HARMONY BY ACTION - SWAMI TATWANANDA

[Guest guest]

Karma Yoga - An Active Phase to Absorbing Quietude

 

It is true that although none of us see God first and then question Him, "Who

are you?" - all of us see the world and have many questions about it. We want

to know, "What is the meaning of this wonderful creation? Why is there beauty

and destruction together? Why do all the wonders and marvels reveal

themselves to leave us with only confusion and contradiction as their

footprints? What is the truth or reality behind all this? What is truly

happiness that every conscious being is in search of, and yet it remains

fleeting and so temporal in nature?"

 

When, where and how the turning point for this inner urge to delve deep and

find an answer is stirred in an individual remains an enigma. However, when

it happens, it will not be easy for the man of an active lifestyle to

instantly opt for a life of withdrawal and contemplation. It is difficult for

him who depended upon various relationships and situations in the outside

world for his sense of security and satisfaction, to turn towards a life of

renunciation and contemplation. His free will is not that free as to permit

him to pursue such freedom. The seeds of desire in his subconscious and

unconscious mind will not permit such a lifestyle. It is for this seeker of

freedom (moksa) that Krishna advocates "Harmony by Action" - Karma yoga.

 

(Excerpted from Swamiji's talks on Karma Yoga-published as Harmony by

Action-1989)