Magazine - Year 2008 - Version 1
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Karmayoga (Yoga of selfless and desireless action) - II
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Various gains from karmayoga
8. There is extraordinary power in selfless and desireless karmayoga. It richly blesses both the individual and the society. A karmayogi, who follows his swadharma, does get his daily bread. Besides, his industriousness makes his body healthy and pure. His work also contributes to the well-being and prosperity of the society in which he lives. A karmayogi farmer will not cultivate opium or tobacco to earn more money. He links his work to the welfare of the society. Actions done in the pursuit of swadharma will certainly do good to the society. A trader who believes in working for the good of the people will not sell foreign cloth. His business will therefore be beneficial to the society. A society which has in its midst such karmayogis who have identified themselves with those around them, forgetting their selfish interests, will have prosperity, order and harmony.
9. Work of a karmayogi helps sustain him. It keeps his body healthy and intellect radiant. It results in the welfare of the society as well. It also confers on the karmayogi a great gift in the form of the purity of his mind. It is said that work is a means for the purification of the mind – ‘Karmana shuddhih’ But this is true only of the work done by a karmayogi, as it is charged with the spirit of selfless service, and not of the work ordinarily done by the people. In the Mahabharata, there is a story of the trader named Tuladhar. Jajali, a Brahmin goes to him seeking true knowledge [1]. Tuladhar tells him, "My, dear fellow! What is really required is that the scales must always be held even.” The outward action of weighing had made Tuladhar's mind straightforward and perfectly balanced. Whosoever came to the shop, Tuladhar's balance was always true. Work does have effect on one's mind. A karmayogi's work is like japa
[2]. It purifies the mind and it is only the clean and pure mind which receives the true knowledge. A karmayogi's work ultimately leads to the attainment of wisdom. Tuladhar learnt equanimity of mind from the weighing balance. Sena was a barber who cut the hair and cleansed the heads of his customers. While doing this work, a realization dawned on him. He thought, "I have been cleansing others' heads, but have I cleansed my own head, my own mind?" Such words of spiritual wisdom came to his lips while working. While removing weeds from the field, it occurs to a karmayogi that the weeds of base desires and passions should also be removed from the mind. Gora Kumbhar, the potter, realized, while shaping and baking earthen pots for others, that his own person should also be properly shaped and baked in the fire of desireless action. He eventually attained such an exalted status by virtue of his wisdom that he earned the authority to judge the degree of spiritual development of others [3]. Karmayogis gained true knowledge through the terms used in their respective vocations. To them, their vocations were like schools imparting spiritual learning. Their work was imbued with the spirit of worship and service. Although it appeared worldly, it was spiritual in essence.
10. Another great gain that flows from the actions of a karmayogi is that a model is placed before the society. In the society, there are persons belonging to different generations. It is the duty of the older generation to set an example to the younger generation. It is the duty of an elder brother to his younger brother, of parents to their children, of leaders to their followers, of masters to their pupils, to set an example through their actions; and who else but a karmayogi is fit to set an example?
As a karmayogi finds joy in the work itself, he is ever-absorbed in his work. Hypocrisy does not, therefore, gain ground in the society. A karmayogi is happy and content with fulfilment; still he continues to work. Saint Tukaram says, “Should I give up singing bhajans [4], now that I have realized God through them? Singing bhajans has now become my nature."
‘Aadhin hota santsang, Tuka jhala Pandurang│
Tyachen bhajan rahina, moolswabhav jaeena.’ ││
(‘Earlier, Tukaram used to be in the company of the saints. Eventually he became one with Lord Pandurang. Still he cannot help singing bhajans. One's original nature does not, after all, change.')
The karmayogi reaches the pinnacle of Self-realization using the ladder of work. He does not kick off that ladder even thereafter. He just cannot do so. Doing work becomes his nature. He thus continues to impress on the society the importance of service in the form of work enjoined by swadharma.
Removal of hypocrisy from the society is extremely important. Hypocrisy spells doom for the society. If a jnani stops working, others will follow suit. The jnani, being ever-content within himself, may sit still in a state of bliss, but others will become inactive even though inwardly unhappy and disgruntled. This is a horrible situation. It will encourage hypocrisy. That is why all the saints continued to hold on steadfastly to the means even after reaching the end, the pinnacle of fulfillment. They kept on working till the last breath. A mother actively participates in the children's play with the dolls even though she knows that it is all make-believe. If she does not join in the play, the children will not enjoy it. Likewise if a karmayogi stops working because of contentment, others will follow suit despite being discontented; but inwardly they will continue to be dissatisfied and joyless.
