Karma yoga Part III - The wheel of Action

[Guest guest]

We discussed in part II, the secret of success in any endeavor. The

success is possible when one performs the action in the spirit of yagna.

The spirit of yagna involves a collective cooperative endeavor with each

component contributing to its best in complete self-sacrificing mode for

the benefit of the totality. Then totality will prosper. While

providing this secret for success, Krishna also warns that if the action

is not performed in the spirit of yagna, it will bind the individual

causing one to go down the drain. Bhagavaan Ramana says –

‘kRitimahodadhou patanakaaranam’ – one gets trapped into the whirl-pool

of action, karma to janma to karma, punarapi jananam punarapi maraNam.

One is trapped in the ocean of samsaar, with no end in sight.

 

When collective effort is involved as in yagna, and when the results

come out of such yagna, then the fair game is to share the results

(yagna shishhTa) in proportion to one’s contribution to the yagna.

Krishna provides another warning here. Those that partake more than

their share, depriving the others their fair share, are essentially

stealing from others. He will be not only committing sin but taking the

other’s sin as well. The law of action and reaction not only operates

at the individual level, but also at organizational level and the

national level, as well. In addition, those who do not work in the

spirit of yagna but work for their own selfish goals (in the language of

Gita, those who cook for themselves) they commit sin too.

 

The laws of action are uncompromisingly ruthless and operate at cosmic

level. However, for those who understand these laws and operate within

the laws, the same laws protect them. Looking at small window of one

own life span, one gets the impression that one is getting away without

any appropriate compensation or punishment. The laws operate at the

cosmic level. The law of action and result is that everyone gets what

he deserves, and not what he wants or does not want. The present is the

result of past, and the future will be the result of the past modified

by the present action. The choice is given for us, the humans (karmani

eva adhikaaraste) to steer out of the wrongdoings of the past by

properly performing the actions now, in the spirit of yagna. One can

also damn himself by improper action or adharmic action. The choice is

ours. It is never too late to steer oneself out of this bondage.

Krishna assures – swalpamalpasya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayaat| - if

one starts performing even a little bit with the spirit of yagna, he

gains a lot in return and slowly goes beyond the fear of death.

 

The wheel of action:

 

In addition to the spirit of yagna, Krishna provides a glimpse of how

the wheel of action operates at the cosmic level, using the language of

the yore. This is beautifully picturized in the Mahabhaart TV series.

Every episode stats with the wheel rotating at the cosmic level, with

all the planets and stars moving around. Indian astrology is based on

the observation that the exact position of the stars and planets with

reference to the time and place of the birth of an individual provides a

clue about his praarabda – or conversely the place and time of his birth

and the position of the stars and planets are determined by his

praarabda. It is an interesting point to consider in relation to the

wheel of action.

 

Krishna says that when one performs the yagna (with all the doos and

don’ts) properly, the gods will be pleased and those gods in turn please

those who performed the yagna. Thus by pleasing each other, one attains

the success. So, the second condition for success is pleasing the Gods.

This leads to topic of the eternal wheel of action: Krishna says the

beings are born of out of food, the food is born out of rains, rains are

born out of yagna, yagna is born out of action, action is the product of

Vedas, and Vedas are from the Lord; – therefore know that Lord is always

established in yagna. Therefore Arjuna, yagnaartham kuru – do the

action for yagna sake that is do the action as an offering to the Lord.

This becomes iswaraararpita buddhi.

 

We can unravel the significance of the words used above to appeal for

our rational intellects. Gods are the production potential in the field

of action. Pleasing the gods therefore means performing the action as

the field or the situation demands. Gods are pleased when the required

actions are performed to their best. When the Gods are pleased they

have to give the results appropriate for the action. When the results

come, one has now a new set of environment that demands next action

which again has to be performed in the spirit of yagna to please the

Gods. Thus by pleasing one another the wheel of action is set in motion.

The life involves dynamic action. Nature by itself is dynamic. The

earth rotates, the seasons come and go, the seeds sprout, plants grow

producing seeds, which again sprout giving rise to plants and thus life

goes on, and the beginningless cycle of creation, sustenance and decay

goes on eternally.

 

In Tai. Up. it says aatmaanam aakaashH sambuutaH … and so on and

pRithivii then oshadayaH, then annam and then it says annaat purushH.

Annam stands for what you eat (if you eat too much then it will eat

you). annamaya kosha is born out of food, sustained by food and goes

back into food. (Food also supports mano maya and vijnaana maya koshaas

too – You can test this by fasting more than a day or two and see how

your mind looses the capacity to think. In fact, Uddaalaka gives this

test to his son swetaketu. Of course, if you eat too much also the mind

cannot function, as it goes to sleep. Hence Krishna advocates yukta

aahaaram, a balanced amount of food).

 

Food, here, includes all that one consumes through the five senses.

When one consumes the karma phala, it will leave vasanaas behind which

forms the kaaraNa or cause for beings to be born. Hence Krishnaa say

annaat bhavanti bhuutaani – beings are born because of enjoying the

karmaphala with ego-centric attitude. If annam is taken as prasaadam

then the question of enjoying prasaadam is not there. You accept

whatever is given with reverential attitude. Thus partaking prasaad or

as prasaad purifies the mind.

 

Food is born out of rains. Rains are essentially the results that are

showered due to the actions that are performed. Hence Krishna says

‘Food is born out of rains, parjanyaat anna sambhavaH’. The results that

one desires come from yagnas as we discussed above, where yagna stands

for cooperative endeavor. Hence ‘yagnaat bhavati parjanyaH’. Since

yagna involves cooperative endeavor Krishna says the rains (results) are

due to karmas or actions. Karma comes from Veda – since we are dealing

with Veda vihita karmas or obligatory duties specified by Veda. To be

more general, Veda means knowledge. The obligatory duties come from

clear understanding (or knowledge) of one’s role as an individual in the

family, in the society, in the nation and in the world. Finally the

Vedas come from the Lord. This is to be understood both from the Veda as

pramaaNa which is considered as aourusheya i.e. not authored by any

human. It also means in the absolute sense Knowledge which is unborn, is

eternal, ever present, It is essentially the Brahman as cit swaruupa,

knowing which there is nothing else to be known, ‘yat jnaatvaa naaparam

jnyeyam, tat brahmetyavadhaarayet’. Therefore, know Arjuna that all

pervading Brahman is eternally present in the yagna.

 

In essence, perform your duties in the spirit of yagna and from the

results that come out of that action take what you deserve. Keep only

what you need and return back to the totality in the form of yagna

(which includes all the pancha bhuuta yagnas discussed above). Thus

become an participant in this eternal wheel of action. This way one

purifies his mind and makes it free from the pressure of Vasana-s.

 

Swami Chinmayandaji has developed a Chinmaya Mission pledge, based on

this principle, which essentially is recognition and commitment to this

eternal wheel of action, to be performed by a saadhak for his growth.

 

We stand as one family bound to each other with love and respect.

 

We serve as an army, courageous and disciplined, ever ready to fight

against all low tendencies and false values, within and without us.

 

We live honestly the noble life of sacrifice and service, producing more

than what we consume, and giving more than what we take.

 

We seek the Lord's grace, to keep us on the path of virtue, courage and

wisdom.

May Thy grace and blessings flow through us to the world around us.

 

We believe that the service of our country is the service of the Lord of

Lords, and devotion to the people

is the devotion to the Supreme Self.

 

We know our responsibilities; Give us the ability and courage to fulfill

them.

 

Om Tat Sat .

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End of part III. Next we will discuss about the devoted action.