Potential & Limitation of Action by Pujyaswami Atmanandaji

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

Poojya Swami Atmanandaji, the founder of Vedanta Mission studied under

the guidance of Swami Chinmayanandaji and he is a great Vedantin.Let

me take this opportunity to thank Swamiji for granting permission to

post this excellent article on Potential & Limitation of Action.

(Source: http://www.vmission.org/vedanta/articles/index.htm)

 

warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

 

Potential & Limitation of Action by Pujyaswami Atmanandaji

Action is signature of life :

……… Action is verily a signature of life. Life manifests most

vividly in the form of actions. If the very life principle is said to

be the eternal divinity then its manifestation in the form of

action is indeed its divine fragrance. To be able to act is indeed

a blessing, and anyone who acts in a dynamic, creative way

out of the feeling of well being for all becomes a blessing for all

those around him, and paves the path for his total fulfillment

too. Any philosophy of life which gives due importance to

action alone facilitates people to make the best of their lives

and vice versa any philosophy whichprofesses an inactive life

becomes responsible for the fall of that person, society or the

nation. So act we must. We must in fact learn more about this

potent thing called action. We must know the potential and

also the limitations of action.

Act to forge ahead, react to be left behind :

……… First let us try to understand what exactly is an action ?

Any movement of our hands or bodies is not an action. A

person turning in his bed while sleeping drops a glass and in the

process makes a thief to run away is not said to have

performed an action, nor does a person reacting to a situation

as per his conditionings is performing any action. Action is one

thing and reaction is another. Action is a deliberate &

conscious effort done with a definite objective in mind. If

unconsciously you help someone you have not done any Punya

karma, similarly if unintentionally if you harm someone you don't

commit any sin. That is ofcourse a different matter that a

sensitive person sees to it that even unconsciously he or she

does not harm any one. Animals are programmed to respond in

a particular way and therefore they do not perform any

actions. In action there is freedom to choose our response. I

may decide my response on the basis of my past experiences

or may try out something entirely new. I may respond or may

not respond at all. That's freedom. In action there is freedom.

In action there is growth and also evolution. Those who don't

know what does action actually means simply stagnate. A

person who constantly exercises his or her freedom in &

through every situation alone acts. Very few people act, most

of us merely react. Those who act alone go ahead, rest are left

behind.

The potential of action :

……… In all actions there has to be a clearly defined goal.

Greater the clarity of goal, greater will be our energy directed

towards it. But, a total action requires something more, there

should also be great sensitivity towards others. A deliberate

act which is done with such a sensitivity to others as you

would expect others to have toward you is called a Punya

karma or virtuous action, while a karma in which in the process

of attaining our goals there is total indifference towards others

feelings then such an act is called Paap or sin. A person who

does punya karma's not only begets love, consideration &

respect of others but also facilitates manifestation of his

various latent qualities & potentials. This leads to still better

karma's and the cyclic effect leads one to still greater

prosperity, contentment and betterment of life. On the other

hand if a person is too desperate to attain something and in

the process resorts to insensitivity & the subsequent Paap

karma's then his selfish disposition not only ultimately isolates

him but the overloaded mind also cannot bring about its best.

Success for such a person is always questionable, and even if

success is brought about then also the cost at times is so high

and the person inspite of getting what he wants remains a

loser. The potential of Punya karma's is great, they can help us

attain even the glories & comforts of heavens. So act we must

but in a more conscientious way.

The `greatest' potential of action :

