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ADHYAAY III
KARMA YOGAM
Introduction
Action is the basic and sustaining factor of the Nature. Looked at any plane, Nature is seen to be in continuous and vigorous activity. Everything, from micro to macro, the Galaxies, planets, the five basic elements, lives on the earth, billions of cells in our bodies, are in restless activity. Action is inevitable for Human, being a part of this Nature. Actions continue right from birth, nay, even before in mother’s womb, to death. There are some moments like sleep when he seems to be in inaction. Even then, activity continues at subtler levels. At death, he leaves the body and is not seen to be in action, though his body continues activity and decomposes.
Our shastras mention four types of actions (Karma). 1. Niyata karma: Routine and inevitable actions bestowed owing to various factors like the family, community, climate etc. 2. Naimittik karma: Actions demanded by special occasions. 3. Kaamya karma: Desire driven Actions. 4. Nishiddha karma: Perverted actions.
We accumulate Vasanaas through various actions, take birth again and again to wipe out the Vasanaas, perform more karmas and acquire more vasanaas and continue in this cycle of birth, death and rebirth. How do we get out of this whirlpool? How do we shield ourselves from acquiring vasanaas inspite of being in continuous activity? Shri Krishna gave a glimpse of Karma yogam in the second chapter. He elaborates it further in this chapter, thanks to a question by Arjuna.
Karma Yogam, Gnyana Yogam, Bhakti Yogam etc. are not exclusive paths. Knowledge and Bhakti emerge from intense Karmayogam. Each of these paths gradually merges with the other two. Ther is an opinion that the chapters in Gita did not have these names in Mahabharata and these names were later additions by one or a group of scholars.
We can learn from Arjuna’s questions. How to pose a question is the first lesson. Question should be born out of a sincere urge to know and not an expression of arrogance. The arrogant student delights in saying, “See, I have posed a tough question and put him in a quandary”. There are some who pose question merely seeking appreciation of the teacher or colleagues. Perfect humility, complete faith and regard for the teacher and a sincere urge to know must combine in form of the question. An innocent question by the student may sometimes propel the teacher to great hights and draw out the best in him.
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अर्जुन उवाच -
ज्यायसी चेत्कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिर्जनार्दन ।
तत्किं कर्मणि घोरे मां नियोजयसि केशव ॥ १ ॥
व्यामिश्रेणेव वाक्येन बुद्धिं मोहयसीव मे ।
तदेकं वद निश्चित्य येन श्रेयोsहमाप्नुयाम् ॥ २ ॥
Arjuna said. “Oh Janardhana! If you feel Gnyana (Knowledge)
is superior to Karma (Action), then why, Oh Keshava! do you engage me in this
terrific action (war)?”
“I am confused by your seemingly
contradictory suggestions. Please give
me a firm and clear direction that will take me to the Highest.”
(III
– 1, 2)
“If
in your opinion, (Gnyaanam) realization is nobler than (Karma) action...? asks
Arjuna. Shri Krishna’s opinion is immaterial. What matters is his own opinion. If after listening to Shri Krishna’s
arguements, he really was convinced that knowledge realization was indeed
greater than action, he would have bowed Shri Krishna, walked out of the battle
field and would not have waited to know Shri Krishna’s opinion. But, that was not the case. His swadharma was not suited to Sankhyam. All the talks on Sankhya by Shri Krishna had
not penetrated his interior.
The
western scientists involved in he study of human psyche mention two kinds of
men, the extroverts and the introverts. There
are very few who are wholly one of these types.
Most of us are a blend of these two.
Arjuna was predominantly extrovert, interested and drawn towards the
outer world. It was unnatural for him to
ingest Sankhya. Though, Sankhya seemed
agreeable intellectually, his swabhava, his innate nature did not allow him to accept
it. At the same time, the delusion
engulfing his intellect stopped him from his natural endeavour of fighting the
war. Shri Krishna, on one hand, seemed
to advocate renunciation and simultaneously insisted on fighting. This was beyond the grasp of Arjuna. This question of Arjuna is born out of such a
quandary.
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श्री भगवानुवाच -
लोकेsस्मिन्द्विविधा निष्ठा पुरा प्रोक्ता मयानघ ।
ज्ञानयोगेन साङ्ख्यानां कर्मयोगेन योगिनाम् ॥ ३ ॥
In the beginning (of creation), Oh The
Sinless One! the twofold path of devotion was given by Me to this world; the
path of Knowledge for the meditative, the path of Action for the active.
(III
- 3)
The
journey in Sankhya or GnyaanaYogam is inwards.
The one who is attracted to the inner world, the self-introspective who
relishes being immersed in thoughts, is best suited for Sankhya Yog. Karma or action is not a serious enterprise
for these. For them, the ones seriously
involved in worldly activities are like the children seriously and joyously
engaged in building castles of sand on the sea beach. On the other hand, the one who is focussed on
the external world, does not relish and grasp Sankhya. He is happily immersed in and excited by the
colours and forms of the outer world. He
is upset by the defects and strives hard to correct those. He aspires and perspires to achieve. He takes his life seriously.
One
has to come out of ‘self’ to be in action.
There have been very few like ‘JadaBharatha’ who could be totally inward-gazing
or wholly immersed in self. One has to
come out and interact with the outer world atleast for mundane activities like
eating. Naturally, Sankhya is out of
bounds for most of us. Then, why did
Shri Krishna began his narration with Sankhya.
Arjuna’s words in the first chapter sounded highly philosophical. Shri Krishna must have naturally thought it
fit to first elaborate on ‘real’ philosophy and then take up paths easier and
more feasible for the mortal that was Arjuna.