Therefore, a karmayogi continues to work like an ordinary man. He does not think that he is in any way extraordinary. He exerts himself infinitely more than others. No particular work should be considered an exclusively spiritual work, and no work should be publicised as such. If you are a perfect brahmachari your work should look hundred times more zestful than that of others. You should work much more even if you get less to consume. Your service to the society should be greater. Let your brahmacharya be reflected in your actions. Let its fragrance, like sandalwood, spread far and wide. This is what should be true for the truly spiritual work.
In short, a karmayogi, by renouncing desire for the fruit of his actions, will receive infinite rewards. His body will be sustained and both his body and mind will remain healthy and radiant. The society to which he belongs will also be happy and contented. His mind will be purified and he will attain wisdom. The spread of hypocrisy in the society will be precluded, and the sacred ideal will become clear to all. Such is the glory of karmayoga, which is testified by experience.
Obstacles in the way of karmayoga
11. A karmayogi's work is much better than that of others. For him, work is worship. We perform pooja and receive prasad thereafter. But is the prasad reward for the pooja? If one performs pooja for the sake of prasad, one will, of course, get it. But a karmayogi seeks to see God face to face through performance of pooja. He does not think that the value of his pooja is so trivial that the prasad is its only reward. He is not prepared to underestimate the value of his work. He does not measure the value of his work in gross terms. The fruits of actions depend on the outlook behind them. A person with a gross outlook and gross aim will receive reward in gross terms. There is a saying among the farmers: 'Sow deep, but sow in a moist soil.' It is not enough to sow deep; there should also be moisture in the soil. Then only the yield will be high. There should thus be depth, that is, thoroughness and excellence in the work and there should also be the moisture, that is, devotion and surrender to God, dedication to God. A karmayogi has depth in his work and he then dedicates that work to God.
Quite strange and silly ideas about spirituality have developed amongst us. People feel that a spiritual seeker need not do any work. They wonder how a farmer or a weaver could be a spiritual seeker. But they do not raise a question how one who feeds his body could be a spiritual seeker! But the Lord of the karmayogis – Lord Krishna – massaged horses, mopped the floor after people had their meal at the time of Pandava’s Rajsooya yajna, grazed the cattle. The ruler of Dwarka (Lord Krishna) used to play flute and graze the cattle whenever he visited Gokul, his childhood abode. The saints have sketched the picture of such a karmayogi God; and the saints themselves have attained liberation while working as a tailor, or a weaver, or a gardener, or a potter, or a grocer, or a barber, or a tanner.
12. A person slips from the observance of such a divine karmayoga on account of two reasons. We should keep in mind the peculiar nature of our senses. They are always caught up in the duality of likes and dislikes. We are attached to or fond of what we want and are averse to what we do not want. Love and hate, desire and anger pounce upon a man and prey on him. How beautiful and infinitely rewarding karmayoga is! But desire and anger are always after us, driving us to hanker after something and reject something. The Lord is warning us, at the end of the Chapter, to shun them. A karmayogi should also become an embodiment of self-restraint like the sthitaprajna.
[Reproduced with kind permission of Paramdham Publication, Pavnar from Chapter 3 of ‘Talks on The Gita’ by Sant Vinoba Bhave, 16th edition (Jan 2005)]
Notes:
1. In ancient India, teaching was the vocation of the Brahmins. But here a Brahmin is shown going to a Vaishya (trader) for knowledge.
2. Japa means repeated recitation / chanting of God’s Name or a sacred verse. It also implies unremitting contemplation of the Lord.
3. Saint Namdeva, when he was still a seeker once thought that as Lord Pandurang was quite close to him he had gained all that he should. To remove his vain misconception, Lord Pandurang sent him to Gora. Gora was busy testing the strength of his pots when Namdeva approached him. Gora then stroked Namdeva's head with his testing implement and announced that 'the pot is not yet fully baked', meaning that Namdeva had yet to attain Self-knowledge.
4. Devotional songs
5. One who has attained Self-knowledge; a man of wisdom. The term. ‘Jnana’ is commonly used for knowledge and understanding, but it also means Self-knowledgement or saving wisdom. The meaning has to be understood from the context.
6. Brahmachari is one who practices brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is normally translated as chastity or celibacy, but it is a much wider concept. Etymologically, it means a course of conduct adopted for realization of Brahman. It includes control of all the senses.
7. Pooja is a form of worshipping the Lord in the form of idols. After completion of the same, sweets, fruits etc. are offered to the Lord. It is called naivedya. The eatables are then distributed to those present, as a mark of God's grace. They are called prasad.