……… Apart from the above potential there is one more

extremely important and great potential of action, which is not

so often talked about. That potential pertains to the effect of

karma's on our minds rather than its potential in bringing about

the desired situation outside. It is the ability of karma to make

the mind of a person progressively all the more intelligent,

sensitive & strong. The utilization of that potential does not

call for any special act, in fact whatever may be the field of

action of a person, in & through his or her activities the above

objective can also be simultaneously attained. The change is

only in the motivation. The usual motivation in any action is in

bringing about a desired extraneous situation. We want

something and work for it. Our love lies in some object yonder,

and action is merely a means to attain that. Our joys manifest

on seeing the results and not earlier. In other words we don't

enjoy the very act of doing some thing but always look beyond

to something which is yet to come. People who are more

bothered about the 'fruits' of action, the very act of doing

something is more often a burden, and is left at the earliest

oppurtunity. The very act is never be a matter of great love or

joy. If however for a person the very act of doing something

becomes a matter of great challenge, love & joy, if somehow

the focus is shifted from the fruits of action which always lies

in future, to the 'very act' being done in the present, then with

such a changed perspective & priority not only the fruits of

action will certainly be far better, but at the same time with

this intense living in the present the mind starts unfolding its

various latent qualities and the person is seen to become all

the more efficient, intelligent, sensitive and strong. Do have

goals for the future but not at the cost of potential joys at

present. Such an act is possible only by people who have an

intrinsic sense of well-being, fulfillment & contentment within

themselves. It is such people alone who can afford to act in

such a way. They may have great faith in God - the dispenser

of all fruits of actions, or their philosophy of life may convince

them of their basic divinity. Whatever be the case if they can

afford to act with the above motivation then they open the

floodgates of their higher growth & evolution. Such a karma

where having once discerned the goal, the entire attention &

love is in the very act of doing the karma, and in & through his

actions is amazed at the beauty & order of things around

becoming in his heart a fan, rather a devotee of one who runs

the entire show, is called as the Nishkama karma. Every act of

this person is an act of love, in every concieveable way. These

people enjoy their very work and are never bother about

retirement, the day when they will probably be free of all this

hassle. A person who inculcates such an attitude in & through

all his or her actions is called as a Karma Yogi. Lord Krishna

never feels tired to glorify such an act or such a person. Such

an act is ones doorway to total freedom. Not only doorway to

freedom, it verily is an act of freedom.

The limitations of action :

……… As the saying goes there are always two sides of any

coin. Even though karma's can take us to the mind boggling

heights of heavenly pleasures, they can help bring about

beautiful virtues in the mind, they can bring about great purity

of mind in the form of detachment, contemplativeness &

sensitivity, yet karma's have some limitations. The greatest

limitation of action is that any thing attained through any of

our acts is always transient, it is in the realm of change and

thus perishable. No fruits of actions are permanent, no

situation is permanent. All what we attain through karma's

quickly becomes an object of our memories. Karma is not a

means to help attain any thing permanent. If at any point in

time we aspire for something permanent then this great &

potent thing called karma stands helpless. Luckily that which is

permanent should by its very definition be present at all times

and places, and therefore has to be present right here & now.

Such a thing which is already attained needs no karma but

merely some deeper awareness, knowledge. Basically karma's

have a role to play whenever we want to produce, modify,

purify or attain something. If this is the goal then karma alone

has to be the means, there is no other way, but in cases

where there is no production, modification, purification or

attainment involved then karma's have no role to play. A

person who wants to know his Self or wants to know the truth

of things around, then karma's have no role to play. The basic

essence of everyone, the Atma is declared by the great Rishis

of Upanishads as ever-pure, ever-attained and free from the

possibility or necessity of any modification. It is that which is

permanent, divine and also embodiment of joy. Atma is

something to be known and not attained, for the simple reason

that it is our very Self. If we want to know the Self, then we

should not only keep aside all karma's but for a time being even

quieten the habitual tendency to act. At such a moment this

habit to act becomes a positive nuisance.

The plan of action :

……… The plan of action thus suggested by scriptures is to first

learn to act - deliberately, consciously & later in a Nishkama

way, selflessly, lovingly. Having fulfilled our various desires &

responsibilities and having brought about the necessary purity

of mind, turn your attention to that which is permanent. When

such a goal becomes dear then don't let even this tendency to

act turn your attention to any thing extraneous. Such people

should go to their Sat-guru - men of knowledge pertaining to

such things, and try to know that which is here & now. Know

your Self, that which you always are and always was. Having

known your true, divine Self directly, let your fulfillment

manifests at all the levels of your personality. Such people

have nothing to attain for themselves, their account has been

settled, they live to serve. Such people act yet they don't. Let

people call their acts in what ever way they like, they live

spontaneously, exuding the divine fragrance of divinity & love

all around them without any barriers of caste, creed, sex,

nationality or even religions. They truly become a world citizen.