There
may be various paths, but all must lead to the one and same destination of
Liberation or Godhood. We have to
identify and choose a path apt for us.
There can never be a prescribed and universal path for all. This is the greatness of Hindu thought. Statements like, ‘He is the only God’ or
‘This is the only Way’ have no relevance in our thought. Our visionary ancestors have proclaimed in
unambiguous words that “The various and seemingly different paths lead to ‘The
one and only’ God”.
These
two paths have been set by ‘Me’ says Shri Krishna. The ‘Me’ is not the word of an egoist, arrogant
and boastful individual. The ‘Me’ does
not denote the one who was born to Devaki in Mathura, brought up in Gokul
brindaban by Yashoda and the one who vanquished Kamsa. The ‘Me’ is Paramatman itself. The ‘Me’ is speaking through one who,
although in form, has identified and merged self with the formless. The ‘Me’ is one who, though living a time
bound life, has expanded self to the Infinite, Timeless Self.
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न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोsश्नुते ।
न च सन्न्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥ ४ ॥
By non-performance, none reaches a state of
worklessness. By simply giving up action
no one attains to perfection.
(III - 4)
The
two paths of Karma and Gnyaanam later converge into one. At a stage, apparent action becomes
inaction. Action is normally propelled
by desire. Desire driven action
generates excitement, anxiety and imbalance in the mind. So, if the urge for action is to subside and
a calm mind is to achieved, desires have to evaporate. Desires can not be eliminated so long as the
actions are for self. Actions as service
to others may help in extinguishing desires.
Gradually, as the realization sets in that I am not different, but a
spec of the same Light as every other life, desires are wholly extinct. That is the stage when actions transform into
inaction and KarmaYog into SankhyaYog.
Shri
Krishnaa says that, “Inaction will not lead one to Liberation.” What is to be given up is not the action, but
the ‘doer’ spirit. The Gita does not
condemn the introspective or meditative paths.
It does not put down the inclination towards solitude. That is the best way for one whose natural
instinct is such. But, he is not exempt
from action. He has to perfprm the
actions as mere duties. Aversion towards
actions or people and affection towards inaction and aloofness should not be
part of his psyche. Solitude is not
merely physical. It is absence of
‘me-mine’ feeling towards body and other physical objects.
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न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् ।
कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्व: प्रकृतिर्जैर्गुणैः ॥ ५ ॥
Verily, none can rest for even an instant, without
performing action. For all are made to
act, helplessly indeed, by the Gunas, born out of Prakriti.
(III - 5)
Neither
the seeker traversing the paths of KarmaYog, GnyaanaYog or BhaktiYog, nor the
realized one or the ignorant one can be without actions. The realized Gnyaani does not relate with his
body, but his body is in continuous actions.
Apparently, man does not seem to be in action always. Yet, not a second passes when he is in
complete inaction. Actions continue in
all the three states of wakefulness, deep sleep and dream.
Man
considers only physical, gross, percievable actions as actions. His
activities for managing self and family are work for him. Hence, on retirement from job, he says ‘I do
not do anything’. Gita includes
activities at mental and intellectual levels also as Karma. Any activity, physical, mental or
intellectual, with which he binds self the feel of ‘me and mine’ is karma. Such karmas entangle him in bondage and deny
liberation to him.
The
Gunas (attributes) born out of Prakriti (Nature) drive every creature into
actions. Nature and Gunas are involved
in constant actions, changes, birth, growth, decay and death. Our real Self, the Atman is changeless, formless
and deathless. It has no attribute and
no activity. The one who identifies self
with gross and subtle bodies (the body, mind, intellect and ego) and seeks to
fulfill various desires through these is bound by the Gunas. He is enslaved by time, pleasures, objects
like gold, land, house, and persons like wife and children. He alone, who reaches beyond the Gunas
(Gunatheeth) and realizes own Divine Self, breaks all these shackles and is
Liberated.
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कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् ।
इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते ॥ ६ ॥
He, who restraining the organs of action, sits revolving in
the mind, thoughts regarding objects of senses, he, of deluded understanding,
is called a hypocrite.
(III - 6)
Arjuna
wants to get out of Kurukshetra and thus avoid battle. “Why do you want to involve me in this
horrible activity?” he asks Shri Krishna.
“Keeping alive the feeling of ‘Me and Mine’, and nurturing desires and
attachment in the mind, if one gives up the obvious actions, he is none other
than a hypocrite.” So says Shri Krishna in answer to Arjuna’s query. Only the ignorant who does not discriminate
the real from illusion puts outward shackles on the sense organs while
indulging in enjoyment at mental level.
He labels himself one who has ‘renounced’ worldly pleasures. Shri Krishna calls him a hypocrite. There are many, who take to renunciation,
although equipped with a weak and immature mind. Vedanta philosophy does not encourage such
lazy vagabonds. Inaction at physical
level is not sufficient for progress towards Divinity. The inactivity at the emotional and intellectual
level is more important.
Scientific
and legal domains also support this idea.
The punishment suggested for the one who cospires and suggests the
action plan is harsher than for the one who implements it. Psycho analysts also that the thoughts oft
repeated in mind erupt as criminal perverted acts.
Shri
Krishna includes the Gnyandriyas also in the word Karmendriya in this
verse. The karmendriyas perform various
acts of the body. The Gnyanendriyas
perform acts of subtler bodies like the mind and intellect. The term ‘Karma’ is used in Gita to denote
physical as well as subtler activities.
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यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेsर्जुन ।
कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्मयोगमसक्तः स विशिष्यते ॥ ७ ॥
But, he excels, who, controlling the senses by the mind,
unattached, directs his organs of action to the path of work, Oh Arjuna!.
