An old man asked a young man – Why we work? The young man replied, “we work for our livelihood, to provide for our family, fulfill our necessity and contribute for our society ……….”.
The old man hearing to the reply of the young man said that, since he was young he used to wonder what is the real purpose of this human life, After reading through Vedic scriptures he learned that moksha or liberation is the only path to get released from the cycle of birth and death.
The Bhagavad Gita recommends four yogas- Karma yoga (Action in work), Raj yoga (Meditation), Gyan yoga (Knowledge) and Bhakti yoga (Devotion) – these are the paths to achieve the goal of one’s life. Amongst all of these Karma yoga is the most practiced one.
The Bhagavad Gita says that if we do our swadharma (duty) correctly and as per the four varnas (social class) which are Brahamana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra, we can attain perfection. The classification of the varnas, applicable to all mankind, is based on an individual’s nature and charater; which in turn is believed to be formed by the three gunas of prakritis (quality of nature) or modes of material nature. However, with the passage of time, the varnashrama system was perverted and duties came to be assigned according to varna - sub-division into castes on a hereditary basis.
However looking into today’s competitive world, finding a profession based on one’s swadharma (duty) is not the norm. The tendency is to work for the highest remuneration, or to do whatever work one gets in this era of growing unemployment, even if it is incompatible with one’s nature and disposition. So whatever work on is doing can be accepted as swadharma (duty). The Bhagavad Gita says that all occupations are equally important and good, be they of a sanyasi (saint or sage) or householder, of a judge or a sweeper, and when performed to the best of one’s ability and without attachment, help in advancing on the spiritual path.
Generally, we work for personal gain or satisfaction, which is a selfish motive. Selfish actions dissipate moral energy and do not promote spiritual development. Karma yoga is a system of ethics focused on unselfish action. According to Swami Vivekananda, that activity which is selfish is immoral, and that which is unselfish is moral. Work is never the cause of misery, however the selfishness attitude does.
The Vedic scriptures affirms that selfishness comes from attachment –with people, things and to the results of one’s work. It raises from a sense of possession that in turn comes an identification with things as ‘mine’. This sense of ‘mine’ comes from the identification with one’s bodily identity, wherein one thinks in term of ‘my body’, my ‘intelligence’, ‘my property’, ‘my safety and security’ and ‘my children’. In reality, none of these, are ours because everything belongs to Almighty to God. Non attachment, vairagya (detachment), is that state of mind, rather than an external condition. A king may live in non – attachment, and a beggar in rags may be very much attached to his meagre possessions.
One must strive to attain a state of detachment where one seeks nothing, not even reward or praise, for any of one’s actions and remains unaffected equally by the good and the bad. We are not, and cannot be, the architects of the fruits of our labour.
Lord Krishna, tells Arjuna in the war field of Kurukshetra, “You have the right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider you’re the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. Perform your duty with equipoise, Arjun, abandoning all attachments to success and failure and be equanimeous in all conditions” (Refer the Bhagavad Gita: 2.47 -2.50).
Selfless in action does not come so easily. One way to cultivate is to surrender one’s work unto to Lord Krishna tells Arjuna - “Work has to be done as a sacrifice to God otherwise it causes bondage with this material world. Perform your prescribed duties for Him satisfaction and without personal attachment” (Refer the Bhagavad Gita: 3.9).
Again in the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna, “Whatever you do, whatever you offer or give in charity do it as an offering to Me” (Refer The Bhagavad Gita: 9.27).
Before Lord Krishna instructed Arjuna through the Bhagavad Gita to go ahead and perform his swadharma (duty), Arjuna was attempting to escape from the circumstances under the pretence of becoming a renunciate.
Lord Krishna explained Arjuna that to abjure activity and practice workless asceticism is sheer idleness and hypocrisy. Gauging Arjuna’s state of mind that made it impossible for him to perform his duty, Lord Krishna commanded him “Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your actions unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desire for profit, with no claims to proprietorship and free from lethargy, fight (do your duty).” (Refer the Bhagavad Gita: 3.30).
