Guest guest Posted January 6, 2000 Report Share Posted January 6, 2000 Message of Gita from The Hindu "They only live, who work for the welfare of the next man" was the noble sentiment expressed by a saint centuries ago. The society has been progressing all these years as people zealously followed this ideal, though of late self-interest has come to the fore. This view can be traced to the teachings of God Himself in the Bhagavad Gita where He has clearly stated that every person should carry out his duties and discharge his obligations in a perfect manner. But they should not be concerned about the outcome of their work. It is for God to grant the fruits based on His devotee's sincerity and dedication behind his efforts. That work honestly done will certainly be rewarded has been re- told in recent years by another saint, who has said that "If you want to be happy, you should make the other person happy." This idea had been in the minds of our ancients whatever may be the nature of the duties they were engaged in. But it has found a patent expression among those engaged in agriculture. Those connected with food production - from landowner down to the laborers - have been toiling hard for the sake of the entire population. They have always thanked God for His blessings when they harvested a rich crop. The festival that was celebrated last week reminds all of us about the duties of peasants who derived happiness that their work has yielded rich dividends and their sacrifice has been rewarded. The path of action that has been prescribed by the Lord laid its emphasis on sacrifice and selfless service. But "work for the sake of work without any motive" may all be very well in words. When a person enters the practical field or endeavors to practice, he will encounter difficulties. A householder's mind is saturated with many desires and he expects fruits for his actions. But if he dedicates all actions at the feet of God, he will feel that God works through his sense-organs and he will be quite at ease. The Lord tells Arjun in emphatic terms: "The lot of that man who works expecting fruits is pitiable indeed." In a discourse, Swami Vimalananda said, according to the Lord, when one serves others, he should think that God has given him an opportunity of correcting, improving and molding himself by means of such service. The path of action, which eventually leads to the attainment of the infinite bliss of the Self, can never be futile. The Lord's reference to the path of action will make a devotee firmly believe that he is but an instrument of God and that he has no individual will. "You are everything and you do everything." Source: An Article from the Religious Section of The Hindu taken with permission: "Copyrights 2000 The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.