(III - 7)
This
verse reveals an easy way to transform actions, mundane activities into
karmayog. It is futile to fight the
indriyas. It is foolish to gag the sense
organs outwardly. Transform the
mind. Etablish your supremacy over the
senses through the mind. To conquer the
mind is much more difficult than to stifle the sense organs. He is greater, he is nobler, who performs, or
even attempts more difficult task.
The
sense organs demand. To demand is their
basic nature. Have we denied their
demands? Have we conveyed to the senses
a firm denial message, “No, not all of your demands will be satisfied”? For instance, the tongue demands ladoos. What is the function of tongue? It has to identify, help in identifying the
taste of the food particle placed on it.
It has to help in crushing the food and sending the same into the
stomach. Should the tongue determine the
number of ladoos to be eaten? Should it
decide the timing of food intake?
No. Those are better left to
other faculties. If we send a firm
message, the tongue or other sense organs will definitely obey. It is neither good nor feasible to lie down
whenever the body demands sleep.
Unambiguous message like “Today is Shivarathri. No sleep for you” or “Not now. Only after I finish this work on hand” will
surely be listened to by the body. The
body is a very obedient servant, but a very adamant boss. It should neither be tortured nor be
pampered.
This
can be realized on an Ekadashi day. The
body which rings hunger alarm exactly at ten in the morning on other days
remains silent on Ekadashi days. Why
so? As we come to know on the previous
day about the next day being Ekadashi, a clear message that “the boss is not
going to feed me” reaches the stomach and it readies itself for the event. When we travel across continents, there is
what is called ‘time-lag’. The body does
not know that it is now in a different country.
It signals alarm for hunger or sleep at its usual time. But, it quickly adjusts to the new
timings. The message has to be clear and
firm. Even an iota less, the body and
its organs start clamour of protests and eventually win.
Unattached
actions lead to Karma Yog and attached ones bind, says Shri Krishna. Attachments can be to either to the action or
to the result or both. There is no defect
in action or fruit. Mere action or fruit
does not bind. Attachment is degrading. Total elimination of attachment will fructify
KarmaYog. Attachment to the body, its
organs, mind or Buddhi, can be diluted and gradually eleminated by transposing
on the thoughts of ‘Mine’ with ‘His’ or ‘Social’ or ‘National’.
Attached
and active is superior to attached but inactive. Even the one motivated to action by the
desire to reach ‘Heavens’ is superior.
But, the one who is active in social cause without any expectations or
desires is more superior.
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नियतं कुरु कर्मत्वं कर्मज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः ।
शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः ॥ ८ ॥
You do perform obligatory actions, for action is superior to
inaction. Even bare maintenance of thy
body is impossible if thou are inactive.
(III - 8)
Niyata karma are
obligatory actions. These are specific
to individuals and vary according to caste, community, profession, attitude and
surroundings. Niyata karma is same as
‘swadharma’. It is immaterial whether
these are clean, dirty, menial or skilled.
These are duties and have to be performed. A war is a niyata karma for Kshatriya. Though this war is a niyata karma for
Duryodhana too, on the basis of his ‘ kshatriya varna’, it is an ‘Adharmik’ or
derogatory action as he wants to usurp an empire of the Pandavas. It is not so for Arjuna. Hence Shri Krishna urges him to ‘do your
niyata karma’ for ‘it is superior than abstaining from action’. Shri Krishna says in 18th chapter
(48th shlokam) that ‘swadharma, even if defective, has to be adhered
to.’ Performing obligatory action is
superior to non-performing and unattached performing still better.
“Do not remain
inactive. Do not be attached to
inaction. Even normal functioning of
body is hampered by inaction.” This can
be easily grasped if we are aware of tremendous activities in the various
systems of our body. There is hectic and
continuous activity in each of the trillions of our body cells. Molecules of Oxygen from the inhaled air and
glucose from eaten food combine to produce ATP, the energy for all the activities
in our body. All other systems, viz. the
heart, lungs, muscles, digestive system, circulatory system etc. are involved
in uninterrupted activity to help reach the raw material to each of the body
cells. {There are around 60 trillion
cells in an adult body. The blood
circulation pipeline is around a lakh kilometers long. In a day, the heart beats around a lakh times
to pump out blood and the lungs expands and contracts 22,000 times to inhale
and exhale air.} The more we work, the
better the strength and efficiency of these body systems. A sportsperson’s pulse rate is lower as his
stronger and muscular heart has to work less to pump more blood. An inactive person’s system is weakened and
has to overwork even for normal functioning.
An inactive person’s lungs, for instance, inhales a mere 10 percent of
its full capacity.
An acquaintance of mine
had stayed in the USA for a few months and returned with swollen legs and
supposedly a damaged kidney. The
swelling in his legs and the related problems vanished within ten days of his
return. The doctor explained it thus:
“It is AC everywhere there in the USA.
AC in residence, AC in the car, AC in the temple, AC in the market, AC
in any place one visits. Being a new
place and having to stay in a multi storeyed building, walking is
minimized. Use of machines for simple
day-to-day activities had reduced physical work. Perspiration stopped. After return, he resumed his usual daily
chores like walking to the garden to pluck flowers, using hand pump for
collection of water for daily use, reaching the milk booth early in the morning
for daily milk, walking to the nearby temple in the evenings, walking down to
the bank once in a while, etc. His
problematic sumptoms vanished.”
Abundance of physical problems now a days in cities is also due to
decrease of physical activities. Doctors
suggest a simple remedy, ‘ brisk walk’ for most of modern diseases.