In fact, this is Lord Krishna’s advice for all of us.
The old man hearing to the reply of the young man said that, since he was young he used to wonder what is the real purpose of this human life, After reading through Vedic scriptures he learned that moksha or liberation is the only path to get released from the cycle of birth and death.
The Bhagavad Gita recommends four yogas- Karma yoga (Action in work), Raj yoga (Meditation), Gyan yoga (Knowledge) and Bhakti yoga (Devotion) – these are the paths to achieve the goal of one’s life. Amongst all of these Karma yoga is the most practiced one.
The Bhagavad Gita says that if we do our swadharma (duty) correctly and as per the four varnas (social class) which are Brahamana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra, we can attain perfection. The classification of the varnas, applicable to all mankind, is based on an individual’s nature and charater; which in turn is believed to be formed by the three gunas of prakritis (quality of nature) or modes of material nature. However, with the passage of time, the varnashrama system was perverted and duties came to be assigned according to varna - sub-division into castes on a hereditary basis.
However looking into today’s competitive world, finding a profession based on one’s swadharma (duty) is not the norm. The tendency is to work for the highest remuneration, or to do whatever work one gets in this era of growing unemployment, even if it is incompatible with one’s nature and disposition. So whatever work on is doing can be accepted as swadharma (duty). The Bhagavad Gita says that all occupations are equally important and good, be they of a sanyasi (saint or sage) or householder, of a judge or a sweeper, and when performed to the best of one’s ability and without attachment, help in advancing on the spiritual path.
Generally, we work for personal gain or satisfaction, which is a selfish motive. Selfish actions dissipate moral energy and do not promote spiritual development. Karma yoga is a system of ethics focused on unselfish action. According to Swami Vivekananda, that activity which is selfish is immoral, and that which is unselfish is moral. Work is never the cause of misery, however the selfishness attitude does.
The Vedic scriptures affirms that selfishness comes from attachment –with people, things and to the results of one’s work. It raises from a sense of possession that in turn comes an identification with things as ‘mine’. This sense of ‘mine’ comes from the identification with one’s bodily identity, wherein one thinks in term of ‘my body’, my ‘intelligence’, ‘my property’, ‘my safety and security’ and ‘my children’. In reality, none of these, are ours because everything belongs to Almighty to God. Non attachment, vairagya (detachment), is that state of mind, rather than an external condition. A king may live in non – attachment, and a beggar in rags may be very much attached to his meagre possessions.
One must strive to attain a state of detachment where one seeks nothing, not even reward or praise, for any of one’s actions and remains unaffected equally by the good and the bad. We are not, and cannot be, the architects of the fruits of our labour.
Lord Krishna, tells Arjuna in the war field of Kurukshetra, “You have the right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider you’re the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. Perform your duty with equipoise, Arjun, abandoning all attachments to success and failure and be equanimeous in all conditions” (Refer the Bhagavad Gita: 2.47 -2.50).
Selfless in action does not come so easily. One way to cultivate is to surrender one’s work unto to Lord Krishna tells Arjuna - “Work has to be done as a sacrifice to God otherwise it causes bondage with this material world. Perform your prescribed duties for Him satisfaction and without personal attachment” (Refer the Bhagavad Gita: 3.9).
Again in the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna, “Whatever you do, whatever you offer or give in charity do it as an offering to Me” (Refer The Bhagavad Gita: 9.27).
Before Lord Krishna instructed Arjuna through the Bhagavad Gita to go ahead and perform his swadharma (duty), Arjuna was attempting to escape from the circumstances under the pretence of becoming a renunciate.
Lord Krishna explained Arjuna that to abjure activity and practice workless asceticism is sheer idleness and hypocrisy. Gauging Arjuna’s state of mind that made it impossible for him to perform his duty, Lord Krishna commanded him “Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your actions unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desire for profit, with no claims to proprietorship and free from lethargy, fight (do your duty).” (Refer the Bhagavad Gita: 3.30).
In fact, this is Lord Krishna’s advice for all of us.
Harekrishnaaaaa
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