the lamp of God burning in his heart.
Swami Vivekananda tells us that the only value of life is in the striving to achieve a high ideal. What this ideal can be, depends upon our capacity. It can be the highest ideal of Self-realization / God-realization, or any of the other innumerable intermediary ideals. Whichever be the ideal, one factor that determines success is the power of our attention.