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यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोsन्यत्र लोकोsयं कर्मबन्धनः ।
तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ॥ ९ ॥
Except those actions performed for Yagnya, all other actions
bind one to this world. Hence Oh Son of
Kunti! You perform action only for the sake of Yagnya, devoid of attachment.
(III - 9)
Shri Krishna talks on
Yagnya in the next seven shlokams.
Yagnya is a ritual prescribed in The Vedas. In this ritual, Ghee, twigs of various trees,
cooked rice, and other objects, called Aahuthi, are offered to various gods
through a Fire ignited in a specially designed brick urn. The basic Mantra chanted in a Yagnya is ‘Idam
na mam’; this is not mine. Shri Krishna
offers a new meaning for Yagnya. Any
activity is a Yagnya if performed as a duty with an attitude, ‘this is not mine
and is not for me. This is His and is
for Him’.
With such an attitude,
even mundane activities like cooking and dining become Yagnya. A man is worth, not his actions, but the
attitude or motive. An employment,
trade, education or an enterprise can be a yagnya, provided the attitude is
‘this is a duty towards Him’. Any
activity done with larger welfare in mind is a Yagnya. When ‘money’ is motive, it fills up the mind
and nags even after working hours. But,
Yagnya attitude fills up the mind Divinity, to emit the divine fragrance around
during non working hours and retired phase of life. Attachment evaporates and KarmaYog blossoms.
Actions for selfish
desires and pleasures are the Anyatra karmas mentioned here and are
binding. Even noble activities like
Yagnya, Danam, Pooja, Vratam, Upavasam, may be Anyatra if done for self glory
or ego satisfaction and may result in bondage of Self.
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सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः ।
अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोsस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ॥ १० ॥
देवान् भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः ।
परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ ॥ ११ ॥
The Prajaapathi, having in the beginning created mankind,
together with Yagnya, said, “By this shall you multiply. This shall be the milch cow of your desires.”
“Cherish the Devas with this, and may the Devas cherish you:
thus cherishing one another, you shall gain the highest good”.
(III – 10, 11)
Prajapathi Brahma is the
Creator of Gods, Rshis, Men, Animals, Birds, Trees and plants and all other
creatures. All these are praja or
children of Prajapathi. Yet, man, by
virtue of his evolved faculties, is especially known as praja. The other forms of creation lack descretion
and can not accrue knowledge from own or others’ experiences. Obviously these are not bound by duties and
obligations. Nor do these acquire punya
and paapa. These live an instinctive
life. (These can not harm the world through
avarice. They just lead a natural life
and contribute their own part towards the well being of the world.)
Prajapathi Brahma
created the five elements and using these as basic constituents, copleted
creation. He also created Yagnya, the
tendency to offer self in the welfare of others. We can see this tendency all around us in
Nature. Everything is going on without
any selfish expectation. Every being is
seen offering whatever little it has towards sustenance of lives. There is Yagnya bhava in the illumination by
Sun and the moon, the flow of river waters, growing and flowering of trees,
blowing of wind, the sea, the clouds, etc.
The animals and birds help in conservation of bio-wealth and
bio-diversity. Non- attachment and surrendering
self for welfare of the world are the two basic traits in all these natural
activities.
Kamadhuk is the
Kamadhenu or the Celestial cow, which can give anything and everything
desired. Shri Krishna says that Yagnya
Bhavana is a Kamadhenu that can nourish us with all our needs. All human needs are satiated only by the
Yagnya Bhavana abundant in Nature. The
wise say, Nature can fulfill all our needs, but not our greed. This Yagnya Bhavana does not blossom in
humans naturally. Unlike other lives,
man has been given freedom to act. He
has to use his descretionary intellect, to separate Sat from Asat, doable acts
from avoidable ones and cultivate Yagnya Bhavana in self. Whenever Yagnya Bhavana fills up man’s
psyche, the Nature is at her best and human society too flourishes. When Yagnya Bhavana evaporates from human
psyche, Nature, all lives and man also suffer from dangers of destruction,
extinction and exploitation. There is
loss of balance, peace and harmony.
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इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविताः ।
तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव सः ॥ १२ ॥
यज्ञशिष्टाशिनः सन्तो मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्बिषैः ।
भुञ्जते ते त्वघं पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात् ॥ १३ ॥
Devas cherished by Yagnya, will give you desired-for objects. So, he who enjoys objects given by the Devas
without sharing with them, is verily a thief.
The good, eating the remnants of Yagnya, are freed from all
sins. And he, who cooks only for
himself, eats nothing but sin.
(III – 12, 13)
Here, Shri Krishna
repeats the idea mentioned in last shlokam in harsher words. He is a thief. He only eats sin. Who is a thief? Who eats sin?
One who consumes all for himself is a thief. One who does not share eats sin. Who is to be shared with. The Gods;
all the forces which work for fulfilling our needs; all the forces which help us lead a fuller
life; all those forces, by the grace of
which we access sources of our happiness;
we must share with all these forces.
After duly sharing, we must partake remnants. This great idea has been the cause for a
treasurable and unique tradition found, till date, in Hindu society. We have a flair for sharing. This trait is more prevalent in Hindu society
than any other community in the world.
“Take as per need and give as per capacity” has the guiding mantra in
Hindu society, based on which is a Hindu’s life style and his social
system. In fact, this has to be a
universal principle, applicable to any community, but is more common inHindu
society. Here too, modern trends like
industrialization, consumerism etc. are taking a toll on this unique tradition
of sharing.
Human birth is got after
a long wait and after going through many cycles of births and deaths as so many
other lives. We humans are indebted when
we come into this world. We carry five
types of debts and have to perform five types of sacrifices to clear these
debts.
