Karmanyevaadhikaaraste
Maa phaleshu kadaachana;
Maa karmaphalahetur bhoor
Maa te sango’stwakarmani.
Thy right is to work only, but never with its fruits;
let not the fruits of actions be thy
nor let thy attachment be to inaction.
This is an extremely popular verse of the Bhagwad Gita, so much so that even most school children
in India are familiar with it. We all know how this verse used to echo in our
ears in yesteryears when the Sunday Mahabharatha serial was on.
It offers deep insight into the proper spirit
of work and is often quoted whenever the topic of karma yoga is discussed. The verse gives the instructions
regarding the science of work:
1)
Do your
duty, but do not concern yourself with the results.
2)
The fruits
of your actions are not for your enjoyment.
3)
Even while
working, give up the pride of doer-ship.
4)
Do not be
attached to inaction.
We will take up the first 2 in today's post.
Do your duty, but do not concern yourself with the
results.
This refers to the action that we generally
speak of, which includes duty, the performance of obligatory works. This
injunction on action is born of the very structure of prakriti,
which never ceases from moving further; and, all prakriti is
potential activity.
Even if we keep quiet and do not do any work,
that consciousness of our not doing any work is also a work.
Hence, nobody can be without any kind of
action. Total inactivity is not possible because every cell of the body is
active. The mind is active, the growth which the body undergoes is an activity.
There is continuous movement in the cosmos.
It is like a train moving eternally on the rails, and in as much as there is no
inactivity anywhere on account of the involvement of all things in the
processes of prakriti, we should make the best of things.
Finally, in the state of the ultimate purusha,
there is no activity, because there is no contact with prakriti and
there is no flux or natural reaction.
But until that time, as long as the purusha,
or the consciousness of the Atman, is involved in this body, there is a
reciprocal action of the Atman and the body.
Our duty is to act in such a manner that
action does not bind us. The consideration of the fruit of an action is
contrary to the concept of duty. A person who expects something from the
performance of duty has not performed duty.
Duty is not a wage earner. A person does not
perform duty because something comes out of it. It is a necessary obligation on
our part to participate in the very structure of the cosmos.
If our legs walk, they are performing their
duty, but they do not get salary because they are walking. The limbs of
the body work independently, and no limb asks for recompense or consideration
from the other parts of the body. If the eyes show us the way to go and the
legs walk, the eyes may tell us to give them something because they helped us
by showing the direction.
This does not happen because mutual
cooperation is the essence of duty; and in mutual cooperation, no expectation
of fruits is possible because the very fact of mutual cooperation brings all
the fruits that are required.
The fruits of your actions are not for your
enjoyment.
To perform actions is an integral part of
human nature. Having come into this world, we all have various duties determined
by our family situation, social position, occupation, etc. While performing
these actions, we must remember that we are not the enjoyers of the results—the
results are meant for the pleasure of God.
dāsa bhūtamidaṁ tasya jagatsthāvara jangamam
śhrīmannārāyaṇa swāmī jagatānprabhurīśhwaraḥ
(Padma Puran) [v40]
“God is the Master of the entire creation;
all moving and non-moving beings are his servants.”
Material consciousness is characterized by
the following manner of thoughts, “I am the proprietor of all that I possess.
It is all meant for my enjoyment. I have the right to enhance my possessions
and maximize my enjoyment.”
The reverse of this is Spiritual
consciousness (in the path of devotion), which is characterized by thoughts
such as, “God is the owner and enjoyer of this entire world. I am merely his
selfless servant. I must use all that I have in the service of God.”
Accordingly, Sri Krishna instructs Arjuna not
to think of himself as the enjoyer of the fruits of his actions.
We have the right to do our duty, but the
results are not dependent only upon our efforts. A number of factors come into
play in determining the results—our efforts, destiny (our past karmas), the
will of God, the efforts of others, the cumulative karmas of the people
involved, the place and situation (a matter of luck), etc.
Now if we become anxious for results, we will
experience anxiety whenever they are not according to our expectations. So, Sri
Krishna advises Arjun to give up concern for the results and instead focus
solely on doing a good job. The fact is that when we are unconcerned about the
results, we are able to focus entirely on our efforts, and the result is even
better than before.
Duty is also, automatically, a privilege. The
gods in heaven know that we deserve whatever is necessary for our existence
under the conditions of the duty that we have to perform. So, there is no point
in our working in this world, or doing anything, for that matter, under the
impression that something will come.
Continued......
Love.
