HARMONY BY ACTION - SWAMI TATWANANDA

[Guest guest]

ACT IN THE SPIRIT OF YAGNA

 

Recognition of Creator/jiva relationship-1

 

To be karma yogi implies the acceptance of Esvara, the Creator. The creation

came into existence without the exercising of the will of the created (jiva's

will). All that we possess, own, experience and enjoy are not of our own

makings. Though the cause and source remain unknown and unseen, yet the cause

cannot be disowned by the effect called the jiva. The cause/effect relationship

or call it the Creator/jiva relationship was not sought in time by the jiva like

the jiva's other situational relationships. The relation between Creator and the

created only waits to be discovered.

 

As limited beings, we go by the known laws but are aware that the results of our

actions are not entirely within our control. The laws that govern the fruits of

our actions are termed as the law of dharma or karma. No created being authored

these laws. At the same time the law of karma, which gives us the karma-phala,

is itself not produced by an inert law but by an "Intelligent Principle." That

All-Intelligent Principle," - Brahman - is called Esvara (Creator) with

reference to the creation. Esvara is not only the "intelligent cause" but also

the "material cause" for the creation, as from Brahman alone came the creation.

In other words, He is not only the "Maker of the laws" that govern us but the

laws too,are themselves non-separate from Esvara. Recognition of Esvara is the

first step in karma-yoga.

 

As we noted earlier in our talks, any action brings in a result called

punya/papa and that in turn leads to bondage with the sense of doer/enjoyer kept

alive in the cycle of births. However, when the same actions are done with the

recognition of His Presence in the doer, deed and objects as an offering unto

Him, and, the results accepted as His grace (prasada), then the result

(karma-phala) will be another situation for recognizing Him - The Creator

Complete.

 

Naturally, when the karma-phala is discovery of Him, the Limitless Joy, there is

no sense of bondage. As such, recognizing the beauty of the Creator/jiva

relationship, while acting upon a situation as well as when one avails the

result thereof, is karma-yoga. It is the subjective and unique recognition of

the "end right from the beginning." For the dedicated one "joy is not at the end

but from the very beginning!"

 

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

Action.1989)