1. The first debt on us
is ‘Pitru Rrun’ or parental debt, not just immediate one, but the whole
ancestral lineage. They have blessed us
with an able, healthy body. Modern
genetic sciences proclaim that we owe a lot to our ancestors, more so to the
previous three generations, for our talents, capacities, qualities, intellect
etc. The non human lives also give birth
to offsprings, but parental role in bringing them up is minimal. In computer language, you can say that the
God sends the other lives with a hardware preloaded with a software, unique to
the specie. They come with knowledge of
what to feed on, where to get it, how to communicate, how to mate, etc. They can not improvise on their knowledge,
nor can they pass on the essence of their experiences to their progeny. On the contrary, a man is sent with a bare
hardware. He has been given a liberty to
choose and load his own software. He
also is free to improvise his software on the basis of his own and other’s
experiences. He can store all his
acquired knowledge and transfer the same to others, for then to improve and
gain further. The young ones in other
species know a lot at the time of birth but add very little to it during their
lifetime. Human child is just a lump of
earth and knows almost nothing at the time of its birth, but sky is the limit
for the knowledge it can acquire during its lifetime. In the initial years, the parents have a
great role in assisting this acquisition of knowledge. Mother feeds the child to nourish its
body. The parents do for the child,
everything that it can not do by itself.
The child learns what and how to eat, how to stand up and walk, how to
communicate, how to manage self, how to interact with others, and so many other
crucial skills from its parents. The
parents are the first and foremost teachers in introducing the world to the
child. The effort towards repayment of
this debt is termed Pitru Yagnya. Of
course, this debt is not measurable and hence beyond repayment. Yet, taking care of the parents till their
last breath, doing for them all that they can not do by themselves due to old
age, offering oblations in their memory after their death, etc. are obligatotry
duties for man and doing these with faith, devotion and unattached is Pitru
Yagnya.
2. ‘Bhootha Rrun’ or
debt towards Nature is second in this list of five debts. All non-human lives and everything else in
this Nature are Bhootha. The air we breathe, food we devour, water we
consume, the flowers we appreciate, the pleasant and cool shadow of trees, rich
minerals that enrich our lives, nourishing cow’s milk that replaces mother’s
milk, etc. etc. are all lovely gifts for us from Mather Nature. The term ‘Nature’ covers The Sun, Moon,
Earth, Sky, Seas, Mountains, Rivers, Trees, birds, animals, insects, worms, and
all these. Does the tree enjoy its
shadow? It perspires in scorching Sun,
but gives soothing shade to others. Does
the cloud save for itself even a drop of its water? The cloud, a product of combined efforts of seas,
wind, Sun, the Sky, the mountains and trees, showers every drop of water to
quench the thirst of earth, other lives and humans. This nectar like water is consumed and given
back to Nature as urine, sweat or other polluted waters. Being a Mother, so full of love for Her
children, Nature does not complain, but patiently continues with her efforts to
clean and convert it into sweet, nourishing, potable water. Do the trees or the earth know the taste and
flavour of fruits and grains produced by them?
We relish, satiate our hunger, gain strength eating these and what do we
give back? Shit. Her serenity is not disturbed. She reconverts it into delecious fruits, food
grains and vegetable wealth, all with a smile.
She blesses us with life-giving oxygen.
We inhale, take it to our cells, extract energy and life out of it and
throw out toxic carbon-di-oxide. Mother
Nature endures this sin of Her children and changes this waste into lively
oxygen. The cow eats grass but yields
milk, so tasty, so nourishing. The
efforts on our part to pay back this debt of Mother Nature is Bhootha Yagnya. Planting and watering saplings, offering
grass to the cow, scratching her neck area, offering food to the village
security called dog, offering grains to the birds, sprinkling grains in soil
and water resources for the insects and fish to feed on, and any other act we
can think of, will be Bhootha Yagnya.
The least we can do is to take from the Nature, the bare minimum for
ourselves, as a child would suck milk from its mother. Leading a simpler life, avoiding squandering
of Nature, is itself Bhootha Yagnya. A
thinking that, ‘this world with all its wealth and resources is made for me’ is
an exploitative thought and ‘I am for Nature’ is Yagnya Bhavana.
3. The third debt on man
is Narayagnya or debt of the human society.
The effort to pay back this debt is Nru Yagnya. Everything we consume and every social system
that we utilize, is out of the efforts of so many men, known and unknown,
living and dead. Food, clothes, house,
etc. come to us, ready to use, at the end of a chain of hectic human
efforts. A pathway is carved on grass
fields, only if hundreds of human feet repeatedly tread on. It has been laid and relaid since hundreds of
years by thousands of humans. The house
we occupy is built on untiring effort of hundreds of labourers. The majetic mansions, huge flyovers, express
highways and all those infrastructures that thrill and amaze us in Metro cities
and developed western countries, have a mix of sweat and blood of thousands of
indentured, contract labour, most of them made to live and die in harsh,
inhuman conditions. We owe every night
of peaceful sleep to the thousands of Jawans guarding our frontiers and the
night patrol personnel. Regular payment
of taxes, sincerity in work, voluntary involvement in social work, honest
obedience to laws, contributory work at times of natural calamities, offering
food and shelter to Athithies (the ones who come without prior appointment), providing
amenities to pilgrims, organizing drinking water for travellers, offering
physical and monetary assistance during temple functions and other special
occassions, etc. and any other act, we can think of, in service of human
society, can be some of the efforts towards repayment of human debt on us. The least we can do is to be honest and
effecient in the work we do to earn our food.
A good, positive family life is itself ‘Narayagnya’.