8. There is extraordinary power in selfless and desireless karmayoga. It richly blesses both the individual and the society. A karmayogi, who follows his swadharma, does get his daily bread. Besides, his industriousness makes his body healthy and pure. His work also contributes to the well-being and prosperity of the society in which he lives. A karmayogi farmer will not cultivate opium or tobacco to earn more money. He links his work to the welfare of the society. Actions done in the pursuit of swadharma will certainly do good to the society. A trader who believes in working for the good of the people will not sell foreign cloth. His business will therefore be beneficial to the society. A society which has in its midst such karmayogis who have identified themselves with those around them, forgetting their selfish interests, will have prosperity, order and harmony.
9. Work of a karmayogi helps sustain him. It keeps his body healthy and intellect radiant. It results in the welfare of the society as well. It also confers on the karmayogi a great gift in the form of the purity of his mind. It is said that work is a means for the purification of the mind – ‘Karmana shuddhih’ But this is true only of the work done by a karmayogi, as it is charged with the spirit of selfless service, and not of the work ordinarily done by the people. In the Mahabharata, there is a story of the trader named Tuladhar. Jajali, a Brahmin goes to him seeking true knowledge [1]. Tuladhar tells him, "My, dear fellow! What is really required is that the scales must always be held even.” The outward action of weighing had made Tuladhar's mind straightforward and perfectly balanced. Whosoever came to the shop, Tuladhar's balance was always true. Work does have effect on one's mind. A karmayogi's work is like japa
[2]. It purifies the mind and it is only the clean and pure mind which receives the true knowledge. A karmayogi's work ultimately leads to the attainment of wisdom. Tuladhar learnt equanimity of mind from the weighing balance. Sena was a barber who cut the hair and cleansed the heads of his customers. While doing this work, a realization dawned on him. He thought, "I have been cleansing others' heads, but have I cleansed my own head, my own mind?" Such words of spiritual wisdom came to his lips while working. While removing weeds from the field, it occurs to a karmayogi that the weeds of base desires and passions should also be removed from the mind. Gora Kumbhar, the potter, realized, while shaping and baking earthen pots for others, that his own person should also be properly shaped and baked in the fire of desireless action. He eventually attained such an exalted status by virtue of his wisdom that he earned the authority to judge the degree of spiritual development of others [3]. Karmayogis gained true knowledge through the terms used in their respective vocations. To them, their vocations were like schools imparting spiritual learning. Their work was imbued with the spirit of worship and service. Although it appeared worldly, it was spiritual in essence.
10. Another great gain that flows from the actions of a karmayogi is that a model is placed before the society. In the society, there are persons belonging to different generations. It is the duty of the older generation to set an example to the younger generation. It is the duty of an elder brother to his younger brother, of parents to their children, of leaders to their followers, of masters to their pupils, to set an example through their actions; and who else but a karmayogi is fit to set an example?
As a karmayogi finds joy in the work itself, he is ever-absorbed in his work. Hypocrisy does not, therefore, gain ground in the society. A karmayogi is happy and content with fulfilment; still he continues to work. Saint Tukaram says, “Should I give up singing bhajans [4], now that I have realized God through them? Singing bhajans has now become my nature."
‘Aadhin hota santsang, Tuka jhala Pandurang│
Tyachen bhajan rahina, moolswabhav jaeena.’ ││
(‘Earlier, Tukaram used to be in the company of the saints. Eventually he became one with Lord Pandurang. Still he cannot help singing bhajans. One's original nature does not, after all, change.')
The karmayogi reaches the pinnacle of Self-realization using the ladder of work. He does not kick off that ladder even thereafter. He just cannot do so. Doing work becomes his nature. He thus continues to impress on the society the importance of service in the form of work enjoined by swadharma.
Removal of hypocrisy from the society is extremely important. Hypocrisy spells doom for the society. If a jnani stops working, others will follow suit. The jnani, being ever-content within himself, may sit still in a state of bliss, but others will become inactive even though inwardly unhappy and disgruntled. This is a horrible situation. It will encourage hypocrisy. That is why all the saints continued to hold on steadfastly to the means even after reaching the end, the pinnacle of fulfillment. They kept on working till the last breath. A mother actively participates in the children's play with the dolls even though she knows that it is all make-believe. If she does not join in the play, the children will not enjoy it. Likewise if a karmayogi stops working because of contentment, others will follow suit despite being discontented; but inwardly they will continue to be dissatisfied and joyless.