4. The fourth one is the
debt we owe to Rshis or the seers. The
yagnya for repayment is Rshi Yagnya or Brahma Yagnya. Rshis are seers, the ones who see deep into
the future and initiate systems and traditions for the benefit of generations
to come. Rshis are the ones who refined
the language and human minds by classic literarure; the ones who innovated and initiated various
festivals and congregations, to lift human spirit from the sagging monotony of
life and to establish equality and harmony in the society; the ones who lived
values of Satyam, Ahimsa, Sacifice, Purity, etc. and paved way for these taking
deep roots in humans through stories, Dramas, sport and other entertainers; the
ones who never lived even a moment for self and who walked to all corners, villages
and cities, forests and mountains, meeting people; the ones who carried great,
inspiring thoughts across continents.
Our nation Bharath, has a grand lineage of innumerable rshis. Right since Vedik times, Rshis have lived and
walked on this land every generation.
Daily study and discussion of texts like the Veda, Purana, Itihasa, Gita
and other texts carrying Ideals and values, efforts to live these ideals are
Rshi Yagnya. This is called ‘Swadhyayam’
or study of self. It has been referred
to as a divine asset in 16th chapter of Gita. Maharashtra has a chain of ‘akharas’ or body
building centers. Hanuman is the inspiration in these. Students work in front of a mirror, with a
picture of Hanuman placed above. Mirror
depicts present status and Hanuman, the goal.
Similarly, lofty ideas in texts present ideals and introspection, the
present status. Hence, study of texts results
in study of self.
5. The fifth debt is
debt of God, Deva Rrun and the effort at repayment is Deva Yagnyam. “You have given me a human birth. You have provided a good family, a great
society for me to live and flourish. You
have offered me a sharp intellect, noble mind and unique talents and all these,
without my asking. How do I repay thy
debt? May I relinquish ego, arrogance
and attachment to the glamorous world.
May I live a life based on Yagnya attitude and reach Thy feet.” Such a prayer is Deva Yagnya. Remembering God fondly, even for a second,
thrice a day, at dawn, dusk and before taking meals, is Deva Yagnya.
These five Yagnyas are
for transforming our lives into a Yagnya-maya life and not for calculating
debts and repayment. “You gave me so
much and I have repayed so much”. Such a
balance sheet is not the purpose of these efforts. In fact, any amount of effort on our part is
not enough to erase all these debts. Our
attitude should be refined. We must get
rid of illusionary attachments. We must
achieve complete surrender of ego. This
has to be the purpose.
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अन्नाद्भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसम्भवः ।
यज्ञाद्भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञः कर्मसमुद्भवः ॥ १४ ॥
कर्म ब्रह्मोद्भवं विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षरसमुद्भवम् ।
तस्मात्सर्वगतं ब्रह्म नित्यं यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥ १५ ॥
From food come forth beings;
food is produced from rain; From
Yagnya arises rain; and Yagnya is born
of Karma.
Know Karma to have risen from The Vedas; and the Vedas from Imperishable. Therefore, the all-pervading Brahman is ever
centered in Yagnya.
(III – 14, 15)
All the lives are
generated from food. That which sustains
and nourishes a life is food for it. If
the earth worm eats and lives on earth, then earth is its food. The food we eat transforms into blood,
muscles, bones, marrow, etc. and the subtle part into potency. That is how food is declared as responsible
for generation of lives.
The food is produced
through rains. Rains are produced
through Yagnyas. The vedik rituals
called Yagnya are of course capable of producing rains. Here, Shri Krishna includes duties done with
a sense of sacrifice also as Yagnya. In
the ritualistic Yagnya, ghee, rice etc are sacrificed in fire. It is sacrifice of objects in Danam or
donation and it is sacrifice of comforts and pleasure in Tapas. Thus, all the prescribed holy acts fall under
the term Yagnya. There is story in
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Once, the
Devas, Asuras and men approached the creator Prajapathi Brahma for a
blessing. He blessed all the three with
a syllable ‘da’. Devas, living amidst abundant
comforts and luxuries, took it for ‘daman’ or self control. Asuras, with a natural inclination towards
anger and violence, took it for ‘daya’ or compassion. Men, with a common instinct to accumulate,
took it for ‘danam’ or give. The
blessing, though common to all the three, was understood by each, according to
own nature. It is said, the roar of clouds,
‘da, da, da,...’ reminds us of our basic duty of giving.
There is another story
which outlines importance of dedicated duty.
Once, there was an announcement by the gods that there won’t be any rain
for the next twelve years. All men dependant
on rains for their routine work, stopped working, as they thought it futile to
work in assured absence of rain. They
all started indulging in entertainments and unworthy pass-time activities. There was one farmer, who continued tilling
his land, undisturbed by announcement by gods and unswayed by th prevailing
trends. Every one mocked at him for his
obvious foolishness. But, he continued
his work. “I am not concerned whether it
rains or not. I am merely doing my
duty. If I stop for twelve years, I’ll forget
my duty of ploughing fields” said he, in defence of his ‘folly’. These words had a magical impact. The peacock, which had stopped its rain dance
in absence of clouds, started dancing.
The clouds were puzzled at the dancing peacock, even in absence of
roaring clouds. They peeped to know the
reason. The clouds, on knowing details,
wondered why ‘we should abstain from duties’ and started roaring. The roar of clouds made the rain gods, Indra
and Varuna, curious. They sent
emissaries to find out the reason. They,
overwhelmed by the farmer’s words, repented and ordered the clouds to
rain. Tiruvalluvar, says in one of
Tirukkurals, that rain will shower for one good soul. If detached duty by just one could produce
rains, prevalence of Yagnya spirit in society should cause wonders.
Unattached worldly
duties also are Yagnya. If Fire worship,
‘Samitha danam’ is yagnya for a student, cooking is for a mother. The doctor’s Yagnya is preparation and distribution
of medicines to patients. Studies for a
student and business for a trader are Yagnya, if performed unattached, for
general welfare. Thus, Yagnya is born
out of actions or Karma.
Karma or actions have
been prescribed in texts and the texts have been referred here as Brahman. Thus, Karma is born out of Brahman.
These texts are Divine
and are born of God. Thus, God is
manifested in Yagnya. There is water
everywhere on the earth. Yet, water is
taken from sources like the well, pond, lake or river. Similarly, God is omnipresent. Yet, He is prominently stationed in
Yagnya. He can be reached through Karma
yog.
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एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः ।
अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति ॥ १६ ॥
He, who living in sin and intently involved in satisfying
the senses and does not follow this cycle, live in vain.
(III - 16)
The above mentioned
cycle is very much part of creation. Any
one who breaks or causes a rupture in this cycle, live a life of sin, says Shri
Krishna. One who abstains from his
obligatory actions is capable of disrupting this cycle. One engulfed in Desires, attachments and
sensual pleasures has the potential to abstain from duties. Such a man is a sinner and lives a futile
lefe, says Shri Krishna. It is better
for him to die than live and disturb Natural cycle.
The discussion on
Yagnya, started in ninth shlokam, concludes with this shlokam.
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यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानवः ।
आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते ॥ १७ ॥
But, the one who is devoted to the Self, is satisfied with
the Self, and is contented in Self, has no obligatory duty.
(III - 17)
The one who has attained
to wholeness, has no obligatory duties.
He has no tasks. What is the
route to completeness? He experiences
and realizes the Bliss, that is his real Nature. He is totally contented within self and hence
does not seek out through the senses for happiness. Taitreya Upanishad says in ‘Ananda Meemamsa’
that “all the pleasures indulged in by men are together, but a speck of the
Bliss within”. (Etasya Eva Anandasya
Mathram Upajeevanthi). Having realized
Aatman, his mind will not wander out for sensual pleasures. There are desires, no work, no duties at that
state. He works, not as an obligation,
but as an expression of love.
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नैव तस्य् कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन ।
न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः ॥ १८ ॥
He has no object in this world (to gain) by doing (an
action), nor (does he incur any loss) by non-performance of action, nor has he
(need of) depending on any being for any object.
(III - 18)
There are primariy two
motivations for man to work; lure of incentive from work or fear of punishment
or harm on avoidance of work. Both these
motivations are basic animal instincts. The
ox pulling a loaded cart, the donkey of a washerman, and any other animal enslaved
by man perform allotted tasks motivated by one of these two instincts. We tell our children to study and work hard
so that, ‘they can achieve success’.
Money, Luxuries, Comforts, Status etc. are our measures of success. Is there a level beyond which there is
nothing to seek and nothing to achieve?
The one immersed in Aatmanand or Bliss within, is in such a state. He does not gain anything by doing nor does
he lose by not doing. Hence, there is no
task for him. He has attained the peak
of ‘attainment’. The Joy being
experienced by him is not out of any person, object or experience in outer world. It is from the realization of Divine Nature
of Self.
Shri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa uses the simile of mustard being cooked in oil. “The mustard seeds make a lot of noise and
dance and jump around in oil. Gradually,
on getting cooked, the jumping around and noise subside. Similarly, we run helter and skelter in
younger days in search of success and achievement. We must mature with time. Inquiries like ‘Who am I?’, ‘What is my real
Nature?’, ‘What is my goal?’ ‘Is there any achievement beyond these momentous
ones?’ should arise in our minds. We
must persue these inquiries”, says Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Materialism and
Consumerism rule the world today. Man’s
natural attraction for pleasures and obvious ‘success’ of America as a
propogator materialism are the reasons.
America, with a population of mere six percent of world’s total
population, consumes almost forty percent of world’s total resources being
consumed. Other nations and societies
are also being dragged into this mad race of more and more consumption. Our houses are virtually being converted into
dumping godowns for goods and more goods.
There is not enough walking space for men occupying these ‘godowns’. Shri Krishna’s declaration assumes
significance in this context. “There is
a state beyond the obvious. There is a
joy beyond the transient pleasures earned through objects”, says Shri Krishna.
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तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर ।
असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुषः ॥ १९ ॥
Therefore, Always do perform actions which are obligatory,
without attachment. By performing action
without attachment, one attains to the highest.
(III - 19)
We have got this body,
mind and intellect on arrival into this world.
We have been using these instruments for our own gratification. We have engaged these towards accumulation
and consumption of pleasurable objects.
Already under heavy debts, we gather more debts by this. Naturally, we get caught in the whirl of
birth and death.
We obtain a body,
wealth, house after we arrive in this world.
We leave these on our departure.
A person working in an office is given a table, chair, a shelf, some
files, telephone etc. These have been
given to facilitate his work. He can not
claim these as his own and take these home.
Similarly, the instruments got in this world are for working for this
world. These are not to be considered as
‘own’ and misused for self aggrandizement.
Moreover, devoted work for the office gets him a salary. Similarly, working for the world, gets him a
divine bliss. Work for the world, Unattached,
divine Bliss for self.
A volunteer works in a
festive gathering. He works the whole
day in organizing the crowd, helping the lost ones and guiding all about the
various amenities available. Once he
returns in the evening, he does not think of anyone of the thousands he had
helped, nor does anyone stay in his memory.