Therefore, a karmayogi continues to work like an ordinary man. He does not think that he is in any way extraordinary. He exerts himself infinitely more than others. No particular work should be considered an exclusively spiritual work, and no work should be publicised as such. If you are a perfect brahmachari your work should look hundred times more zestful than that of others. You should work much more even if you get less to consume. Your service to the society should be greater. Let your brahmacharya be reflected in your actions. Let its fragrance, like sandalwood, spread far and wide. This is what should be true for the truly spiritual work.
In short, a karmayogi, by renouncing desire for the fruit of his actions, will receive infinite rewards. His body will be sustained and both his body and mind will remain healthy and radiant. The society to which he belongs will also be happy and contented. His mind will be purified and he will attain wisdom. The spread of hypocrisy in the society will be precluded, and the sacred ideal will become clear to all. Such is the glory of karmayoga, which is testified by experience.
Obstacles in the way of karmayoga
11. A karmayogi's work is much better than that of others. For him, work is worship. We perform pooja and receive prasad thereafter. But is the prasad reward for the pooja? If one performs pooja for the sake of prasad, one will, of course, get it. But a karmayogi seeks to see God face to face through performance of pooja. He does not think that the value of his pooja is so trivial that the prasad is its only reward. He is not prepared to underestimate the value of his work. He does not measure the value of his work in gross terms. The fruits of actions depend on the outlook behind them. A person with a gross outlook and gross aim will receive reward in gross terms. There is a saying among the farmers: 'Sow deep, but sow in a moist soil.' It is not enough to sow deep; there should also be moisture in the soil. Then only the yield will be high. There should thus be depth, that is, thoroughness and excellence in the work and there should also be the moisture, that is, devotion and surrender to God, dedication to God. A karmayogi has depth in his work and he then dedicates that work to God.
Quite strange and silly ideas about spirituality have developed amongst us. People feel that a spiritual seeker need not do any work. They wonder how a farmer or a weaver could be a spiritual seeker. But they do not raise a question how one who feeds his body could be a spiritual seeker! But the Lord of the karmayogis – Lord Krishna – massaged horses, mopped the floor after people had their meal at the time of Pandava’s Rajsooya yajna, grazed the cattle. The ruler of Dwarka (Lord Krishna) used to play flute and graze the cattle whenever he visited Gokul, his childhood abode. The saints have sketched the picture of such a karmayogi God; and the saints themselves have attained liberation while working as a tailor, or a weaver, or a gardener, or a potter, or a grocer, or a barber, or a tanner.
12. A person slips from the observance of such a divine karmayoga on account of two reasons. We should keep in mind the peculiar nature of our senses. They are always caught up in the duality of likes and dislikes. We are attached to or fond of what we want and are averse to what we do not want. Love and hate, desire and anger pounce upon a man and prey on him. How beautiful and infinitely rewarding karmayoga is! But desire and anger are always after us, driving us to hanker after something and reject something. The Lord is warning us, at the end of the Chapter, to shun them. A karmayogi should also become an embodiment of self-restraint like the sthitaprajna.
[Reproduced with kind permission of Paramdham Publication, Pavnar from Chapter 3 of ‘Talks on The Gita’ by Sant Vinoba Bhave, 16th edition (Jan 2005)]
Notes:
1. In ancient India, teaching was the vocation of the Brahmins. But here a Brahmin is shown going to a Vaishya (trader) for knowledge.
2. Japa means repeated recitation / chanting of God’s Name or a sacred verse. It also implies unremitting contemplation of the Lord.
3. Saint Namdeva, when he was still a seeker once thought that as Lord Pandurang was quite close to him he had gained all that he should. To remove his vain misconception, Lord Pandurang sent him to Gora. Gora was busy testing the strength of his pots when Namdeva approached him. Gora then stroked Namdeva's head with his testing implement and announced that 'the pot is not yet fully baked', meaning that Namdeva had yet to attain Self-knowledge.
4. Devotional songs
5. One who has attained Self-knowledge; a man of wisdom. The term. ‘Jnana’ is commonly used for knowledge and understanding, but it also means Self-knowledgement or saving wisdom. The meaning has to be understood from the context.
6. Brahmachari is one who practices brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is normally translated as chastity or celibacy, but it is a much wider concept. Etymologically, it means a course of conduct adopted for realization of Brahman. It includes control of all the senses.
7. Pooja is a form of worshipping the Lord in the form of idols. After completion of the same, sweets, fruits etc. are offered to the Lord. It is called naivedya. The eatables are then distributed to those present, as a mark of God's grace. They are called prasad.