He was not attached, nor did he have any desire while working. He just worked. Similarly, work with a service attitude,
without any desire for appreciation, fame or position, will easily liberate one
from the bondages of this world.
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कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादयः ।
लोक सङ्ग्रहमेवापि सम्पश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि ॥ २० ॥
Verily by action alone, Janaka and others attained
perfection. Also simply, with the view
for guidance of men, you should perform action.
(III - 20)
Even kings like Janaka
had attained Divine Wholeness with this attitude. Working unattached and with a motto of
‘welfare to all’ liberated them from the cycle of birth and death. Janaka did not shirk work. He was a king and performed all the work
expected of a King. Nor did he renounce
comforts. He lived surrounded by
luxuries and comforts due to a King. He
merely delinked ‘himself’ from all these.
He erased all attachments and devoted himself to duties. He lived ‘like a lotus in water’, in water,
surrounded by water, yet unattached to water.
He was a Gnyaani. Yet, not
interested in giving up or running away.
He became a silent witness of the stream called life.
Shri Krishna demands
‘anasakthi’ and not aversion for work.
Attachment and aversion are one and the same, only in opposite
direction. If attachment binds, aversion
also binds in opposite direction.
Aversion to work is not better than attachment to work. There is neither desirous attachment nor
aversion in unattachment. Swami
Ramatheertha was in America. Stones and
abuses were hurled at him at a place while he lectured. He returned to his place of stay, as usual,
with a smile. His friends inquired about
the incident. He said, “Today, Ram got
plenty of abuses. Some stones were also
hurled at him.” “Who was that? Was that you?” asked the friends with
concern. “No. I was a witness to the whole incident. I heard the abuses. I saw stones being hurled. Not on me”, replied Shri Ramatheertha. According to him, there were three in the scene;
the ones throwing stones and abuses (the audience), the one being abused and
hit (Swami Ramatheertha), and the witness to all these (The Self). This is unattachment.
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यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः ।
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ॥ २१ ॥
Whatsoever the superior person does is followed by
others. What he demonstrates by actions,
that, the people follow.
(III - 21)
Chidren naturally follow
the parents and other elders in family.
Similarly, people in every age generally follow great men in
society. Greatness may be judged on the
basis of wealth, education, position, or other factors. These factors may vary with time and society. In modern world, wealth and power are the
chief factors in deciding greatness.
Millioners and others holding powerful positions are admired, even
worshipped as exemplary. (Millioner is
not one who has meditated on God’s name a million times, but one who holds a
million rupees.) Even as a bandit chief
influences petty robbers and thieves, these men influence common men. Petty incidents in their lives, methods
adopted by them to earn money and power and other gossips rlated to them spread
among people as stories. That is the
reason we find crookedness, shortcuts, bribery, conspiracy, betrayal and other
immoral acts are known to all, without a ‘formal training’. There is no hesitation or shame in people
adopting these ways at their own levels.
Our nation has
established a different measure for greatness.
Brahmins, for centuries, have lived ideals like Truth (Satyam) , Faith (Shraddha),
Perseverance (Tapas), Firmness and forbearance (Dhruthi), Simplicity
(Aparigraha), etc. and have established great standards. Shri Kshudhiram Chatterji, the father of Shri
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, lived a life of poverty in a small village. The landlord in his village once wanted him
to make a false testimony in a court. He
refused. The landlord warned of dire
consequence. “I will not lie, come what
may”, Kshudhiram was firm. The landlord
forcefully evicted him from the village.
Kshudhiram, left the village with two bagfus of his assets, wife and his
two children. On the way, another
landlord of a nearby village, Kamarpukur, met him and requested him to grace
his village with his stay. He humbly
offered Kshudhiram a small piece of land and shelter. This was the village where Shri Ramakrishna
was born as Gadhadharan. Money is not
all. The values like Satyam etc. are
higher. Unfortunately, viruous living is
gradually deminishing in the last few decades.
There is no conscious effort to inspire people, aspecially the younger
generation to try and establish such examples.
The media, both electronic and print, has a prominent role in this. Unfortunately, it sustains more on projection
of unscrupulous and criminal elements, as sort of heroes and achievers. But, this what one can expect from
money-hungry media.
We see hectic, frenzied
activity on the religeous front. There
are more number of sermonizers and discourse-givers. There are more religeous programmes on TV
channels and some exclusive channels for these programmes. There is a larger crowd attracted to these programmes. Stories and topics on virtues and values are
elaborated in a colourful fashion. Will
this not have an impact on minds? Impact
of the inner essence (Bhavana) of these programme-givers is greater than that
of their words and actions. Most of them
are professionals, into a business that pays.
The values, they talk on are seldom found in their lives. Noise can not produce silence. Violence can not create peace and love. A lavish consumer can not inspire sacrifice
and simplicity. A selfish, autocratic
rule can not motivate people to serve and devote. Similarly, an impure mind can not help
blossom pure, noble values. Love begets
love. Peace begets peace. Cleanliness helps in creating
cleanliness. Similarly, purity causes
nobility.
A word of caution in
this regard. We can not resort to good
behaviour to create an impact on others, or because others observe or because
we have a responsibility of guiding others into a virtuous life. A flower blossoms and expresses fine colours
and fragrance. Its expression is full
and perfect, irrespective of whether it is noted, enjoyed or appreciated by
others. It is the same for flower
whether it is in a crowded place or a secluded one. It just expresses its beauty through its
colours and scent and fades away. So
many fruits ripen in trees in forest, drop and get lost buried in soil, never
tasted by any. Yet, its expression of
taste is no less. The quality of ‘great’
should be his inherent nature and should flow out of him naturally. It is immaterial to him, whether or not he is
observed, admired or followed.
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